Hey whats going on in here?

[Ramius]

Hi,

I live in Crosby, I have a Fish Tank and I like to post Colin Powell Pictures.


This is not a Colin Powell Picture



But it's my fish tank, I am the first to admit I don't know what I'm doing, as is evident by the background which is 4 inches too short (tank is 76 inches long, for some reason I thought it was 66.

Right now I have 3 Bala sharks, 3 Rainbow Sharks, 2 Dragon Gobys, 4 scissor tails, 4 head and tail lights, one ugly snail and one misc tetra.. and my wife snuck in three guppies. Thats a lot of dang fish.

So Far I've learned:

Guppies are food hogs and try to eat everything before anyone else can get to it
While I did not like them at all at first, the dragon fish are quickly becoming my favorite
It's impossible to walk into a fish store and come out empty handed.

Problem I'm having:

One of my rainbow sharks will go pale in color during the day.. when it first happened I pulled him out and stuck him in my five gallon Prison Pond, and after 20 minutes his colors returned to bright red. Apon returning him to the tank a couple days later it didn't take an hour before he started looking pale again, some times the other rainbow sharks pick on him. Someone told me he might be turning pale as a defense mechanism to not draw attention to himself.. the one who pics on him is very brightly colored, I don't even begin to know whats going on with all this.



Anyways, Hi, hello and look forward to seeing you all around.

[Ramius]

Re: Hey whats going on in here?

Oh yeah, one other problem I'm having, and you can barely get a glimpse of it in the blurry photo. The left side of the tank is facing the east wall of my house, where there is a bay window (with the blinds shut always).

There are a couple of spots on that side of the tank where the sand has a begun forming a dark spot, it is not on the surface but below and against the glass, I have absolutly positively no idea what that is, and I'm afraid to disturb it incase it's toxic to the tank. Anyone have a suggestion?

[HFBfounder]

Re: Hey whats going on in here?

The spot is probably just algae. Nothing to worry about. The paleness is just a mood he's in. Nothing to worry about either. Many fish will change colors depending upon what their stress level is. This can also be influenced by mating, defending, attacking, etc. Completely normal. By the way, welcome to the box!!

[eklikewhoa]

Re: Hey whats going on in here?

welcome to the box.


sometimes the colors are also effected by water quality.

[Ramius]

Re: Hey whats going on in here?

One good thing about water quality.. everything has been great as far as nitrites/nitrates/ammonia. However I have well water and the PH is naturally just a hair above 8.

This really had been freaking me out at first and I wanted to do something to lower it but the guy that works at ABC pets in atascocita said the fish become acclimated to it and it is no big deal, and that their ph is around that level anyways.

I honestly don't know, I 've heard about putting a bit of peat moss in a nylon bag and putting it in one of the filters to help but haven't yet because of what that guy said (it's the only advice I have to work with).

[eklikewhoa]

Re: Hey whats going on in here?

Scientific Name Epalzeorhynchos frenatus
Common Names Rainbow Shark, Red Fin Shark, Red Shark, Ruby Shark, Albino Rainbow Shark
Rainbow Shark Care Level Easy
Size 6 inches (15 cm)
pH 6.5 - 7.5
Temperature 75°F - 80°F (24°C - 27°C)
Lifespan 5 - 8 years.
Origin / Habitat Thailand, Indonesia
Temperament / Behavior This fish can become aggressive with other, smaller fish in your tank that invade its territory. They will fight with the Red Tail Shark. Provide plenty of hiding places (caves, rocks and plants)
Breeding / Mating / Reproduction Because they will fight with other rainbow sharks, breeding them in the home aquarium is rare.
Tank Size 55 gallon (208 liters)
Compatible Tank Mates Because of their temperament it is a good idea to house them with similar sized fish. Do not keep with other Rainbow sharks and Red Tail Sharks
Disease Freshwater Fish Disease
Diet / Fish Food An herbivore - provide a varied diet with algae wafers, pellet food and frozen food.
Tank Region Mostly bottom to middle
Gender On males, the anal fin is outlined in black

[eklikewhoa]

Re: Hey whats going on in here?

something i googled real quick.

im sure the acclimation works as i have clown loaches in water with the ph of 8. with clown loaches i have read that the dominate one has less coloring and looks faded and when i compare that with the ones i have its a bit true. maybe that's the same for you? could also be that he is the one getting picked on

something else i found:

Epalzeorhynchos frenatus is great for the semi-aggressive community aquarium, as long as they are the sole shark and other tank mates are of similar size. It requires a large aquarium with driftwood, rocks, and spots of dense vegetation. This shark may set up territories around the aquarium. The Rainbow Shark will become very aggressive towards its own species.

[Ramius]

Re: Hey whats going on in here?

Doh, thats what I get.. The person that sold them to me said I should buy a couple because if I only bought one, it would harass the other fish, but if I bought a couple they would play with each other instead.

I think the pale one is the one getting picked on, and it seemed like everyone was happier when he was out of the tank, his coloring even went back to normal when isolated. I don't know if I should leave him in there and see if they work things out as far as territories or if I should go ahead and pull him to 5 gal tank.

Maybe this will get better for him as I stick more plants in there, I'm having trouble with my plants that I have and thats yet another issue I'm working with, but once I get it under control I'd like to put more in there.


As much of a nuisance as all this is, it is actually the reason why I enjoy it. Some people think all you do is mix in water and fish and thats all there is to it, but I'm learning (fast) That it's an ecosystem that requires a lot of attention to issues that come up, and soon as you learn how to handle one, another one is ready to challange you.

It forces me to do research and learn about things I never would have known about otherwise and really... Thats what makes it fun for me.

BTW it's nice to see another night owl, I'm on the clock at work whats your excuse? =)

[eklikewhoa]

Re: Hey whats going on in here?

i know what you mean, i went to hundreds/thousands of dollars figuring out what gets along together and how. now im kinda hesitant when buying new fish cause theres the chance of them not getting along.

there are some here along with close friends that have gotten new fish for really good deals because of that :doh:

[Ellen]

Re: Hey whats going on in here?

Welcome!  

Ellen

[Ramius]

Re: Hey whats going on in here?

Welcome!  

Ellen

:mrgreen: