The Age of Aquarium [Archive] - Lounge of Tomorrow

Gemini Cricket

06-05-2006, 08:22 AM

When I was a kid, I grew up tending a freshwater aquarium. I used to love creating an environment for the fish and making new scenery for them etc. For the last couple of years I started up my hobby again. I had 2 tanks in Monterey that did pretty well.

Currently, I have a 20 gallon tank that I have guppies in. It is too small, so I decided to upgrade to a larger tank. I scored a 55 gallon tank on Craigslist for $30. But, and I knew this going into it, it leaks. There is a small leak at one of the corners.

My friend Roddy is a marine engineer. He advised me to redo the entire seal on the inside. He's helping me remove the seal and is going to help me reseal it.

We couldn't work on it much this weekend because of the rain. So, I hope to get to it this week.

When it's all done, I'm going to stock livebearers in it. Most likely guppies and maybe a few mollies. I also have some Cory catfish at the bottom which are great at eating up excess food.

I took a look at another board that specializes in home aquariums and found that there are some pretty die hard aquarists out there. Some people have two or three 200 gallon tanks in their houses! I also looked at a photo gallery of one person who built an entire room for his tanks.

Anyway, I thought I'd share. It's a pretty fun project so far. The tank is going to take up some prome real estate in our dining room, but it's going to look so awesome when I'm done.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b268/braddoc310/guppies_011.jpg

I hope you won't mind me blogging this process out here on LoT...
:)

cirquelover

06-05-2006, 10:12 AM

I think fish can be a lot of fun. I used to have a cool fishtank and had quite a few zebra fish and some little day glow fish, sorry don't remember their name. Now I have cats and the fish wouldn't be allowed to live!

Watching a fish tank can be very soothing for the soul. Plus it's fun to think up ways to redesign or redecorate, if you will.

When I was 20 my upstairs neighbor had 5-8 huge fish tanks, some were fresh water and some were saltwater. He said the saltwater tanks were harder to maintain for temperature and salt ratio or something. They were really neat to look at though. Sitting in his living room was like visiting a big aquarium, it was great!
One evening his girlfriend went into a rage for some reason. All I could hear from my apartment was a lot of stomping and loud noises. Soon though water started pouring from my ceiling. I knew instantly what had happened and grabbed my old fish tank and any buckets or bowls I could find and raced upstairs. He was running frantically around his apartment screaming for help. Luckily we saved most of them but that cost him a fortune to replace all the tanks.
Sadly for me when I got down to my apartment I realized that most of my wedding items had been destroyed. I was heartbroken also, until my husband left me a year or so later. Then I was happy I had less to throw away!
I look forward to updates on your new aquarium! I like pictures too!

Gemini Cricket

06-05-2006, 10:17 AM

Which totally reminds me:

1. Never tick off Ralphie. :D
2. Anchor tank to the wall. (Frodo likes to jump up and lean on the tank glass and bark at the fish.) :)

Gn2Dlnd

06-05-2006, 01:12 PM

When I was 20 my upstairs neighbor had 5-8 huge fish tanks...
One evening his girlfriend went into a rage for some reason. All I could hear from my apartment was a lot of stomping and loud noises. Soon though water started pouring from my ceiling. I knew instantly what had happened...

This would be a great scene in a Tarantino movie!

Of course, someone's decapitated head ends up in the one fishtank that doesn't get broken.

CoasterMatt

06-05-2006, 05:14 PM

My computer sounds like a fish tank now, I miss my fish tanks...

tracilicious

06-05-2006, 05:22 PM

We have a 50 gallon tank that I got from my dad (that he got when I was 10) that has a very large Jack Dempsey Cichlid, a snowflake eel, and a bunch of feeder fish. We can't put pretty fish in there because Herman (the cichlid) will eat them. We never ever see the eel, but the goldfish are steadily disappearing, so we assume he's alive. When Herman dies we'll make it more of a hobby and get some pretty fish.

Matterhorn Fan

06-05-2006, 08:32 PM

I have an aquarium screensaver on my computer, too, and I've spent a lot of time watching the screensavers on the Finding Nemo DVD, but it's not the same as the real thing.

GC, please post photos.

innerSpaceman

06-05-2006, 10:55 PM

Aww, now I miss my fishtank. We had it between rooms, so to speak, so you could look through it at people.

It was fun, but ultimately I found fresh-water fish far less interesting than their salt water brethren. Alas, salt-water aquariuming is a far more lofty and difficult a pursuit ... which I never mastered.

