Are there tropical Fish keepers here

Jimkel

the Guru wrote: »

Is there any one on this board that has a keen interest in Tropical Fish keeping.

So maybe if we can get enough interested we can set up a board for tips and maybe fish swapping and the like.

Hey great idea, I'm crazy about fish! bit of a fish nerd acually, I have an absurd number of fishtanks and I breed many species.

The Artist

Jimkel wrote: »

Hey great idea, I'm crazy about fish! bit of a fish nerd acually, I have an absurd number of fishtanks and I breed many species.

i didnt know ye interested in tropical fish.
great to see you have an absurd number of fishtanks and I breed many species.
youll come in handy for me for problems etc for my fish.

dark_jedi_ire

Extra Fish nerd here also.

Thumps up for the Fish Forum,

Have kept Almost all types over the last 5 years, ( except Marine ) currently
African chichlids

R

Jimkel

Alan Ford wrote: »

i didnt know ye interested in tropical fish.
great to see you have an absurd number of fishtanks and I breed many species.
youll come in handy for me for problems etc for my fish.

I'm always happy help with fish issues, Not saying I know everything, I'm always learning but I've been keeping fish for 20 years and am heavily involved in the aquatics trade, although I like to keep my work life off this forum!;)

The Artist

dark_jedi_ire wrote: »

Extra Fish nerd here also.

Thumps up for the Fish Forum,

Have kept Almost all types over the last 5 years, ( except Marine ) currently
African chichlids

R

i say keeping marine fish is a much harder task to keep than tropical fish.

The Artist

Jimkel wrote: »

I'm always happy help with fish issues, Not saying I know everything, I'm always learning but I've been keeping fish for 20 years and am heavily involved in the aquatics trade, although I like to keep my work life off this forum!;)

20 years blimey id say ye are good enough for me as i have only been doing mine nearly 2 years now so im a learner with L plates on me back!

cichlid child

Alan Ford wrote: »

i say keeping marine fish is a much harder task to keep than tropical fish.

Not that much harder just more money for set up and fish plus you have to keep an eye on your water ie:regular testing but worth it in the end.

Jimkel

Yeah marine has more variables to be concerned with, and cost a good deal more money but it's a myth that they are overly difficult to keep, especially with todays technology that pretty much looks after everything for you requiring only regular, simple maintenance. It requires research and there is a learning curve, but its the same with any exotic animals. If people are patient, do the homework and listen to professional advice then there is nothing saying they can't keep marine even if they have never kept fish before.

stan1979

hi folks,

been keeping tropical fish for the last 15 years, currently keeping lake mawlai fish and looking to upgrade to a 300lt tank, if anyone has or knows of one for sale could they leave a message for me,

cheers

stan

Rashers

Hi all,

I've just discovered this thread tonight. This has the potential to be a busy thread as fishkeeping is reputedly the fastest growing hobby in Ireland.

I've been keeping and breeding freshwater tropical fish for the past 36 years.

My kids and theirs have never known a day when we didn't have aquaria in the house.

I bought my first tank in the Capel St petshop.... a little square plastic one... upgraded later to a bow fronted one.

First fish were fancy guppies at 1/3 each for males and a shilling for females. Neons were expensive at 2 shillings each! But you could buy the so called 'poor man's neon' (the White Cloud Mountain Minnow) at 1 shilling each.

Ahh them was the days.

Hope to see his thread blossoming.

The Artist

Rashers wrote: »

Hi all,

I've just discovered this thread tonight. This has the potential to be a busy thread as fishkeeping is reputedly the fastest growing hobby in Ireland.

I've been keeping and breeding freshwater tropical fish for the past 36 years.

My kids and theirs have never known a day when we didn't have aquaria in the house.

I bought my first tank in the Capel St petshop.... a little square plastic one... upgraded later to a bow fronted one.

First fish were fancy guppies at 1/3 each for males and a shilling for females. Neons were expensive at 2 shillings each! But you could buy the so called 'poor man's neon' (the White Cloud Mountain Minnow) at 1 shilling each.

