To all fish lovers?

Question

1) How many years have you been raising or breeding fish.

2) What are some of the golden rules when cleaning out a tank? I know the first rule is no SOAP, but what else.

3) When setting up a tank for the first time? How long should you run the tank, before introducing fish? Should all tanks be run for the same amount time? Ex: 10 to 55 gal be run for 1-7
days
4) How often should one feed fry? How often should adults be fed? What type of food does one feed to livebreeders?
What type of food does egg layers consume?

5) What temperture range should one have for the livebreeders? Egg layers?

6) Should a 55 gallon tank be completely torn down for a yearly cleaning after the fish have been transfer to another tank?

Note: I have guppies now for two years and I have struggle with some of the same problems everyone else has had.

Thanks to everyone who help answer these questions and thank you for helping those who are just starting out in the World of Fish

Answer 1

1-More than 50.
2- You never empty a tank for cleaning,that destroys the bacteria colonies. The way to keep a tank clean is to siphon out the debris and stuff once a week. If you do this weekly you will be able to give the bottom a thorough cleaning while only removing 20% of the water.
3-New tanks should be completely cycled before adding fish. Look up www.fishlesscycling. It takes 4 to 6 weeks. The time is the same no matter what size the tank is. It's about growing bacteria colonies. The time consuming part is that they must grow on solid surfaces,not just be in the water.
4-Fish feeding is a book unto itself,there's more to learn than you can get on this forum. You questions are too general, every species will have a different answer. Get some good books. For a start try "Aquarium Fish Breeding"by Schuermann,ISBN#0-8120-4474-6. It won't answer all of your questions,but it will get you closer to asking the right ones.
5-Different for each species,again get the book.
6- Not unless you want to go through the cycling process again.
Most important you need to learn a lot about aquarium maintenance,you are not asking the right questions yet. Get a good introductory book. Go to the fishless cycling web site,and start there.

Answer 2

I've had fish off and on since I was a child. Right now I have 3 tanks, a 20 gallon of guppies, a 30 gallon with a mix of mollies and platies, and a 55 gallon with fancy goldfish.

Once I have a tank set up I never totally clean it. It kills the good bacteria needed for a healthy tank. I have a rotation going for the tanks for gravel cleaning so I do about 1/2 the gravel in one tank every 3 weeks, 10% water change in each tank weekly and rinse the filter media weekly.

I cycled all my tanks by using water from an already existing tank. If you can find someone who will give you some water, used filter media, gravel or fake plants from an established tank you've got it made. You can set a tank up and let it run for a couple days empty then add a hardy fish or 2 like a guppy for a few weeks until you get acceptable levels of ammonia and nitrates.

Fry need to be fed very small amounts a few times a day. I feed my adult fish morning and night but only a pinch that they clean up immediately. You can buy livebearer foods and they also like brine shrimp, tubifex worms and pieces of cucumber or zucchini to nibble on.

The warmer you keep a livebearer tank the faster they reproduce but it also decreases their life span. I keep my livebearer tanks at about 74 degrees.

Like I said before I never tear down a tank. It's stressful to the fish and disturbs the balance of the tank. If you do good weekly maintenance it shouldn't be necessary.

There are always problems with fish tanks. You're trying to recreate a world for them that they can live in and there are so many factors that can go wrong. I absolutely hate adding a new fish to a tank because you never know what new disease or problem you are introducing. I have a small 5 gallon now that I use for new fish. They live in there for a few weeks before they move to an established tank.

Answer 3

1) ive been rasing fishes for the past 13 years.

2) The only way that seems natural to me, is using a water changing syphon like phyton company. You suck up the debrie in the gravel and bring the tank water level to about 50% and then change the filter media, and add water and water conditioners. This is the way i have been changing water for those 13 years. I dont use soap, bleach etc...

3) i always recommend letting the tank set up with the filter and run for 3-7 days before adding a fish to cycle. Cycling itself takes anywhere from 3 weeks to a month.

4) breeding is something that should be at the back of your mind when starting a new tank or new to fishkeeping. Livebearers and all other fishes ,should be fed once aday everyday. too much is a bad thing and causes bowel problems. baby livebearers should be raising in a seperate tank and feed finely crushed flakes or baby foods like hikaris first bites.

5) depends on the species, some like it warmer and others can handle cold water. The common temp is in the 73-77*F range. Again it does depend on the species.

6) you dont need to completely break down a tank after 1 year.

It would be helpful if you dicussed in details the problems you are having. as that way we can help you. what you asked doesnt really solve anything specific, just very general questions.

