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View Full Version : Busy week in the tank...


elevatethis
10-17-2005, 9:15 PM
I lost my first 2 fish this week. Ironically, it wasn't the fish I though I would lose.

2 weeks ago, my tank came down with ich. I have two clown loaches who got it real bad as expected. Heat, salt, 1/4 dose meds took care of it.

At the end of this, with my tank at 85 degrees, I began cooling it off. Got it down to 83 over a few hours, planning on taking it down to 80-81 the next day. I wake up in the morning, my Firemouth is laying at the bottom.

With the firemouth gone, my managuense suddenly develops a whole new attitude. I basically got him for free from my LFS because they got him by mistake and didn't have anywhere to put him. I knew that they are highly aggressive and figured I'd try him out. He did fine with the firemouth keeping him in check, went nuts after he was gone. Anyways, the following night he beats the crap out of a green severum and that guy died today.

I took the managuense back to the LFS and trades him out for 2 rock kribs. These guys ate right out of the bag and are getting along just fine with the remainder of the tank's inhabitants (2 clown, 2 blood parrots, and 1 green severum).

Lessons learned:
Don't buy any more super-territorial fish.
My tank is too small to "see what happens" (I know most of these guys will outgrow my 20 gallon and will either get moved to the 75 gal downstairs or traded out for smaller fish and repeat the process)
And any other lesson insights I might get from you guys.

Sorry for the long post, just wanted to share.

FlammingWoodChuck
10-17-2005, 9:46 PM
wow that sux. It always sux to lose your first fish. How big is every1???

elevatethis
10-17-2005, 10:10 PM
Clowns are 2.5", severum is 2", parrots are about 3.5", rock kribs are 2"

everyone is still real small, I'm basically just raising the parrots to a size where they can go in with an 8" oscar in the tank downstairs.

Ash
10-17-2005, 11:01 PM
yah I am doing that with my cichlids I started them in a 10gal and as they grow bigger, I put them in bigger tanks!

elevatethis
10-18-2005, 8:52 AM
After a night, the tank is MUCH more peaceful now...everyone's eating all at the same time and no nipping or anything, very nice.

guppy
10-18-2005, 3:58 PM
To bad about the losses but such is life, Your tank sound good now.

repair
10-18-2005, 4:37 PM
I've been shocked to watch cetain fish deal differently with each other when you go from a 75 or 90 to a 125 because they can get away from each other.

elevatethis
10-18-2005, 4:51 PM
I agree. I think that a 20 gallon tank can barely keep just one firemouth or one managuense alone, less have both of them. Seriously, the tank is much more peaceful now, they all gather in group at the top for feeding and amazingly, something I haven't seen before, none of the fish have ANY fin nips or missing scales!

TaratronVaeVictus
10-18-2005, 9:56 PM
To help your fish grow a bit quicker, I advocate more water changes. When I was unemployed for a while, I did 50% daily changes for almost two weeks on a pleco tank, and the two bristlenose I had in there grew rather quickly...you could visibly see the growth!

DeLgAdO
10-18-2005, 10:04 PM
I lost my first 2 fish this week. Ironically, it wasn't the fish I though I would lose.

2 weeks ago, my tank came down with ich. I have two clown loaches who got it real bad as expected. Heat, salt, 1/4 dose meds took care of it.

At the end of this, with my tank at 85 degrees, I began cooling it off. Got it down to 83 over a few hours, planning on taking it down to 80-81 the next day. I wake up in the morning, my Firemouth is laying at the bottom.

With the firemouth gone, my managuense suddenly develops a whole new attitude. I basically got him for free from my LFS because they got him by mistake and didn't have anywhere to put him. I knew that they are highly aggressive and figured I'd try him out. He did fine with the firemouth keeping him in check, went nuts after he was gone. Anyways, the following night he beats the crap out of a green severum and that guy died today.

I took the managuense back to the LFS and trades him out for 2 rock kribs. These guys ate right out of the bag and are getting along just fine with the remainder of the tank's inhabitants (2 clown, 2 blood parrots, and 1 green severum).

Lessons learned:
Don't buy any more super-territorial fish.
My tank is too small to "see what happens" (I know most of these guys will outgrow my 20 gallon and will either get moved to the 75 gal downstairs or traded out for smaller fish and repeat the process)
And any other lesson insights I might get from you guys.

Sorry for the long post, just wanted to share.

i think your firemouth died of temp shock

elevatethis
10-19-2005, 2:00 AM
I know firemouths like it on the cooler side...

do you think he died as a result of cooling or the high temps?