Hey From Auburn, Al

SamB

Fishaholic
Joined
May 19, 2013
Messages
475
Reaction score
0
Location
US
Hey y'all,
 
I'm Sam, and only recently got back into fish keeping (did it a lot as a kid, now in College with a steady job that can help support the habbit).
 
My girlfriend got me a betta fish for my birthday earlier this year and after that everything has tumbled quickly into me getting a much larger 20 gallon tank, and us owning 3 betta fish (soon to be four) and another (currently empty) 10 gallon tank. I would love to go bigger, but the issue currently is space and funds. No room for the huge tanks I'd love to do!
 
When I got the 20 gallon tank, it came with 3 tigerbarbs and a 5.5-6" pictus catfish along with some sort of old turtle resting bridge-thing that was used for shelter for the pictus. I bought the tank on craigslist for all of 25 dollars and it had everything I needed (I've since had to replace the heater, but still, it was a great deal). I thought the fish would be pretty cool, but after observing and researching, I realized the Pictus needed some buddies, and there was NO way I could have more than one of him. Furthermore, he was going to munch any of the fish I would want to put in there. Combined with the tiger barbs, I was looking at a fairly challenging tank to stock. 
 
I luckily found a local store to buy the fish from me, and sold them all for 15 dollars, enough to get some supplies and plants. I like to think of the 20 gallon as my 10 dollar tank.

I have since rescued some fish from (shudder) Petco, since there are no local aquarium stores at my university, and driven out to Montgomery to pick up some of my nicer fish. 
 
This 20 gallon is the first time I've kept anything harder than neon tetras in my life so I'm a little nervous with the German Blue Rams I have in there, but so far so good!
 
Any advice is welcome! Great to meet everyone. Pic of tank:
 
tank.jpg
 
Welcome Sam!  Its always nice to have some folks from this side of the pond on here.
 
I didn't even realize just how international this forum was until later on. I have read many threads on here for troubleshooting before, some of the betta stuff has been awesome.
 
Its mainly UK, US, and Australia... there are a few Canadians sprinkled in though - and a few from other locales.  We had some members from South Africa, Philippines, Korea, etc. Lots of folks all over the globe.  More US folks though means that we can give specific information regarding brands, etc.  Some of the UK folks can actually give directions to specific LFS!  We are a lot more spread out than that, although I did meet up with one member from this forum to pass on a bit of mature filter media.  That was fun!
 
Nice! That would be nice to meet someone who could give me hints with an LFS.. I feel like there must be one somewhere around me. You're pretty far from me, haha. Brands will definitely be helpful. I want to put that driftwood in soon. I think I'll buy some after work.
 
The key to finding "driftwood" in the US quick and easy, is to check the "REPTILE" section.  The target is "mopani" wood.  This stuff is so dense that it will sink immediately, no pre-soak necessary.  Although a pre-soak is suggested to remove any debris that might be riding on it.
 
 
Also, this stuff will release tannins (I think I mentioned that last night), which will darken the water.  It can be removed by carbon in your filter, or by water changes.  Eventually the rate of release will drop (and unfortunately, its effectiveness in lowering pH and softening the water also will decrease with it).  But, the fish will really appreciate the addition.  PETCO has it in their reptile section, different size options than you will find in the  aquatics section.
 
welcomeani.gif
 to TFF, relevantsam! Your tank looks very nice!
As Eagles said mopani wood is really great - I recently got some from a home-ware store over here in the UK - actually got 3 pieces and whilst 2 of them sank immediately, the 3rd one floated and took 3-4 days of soaking in a bucket to sink completely. It definitely does add tannins to the water and makes it look like tea, but I quite like that! It didn't make much difference to the pH of my tanks tbh, but that may just be a fluke I guess!
Hope you continue to enjoy the forum and in time you'll be able to share your expertise with other members.
 
No, you are correct, depending on the kH of the water (buffering ability) the pH itself may not change much, if at all, but it will "soften" the water...
 
Thanks for the advice guys! I haven't gotten my driftwood yet, my local petco doesn't have any right now.
 

Most reactions

trending

Members online

Back
Top