• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Betta fish anyone?

#23
I was also curious about putting local lake fish into the aquarium. I was thinking blue gill as well or some sunfish and setting up the tank to resemble a river bed or the drop off point of a lake.

One thing is certain and it has been mentioned. Once you start...it is sooooo addictive. More so than bass for me. Every week at payday I wanna do something. I'm now at the point where I want to get a bigger tank again. I'm at 20 gallon high tank. I was thinking of going to a 30 or better yet a 50 to 55. I like a lot of lil fish in a big area, just more appealing to me and with the bigger tank they would be happy lil suckers!
 
#25
Rumzini said:
Otherwise this is all great info. Is that your tank that you posted a pic of?
Click to expand...

Nope, it's a tank of a guy I know. I'm mostly into catfish and cichlids when it comes to freshwater so my tanks are a bit larger. But I think it's a nice example of low maintenace tank that looks like a carefully constructed tank.

Heres my 180 gallon oscar tank two weeks after cycling, that's why the plants haven't grown yet. Also, I only have a phone camera so the quality is what it is..

IMG_0759.jpg
 
#26
Rumzini said:
I was also curious about putting local lake fish into the aquarium. I was thinking blue gill as well or some sunfish and setting up the tank to resemble a river bed or the drop off point of a lake.
Click to expand...

I've never come across these fish in the trade, as cold water species are usually bit tricky to keep and usually don't really appreciate travelling either. The first thing you'd need is a powerful chiller than can keep the water cold which is quite expensive. But I'm quite sure that they can be succesfully kept in aquariums like the relatives in the order Perciformes we have over here. Most hobbyists leave these fish to the public aquariums though.

Talking about the blue gill, I'd say that you'd need a tank around way over 100 gallons and powerful filtration and you'd probably have to experiment with feeding techniques at least in the beginning especially when it comes to dry foods as often live caught predatory fish often go trough a period of pickyness when first introduced to an aquarium. Also the fish should be well quarantined in a separate tank or you should get them all at the same time to avoid the risk of needing to medicate the whole tank whenever a possibly parasite infested live caught fish is introduced into the system. Also introducing them to a tank at roughly the same time can go a long way towards reducing territorial disputes and "picking on the new guy."
 
#27
Very good info. I could listen to you for days. I like your tank alot. I love the natural look like that. Also those Japanese tanks you mentioned earlier are just striking. I've looked over those many times for ideas. Just the glass tanks and skimmer/filters are art themselves!

I wasn't actually going to do the "wild" fish thing. Just would be "neato". LOL. We live in a sportsman's paradise here in Michigan, USA and the local fish are quite revered. I know a lot of people that would love to see them in an aquarium up close and personal. I know that it would be an absolute pain and welllll beyond my capabilities, budget, and space.

I do know this. My wife has already told me that when we have a bigger home that she'll let me go crazy with the fish tanks. She likes what I've done with ours, that it adds a lil atmosphere to the home, and that she would like to see what I could do with a much larger tank.

To bad she never felt that way with my bass playing and band stuff! LOL!
 
#28
Kipaste said:
I'm not too aware of english sites, so my first recommendation would be to go to a library and check out all the books you can find on the subject. Just note that especially older books often have quite ridiculous space requirements for fish and some of the data is outdated, though it happens on some newer books too. But after a quick google I found two pages that make a good reading and help to understand the way an aquarium works. One of them covers the nitrogen cycle and can be found here Link Removed and one of them is more overall and can be found here http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/information/freshwater.htm The latter one seems to contain some ads, sorry about that.

Some descriptions of most common fish and plants can be found at Invalid Link Removed But I have to mention that personally I disagree with some information given on this site. A lot of it is good, but I wouldn't trust it as absolute truth. The space requirements are well off in many cases.

These cover mostly freshwater aquariums which is a more natural choice for beginners as it's a lot less expensive and in some means more forgiving. If you ever think about taking the plunge to the deep end of the pool, reefcentral.com will have all the answers. But reef aquariums aren't cheap at all. Actually, a 100 gallon reef tank can easily cost as much as a Fodera bass if it's taken to perfection. And the electricity bill can compare to keeping a hummer fueled.

And then some pointers: it's always better to understock than to overstock. The most common reason for having problems with aquariums is usually having too much fish in too small tank. Understocking will result in healthy fish with normal behaviour, overstocking will result in excessive maintenance, diseases and loss of territorial behaviour (or just an all out war).

Overfeeding is the next most common mistake. Many cans of fishfood say that give as much food as fish will eat in a few minutes a couple times a day. I'd make it give as much food as fish will eat in twenty seconds and a minute or two for bottom feeders depending on the species.

And always get as big of tank as you can afford and fit. Larger tanks are more forgiving, allow way more species and are usually easier to maintain. I wouldn't recommend anything below 20 gallons for a beginner, around 40 g or bigger would be a safer bet. Smaller tanks are a lot more sensitive and quick and possibly lethal changes in water parameters are more likely to happen.

