10 Tank's fish and tanks

[10 Tanks]

Hello. It's a new week and we're back in business. Three tanks on Mondays. We have half the tank water to remove and replace in a 45 and two 55 gallon tanks. Our fish load in these tanks is minimal. Having just a few, small fish in larger tanks makes cleanup pretty simple and the large, weekly water changes keep the water extra clean all the time. I never have to test the tank water. I know as long as I stick to my aggressive water change routine, the water chemistry is going to be steady. That's all the fish really require. This is the key to keeping fish healthy. So, don't put too many fish in the tank, keep larger tanks and change a lot of water and do it often. Larger tanks are so much easier to maintain.

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[10 Tanks]

It's Tuesday and here we go again. We're changing half the water in four tanks today, three 55s and a 60 gallon tank. Was checking on the tanks last night and noticed a few Platy fry in my 45 gallon tank. Fry are pretty unusual, because I keep the tank water cooler than is normal. The water is roughly 72 degrees and this slows the reproduction of my fish. I do this so I don't over populate the tank and create a water problem. The fish are still very healthy and the cooler water slows down the aging process a little. I feed only every other day and the fish stay slim and active. They're always moving around in hopes of finding a small piece of food the others have missed. If you want to be essentially free of tank problems, keep the water clean with lots of large water changes and don't feed the fish too much.

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[emeraldking]

Fry are pretty unusual, because I keep the tank water cooler than is normal.

If you're referring to platy fry, it's not that unusual. If we compare it to wild platies, there are platies that occur in warm water and cold water. But even with breeding forms of platies, they've bred in colder water (16-18°C) overhere as well.

 

[10 Tanks]

Hello em. If I did my math correctly, that's roughly 65 degrees. I haven't heated my fish tanks in a long time. I figured if I kept my house at 72 in the Winter and 77 in the Summer the fish would have a fairly steady water temperature. I've noticed a reduction in fry the cooler i keep the tank water. But, I think 65 would be a little cool for me. I was surprised to see the Platy fry, because again, I don't heat the water and feed just a bit three to four times a week. Thought the combination would slow the reproductive process, which it has, but apparently not completely. The information is good to know and thanks.

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[10 Tanks]

Oh boy. Listen to this one. We have a pergola above my 300 gallon trough out in our back yard. Hanging from the pergola is a heavy copper wind spinner. Last night, we had a gust of wind that was strong enough to move the wind spinner off its hook and that heavy thing fell into the fish trough. Luckily the fish were all quick enough to get out of the way. But, it stayed under the water for several hours until my wife noticed it this morning. I pulled the thing out, but it's made of copper. I thought I'd best do a larger than normal water change in case any of the copper may have leached into the water. But, after changing the water, I realized that the leaching process would take far longer than a few hours. Anyway, crisis averted and no harm done. I did move the wind spinner away from the tank. Live and learn.

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[10 Tanks]

Hello, it's Wednesday. After the little scare yesterday with a copper decoration falling into my outdoor 300 gallon trough, we're starting another day of large water changes. Today, we're working on a 75 and 100 gallon tank. We're also checking on the government's 55 gallon. The government tank is fully stocked with several kinds of Glo fish and so we change half the tank water twice a week. I'm afraid I was a little surprised to hear that some experienced tank keepers aren't as enthusiastic about water changes as they may have been early in their tank keeping careers. I hope they haven't gotten tired of the hobby and cut some corners. Corners can be cut here and there, but not when it comes to changing the tank water. Let me tell you that you absolutely must keep up on your water changes. This simple task will guarantee success in this hobby. If you'll commit to changing half the water in your small tanks twice a week and half the water in a larger tank once a week, you'll have no tank problems. Never, ever think you can skip a water change. This is a big problem just waiting to happen.

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[10 Tanks]

Hello again. Well, tanks are done. I have what I call a 100 gallon tank. Actually, it's a Rubbermaid plastic trough that I set up in my basement about seven years ago, I guess. Anyway, I wanted to see if I could keep Goldfish in it. I set it up and put a four bulb strip light above it. Attached is a picture. I put some, roughly a dozen "Feeder" Goldfish in the tank when I set it up and they've grown a lot. The largest are more than six inches, give or take. Haven't ever had any fry, because the water temperature stays constant, around 72 degrees. But, I change close to half the water weekly and have a little Dwarf Water Lettuce growing. The fish get a variety of food, including Spirulina. This food is a great source of fiber which heavy waste producers, like Goldfish need to stay healthy. I feed it to all my fish.