One incident of coming home to underwater apocalypse ... the carrion-strewn, sea floor battlefield of some unimagined war of the fishes ... was enough to put me off aquariumization forever.

Not Afraid

06-05-2006, 10:57 PM

I'd have another salt water aquarium in an instant if I didn't already have enough living things to care for. I miss Puffer.

Gemini Cricket

06-06-2006, 05:40 AM

I'd have another salt water aquarium in an instant if I didn't already have enough living things to care for. I miss Puffer.
You could raise catfish! :D

I will post photos once I start working on it again sometime this week. Roddy's workshop is in his basement and is really damp right now. I have a aquarium stand to paint and the sealant to put in. If it's too moist, nothing will set right and may take longer too.

I love salt water aquariums, but after working at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, I realized that they are a tremendous amount of work. I'll stick to freshwater for now, the fish are less colorful, but I love guppies... so purty.

Ralphie scored me some ph testing strips. The water in my little tank is in need of a little adjustment.

€uroMeinke

06-06-2006, 06:03 AM

I think you need to find a way to presurize your aquarium so you can keep some creatures from Ralphie's next dive.

Gemini Cricket

06-06-2006, 06:06 AM

I think you need to find a way to presurize your aquarium so you can keep some creatures from Ralphie's next dive.
If he and members of his lab read this, they'd make it happen. They're already constructing an aquarium that can house moon jellies in the lab. Something about a circular tank, water flow in a certain speed yaddah yaddah... :D

tracilicious

06-06-2006, 08:57 AM

If he and members of his lab read this, they'd make it happen. They're already constructing an aquarium that can house moon jellies in the lab. Something about a circular tank, water flow in a certain speed yaddah yaddah... :D

"I've never seen so many electric jellyfish in my life!"

"Those are Brazilian Man-o-wars."

"So they are, Klaus, edit that last part."

Gemini Cricket

06-06-2006, 09:00 AM

"I've never seen so many electric jellyfish in my life!"

"Those are Brazilian Man-o-wars."

"So they are, Klaus, edit that last part."
I should buy them red stocking caps.

tracilicious

06-06-2006, 09:04 AM

I should buy them red stocking caps.

Don't forget the speedo.

"Don't shoot him, he's an unpaid intern!"

Snowflake

06-06-2006, 09:10 AM

Yes, pictures please as the work progresses.

I never got further than goldfish at my office. We had a naming contest and after the first goldfish killed the other, it was obvious, I needed to change the names. OJ and Ronald Goldfish. OJ lived a long frickin time, too, over 3 years in that bowl.

Was toying with a betta, but not at home, Tango would have that for snack an have water all over the place, too.

€uroMeinke

06-06-2006, 09:13 AM

I should buy them red stocking caps.

Ralphie so needs one

SzczerbiakManiac

06-06-2006, 09:54 AM

I should buy them red stocking caps.or red long johns ;)

DreadPirateRoberts

06-06-2006, 10:03 AM

If he and members of his lab read this, they'd make it happen. They're already constructing an aquarium that can house moon jellies in the lab. Something about a circular tank, water flow in a certain speed yaddah yaddah... :D

They have one like that at the Aquarium of the Pacific, the moon jellies just cruise around in it, although how would you know if a moon jelly was happy or sad?

Not Afraid

06-06-2006, 11:02 AM

Now I want a Moon Jellies tank. How cool would that be to have in your livingroom?

DreadPirateRoberts

06-06-2006, 11:14 AM

Now I want a Moon Jellies tank. How cool would that be to have in your livingroom?

Go for it. (http://www.jelliquarium.com/)

Might pricey though, maybe the private jet you send out to pickup scaeagles can pick one up for you.

Not Afraid

06-06-2006, 11:22 AM

Better save my pennies. That would be a VERY cool thing to have.

Gemini Cricket

06-06-2006, 11:27 AM

They have one like that at the Aquarium of the Pacific, the moon jellies just cruise around in it, although how would you know if a moon jelly was happy or sad?
Sad moonies just stop swimming or are labored as they try to swim. They often look like wadded up kleenex in a washing machine when they're not well...

Cadaverous Pallor

06-06-2006, 11:36 AM

My dad is into freshwater tanks. He'd been a hobbyist as a kid and picked it up again when I was 15. He's had all kinds of fish and various other immersive creatures over the years since then.

