Tag: fish care

Hey! I’m have a 20 gallon long I’m planning on setting up and cycling soon (waiting until I move) and I was wondering if you have any heater / filter brands you recommend. Lights, hoods? Stuff to have before? I’m pretty new to all of this. I’m planning on getting one Betta boi to put in. But I’m also thinking about apple snails as well. (also, feel free to not to answer or just like. Answer in links! Love your blog <3)

Thank you!

Betta care, largely generic, below the cut. 

Apple snails get the size of your fist, do not recommend. Mystery snails stay smaller, but they do lay a lot of eggs and can result in lots of baby snails. If you want snails and not a bajillion babies, get nerite snails. Horn nerites are a favorite of mine. Small, and they do lay eggs, but the eggs don’t develop and hatch in freshwater. 

So! Basic aquarium setup for bettas. Note that this applies to all tank sizes.

You really just need a generic light for all of this. No need for anything fancy, the thing that comes with the tank in sets will work. Try an LED for lower heat. 

A sponge filter is best for bettas. Nice and gentle. When it needs cleaning, take the sponge off and gently squeeze it in a bucket of tank water, then put it back on the filter. That gunky tank water (and any tank water) is great for houseplants. 

You MUST have a heater. Go on Amazon and look for the one with the highest rating, applicable to your tank size. You need a guard around it, bettas are dummies who will slump on a heater and get burned. 

You also MUST have a thermometer. Not a stick-on kind, one of the kinds that’s a tube that goes in the tank. Any of them is fine. Just keep an eye on it- bettas need to be at a minimum of 78F. It should be in the center of the tank, with the heater at one end, so the betta can choose where it wants to be.

You MUST have a lid that covers all the gaps in the tank, or keep the water level at least 4 inches below the surface. I recommend the former option, as I’ve seen fish get stuck to the side of a tank with a low water level. Bettas DO jump. 

You MUST have the entire top of the tank open to the air. Bettas need to breathe air to keep their labyrinth organ healthy. By that, I mean the water shouldn’t touch the lid for more than 5% of its surface. The betta should be able to swim up at any point and take a breath. 

Bettas don’t care what their decor looks like, but they need things to hide under and around. They also love to slump just below the surface of the water, resting on something. You can make betta hammocks with a plastic plant leaf and a suction cup, look ‘em up on Amazon to buy one, or just make sure there’s decor and such up near the surface. In particular, you need to make sure there are no sharp edges, betta fins shred easily. Plastic plants are usually sharp, silk plants are fine. 

I suggest some live plants with bettas. Not a requirement, but highly, highly suggested. Java moss and Java fern are both very hardy, they grow happily under any tank light. Just throw them in, or tie them to something. Java fern, don’t plant the roots in the ground, they’ll rot. Anacharis is also pretty easy to grow- same deal. Java moss or flame moss is my highest recommendation.

Duckweed will block out the light and suck up a lot of nutrients, so that requires slightly brighter lights and possibly the use of some ferts if it’s not the only plant, but it’s great for sucking out nitrates and getting that live-plant benefit. 

If you can, throw in some callippa leaves or oak leaves. Both release tannins into the water, which dim the lighting slightly, help to stop fungus from growing, soften the water very slightly, and add a more natural look. The leaves should have fallen off the tree naturally, and should already be brown. Pick up a few from an area without any sprayed pesticides or the like, throw ‘em straight in. You can remove them when they start to rot, or just leave them in and let them decay, either is fine. 

Feed a small pellet food, or high-quality flake. The first ingredients should be things from the water, like shrimp and fish. Wheat and other land-based ingredients are OK, but shouldn’t be one of the first things. You can also get some frozen foods to use as treats. If you really want to spoil your betta, feed him frozen mysis shrimp and frozen bloodworms, alternated. Some bettas like freeze-dried treats, but you have to pre-soak those or they’ll expand in the betta’s stomach. Feed once a day, and keep in mind that a betta’s stomach is only slightly larger than its eyeball. I suggest missing a day once a week or so, and, if you can, feeding a small bit of thawed stuff from inside a frozen pea. This helps prevent constipation. Bettas beg, but don’t be fooled! They aren’t starving.

