My Journey To Fish Keeping...

[carmstrong]

It all started with my little frog... 
 

 
Hobart is his name, he came a long way you see.. all the way from Lindsay, Ontario travelling 4 hours to Niagara Falls, Ontario..
 
He was a noisy little frog, singing all the time and happy as a clam..
 
3 years had passed and it was time he left his little apartment and found a new home! 
 
So, after much research and YouTube watching, we decided to get a Fluval Edge.
 

 
We went to our local fish store and picked one up, packed his bags and moved him in..
 

 
But Hobart needed some friends and so we decided to buy some new tetras, two platys and a snail as little companions to keep my little amphibian company. 

 



 
As the "fish bug" began to bite, we decided that simply a 6 gallon tank was not big enough..
And we needed to go bigger!
So we upgraded to our current 15.8 gal beauty!
 

 
Unfortunately our new tank was not cycled nor was it prepared to house our new friends so we lost them all

 
Thankfully, Hobart had survived and returned to his old apartment until the new tank was ready.. 
 
So we decided to expand..
 
We also added a piece of driftwood!
 

 
After soaking the wood for three weeks and boiling it to kill any bacteria it was ready to be placed inside. 
 

 
We even picked up a little Marimo Moss Ball to add to the decor!
 

 
My Java Ferns continued to grow and propagate new little plants and our little oasis continued to thrive
 
 
After much testing... learning... reading.. and blogging.. we are now ready to add more friends to the tank!
 
What type of fish you say?
 
Well, we are hoping to get me some little Harlequin Rasboras
 

 
OR
 
If we are lucky to find these little darlings.. 
 
Some Galaxy Rasboras (aka. Celestial Pearl Danios)
 

 
Its been a roller coaster ride from the beginning... Ups and downs but exciting all the way through! 
 
Keep posted as we journey further into the "Fish Keeping" world and we'll see just how amazing this hobby can be!

 

[Mamashack]

You've had a long and sometimes disappointing journey to this point! Hope your new occupants - whatever you choose - enjoy their new home with Hobart!

 

[carmstrong]

Its been a long journey.. but i'm happy to begin housing my new pets  
 
I'm going to pick up my Harlequin Rasboras (5 to start) today and maybe a snail (to eat all this stuff growing all over my tank) maybe even a bamboo shrimp. 
 
I'll post pics once they are settled in

 

[Ninjouzata]

I'd hold off on the bamboo shrimp (unless you've researched them a good bit already?) they need a bit different care than other shrimps.
 
They fan the water column for food and generally like a high flow area. I cut craft mesh and got it positioned under the filter outflow for mine so he could hang on to it and fan there.
I think it's also good to grind up food (or buy some powdered food) and squirt it near them with something like a turkey baster. Shrimp can also be escape artists so make sure all holes are covered.
 
Unfortunately mine was not well covered and he disappeared..a while later my fiance found him dried out near our mini fridge.
 
Have fun getting your fishies! Remember to acclimate them well by adding water from your tank to the bag.

 

[carmstrong]

So I purchased my new little tank mates yesterday

 
Got myself
 
5 - Harlequin Rasboras
1 - White/Cream Mystery Snail
1 - Bamboo/Rock Shrimp
 
I drove all over the place to get the Harlequins but finally found them!
 
I set them in the tank last night, let the bags soak for a good 30mins and added little bits of the tank water every 5mins..
 

 
ok, ok that may have been overkill, but I didn't want to lose anyone..
 
Here are some other pics!
 



 
I came back to work this morning and realized I was missing a fish!
 
I lost a little Harley and when I went to find his body... I noticed my snail was having breakfast! eww!
 

 
Also, the little Harlies must have been playing around last night because all my plants were floating around the tank!
 
So I had to tie them down with rubber bands, lol
 

 
You can see my little snail chewing away!
 
Its way too much fun watching this Bamboo/Rock shrimp eat!
 

 
I can see him catch all the little particles in my tank

 
This is going to be fun!

I'd hold off on the bamboo shrimp (unless you've researched them a good bit already?) they need a bit different care than other shrimps.
 
They fan the water column for food and generally like a high flow area. I cut craft mesh and got it positioned under the filter outflow for mine so he could hang on to it and fan there.
I think it's also good to grind up food (or buy some powdered food) and squirt it near them with something like a turkey baster. Shrimp can also be escape artists so make sure all holes are covered.
 
Unfortunately mine was not well covered and he disappeared..a while later my fiance found him dried out near our mini fridge.

 
Have fun getting your fishies! Remember to acclimate them well by adding water from your tank to the bag.

 
Thanks for the tip, but I decided to try it anyway
 
I haven't had shrimp before so why not try it with the coolest one!
 