Salt fish may be prettier but fresh have plenty of interesting personalities. You can have aloof plecostemous, majestic angel fish, bullying tiger barbs, slinking eels, tiny-not-so-smart frogs, cranky crabs, or guppies that love to have sex all day long, just to name a few.

Gemini Cricket

06-06-2006, 11:38 AM

One of my guppies gave birth to 4 fry yesterday. They do bang a lot. Totally.

BarTopDancer

06-06-2006, 03:17 PM

I used to have some of these http://www.wetwebmedia.com/CypriniiformPIX/FW%20Minnow%20Sharks/Balantiocheilus_melanopterusAQ.jpg

I suppose that is where my facination with sharks began

BarTopDancer

06-06-2006, 03:18 PM

You can keep this one in your bathtub http://www.sharkfoundation.com/bull.jpg

Gemini Cricket

06-06-2006, 03:40 PM

Imagine our fish food bill...

BarTopDancer

06-06-2006, 03:50 PM

http://www.cvmbs.colostate.edu/erhs/images/Johnson.shark.jpg?

Cadaverous Pallor

06-06-2006, 04:53 PM

I used to have some of these http://www.wetwebmedia.com/CypriniiformPIX/FW%20Minnow%20Sharks/Balantiocheilus_melanopterusAQ.jpgSHARKY!

Gemini Cricket

06-06-2006, 04:58 PM

Bala sharks are great. They look like they would be aggressive, but actually they are very calm as long as they are in schools. I had several in Monterey. One disappeared though. Weirdest thing. I checked everywhere, inside and outside of the tank and nothing. Disappeared.

Red Tailed Sharks, on the other hand, are really aggressive. They're pretty but sometimes can be mean. Especially if there are two in a tank. Very territorial.

Cadaverous Pallor

06-06-2006, 10:29 PM

I had several in Monterey. One disappeared though. Weirdest thing. I checked everywhere, inside and outside of the tank and nothing. Disappeared.During the 1994 earthquake one of my dad's sharks jumped out of the tank and ended up 15 feet away against a wall. It took us hours to notice him.

BarTopDancer

06-06-2006, 10:51 PM

SHARKY!
I must spread mojo around before givng more to CP

I don't know why, but fish scare me. I avoid aquariums. At the dental office where Erica used to work they have an aquarium and I had to not look at it. The koi that Tramspotter has are going to jump out of their pond and eat me or something. The koi at the DLH skeeve me. The photo that I posted of baby Sharky! is creeping me out.

I think it's the scales because sharks, whales, dolphins and other sea life don't bother me.

Gn2Dlnd

06-07-2006, 01:47 AM

I hate crabs.

Gemini Cricket

06-07-2006, 05:33 AM

During the 1994 earthquake one of my dad's sharks jumped out of the tank and ended up 15 feet away against a wall. It took us hours to notice him.
My theory is that it jumped out as your dad's shark did and then ended up as Corgi bait. That's my theory anyway.
At the dental office where Erica used to work they have an aquarium and I had to not look at it.
I just had visions of 'Finding Nemo' suddenly. Marla, Darla... :D
I hate crabs.
I purchased a crab for my tank in Monterey, it was no fun. It kept climbing into the filter resevoir and stayed there eating the gunk off of the filter sponge.

As for the other kind of crabs, don't know about them.
:D

BarTopDancer

06-07-2006, 10:25 AM

I just had visions of 'Finding Nemo' suddenly. Marla, Darla... :D

Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine!

cirquelover

06-07-2006, 07:55 PM

My son and I say that all the time! lol

Gemini Cricket

06-13-2006, 07:17 AM

I completed sealing the aquarium on Sunday. I used a silicone sealant that needs to cure for 7 days. I could test it before the 7 day deadline, but I was advised to let it cure for as long as possible before adding water to test it.

I took pictures on Sunday and have yet to download them. They aren't exciting yet... :D

I also sanded and painted my stand and brought it home to display a 20 gallon tank I already have. I need to find a way to secure the stand to the wall. I noticed that when I walk near it, it does wobble a little. I'd hate for a 55 gallon tank of water to fall.

If you have any suggestions, I'd appreciate them. The stand is wrought iron and has no holes drilled into the legs at all for me to screw in a brace. Other stands that I have had in the past did...

DreadPirateRoberts

06-13-2006, 07:37 AM

If you have any suggestions, I'd appreciate them. The stand is wrought iron and has no holes drilled into the legs at all for me to screw in a brace. Other stands that I have had in the past did...