And that’s it! Generic light, generic sponge filter, good heater, good thermometer, things to hide in, stuff to lay on, decent food, some live plants, maybe an oak leaf or two. Very happy fish.

Now! Into the fancy stuff.

That tank has room for more than one betta. Betta sororities (female betta groups) do NOT work! They can hold sort of an uneasy peace for awhile, albeit stressfully for the fish, and will eventually collapse in a violent manner. Do not do this. 

You can, however, divide a tank that size into 2 segments and keep a betta in each. 10 gallons each is a good deal for most bettas. The only domestic bettas that need that much room are the “king” bettas, like you see at Petco, the really big ones. Go to any craft supply store and find the embroidery section, there’s embroidery mesh there. It’s a stiff plastic that comes in multiple colors. Black is probably the best aesthetic option. If you tie Java moss to said plastic, it’ll grow through the holes, or you can leave it as-is. Ideally you’d silicone it into place so it can’t get shoved, but otherwise, you can probably finangle something to keep it firmly in place. Bettas may flare if they see each other through the mesh, but as long as they aren’t obsessing, that’s fine. It’s enrichment, in fact! They get to visually spar at each other for a bit, and then, when one flounces away, they both think they’ve won. If they obsess a bit, block their view with plants and other stuff. Note: do NOT do this with plakats, plakats are very fighty due to being closer related to fighting stock. 

If you do that, you need a sponge filter and thermometer on each section. Make sure your heater isn’t near the plastic, but put it more towards the center than before. Also, you can swap bettas back and forth! Every couple months, I recommend swapping the half they live in, let them explore. 

Or you can get a pair of wild bettas! If you can find them, a male and female wild-type (doesn’t have to be wild-caught, just not bred into the cup kind) would be very happy in there. Wild-type bettas aren’t anywhere near as aggressive. I know from experience that, if you plant that pretty heavily and offer lots of line-of-sight breakers, two pairs of B. albimarginata will do well in a tank that size. Call your local pet shops, or check Aquabid. Be sure you research your specific wild betta type, they all vary some, but they have the same general care as a domestic betta. They just need more space and tend to be more active. 

Basically, you could definitely keep just one betta in a 20 gallon, but you can also do more!

Potential betta tankmates, if you keep it undivided, are listed below. Be sure you observe your individual betta, as what they’ll accept does vary by individual. You could also split the tank in half and keep a betta on one side, small fish on the other. If you keep a betta with small fish, expect him to chase a little bit- that’s fine, he won’t hurt them. If he isn’t obsessing and they can easily dart around something to avoid him, that’s no issue.

Corydoras cats by and large are not appropriate, they need colder temperatures. A couple species can tolerate the heat, but not any you’re likely to find, and I honestly don’t remember those species names at the moment.

Small tetras are generally good. Glowlights, neons, penguins, and so on. 7, at least. Those should all be fine in 10g of space.

Pencilfish are harder to find, but, again, good. Dwarf pencils would be fine in 10g, the larger ones need a bit more space.

Marbled hatchetfish are rare in the trade, but great. They need an even tighter lid, though! Hatchets jump like you wouldn’t believe. 

My personal recommendation: divide that tank in half. Put a betta and your choice of small fish on half of it, see how they do. If the betta doesn’t get along with them, put him on the other side, and voila. If he does, add another betta to the other side. Or, if he gets along with other fish, you can deem him community-safe, take the divider out, and put in some other community fish.

Hey! So my little brother was asking for a glofish for his birthday, and my parents are considering it. Do you (or any of your followers) know anything about them? I’m a bit of a pet fan myself but I’m very unfamiliar with fish care (I only keep mammals lol) and want to make sure whatever they end up getting him thrives. Thanks!

amazingpetenclosures:

Glofish is technically a brand name, the fish themselves are either danios (left) or tetras (right). Which is important to know when you’re doing your research. Both types are schooling fish, so you need several of them. I could be misremembering, so if I’m wrong, someone please feel free to correct me! But I believe a healthy school consists of no less than seven fish. Which means that, even though the fish themselves are small, they need quite a bit of space, so you’ll need a decent sized tank and filter. They’re also tropical, which means you’ll need a heater capable of appropriately warming the size tank you get. Tetras and danios tend to be a fairly ‘easy’ type of fish, all things considered, but they’ll still need water changes and they still need specific care, so make sure to really dig deep and do that research. And, if your little brother is still quite young, keep in mind that it might be you or your parents doing most of the actual work.

