Fish Tanx

Homecoming...

2009-12-01T08:13:00.000-08:00

So my old Pleco, I let AquaZ keep for me, is finally back in my tank. He is doing well and the tank is spotless. The aggression is still at a minimum with bi-weekly live feeder doses I'm sure it will stay that way. I did upgrade to the larger feeders so I'm gonna have to check and see how that worked out.

20 Feeder Update...

2009-11-01T07:38:00.000-08:00

All of them are gone not even a scrap left =)....The Godfather (My Puffer) had buried himself in the sand and is waiting on a new batch of feeders. The Snook and Bichir are happy and full as well. Where are those updates at fellas?

20 Feeders vs Oddballs...

2009-10-31T09:22:00.000-07:00

Bought 20 feeder goldfish and dropped them in with my 2 Snook, the Bichir, and my new Arrowhead puffer....The one snook instantly ate 5 (with one tail haning out of his mouth and a little head puffing for air lol) the other ate 2 the Bichir didn't do much which disappointed me and I saw the puffer gulp down 2. So the other remaining feeders might get a break for a day but I'm sure when I check back tomorrow they will be gone. Just wanted to share the badassness of my tank. Oddball FTW!!!.......BTW updated pics would be sweet AquaZ I wanna see how the new non aggressive choices for your tank look and I def wanna see the Dempseys Jswain0411.

My Tank Pwns...

2009-10-20T11:37:00.001-07:00

Gonna go out and get some more feeders today. The Bichir isn't usually aggressive but yesterday he destroyed some feeders while the Snook just watched so I'm hoping for a little more aggression out of the whole group when I feed them today....Update with some Featherfin and Pictus pics AquaZ!!! You too Jswain0411 I wanna see how those Jacks are doing!!!

Been to long...

2009-10-15T12:28:00.000-07:00

So here are some pics couldn't get any of the the lazy nugget who hides all day or the nocturnal rope fish but got the Snook and Bichir...Waters cloudy from change and im looking to add more pants and another log to the left side when I get the $.

LMB Update

2009-09-17T10:11:00.000-07:00

The largemouth bass in my tank is now eating pellets. (cichlid staple large)
I think thats a pretty difficult task to accomplish...
Also, I highly recommend doing a native tank next time you set up an aquarium...he is still such a bad ass

Mouse anytime guys?

comment it up...

Dirty tank :(

2009-09-09T19:32:00.000-07:00

I havent been home in over a month and my family was feeding my fish. They did but didnt clean the tank. Now my tank is green and nasty. I have the standard filter that came on it which isnt enough to make it look great. Going to do a few water changes throughout the week. Whenever it looks nice again ill make a video. The BGJDs are about 3 times the size of the EBJDs are right now.

Update...

2009-09-08T13:29:00.000-07:00

So automatic light timer is a must. If you don't have one get one great for algae control and overall wellness of the fish. Now I'm looking into an automatic feeder because I can't get over there at the same time everyday to feed them. When I get that all setup and find my camera (probably gonna have to borrow the gfs) I'll update again.

It's been awhile...

2009-09-01T17:51:00.000-07:00

Sorry I can't find my camera and with classes back up I haven't really had time to worry about posting and adding info about my tank. When I find my camera I'll add some pics but as of right now the Snook are about double the size the were in the first pics, the Senegal is still the coolest fish I own, the rope got out of the tank today but I put him back in and he's fine, I added a sail-fin pleco to help keep algae under control since the gold nugget doesn't leave the log I bought, and finally I got a light timer which I wish I had just gone ahead and bought it when I first got my tank.

What is new

2009-08-19T10:53:00.000-07:00

No one posts anymore...whats up with that?

Here is a recent pic of my aquarium with the bass

Lets see some damn posts. I know those EBJDs are looking sick and Dru has an oddball tank now.

2009-08-13T18:08:00.001-07:00

Drew lets see a pic of the rope and your new set up

I'm at Panera...

2009-07-30T10:13:00.000-07:00

No internet at the house so updating the blog is a bitch....Just wanted to let everyone know I recently added a Rope/Reed Fish to my tank and he is doing well

P.S. Polypterus Senegalus FTW =)

Update

2009-07-26T17:08:00.000-07:00

Long time since my last post. I've been really busy with work, studying for my cpa and my girlfriend coming in town (from out of country) and I havent been staying at home with my fish much.

