[Merged] All About Fishes and Aquariums

[sneyks]

Hi guys!

Post naman some pictures of your aquariums. I used to own several.

I need to be inspired again! hehe.

Please post some pictures. Thanks!

[earthwormjim]

hey guys, i'm interested to know more about maintaining an aquarium, can you recommend books/websites to help me in my (new) hobby? i plan to upgrade to a bigger tank perhaps 50 gallons? (freshwater)... i also keep a 2.5 gallon tank in the office...

i want to get serious with this... want to learn tips, maintenance, breeding, all sorts of fish stuff...

[malakim]

check the internet. you'll find lots of good information there and it's free. do your research so you'll have an idea of what you want

what kind of fish do you plan to raise? how much is your budget?

[earthwormjim]

Originally posted by malakim
check the internet. you'll find lots of good information there and it's free. do your research so you'll have an idea of what you want

what kind of fish do you plan to raise? how much is your budget?

thanks, malakim:
yup, i checked the internet about aquarium reference sites, but what I meant was sites you guys would recommend, which offers comprehensive info, lots of pics, etc... some get too technical (water chemistry, etc)... anyway, i saw a huge aquarium at the SM Pet Congress last Saturday... it costs about P9,000+... not sure though if it includes other equipments: filter, stand, etc... anyway i think i can save up to P10,000 for this hobby... i want the biggest tank (but manageable) what's the biggest tank i can get, and the best filter system? -- what filtration system can you suggest? -- of course experienced users might suggest another filter than the ones advertised in the market... (eheim or fluval?)

btw, i plan to get a freshwater community tank... nothing specific... unless you could suggest specific species...
thanks!

[malakim]

i've only started my fish hobby this feb. i specifically wanted an arowana. not only are these fish beautiful but are quite hardy and maintenance is cheaper. just a fish and no deco (sand, plants, etc).

regarding the technical aspects, these can get really technical but just absorb what you want. there are a lot of sites specifically for newbie aquarists and won't inundate you with techno jargon.

if you've got friends who are already into the hobby, so much the better. starting your hobby can be as simple as going to cartimar, buying a 50g tank and buying a few goldfish.

btw: my first tank and fish was a 50g tank, with overhead filter and an australian gold arowana. total cost P4000. maintenance is just replacing 20% of the old water with new, weekly

[earthwormjim]

hey guys,
today i inquired at bio research megamall about a complete 35-gallon setup (tank has round corners). The attendant said the total cost would be P35,000. the set includes the stand/cabinet, filter system, plus a few decors... i think its far beyond my budget... can i get the same tank elsewhere? i also want round corners. does cartimar have the same type of tank? -- btw, do you recommend those kinds of tank?

[Red_Devil]

At Php35k, that's very expensive and those type of tanks are scratchable. I still prefer glass tanks. Your 10K can buy a lot of stuff if you will buy at some other stores.

If you want some idea, here's what I have:

Fish:
Mostly cichlids from Central and South America. For me, this is the best thing to keep in cichlids. But most species are aggressive in nature and require large space but very interactive with their owners.

Filter:
I run mostly trickle filter. I prefer performance than looks. Great biologically and mechanically.

Substrate:
Gravel because cichlid digs.

Decoration:
No plants because, again, cichlid digs and will most likely uproot plants. Lots of cave-like structures like flower pots, rocks and woods for territory.

HTH

[malakim]

35K is too much. you can get a lot from other places with 35K.

[woofers]

Originally posted by earthwormjim
hey guys, i'm interested to know more about maintaining an aquarium, can you recommend books/websites to help me in my (new) hobby? i plan to upgrade to a bigger tank perhaps 50 gallons? (freshwater)... i also keep a 2.5 gallon tank in the office...

i want to get serious with this... want to learn tips, maintenance, breeding, all sorts of fish stuff...

The first internet resource you should check is http://www.thekrib.com/.

[woofers]

Originally posted by earthwormjim
hey guys,
today i inquired at bio research megamall about a complete 35-gallon setup (tank has round corners). The attendant said the total cost would be P35,000. the set includes the stand/cabinet, filter system, plus a few decors... i think its far beyond my budget... can i get the same tank elsewhere? i also want round corners. does cartimar have the same type of tank? -- btw, do you recommend those kinds of tank?

The pre-setup tanks are a huge waste of money. They're ugly, unnatural, and the miscellaneous fish are pretty much thrown in willy-nilly. Also, you don't get to learn much of anything from them.

I'd recommend starting out with an all-glass tank of 30g or more, a simple steel or wooden stand/cabinet you can buy or make yourself, and a good filtration system. Substrate (sand/gravel) and rocks can be bought much cheaper at garden stores. Total cost: less than P5,000. Spend the rest of your budgeted money on books and research on the internet about the aspects of the hobby that interest you (e.g. fish species, water chemistry, breeding, feeding, aquatic plants, etc.)

