My Boyfriend’s dad has had this aquarium for forever way before I came around, I always find it fascinating to look at and watch how the fish interact with each other every time that I go to his house. THe angelfish actually seem to be the dominate ones of the tank, but he has some placo that only come out at night, I wish I could have gotten some pictures of them.  He also has mollies, platys, tigerbarbs, etc. Sorry if i spelled some wrong(don’t kill me!) I think that some of these fish liked having their pictures taken(lol!)

I have had this hobby for the past 2-3 years now, and the funny part is that the tank that i have now looks very different from when i started. back then i was impatient and had to add all 20 fishes within a couple of weeks of starting the tank. now after losing may fishes over the years and also growing some to the point that they were so big i had to return to the fish store, i am more at ease with the hobby as an aquarist.

i would like newbies to realize (i consider myself a newbie still) that keeping an aquarium is a hobby which is entertaining but also help us grow as a person. you definitely become responsible for the fish and their well being. one of the other things i learnt was patience. i now enjoy each fish and read up about each one in my tank as i go along. someday i hope to have fishes such as sting rays, and other exotic fishes.

for now here’s the evolutionary pics for my aquarium. currently i have rummy noses, rosaline torpedoes,harlequin rapboras, cory cat….i dont have a recent picture. the last pic below is 6-8 months old.

if i can keep a stable fish tank over time, anyone can. the best part is that now my 6month old loves to watch the fishes swim by (she had a total span of about 5-10 min but for a 6 month old that is like watching a movie….)

enjoy

Pics within the first month to year

my only goldfish

the synodontis that grew too big!!by the time i returned it to the store it was 10-12 inches…not including the barbels

marble fish

angel fish

overall tank

snails fighting for the top spot

Rosaline torpedoes and Twig cat

Here you go. These little guys are now about pea size and look like little angelfish. You can clearly see their developing pattern. They are still small, but are really hanging in there. I think at this point I might conclude the blog because the changes from here are mostly in size. They are now fully on crushed flake. I think I may update down the road if I see any showing the pearlscale trait their father has. That would mean the mom also carries the gene though she does not express it. They are currently parent raising some wigglers and I think I may blog about that later if they successfully get a bunch to free swim. This batch won’t be any good because they have spawned on the filter intake and I cannot cover it without crushing them. Their neighbors will probably eat them when they swim through the divider anyway. Thanks everyone for reading my blog!

DISCUS CARE

In this forum recently some members want to keep  discus of their tanks, this is a very  interesting thing to me and all discus lovers. discus by their colours is the most costly and beautiful of all fishes. discus  is also a master loving fish, usually when I give food to my discus I give hands to discus’s bodies..lolzJ..here in this blog about how to maintain a good discus tank..i think it helps the new discus keeper..

1. DISCUS IN A COMMUNITY AQUARIUM à the primary thing to keep discus is keep discus in a community aquarium. there is minimum of 6 discus in a tank. Because only after that the community form by them. So that all discus can move all together,if you keep a community tank for discus aquarium that is the best thing for all, if your discus form community then half of your job is done. 

2. BIG TANK à For a very well set up discus tank you must see that the tank is of minimum 4 ft size.because discus can grow very fast, so obviously they need more and more space to move around in the aquarium,if discus can move freely in your tank,they you can easily say that that discus can grow very fast as it is also very fresh fish which is out of any disesses…

3. FIXED TEMP AND PH LEVEL à discus is a very sensitive fish. discus needs a fixed temp and ph level…for the first day of my discus keeping I keep 30 deg centigrade temp and ph level 7. I am very successful for that…many people say that discus can also live 28 deg temp.. but I’ll go for 30 deg temp..you should buy a thermostat and fixed at 30 deg temp.many people also keep a digital meter to see the temp of the aquarium..