Anyway there are all doing fine. BGJDs are close to 3 inchs and the EBJDs are 2 to 2 and half inches. However the tank is staying pretty clouding and dirty. The stupid Orange spotted pleco doesnt clean shit. I'm going to have to get another guy to do the dirty work. I also need a new filtration system just dont feel like buying it right now. The other one is still running just not doing the job as i would like it.

Anyway If it gets clear enough to make a nice video or post some pics ill try and do that before I leave the tank for a month. Lata

The Enforcer

2009-07-21T15:54:00.000-07:00

Here is a video of The Enforcer dominating...
Enjoy and feel free to comment

Just FYI...

2009-07-20T14:25:00.000-07:00

Petsmart in Martinsburg is open now.

Damn 10gal...

2009-07-18T22:06:00.000-07:00

Was getting it out of my trunk to setup in the basement just for some little fish or maybe a growout and it cracked

I want another Polypterus...

2009-07-13T06:40:00.000-07:00

I'm gonna try and get a Polypterus Delhezi (Banded Bichir) for cheap if I can and add it in with my Polypterus Senegalus (Senegal Bichir). That way my Senegal will have a relative to play with everytime he tries to lay on top the Gold Nugget to relax like he would with another Bichir the Nugget flips out and swims away so I need to get him a friend. I think if I had i all to do over again I would go with a bunch of bichir and maybe two decorative Plecos like my Nugget and a Zebra.

Would you guys change anything?

Best type of fish ever...

2009-07-11T15:02:00.000-07:00

Polypterus...Bichir are by far one of the coolest and most animated freshwater fish, in my opinion. With deathrolls, the ability to breath outside of water indefinately, standing on the tip of their tails to strike prey, laying in piles on top of one and other, and burrying themselves in soft substrate for ambush attacks, they are just plain entertaining to watch and that's the whole point of keeping fish. Then when you add in the cool array of patterns and sizes they have they are tops in my book.

Can I get an update...?

2009-07-08T10:12:00.000-07:00

Come on fellas need some pics of those tanks. I'm gonna clean mine today and use my Mac for pictures later this week.

The Move Continued...

2009-07-03T15:11:00.000-07:00

Okay so I finally got the fish settled and got my first paycheck from my new job so once I get the sand put in and some decoration (probably just rocks) I'll update with photos. Right now it's just bare bottom with my 60" bubble tube laying across the bottom for aeration.

Also...I'd like to get an update on my fellow bloggers tanks. What's new? How are the EBJD and Orange Spotted Pleco doing?
How's my old pleco doing in the native tank? And any other info you care to share.
Picture Updates would be great too.

The Move...

2009-06-24T15:18:00.000-07:00

Sorry haven't posted in awhile, I've been redoing my grandmothers basement and now it's finally ready to move into. I plan on replacing my black gravel substrate with sand when I move it. I'll update with photos after the move should be moved in by this weekend.

My Native Tank

2009-06-17T08:44:00.000-07:00

So far, I have a Largemouth bass, Pumpkinseed, and a Crappie.
Eventually, I think its going to only be the Largemouth bass, maybe with a cat
I believe Dru has his eye on the Pumpkinseed...any others?

Otherwise, these fish are known as: The Enforcer, Sunny, and the West Virginia Cichlid
named by the other two authors...comments please

I have posted some pics so tell me what you think...oh and Im going to need an algae eater very soon (i want to get a very cheap one who wont get eaten) HELP

EBJDs

2009-06-15T18:02:00.000-07:00

Heres a new video of the EBJDs and BGJDs. I have successfully hand fed them out of the palm of my hand. However, when I first attempted to do this on camera the pellets fell out and it did not work so well. So I decided to just capture them eating off the ground. Heres the video.

(These guys have been living in my tank for 3 weeks now. At the end you will see the one EBJD that is extremely blue already)

Black Rhoms

2009-06-09T14:22:00.000-07:00

Just some dedication to Black Rhoms

One of the biggest pics of a Black Rhom

New Tank

2009-06-06T20:15:00.000-07:00

Fish are here

2009-06-03T19:23:00.001-07:00

I received my fish in the mail. Everyone is alive and looking awesome. I'll be posting pics and videos soon.