Answer 4

1) I have been breeding Goldfish for 6 years and breeding Rosie red minnows for 2 years. I have kept fish tanks for about 15 years

2) Partial water changes are key to keeping a healthy tank. Taking out too much water at a time can be a shock to the fish, it is better to moniter the levels and do small frequent changes.

3)I run my tanks with a couple minnows for 30 days to completely establish all of the beneficial bacteria. After the nitrogen cycle is complete, I return the minnows to their pond and then stock the tank.

4) I breed my fish outdoors in a pond, and nature does most of the work. I make sure the pond has plenty of leafy plants, pebbles, curved rocks or broken flower pots, and appropriate water perameters: 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, low levels of nitrates, and a stable pH. The fish breed naturally in this environment and are fed by algae, insect larvae, and plant matter. I will occasionally supplement their natural diet with high quality flake food. There have been a few times when there was a hatch in late autumn, and these fry I usually bring indoors in a large tank that I have spare. I feed them powdered egg yolk and crushed flake food. I ahve never bred live bearers, so I don't know if their diet is any different.

5) Most tropical fish require a temperature between 74 and 82 regardless of whether they are live bearers or egg layers. Cold water fish usually need a gradual rise in temperature to trigger the breeding process. This happens naturally in the outdoors, the water warms up in the spring and the fish breed. A cold spell in the middle of the summer or a warm spell in fall after the water has already dropped in temperature can trigger the breeding process.

6) No. You can do more thorough cleanings every once in a while, like scrubbing rocks and decorations, but the tank should never be torn down completely. This would kill the benificial bacteria and cause your tank to have to recycle. Always do frequent partial water changes, unless there is a disease in the tank that requires a larger water change.

Answer 5

1. keeping for 4 years, breeding endlers for about 8 months, but have geeked up intensively since starting!

2. always cycle your tank when its new, never slack on water changes, never wash your filter sponges in clean water, never overstock, there are so many golden rules!

3) always cycle your tank, this can take anything from 2-4 weeks. i prefer fishless cycling, it's better for the fish, and now i have several tanks i can "jump start" them with filter media from my mature tanks, this shortens the cycling time.

4) depends on the fry, my endler babies do fine on twice a day and will pick at algae around the tank. livebearer fry will pretty much look after themselves after the first week or so.

5) depends on the livebearer or fish species in general. my endlers are fairly tough and do fine in the mid to high 70s, the warmer the water, the more boys you get, apparently! Keeping your guppy fry at a regulated 77-78 degrees F is what i'd do if i were you.

6) i would never tear down an established tank unless there was a reason such as a horribly contagious disease wiping out the stock. maybe once a month do a 25% water change rather than 15%, and make sure the sponges are given a good squeeze out in tank water at least once every couple of weeks. but generally a massive change in environment won't be appreciated by your tank stock once they're established! if you are changing all the stock, the layout, everything, then you can do a tear down, but remember if you replace filter sponges and substrate, your tank will need cycling again.

Answer 6

I have been raising fish for about a year and a half now.

I really don't have any golden rules of myself except "keep you hands out of the tank unless neccesary"

When you set-up a new fish tank for the first time, I would fishless cycle it. http://malawicichlids.com/mw01017.htm It is far easier for the fish themselves. If you are like me who can't wait for new fish, I would recommend to let the filter run about one to two weeks. No, I would say, the bigger the tank, maybe extend it by another week to filter all the water out.


Fry should be fed at least 3-4 times a day. The adults should be fed less than the fry. For livebearers, you can feed them finley crushed flakes and for egglayes, you can get baby fry food from the pet store, or create infusoria for themselves.

The temperature reange for livebearers depends on what species it it. The temperature range for egglayers depends on the species too. Goldfish needs cooler water while discus needs warmer water.

No, you don't need it to be completely torn down. It's good too because the siphon can't vacuum all the bottom of the gravel.

Answer 7

Hi Bluefishbig,

1) Nearly 3.

2) Use salt, white vinegar or diluted potassium permanganate. This is only to prep a new tank, once your tank is running it should become the perfect mini eco-system & not need major attention again if you're doing it right.

3) A new tank will never cycle unless you introduce ammonia-this can be done one of 3 ways: i) by the fish themselves although this is a very cruel method because they have to endure the stress of toxic water during the cycle; ii) transferring cycled filter & gravel from another tank making the process just like an elaborate partial water change & iii) by doing a fishless cycle which is the best way to go, not only does no fish get stressed but it is usually more controllable & faster too.

