Lessons Learned Board?

[Wasserpest]

Eeewww. That sounds like a mess.

Although it hasn't happened to me yet, on the Krib I read some semi-funny reports of exploding CO2 DIY bottles. Good thing to remember that the produced pressure needs to go somewhere...

I had only once a slightly foaming DIY mix, when I added baking soda, which I never did again. But using a second bottle to wash the CO2 and count some bubbles is a good idea. The water in that second bottle smells always nasty, so I am sure it serves a good purpose.

[cich]

that happened to my beta a long time ago.... there was NOTHING left of it :cry:

--cich

[marpole]

Nice idea for a thread!...

1) You can overfilter.... When converting my 5.5 gal q-tank into a small planted tank, I added a couple of sparkling gouramis with a hob 5-15 gallon filter. They were good for a week or so, but one increasingly hid, and got thin. Unfortunately I didn't decide it was too much flow until after he died. Now the same tank has four sparkling gouramis, three amanos and a sponge filter. They are active and usually front and center. Now I'm gathering the components to give them a little more real estate in a 10 gal.

2) Shrimp are travelin' fools... I don't really need to fill the 5.5 gal all the way to the top, and if I do the shrimp will depart on their travels. Keeping it down 1/2" or so keeps them in the tank.

3) Snails love crypts... they just hammered all the beautiful big leaves on the balansaes last night . Even when you don't have a huge infestation they'll be going for those crypts.

[metallhd]

Hi everyone, this is my first post. I am just amazed and inspired by all the tanks I've seen here - some are truly astounding. Anyway, my two cents as far as lessons learned are fairly simple:

1) African clawed frogs have claws - enough said?

2) Be careful what kind of pleco you buy lest you end up with a monster the lfs doesn't really want

3) Consider covering a side of the tank if it faces a sunny window - it's the el cheapo method of algae control

4) Buy your gear carefully - definitely shop around! In the mall where I live there are 2 stores, on on top of the other - the upstairs store has great fish prices but sickly fish, the downstairs store has great fish at the price you'd expect - where would you rather spend your money?

[Bert]

I came up with the idea for the board so i guess I should post my own experence.

- Never tell your mother she can choose what kind of fish she wants in your tank! See, my mother really likes Neon Tetras, so I told her she could put a group of 10 or so in my 10 gallon. Well, she just couldnt wat I guess. One day, out of the blue, she comes home with 11 Neons! I panic and scramble to get a tank set up for them. I got really mad with my mom and she had no idea why. I had just filled the tank the day before and had no plants. Luckley she also bought some plastic plants. I've been extreamly busy with family matters, remodeling out house, and setting up a cichlid tank so it was only this week that I was able to actually order the plants. Oh well, just thought I would share.

Bert

[wellbiz]

Things I learned the hard way...

Spend the extra money and buy the good components, (lighting, filtration)

Dont mess with the tank parameters every 5 minutes. Patience!

Dont add ferts to soon to a new tank unless you like green water and/or algea.

Jason....

[Rabbit]

Be very careful around open topped aquariums. VERY careful.
I recently dropped a partially opened bottle of soda water into a 20gal. About a litre of heavily carbonated liquid leaked into it before I fished it out (not to mention the outgassing since it was under water and upside down). Fortunately only lost some of the fish from the sudden ph drop and CO2 overdose. (Someone calculated for me that apparently the CO2 levels had jumped to several hundred times higher than the fish can cope with. Plants seemed to like it anyway. Only time I ever saw pearling on the leaves.).

[countrymouse]

Koolie loaches are escape artists, and koolie loach jerky isn't a pretty sight.

Good equipment up front is cheaper in the long run than accumulating lots of cheap equipment that didn't work.

pH controlling chemicals are good ways to promote algae. Using them to change pH suddenly can inspire fish to jump out.

Almost any fish will feed off the bottom. One betta in a tank full of bottom feeders will constantly overeat and die young.

Murphy's laws also apply to our hobby. Pay attention.

Check the thermometer regularly - heaters really can get stuck on "on."

Watching an aquarium is relaxing - if it's someone else's responsibility!

[louisxyz]

Originally Posted by Rabbit

Be very careful around open topped aquariums. VERY careful.

