Got the fish tank!

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Originally Posted by joepythons

The only thing i did not see mentioned was when you place the fish in "new" water i always floated them in plastic fish bags until they were used to the temp change.Then i transfered a little water in the bag from the tank and after about 20 minutes i released the fish.I only lost one swordtail during 15+yrs of having a tank.You are making me miss my tank setup even more now :( :P .

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the fish were already in the tank when we brought them home. We just added water to fill it back up. There was only about 4-5 inches of water in there with them when we got them.

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Originally Posted by worldcupkeeper

the fish were already in the tank when we brought them home. We just added water to fill it back up. There was only about 4-5 inches of water in there with them when we got them.

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Aric,i hope you dont get any stress leaks from the seems between the glass.It happens when you move a tank with water in it.When you add large amounts of water like you did here its a good idea to float the fish in bags until they adjust to the "new" temps.You might not have lost a fish at all.It sounds like the person you got the tank from never cleaned it :mad: .Congrats on the new tank :cool:

If the water was filthy, the fish adapted to the deteriorating conditions over time. They didn't die from bad conditions because it was not a sudden change. Basically doing a 90% water change shocked their systems. The change in water parameters was too great too fast.


You can get by with large water changes IF the fish are used to it and the water going in matches the water going out.

I recently moved a 72 gallon bowfront when we had the living room redone. I emptied the tank, changed out the gravel, replaced the media, and replaced ALL of the water except for what was in the rubbermaid tub the fish were in temporarily. I didn't lose a single one since I do large weekly water changes anyway and new water isn't too far off from the makeup of the old water. I also ran the filter off the side of the tub.

Joe brings up a good point though. Watch the tank for leaks. They are only held together by the silicone in the joints (unless it is an acrylic tank) and moving one with even a small amount of water in it could cause the joints to fail and leak.

someone mentioned they only lost one fish in 15 years of keeping fish...

i find that VERY hard to believe... most fish don't even live that long. (most aquarium fish last 10 years in the absolute best of circumstances).

anyways... i would think that stress probably killed them more than adding clean water. fish don't like massive water changes (over 50%) but if their water is horrid... they thrive in clean water... (kinda like saying if we live with pollution we won't fair well in a pollution free vacation spot)

pick yourself up a python or gravel vac (python attaches to the faucet - gravel vac is done into a bucket) so you can perform weekly water changes of about 1.5"

remember... only pure water evaporates... so as the water evaporates and you replace it... this is NOT considered a water change :P

and joe was totally right about the stress to your tank... never move a tank (even across the room) with water in it. ;)

and hey... you have lots of avid fish hobbiests here *raises hand* so don't hesitate to ask for info.

My main concern throughout the whole moveing the tank thing was that it would start to leak, but its not leaking so far (crosses fingers). Believe me, ill NEVER move another tank with water in it anywhere, from now on ALL the water will come out, for the sake of the tank and for the sake of my arms:cool: (man that was HEAVY to move:) ) Where do you suggest getting an gravel vac? The gravel in there needs a massive cleaning or just new gravel.

This morning all the fish that are in there look like they are doing very well, I really dont know what all are in there at the moment but I hope I can get some pics.:D

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

someone mentioned they only lost one fish in 15 years of keeping fish...

i find that VERY hard to believe... most fish don't even live that long. (most aquarium fish last 10 years in the absolute best of circumstances).

anyways... i would think that stress probably killed them more than adding clean water. fish don't like massive water changes (over 50%) but if their water is horrid... they thrive in clean water... (kinda like saying if we live with pollution we won't fair well in a pollution free vacation spot)

pick yourself up a python or gravel vac (python attaches to the faucet - gravel vac is done into a bucket) so you can perform weekly water changes of about 1.5"

remember... only pure water evaporates... so as the water evaporates and you replace it... this is NOT considered a water change :P

and joe was totally right about the stress to your tank... never move a tank (even across the room) with water in it. ;)

and hey... you have lots of avid fish hobbiests here *raises hand* so don't hesitate to ask for info.

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Aleesha,i meant i only lost 1 fish when i cleaned out the tank,not just 1 in 15yrs.I lost a few swordtail males because the dummies liked to jump out of the small gap between the lid and the filter unit :( .I had so many livebearers(guppies,mollies and such) i started 2 pet stores with fish when they first opened up :D .

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Originally Posted by worldcupkeeper

My main concern throughout the whole moveing the tank thing was that it would start to leak, but its not leaking so far (crosses fingers). Believe me, ill NEVER move another tank with water in it anywhere, from now on ALL the water will come out, for the sake of the tank and for the sake of my arms:cool: (man that was HEAVY to move:) ) Where do you suggest getting an gravel vac? The gravel in there needs a massive cleaning or just new gravel.

This morning all the fish that are in there look like they are doing very well, I really dont know what all are in there at the moment but I hope I can get some pics.:D

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Aric,you should be able to find the gravel vac at any pet store.I bet it was HEAVY as each gallon of water weighs 8 pounds then add the gravel :eek: .Watch your water level as it will be your first clue of a possible leak,a little will evaporate but not in serious quantities.

well, I just looked through the stuff that came with the tank and there was a gravel vac in there.

The tank still looks pretty good leak wise.

Ive also got another question, the front of the tank looks like its got a bunch of calcium buildup on it. The lady we got them from said she could not figure out what is was or how to get it off. Any suggestions on how to clean in, ive tried a sponge and a little magnetic cleaning (one side goes on the outside and one on the inside of the tank, one side is corse and the other is smooth) thing that came with the tank.

So far ive been reasearching what fish we have in there and it looks like we have 1 Gold Gourami, 2 pearl Gouramis, im guessing a Otocinclus catfish, 3 black neon tetras, I think an Albino Cherry Barb, and a I think a Cherry Barb. Never knew identifying fish was so hard when you dont really know much about them:).

You have an otto cat in there? Are you sure it's an Otto? Little brown thing with a stripe on the side? Is it no bigger than an inch long? That's about max size for them.

If so, congrats. They are VERY tough to find around here and are great at keeping diatoms under control if your water is high in silicate.


This should help you ID fish.
http://www.aquariacentral.com/species/fresh.shtml

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Originally Posted by SPJ

You have an otto cat in there? Are you sure it's an Otto? Little brown thing with a stripe on the side? Is it no bigger than an inch long? That's about max size for them.

If so, congrats. They are VERY tough to find around here and are great at keeping diatoms under control if your water is high in silicate.

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Well im sure but not that sure (if that makes sense:rolleyes: ) Its really small, only about an inch long, its got the stripe, hes really hard to find, being so small and lots of plants in there, you really never know where he is:).