hi all... i had a cute parrot fish about 14 years ago... i was young and ended up selling it back to the aquarium store... (boy do i miss the aquarium store in my hometown)
anyway... i have longed for more parrot fish for 14 years and just bought 3 the other day... they are tiny... i grabbed a small 3 gallon tank for a really temp. home... they are doing great and i am currently setting a 55 gallon that i just purchased used... (great buy $75 with oak stand... hood and light...
this is a list of the other things i received in the purchase... if you have any info on any of these things please let me know... also i have a few questions i will post too
=)
first i am so glad to have found this site... i wish i had more time to read old post before asking a few...
ok here we go...
topfin60 (have it set up)
whisper20-40 (have it set up)
regent (are pumps submersible... this seem likely but not having used one before it scares me to put a cord in water... though the filter on the tiny 3gallon and the heater pad both have submersible cords-just thought i should ask)
550 (its another pump but thats all it says i think it may have come in a set-as if made for opposite corners)
2 large heaters... is it bad to have a blackness on these... seems to look like normal wear...a large round air stone and pump...tetra aqua safe... i plan on using it when i finish setup today... got 2 bottles...
an unopened box of 130 ammonia test plus ph up,down and test...
tetra stay clear aquarium wipes...
tons of extra filters... siphon hose... long...
and fancy goldfish food plus dispenser which i am sure to find a home for...
oh i also got this super awesome decoration that the fish will LOVE!i guess i just want to know if there is anything else i need to know... or need to buy... how fast do these little cuties grow... if i remember correctly it was pretty quick... but i had one fish in a large tank... so i am guessing with all the room these 3 will have that they will grow pretty well...
oh i am feeding them frozen brine... and once they are larger i will throw some peas in there (i tried the other night after reading it on here but they are too small for them still so i took them out... but they had fun chasing them)
also i added some bamboo... potted them in small pots... and sunks them... think that will work???
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Comments
Re: NEWBIE!!!
Sounds like you're doing great so far. Good luck. My two that I got a year ago are thriving.
filter..
oh, and you probably know this, but don't forget to change the filter out.. I got some rough scourer pad to put in front of my filter cartridges to catch some of the crap that goes through. you can get it at the hardware store
bamboo
I have had good luck with bamboo! I just bury it right into the sand I have in my tank, and I ripped off all the roots (which ended up ALL OVER the tank when I didn't). Every now and then one of the babies will get really bored and dig up one of the bamboo plants (which will float to the surface) so I try to bury it really deep and near a corner or against a large decoration. Also, make sure you feed your algae eater an algae wafer every other night or he might start eating the bamboo if he is hungry enough (Mine has killed off about 2 or 3 bamboo plants within the last 2 or 3 years)I would recommend getting a siphon hose that connects to the sink (assuming there is a sink nearby with standard hook up).. I got one of these at walmart for like $30, and it REALLY makes my life so much easier!I use de-chlorinator drops when I add new water.. I'm not sure how effective it is, but I don't want to take chances with ammonia burning
siphon
I ordered one (is it a python siphon?) from the states, waited ages for it, cost me the earth and when it came I couldn't make it fit the taps (ours must be different here) no amount of add ons or accessories would do it,bummer!!!! had to send it back, oh well, now wheres that bucket gone
Re: siphon
Wow, that is REALLY too bad!!! The place I am living in now has funky sink facets and I had a really really hard time finding stuff to hook the siphon up to.. My step-dad helped me out though and he finally found something that works from the hardware store.. Was so worth all the trouble though! Did you check all the fish stores near you to see if they carried any type of siphon like this?
re siphon
yeah, all they could do was order from the states, I did buy hose accessories from the hardware shop but they still didn't fit, I had no one helpfull like your step dad to help me, I was really disappointed becaurse I have a chronic back injury and have to carry my water in half of a 5 gall bucket at a time when refilling, takes forever as I usually change half of my 60 gall tank
re siphon
yeah, all they could do was order from the states, I did buy hose accessories from the hardware shop but they still didn't fit, I had no one helpfull like your step dad to help me, I was really disappointed becaurse I have a chronic back injury and have to carry my water in half of a 5 gall bucket at a time when refilling, takes forever as I usually change half of my 60 gall tank
re re re re re siphon
I FEEL SO BAD FOR YOU! I would go crazy with out my python! (yes, I think it is the python brand) If your tank is remotely close to a window, maybe you could run a (brand new, clean) hose in from outside.. would be easier than carrying buckets of water. You are such a great responsible pet owner! People with pythons are often too lazy to take 5 minutes to use it or even 10 seconds to feed their fish, and here you are carrying 30 buckets of water to your tank about once a week..
re re re re siphon
when you put it like that, I guess I really should get out more,!! to be honest I must have miscalulated but it is about 15 buckets, I can run a hose from outside but the water here is far too cold to put directly into the tank, I have to mix my buckets with hot water first, any ideas?
Re: re re re re siphon
lol, not because you dont get out enough. how long does it take you to carry all (15!) buckets? I didn't even think about the water being too cold, here in the Arizona desert I had the opposite problem at my old house, the water was too hot, so I would run it for a few minutes first. I really don't know what to tell you.. Did you bring in the piece off your faucet and the python when you went to the hardware store? Lol, my step dad is in Blackpool right now, maybe he could come figure it out for you. I can't believe how hard it is to find these special pythons.. I think every fish keeper should own one!
buckets
I know how hot it is there,traveled route 66 last year!!! the kitchen is only steps away from the lounge, I have a slipped disc in my back which is unstable so I could carry several full ones without any problem then the back could go( agonizing and up to three months off work) so I have to be careful and not chance it,Im going to keep thinking about it,on another forum, a member said he only changed 20% every month without any problems, and from his video, his fish looked healthy and bright orange, but my tank would look wrecked and tatty,plus I just wouldn't feel right leaving it that long, but it would solve a problem
Re: buckets
a really really good filter might help reduce the amount of water changes you have to do.
buckets
my tank has a really good filter (new) I proberbaly dont need to do water changes as often or as much as I do, I think it would test the same after a month, but the tank would look a mess! caurse I wipe down the glass and vac gravel and tidy it up(my parrots are distructive) I can do two smaller ones though
Re: Re: buckets
I have seen a UV Sterilizer filter that they say chemically balances and cleans the water.
thanks...
oooh take the shell off... got it! i will do!ya i added 2 chinese algea eaters... and a few community fish...i have yet to name them... well i kinda did...i got them the day micheal and farrah died...so i wanna name the larger one MJ... and the smaller one farrah and billy (for billy mays the oxi clean guy) since mj likes em littler...thought it was kinda funny... cuz billy jean is not my lover! i
RE: NEWBIE
i just wanted to let you know that whenever i get used equipment and i need instructions, i type the model number and brand into google, and i've had pretty good luck with that.also, another thing you might want to feed your fish are worms. smaller cichlids enjoy bloodworms, but i feed Mrs. Hawkeye nightcrawlers. she looks like she's eating spagetti. unlike goldfish, which have little nutritional value, worms get tons of minerals and yummy goodness that will help your fish thrive. and the worms are pretty easy for the blood parrot cichlid's little beak mouth.
newbie
they must have been pretty unusual all that time ago,you seem to have things covered, give the fish the peas now,just take the shells off and nip it into small pieces like quarters, its really good for them,55 gals is fine for your three (names?)but dont add any more big fish although some small compatible ones will be good, have fun