Hair
09-19-2006, 01:22 PM
Hey, my name is Brandon. I'm 23, and just bought a 26 gallon brackish tank from my sister.
My sister and I both owned aquariums as kids. I had mostly Fancy Goldfish and always some Catfish, and she had Neons, Guppies, etc... Our other sister also had a Betta.
When we moved (when I was around 14), our aquariums were already in neglected shape, and we decided not to set them up again in the new house.
But I have always loved fish and water-life and I have been getting the urge to get an aquarium again. On Saturday I finally decided to go for it and asked my sister (who works at a pet store) about pricing. She told me a 10 gallon fresh water tank would cost around $150 with all of the bells and whistles, and fish. But then she mentioned that she would sell me her system for that price!
I didn't even know she had an aquarium! In the move we lost her Pleco, but I bought a replacement today (I know it might be jumping the gun). Anyways, here is the tank:
26 Gallon Bowfront
Brackish
1 Blood Parot Cichlid
1 Jewel Cichlid
1 Convict Cichlid
1 Electric Blue Cichlid
1 Headstander
1 Pleco Catfish
1 Snowflake Eel
And lots of plants and caves.
So far all is going well, but I wouldn't mind some advice.
Is this fish set-up fine? I know it depends on the fish and their personality, but do these guys all co-exist and are happy in the same water? My sister says the Eel might need more salt than the rest of them, but I have also read that they can live in freshwater.
The Eel does most hide, but I assume that is normal for an Eel.
The Headstander is 50/50. He will sit in his little spot behind some driftwood, and then he'll come out and swim a while. Is this normal, or should be be more active?
The Pleco is new, so I can't tell how he will adjust. Right now he is mostly just sucking on the back of the tank and rarely swimming around. I hope he will become more relaxed and comfortable and cover more ground. My sister's Pleco (as well as all of the Plecos I had in the past) would traverse the entire tank.
My Blood Parot does chase the other Cichlids, but I have read that Blood Parots have poor jaws and cannot do much harm. This seems to be the case as none of my fish have any visable injuries. So are they safe?
What fish can I add to the tank? My sister said some Puffers and Angel Fish will do okay as long as they are large enough to hold their own. Is this true?
Is there more room in my tank? I am very obsessive (more so than when I was a child with fish), and have been monitoring my tank stats. I am not against doing water changes constantly. Given I will be taking good care of the tank, can I add more fish? Or for a 26-gallon am I pretty much at the max? BTW, the Cichlids are all about finger-length with the Blood Parot being the biggest at almost 4 inches. The Headstander is slightly longer by skinny. There seems to be a lot of room left, so I am more concerned about waste.
I tested the amonia today and it was high (4-ish), so I did a 50% water change and will continue to monitor and change. The Nitrates and PH are fine.
I must say, the Python is amazing. I am willing to do a water change every day with this thing! I wish I had them when I was a kid!
I also have a small Betta tank my sister gave me when she sold me her Brackish. I bought a blue female today, and I love her.
I am going to get a 10 gallon freshwater community tank as soon as my Brackish tank is running smoothly and well-adjusted.
Sorry for the long into and many questions, but I am loving having fish again so much! This forum has been great for learning (I have been lurking here for a few days).
My sister and I both owned aquariums as kids. I had mostly Fancy Goldfish and always some Catfish, and she had Neons, Guppies, etc... Our other sister also had a Betta.
When we moved (when I was around 14), our aquariums were already in neglected shape, and we decided not to set them up again in the new house.
But I have always loved fish and water-life and I have been getting the urge to get an aquarium again. On Saturday I finally decided to go for it and asked my sister (who works at a pet store) about pricing. She told me a 10 gallon fresh water tank would cost around $150 with all of the bells and whistles, and fish. But then she mentioned that she would sell me her system for that price!
I didn't even know she had an aquarium! In the move we lost her Pleco, but I bought a replacement today (I know it might be jumping the gun). Anyways, here is the tank:
26 Gallon Bowfront
Brackish
1 Blood Parot Cichlid
1 Jewel Cichlid
1 Convict Cichlid
1 Electric Blue Cichlid
1 Headstander
1 Pleco Catfish
1 Snowflake Eel
And lots of plants and caves.
So far all is going well, but I wouldn't mind some advice.
Is this fish set-up fine? I know it depends on the fish and their personality, but do these guys all co-exist and are happy in the same water? My sister says the Eel might need more salt than the rest of them, but I have also read that they can live in freshwater.
The Eel does most hide, but I assume that is normal for an Eel.
The Headstander is 50/50. He will sit in his little spot behind some driftwood, and then he'll come out and swim a while. Is this normal, or should be be more active?
The Pleco is new, so I can't tell how he will adjust. Right now he is mostly just sucking on the back of the tank and rarely swimming around. I hope he will become more relaxed and comfortable and cover more ground. My sister's Pleco (as well as all of the Plecos I had in the past) would traverse the entire tank.
My Blood Parot does chase the other Cichlids, but I have read that Blood Parots have poor jaws and cannot do much harm. This seems to be the case as none of my fish have any visable injuries. So are they safe?
What fish can I add to the tank? My sister said some Puffers and Angel Fish will do okay as long as they are large enough to hold their own. Is this true?
Is there more room in my tank? I am very obsessive (more so than when I was a child with fish), and have been monitoring my tank stats. I am not against doing water changes constantly. Given I will be taking good care of the tank, can I add more fish? Or for a 26-gallon am I pretty much at the max? BTW, the Cichlids are all about finger-length with the Blood Parot being the biggest at almost 4 inches. The Headstander is slightly longer by skinny. There seems to be a lot of room left, so I am more concerned about waste.
I tested the amonia today and it was high (4-ish), so I did a 50% water change and will continue to monitor and change. The Nitrates and PH are fine.
I must say, the Python is amazing. I am willing to do a water change every day with this thing! I wish I had them when I was a kid!
I also have a small Betta tank my sister gave me when she sold me her Brackish. I bought a blue female today, and I love her.
I am going to get a 10 gallon freshwater community tank as soon as my Brackish tank is running smoothly and well-adjusted.
Sorry for the long into and many questions, but I am loving having fish again so much! This forum has been great for learning (I have been lurking here for a few days).