Could you screw some Mouting Head Cable Ties (http://www.buycableties.com/catalog/?cid=20) into the wall using dry wall anchors, and then zip the tie around the leg?

Gemini Cricket

06-13-2006, 07:51 AM

Could you screw some Mouting Head Cable Ties (http://www.buycableties.com/catalog/?cid=20) into the wall using dry wall anchors, and then zip the tie around the leg?
That's a good idea. I'm going to look into it.
:)

Not Afraid

06-13-2006, 09:03 AM

There must be brackets that would loop around the wrought iron. Something like a U-shaped thingie with wings to screw into the wall.

Gemini Cricket

06-13-2006, 09:11 AM

There must be brackets that would loop around the wrought iron. Something like a U-shaped thingie with wings to screw into the wall.
I thought about that, but it doesn't leave much breathing room to adust them when you need to. ie. For big filters that hang off the back of the tank etc.

Gemini Cricket

06-13-2006, 02:20 PM

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b268/braddoc310/tank1.gif
This is the tank that I resealed. The can is not a product placement. It's for scale.
I like the Green Stamps sign that Roddy has in his basement. He discovered it there when he moved in. So cool. :)

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b268/braddoc310/stand1.gif
This is the rust-ola stand. I sanded it and painted it a Jules Verne bronze color.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b268/braddoc310/stand2.gif
Close up of ugly old color.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b268/braddoc310/foxglove.gif
Foxgloves in Roddy's garden.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b268/braddoc310/flowahs.gif
More flowahs.

:)

Not Afraid

06-13-2006, 02:45 PM

LOVE THE GREEN STAMP SIGN.

Gotta take my caps lock off. ;)

cirquelover

06-13-2006, 03:32 PM

That's a big tank! You should be able to have a lot of fun with it, I can't wait to see the pictures when it's complete.

Gemini Cricket

06-14-2006, 04:01 AM

One of my guppies gave birth to 4 babies last night. Luckily, I have a lot of hiding places for them. :)

Snowflake

06-14-2006, 04:36 AM

One of my guppies gave birth to 4 babies last night. Luckily, I have a lot of hiding places for them. :)

Proud grandpapa! :cool: :cheers:

Love the green stamps sign, too!

Gemini Cricket

06-14-2006, 05:01 AM

Grandpapa?!
:faints:
:D

Gemini Cricket

06-14-2006, 05:20 AM

By the way, funny story about this thread title.

When my sister was like 2 years old, we would listen to my tape of 'Hair'. She used to sing, 'This is the dawning of the age of aquarium...'

So funny, so cute... (Yesterday was her birthday. 24 years old. Wow.)
:)

Gemini Cricket

06-17-2006, 09:21 AM

~MS~

06-17-2006, 09:54 AM

Speechless!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

€uroMeinke

06-17-2006, 10:02 AM

I thought my 55 gal tank was big!

Man Builds 50,000 gallon fish tank in his house (http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8952)

There are pictures, too.

He be crazy, y'all.
:eek:

OK now tell us your crazy fishtank project that you were going to use to this as proof to Ralphie that it isn't that crazy

GusGus

06-17-2006, 11:27 PM

Was toying with a betta, but not at home, Tango would have that for snack an have water all over the place, too.

When I was a kid, we had a tank built into the wall (very cool), and every once in a while my parents would clean the tank. All the fish were put in a pot on the kitchen sink (dad has a wicked sense of humor) to await the clean tank. I once wandered into the kitchen to find my cat sitting on the counter, staring into the pot. I immediately picked him up and got a wet paw smack to the cheek. It seemed a couple of the fish were misssing. Hmmm......

Motorboat Cruiser

06-18-2006, 12:13 AM

My dad went through a hardcore fish phase. We had at least 5 tanks going, including two 175 gallon tanks.

I'm sure if he could have gotten his hands on a 55,000 gallon tank, he would have. And I would have been lucky enough to clean it.

Gemini Cricket

06-18-2006, 01:04 PM

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b268/braddoc310/leaktest.gif
So, I did a leak test this morning by placing the tank on some dry newspapers. I let it sit for a couple of hours and no leaks! Yeehaw! :)

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b268/braddoc310/closeupleaktest.gif
Close up of test.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b268/braddoc310/tankinstall.gif
Installing the tank inside the house. These two pics are before Ralphie secured the tank and stand to the wall. You know, just in case...

