Eric wrote:

OK, I will now reveal that I have at one time worked as a fish professional.
I worked for one of the big "evil empire" type stores when I needed an extra
job to cover some expenses. Here are some things I wish people knew about
fish before they ever thought about keeping an aquarium.

1. You cannot buy an aquarium and the fish you want in it the same day. There
were even people who wanted to buy a tank and a clownfish just because they
saw Finding Nemo. Even if you bought live sand and filtered seawater this
would be a long shot for the little nemo's survival.

2. You can't stock a tank to capacity shortly after setting it up. the number
one cause of death is ammonia. Bacteria get rid of ammonia. New tanks don't
have these bacteria, so build up slow. It may take a couple of months.

3. Algae will not kill your fish. Some people panic when they see algae. They
do stupid things as a result.

4. A teardown and rebuild is a good way to kill your fish. If the fish were
happy why do you need to take everything apart? Oh, yeah, algae.

4. It's best to stick to fish that stay under 3 inches in a 10gal. tank

5. You don not *have to* get a CAE or a pl*co in order to "clean the tank".
If you just think they're cool, get one, but they are by no means necessary.
Every fish you add to a tank increases the load on a tank. There is no magic
fish that improves water quality.

6. If you think that AmmoLock, Amquel, or zeolite are a long-term solution to
your overcrowded tank, you're wrong. There are countless oscar abusers who
mistakenly rely on these products.

7. Don't worry so much about your pH. It's high. The water comes from deep
wells that extend into Jurassic seabeds. Your better off just not worrying
about and letting your cardinals die young than adding pH Down or worse to
your tank.

Can anyone else add to this list?

-E

Your algae observations were really funny. I *worry* about fishtanks
that have no algae at all! What would the fish graze on when I feed
lightly?

From another fish store refugee...

8. Your new tank will most likely have cloudy water for a while.
Changing the water will only make it worse.

9. No, guppies (mollies, platies, swordtails) don't lay eggs. Where
did the babies go? Well, fish have this rule... If it fits into the
mouth, it's food. Be grateful the babies are gone because livebearers
will breed you out of house and home unchecked.

10. Where did your cute little baby neons go? Didn't you buy an
angelfish last weekend? See number 9. Almost any fish will consider
eating a much smaller tankmate.

11. You have to use a gravel vacuum to clean the gravel when you change
water. If you've never cleaned the gravel before, start out gradually,
cleaning a third of the tank for the next 3 water changes. Work up to
cleaning the whole gravel bed with every water change.

12. Typical aquaria have strip lights that are wildly inadequate for
live plants. Why? So typical fish-only tanks don't grow too much
algae. Get a glass canopy and a good power compact light fixture if you
really want to grow plants. At a minimum, get a strip with two
fluorescent tubes instead of one.

13. Learn how to recognize ich before it wipes out your tank. If you
can't get to the fish store easily, keep some Quick Cure on hand.

14. Never buy a fish on impulse. Research its future size, housing
requirements, temperament, compatiblity, and food requirements before
you buy. The fish you buy on impulse and later wish you hadn't will be
the one that only eats live food, is too aggressive to keep with the
rest of your fish, costs a fortune yet hides all the time, or has an
adult size of 20" long.

15. Despite their popularity, tempting colors, and low price,
livebearers are not very good beginner fish. Start with danios, tetras,
rasboras, cories, or peaceful cichlids and add the livebearers later
when your tank has stabilized.

16. Only buy fish when every fish in the store tank is healthy. If
even one fish is sick or dying, can you tell which one will be next? I
like to see most of the fish on the same shared water system healthy
too. Never add fish store water to your tank and quarantine new fish
for a few weeks if you can.

--
Elaine T __
http://eethomp.com/fish.html '__
rec.aquaria.* FAQ http://faq.thekrib.com