It would be great if any of my followers knew a few reliable websites/forums to find fish care requirements, so if anyone has suggestions, please comment!

You’re going to need at least a 20gal tank to keep those happy, cycled, filtered, and heated. A 10g is too small, they need lots of room to move. 

The glofish as of now are: 

Zebra danios (slim fish, lengthwise stripes)

Tiger barbs (triangle-shaped fish, vertical stripes)

Skirt tetras (sort of piranha-shaped with longer fins)

and red-tail black sharks (little wiggly thing with whiskers and a down-facing mouth). 

All but the shark are schooling fish. All the schooling fish are also very active species, prone to chasing each other. You can mix them with non-Glo versions of themselves, they don’t care in the slightest.

Plantedtank.net is good for general aquarium care. Bare minimum, look up how to cycle an aquarium. 

If he wants a single fish in a smallish aquarium, a betta in a 5g tank is good. Again, filtered, heated, and cycled.

Weekly water changes, daily feeding, general monitoring for diseases, and at-least-monthly water tests are all vital parts of aquarium keeping. Also, if the brother loses interest, what happens to the fish? Flushing them down the toilet is horrendously inhumane, releasing them into “the wild” spells their doom and can introduce pathogens to the native environment, animal shelters don’t usually take fish, and Craigslist is iffy at best. Most chain pet stores don’t take fish back, but smaller ones sometimes do. Ask. 

How many tropical fish would you recommend to keep in a 34L tank?

glumshoe:

I’m no expert, but that depends on the fish. For instance, you could keep one betta or none pirañas.

Aqadvisor.com is a site that can be used as a basic stocking estimate. It’s not a guarantee, and you do have to research the fish in question to make sure they aren’t an active species that needs loads of space, but you can use it to get a general idea of what your stocking level is.

That’s about an 8 gallon tank. The only suitable fish are very small ones, an inch or less. If you pick fish that size, you could keep about 10 of them, if you keep up with the water changes and have some simple live plants like java moss.

My fish suggestions are below. All are schooling fish that get to an inch long or so. Pick two groups of 5, or one group of 10. 

Make sure your tank is cycled before you introduce any fish. Look up fishless cycling, fish-in cycling is inhumane. You’ll also want to get a water testing kit so you can check ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. You should never see ammonia or nitrites in your tank except when it’s cycling without fish. 

Don’t replace your filter media. Rinse it gently in a bucket of tank water and then put it back in the filter. Your good bacteria live in there and in the substrate. If the power goes out, remove the filter media from the filter, gently rinse it in a separate container of tank water, and place it into the tank itself to make sure that bit of water in the filter doesn’t go stagnant and kill the bacteria. 

Suitable fish for a roughly 10 gallon tank:

Neon tetras

Glowlight tetras

Penguin tetras

Porkchop rasboras

Harlequin rasboras

Pygmy corydoras (prone to losses when freshly imported)

Dwarf corydoras (same) 

Guppies (all male. 6 female guppies would also work but you’d need to regularly remove the fry)

Chili rasboras and phoenix rasboras are extremely tiny, you could keep 20 of them in a planted tank that size, but they’d have to be kept alone so as not to be bullied by other fish. 10 of them and 5 of the cories above would also work. 

You could also substitute a single dwarf gourami for 2 of the above fish, or a sparkling gourami for one, but keep in mind that all schooling species need at least 5 members of the school. 

A betta may or may not do well in a tank with all of the above except the guppies. Some bettas are too aggressive, some are too easily stressed. A female betta would have a better shot. If you add a betta, make sure you have a suitable tank (at least 5 gallons, so about half the size of this one) to put the betta in if it doesn’t get along well. 

You could keep 5 or so African clawed frogs instead of fish. 