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b268/braddoc310/installlong.gif

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b268/braddoc310/tankwithwater.gif
Tank installed with water added... I started the cycling process by introducing some ornaments and fake-o plants to the tank. The gravel is also from a matured tank that will help the process. After a couple of weeks, the tank should be ready to house some fish...

:)

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b268/braddoc310/frodo1.gif
Frodo as I was working outside. This is his favorite mud spot to sit in. I have no idea why he likes it, but he does... :D He just got a bath, too...

Not Afraid

06-18-2006, 02:53 PM

That's one mightty funny looking dog-fish. ;)

CoasterMatt

06-18-2006, 03:02 PM

The leak test you did for your tank is much like what I did for my computer's cooling system, my new flow meter/level indicator looks like it belongs in an aquarium setup :)

Gemini Cricket

06-28-2006, 04:13 PM

:mad:

Grrr.

Cycling a tank is the most annoying experience ever. A lot of sit and wait... then test the water...then sit and wait for a couple of days... test the water.... etc. I haven't even been able to put fishies in yet.

Once the ammonia and nitrite levels are at 0.00 and an acceptable level of nitrates are present in the water, then I can put fish in.

Until then, I am like an unbaptized child. I'm in limbo.

:D

Gemini Cricket

07-09-2006, 09:59 AM

Okay, how pissed am I?
Very.
My tank just sprung a leak and flooded our apt.
Back to sqaure one, kids.
Fu Ck!
:mad:

Brad smash!!!!!

CoasterMatt

07-09-2006, 10:03 AM

OH NO! :eek:

Not Afraid

07-09-2006, 10:24 AM

OMG! I'm so sorry.

Gemini Cricket

07-09-2006, 11:35 AM

I just transferred everything to an older, smaller tank. Everything's dry now. It appears that I didn't made the seal thick enough in one small area. So, now I have to take off the seal from the entire tank and start over. Bleh.

CoasterMatt

07-09-2006, 01:34 PM

A blown seal is a happy seal... no wait

Matterhorn Fan

07-09-2006, 01:57 PM

I was wondering how your fishies were doing. I've been breeding virtual fish of my own on Fish Tycoon. It's fairly lame.

Gemini Cricket

07-09-2006, 02:17 PM

Right now here's my fish count:

6 adult guppies (4 female, 2 male)
2 guppy fry (I lost one today)
4 Cory Cats
1 Black Pleco
1 Rubber Lipped Pleco
4 snails
1 Angelfish named "Wanda"

They are doing fine. They are a bit squished now, but they're doing okay.
:)

Matterhorn Fan

07-09-2006, 07:16 PM

Greenfin Stickfish: 3
Spined Spotanus: 2
Greenfin Spotanus: 6 (They're sparkly magic fish!)
Orange Spotanus: 1
Twinfin Shark: 1
Too young to tell yet: 3

But yours are, I'm guessing, far more rewarding than my video fish. ;)

Gemini Cricket

07-10-2006, 06:02 AM

But yours are, I'm guessing, far more rewarding than my video fish. ;)
At least you don't have to worry about your tank flooding your basement.
:D

Matterhorn Fan

07-10-2006, 05:15 PM

True. But your fish are still better. Will you reseal the tank soon?

Gemini Cricket

07-10-2006, 07:38 PM

True. But your fish are still better. Will you reseal the tank soon?
That's being discussed in committee right now. I'm for getting a freaking spanking new 55 gal tank. I say why not, it's my hobby, I'll keep it forever. Ralphie wants to repair the other one, but I'm not optimistic. The person who sold it sold it because it was leaky... I'm not sure it can be fixed and if it can, it's a long long process and the fishies are overcrowded in my 20 gal tank now.
I say new tank...
:)

Matterhorn Fan

07-10-2006, 07:51 PM

I say new tank. You deserve it. And won't somebody please think of the fishies!

Not Afraid

07-10-2006, 07:52 PM

One more vote for new tank.

Gemini Cricket

07-10-2006, 07:55 PM

MF & NA... tanks. I mean, thanks. :D

Matterhorn Fan

07-10-2006, 07:57 PM

I say you splurge for a little sunken pirate ship, too.

Or better, a model of the Nautilus with divers harvesting "food" from the bottom of the tank. Do they make that? Because they totally should.