Also avoid all calculations like so many gallons can hold so many inches of fish. That stuff should've died in the '80's and can lead to a disaster. With small and peaceful community fish it might work, but if you consider anything larger or predatory those calculations go straight out the window. The real space requirements are determined by the swimming patterns, habits and diet of fish.

The compatibility of differend kinds of fish is a hard subject. The pH, temperature and Gh are the first things to take into consideration but after that there is still the questions of attitudes of differend fish, the level of aggression and wether they are predatory or not and so on. In the beginning, your best bet is either to copy a well known working combination of fish or to ask for help.

I know my english sucks, but as a professional aquarist and a bassplayer I'll be happy to answer any question if you have them. Mind you that my freshwater knowledge might be a bit rusty on some subjects.
Click to expand...

Wow. Thanks for the info. I'll definitely look into all of this stuff. Fish are cool. I looking at some fish today. They're so colourful and shiny!
 
#31
WookieeForLife said:
Some white cottom like particles in my tank. Can it be reproductive material?
Click to expand...

It can be, but if it's cotton like it's most likely already rotting. It could also be leftover food rotting or fungus. My recommendation is to siphon it out, siphon the bottom and do a 50% water change. There is a small chance it's something else, but without a picture it impossible to tell and it most likely isn't anything beneficial so I'd just clean it out.
 
#33
WookieeForLife said:
If I was to release my gold fish and put the betta in the 20 gallon tank, what would be a good tank mate for the betta, and how about what is a good tank mate for the goldfish. I wanted to put a bluegill in there.
Click to expand...

Are you talking about releasing the goldfish into a lake? That's illegal and can cause big problems for the lake. Goldfish and carp are the same, and look at all the problems with carp.

Also, in most states, catching wild fish for a home aquarium is illegal.

People do it, just sayin'.
 
#34
NS2A said:
Are you talking about releasing the goldfish into a lake?

Also, in most states, catching wild fish for a home aquarium is illegal.
Click to expand...

probably just meant like a home made backyard goldfish pond...
and that sucks..You can't catch wild fish for tank but you can catch to eat em! :bawl:
I am the one who buys feeder gold fish to keep (otherward I save their little lives so they don't get ate by other big fishies or Oscars or what ever....) :hmm::smug:
 
#35
SelenaBassGirl said:
lol, I almost got one of them today for my daughters tiny tank...but instead got two kissing goramis..(sorry if I spelled wrong).
Click to expand...

Hey.. I'm sorry to sound preachy, but a couple kissing gouramis should have tank around 70 gallons, preferably bigger. They're territorial ang grow quite big, usually 8 inches in aquariums and live up to 15 years. I know you're in a hard situation right now, but you might wan't to talk to your daughter and the local fish shop if you could get them exchanged to some species that would better suit your daughters tank. The sight of two dead kissing gouramis isn't going to be a treat anyhow and I'm afraid it will inevitably happen.

NS2A said:
Are you talking about releasing the goldfish into a lake? That's illegal and can cause big problems for the lake. Goldfish and carp are the same, and look at all the problems with carp.

Also, in most states, catching wild fish for a home aquarium is illegal.

People do it, just sayin'.
Click to expand...

I didn't know catching fish for home aquariums is illegal in many states. Such a law should naturally be respected for they're usually set up for a good reason. And you're right, releasing any pet to nature is always a bad idea. Examples are plentiful, carps in US and Europe, South-American basses in Florida alongside with Asian snakes, rabbits in Australia, many catfish species all over the the world... As horrible as it might sound, if a new home can't be found for a fish, or any other pet for that matter, the best option is always to put it down as quickly as painlessly as possible. With mammals and larger reptiles one should naturally see a vet about it.

And if you end up putting down a fish, some tricks used in the 80's should be avoided. I've actually seen books recommending dropping fish into boiling water. It is a horrible and painful option for the fish and can cause severe burns on a human doing it too. The fish can be put down with anesthetics, but such products like MS222 aren't available for consumers. So far the best option for home aquarists is unfortunately a hammer to the head and enough force to make sure it's done with one bang. Sounds bad but a responsible fish keeper sometimes has to do nasty things.
 
#36
Kipaste said:
And if you end up putting down a fish, some tricks used in the 80's should be avoided. I've actually seen books recommending dropping fish into boiling water. It is a horrible and painful option for the fish and can cause severe burns on a human doing it too. The fish can be put down with anesthetics, but such products like MS222 aren't available for consumers. So far the best option for home aquarists is unfortunately a hammer to the head and enough force to make sure it's done with one bang. Sounds bad but a responsible fish keeper sometimes has to do nasty things.
Click to expand...

I've been told by taxadermists, aquarists and vets, the most humane method is to put the fish in a plastic cup and put it in the freezer. Kind of the frog in the frying pan approach (in reverse).
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back