I researched online for hours about them, seen other feed them with broken fish food etc from a turkey baster. 
I'll keep my eye on him and see, they say if he starts feeding from the bottom then there's not enough food in the water and you need to intervene. 
 
Will be a lesson to learn, but its a good things that i'm willing to do my homework

 

[carmstrong]

Check out my little fishes playing in the current!
 
Video Link

 

[Ninjouzata]

That was what I meant to say was to hold off unless you had researched (like you have) and felt comfortable with it. Now that I read back I sounded fairly negative, sorry!  
Sorry you lost one of the harleys, hope you took it from the snail to get a refund or replacement?
 
Very cute vid, they seem to quite like the current! Be sure to keep us updated on all of them! 

 

[carmstrong]

So its day 2 of the new inhabitants and so far everyone is still in the tank!
 
I was watching my snail motor all over the tank this morning, he's a fast little guy!
 
I haven't named any of them yet, but i know their personalities will determine that soon. 
 
@ Ninj, no worries on the comment. I know you want to make sure I looked at everything before I try something complex.
I've been watching him like a hawk, making sure he's eating..
 
He's soo shy! hiding everywhere, I don't know if thats because he's not with other shrimp in the tank. 
Perhaps he needs a friend??
 
I was going to see what he eats and try feeding him via the turkey baster.
And see if I can get something from my LPS.
 
I did steal the fish from the snail yesterday! Stuck it in a ziplock bag and popped it in the freezer so it didn't decay, lol
I know, strange but I wouldn't make it back to the store until a few days later. 
 
The fish LOVE the current! I cannot believe it, if my lid wasn't there, the one would have jumped clear out of the tank!

 

[carmstrong]

So I'm a bit concerned about the "stuff" growing in my tank.. 
 
Is this a type of algae that my snail will eat?
If not, should I clean it off?
 
Here's a pic
 



 
Whats everyones thoughts?

 

[carmstrong]

COOLEST THING!!!
 
I manually fed my Bamboo/Fan Shrimp today

I was worried he wasn't eating and I didn't want him to be scavenging for food on the bottom so I decided to try the syringe approach. 
 
I took a small algae wafer and diluted it in some tank water. Let it soak to a soup and sucked it up with a glass medical syringe. 
I placed it in front of Mr. Shrimp and he LOVED it! 
 

 
We sat there for 10mins just slowly trickling the food to his little fans. 
 
Talk about rewarding! 
 
Here's a Video of the little guy
 
Video Link
 
Yes, I'm a proud mom

 

[Ninjouzata]

Not strange to put it in the freezer, we have had to do that multiple times as we can't go to the LFS very often. The closest one is 30 mins away.
Bamboo shrimp do appreciate friends I think, I would just worry about the tank being able to sustain all of them but if you make sure they're fed then perhaps it won't be an issue.
 
It does look like algae to me, not harmful at all. You can clean it if you want or it may go away on it's own. I believe the types you have are normal with new set ups but someone else would be able to say better than me.
 
About how big is your bamboo shrimp? When I got mine I grabbed the largest they had

 

[carmstrong]

I think my shrimp is about 2 inches long. Maybe 1.5 inch.
Hard to tell without sticking a ruler in the tank, haha
 
Ya, my LFS that I bought these Harlequins from is 30mins away so the dead one is going to be in the freezer until this weekend. haha
 
Ok, good. I'm glad the algae isn't harmful... just looks gross! haha
I'll wait a week and see if the snail eats it, if he doesn't then i'll clean it off. 

 

[Mamashack]

Love the video - the harlequins are really cute - it's great how they all swim together!
Hope your new additions stay well and happy!

 

[carmstrong]

So I seen this pretty little Dwarf Honey Gourami at my LFS. 
 
He looks like this:
 

 
I think he may be a great addition to my tank! 
 
I have to do more research for compatibility but he should be a nice fit

Love the video - the harlequins are really cute - it's great how they all swim together!
Hope your new additions stay well and happy!

 
Thank you Mamashack
I hope soo too!

 

[carmstrong]

Well, I've finally stocked my tank today

New Additions are:
1 - Harlequin Rasbora (now my school is complete with 5)
1 - Dwarf Gourami
2 - Dalmation Mollys (male/female) yes, we will have babies
2 - Red Wag Platys (both females) will be interesting to see their fry from the dalmation Dad.

Total tank stock is:
5 - Harlequin Rasboras
1 - Dwarf Gourami
2 - Dalmation Mollys (male/female)
2 - Red Wag Platys (females)
1 - Bamboo Shrimp
1 - Mystery Snail

Pictures to come tomorrow!