Ahh them was the days.

Hope to see his thread blossoming.

great another tropical fish admirer here.welcome aboard.
Tropical Fish Forum a must!

Lauragoesmad

I also have a 3 foot tank.
I have two black widows who are about 3 years old now, A plec who is about 1 and a half, 6 neon tetras who are about a year with me, another 3 fellas who look like neon tetras but have a black stripe and a little yellow fella with a black tail but I don't know what he's called. I also have two guppies, nearly forgot about them. I'm going to get a clown loach as I had one but he died after about a year. Not that you see much of them but they take care of the snails!!:D

I really like the Boardwalk pet shop in town. They are really helpful and I bought my tank in there and still have two of my original fish from them.
I didn't know there was so many fish keepers in here.
Do you guys name your fish or are they all anonamous?

The Artist

Lauragoesmad wrote: »

I also have a 3 foot tank.
I have two black widows who are about 3 years old now, A plec who is about 1 and a half, 6 neon tetras who are about a year with me, another 3 fellas who look like neon tetras but have a black stripe and a little yellow fella with a black tail but I don't know what he's called. I also have two guppies, nearly forgot about them. I'm going to get a clown loach as I had one but he died after about a year. Not that you see much of them but they take care of the snails!!:D

I really like the Boardwalk pet shop in town. They are really helpful and I bought my tank in there and still have two of my original fish from them.
I didn't know there was so many fish keepers in here.
Do you guys name your fish or are they all anonamous?

i have to many to name them but i call my oscar Blackie!

Rashers

Lauragoesmad wrote: »

3 fellas who look like neon tetras but have a black stripe

Possibly a black neon or a black line tetra. It's a good idea to get to know the scientific name of all fish. Most books, particular with pictures of fish will have them named scientifically.

There's a good reason for this because one person's beacon fish is often called a head and tail light by others.

a little yellow fella with a black tail but I don't know what he's called.

Could be a platy. Look at his/her anal fin. Would you say it was rounded or elongated? Look at it's mouth... upturned slightly... pointed straight ahead or slightly downturned?

I'm going to get a clown loach as I had one but he died after about a year. Not that you see much of them but they take care of the snails!!

In my opinion one of the best fish for clearing a community tank of any snails. And a nice looking fish too. But if I may suggest that you keep more than one at a time as they're schooling (shoaling) fish.

Best way to keep snails at bay though is prevention. If buying plants always check the leaves for any jelly-like substance (snail eggs) , or even tiny hatched out snails and if found scrape them off before introducing the plants into your tank(s).

While mentioning plants, be careful of buying plants that are not true aquatics.

You can easily check if a plant is a true aquatic. Hold it in your hand. If it stands up it's a bog plant. If it flops over it's aquatic.

Do you guys name your fish or are they all anonamous?

Mine are all good pagan fishes.... never had them christened.

The Artist

Lauragoesmad wrote: »

Do you guys name your fish or are they all anonamous

All ye fish names anonamous?:p

The Artist

Rashers;56314382
You can easily check if a plant is a true aquatic. Hold it in your hand. If it stands up it's a bog plant. If it flops over it's aquatic.

great tip thanks.

Mine are all good pagan fishes.... never had them christened.

lol

Rory123

Hi folks. I'd just like to check in as a fellow fish-keeper. I have a tropical tank of just 70L... I'll buy a massive tank the day I buy a house... it's enough trouble to move around rented places as it is with a small tank!

I have a Juwel tank but I removed the built-in filter and replaced it with a fluval 2plus as I thought the original filter took up too much space in the tank, wasn't maintenance friendly, and didn't do a good-enough job.

I've had this tank for just over 2 years and I love having it and doing all of my maintenance work on it. I love the challenge of keeping it as perfect as I can. I love learning new things about fish-keeping and I've learned a lot from the Collins Aquarium Fish book.