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[10 Tanks]

Hello and Happy Thanksgiving! We're staying home today, where it's nice a quiet. Still have a 55 gallon tank to clean up, so that will take all of 45 minutes. This tank has roughly 18 Giant Danios and some female Guppies. The fish are doing well and the Danios have gotten used to the Guppies. These Danios are very energetic and have no problem harassing other fish. After a while they'll tolerate others.

In the government office tank, we have a very pregnant Glo fish Skirt Tetra. We expect to see some eggs and possibly fry in the next few days. We'll just have to wait and see.

Have a restful and safe holiday!

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[10 Tanks]

Another post for a Thursday. Just finished changing the water and squeezing out the sponge filter in the 55 gallon tank in the living room. If you're a good water changer, then your filtration will work more efficiently. I think it's like mowing your lawn. If you wait until the grass is long, the mower has to work harder to cut it. It's the same with your filter equipment. If you don't change the water often enough the filter has to work harder to even do a marginal job of cleaning the water. The sponge filters in my tanks can go a couple of weeks or longer before they need to be cleaned. This 55 gallon (see photo) has just a few fish in it and by changing half the water weekly, the filter can go several weeks between cleanings.

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[10 Tanks]

Happy Saturday. We're back in business today after a day off yesterday. We're doing the second weekly water change on a 55 gallon tank that's owned by a local government office. We have a pregnant Skirt Tetra and are hoping we see some fry soon. We'll squeeze out a couple of sponge filters and trim some leaves on the Anubias plants. Will also check the front glass and remove any algae that might be there. The tank is extremely clean, but every once in while we see a little green on the front glass. We don't clean the other sides of the tank, we'll leave a little for "Spot" the Pleco. He or she likes a little. We also feed a little on Saturdays. Sunday is a "fasting day" for the fish. It's good have a fasting day once in a while. This allows the fish to forage around the tank for any small pieces of food. This way, they do their part to keep the tank clean.

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[10 Tanks]

Another day. Another three tanks to work on and maybe change the water in the 300 gallon. That's four tanks in a day. With a long siphon extending to a drain in the shower, we can remove and replace half the tank water in several tanks in two and a half to three hours. No problem. The water in all the tanks stays very clean with lots of large, weekly water changes. The filtration system doesn't have to work as hard if the water is removed and replaced regularly. It's just moving clean water. The entire tank system depends on clean water and lots of it. The more clean water that goes through the system, the more efficiently it all runs.

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[10 Tanks]

Hello again. Changed half or a little more of the water in the 45 gallon tank this morning and I have more Platy fry in there. I keep the water in my tanks a bit cooler on purpose to slow the reproduction process. I try to keep the number of fish to a minimum in order to maintain the best water conditions possible, but my fish aren't cooperating. Go figure. Anyway, there aren't more than a few, and fish that size aren't going to make much difference in the water chemistry. They're pretty though, the adults are Sunset and Mickey Mouse Platys and the fry are the tiniest orange fish you've ever seen!

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[10 Tanks]

One last post for today. Changed the tank water in the 300 gallon trough. The Koi have grown since I put them in the tank on October the fourth. Didn't think six weeks would be noticeable, but it is. The yellow and black Koi is really nice and they seem to be fine in the cool water. Temperature is roughly 55 degrees. Seems cooler than that to the touch. Their friends, the Goldfish are fine with their larger tank mates.

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[10 Tanks]

Okay, it's Tuesday and we have four tanks that need water changes. We'll also check the flow on the sponge filters. If it looks slow, we'll squeeze them out. If not, we'll just remove and replace half the tank water. We're doing a 50, two 55s and a 60 gallon tank. When you change a lot of tank water, you don't see the algae build up on the glass, nearly as much. That's because there's not much algae growing. The large, frequent water changes keep the nitrate very low and there's no food source for the algae to grow.

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[10 Tanks]

Tuesday again. Wrapping up the water changes for today. The 60 gallon is filling with new, treated tap water. In it, are two six year old Goldfish and a seven year old Pleco. The Pleco I took on from a neighbor down the street. They were moving and didn't want the fish. I also have some very old White Skirt Tetras. I think I put them into the tank when I added the Goldfish. In addition, I got one very old 55 gallon tank from them. It was slightly damaged along the rim, but it holds water. I couldn't beat the price, free!

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