Hello

Thought ide jump in here and say hello.I made a post yesterday above with a few questions that got answered quick and very informative.

Little background.I used to have fish years ago when i was in the Army and in a apartment because its the only pets we could have.Once i was out one thing led to another and i sold my 35 gallon octagon and kinda forgot about the whole fish scene.

Well now 20 some years later,with a 13 year old daughter that loves any and all animals,decided she wanted a aquarium for xmas.So we got her a 5 gallon.It served it purpose for a while and made her beta happy.Well with more room than the bowl he was in,she wanted more fish.One thing led to another and dad got the itch for his own aquarium and daughter wanted a bigger one.So away i went to get 2 tanks.She upgraded to a 15 and i got a 20 long. Hers is up and running but waiting on the hood to come in and mine is makeing 2 mollies,2 platties and 2 others that im not sure what they are lol very happy.The 2 unkown are a really cool light blue that are hyper as all get up.Ill try to get some pictures so maybe someone can ident. them.

I placed my tank next to the reclining couch and set there at night for hours watching them and winding down from the day.Total relaxation. Best stress reliever there is in my book.Feeding time at night and watching them bounce around like monkeys is the best.

Well enough of my rambling on.Just want to say this forum is the best,ive read alot of excellent info and look forward to learning more.Might try the live plants soon and giveing the thought of feeding them peas as well.I couldnt believe when i read a post on feeding fish vegies,lol,thats great stuff.

Cyas aroung the forums.

hello and welcome to our forum,share your aquarium related experience with us...

Well i just did my first partial water change.Treated the tap water and got it exactelly the same temp.Found out my fish are crazy.Started very slowly pouring it in the top.All of my frisky,nosy, hyper fish had to come see what was going on.All joined in under the fountain of water being poured in.Moveing to the other end so as not to shock them if the temp was a little different,they all followed.Then the light clicked on in my head,why not pour it in the filter, .The rest is history.

The fish probably enjoy the current and the extra oxygen that gets in the water when you pour it in. Using one of the clean and fill systems, I usually hold the discharge end a couple inches above the water surface to create more bubbles. They love it.

well thats good to know,from now on ill do it that way so they get some enjoyment out of it.Amazeing how enjoyable such out of reach pets like fish can be.I never thought fish could be fun due to the fact you really cant interact with them like a dog or cat.But they do seem to get a personality. I guess when i was younger i didnt see it.Now im just looking for someplace else i can fit another tank,lol.

If you're going to keep several aquariums, you may want to get one of the clean and fill systems that let you eliminate the buckets. They have a two way valve that hooks to a water tap and lets you syphon out water, then close the valve and refill the aquarium. Several companies sell them, but the first i saw was made by Python. They really cut down the time and mess involved with partial water changes.

I have seen these systems online.My only worry is that we have well water and its fairly hard and wondering how conditioning the water works.do u just change the water and do it in the tank?Theres no chlorine or anything like that.Just pretty hard Upstate NY well water.Or shouldnt this be a concern

One more update,Had the wife pick up some frozen peas on her way home from work.I never thought ide be cooking and smashing up peas for fish,lol.

Well i got to tell ya the little guys and gals loved them,The feeding frenzy looked like sharks.

I cant believe i found this site,i will recomend it to any friends i have that have fish.I look forward to learning more.

My fish also love the new water! I freaked out a while ago because one of my sensitive fish was playing in the new water coming out of the tap, and he is supposedly a sensitive one! Well, he does it all the time, and he is fine. The fish in the other tanks also won't stay away from the new water .
As for using dechlor with the Python system, you just put the dechlor in and then fill with water. But if you are using buckets, put the dechlor in the bucket before you dump it in. I usually put it in while the bucket is filling.
Sounds like you are getting the "multiple tank syndrome" like we all seem to have too! I started with one tank in August, and now I have 5....
My fish also go nuts for the peas! They would eat them everyday if I let them
Hard water is not good for some fish. What kind of hardness do you have? In my water, I have quite a bit of lime and calcium, and it has never bothered my fish, and I don't use anything to treat it, except Prime Water Conditoiner.

I cant tell ya for sure whats in our water.Although most around that have had it tested say its got some calcium in it.I should take a sample and have it tested.Only reason im concerned is my daughter had a Beta in her 5 gal and her dalmation molly had some babys.Well all but one didnt make it so we put the Beta in his old bowl thinking he was eating them.Long story short,wife did a water change in his bowl and like a hour later he was floating DOA.Before that we had always used distilled bottled water for her tank with no problems.This time wife used tap water and didnt have anything to treat it.So im not sure if it was the temp was to far off or what but he didnt make it.

With the new tanks i bought,the store gave me Start Right with Allantoin and everyone seems to be happy in it and doing very well.I just use tap water now due to i have heard distilled isnt to good.Says it neutralizes metals and some other things.I will look for what you are useing and see how that does

When you do a partial water change, especially a large one, make sure the temperature of the replacement water is close to the temperature of the original aquarium water. Most common aquarium fish can tolerate a range of water conditions but not rapid changes in any water parameter.

Here in Phoenix, the water has lots of minerals, but the primary issue so far has been the presence of copper affecting the mystery snails. I generally use Stress Coat as a water conditioner, and the the aquariums have Malaysian driftwood to soften the water a bit. If you need softer water, it's OK to use distilled or reverse osmosis water but not for every partial water change. Since it contains no or few minerals, that type of water does not have the chemical buffers needed to stabilise pH.

Distilled water doesn't have the minerals needed in the tanks, so no need to use that anymore. The betta was probably shocked from the lack of minerals to all of the sudden a bunch of minerals. If you have used distilled water, you need to slowly change it out to regular tap water, so you don't shock the fish.
+1 for John, make sure the temp is the same going in, as it was in the tank.

ya,the new tanks have treated tap,no more distilled.I also use a electric thermometer when doing water changes so its as close as possible

Perfect! Sounds great, and your fish will be happier!