Hi, I'm new to the group, and have been in the hobby for about a year.

I have learned that the most important thing is to research the species
you wish to keep. Mistakes happen, of course, and you can learn from
them, but behind each of those mistakes, a living creature gets killed
or irreparably(sp) damaged...so for me, I feel that I owe it to the
animals to minimize the possibility of hurting them, and that means
learning as much as I can before committing to take care of them.

I did a tank when I was starting out, and I was very impulsive (and
stupid). Check this out: I actually put a Koi, a 4" comet goldfish,
three or four other goldfish, two african cichlids (a yellow lab and a
livingstoni), two plecos, and a juvenile Oscar in a 55 gallon tank. I
used store-bought distilled water because I thought that was "better"
than treating tap water since it was "pure". Absolutely idiotic. Knowing
nothing about water chemistry, I didn't keep the buffering capacity high
enough to absorb pH swings, and when I went on a 2-day hunting trip, the
tank had crashed, and everything was dead or dying. The only fish to
survive was the Oscar which I still have today(his growth was stunted,
though, I'm certain).

My point is, I learned a lot from that blunder, but if I had spent just
a day or two on the net or in the library researching those fish,
getting the test kits, etc., I could have saved 7 animals from dying
from a toxic, burning, ammonia-and-nitrate death cocktail.

Please note, I am not preaching(certainly not qualified to), I am just
speaking from *my* point of view, which is my own, and is only a perfect
fit for me and how I approach things.

-- Kerry Thomas
-- Please remove .NOSPAM from my email to reply.


Joe Crowder wrote:
"jk" wrote in message
.. .

"Russ" wrote in message
.com...

My wife is wanting to get a south american cichlid from PetCo. They
are like $5.99 for the small ones.

We have never owned a fish, so we're trying to research as much as we
can online. Does anyone have any good recommendations for tank
decorations, size, gravel, additives, websites to order from, etc?

We have a 20 gallon tank and just purchased a pump/filter and vacuum.
We're planning on only having one cichlid for a long time, but if we
get another we will get a bigger tank. We're also planning on putting
an Algae eater in there with him of the same size. We figured we
might find all the other stuff online cheaper. Any good sites that
are cheap anyone can recommend?

Thanks!


Some people are very intense about everything they do. I sometimes envy
them. I've had fish for over 40 years, and usually just picked them out,

and

plopped them in the tank! Everything I learned was by asking questions,

and

making mistakes.

--
JK Sinrod
Sinrod Stained Glass Studios
www.sinrodstudios.com
Coney Island Memories
www.sinrodstudios.com/coneymemories



I feel like I'm doing something wrong when I here about how High Intensity
people do things. There is always someone who does it just like the experts
suggest. But, I get some comfort out of the fact that my blood pressure is
lower. Also, I seem to learn much more by making my own mistakes, than by
being told how to do things the right way. I guess it's not the same for
everyone.

Joe