Fish Lovers 3.0 [new poll]

[Checkinder]

I caved and picked up a half blind elephant ear betta boy today.
I saw him about a week or so ago, and was extremely concerned about the eye just being some sort of ailment instead of blindness. I couldn't pick him up that day as I hadn't the space as well as my father would not be pleased.
We had to go to the pet store again today. The boy had been plaguing my thoughts ever since and I knew if he was still there I was NOT leaving without him. His fins look fairly tattered, one sorta like it was cut with scissors. He's currently in a heated quarantine tank with some anti-fungal medicine.
His name is Orion and when he's looking a little better I'll be sure to show him off!

[Hime]

Hello! By chance does anyone know a good way to lower pH in an aquarium? My pH is currently at 9.0 where I need it at about 7.0

Thanks!

What's the pH reading from the tap (or what ever water source you use) before you put it in the tank? How hard is the water and how new the tank is? Do you have any decorations/substrate that could leak out minerals?

[Valac]

What's the pH reading from the tap (or what ever water source you use) before you put it in the tank? How hard is the water and how new the tank is? Do you have any decorations/substrate that could leak out minerals?

I just got the tank a month or two ago and the water I use is pretty hard. It's unfiltered water right out of a well, unsure exactly the pH as i've never tested my water myself. (always went to stores to do it) I would assume it's probably a 8.0-9.0
I have multiple decorations I have bought from pets stores as well as a sand like substrate. (The substrate was washed before put in the tank if that means anything)

[Polly44]

hey, my betta still isn’t eating bloodworms... any other tips?
Or other treats?

Could be that he's never had any (so he's not used to them/doesn't know what to do with them, I had tetras act like that with pellets at first) or that he's not that hungry. You could fast him couple days to build up his hunger and try again, or offer him some other food to see if he likes that better. There really isn't a reason why he absolutely would need to eat bloodworms specifically, so if he's not into them I'd try feeding something else.

You could try live Brine Shrimp. I've fed my Betta those and he loved them. (Was amusing watching him chase them as well.) But it's not bad that he doesn't eat them. As long as he's eating other things? Perhaps as "Hime" said- he doesn't like them, or isn't sure what to do with them.

I have a legitimate question out of curiosity for all you fish owners:

Why do you want/like pet fish?
There isn't much you can do with them as you can't handle them. So what do you love about them?

Interesting......
1. Once everything is set up, cycled....etc then they are rather low maintenance. I do a water change/give my plants some attention once a month on my 28 Litre and top it up when it needs it. I feed my Betta every other day, but other than that i pretty much leave it to do its thing.
2. The fish one can find are amazing. Don't get me wrong there are hundreds of dog/horse/cat breeds out there, but there are thousands of types of fish. I personally have a soft spot for Bettas and would love a few male set ups and a female sorority or to breed them, but even so i love many other types of fish as well.
3. The plants one can find are epic as well. I love gardening outside, so doing it in an aquarium is brilliant too. It can look so pretty if done well.


__________
On another note i bought a "Banana Plant" for my aquarium the other month and what a fantastic plant it is. I originally hung it on my Bonsai (Haha, Bonsai Banana tree anyone?), but it fell off and rooted in the gravel. It grew two large leaves that float on the surface in like a week. But after i cleaned it the other week i let it float as i couldn't put it back under the gravel very well. And now it's losing it's old roots and growing thick new ones that are reaching down to anchor it into the gravel. Utterly fascinating and it's very pretty. I was looking for some plants to float anyway, but now i won't need any.

[Hime]

What's the pH reading from the tap (or what ever water source you use) before you put it in the tank? How hard is the water and how new the tank is? Do you have any decorations/substrate that could leak out minerals?

I just got the tank a month or two ago and the water I use is pretty hard. It's unfiltered water right out of a well, unsure exactly the pH as i've never tested my water myself. (always went to stores to do it) I would assume it's probably a 8.0-9.0
I have multiple decorations I have bought from pets stores as well as a sand like substrate. (The substrate was washed before put in the tank if that means anything)

So the hardness is likely the reason why the pH is so high. Generally I'd think stuff from pet store that is ment for fresh water aquarium should be safe and not effect the water, so they should be fine and not causing extra trouble.
Usually pH drops naturally little as the tank matures and organic matter starts to break down, but if the water is hard then pH has harder time changing. There are products that are supposed to lower pH and hardness, but I'd be very carefull with picking out one (some I hear are purely mild acid) and they also end up costing a lot in the long run as you'd need to keep treating the water after every water change most likely. Almond leaves or oak leaves can help some as well as peat filteration, but those will also stain the water which is not something that everyone like. Oak extract can bring the pH down and it doesn't stain the water, but it's kinda expensive and if you have hard water I'm not sure how effective it would be (or any of the usual pH lowering method to be honest). You could try diluting the well water with rain water, which is usually very soft and acidic. That's should help bring down the hardness and then pH at the same time.
What fish do you have/plan on getting? Not all fish mind higher pH and hardness, so you might be able to get away with the current water without having to mess around with the parameters. Also if you do end up trying to adjust the hardness and pH, it would be good to invest in water tests.

[cyan.skies]

Username: meganwolf24
How many fish tanks do you have: 1
Types of fish that you have: I have an axolotl!
Your fishs' names: Her name is Luna
How long have you had fish: I've had fish tanks since I was young, and I had mostly pygmy pufferfish and Angel fish when I was younger but its been a while since I last had a tank! A couple of months ago I brought my little axolotl into my home and I would love to have more tanks in the future!!

I'll add some photos of her tank and set up later!

[boston]

so great to see another axolotl owner! ^^

i just recently got my roommate a betta fish and a tank for it.
now i really want to keep bettas again and i am thinking of getting a female.
aahhh. so hard to resist.

[pirelliskrt]

I have a 3.5 gallon tank for my betta and every week i do a 50% water change because of how heavy the tank is. During this, I clean the plants and scrub the tank walls. Do i need to do a 100% water change?

[pirelliskrt]

extra space whoops

[Checkinder]

also, can small goldfish live in bowls and not tanks?

Goldfish produce a LOT of waste and bowls are no where near enough space for them. Most people recommend a 20 gallon for one goldfish, but you also have to consider the type of goldfish.
Fancies and such can live in about 30 gallons but commons can get very large and are considered pond fish.
Not to mention most recommend a filter stronger than what is normally recommended for the tank. To give you an idea I've got two goldfish, one is a pond goldfish but they're still relatively small but will be given the proper pond when I find someone with one, in a 30 gallon and there are two filters running.