8 White Clouds are suitable, but are coldwater fish. Their water needs to be about 76 degrees, not 78 like the others.

Nerite snails are suitable for any of the above tankmates, and one or two don’t count towards your stocking level. You need to have the tank cycled for a month or so first to be sure there’s algae for them to eat. 

flashiefins:

optometrictzedek:

wtf-fun-factss:

Why you shouldn’t put goldfish in a bowl – WTF fun facts

By the way, bettas are the same. It’s a myth that they live  in puddles. Wild bettas live in rice patties that look like this: 

And you know how males fight in captivity? Yeah see, in the wild, each male betta has a territory of roughly one square meter [X]. That’s over 260 gallons of water per betta! Of course they’ll fight in a tiny 1 gallon tank! (The myth about puddles exists because, in the dry season, a betta may get trapped in a puddle, and it is equipped to survive that, but only for a short period of time). Also, notice how much is growing in that water – bettas need a lot of places to hide in and rest on, not just a single bamboo shoot in  the center of a vase! They will get stressed and even more aggressive without the hides. 

Fish are animals just like your other pets. Do your research before buying and treat them appropriately. If you can’t afford a proper betta or goldfish set up (at LEAST 5 gallons for a betta with a heater and hides, at LEAST 20 gallons for a goldfish with a strong filtering system and NO GRAVEL, and I recommend adding at least 10 gallons to those minimums for healthy and happy fish), don’t get one. They are living things, not decor pieces. 

Here is more information on how to properly care for:
Goldfish: 1 2 3 4  
Bettas: 1 2 3 

Males mostly fight in captivity because the captive-bred B. splendens were originally bred to fight, then were bred for color. They’re still territorial in the wild, but less ferocious about it. 

Some species of betta, wild ones which have NOT been bred to fight and are less territorial anyway, can be kept in small groups. The males flare at each other now and then but get along well. 

B. splendens, the ones you buy in fish stores, are the fish equivalent of fighting roosters. They are horrendously aggressive towards each other and cannot be kept together, even the females. Groups of female bettas will eventually devolve into violent mayhem, if they ever establish anything like a hierarchy in the first place, and are stressful in the meantime. Don’t do that to the animals you’re supposed to be taking care of.

glumshoe:

Fish will “grow with the size of the tank” in the same way that your feet will grow with the size of your shoes. 

Fish in too-small tanks will stunt. Their bones and musculature stop growing, but their internal organs keep growing. You can tell when a fish has been in a too-small tank for too long because its stomach and eyes will be bulging and the eyes will be too large. This will eventually kill them as their organs crush against each other.

erydumaenhir:

iantojonesthebetta:

Dominance display between two female Betta albimarginata.

The larger female with the white is the daughter of the smaller one. She’s much more robust than her mother. I guess it has to do with how she was raised with me compared to how her mother was initially raised elsewhere.

The mother is approximately 20 months old and the daughter is around 9-10 months old.

As someone who’s only ever kept B. splendens, i would have never caught on that the daughter was female if you hadn’t mentioned it; I would have assumed my go-to (males-have-shorter-dorsal-fins) ID would just be different in this species. 

These are a variety of wild betta. B. splendens are aggressive because they were originally bred to fight, B. albimarginata are largely nonaggressive. This is the closest thing to aggression you’ll see- brief bouts of intimidation to establish dominance. You can see that the aggressor is satisfied at the end of the video, and likely turned away to go about her business afterward.

They’re best kept in groups, with more males than females, as they’re mouth-brooders. It’s best to have more males so that the males aren’t always brooding eggs if they decide to breed. A 20 gallon or larger tank should have enough room for at least 4. 

They’re hard to get ahold of and can be slightly picky eaters, but will take frozen foods and aren’t hard to keep. They do best in water with tannins in it, and with floating plants to dim the light. Driftwood and plants are 100% needed to keep them happy. Plenty of cover is needed, but they’re bold if they have lots of places to hide. Leaf litter is excellent, and will help the survival of fry by growing plenty of microorganisms for fry to eat. Oak leaves serve as leaf litter and also release tannins into the water. 

Males look like the white-edged female above, but with brighter red colors and thicker white stripes. Females can be slightly smaller than males, but by and large the colors are the only major indicator of sex. 

Pencilfish, small rasboras, and marbled hatchetfish are good tankmates. Any small, unaggressive fish that appreciate dimly lit tanks will work, though fish that stay high in the tank are best to avoid the betta fry being eaten. 

