Well, In the past few months it seems like I have a new addiction and have indulged an old one as well. In February I decided to set up a 20 gallon fish tank that a friend had given us almost a year previously. I went out and got all the stuff I needed to set it up and make it pretty and started it's first cycle prior to putting fish in. A few days in the water began to get all murky green so I called the aquarium store. I had algae bloom (different than the algae that grows on the walls...which is not so annoying). So, to deal with that I was to keep it completely dark and do 25-50% water changes every 4 days. After a week or so it was looking clear(ish)...I thought I was out of the woods and had the water tested. Yay, it was ready for fish. Being all gung ho and knowing nothing about fish I asked the one of the local pet stores what they recommended for a new tank...So I got 3 Red Serpae Tetra's. They were pretty enough I suppose, but the main thing was they were hardy. A few days later I got 3 Red Eye Tetras...also somewhat interesting to look at but very hardy. Next in were two pretty female betta's from a friend. I then discovered a nearby pet store that had a whole floor devoted to aquaria and a staff that knew their stuff. I went in and talk to her about what to get for my tank given what I already had in there. I then added two honey Gourami's and 2 pearl?? danio's. By the end of the first 5 weeks the aquarium was up and running I was quickly getting stocked (going by the one inch of fish per gallon rule). A week or so later I stopped in at a different local pet store that happened to be in the mall I was shopping at that day and discovered 'sharks'. They are a bottom feeding fish given the name of shark due to its streamlined appearance. These were a fish Chris had talked about previously and as he wasn't quite as keen on the whole aquarium thing as I was and I figured "hey, I'll get him those fish!" This was my first really stupid purchase. I picked out a couple of the 'sharks' and added them to the tank. I'd also purchased 5 neon tetra's at the same time (although one died soon after). THEN I studied up on the sharks. Discovered they were actually two different but closely related species; an albino red fin shark, and a redtail black shark. Both growing to 6 or 7" in size and highly territorial, not typically tolerating another of it's own (or related) species in it's territory. I didn't really want to take them back as I'd become fond of them so I tried to give one of them to family and friends with no luck. Then Shannon and Chris, who'd given me the betta's, offered a 25 gallon tank. They have the same footprint but are taller. As the sharks were only apx. 1.5" and 2" at this time I figured I'd take the new tank and wait it out, see what happened and set up another tank if needed later. (I kind of liked the idea of having a small tank up on my desk where I work). One of the Red Serpea Tetra's died when switching the tanks bringing my fish count down a bit more.
All went well for a short time in fish world but I was still battling the algae bloom that would get worse and then better and worse again. I was also getting interested in trying a few live plants...so that was my next addition. I then found out the live plants can help get rid of algae bloom, so bought a few more. I figured that this was it. I was done buying and adding to my tank...was just going to enjoy it. (Which I do, I often sit for 30 minutes or so just watching the fish).
In this time frame of actually not adding any fish to the tank (although I continued to change water etc. to try to get rid of the algae), I got in touch with a friend of mine who has a kitten rescue operation. I decided I was ready to try fostering again.
Within the first 2 weeks of talking to the folks at VOKRA I had a mom and four 5 day old kittens. As the mom, Jelly is 10 and doesn't produce quite enough milk I (or other interested parties) help feed the two smaller kittens by bottle feeding a few times a day. Within the first week of having the kittens they caught a minor cold. Karen and Elizabeth got me the appropriate medicines and we nipped it in the bud. The kittens are now 4.5 weeks old and doing great...we still bottle feed the smaller ones, and one kitten has already found a home with my friends who gave me my female Betta's and when he's 8 weeks he goes to live with them.