[daepaken]

heyo people! my first time here. ive been searching for threads that would satisfy my urge to talk about something "fishy"... hehehe.

well, i have four 75 gallon aquariums. dati, i have one silver arowana who lasted for 3++ years. grabe. hindi ko nabantayan yung diet kaya ayun, nabaliko ang katawan tapos eventually, namatay na rin.

after the "mourning" (my family loved that fish! we even named him ara, kasi sikat si ara mina noon!), i purchased an australian golden arowana. my friend said na my habit daw un na mag- "suicide". true enough, after seven months, paggising namin nakalutang na sya.

the only remaining survivors of my silver arowana are my two knife fish. malaki na sya, so it occupies yung isang aquarium ko. gusto ko sanang i-breed. HELP ME ON THIS!

yung 2 aquariums ko has 5 oscars on it. dun sa isa, yung nag- breed na while dun sa isa, 3 ang magkasama. gusto ko na sanang i dispose kasi nagsawa na ako. malalaki na rin, kaso ayaw ng mama ko.

dun sa isa, *** collection ko ng goldfish. why goldfish? eh kasi madaling alagaan. eto yung collection ko:

4 oranda
1 lionhead
2 calico ranchu
1 ryukin -may sakit, fin rot kaya nakahiwalay sya
2 pearl scale
1 ordinary goldfish
2 red cap
2 janitor fish

paborito ko yung 2 calico ranchu. gusto ko rin silang i-breed. HELP ME ON THIS PLEASE!

once, i tried ciclids kaso eventually, nagkapatayan sila. yung natira yung heart shaped parrot fish and guess kung nasan sya? kasama siya nung mga goldfishes ko! nakakatuwa nga, the petshop owner where i usually buy my fish stuff warned me na dapat tanggalin ko sya, baka daw patayin. surprisingly, my parrot fish adopted with my goldfishes and it acted as their "bodyguard." nangangagat nga kapag naglilinis ako. gusto ko sanang dagdagan ng isa pang parrot fish, kaso baka awayin yung iba. anyways, im looking for the pingpong variety of goldfish. ang hirap maghanap. im from antipolo and nakakita lang ako nun sa riverbanks marikina. nagkaroon na ako pero namatay! kinain ng tinfoil *** eyes nila! kawawa naman.

neway, yun lang. pasensya at napahaba

[malakim]

don't worry about the length of your posts as long as they are decent and not rambling. like i said earlier in this thread, "better to have lots of questions than lots of dead fish".

too bad about your arowanas. as with any fish, do check the water parameters and their diet. actually, i don't kill myself over water parameters. as long as i do 25% water change weekly, it's all good.

check this pinoy website. it's mostly for aros and luo hans but other fish are also discussed.

http://www.4gigs.com/~pals/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi

good that you have lots of spare tanks to play around with.

[earthwormjim]

hey guys,
i thought the round-corner tanks (are these fiberglass?) were better than glass tanks, since glass tanks are prone to cracks... anyway, are glass tanks like sold in bioresearch good enough to last many years? ... anyway, my real concern is finding the right/recommended tank set-up: glass vs. "fiberglass"?; filter--overheads? lighting, (which filtration is best?- i hear that undergravel filters aren't that good) eheim vs fluval? substrate? ...i think i'll start with community tanks with tetras... i hope i can start with an aquarium set-up that will last me a long time; about 30-50 gallons perhaps? please recommend good materials.-- is <php10,000 enough? thanks!!!

btw, the sites you mentioned are already in my bookmark list!

[earthwormjim]

guys, check out this aquarium site (with tank pictures!)

http://www.myfishtank.net/freshwatertoptanks.php

also, check out this: http://www.aquariumsite.org

are there more sites that feature their aquariums? wish we could do it here at pinoyexchange!

[Gambit_81]

daepaken,


pareho tayo.. i also have a 75gallon aquarium.. most of my fish are red caps, ryukin, lion head, and other kinds of goldfish.. naglagay rin ako ng isang red parrot fish.. they don't seem to hurt the goldfish pero kinain nya *** mata ng black moore ko kaya goldfish n *** itinira ko.. neway, *** pingpong goldfish pala meron sa cartimar. 70 pesos each.. hindi kaya kainin ng parrot fish mo un?

[ngel_11375]

i'm also new with the hobby...i'm planning to set-up a new aquarium (50g). I was able to talk to a glass shop which offers lower rates including the stand (P1,400). my problem now is with regards to the others accessories especially the filter. do you know any store aside from bioresearch (mahal kasi) na ok and where can i find it. I reside in cavite but usually goes to tay-tay rizal.
Also, are rocks/gravel available on landscape shops can be use for my set-up. what should i do prior putting them on the tank.

Hope you could help me on this....thanks....

[Red_Devil]

Originally posted by ngel_11375
i'm also new with the hobby...i'm planning to set-up a new aquarium (50g). I was able to talk to a glass shop which offers lower rates including the stand (P1,400). my problem now is with regards to the others accessories especially the filter. do you know any store aside from bioresearch (mahal kasi) na ok and where can i find it. I reside in cavite but usually goes to tay-tay rizal.
Also, are rocks/gravel available on landscape shops can be use for my set-up. what should i do prior putting them on the tank.

Hope you could help me on this....thanks....

P1,400 50g + stand? that's expensive.

[malakim]

go to this pinoy forum for some tips on fish keeping.

www.palhs.com/forum

[Virtual_Ry]

Doesn anyone know where I can buy or find some Java Moss locally?

[woofers]

Originally posted by Virtual_Ry
Doesn anyone know where I can buy or find some Java Moss locally?

Try Under The Sea at SM North Edsa, they might still have some. Let me know also if they do, as I could use a new batch.

Hehe, I used to have bucketfulls of the stuff, but I threw it out already. What I have left is already attached to my rocks.

Be aware that Java Moss can be take a while to adjust to your aquarium's water conditions and temperature. It will turn brown and look dead for 1-2 months before new growth slowly begins to appear. Having a high light level helps.