Gemini Cricket

07-10-2006, 08:01 PM

They totally should. If they did, I'd get it. :)

I found out that it's only $100 for a new glass 55 gallon tank. I don't need all the other stuff, like a hood and light etc. I have all that...

Not Afraid

07-10-2006, 08:02 PM

If they made the Nautilus and divers, WE'D have an aquarium. That would be very cool.

Matterhorn Fan

07-10-2006, 08:04 PM

Surely somewhere there's a nautilus toy that could go in a fishtank. Are fishtank decorations made out of special "don't poison the fishies" plastic, or is it all the same?

katiesue

07-10-2006, 08:07 PM

I've got a Sponge Bob pineapple house and jellyfish in my tank. A 20 gallon tank with one lonley beta fish in it.

CoasterMatt

07-10-2006, 09:03 PM

A friend at work has a 60 gallon tank with skeletal arms and hands reaching out through the gravel at the bottom; he also has a smaller tank in the chest of a mannequin (that looks like it's in great pain)

Not Afraid

07-10-2006, 09:05 PM

Coaster Matt has the most interesting friends. I'm glad to be one of them even though I'm not quite as interesting as the rest.

flippyshark

07-10-2006, 09:15 PM

Surely somewhere there's a nautilus toy that could go in a fishtank. Are fishtank decorations made out of special "don't poison the fishies" plastic, or is it all the same?

Aside from the expensive but gorgeous Nautilus replica (http://www.disneydirect.go.com/page-12/13498/191735.htm) from Master Replicas, there aren't any good Nautilus toys, at least not domestically. I have a teeny tiny one from Tokyo Disney Sea which would look fine in a Cleo-type fishbowl, but would disappear in any real aquarium.

As far as I know, there have not been any officially liscensed Disney Nautilus model kits, and the fan-made garage kits have all been very pricey. This is the coolest sci-fi movie vehicle ever, and it has been sorely under-represented in merchandising for many decades.

Not Afraid

07-10-2006, 09:20 PM

Chris has a faux-Lego model that he got at TDS. It's pretty cool, but not appropriate for an aquarium.

Gemini Cricket

07-11-2006, 09:46 AM

I've decided to buy a new tank. Tomorrow. Brand new. So new, in fact, that I expect animated sparkle stars to flash indiscriminately all over it. Each flash is to be accompanied by a 'ting' sound effect.

Matterhorn Fan

07-11-2006, 01:46 PM

Ting!

Gemini Cricket

07-12-2006, 08:14 PM

Ting! GC brings home the new aquarium. It sparkles and shines. I will be working on it this week between work and play performances. Ting! Oh yeah!

Pretty good price, too. $99.00 at PetCo. Ting! It was supposed to have been $109, but an incorrect price tag was on it. They gave me the cheaper, incorrect price. Boo ya!

Ting!

CoasterMatt

07-12-2006, 09:25 PM

I can get ya a sound effect box with a ting! sound on it, if you'd like

Gemini Cricket

07-14-2006, 05:58 AM

I can get ya a sound effect box with a ting! sound on it, if you'd like
:D

New tank is up and running. Before and after the play last night I set it up. The fishies are happy in their new digs. I found out I do not need to cycle it because the gravel and everything I added to the tank already had the necessary bacteria attached. I did water tests and all is well.
:)

I tried taking pictures the other day and just stink at them. I need an East Coast Darkbeer to come over and take pictures of it...

Gemini Cricket

07-16-2006, 07:02 PM

Here's my finished aquarium. These aren't the best photos, but oh well...
I'll add some actual pictures of fish when I can figure out how to take them... :D

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b268/braddoc310/37.gif
So, I went with an ancient ruins theme. I got the Buddha head from an antiques show that Ralphie and I went to in Brimfield, MA. The jug at the left was a Ralphie find at PetSmart.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b268/braddoc310/39.gif
You can kind of see my guppies at the right side of the picture.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b268/braddoc310/40.gif
Here's a pretty okay shot of Wanda (the angel fish). ;)

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b268/braddoc310/50.gif
I created the wall in the center out of slate tiles. I broke them with a hammer and built a retaining wall in the center of the tank. There is a raised gravel terrace in the center of the wall. I tried to take a photo of it but it was very blurry.
I made the background of the tank black so the colors of the fish would pop out. It looks better in person.

I'm very happy with the way it turned out.

