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Hi guys -
Just signed up this morning. I've kept fish since childhood with my largest tank being a 180 used as a room divider. I loved it and stocked it with mainly south american chichlids - geos., apistos., etc. It was plumbed from the bottom so nothing got in the way of the view of the fish. I kept discus for a while, but where I lived hardness was always an issue. I once had about 10 tanks in my small apartment - the 180, a 55, 20 hex, and about 6-7 small tanks I was raising fire bellied toads in. Back then, supposedly no one was raising them in captivity. I didn't try, it was truly an accident, but I raised about 450 firebellies that I sold back to my local LFS/reptile store.
When I moved into my current home, my husband and I travel so much we felt an accident with the large tank while we were away would be horrible, so we put in a 500 gal "koi" pond w/waterfall in our atrium. If you know anything about koi (we didn't but alot of these places will lie to you to sell their stuff) they need way more than 500 gals. so we we added a very small 3,500 gal and 1,200 gal koi ponds in the back yard. I used the 500 gal pond for baby koi for several years, but it's just no good for koi - and I don't do goldfish (except for when my cat's in a fishing mood).
Last year I converted the 500 gal pond in my atrium into a tropical fish pond. Of course, most tropical fish are meant to be viewed from the top. I am currently searching for more varieties that will survive during the winter. Last year's survivors: gold barb, rosey barb, angel botia, longfin danios, buenos aries tetra, and a few things that were singles in tanks I picked up out of pity and didn't really get their names. What didn't survive - albino buenos aries tetras, congo tetras, the "sharks," Clown loach, tiger barbs, white clouds (the heat, not the cold), roseline sharks (I loved them they are georgeous from the top), various rainbows, golden killifish, guppies, platys, dwarf & pearl groumis. I've recently added some of the glofish danios, giant danios, red glass barbs, a different type of killifish and paraside gouramis.
I have fry already and I think they are rosey barbs. The buenos aries tetras look ready to breed, but I think I may have all females. And there is at least one pair of killifish as the male is definitely displaying to the female.
Would love some suggestions on things that might survive our winters. I bought a large (800 watt I think) pond heater last winter but it ran all the time and made little difference, so we took it out, so I don't think heating the pond is an option.
Nice to meet everyone.
Chantal
Just signed up this morning. I've kept fish since childhood with my largest tank being a 180 used as a room divider. I loved it and stocked it with mainly south american chichlids - geos., apistos., etc. It was plumbed from the bottom so nothing got in the way of the view of the fish. I kept discus for a while, but where I lived hardness was always an issue. I once had about 10 tanks in my small apartment - the 180, a 55, 20 hex, and about 6-7 small tanks I was raising fire bellied toads in. Back then, supposedly no one was raising them in captivity. I didn't try, it was truly an accident, but I raised about 450 firebellies that I sold back to my local LFS/reptile store.
When I moved into my current home, my husband and I travel so much we felt an accident with the large tank while we were away would be horrible, so we put in a 500 gal "koi" pond w/waterfall in our atrium. If you know anything about koi (we didn't but alot of these places will lie to you to sell their stuff) they need way more than 500 gals. so we we added a very small 3,500 gal and 1,200 gal koi ponds in the back yard. I used the 500 gal pond for baby koi for several years, but it's just no good for koi - and I don't do goldfish (except for when my cat's in a fishing mood).
Last year I converted the 500 gal pond in my atrium into a tropical fish pond. Of course, most tropical fish are meant to be viewed from the top. I am currently searching for more varieties that will survive during the winter. Last year's survivors: gold barb, rosey barb, angel botia, longfin danios, buenos aries tetra, and a few things that were singles in tanks I picked up out of pity and didn't really get their names. What didn't survive - albino buenos aries tetras, congo tetras, the "sharks," Clown loach, tiger barbs, white clouds (the heat, not the cold), roseline sharks (I loved them they are georgeous from the top), various rainbows, golden killifish, guppies, platys, dwarf & pearl groumis. I've recently added some of the glofish danios, giant danios, red glass barbs, a different type of killifish and paraside gouramis.
I have fry already and I think they are rosey barbs. The buenos aries tetras look ready to breed, but I think I may have all females. And there is at least one pair of killifish as the male is definitely displaying to the female.
Would love some suggestions on things that might survive our winters. I bought a large (800 watt I think) pond heater last winter but it ran all the time and made little difference, so we took it out, so I don't think heating the pond is an option.
Nice to meet everyone.
Chantal
Welcome to HFB!
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