I love ‘em. They’re easy to care for, fairly easy to breed, can happily be kept in groups (unlike B. splendens), and come in beautiful colors. Even the females have cute little head-freckles, despite not being colorful. They’re aso very inquisitive and intelligent. 

eelpatrickharris:

friendly reminder that, if you take proper care of your eels and keep them in a big tank with lots of hiding places, they will never feel the need to hide in the sand

instead, they’ll either sit at the front of the tank and wait for you to walk in the room, or they’ll all noodle out of the woodwork they were napping in when they find out you’re there

eels will only bury in the sand if they’re scared or threatened and have nowhere else to hide. thanks for coming to my ted talk

This goes for all sneaky fish prone to hiding. All fish will hide sometimes, but every fish in the world will be much more confident if they have enough cover. The more cover they have, the safer they feel, and the more you see them. 

Moray eels very frequently sit in their holes, that’s just what they do, but even they will stick more of their bodies out and come out more when they feel safe.

Hi, I was wondering if you could give me some fish advice? I have what turned out to be a comet goldfish for nearly 12 years and I’m constantly worried that I’m not caring for him correctly. Is it normal for him to have turned silver as he aged? And is there like a tank to fish size ratio I should be following? Should I have a filter? Sorry for all the questions I’m just worried and really love your blog! And to maybe make you laugh my fish is called Lord Goldemort

drferox:

Look, I’m just going to let this question go out to the rest of fishblr. I’m sure they’ll take care of you.

Yep, goldfish change color sometimes.

Comet goldfish should get to 8″ long, at least, and often grow to be more like a foot. Bare minimum tank size for one is 75 gallons, and yes, you should have a filter. Just about all fish need filters, and the few that don’t need one will do better with one. 

If you’ve just found out that you aren’t properly caring for your fish, don’t panic. Do large water changes in the meantime, try and find a larger tank on Craigslist (good for large cheap tanks) or on sale at Petco, and get a large, strong filter.

Hello, I’ve been really interested in koi ponds and keeping koi but the only information I have found about the care for koi is from landscaping & koi pond installation sites and I just don’t feel I can trust them- do you know anything about koi or maybe links or something? Sorry to bother you, hope you have a good day!

aquaristlifeforme:

I know nothing about koi ponds. Sorry. I know a lot about water quality. And life support. But keep googling. I’m sure you’ll find some good information. Unless any of my awesome followers know some things. They’re really nice.

You need roughly 1000 gallons of water per koi, they get very large. Keep in mind they’re pretty much just decorative carp. If the pond is well filtered and planted, it’s 1000 gallons for the first koi, then 500 gallons per additional koi. The pond should also be at least 3 feet deep in spots to provide protection from temperature shifts. They aren’t really any different than other fish, aside from that. Make them a large pond, equip a strong filter, put in some aquatic plants, feed them a decent quality food (less in the winter), don’t let the pond ice over completely for too long, keep herons/cats/raccoons/etc away, and that’s about all. 

scalestails:

Goldfish Myths


Introduction

 Goldfish (Carasius auratus auratus) are one of the most popular aquarium fish. Unfortunately, this is because people are lead to believe that they can be kept in small aquariums or, even more popular, fish bowls. These bowls are unsuitable for almost all fish. Keeping a goldfish in one will result in it’s premature death. There are many varieties of goldfish, but they can be split up into two different groups. Fancy goldfish and common goldfish. Fancy goldfish do not get as large as commons, therefore they are more suitable for tanks. Goldfish also do not make good children’s pets because of the large amount of space and maintenance they require. So here are some myths about them and their care that are dangerous to the life of your fish.

Myth #1: Goldfish will only grow to the size of their bowl.


Truth #1: Goldfish will grow to the size of their tank, becoming stunted and unhealthy.

Stunted fish live short, unhealthy lives. You never want to stunt your fish.
So this myth has a little but of truth to it. When a goldfish is put into a bowl, it is creating too much waste for any water change schedule to keep up with. There are a few theories around goldfish and why some are stunted when kept in small bowls and tanks. One theory says that because it has no room to grow, it releases hormones that make it grow slower, stunting it’s growth. Another is that a build up of nitrates are the cause. Either way, the fish will die either due to being exposed to deadly amounts of it’s own waste before it can reach a certain size, or is stunted living a shortened lifespan. Both of those deaths are easily preventable with proper care.