4) I can only speak for what I know & I have 5 large streamlined Goldfish who get fed tiny amounts several times a day adding up in total to around 3 minutes feeing time for each individual. Daily they get Pro Gold sinking pellets, cooked broccoli/spinach/Brussels sprouts/spinach/cauliflower leaves or shelled peas, frozen bloodworms/brine shrimp. Occasional other treats include hard boiled egg yolk [messy!], citrus fruit, cucumber, soft boiled rice, prawn, tomato, melon etc.

5) I don't use a heater, the tank fluctuates during the year with the ambient temperature of my flat around 65 midwinter to 80 mid Summer. I have installed fans in the lid to remove excess heat during heatwaves.

6) I think the jury may still be out on this one but If you have gravel or sand, anywhere there may be a chance of debris & general gunk building up if it is too thick [over an inch] & if it gets to uncontrollable levels then yes this is an option but take expert advice before doing so. Personally I don't because I just have a sprinkling of river rocks on an otherwise bare base so nowhere for any gunk to hide.

The link below is an excellent resource & one I refer to often, I would also advise joining a specific forum dealing with your type[s] of fish-then you get instant help from the experts. Because my fish deserve the best I made it my business to not only get involved in a technical Goldfish forum with not only newcomers like myself but seasoned aquarists, ponders & top breeders. I also tracked down a couple of local & not so local 'fish-friendly' vets & picked everyone's brains!!

I would again stress the above are my own personal take on each of your points, as I am learning all the time I will very happily be proved wrong by the more seasoned members of this community if I have made any errors :)

Answer 8

I have had fish my whole life, my mom had a 5 gallon tank that I took over at about age 9, so that's nearly 40 years.
2. I use salt and an unbleached coffee filter. I have used dawn in them when a DEEP cleaning was really needed, the secret to this is to do it OUTSIDE and rinse it with the hose, move it to a different area in the yard and rinse again, and do it a 3rd or 4th time just in case. NO trace of soap can be left.
3. I put my gravel in, water, set up the filtration, and you can never have too much filtration. Get it up to temp and put in 2 or 3 fish to help it cycle. Guppies are my favorite to use, mollies are to temperamental to water conditions.
It takes 2 to 3 months, or more, for your tank to be fully cycled. You can speed this up by using a dirty filter from a HEALTHY tank (DO NOT RINSE THE FILTER!), or water from a healthy tank, as many gallons, up to half of your water volume, I just toss the filter in the bottom of the tank. Barely rinsed gravel does this also. You are just taking the good bacteria from one tank and putting it into a new tank.
You still have to wait, just not as long.
4. I feed my fry as often as I think of it, 5 times a day.
Adults get fed twice a day. They make guppy food for live bearers, they also get frozen blood worms and freeze dried blood worms. My Betta's get frozen blood worms and freeze dried blood worms.
5. What ever is recommended for that type of fish.
6. I NEVER tear down my tank unless there is a major problem or if I need to move it.
To move it, I empty the water down to the gravel level, and I stir the gravel to get as much gunk out as possible, move the tank, add my dechlor and fill with water as close to the desired temp as you can. Decorate it up and put your plants back in before you put your fish back in. The 'gunk' that is laft in the gravel will settle down in a day or two, another way is to remove your gravel, wash the tank down good, rinse the gravel with decholr water, one time only to get the big gunk out of it. You want to leave as much good culture as possible. Move the filter with out cleaning it, you can rinse your filter cartridges after a week or so, or better yet, toss the old ones in the bottom of the tank for a couple of weeks and put new ones in the filter.

Answer 9

It is never a good idea to completely break down a tank unless some really huge problems occur: toxins get into the water, the tank has to be moved because it was leaking and the floor has to be dried, etc. Here's some good sites for cycling your new tank and one for the needs or individual species:
http://www.firsttankguide.net/cycle.php
http://www.peteducation.com/category_summary.cfm?cat=1911
http://www.aquatic-hobbyist.com/profiles/misc/fishlesscycling.html
After you get started, you can ask more specific questions, such as breeding questions, but the site above gives you general answers to those as well.

Answer 10

1. I've been raising fish for almost 5 years.

2. ^^; I can't quite think . . . I just clean it out normally with a syphon hose, algae scrubber, clean water, and salt, lol.

3. 1 week usually. It depends on how big the tank is.

4. I dunno about fry (I've never had them before), but I feed my fish once a day. Livebearers can tolerate tropical flakes, too. Egglayers are the same.

5.They can stay in about the same temperature: 72-77 degrees F

6. I dunno . .