I remember receiving my 10 gal aquarium for Christmas in 1999. This was my second tank - the first being a 5 gal which was kept in the kitchen, but I don't remember when I started keeping fish in that tank. I had the 10 gal aquarium set up in my childhood bedroom for about 10 years.At first, this was a cold water set up with blackmore fish, comets, and a few other short-lived fish. My longest living cold water fish lived for about 2 years. Over the first few years of my 10 gal set up, my fish died quickly and I didn't know why because it was a similar set up to the 5 gal that I moved up from. That is, I didn't know why until I placed an aquarium thermometer in the tank. This was when I discovered my "cold water tank" was actually being heated to tropical temperatures because of the hood light and the exterior air in the house/room. The tank water was far too warm for the cold water fish, which is why they kept dying a few months after being placed in the tank. This was my first of many lessons in keeping an aquarium, and when I started buying fresh water tropical fish and a red tailed shark.
(Red Tail shark in bottom left)
My next aquarium was a 36 gal, and this was a birthday gift from my then boyfriend, and now husband. This meant a few things. First, I had to rearrange my bedroom for the new tank/stand set up. And second, my shark would have more room to claim (they're territorial) and she would stop being super aggressive and eating my other fish. I was a wrong - because she later ate an African dwarf frog that made the unfortunate choice to venture into her habitat. Just sayin', you can't bring back the recently deceased for the in-store one-week warranty if there is no body to bring back. This red tailed shark lived for about 9 years, and survived #DarkNL (a week-long power outage in the dead of winter about 7 years ago). Maybe her high-protein diet helped with her long life? 💁
The 36 gal moved from my childhood bedroom into my mother-in-law's house, then from there into my current home. To give an idea of the work it takes to move an aquarium of this size, it's about a 2-2.5 hour experience for each take-down and each set-up. This includes the draining of the water, catching the fish and prepping them for transport, the take-down of the set up, setting the tank back up, filling with water, and re-introducing the fish. I'll get more into this in the "Tips for keeping fish" section below.
(This pleco is about 9.5". Pleco's are not small fish)
Last week my 36 gal started to leak. Because of it's age, this would typically mean that the seal is at the point where it needs to be replaced. Not a big deal - $15 for supplies (sealant that can be submerged for a home improvement store or actual aquarium sealant), a few hours of elbow grease followed by the proper curing time and your good to refill. That was "Plan A". However, because nothing goes as planned, during the process of stripping the old sealant my husband and I discovered a crack in the bottom pane of the tank that lead to the seam. This is a larger, more complicated fix that I'm not confident enough to take on. So, we enlisted "Plan B" - time for a new aquarium!!
This is my new 65 gal! Go big or go home - right? That's the thing with fish keeping, those who love keeping an aquarium will be the first to tell you that if you start small you will always be looking to upgrade - unless circumstances doesn't allow for growth. The fish in the picture are Tinfoil Barbs (approx. 5" in length), and they can be rather large in comparison to a lot of other fresh water fish available. Out of all the different breeds of barbs that I've kept over the years, these are by-far the largest...and they are anticipated to keep growing. I was doing an injustice by keeping them in the 36 gal, but I wasn't aware of their anticipated growing size when I bought them. With them I keep a pleco (see further up this post). The pleco is hiding inside the left hand side of the ship - that's it's preferred hideout - right above the bubbler that you can't see working in the picture).
I'm far from a perfect tank keeper, but I have learned a few lessons over the years that I will pass on.
Tips for keeping fish:
- Reading the temperature of the tank. Certain fish thrive in particular temperature ranges. This is important to know before purchasing fish for your tank. Talk to the sales associates in this section of the pet store. If they are knowledgeable then they should not only be able to answer all of your questions, but also make suggestions on what new fish that you can add.
- Proper filtration. Make sure that your filter is the correct size for your tank, and that it is properly cleaned every few weeks. It's not a good idea to do a thorough tank cleaning and clean your filter on the same day. The shock of moving from a dirty tank to a super clean one could stress out your fish. I like to clean the filter either the week before or after the full tank cleaning.
- Research the fish that you want to buy. Keeping a goldfish in a small fishbowl may sound like a good idea as a starter, but goldfish are not small fish and they can be quite dirty fish to keep. They can grow up to an average of 4", but can continue to grow to 8-12" or larger. The larger goldfish can be found in outside pond set ups. Pleco's are about 2" long when you see them in pet stores, but they grow - A LOT. We thought mine was about 6" before setting up the 65 gal, but when we actually measured it during transport it was a little larger - 9.5" to be exact. They can grow to 12-24". Take into consideration the fish's anticipated size, needed water temperature, social aspects/aggression, and sensitivity. Some fish are harder to keep than others.
- Know the size of your aquarium. The general rule of thumb, as a minimum, would be a gallon per inch of fish. Ideally, you don't want to over crowd or stress out your fish, so allowing more room for them to swim would most likely extend their longevity. It's a good idea to have a cover on your tank to prevent evaporation, and protect your fish from 1) jumping out of the tank, 2) being hunted by other pets (my cats LOVE watching the fish), and 3) from items unintentionally falling into the tank as this can damage the fish or the integrity of the tank itself (cracks). You will also need to strong and sturdy stand for your aquarium. To calculate this, each gallon weighs 8.34 lbs.
- Keep a schedule for cleaning. I have notifications set up in my calendar on my phone for cleaning. This helps me ensure that I do not over extend and end up with a highly polluted tank. It's important to do the proper water changes as you are removing fish waste and spoiled food from the bottom of the tank with each water change. It's also important to keep chemicals out of your tank. Keeping the tank cleaning supplies (including separate buckets) away from household soaps and cleaners is important.
- Setting up your aquarium. This is a timely process. It's not a good idea to buy fish the same time you purchase a new tank. New set ups need to be cycled. I was able to speed up this process when I set up my 65 gal because I added the gravel from my 36 gal that had not been washed, and water from the previous tank as well. Doing this made the transition for my fish a little easier on them because there was a large amount of beneficial bacteria present. And I'm happy to report that they are all doing very well in their new home. If the fish that you have are very sensitive to changes in water then taking this step slowly will be beneficial.
That's all I have for this post. If you have suggestions from your own experience please post them below - I would love to read all about it!
Later Days,
Jen
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