I've had a couple of different themes in the tank such as African Cichlids (but I got tired of their aggresive behaviour and rate of growth in my relatively small tank) etc but at the minute I have a more classic style in the tank.

I currenty have a few guppies, neons, platies, 2 angels, a big pleco, 2 leopard puffers and another couple of danio sort fish.

Here's a few pics of my own tank... I usually go for a more natural look of real plants, bogwood, brown gravel etc... but I went for a super-gaudy ornament today with 2 colour changing lights, bubbles and shiny treasure to bling up the tank... But that's what happens when you bring your girlfriend to the petshop!

Hope all the real experts approve...

Rashers

Rory123 wrote: »

Hi folks. I'd just like to check in as a fellow fish-keeper. I have a tropical tank of just 70L... I'll buy a massive tank the day I buy a house...

You have a nice sized tank for your requirements at the mo. Just remember that the bigger the tank the less maintenence (if it's well planted)

Your tank looks a bit small for the angel, but time enough to be concerned when the angel starts to become territorial.

I love the challenge of keeping it as perfect as I can. I love learning new things about fish-keeping and I've learned a lot from the Collins Aquarium Fish book.

The marks of a good fishkeeper! Try to learn the scientific names from the book and get used to using them for your fish anytime you're writing about them. For instance whenever you write that you have a nice guppy (for instance) say 'I have a nice veiltail guppy (poecilia reticulata)' I know that everyone knows what a guppy is but so many people use different common names for many of the characins, cichlids etc that the use of the scientific name in brackets leaves no room for confusion.

at the minute I have a more classic style in the tank.

I like to go for geographically themed tanks. For instance if you decide on a Sth America or Amazon tank then make it look as close as possible to a little it of that river -- fish and plants only from that region. It looks more natural and you'll have less trouble with it.

I currenty have a few guppies, neons, platies, 2 angels, a big pleco, 2 leopard puffers

Puffers good for eating snails but strictly speaking are not true freshwater fish. I think I see a molly in there too.... again not a strictly freshwater fish.

and another couple of danio sort fish.

See what I mean about learning the scientific names?

I usually go for a more natural look of real plants, bogwood, brown gravel etc...

All plusses for you there... great stuff. And remember you can't have too many plants.

but I went for a super-gaudy ornament today

Uh oh.... deduct 10 points from a good post up to that. :eek:

Hope all the real experts approve...

No such thing as a real expert. I've been an aquarist now for over 36 years (no that's not a typo.. I really am that old:p) and I'm still learning. Nobody ever reaches the point where they know it all.... one of the attractions of fishkeeping.... it's an ongoing learning curve with new things to experience always.

Good post Rory123, and thanks for showing us the pics of your tank.

If I waffled a bit (or a lot) please don't think of it as me preaching... I just like to share any knowledge I have. And I'm always open to discussion for anyone that disagrees with anything I say.

Rory123

Hi Rashers,
Thanks for your reply! I'm sure that you are more than capable of giving your advice after 36 years!

I'm aware that the mollies and puffers are more suited to brackish conditions but they are reasonably adaptable and I have had the mollies for a long time now and they are in lovely condition and mating, so I'd say they are happy enough. Only bought they puffers today so I'll see how they get on, although they are fussy eaters but seem to like frozen foods. I would really love some killifish but I know they are too difficult too keep, esp in freshwater. I've never seen them in shops for obvious reasons.

The angels are still quite small and I have never seen signs of aggression from any that I've had before... but I generally remove fish when I feel they are getting too big in case they get too dominant.

I use a very good fish shop which always takes back fish for me if I call in advance. Today I was allowed €30 for 4 medium Silver Dollars, which is very reasonable!

I like a good variety of fish so it's difficult and a bit pointless for me to pin down a specific geographical theme... brown gravel, shelter for small or shy fish, and as many plants as I can afford is the next best thing.

I'm afraid you'll just have to overlook the ornament for now... I've always been dead against ornaments but its a nice splash of colour and my Spotted Pleco (Hypostomus punctatus ) loves it (I think he thinks it's a fishy disco!)!

