So, who owns an aquarium?

[AverageJoe]

We bought one at Christmas and its been great fun for the kids (sometimes just watching the fish swimming around and sometimes for when we get the remains of something thats been eaten out...)

Has anyone else got an aquarium? What have you got and whats in it?

And whilst I am here - can anyone ID this fish? it seems to be going through a phase of eating its tank-mates (its done 5 this week). I pretty sure that its supposed to be compatible with my tetras and guppies, but it seems to have gone rogue

Its quite hard to photo fish innit. They are about 2 inches long with a silver body, and red fins and that black mark on the tail

 

[machine cat]

It could be a Silver Barb?

 

[AverageJoe]

it *looks* like a silver barb, but when I googled it none of them had that black spot. However, I am pretty sure that its a barb of some sort, I just want to know as they are acting strangely (there are four of them in my tank which has 31 fish in altogether) and are chasing each other and everything.

And eating them.






the fuckers

 

[Fez909]

it *looks* like a silver barb, but when I googled it none of them had that black spot. However, I am pretty sure that its a barb of some sort, I just want to know as they are acting strangely (there are four of them in my tank which has 31 fish in altogether) and are chasing each other and everything.

And eating them.






the fuckers

My first thought was tiger barb, so odds are it's a barb of some sort going by the responses.

 

[machine cat]

it *looks* like a silver barb, but when I googled it none of them had that black spot. However, I am pretty sure that its a barb of some sort, I just want to know as they are acting strangely (there are four of them in my tank which has 31 fish in altogether) and are chasing each other and everything.

And eating them.






the fuckers

If it is a Barb they are a pretty aggressive fish, especially towards bright fish with large fins (and probably why it likes your Guppies).

 

[AverageJoe]

Its not a tiger barb as they have black vertical striped on them.


Bloody, stupid, fish The should come with name badges

 

[AverageJoe]

If it is a Barb they are a pretty aggressive fish, especially towards bright fish with large fins (and probably why it likes your Guppies).

This is not the news I wanted to hear

 

[Fez909]

Its not a tiger barb as they have black vertical striped on them.


Bloody, stupid, fish The should come with name badges

Lipstick barb has the black spot, but not the red fins and tail.

It still could be any one of these species, tbh, as the pattern could be non-standard.

 

[machine cat]

TBH 31 seems like a lot of fish. How big is the tank?

 

[Callie]

I reckon it doesnt matter which fish you have some will end up eating others

my parents have a tank with cichlids and they had babies and they at each other and the other fish

 

[machine cat]

Barbs are shoaling fish. If there are only 4 of them in the tank they may be feeling a bit insecure. Having other shoaling fish around like Tetras may be causing them to lash out.

Probably best to move them

 

[Callie]

or get even bigger fish to eat them shark!

 

[Callie]

can you get tiny sharks to keep at home?

 

[machine cat]

not in a freshwater aquarium.

 

[Callie]

what about a salty water one? can you do it. TINY SHARKS!


personally seeing what my parents have been through I couldnt be bothered with trying to maintain a very enclosed ecosystem that could fall over and wipe out the entire contents for no particular reason - i think thats part of the draw for some, you really do have to learn how it all works and understand the fine balance.

 

[neonwilderness]

I used to have a 70 litre tank a few years ago with a small shoal of neon tetras, a few silver mollies and a couple of shrimp. It was initially bought for frogs, but they were a bit rubbish

I keep thinking about setting something up again, but the cleaning was always a bit of a chore.

 

[AverageJoe]

TBH 31 seems like a lot of fish. How big is the tank?

Its a 44 gallon tank.

Apparently you can have one inch of fish per gallon, so there's plenty of room, but I couldnt get any more

 

[machine cat]

Its a 44 gallon tank.

Apparently you can have one inch of fish per gallon, so there's plenty of room, but I couldnt get any more

I still think the Barbs are feeling threatened and having a go. They grow quite large and like to be in numbers so best to move them before they have a go at everything.

 

[AverageJoe]

I still think the Barbs are feeling threatened and having a go. They grow quite large and like to be in numbers so best to move them before they have a go at everything.

I'll keep a watchful eye. If they need to be moved on, then they will be.

To the toilet.

(Thanks for the advice though - isnt Urbs *grate* )

 

[machine cat]

 

[zenie]

Badgers

I used to have one, had fancy goldfish (black moors) that I adored but I couldn't ever keep alive, then a tank full of neons. I'd love to have a tank again as it's so relaxing to sit and watch. I nearly got a hermit crab last year but really need somewhere long term to live first.

 

[Mrs Magpie]

Drug residues 'alter fish behaviour'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21437404

 

[IC3D]

View attachment 29087

That fish looks stuffed to the gills on its brethren, this is why I'm pescetarian.

 

[QOTH]

Ooh, just found this thread. I got an aquarium in June and it's been ace. We've got 3 tiger barbs + 1 albino (currently sickly but hanging in there) a gang of about a dozen neon tetras, 5 cardinal tetras, a solitary leopard danio (we did have a more but one went on a killing spree then leapt out of the tank at feeding time) a bronze cory, some high fin platys (blue and orange) and a plec.

 

[StoneRoad]

My small aquarium tank currently used for two, very elderly, male gerbils. (was got specifically for them, second hand and very cheap, as it leaked !)

 

[bi0boy]

Was going to get one but don't seem to be able to water cacti enough to keep them alive so woe betide any fish I have to look after.

 

[Maurice Picarda]

I would quite like to own a run-down aquatic attraction, half a mile from the pier in a dingy seaside resort, and to collaborate on joint ticketing deals with the crap chamber of wax horrors down the road. We'd use plastic sharks and claim they were sleeping. The pike would be drugged and defanged.

 

[Kanda]

Does my office, the Gulf of Thailand count?

 

[ChrisFilter]

No. Show off.

 

[QOTH]

Was going to get one but don't seem to be able to water cacti enough to keep them alive so woe betide any fish I have to look after.

I can't keep cacti alive for love nor money - the last ones I got died of sunstroke, I kid you not. Fish are much easier.