What's new
By:
TerraForums - Carnivorous Plant Community

Welcome to TerraForums — a long-running carnivorous plant community established in 2001. Register for free to join the conversation, ask questions, and connect with growers from around the world.

NASC Auction will END in...

Review the rules :)
NASC auction is OPEN!!

White Cloud minnows

Share this page

moonflower

moonflower

an unfortunate suicidal incident recently led to the demise of my travelling betta... poor little guy
smile_h_32.gif
however i can't have a fishless dorm room so here's the latest plan:

a while back i had gotten a fairly large tank (acrylic bow front, no gallon measurements unfortunately but looks to be ~7.5ish going by centimeter calculations) on clearance at petco... it's got a hinged cover, cheap filter, and not a whole lot else. assuming my desk can hold the weight (though i've seen tank stands built less sturdily), i'm now wondering what to put in it. the specifications are:

1. needs to be able to live without a heater in a warm (in the 70's) room
2. needs to be able to fit in a 2-5 gallon when i go home
3. needs to actually survive travelling ~6 times a year

bettas work beautifully for this purpose, and with all that room he'd be one happy betta. my original betta was healthy as anything... maybe *too* healthy, with enough muscle to leap out of a small bowl. however... it's a big tank. i'm considering 2-3 white cloud mountain minnows instead of a betta but i'm not sure how hardy they are. anybody have any experience for these? or should i just stick with nice, familiar bettas?

thanx!
 
Personally, I would stick with a Betta or some other atmospheric air breathing (Anabantoid) type of fish - like a Colisa gourami (Dwarf, Giant, Thicklipped) or Paradise fish. Is the filter one that is brand new or has it gone though the nitrogen cycle?
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (jimscott @ Dec. 19 2005,5:24)]Is the filter one that is brand new or has it gone though the nitrogen cycle?
Click to expand...
brand new, very cheap. honestly, i think the reason the price of the set was reduced by $45 was due to customer complaints that the thing just wasn't worth it. but the newness of everything is another reason i think i'll give white clouds a try, from what i've read they're good fish to cycle with anyway.

the whole thing would kind of be an experiment tank... i doubt i'll be able to find filter cartridge refills, but the design would allow for plain floss and charcoal (it's a chamber with a sponge that sucks up the water, the pump is at the top), and with 2-3 white clouds it wouldn't need a whole lot of maintenance. and if those don't work out... there will be one very happy betta in there until i stop moving around every six months!!!

also... i was planning on cutting out a piece of used filter cartridge from my 10-gallon at home to put in this filter to theoretically speed up cycling. will that work?
 
I would look into getting some plants into that tank. Java moss and java fern should work out for you. It would make maintenance easier.
 
Heather, I just wanted to make sure that you weren't setting yourself up for disappointment. That and I'm not sure where your at with the bio-chemical aspect of it all. So if it comes off as insulting your intelligence - I apologize beforehand.

I used to work for a tropical fish wholesaler and also for my Dad's long since defunct retail stores. All too often I would see a middle-aged guy come in with his pre-teen son, two days after Christmas, with the idea in mind that they were going to buy a typical 10 gallon set up.... and stock it with fish that day. As much as one doesn't want to lose a sale or be negative about the idea of needing to wait, it was best to give the old man a quick lesson on patience and "Nitrogen Cycle".

Stop me if you've heard this before! In a nutshell, when one gets a fishtank set up, all things are brand new. Father and son adequately rinse gravel (as we do with CP's) and let the tank stand for a day, because they are aware of the potential of chlorine poisoning. But usually, they are ignorant of the Nitrogen Cycle. They figure, brand new filter and clean water is safe. So they buy a smattering of livebearers, a cory cat and plecostomus, some zebras, making sure that they follow the old adage about not exceeding the 1 - 1" fish per gallon of water. Then they feed them some Tetramin. Realistically, the fish are metabolizing; producing wasteproducts and the filter is doing what it can. But it's not enough. There isn't any (or at least far from adequate) "good bacteria" (nitrosamonas) being produced to break down the toxic ammonia. The tank clouds up and the fish begin to die. If there are any survivors, they're still not out of the woods. After the nitosamonas bacteria break down the ammonia to still toxic nitrite, there is still needed nitrobacter bacteria to break the nitrates down into the safer nitrate. But that process takes time and it should be done slowly. The best approach, if one doesn't have a "seasoned" filter medium, is to introduce one fish to the tank. Let it metabolize a bit and allow the wasteproducts to be broken down, without it being overwhelming. The tank may cloud a little (bacteria), but will be at a much safer pace.

Now, back to your idea of taking a piece of "seasoned" filter medium: I don't see why not. As long as the filter has the "good bacteria" going for it, that should work.

Years ago I conducted an experiment (surprise, surprise) with a 70 gallon tank of saltwater invertebrates. We just had a shipment come in and as what often happens, not everybody is alive on arrival. The obvious ones are removed immediately. But sometimes a dead coral or an anemone is missed or most likely, a borderline one is put over the edge. By the next day, there could be a major disaster! In one case, I drained all the old water out and took "good" water from a bunch of other tanks to replace it. That worked out well. In another case I drained all the water and replaced it with water from the established tanks. Then I put in a brand new filter. That failed miserably. The massive water change with a brand new filter couldn't handle the existing wasteproducts, while the established filter medium DID.

Hmmm.... writer's cramp just set in!
smile_m_32.gif
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (Nflytrap @ Dec. 19 2005,5:51)]I would look into getting some plants into that tank. Java moss and java fern should work out for you. It would make maintenance easier.
Click to expand...
live plants are no good in a tank that small..
live plants require lots of light.
enough light for the plants would overheat the water in a tank that small...

no good.
please dont try live plants in teeny tanks.

and, live plants make tank maintenance MUCH harder..
not easier.
live plants in an aquarium are harder to keep than the fish.

Scot
 
scottychaos,

I disagree.
It was recommend that she tries Java Fern and Java Moss. Both are low light plants. In fact I'm very shocked that I have Java Moss growing in a 2 1/2 gallon tank with no light. It's in the corner away from the north facing window, and the blinds are closed all the time. The Java Moss is growing in this tank for over 8 months now.
 
I agree with Elgecko. Once you get java moss established it is almost impossible to kill. They do fine in low light. I've had it in conditions similar to Elgecko's tank and it does just fine and grows. Java fern is almost as tough but likes to be anchored to something.
 
I agree to! I have Java fern and its in the shade of My Foxtail and Something ealse i got in a trade, Both grow fast. and it grows fine! Getting MINIMAL light, Java fern and java moss work great i say.

cheers
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top