Ah good, I'm going to print this out. I've never heard of this "practice fish" concept. Without it, I would definitely have immediately bought as many of the most expensive, gaudy looking fish I could find. That woulda sucked. So I assume my local fish seller will be able to tell me particulars about my tap water (it's very minerally here, coming out of mountain streams), and about the practice fish. When I'm stocking with permanent denizens, are there different requirements for different fish? If I set up a tank that's suitable for breed A, will breeds B, C, and D all find the environment livable? Obviously it's not universal, but my point is, how much planning has to go into stocking the aquarium? Just buy what looks cool and plop it in?

:greenface: :eek: :eek2: :vomit:

That is soooooooo awful!

Noodle, your best bet is to have the pet store test your water- if you have basic(alkaline) water, then african cichlids would really thrive in there. They are colorful and active and easy for beginners. You definitely cannot just mix any fish together in there, because they will most likely kill each other if you mix aggressive species with peaceful species. Let them help you pick out your fish-trust me!

Most freshwater fish do fine in any tap water, because you can adjust the ph, but like I said, every time I have ever used chemicals to lower the ph in my tank, I have had fish die. I don't pay any attention to the ph in my tank and my fish are very healthy.

Melidasaur, I could start my own website about the abuse my childhood pets endured. That's nothing. Maybe that's why I'm sort of an animal rights activist now- nothing drastic, but I worked in animal shelter and as a veterinary technician. I guess I'm trying to make up for the way my mother treated my pets.

Let's see, there was the guinea pig that stood in 3 inches of piss and poo pudding, because she never cleaned the cage. When we moved, she just left it there.
There was the cat that was so infested with fleas, I used to lay in bed and watch them hop around. This same cat was given to her declawed. She let it outside everyday. It got attacked by a chow. This same cat died of feline leukemia, which is preventable by vaccine and recommended for all outdoor cats.

There was the german shepherd/lab mix that lived outside chained to a dog house. The dog got a scab on it's ear which got bigger and bigger and there were flies eating the flesh and laying maggots on it. She gave the dog to some kid who worked maintenance at the mall. This kid was living in his car and the dog eventually ended up at the animal shelter and was put to sleep.

We also had a cockateil that irritated my mother, because it liked to chirp (oh my god, why would a bird do such a thing??) SO, she never- I mean NEVER took the cover off of the cage. That bird lived in darkness.

Yeah, it is pretty sick, but I am the exact opposite with my pets. I read and learn all I can and try to do everything exactly right. I spend $240 every 6 months to get my chihuahua an ultrasound because he has a heart murmur...

He thought it was an appetizer. Interesting.

Was it at least one of those cool toothpicks that looks like a little sword?

Wow, Stacy, talk about trauma. I'm glad that you care for your pets well - that's important. Seems like you could write a book even.

I had the opposite problem - my dad is a veteranarian, so he would always want to have some sort of animal in the house. One time, we had a crow in a cage in the basement. Another time, he told my mom that my sister wanted mice for her birthday - yeah, he wanted the mice. Another time, he told my mom that we wanted fish. So we got a bubble gum machine fish tank and had several goldfish in it. The fish got pretty big, but they all kind of jumped out of the tank.

We've always had a cat or two, and we even tried our hands at a dog once. The dog lasted about a week. Apparently he had some sort of parasite in his brain that caused him to go mental, so my dad put him to sleep.

that's a new one! Are you sure it wasn't rabies??

no--it was the fish sized copy of these "banderillas", used in bullfights:
http://bullfightschool.com/v-web/gal...llas.sized.jpg

like one of these...
http://www.nathantaylorbaskets.com/i...s/4891_big.jpg

I had a small fish tank when I was a teen. When we moved, I emptied the tank and put the fish in a bucket (with water, of course). I set the bucket on the kitchen floor and about 10 mins later, both my cats had their bellies full of fishes. No fishies left to move. Stupid cats. I left the tank in the garage.

Equipment question:

I have a couple of ten gallon tanks I love with undergravel filters. These tanks are a little under a year old, and I am quite happy with their performance so far. One question I have is that the powerhead that sits on the riser from the filter grid has a little bracket that attaches to the wall of the tank, well, actually, the bracket is what I have a problem with. The suction cups aren't doing their job any more. I've cleaned both the cup and glass, but the rubber cups don't flex as well and the bracket just falls off the wall. The powerhead still rests on the riser, but I wonder if anybody here has the same problem and / or better / different solution. Anybody?

We have to buy new suction cups every year or two.

Or, rather, we would have to, if we hadn't given up that tactic and now just let stuff float around in the tank. :)

Suction cups in fish tanks, as a rule, don't suck...so they suck.

Ok, I give up on the suction cups. Maybe, if I see the suction section on my next trip to the pet store, I'll get some replacement cups. The thermometer is already configured for roaming, so to speak.

Changing the subject, Els, I was worried about your power issues with the heat you alluded to elsewhere. I hope all lis well in Oscarland. I did have an idea about keeping them cool. Assuming you had access to a supply of ice, you could dose the tank with icecubes to keep the temp down. Just a thought.

The fearsome Midwestern heat has abated for the most part, and we were able to get our AC sorted out within 24 hours, so Oscar Mayer and Oscar Madison were in no danger.

I have read the ice trick before, but have fortunately never been called upon to try it. Of greater concern is how to keep a tank warm in case of power loss during the Winter. That happens with disturbing regularity here in KC.

The same solution for both scenarios is insulation. I would look into a sheet of the rigid building insuation. It comes in blue and pink, you know, like very fine grained styrofoam. Cut panels the size of the sides of the tank, including the bottom and, more importantly, the top. You can leave holes for throughways for air, lines, cords, etc, but fewer and smaller is better. The bottom one could live under the tank permanently. Depending on the viewing angle, the one on the back and maybe the sides could be permanent or semi-permanent too. Then when the cold rolls in and there's danger that the room the tank is in will become too cold for the heater to keep up, you could put more panels on. Imagine a styrofoam cooler you take on a picnic. It keeps ice cold for a long time with a *big* temp difference 30 deg versus 100 outside. You need to keep the tank at what, about 70 deg F? Then this setup could give you protection when the room is as low as freezing. That would be a lot of protection.

Your heater can't heat the room very efficiently, but the tank is a much smaller thermal mass, and conserving that heat in the tank, instead of radiating it into the room means the heater can keep up. Probably. I'm just blue-skying here.