Does Anyon Have An Aquarium

[robhudd]

I have had an aquarium for a while and my fish never last too long. Can someone suggest a way to keep them swimming for longer as my wife is getting upset. I know nothing about them (fish not wives, then again???) and would like some pointers.

[Shrek]

I have had an aquarium for a while and my fish never last too long. Can someone suggest a way to keep them swimming for longer as my wife is getting upset. I know nothing about them (fish not wives, then again???) and would like some pointers.

turn the tank the other way up ?

[Shrek]

I have had an aquarium for a while and my fish never last too long. Can someone suggest a way to keep them swimming for longer as my wife is getting upset. I know nothing about them (fish not wives, then again???) and would like some pointers.

turn the tank the other way up ?

really sorry to be flippant but I suspect you are just about to be bombarded with funnies.....

[qwertz]

It's obvious, rohbud, the water doesn't suit them.

Rain water's best.

[MrSnrang]

How big of a tank? What kind of fish? What filtration do you have?

[bkkmadness]

What size tank is it?

What kind of fish to you keep?

How many fish do you put in the aquarium?

How many times do you feed them a day?

What pump/filter do you have on the aquarium?

How many hours are the pump/filter on for each day?

Edited July 13, 2007 by bkkmadness

[meom]

Read somewhere you would swim right back to TV, BKMadness

[Neeranam]

Don't buy them from Chatuchak market.

[Heng]

Try googling a bit before you buy the fish next time. Start with "how to set up aquarium" and then expand to searching about all the different fish you want to put in there and see if they can live together or not. We actually export pet fish, but really it could be any of a dozen things making your fish go to heaven so I doubt I could help without actually being there.

[Neeranam]

Whisky is good for them if they're sick - but no soda and ice!

[bkkmadness]

Read somewhere you would swim right back to TV, BKMadness

Gotta help a man with a fish problem haven't I. It was a nice holiday actually, I am thinking of retiring to the destination.

Don't buy them from Chatuchak market.

Why ever not?

[qwertz]

Welcome back BKK, I hope you're going to stop this man from abusing fish.

[sriracha john]

I hope your stay goes swimmingly, BKK....

[Gary A]

I have had an aquarium for a while and my fish never last too long. Can someone suggest a way to keep them swimming for longer as my wife is getting upset. I know nothing about them (fish not wives, then again???) and would like some pointers.

I'll try to be serious. The bigger the tank the easier it is to take care of. You need a bottom filter. That's a plastic grid that has tubes attached to it. The tubes will come up to near the top of the water level. They sell something called air stones. These are attached to an air pump with plastic tubing. These air stones are inserted into the tubes. The air from the pump causes water to be drawn into the bottom filter and bacteria in the bottom grid will help to keep the water clean. The water will also be oxygenated. That's your tank setup. The second problem is that most people overfeed their fish. If the water is cloudy you are likely overfeeding. When you buy fish, You must ask the fish shop which fish can live together. Some are aggressive and others can live with any other fish.

[Tarragona]

Don't buy them from Chatuchak market.

A lot of other shops where you might go to buy your fish, get their stock from Chatuchak market.

[Tywais]

I'll try to be serious. The bigger the tank the easier it is to take care of. You need a bottom filter. That's a plastic grid that has tubes attached to it. The tubes will come up to near the top of the water level. They sell something called air stones. These are attached to an air pump with plastic tubing. These air stones are inserted into the tubes. The air from the pump causes water to be drawn into the bottom filter and bacteria in the bottom grid will help to keep the water clean. The water will also be oxygenated. That's your tank setup. The second problem is that most people overfeed their fish. If the water is cloudy you are likely overfeeding. When you buy fish, You must ask the fish shop which fish can live together. Some are aggressive and others can live with any other fish.

Good answers Gary. We have two moderate size aquariums at home and I'll add a little to that. When you fill the aquarium with water, add just a very small amount of salt (a pinch will do) and perhaps add some anti-bacterial drops to it. Let it sit for 24 hours before adding fish to it. When you get your fish, they will usually be in a bag with water. Put the bag on top of the tank water (floating on top) and let it sit for a few hours. The fish can die from shock if transitioned from one water temperature to a significantly different water temperature. Then slowly pour them into the tank.

Ours have a filtration pump in it along with the air aerator to oxygenate and clean the water but the bottom filters mentioned by Gary work well also. Due to algae problems, we added a sucker fish to keep the sides of the tank clean - works very well. And will re-emphasize what he said, don't overfeed them.

[meemiathai]

Who is Anyon?

[draggons]

Had a couple of large fresh water tanks back in Scotland. When setting up your tank you're best to leave it for a couple of weeks to settle and for bacteria to develope in the filter system, tap water needs to be treated to remove chlorine and other additives, quite a few breeders in uk lost a lot of fish a few years ago when the water authorities added something to the water. As tywais said a couple of pinches of salt is needed depending on the type of fish, some need brackish water others can't tolerate it. Best thing to do though is to get a decent book on fish keeping.

best of luck

[Gary A]

There are three of what thaiwise calls suckerfish in this tank. They do a good job of eating EVERYTHING. I call them sh!teaters.