4. TOXIC LEVEL à for discus or any aquarium the NH3 and nitrite must be zero.

Steps taken to remove toxic level

1. you change 40 % water change in every week, also provides some medicines needed for discus.. i give “rid all”(red) after changing the water..
2. you can but a siphon to remove the wastes from fishes…because the wastes can cause high the toxic level…there are too many things to reduce toxic level..filtering in a proper way is also helps you to remove it…

5. FILTRATION  à for discus aquarium the most important thing is filtration..the best is obviously the external filter…those who don’t use it(as I also) use biological filter or undergravel filter but not the power filter because discus cann’t  survive in high power filtering system.you can see that the juvenile discus are near the filter because due to the power the filter drag the discus towards it..hence the discus cann’t swim freely and may die due to this..i have an experience about that…

6. FOOD à feeding of discus is also an important part to be a successful discus keeper…from my experience I say that discus loves to eat frozen warm like “tetra bits”(you can see it from google search.). my discuses are always eager to take this food..discus can eat 3 times max but not more than that..be sure that when you give food to discus the extra food that must not go to the bottom because it cause toxic level high..it is an experience of lifetime that discus feed from your hand but it happens if you keep your discus very well.when you go to your aquarium all discus come near you…my discus also do thatJ

7. HIDING PLACE à you should know that discus loves to hide, so that you should provide driftwoods and plants in your aquarium..but most importantly keep your discus in a calm and cool atmosphere…specially for the juveniles and the newer discus when attacked by other discus go to the hiding place and hide..if you don’ provide hiding place discus can die…

8. COMPATIBLE FISH WITH DISCUS à with discus you can keep neon and cardinal tetra, angel,  clown loach, pleco, cory, black ghost knife, Asiatic, elephant nose etc..but never keep gold fish and others…

9. PLANTS à not too many plants but a selective plants can give in a discus tank. They are anubias sp, echinodorous sp, java moss, anacharis sp …be sure that the plants you give in a disus tank is well matched for the discus or not…because most of the plants don’t survive the high temp needed for discus(30 deg temp).

10. SIZE FACTOR OF DISCUS à for a discus aquarium you should see that there are same size of discus, this has some advantages… when you keep all same size discus then the discus cann;t fight with each other and hence all discus can live well,so that they can grow rapidly..where as if you keep different size of discus then the juveniles are attacked by bigger one and many a times they die due to this,if not die the are stunned discus,because lack of food they stop their growth..so keep all same size discus.

Its been a while since i started taking care of FRESHWATER stingrays.
yes, Its a stingray that lives in a fresh water usually found in the amazons. Every freshwater stingray have their own experiences with the rays and let me share you my tips based on my personal experience.


To have a happy and healthy stingray, you should have the following:


1.Good Filtration

Freshwater stingray eats a lot, which means they have a lot of waste to release.
Rays are very sensitive with the water parameters especially with ammonia,
so you must make it sure that you water is ALWAYS in good condition.

2.Big Space

Rays grow big that is why it is important that before you purchase a FW stingray,
you must consider not only the present but also the future.
So you must prepare a tank for their adulthood.(minimum 24 inches for the width)

3.Feed Them Well

Once the rays have adjusted to their new environment, they will eat a lot.
A happy ray eats a lot, and their favorite are prawns.
When they eat well, they will grow bigger in a very short period of time.


4.Choosing their tank mate

Stingrays are bottom dwellers and most of the time, stingray owners mix them with top dweller.
Usually, stingrays are mixed with arowanas, they are good to look at but personally,
i have experienced compatibility problems because aros sometimes get too much aggressive.
The aggressiveness of the aro causes too much stress for the rays which could cause them death.

Based on my personal experience, the best tank mate for stingrays are MORE stingrays.
They can easily adjust to their environment which could make them a happy and healthy ray.


5.Invest time and ENJOY


STINGRAYS are among one of the most beautiful fish that i have ever saw. They are relaxing to watch
because they swim a lot. That’s the benefit of having a freshwater stingray.
It’s challenging but fulfilling.

Here are some photos of my fresh water stingrays.

*EVERYTHING WRITTEN IS ONLY BASED ON THE AUTHOR’S PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO COMMENT OR OBJECT.