New to this

[armthehomeless]

Re: New to this

8O *jaw drops* 8O

eklikewhoa - Did you just say that you would put a pacu in a 55g?

[eklikewhoa]

Re: New to this

I wouldn't put an oscar in a 55g but hey while we're at it might as well.


They sell baby pacus that are like $1 coin sizes.

[Brownsnoutuk]

Re: New to this

Ive seen a walmart employee sell 2 pacus to someone with a 10gallon tank

[armthehomeless]

Re: New to this

Cherry - please don't add a pacu to your tank. They get 24"+.

Best of luck in all of your endeavors.

[Mzungu]

Re: New to this

Yes, please don't add a pacu! Although they're one of my favorite fish, I will probably never be able to keep one... :(  Huge, huge fish. Cute, but huge!

I've usually heard and recommended at least a 70 gallon for one oscar when it's larger. I really like sproett's idea about the Silver Dollars, they are fun schooling fish and in a group would work well in your 55 if and when the Oscar outgrows it, and are spunky enough to live with a teenage oscar.

About the air pump, this is not really needed, as long as you have circulation and surface movement (which you have with your eheim), gas exchange will take place. So you're good in that department! The air bubbles really serve more of a decorative purpose than anything. And, of course, some fish like to play in the bubbles! (fishlady's yellow lab, for instance... :)  )

Welcome to HFB! Glad you're here, and look forward to hearing all about your oscar!

[Cberry]

Re: New to this

Me again.

Made the switch last night put the Oscar in the 55 g and the other fish Mollies and 2 small angels in the smaller 10 gal.  Did water change on both tanks night before had water tested at Petsmart said all was OK.  Woke up this morning both angels no longer with us.  Oscar and catfish on 55 gal doing very well.

I guess I need to have the water in the 10 g tested again. I was wandering what the best home water test kit was to test all the different requirements?  What should I do before adding any more fish to either tank I don't want to loose anymore fish kids are taking it real hard.

[armthehomeless]

Re: New to this

Are your mollies okay?

Unless something happened within the last 6 months, the angels at all Texas PetSmart stores come from an importer in Asia. Usually they come in very unhealthy. I would suggest taking the remains of the angels back to Petsmart and ask for a refund. I think they have a 14 day guatantee on all their livestock.  There are several Angelfish breeders on this site that have excellent stock. I would get some from them instead.

BTW, I imagine you already know this, but the angels will get too big for a 10 gallon tank.

[Cberry]

Re: New to this

I know story of all my fish need bigger, need bigger.  Yes the mollies are doing fine and we are going to take the angels back for a refund.  My concern is do I get more fish or spend the refund on a water test kit?  How can I find some of the angel breeders on this site?

[armthehomeless]

Re: New to this

You can get more fish if you want... I just wouldn't get angels from PetSmart. Some of the angel breeders that I know of are Obed, Scott, and Fishysue. I'm sure there are others... and hopefully others will chime in soon, because angels aren't really my cup 'o' tea.

I wouldn't spend the money on a water test kit when you can get people to test your water for free. That is just me though. If you want one, go for it.

[PhishPhreek]

Re: New to this

If you're on the south side of Houston, I can provide some replacement angels that are healthy - I bought them at the HAS auction and my eyes are bigger than my fish tanks.

[Cberry]

Re: New to this

got it thanks for the help.

[Cberry]

Re: New to this

PhishPhreek check your PM

Thanks

[Mzungu]

Re: New to this

If/when you do get your water tested again, ask for the values (numbers) of the results. Sometimes when someone says "all is ok," the test results could be in the "safe" range, which some people use, but if for instance you get a number above 0 for nitrite, although it can be considered safe, you really should have a 0 reading if your tank is ok.

I agree that if you have a convenient place to get your water tested for free, you don't necessarily need a test kit. However, I always like to have one for emergencies (i.e. fish acting strangely, I test the water and then do a water change, just so I can rule out those factors). If you decide to get a kit, there are a few out there that have 5 tests in 1 strip, and those usually test for the parameters that are the most useful.

Sorry about your angels.  :(

[Anonapersona]

Re: New to this

I vote (are we voting?) for spending the money on a test kit. But, I'd probably get it from an online site at about half the cost.

When the fish look funny, you need to know if the water is ok, now, not when the store opens at 10 AM tomorrow. And you need to test nearly every day. A new tank requires just about 40 days to establish the bacteria, give or take a bit. Less if you have seeded flter materials.

If the store uses test strips, easy and cheap, that is too often worthless. Strips have been shown to be way off the mark, and the range of values is too wide to be useful.

Get a liquid test kit like Aquarium Pharmacuticals or the other one, less than $20 online. Lasts for about 3 years. If the tank may be cycling, you need to know for sure.

At the store, I'd use that credit for some Prime water conditioner. Prime takes care of chlorine, chloramine, ammonia, and nitrites. It eases the stress of cycling while still allowing the filter bacteria to process the wastes, so you do not interrupt cycling, just make it tolerable. When I come home to find the filters off for some reason and the fish look unhappy, the first thing I do is add Prme to the tank. Then I test the water to see how it is and do a water change if necessary. But the Prime may be all it takes if I can get the filters up and running.

At the same time, while cycling, you will do frequent water changes to keep levels to a tolerable number, as seen in your daily water tests.

[Cberry]

Re: New to this

Makes sense.  I'll pick up a water test kit ASAP.