Tank dwellers:
1 Angel fish - Wanda
1 Pleco (Black)
1 Rubber Lipped Pleco (Grey)
6 Fancy Guppies (2 Males, 4 Females)
1 guppy fry (lost another one)
4 Cory Cats
4 Snails

:)

CoasterMatt

07-16-2006, 07:12 PM

That is a really nice looking setup, kind of reminds me of my computer.

Ghoulish Delight

07-17-2006, 08:22 AM

Very cool. That wall rocks (hah!), love the little arch in it.

Gemini Cricket

07-17-2006, 08:44 AM

Very cool. That wall rocks (hah!), love the little arch in it.
The arch was the tricky part. I had to build that part first and then build out to the sides. The fish seem to like the newly refurbed digs. Lots of hiding places now for the nocturnal ones.

Matterhorn Fan

07-17-2006, 02:31 PM

Very pretty!

How many fish can live together in that giant tank? You might need more fish.

Gemini Cricket

07-17-2006, 02:36 PM

Very pretty!

How many fish can live together in that giant tank? You might need more fish.
I've heard the one inch per gallon rule thrown about on the internet. I'd say I agree with that. But I usually take into account the maximum size of each fish. I'm thinking I can fit a few more guppies in this tank. We'll see how it goes. Wanda's pretty aggressive with the other fish. I'll have to keep my eye on her.
:)

Matterhorn Fan

07-17-2006, 02:38 PM

Gemini Cricket

07-21-2006, 08:08 AM

I've heard angelfish can be mean. My brother used to get those for the fish in his tank, but he only had one that lived for very long. It was kindof fat and had short fins. It was probably eating the other angelfish in the night.
I think Wanda's days may be numbered. She totally rammed a guppy earlier this week. Now its spine is all curved and she's swimming oddly.
What a bully that Wanda is... Hmmmm...

Matterhorn Fan

07-21-2006, 11:03 AM

Oh, I hope I didn't give Wanda any ideas.

Gemini Cricket

07-27-2006, 06:58 PM

One of my mamma guppies just gave birth to 12 fry.
I just separated her from her kids so she wouldn't eat them.
:)

12? "Listen, sister, I'm running out of room here..."
:D

Gemini Cricket

08-02-2006, 07:30 AM

Wanda disappeared.

Seriously. I don't have the foggiest idea what happened. I searched all the hiding places and even dug up some of the gravel. Wanda is MIA.

It's sort of a blessing in disguise, but it's very strange.

We noticed she was gone on Friday and thought maybe she'd turn up later in the day. Nope. Gone.

I have a couple of theories.

1. She died for some reason and the guppies and catfish consumed her.
2. She jumped out of the tank and a furry four-legged Frodo ate her.
3. Ralphie murdered her. But I checked the freezer, no frozen fish. So that's out.
4. Kevin Kline came over to my house an ate her.
5. I flushed her in my sleep.

Very, very strange.

Snowflake

08-02-2006, 07:38 AM

:(
Wanda, RIP wherever you are

Matterhorn Fan

08-02-2006, 03:54 PM

Oh, poor Wanda.

Are your other fish fatter than they were before?

Cadaverous Pallor

08-02-2006, 08:50 PM

Don't be sad for Wanda, she's a part of the cycle of life. Seeing as how she was mean to the others, be glad. Getting a fish out of a tank can be a very messy business indeed.

Not Afraid

08-02-2006, 08:58 PM

Great. Now I'm singing "Circle of Life" complete with hand motions.

katiesue

08-03-2006, 09:38 AM

Great. Now I'm singing "Circle of Life" complete with hand motions.

Video please ;)

Gemini Cricket

08-03-2006, 09:45 AM

My aquarium guru, Dustysage, and I discussed getting some neon tetras to add to the tank. So I put 5 in yesterday. They're schooling. It's so cool looking.
:)

Matterhorn Fan

08-03-2006, 03:28 PM

I love those! I hope you can manage to get a picture...

JWBear

08-03-2006, 03:36 PM

Not Afraid

08-03-2006, 03:55 PM

JWBear

08-03-2006, 04:24 PM

He-he was lying naked on the broken stones...and this you won't believe! Nobody, nobody, nobody could believe it! It looked as if-as if they had devoured him!...As if they'd torn or cut parts of him away with their hands, or with knives, or those jagged tin cans they made music with. As if they'd torn bits of him away in strips!
"My son, Sebastian and I constructed our days. Each day we would carve each day like a piece of sculpture, leaving behind us a trail of days like a gallery of sculpture until suddenly, last summer."

Seriously creepy movie.