Fellow Fishkeepers / Aquarium Enthusiasts

[Jill]

I know from previous conversations that many other LB members also like to keep fish. I really enjoy the hobby -- even the water changes! Harvey and I have five large aquariums, and I wanted to share a little video of one of our tanks. The fish here are blood parrot cichlids, tiger barbs, buenos aries tetras, and albino cory catfish. There is also driftwood, some live anubias plants, and a plastic plant. Two canister filters and two large hang on the back filters (I over do it on filtration and water changes -- but the fish thrive! ... I think our well water is a big asset...). We have had these BP cichlids (the big orange fish, they're about as big around as softballs now) for almost three years now. They and our big fancy goldfish are H and my favorite fish (but we also love these pretty angelfish we raised from dime size!). The BP cichlids remind me of living cartoon characters and are really very personable!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbbTXSV3dME

I'd love to see pictures and videos of your tanks!!!

 

[Matt73]

They're cute

. Kev and I always giggle at their faces when we see them in the pet store

 

[Jill]

Thanks, Matt! Before we saw these fish, I never would have thought a fish could be cute... but these are

AND they watch me!!! I'm always glancing at the tank to see some or all of them in the corner looking at me

 

[Jill]

PS I also want to add here what this hobby helped me with initially... I got back into the hobby of fishkeeping when I was dealing with my diagnosis of lung cancer (a shock -- I never smoked). I can say in all honesty, when I was in the high tech CT-PET fusion machine, I was contemplating what kind of fish to keep in what kind of tanks! I just needed a distraction that wasn't "important" to pour myself into, learn about and day dream about. The hobby of fishkeeping was just the ticket and it was great that, unlike when I did it in the 80's, it's easy to gather information and tips about how to do it well

SO, it's a calming and relaxing hobby for me even beyond what most people would suspect.

 

[LindaL]

When I moved to Florida, I gave up my aquariums and have missed having them since then. Maybe someday I will get back into them...they really are therapeutic/calming.

 

[shelia]

I would love to show you my aquarium when I get it running well again. i used to have 2 large salt water aquariums. 100 gallon and 134 gallon. We moved and got rid of the 100 gallon. They had live rock, corals, fish ect. I did get the big one set up with the live rock, but never have finished it off. My lights are old now and my live rock has been neglected somewhat. i want to start getting some fish in it but things need to be growing well for that. Someday I hope I will have some clowns, (nemo fish) and a mandarin fish. i know they get lost in the giant aquarium, but i like the small fish. I think I have had almost every kind at some point.

Now I miss it! Maybe you have inspired me to get my but in gear.

I used to have a 100 gallon freshwater tank for my son. It was in his room and we thought all of his fish had died long ago till we started to take it down! He had some eels and a rubber worm (strange fish) It looked like an inner tube and it was about 2 feet long. They stayed hidden under the gravel filter! We took them back to the pet store. They were pretty cool! the worm got out a few times and we would find him with carpet fuzz all over him. He would breath air so he didn't die. I do love the fish. Even siamese fighting fish. I have had many freshwater fish, but don't think I have ever had the ones you have.

 

[jacks'thunder]

Umm lets see, I have 6 up and running right now. 15 gal with an african clawed frog(I'm pretty sure thats what he's called

) who is about the size of my hand, 20 gal with a map turtle, 2 50 gal breeder tanks, one with a neat turtle set up w/ land and 3 turtles and the other 50 has a 27" albino cat fish and a 25" clown knife, 75 gal a turtle set up w/ 2 turtles, and lastly a 120 w/ 4 fish. A silver dollar about the size of a coffee cup, a blood parrot(same size a the silver dollar), a foot long pleco and a tiny albino cory cat. Thats it! Actually today once my dishes are done it's filter cleaning day! LOL! I'll se what kind of pictures I can get. I love aquariums! I have always had them and always will! Maybe not so many but for sure 1 or 2! LOL!

I just wanted to add... in my avatar, behind Peannut you can see my 75 turtle tank! And my mud turtle that every one calls freeky

 

[Jill]

I'd love to see pictures!!! Aquariums are so much fun and so pretty. Not to diminish the fish at all, but almost they're like living bouquets! They are so relaxing, too

 

[MindyLee]

I had several tanks too but sold/gave away them. I had x4 200 gallon and x1 100 gallon tanks. In my 200 gallons, I had exotic goldfish and giant snails in one, x2 12 inch long gar pike and a albino pleco in the another which was built in the dinning room wall, 6 monster hy bred bluegills in the 3rd one, and a 4ft female american alligator in the last. In the 100 gallon, I had all different colors and sizes of ciclids.

I sold the gator tank ( gator ran away...

) and blue gill tank as well as a westren saddle that I dug out of the trash, and my 4x4 chevy blazer to buy my 1st mini and all his supplys. The 3 other tanks I left at a ex boyfriends as he really loved them, so what a better place then there to leave them for someone to enjoy!