Back to my water world. In the last few weeks Chris and I have been noticing that our Redtail Black Shark has been growing rapidly (now 4" rather than 2") and becoming more and more aggressive. Although he had always been the larger of the two sharks he was the one who hid constantly and so it was a bit unexpected and we'd thought nothing of it at first. Then finally we noticed him chasing not only the other shark (who is still only just 2") and occasionally a tetra but ALL the other fish, he'd even cornered one of the Bettas...and it was non-stop...any fish that came near the bottom of the aquarium was going to get nipped if it wasn't quick to get away. We decided one particularly bad day that enough was enough. He was moving out. I went to price out hoods, filters and heaters for my old 20 gallon. Turns out it was cheaper just to get a new one as a kit...and I figured I could use the new hood on the 25 gallon in the hopes it would give better light. I decided to go for it (although I was originally thinking of a 10 gallon for upstairs). I set up the tank and the next morning moved Mr. Redtail Black Shark to that tank (despite it's not having cycled at all). This was aided with the discovery of another dead fish. This time one of the red-eye tetras. We were pretty sure it was him given all the harassing he'd been doing. A couple of days later I stopped in at the pet store to pick up some gravel for the new tank (it had a few things in it but no gravel) and paused to look at the male betta's. Chris and I had stopped in and looked at them the night before when walking past and we felt sorry for them as it is wrongly perpetuated myth that Siamese fighting fish (betta's) are happy in those tiny aquariums they are often kept in. Anyway, I was still feeling sorry for them and I'd been pondering getting a male betta for my upstairs aquarium anyway once set up (because they are pretty and because I'd wanted to give at least one a decent aquarium). So I quickly checked to see if they got along with sharks and then bought one. The next day I was again doing more research and discovered that the betta's are okay with some sharks but not the one I had! Also we were seeing the shark display the same aggressive behaviour again. I realized that he wouldn't be happy with any fish I wanted sharing his tank and so made the decision to return him after speaking with the pet store to make sure they'd take him back after so long. In the next few days I did a lot of research (I'm learning!) and talked to people at aquarium stores and decided to divide my fish between tanks and move the male betta downstairs into the tank with the female betta's. (Interestingly enough, you can have two females with a male but not one as he will pester her to death with his advances..with two he has to divide his time I guess!) As male betta's and gourami's don't get along the 2 gourami's moved upstairs, as did the 2 red-eye and 2 red serpae tetras as they were good for new tanks. I'd been noticing weird behaviours from the tetra's so did some more reading-up on them and came to the conclusion that as they were schooling fish they just needed more of their own kind to act 'normal'. (ie: stop nipping each other). So, I went and bought more fish (again!). I bought 2 more of each kind of tetra, 2 more danio's (as they are also schooling) and more neon tetra's bringing my neon total to 9....well almost. :)
I'd also become infatuated over my many visits to the pet store with a Ghost Knifefish they had. I'd done some research on his compatibility with other fish and as he seemed like a good fit I bought him. He was my next biggest mistake after the nasty shark. He'd come home sharing a bag with my new neon tetra's as they were going into the same tank. After letting the bag float in the water for the recommended amount of time I opened it to let out the fish. Seemed to me like I was short a neon but figured it must be just me and went to read up some more on my newest acquisition. Discovered fairly quickly that not only can they swallow small fish whole (I was missing a neon!) but they grow to be a foot to 2 feet long! I must have done my original research with mental blinders on! After trying overnight to convince myself that I'd get a bigger tank before he would need it (as if I was going to get a 4 foot long tank) I realized my folly and decided to return him and get something more sensible like guppies. Pleasant, small, pretty and fairly easy care. Only a small risk my Gourami's would nip them...and my Gourami's seem pretty laid back. So, today I took back my lovely, friendly ghost knife. (Did you know that they will learn to eat out of and rest in your hand)? I instead got 3 beautiful male guppies, and 3 beautiful male platys. (The pet store keeps males and females of those species separate as they are live bearers and prolific). So...lets hope they are actually all males and the Gourami's remain laid back!
I now have 2 female and 1 male Siamese fighting fish, 4 pearl? danio's, 8 neon tetras and 1 white red fin shark in my 25 gallon tank.
Now sharing my 20 gallon tank upstairs are 2 Honey gourami's, 4 red serpae and 4 red eye tetra's, 3 guppies and 3 platys.
Let this be a lesson to you all if you are going to start an aquarium!
1. Know how to limit yourself! (I obviously can't....although I have to now, and my friend Chris H can't either)!
2. Do your research BEFORE you buy ANY fish and do it WELL. (I now have 8 tetra's I don't really want because I bought some right off the bat and that now take up space and I have had a fair bit of trouble juggling fish or not being able to get fish I want because ones I got at the start (without having done research) turn out to be potentially aggressive.
Then have fun. Despite all the rigmarole I really enjoy the fish and find them quite soothing to watch. They also have surprisingly interesting personalities. (And the tetra's and danio's ARE doing better now they are 4 rather than 2...even if I would rather not have them at all excluding the neons).
So, I have a rather full house animal wise at the moment and am learning lots! (Such as the fact that I AM NOT ready to have cats again yet, and I really, surprisingly like having fish).
Maybe someday I will get a decent picture of the fish and post it.
Forgive the grammar and spelling mistakes, I can't be bothered checking it over, it's too long.
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