That the advise I would give myself, when first setup my 90g, I fill the tank put the plants but did'nt put the hood back because I still had aquascape to do. I left it like this and went to put my girl to bed. While i was there I heard a big splash, running to the tank I saw the biggest cat fish ever, actualy, it was not fish, only cat. I consider leaving him there for the cycle, but my wife would'nt here about it. Don't know why, but the cat left the tank alone since

[jake]

Lessons I've learned :

If you don't know what illness/disease a fish has, don't treat it until you do. Anti fungus tablets do not help cure ich. Enough of them will kill your fish, however.

If you have 4 watts per gallon of compact fluorescent lighting, you really need to fertilize your plants somehow.

When you first plant a tank, don't wait until the algae has a foothold two months later to add the algae eating fish. Add the fish before you ever get the algae.

Use some kind of method to get rid of snails and algae you get in from someone you don't know personally. If they say " You might get some hitchhikers" that translates to " Expect algae, duckweed, and snails within a month. I would like to share my problems with you if that's ok. "

When ordering live food, keep in mind the size of the fish. A keyhole cichlid running all around the tank playing keep away from the other keyholes with a worm sticking out of its mouth that looks like an anaconda in comparison to the keyhole is very, very funny but is not the most effective way to feed.

If your loved one doesn't feed the fish or clean the tanks or do anything that resembles general maintenence or care of said fish and/or plants, then their advice is just that... advice. Swishing around an algae magnet for only 5 seconds and still managing to pick up some sand and get it in between the magnets and subsequently scratching the glass does not count as general care necessary in order to have a say-so.

Do not tinker with the quick releases on a canister filter while the filter is in operation and all the valves on the quick releases are open. On that same token, do not remove said quick releases without first closing the valves. Also, take the intake or outflow tube out of the water before deciding to drain the water from the hose so you can clean the hose. After the small container you are using has overflowed and you are pinching the end of the hose, yelling for someone to pull the other end, which you can't reach, out of the water, this particular lesson will not need re-learning.

If there is a substantial amount of dust on hardware boxes in a lfs, there is a good reason. That $145USD filter with the two inch coating of dust on the box is $89 dollars online with $12 shipping.

If you have someone's kids around your house, make sure that they know your clown loaches and keyhole cichlids.. even the guppies will bite them if they open the lid to the tank. Their parents won't think it's funny their child is petrified of a guppy, but at least you won't have a half a loaf of bread floating in your 20L.

[Wasserpest]

That brought back some memories... very true.

It's amazing how much water can spill out of a canister filter that is not properly closed :shock:

[SCMurphy]

Murphy's rules of aquaristics

Gravity works. If you set something down and there is anyplace it can fall, it will.

Syphon tubes will not remain where you place them when operating.

Every tank you own will break out in algae when people from the plant (fish) club are coming over.

A rare plant someone gives you will do beautifully until it dies the night before that person visits.

Rules I'd like to give people about their tanks.

Don't use your aquarium to test your test kits.

Don't start fertilizing until you have test kits.

Don't start fertilizing until you have plants.

[Bert]

Originally Posted by SCMurphy

Murphy's rules of aquaristics

Syphon tubes will not remain where you place them when operating.

I think all of us bucket users have exprenced this more then once :lol: .

Remember to change the mixture on your DIY CO2 often on your high light 10g tank. Unless you enjoy the look of hair algae hanging off of every plant in your tank :shock: .

Bert

[fedge]

Here's one more..

Don't listen to ANYTHING your LFS says if you notice them allowing people to buy neone tetras and gourami's to put in the same tank that has only been running about 2 weeks..!!!!

Also, if you think you know what your doing you probably don't..

Red Sea test kits may take LONGER than the suggested time to react properly...(redsea told me this little factiod!!!) Took 25 minutes for my Nitrate test kit to finish(well I went to the bathroom to wait for it)

[chrisl]

Another, moved from Houston (warm tap water) to Berkeley Ca and didn't think to change out water w/ warmed appr. 78F water...It was more like 55F.. hehe 'killed' most my fish...put them in a bucket of warm water....and believe it or not, all but 2 cardinals lived
Pay attention to small details lol