Hitting The "reset Button" On My Aqua-hobbyism

[AnnaFish]

Hello. I am going to tell you the state of my tanks as they are now. Let's not bother with how I went from 25 fish to 7. We'll just say that it took about 3 years and working 60-80 hours a week.

What I am looking for are some friendly tips and suggestions for how to restart my hobby. I am pretending that I have never kept a fish before in my life. Suggestions for how to fill my tanks with happy healthy fish that allow me to keep the ones I still have are appreciated, but not necessary. I know I can send them to happy homes. I am open to all kinds of tank set ups. Tropical, Cichlid, CA, African, just not Salt... I don't deserve salt water yet. I am thinking it would be a great idea to have one of my tanks swapped to a tropical tank as a good restarter.

So -- let's get to the rundown... this should be fun for some really obsessed members!

Tank 1: 55 gallon
Gravel bottom
Texas Holy rock and Utah Lace rock
One Aquaclear brand filter for 55 gallon tanks (on it's last legs... looking into DIYs)
heater
No background, no paint (thinking about painting a solid color background)
1 yellow lab
2 white labs
1 Synodontis eupteris (Squeaker) Note -- this is my favorite fish... But he is responsible in part for many Missing Fish scenarios... He is so cute... but I expect to have to get rid of him. Especially since any new fish (as fry) would never survive his nocturnal adventures.

Tank 2: 75 gallon
Sand bottom (playsand)
Round River Rocks (from rock yard)
Clay pots
Black paint background
One Aquaclear brand filter for 75 gallon tanks (on it's last legs as well)
heater
2 Hypsophrys nicaraguensis (Not a breeding pair... had seven... then had a breeding pair... then, before I could separate -- had killings... 2 that are left in this tank are not from the pair)

I am very open to giving these fish away... because I failed them miserably and feel like a horrible person every time I look at them...

Tank 3: 10 gallon
Gravel bottom
Claypot
One filter for 20 gallon tank (not sure the brand)
Heater
1 Hypsophrys Nicaraguensis (This is the mother. She is in this tank because it was a sick bay. Then I couldn't dare to reintroduce her...)

Tank 4: 4 gallon
This tank is a BiOrb tank that has started to pop up in Pets Mart. It was a birthday gift. It is empty. I would like to take it to work and put fish in there that could be comfortable... I am looking into "tiny" fish, that don't get much bigger than an inch.

Tank 5: One of those Betta Death Bowls
I have one male betta sitting next to me right now in a little death tank. I received 3 bettas as party favors at a friends bridal shower. My three are the only to have survived. I took them to work and gave one to each of the other girls working with me. This one I kept for myself. I changed the water often, knowing it was in a death bowl. I would like to save him from this. But, he is comparatively happy at the moment.

Okay!

Understand that I am not looking to have anyone do all of my work for me. I just would really like some suggestions. I want to fix this catastrophe rather than retire from the hobby. Unfortunately, the ONLY LFS in my area is sort of notorious for bad behavior, so I can't really go to them for advice. They come up with some doozies... let me tell ya.

Thank you, and I love you in advance for your help and understanding.

 

[waterdrop]

Hi Anna,

Many of us "Re-Beginners" (although there are many like me who mean by that that they practiced the hobby -years- before!) have been shocked at the level of new information and fine tuning of skills that can come from using a forum like this one. In my own case it was truly fascinating to learn from people who were experienced with years of fishkeeping and many tanks and were willing to share and discuss the skills involved.

Since you've got several tanks and have kept fish for some years, it'll be helpful to help the members understand more of what skill you're trying to improve on, versus things you already know. For instance, this "New to the Hobby" section seems to be especially good at teaching new hobbyists the basics of the nitrogen cycle, the functions of filters and the methods and skill of cycling those filters. Also, all the basic skills of tank maintenance get discussed frequently and the beginning parts of the skills involved in choosing workable stocking plans is a popular topic.

Obviously, the topics involved in weekly and monthly tank maintenance skills (weekly gravel-clean-water-changes and monthly-filter-cleans for example) and tips to make them easier might be of interest to you, since it sounds like the tanks got away from you previously. But the whole basic world of the nitrogen cycle and cycling is also a fundamental that is totally worth it for any level of aquarist to re-visit at times or to learn about in a fresh manner, assuming you don't already feel fully knowledgeable in that area.

Hardware selection is also a subject that can follow on the heals of re-learning a number of these basic skill areas, so that might be one of your goals. Anyway, our Beginners Resource Center has a number of good articles that can spark good question and discussion areas for your thread. Good luck!

~~waterdrop~~

 

[drobbyb]

Hi Anna! Looks like waterdrop has given you some great information (as he always does).

Before we can make some recommendations we need to know how you are going to maintain your tanks ie: frequency and amount of waterchanges, filters, cycle status, etc.

As far as the betta in a death cup, you could always put him in the bio-orb if it is possible to bring it to work. I don't have any idea is that would be possible, but I would think it to be ideal.

If you enjoyed african cichlids in the past, you could always keep more of those. If you fancy a change why not look into some new world cichlids. There are many to choose from and they are extremely popular.

About your filters and a diy solution, you could make home made sponge filters. More info found here.

 

[AnnaFish]

@ WaterDrop -- should this topic be moved to general discussion then?


So, I have been doing a lot of reading and I have made some general decisions --

For now I am going to use the fish and resources I have to recoup my tanks. I am going to get or make new filters (to run with the old ones until settled) and do some fish in cycle resetting of my tank water. Additionally, I am going to play dress up with my tanks, for now only using what I have at hand. Generally planning to keep the 55 an African and the 75 a CA/ community tank. I will prep the 10 gallon for an experiment tank... but will probably leave it as an ever ready sick bay.

Once things have started to look up again, I'm going to try my hand at planting my 75 gallon. Obviously planting the 55 with Africans would be folly.

Then I will begin restocking, which will involve getting rid of my smaller male nic, and my squeaker. I love him... but he is a THIEF. A sneaky, nocturnal fish gobbler.

I have decided to leave my betta in his little box for now, only because he has been there for 2 years already... I had made some plans from my biOrb that exclude him. He will have a proper home eventually. But he is actually pretty healthy (I don't see burns). I had a four year old betta in a small tank for, well, four years. Then I put him in a cycled 10 gallon, and he died. :\

Anybody think I am making a boo boo some where here?

 

[waterdrop]

For now I am going to use the fish and resources I have to recoup my tanks. I am going to get or make new filters (to run with the old ones until settled) and do some fish in cycle resetting of my tank water. Additionally, I am going to play dress up with my tanks, for now only using what I have at hand. Generally planning to keep the 55 an African and the 75 a CA/ community tank. I will prep the 10 gallon for an experiment tank... but will probably leave it as an ever ready sick bay.

You're probably only hanging out in the general discussion forum now but if you happen to look back and see this I think I'll leave a comment for you. I think your plan is really good. When I look at how I care for a tank now vs. what my habits were sometimes years ago when I was younger I realize that sometimes I somehow expected the tank to just roll along on its own too much. I now feel more strongly that nice looking and well cared for tanks are a bit more fussed over than what I thought back then. I now am much more ready to roll up my sleeves and make sure that weekly water change and good clean is done rather than letting it get by me. I also realize that there are just things, decorations, what have you, that are going to need to be cleaned sometimes and the time to do it is as soon as you see the need. Anyway, that's my thought, reading of your reset.

~~waterdrop~~