5 Electric Blue Jack Dempseys and 4 Blue Gene Jack Dempseys.

Decisions Decisions

2009-06-01T12:01:00.000-07:00

So I have a guy that can get me Red Wolf fish, Rainbow Wolf fish (which I thought was the same as Red), and Violet Wolf fish.

I could pick two of those or...

I'm favoring the idea of starting a local fish tank.
I plan on stocking it with some blue gill, bass, and a catfish
Would be very cheap and highly aggressive as well as very natural
I can always do the Wolf tank after my next move (within the year).

What do you all think?

Plant update...

2009-05-30T07:57:00.000-07:00

So I replanted all my pants and put a divider in the tank for now till I figure out what to do with my pleco. The snook and bichir love the plants the bichir especially, he swims up through them then lays on top. Once I figure out what I'm doing with my pleco and how I really want my plants organized I'll probably post new pics.

D*mn Pleco...

2009-05-28T18:18:00.000-07:00

SOB uprooted all my plants according to the text msg my brother just sent me (figured this would happen just hoping it wouldn't) so I had him sit them in a bucket of water till I can fix them tomorrow stupid pleco. I'm gonna have to move him to another tank.

If you're interested you can have him AquaZ just get back to me. =)

Really Sweet Tanks

2009-05-25T20:09:00.000-07:00

Found pics and video of this cool tanks on MFKs. Just wanted to give them some love. They belongs to jcardona1 on MFKs.

Red Wolf with Sand

2009-05-25T08:07:00.000-07:00

So Im thinking about recreating what dru decided to to a month or so ago...
Pretty much copying the sweet ideas backed behind hours of research from the other two authors

Going with two red wolf fish (if everything works out).

Also going with sand substrate and real bright green and red plants.

This will assure a nice planted tank as well as some heavy aggression.
Found them for pretty good pricing online...shipping is killer though.

Any of the other two authors want in so we can split the shipping, maybe even three ways?

Hybrid Cichlids

2009-05-25T06:32:00.001-07:00

Heres some pics of Hybrid Cichlids I found on MFKs. (None of these fish or pictures are mine)

Jack Dempsey X Blood Parrot

Jaguar X Blood Parrot

Firemouth X Convict

Convict X Red Devil

Jack Dempsey X Texas

Dovii X Jaguar

Dovii X Red Devil

DIY 3D Rock Wall

2009-05-23T21:10:00.001-07:00

I'm very tempted to do this after watching this video. Only problem is that you have to have your tank empty to install and my new fish are going to be here soon.

Maybe I can put them in the 30 gallon until I get this back ground made. IDK. What do you think Dru?

ECO-Aqualizer...

2009-05-23T09:04:00.000-07:00

This thing sounds pretty amazing but I'm gonna have to look into it more and see if it truly does what is claims to do. Basically its a polarized tube that frees up water molecules of the bad stuff like Ammonia and etc so you don't need to do water changes as often and your fish get better oxygen in their water.

You can check out the link:

http://www.ecoaqualizer.com/aquarium.htm

Elelectric Blue and Blue Gene Jacks on their way

2009-05-22T21:09:00.000-07:00

I just ordered 3 EBJDs and 2 BGJDs for an amazing price. $40 for all of them with $15 shipping. Will keep updated. Hopefully will have them by next week.

Here are some pics from the dealer:

Parents

EBJDs

BGJDs

Polls

2009-05-22T16:41:00.000-07:00

We have a new page for polls. Please re-vote. Enjoy

FishTanX Polls

Uruguayan Cichlids

2009-05-22T10:22:00.000-07:00

Live fish Direct has a section labeled "Uruguayan Cichlids" with some cool fish Ive never seen before. Going to make a post on MFKs and see what people think. Will do some research later and post back.

Heres the MFK Thread.
Heres the Cichlid.com Thread.

Heres some pics.

Mmmm...

2009-05-22T10:06:00.000-07:00

Gonna head to the store today get some frozen cocktail shrimp and some cucumber see how my fish like it =)

Just some photos...

2009-05-21T09:04:00.000-07:00

New Caves...

2009-05-20T12:41:00.001-07:00

One inch per gallon rule

2009-05-20T12:36:00.000-07:00

I found this on a thread in monsterfishkeepers.com. Its a good read and helps clarify some common mistakes.