I do miss them and maybe one day will get another one!

my gator Flea when she was about 14 inchs long.

 

[drivin*me*buggy]

Jill,

your tanks are beautiful! When you started you inspired me to set up a small 12 gallon tank in my living room. My fav fish are rummy nosed tetras. I am thinking of adding a snail or shrimp to munch on the algae that likes to grow. Any experience with that?

Angie

 

[shelia]

I had several tanks too but sold/gave away them. I had x4 200 gallon and x1 100 gallon tanks. In my 200 gallons, I had exotic goldfish and giant snails in one, x2 12 inch long gar pike and a albino pleco in the another which was built in the dinning room wall, 6 monster hy bred bluegills in the 3rd one, and a 4ft female american alligator in the last. In the 100 gallon, I had all different colors and sizes of ciclids.

I sold the gator tank ( gator ran away...

) and blue gill tank as well as a westren saddle that I dug out of the trash, and my 4x4 chevy blazer to buy my 1st mini and all his supplys. The 3 other tanks I left at a ex boyfriends as he really loved them, so what a better place then there to leave them for someone to enjoy!

I do miss them and maybe one day will get another one!

my gator Flea when she was about 14 inchs long.

I bet that is a chilly gator in Michigan right about now!

 

[Jill]

Jill,

your tanks are beautiful! When you started you inspired me to set up a small 12 gallon tank in my living room. My fav fish are rummy nosed tetras. I am thinking of adding a snail or shrimp to munch on the algae that likes to grow. Any experience with that?

Angie

Angie -- I've never kept shrimp. At one time, we had some "Mystery Snails" that were pretty. We had ones that were lavendar colored on their shells and they ate algae. However, when I cleaned the tanks they were in, I felt the slime trail they leave and it's hard to wash off your hands. It just almost made me throw up (as much as I like to read about gross things, I am very squeamish when it comes to hands on). I got H to take them all to Petsmart and donate them!

There are these small "Bushy Nose" / "Bristle Nose" / "BN" Plecos that come in either white or brown and do not get more than a few inches long. They do an AMAZING job cleaning the algae in case those are something to consider. We have those in most of our tanks.

 

[drivin*me*buggy]

Thanks Jill! I don't think I would like that slime trail thing from the snails Ewwww!

I will let folks know if I try a few shrimp....I thought I read the plecos can be a little mean in too small of a tank...if the shrimp don't help I will just keep scrubbing as it builds up I guess.

As a side note, Jill, you do a nice job on you FB farm page

Angie

 

[rimmerpaints]

Your fish/tankisbeautiful.I love fish they are so calming to watch. I dont have one cuz my lil ones would try to catch the fish to love on them.lol

 

[MindyLee]

I bet that is a chilly gator in Michigan right about now!

Yeah! I dont think she made it that night! It was about 10 yrs ago and was a super warm spring day. I let her out on her leash to sun bath and she got off and made it to the river about 50 yrds away. That night the temp droped to 30 degrees so I am 100% certin she didnt survive. I can say altho she was a really neat pet, and I hate to think she suffered.

 

[Reble]

We used to have fish at least 20 years ago

Loved your video, and I know we used to sit and watch them like our T.V. set, people thought we where crazy.

So soothing and enjoyable.

thanks for sharing..

 

[Jill]

Thanks

It's a really relaxing / calming hobby. We've redecorated the tanks too a number of times changing gravel, decor, etc. Now we have a nautral look that I really like and it's been fun too watching the plants grow. They're quite a bit bigger now than when I did the video.

 

[jacks'thunder]

I had a chicken emergency so I was finally able to clean a few tanks yesterday! Here are some pictures, mostly of the critters!

Sorry! I just noticed the glass was a mess

! But the water looks good!

 

[MindyLee]

I had a chicken emergency so I was finally able to clean a few tanks yesterday! Here are some pictures, mostly of the critters!

Those are some very pretty turtles!

 

[jacks'thunder]

Thanks MindyLee!

Here are a few more!

In this first picture I almost killed these guys while cleaning them! They had a huge trojan horse viking ship that I have been wanting to move to my big tank. I moved it and dirtied the tank up so bad that they were freeking out and banging the glass lids and splashing water everywhere! I hooked up 2 big 75-100 gal filters and things cleared up and life was peaceful in about an hour. But as you can see it was alittle foggy in the first picture.

Unfortunately when I do a "good" cleaning I have to have a minimum of 10 gallons of water on hand and sence we have well water with heavy rust and iron that means 2 big 5 gallon containers(of city water) need to be sitting and waiting. In the last picture my water is kinda low, but I do have my full containers ready to go in tomorrow! It's all alot of work but I really enjoy it!