I had a tropical tank when I was a kid but my folks weren't too fond of it and I didn't have enough money to maintain it to a proper standard. The final straw came when it started to leak all over my bedroom floor.

I find the tank as rewarding as a dog or cat... I often come home from a hard day and unwind by sitting in front of it and watching it for hours as if it was a tv

My most important accessories are a plastic evaporation tray, a planting stick, a gravel hoover, a strong magnetic scrubber and a floating breeding compartment for giving bullies/ bullied fish (ie with damaged fins) or juveniles a bit of a time-out.

Even though the tank is small I wouldn't want to imagine how much money I've ploughed into it over the last 2 years.

Because I enjoy fishkeeping so much and can't have a bigger tank, I also manage the same tank set up for my brother in his house... all he has to do is give me the money for supplies and feed them once a day. It's the same tank as mine, also with the fluval 2plus (a savage little filter IMO). He likes the look but isn't interested in the work... which suits us both!

Duzzie

Seeing as this thread has been resurected, i'll add my tuppence.

I have 6 tanks on the go

1 x 450L Discus Tank (Red Tourqs and Leopards)
1 x 100L Commumity (Red rainbow, dwarf pencils, cardinals, pristellas etc)
2 x 70L Ancistrus breeding tanks ( 1 Temenki and 1 Black Eyed Lemons)
1 x 30L Betta
1 x 70L Brackish (GSPs and Bumblebee Gobbies)

Rory123

Wow Duzzie that's a lot! Fair play to you. Must be some work and money. I don't think I'd have room for any furniture if I had 6 tanks!

Duzzie

The work aint too bad so long as you keep on top of it, regular water changes etc. I have quite a few reptiles and furries too so all combined, yeah they do take a good bit of my time. Thankfully the OH is as animal mad as me and lets me get away with having a house full of animals.

cichlid child

Hi Rory great post your right it is better to watch you tank then the tv.
I wouldn't worry to much about the names
In my opnion more people would look after their fish instead of flusing them down the bog if they were called names that were easy to rember.

Rory123

I wish I had a photo of this to share with people but when I was in Thailand last summer I was staying at a place (a load of small chalets on a beach) on Koh Samui that had a very small, run-down corrugated tin shed in the back. I went in for a snoop and there was wall to wall shelves with hundreds of mainly male and some female fighting fish. Each one in it's own jam or coffee jar with cardboard squares between each jar so they couldn't see each other. And then outside there were a few
tin baths and barrels covered with chicken wire containing thousands of fry. The water was all dirty and yellow.
It was very strange but very interesting for me. Nobody there could speak enough english to explain what they were for.
I reckon they were either for export for petshops. Or else males were being bred possibly for fighting for gambling purposes, which I believe is popular in Asia.
There's no real point in me telling you folks this apart from the fact that you might find it interesting as I did... And it's not a story that any of my family or friends would appreciate! :cool:

Duzzie

Being Laberynth fish, bettas can live in very dirty water. In the wild they can live in waters no bigger than a puddle. That said i dont like seeing them in "jam jars". The seem much happier and thrive in a larger tank, hence why I have mine in a 30L. They are one of my favourite fish. I aint seen them but I hear that these fish farms that produce tropicals on a commercial scale are quite interesting and huge opperations

Rory123

I'm in a similar situation on a smaller scale Duzzie!... we have a hamster and a house rabbit too... I'm hoping to get a little tortoise some time too. (My brother has nicknamed my apartment Noah's Ark). My girlfriend likes the fluffy animals while I mainly like things with feathers, slime or scales! I also am mad about dogs but it'd be unfair to have one now:(... although our neighbours have a nice dog so I get my regular fix from her, if I don't get home to our family dog enough.

Cheers Chiclid Kid!

