Hi..well, A Long Trip But I Made It Here!

[Lisamarie]

Hi, I'm Lisa and I finally made it to a forum!!! 

 
I have had tropical fish in the past, but back then I would say I really did not know what I was doing!  I don't pretend to know now,however I have studied, picked the brains of pet and fish shops, scoured the internet, consulted the fishy world of Google and arrived here.
With one little 4ft tank, mixed fish, some I know the names of others I don't, I just loved them and decided to give them a home!

They all seem to get along well...neons, guppies, catfish, one fighter, shrimp, and my star attractions, two wild green discus - totally in 

  with these guys xx  My guppies and shrimp are breeding and plants growing so things appear healthy in my fishy world

Not sure if you can see my tank but I made it my pic, so with a bit of luck it's there.  I just noticed the 'attach files' I'll see if I can attach it there - I love my tank and I am proud of it (Just quietly).  It's my first tank that has real plants, real substrate and real dedication on my part

  Success!! Wall lah!
The main reason I decided to join your forum is to learn more, pick up a few hints and solve issues that may occur.... I have a slight issue with my discus but will probably post that at a later stage, depending on what the week brings!

By the way I think these little characters you have are great -

  
Take care my new found fish buddies...Lisa

 

[fluttermoth]

Welcome to the forum, Lisa.

Your tank looks very good

I would start a thread about your discus sooner rather than later. 'Slight issues' with fish rarely solve themselves and you obviously don't want anything to happen to those beauties!

 

[kevingrods]

AWESOME! WELCOME! You have now found the only place you will need to go for everything about fish!!!  Congratulations.  I was very lucky and I found the site when I first got into the hobby 5 months ago.  With the help of everyone, I have 4 successfully cycled running tanks.  I am also in the process of getting a saltwater tank to grow corals and upgrading my freshwater to a 54 gallon bow front tank very soon.  I would definitely make sure you actively use the forum because when you hit 60 post and hang around for 60 days, you will gain further access to the site.  You will be able to join the chat room were we chat about fish all day long.  It's pretty awesome.  Also at 60 days and 60 post you will be able to enter your tank into "Tank Of The Month" competition and by judging by your tank, I think you have an excellent shot!  Love the white rock path way you created!  Also there is "Pet Of The Month Competition" and "Fish Of The Month Competition".  At the end of the year, all the members pick the "Tank Of The Year" which is the highest honor a tank can receive.  So not only do you get to enjoy the hobby as you already do, you will also be able to show off your hard work in friendly competitions! Did I also mention how good of a photographer you will become!  I followed the instructions on how to take an excellent pictures, a thread the site has created and now I feel like a professional photographer!  Check out my fish in the the next fish of the month competition, it's the orange one named Raptor.   I would predict your "fun or enjoyment level"  has just increased ten fold because you now have a million fish friends to chat with and seek advice.

 
Have a great day and welcome to the site!
 
Kevin

 

[Ch4rlie]

to TFF!
 
Nice tank 

 
Well, looks like you're gonna enjoy this forum if you are into learning more about fish keeping, loads of tips, hints and advice available on this site.
 
If you ever get stuck or unsure about anything, we will be happy to help. 

 
BTW agree with fluttermoth, best to post anything about your fish issues, always better sooner rather than later.

 

[daizeUK]

Hi Lisa, welcome!  very nice looking tank! 

 

[ech0o]

Yes, this is surely the place to learn!!!!  No matter how experienced, it always seems like something you don't know ALWAYS crops up when least expected, this forum has A LOT of combined knowledge and has helped me through many situations!!  Glad to have you!

 

[Lisamarie]

Thanks everyone for your welcome messages .... Shucks

 Sweet x
 
Well Kevingrods....4....Tanks - I am forbidden from any more Hummmmph - I have my one tank and a bowl - but the bowl is not as elaberate as the tank and that's it,  

 no more fish Lisa they have cost you a fortune..but he doesn't know the 1/2 of it.....Shhhhhh I don't tell him either!

 
Well my problem is my Discus - Don't know if I put this here or elsewhere - I have read the post on fighting but in my case my two - you can see in the pic of my tank - have bee getting along brilliantly always together, I bought them together from the same shop at same time from same tank - now just this past Sunday one of them has decided it is not going to play nice!

 It keeps pecking at the other and chasing it into hiding spots.....big fat mean fish!  The bossy one turns almost black, like he's in a storm cloud and goes at the other who is now, stripped darkly, and I feel is begining to fret as fins are not open.  I have had them for almost 4 months now - should I be worried or are they just doing what they do?

 

  thanks again for all your kind words and warm welcomes xx
 
Lisa

 

[Tongue_Flicker]

Hey lisa welcome aboard!

 

[fluttermoth]

Thanks everyone for your welcome messages .... Shucks

 Sweet x
 
Well Kevingrods....4....Tanks - I am forbidden from any more Hummmmph - I have my one tank and a bowl - but the bowl is not as elaberate as the tank and that's it,  

 no more fish Lisa they have cost you a fortune..but he doesn't know the 1/2 of it.....Shhhhhh I don't tell him either!

 
Well my problem is my Discus - Don't know if I put this here or elsewhere - I have read the post on fighting but in my case my two - you can see in the pic of my tank - have bee getting along brilliantly always together, I bought them together from the same shop at same time from same tank - now just this past Sunday one of them has decided it is not going to play nice!

 It keeps pecking at the other and chasing it into hiding spots.....big fat mean fish!  The bossy one turns almost black, like he's in a storm cloud and goes at the other who is now, stripped darkly, and I feel is begining to fret as fins are not open.  I have had them for almost 4 months now - should I be worried or are they just doing what they do?

 

  thanks again for all your kind words and warm welcomes xx
 
Lisa

I'm afraid this is  common problem with cichlids kept in 'unmatched' pairs.
 
Most cichlids prefer to choose their own mate from a group and putting two random fish together is unlikely to result in a pair. Discus can be quite aggressive towards each other, if they're not a true pair, so it's usually recommended that they be kept in small groups of around six.
 
That way, each fish gets a break from being picked on while the dominant fish is picking on someone else in the shoal. All you can do is either get more discus, or rehome one of yours.
 
The reason this problem has started now, when they've been okay together previously, is simply that they're now reaching sexual maturity.

 

[Lisamarie]

Thanks Fluttermouth - I thought that may have been my issue....but I wasn't positive cause they have been together for quite a while...In your opinion, do you think my tank can hold more stock?  I feel it may be overcrowded if I up the Discus population by say another 3-4??

 

 

 

  
and in turn add to Ammonia levels putting everything out of whack

  
 
Thanks for your help

 

[Lisamarie]

Oh sorry one more thought - What if I can't get fish of similar size, would they be ok if I can only get younger ones, or is this going to create more issues?  I live in a small country town and there is only one decent fish shop, for anything substantial I have to either order on line or travel for a few hours..

 

[Lisamarie]

Hello......Can someone in the know please guide me on my dilemma above...please ??

 

[fluttermoth]

If you add four or more discus, it shouldn't matter too much that they're smaller, AFAIK, although I'm not a discus keeper.
 
I can't tell if you'd be overstocked with that; can you list exactly what fish and how many you have in the tank now and what your nitrate level is like?