Thread

"The "one inch per gallon" rule

This is something that comes up fairly often and is rather misunderstood therefore I will attempt to clarify the original meaning of the general guideline of "one inch of fish per gallon of water".

This is a suggested guideline for a well maintained and filtered tank.
It does not apply to all fish as some have differing requirements.

Here is the part that is being misunderstood.

The "rule" does NOT refer to the length of the fish!

The "rule" applies to the cubic inches of fish in the tank.

This means that a 5" gourami should be measured in this manner,
length overall (5"),
thickness, (1/2"),
height, (2 1/2"),
so for this fish you multiply the following, 5x 1/2x 2 1/2, this gives you a total of 6 1/4 gallons of water.

For small fish like glo-light tetras you will end up with something like this,
1 1/2"x 1/4"x1/2", this comes to 3/16 of a gallon (about 1/5), and that gives you 5 fish of this size per gallon (quite reasonable)

For larger fish you end up with something like this, my example here will be a silver arowana at 24" long, 24"x 4"x 1", which gives you 100 gallons of water.

As you can see this works fairly well.

You do also have to apply some common sense and allow for such things as potential growth, the fish types' tolerance for crowding, and of course the width and length of the tank (a 24" gar will not work in an 18" wide tank even if the tank holds 100 gallons).

So please people, accept that this is just a generalized guideline to figure potential stocking levels, not a hard and fast rule.
Also remember that just because you don't like it doesn't mean you should slam somebody for using it.
And lastly, please don't flame someone by saying a 10" oscar doesn't fit in a 10" tank.
Of course it doesn't,
but the rule never said it would."

Snook and Birchir Update...

2009-05-20T10:46:00.000-07:00

The Snook are doing fine they are a little skittish but it will take them a little while to get used to their new environment. I'm going to do a water change and add some rock caves so they don't feel so out in the open. Oh, the Senegal is doing fine with them lots of swimming and no aggression so far. =)

And sorry for the bad picks the are still scared of me so it's hard to get good pics.

Aquatic Plants...

2009-05-20T09:12:00.000-07:00

So I've been looking into plants for my tank to add more hiding place for my fish and more color to my tank. I like the idea of java moss but I've heard it can get out of hand pretty quick, I also thought about dwarf baby tears to cover the bottom of my tank but now that I'm going with sand that idea is out the window. I think I'm going to look into these red lilly pads for my snook.

Anyone have suggestions as to what plants would be nice and easy to maintain? BTW My amazon sword is getting devoured by my pleco so you can skip that =).....Wow creepy baby in the picture definitely didn't notice that....

Wally World...

2009-05-20T08:15:00.000-07:00

So apparently Wal-Mart is planning on opening new pet salon areas with better pet supplies to compete with places like Petsmart and Petco. Now I'm sure everyone has seen the way Wal-Mart takes care of the fish it has now (pretty pathetic) but the idea of supplies being cheaper is interesting. Now People are arguing that the customer service will be sub-par, I can definately see that being the case but honestly I don't get the best service or advice when I go to Petco or Petsmart either. I don't think it has to do with the store really it's more or less the individuals interest in the product (fish in this case). Now I'm not trying to defend Wally World I'm just saying I'd probably get supplies from there if they are really better priced besides I prefer getting my fish from the LFS anyway. =)

Comments?

Giant Flowerhorn?

2009-05-20T08:08:00.000-07:00

Flowerhorns are hybrid fish created in 1996 in Malaysia. They do not occur in the wild. However, some claim that after being released into the wild some survive and become extremely large.

Is this a real photo of an overgrown flowerhorn?

Substrate Swap...

2009-05-19T22:41:00.000-07:00

Ok I've thought about it for awhile now and I'm finally going to do it. I'm getting rid of my black gravel for pool filter sand. Easier poo removal and a better overall look =).

Opinions?

Petenia splendida

2009-05-19T21:39:00.000-07:00

There’s a region called the Peten valley in their home countries from which they get their name (Petenia). Two variants live there – a green and a red. When young, they look a great deal alike. The red color morph is actually for their safety,they hide from predatory birds on the underside of lil-pads that are red underneath =). But they do not hide when kept in tanks they are just as social as most cichlids coming to the front ready to feed when you get near. They are easy to care for and fun to watch.