Sources:

Myth #2: Goldfish have a 2 second memory span.

Truth #2: Goldfish have a 2 month memory span, possibly even longer.

This myth has no scientific backing. There have been countless studies involving goldfish and their memory. Goldfish have a normal memory span, they can remember their way through a maze for months; and if the maze is changed they can find their way through with minimal problems.They also associate objects or actions with events like feeding, and can even be taught tricks!

Sources:

Myth #3: Goldfish do not make a lot of waste, and do not get very large so they are suitable for a small tank.


Truth #3: Goldfish make a lot of waste for their size, and some get around a foot long! They are only suitable for large, well filtered aquariums.

 This could not be further from the truth. A full grown common goldfish is around 12-20 inches long. A full grown fancy goldfish is 5-12 inches. These are not small fish. If they do not reach their adult size, as with all animals, something went wrong. Goldfish make a lot of waste for their size, therefore they require large volumes of water and frequent water changes with a strong filter.  A single common goldfish should be kept in a minimum of a 100 gallon tank as an adult. A single fancy goldfish should be kept in a minimum of 20 gallons. Sometimes it is hard to get people to believe that they reach such lengths, but when kept properly they can and should get to be quite large. Therefore, keeping them in a bowl is unacceptable if you value their life. It is extremely unfortunate that this myth is so well known- and believed.

image

Sources:

Myth #4: Goldfish are short lived.


Truth #4: Goldfish are long lived animals, they should live to be 15-25 years old.

This myth also has no truth to it. It’s the exact opposite of what is true. The longest lived goldfish on record died at the age of 43! Now, that doesn’t mean your  goldfish will live that long, but they still live for quite a while. The average goldfish lives for 15-20+ years. That is about as long as a dog or cat. Therefore, when purchasing a goldfish, you must think about whether or not you will be able to care for it during it’s whole life. It’s not something to be taken lightly. A lot of people complain about their goldfish only living for a few weeks or months. This usually happens because the goldfish is kept in a bowl.

Sources:

Myth #5: Goldfish do not need filters.


Truth #5: Goldfish need strong filters.

It is recommended to use a filter for twice the volume of water the fish is actually in. Goldfish are notorious for making waste. When dealing with goldfish, you want to get a filter for a tank twice the size of the tank the goldfish are in. Anything less and you will have problems keeping waste levels down.  When a goldfish is alive, it creates waste 24/7. As a fish exhales, they exhale ammonia. They also release waste into the water. This ammonia builds up pretty quickly, and it is your job as the owner to make sure it does not get to dangerous levels. A goldfish in a bowl can create enough waste to make the water dangerous to live in within a day! After being exposed to this dirty water, the fish becomes stressed and ill. It will then die if the water is not cleaned. It is impossible to keep a small tank clean enough for a goldfish to live in it and be healthy for 20 years. Therefore making bowls not even an option.

Sources:

Myth #6: Goldfish are tropical fish.


Truth #6: Goldfish are cold water fish, preferring temperatures of 65-70 degrees Fahrenheit.

Goldfish are descended from Prussian Carp, a cold water carp living in parts of Asia.  While goldfish can tolerate a wide range of temperatures, keeping them in warmer water can speed up their metabolism and stress them, making it a poor temperature to be kept at. Goldfish thrive at 65-70 degrees Fahrenheit (18-21 degrees Celsius). Common goldfish can be kept in cooler temperatures during the winter like koi, but fancy goldfish do not tolerate it well.

Sources:

Conclusion

In conclusion, goldfish should never be kept in bowls. They get too large, they need strong filtration, and they make too much waste to be kept in something small. Keeping a goldfish in a bowl will kill it. Keep in mind that even if a goldfish lives for 5 years in a bowl, it still didn’t live to half of it’s expected lifespan. If you truely value the life of these living, feeling creatures you will do research before purchasing them and give them an acceptable place to live and level of care.

General goldfish information sources and good reads:

Source: scalestails