Rory123

Yes I was aware they could breath atmospheric air, although there would still be risk of infections and fungi etc from the water... In reputable petshops in the states I saw them for sale in containers no bigger than an eggcup. This shed was falling to pieces and was only about 8ft x 8ft so it wasn't the most professional operation. I guess the guy who owned the place just did it for a few extra bob or something.... from the state of things I didn't get the impression that the breeder was a true "enthusiast"... But on the other hand I suppose fish generally have to be healthy and content to breed and there was certainly plenty of evidence of breeding!

Duzzie

The scarey thing is that until recently I had the fish tanks and reptiles in my 2 bed apartment. We moved to our house in January and we expanded into furries (Ferrets and rats).
Glad to see you have such a responsible view on dogs. My OH has 2 dogs which were with her parents in Scotland while we were in the apartment, Now we have the house and a garden, we have bought them over. If only more people were as responsible as you about keeping dogs, there would not be half as many in pounds and rescue centres..

Rashers

Rory123 wrote: »

I'm aware that the mollies and puffers are more suited to brackish conditions but they are reasonably adaptable and I have had the mollies for a long time now and they are in lovely condition and mating, so I'd say they are happy enough.

Yep a lot of them adapt very nicely to totally freshwater. Though I never really had much luck with them over the years... I found them to be prone to fungus too.

Though I do love the giant sailfin mollies.

I would really love some killifish but I know they are too difficult too keep, esp in freshwater. I've never seen them in shops for obvious reasons.

Killies being annuals never really had an attaction for me. But I did know people that kept them and I must say they are lovely fish. There used to be (probably still are) clubs you could join where they'd swap killie eggs in petri dishes.

use a very good fish shop which always takes back fish for me if I call in advance. Today I was allowed €30 for 4 medium Silver Dollars, which is very reasonable!

That's a good supplier and def one to stay with. The only one I knew that was like that closed a few years ago -- Jebis in Charlemont Street.

I like a good variety of fish so it's difficult and a bit pointless for me to pin down a specific geographical theme...

Have a read up on the amount of fishes that are in the Amazon and it's tributaries. You can build up quite a lovely community tank based on Amazonian fish and plants.

But take your time... experiment as you go along and settle on what's best for you at any given time.

as many plants as I can afford is the next best thing.

Ahhh yes.... plants and plenty of them!

I'm afraid you'll just have to overlook the ornament for now...

I'm sure we've all been there. I still cringe when I remember my first ornament.... a ships wheel that was turned slowly by allowing a slow feed through an airline. I thought it was the bizz. I followed that with an oyster that opened every few minutes to display a pearl inside. I think the fish thought I was a bit nutty.

I had a tropical tank when I was a kid

I was first hooked as a kid when my dad brought me to Uncle George's Pet Shop (now long gone) in Marlborough St to buy a goldfish. It was the tiny fish in the tanks built into the wall that caught my attention. Ahh but it was a few years later before I could actually buy one.... though I longed for one all that time.

I often come home from a hard day and unwind by sitting in front of it and watching it for hours as if it was a tv

Ahh yes, me too. Did you know that according to a WHO report that came out in the '70s, of all the pet owners those who kept fish lived the longest. Having a tank in your living room is a natural stress buster. Doctors and dentists use them to help calm patients in waiting rooms too.

You're off to a great start Rory123.... you remind me of me many years ago.

Enjoy the best hobby in the world.

Rory123

Thanks... the rabbit was a compromise. My girlfriend wanted a dog but I knew it would be a mistake so I let her get the rabbit instead. When we move to somewhere bigger with a garden and if we will be at home more we'll get a mini dachshund or Jack Russel or a rescue dog. If money, time, excercise, maintenance etc was no object I'd have a weimaraner.
But anyway... that's a subject for a different thread.

Here's a pic of my pleco that I just snapped. He's about 6 inches long and he's my favourite fish as I've had him since I got the tank and he has a great character. He's the only fish I have who has earned a name, we call him Big Fish! If he got much bigger I would rather bite the bullet and get a new larger tank rather than get rid of him.