[Thumchok]

I think a heater is needed if the tank is in a aircon'd room as well , could be that the water temp is changing to much as you switch the aircon on each day when arriving home . Other than that a PH test kit should be used whenever adding/changing water . Dead fish should be removed quickly to prevent any diseases spreading .

Plastic fish may be the answer

[Gary A]

I think a heater is needed if the tank is in a aircon'd room as well , could be that the water temp is changing to much as you switch the aircon on each day when arriving home . Other than that a PH test kit should be used whenever adding/changing water . Dead fish should be removed quickly to prevent any diseases spreading .

Plastic fish may be the answer

NAH, plastic fish are no good. They get algae on them and REALLY look bad.

[Neeranam]

Read somewhere you would swim right back to TV, BKMadness

Gotta help a man with a fish problem haven't I. It was a nice holiday actually, I am thinking of retiring to the destination.

Don't buy them from Chatuchak market.

Why ever not?

They don't last very long - in my experience.

[Zeid]

i actually just dismantle my 964liter fish tank.

and if you have problems with your fish other than the fish being ad the water quality is important though if your talking about gold fish that is ............

anyway the best way i found out to put some tiger barbs if they start swimming nose down you know the nitrate level is going high, and other fish is a red tail shark if the colours fade away then the water chemisrty is wrong, if fish starting going to the surface then no O2.

best of luck

[t.s]

Read somewhere you would swim right back to TV, BKMadness

Gotta help a man with a fish problem haven't I. It was a nice holiday actually, I am thinking of retiring to the destination.

Don't buy them from Chatuchak market.

Why ever not?

They don't last very long - in my experience.

my current fish population is going on 3 years old. All jatujak purchases. Sure i will probably outlive them, but how much longer could i expect them to last?

[canuckamuck]

I find that people with new aquariums have this idea that that they need to keep changing the water to keep the fish healthy. This is actually the cause of most beginners’ trouble. The new tank has to develop the nitrogen eating bacteria that keeps the water clear of toxins that are caused by fish waste and uneaten food. Initially a new tank will develop high nitrogen levels and this is when beginner’s fish begin to die. For this reason I usually put a few tough starter fish in for the first two weeks (cheap goldfish). The starter fish will help initiate the good bacteria, and after two weeks the nitrogen cycle will have begun to improve and you can start to add the fish you wanted. You can take the goldfish back if you want. The tank should be really stable after 7 weeks. The more oxygen in your tank, the more efficient your bacteria will be.

After a month you can start to do water changes but don’t change it all. Aquarium, water improves with time and requires only 10 – 20 percent changes every couple of weeks if you have a good filter. In the west you could buy bacteria starter, I don’t know about here.

[JR Texas]

I find that people with new aquariums have this idea that that they need to keep changing the water to keep the fish healthy. This is actually the cause of most beginners’ trouble. The new tank has to develop the nitrogen eating bacteria that keeps the water clear of toxins that are caused by fish waste and uneaten food. Initially a new tank will develop high nitrogen levels and this is when beginner’s fish begin to die. For this reason I usually put a few tough starter fish in for the first two weeks (cheap goldfish). The starter fish will help initiate the good bacteria, and after two weeks the nitrogen cycle will have begun to improve and you can start to add the fish you wanted. You can take the goldfish back if you want. The tank should be really stable after 7 weeks. The more oxygen in your tank, the more efficient your bacteria will be.

After a month you can start to do water changes but don’t change it all. Aquarium, water improves with time and requires only 10 – 20 percent changes every couple of weeks if you have a good filter. In the west you could buy bacteria starter, I don’t know about here.

JR Texas: One of the worst killers of fish is overfeeding.

[gennisis]

I find that people with new aquariums have this idea that that they need to keep changing the water to keep the fish healthy. This is actually the cause of most beginners' trouble. The new tank has to develop the nitrogen eating bacteria that keeps the water clear of toxins that are caused by fish waste and uneaten food. Initially a new tank will develop high nitrogen levels and this is when beginner's fish begin to die. For this reason I usually put a few tough starter fish in for the first two weeks (cheap goldfish). The starter fish will help initiate the good bacteria, and after two weeks the nitrogen cycle will have begun to improve and you can start to add the fish you wanted. You can take the goldfish back if you want. The tank should be really stable after 7 weeks. The more oxygen in your tank, the more efficient your bacteria will be.

After a month you can start to do water changes but don't change it all. Aquarium, water improves with time and requires only 10 – 20 percent changes every couple of weeks if you have a good filter. In the west you could buy bacteria starter, I don't know about here.

I think the easiest way to keep a healthy tank is plenty of REAL plants.They eat up the nitrogen.Coupled with good filtration ,water changes are rarely needed