More detailed info at http://aqualandpetsplus.com/Cichlids,%20Red%20Bay%20Snook.htm

Two new tankmates =)

2009-05-19T18:58:00.000-07:00

So I just put my two new Red Snook in the tank they are doing fine and giving the Birchir something besides the Pleco to investigate. Not quite sure if the are the Red Morph yet but I won't be able to tell that for a couple months, they are still both beautiful fish and I'm very happy with my purchase =) BTW $16 for the pair both about 2-3".

P.S. Try and post some pics tomorrow =)

AquaZ's Introduction

2009-05-19T15:47:00.000-07:00

I am one of the three authors. About to sell most of my fish and set up a new 55 gallon aquarium. I am pleased to see the other fish enthusiasts visiting the site. I will follow the lead of the other two authors and list the fish that I have raised.

Here are just a few pictures of some fish I have owned

Frontosa
Buttikoferi
Jaguar
Jack Dempsey
Electric Blue Jack Dempsey
Red Texas
Pike
Green Terror
Convict
Some other African Cichlids
Flowerhorn
Texas
Arowana
Tiger Shovelnose
Channel Cat
Belonesox
Clown Knife
Pleco

Look forward to updating this website with my colleagues and providing a reliable resource for others.

MonsterFishKeepers Deleted our thread

2009-05-19T15:25:00.000-07:00

I started a thread to try and gain some support and followers in the fish community. I received a private message a few hrs later. "Your thread has been deleted. Reason: We have our own blog section."

Thats pretty disappointing. The layout for this blog is much better and easier than the one on MFKs. I have been a fan of that site thanks to the nice community on there. Apparently the moderators have a much different personality.

They also deleted my signature with the link to this site. Got to love that. I'm sure this little blog is a competition to them. Our attempt was to enhance the fish keeping community. Appreciate the help MFKs. I have a link to there site on here but i'm not allowed to support my ownsite when I post on there.

Any views?

Phish Phood...

2009-05-19T13:34:00.000-07:00

So I think I'm going to go out and get some more cucumber for my pleco and I was thinking of getting a bag of frozen cocktail shrimp for my birchir and snook. Do the shrimp sound like a good idea or should I just stick with krill from LFS?

Decisions Decisions...

2009-05-19T13:24:00.000-07:00

I've decided to go with the Red Snooks hopefully I'll be picking them up today at the LFS =)

Monster Tank

2009-05-19T10:57:00.000-07:00

"FISHTANKS"

2009-05-19T10:52:00.000-07:00

Here are some videos of our tanks back in the day. The videos were made as jokes so ignore the audio if you dont like it. But heres a way to see some of our old set ups.

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Jswain Intro

2009-05-19T10:31:00.000-07:00

Heres some background on my fish experience.

About a year and half ago, my roommate was given a 10 gallon tank. (He will post about his experiences soon). Of course I was soon to follow. Then we became a little obsessed going to fish stores twice a week, buying new fish, reading about them, raising them, and slowly developing a great appreciation towards fish keeping.

Since then I have bought a 55 gallon and a 30 gallon while my roommate bought a 55 as well. We have raised over 15 different types of cichlids. We both finally finished up college and are moving out. I recently gave my large cichlids to a local pet store due to my move. Within the next week I will be setting up new tanks and taking pics and tracking the progress.

Fish I myself have raised (not all in the same tanks)

Tiger Oscar
Flowerhorn
Red Belly Piranhas
Black Rhom Piranha
Clown Fish
Damsels
Jack Dempsey
Blood Parrot
Frontosa
Butterkoferi
Green Spotted Puffer

Red Snook FTW?

2009-05-19T10:22:00.000-07:00

Maybe one of these guys....

Hi

2009-05-19T09:55:00.000-07:00

I'm Dru one of the three fish peeps, right now I have a 55 gallon with 1 Senegal Birchir and a Gold Nugget Pleco. Previous Fish I've raised: Butterkoferi, Texas, Jack Dempsey, Red Terror, and Midas. I'm not sure what to add to in with my Birchir right now maybe Red Bay Snook.

Currently Under Construction

2009-05-19T06:56:00.000-07:00

This website is currently under construction and will be up and running in a week.