View Full Version : Rethinking tanks...
Wonder if I should rethink my community tank? Mr. Injured Betta did die after a valiant attempt to heal from his injuries...but the 3 girls are doing very well. Don't think I can add Mr. Plakat...seems more aggressive than the long-finned bettas...plus, he's happy with his six-pack of snails...
One of my serpae tetras died too (old age I hope)...so I only have 3 left...I've enjoyed them...but they're not a favourite...
My mollie female is huge...and her two babies, both females...look great too...then there are 2 platies left...4 or 5 zebra danios, the 5 corys and the oto cat...
So I'm not understocked by any means...but the tank looks empty somehow...don't know if I need a theme...or continue it as an experimental community tank...
Two of the 4 puffers also died...the other two look healthy...still lots of snails left in the tank so I know they have a food supply...kinda of discouraging too...think I'll leave it another week...recheck the water...and maybe get another two...
What I don't like about the puffers is that they're so hard to see in the tank...
...I should also mention that I forgot I bought those 3 bamboo shrimp! So I ran to see if I could find them...thinking the worst...
...however, they're all fine...but they've taken up residence at the top of the heater...not too exciting...
2manyfish
05-06-2007, 05:02 AM
What were you thinking of doing with this tank? Are you wanting to spice it up a bit with the fish you already have, maybe redecorate? Or do you think you might want to try 'something completely different'? :wink2:
Not completely different...but change the focus I suppose...make it either a livebearer tank...or some other kind of tank...
...no Angels though...I've had them and I like them...but I'd like something I haven't had as much experience with...
...no gouramis either...see above!
2manyfish
05-06-2007, 05:25 AM
A livebearer tank can look pretty cool! Keep the mollies, platies, cories and the oto too but would you be willing to sell off the other fish? You could have guppies and endlers in there maybe even a swordtail - but only one male swordtail to the tank!! They tend to fight quite a bit unless you have a really big tank...
Did you have any ideas about another type of fish you might want to keep?
All of those deaths has me a little concerned for you. Keep a close eye on the situation, hopefully it was just coincidence for the timing.
I hope the deaths are all coincidental...
...the betta had an injury..
...the tetra was quite old...3 years?
...the puffers are in a different tank...something weird happened there...there was a film on the top of the water...by the time I noticed, one had died...and after I fixed it...another died...it's a new tank for puffers...but has been established as the goldfish tank...don't know if the film was from the new heater or from something in the water as the heater warmed it up...
Water quality was good in all tanks as of last week...I'll check again today...
I kind of like the livebearers...always have! However I only recently 'discovered' the dwarf platies and balloon mollies (suggested them to someone else on the forum yesterday - thinking more about them for myself)...not sure that they're my favourite., but I don't mind them ..but they're so little...I could have a few more of those in the tank (eventually) and maybe it wouldn't have that 'empty' look...but I have no experience with them...
...are they hardy? The platies look fine, but the balloon mollies are quite dwarved...
Betta injury, I remember you saying that. Okay there. Old tetra, okay there. The film on the puffer tank is concerning though. Has the film come back? My experience has been film on the water is usually a result of overfeeding.
I personally have had terrible luck with mollies, but I didn't have them in a tank with salt, which I understand is their preference.
2manyfish
05-07-2007, 06:57 PM
Mollies don't actually need salt, it's much more important to keep the tank warm - 80º, and give them veggies to eat like spirulina flakes or pellets. Never had the balloon mollies but aside from possible swim bladder problems I don't think they're any less hardy...
The film on the water's surface is usually* a result of DOC's collecting up there (DOC = dissolved organic compounds). Overfeeding and not enough surface agitation will cause this to happen. When you get that film it will interfere with oxygen exchange which can cause oxygen levels within the tank to plummet.
(*There is always the chance that the surface film is the result of some sort of contamination too, like lotion on hands or something being sprayed within the vicinity of the tank, etc....)
I like livebearers, always have! Endlers are awesome if you can find them!! And I love platies and all the different colors and patterns you can get.....
thumbs2:
Yeah...I like the livebearers too...
...I was looking at the dwarf platies today at the LFS...not too exciting as far as a single fish goes...but they're rather cute as a group...
Some the balloon mollies are also quite cute...other not so good-looking...but hey...it don't matter none...
I did replace my deceased CT with another CT betta today...I wanted another Plakat SO badly...but the one I have in with the snails is obviously aggressive, and I'm thinking they might be more so than the long-finned varieties in general...
...so far so good...the new CT's hiding from the other fish! Suffering from culture shock I think...
vBulletin v3.5.4, Copyright ©2000-2012, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.