I Think Im Too Paranoid For Fish Keeping...

[Squid]

Fishless cycle finished a few weeks ago, so thats good, but i have had a few losses since adding the fish. A couple of panda cory's and a couple of female dwarf gouramis (bacterial infection possibly, which i have been told is common with dwarf gouramis).. the lfs recommended myxazin whych seems to have helped.

Everything seems to have settled down now, but im just so paranoid all the time. im finding it hard to relax and watch the fish without:

- constantly counting them,
- checking the cory's are still moving or resting and not dead..
- wondering if one of the angels is ok as he is breathing slightly more heavier than the other one, and is a little more shy.. BTW.... Is this the signs of an angel that is being a little nervous of the other angel?
- momentarily mistaking sand for itch..
- checking the stats again
- worrying about overfeeding (i dont think i am) and food that got into the filter

Does this paranoia ever wear off?

Did you all go through this period?

it can take the edge off of it all a bit.

Squid

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Chill ! We all get fish loss's from time to time, panda corys are notoriously fragile anyways, so i wouldn't get too worked about those. I'm always checking my tank for stuff like this(not in a paranoid way though), i think its good to do this, but you should try to enjoy your fish more- make yourself a hot mug of tea, put on some good quiet music to chill out to, and just watch them swim... .

 

[@ombomb]

Yeah it'll wear off in time.

Having said that, keep a close eye on things will make sure you spot any potential problems before they get out of hand.

And now you know not to add panda cories / dwarf gouramis to a newly cycled tank...

 

[Squid]

thanks tokis.. will try...

oh.. and i believe you are somewhat of an angel expert. would my description of the angel lend itself to one who is feeling a little got at?

If so, perhaps i either need a third, or should re-home him..

Squid

 

[Bloo]

I still check all of those things Squid - but they are second nature now and do them pretty much without conscious thought. It'll get easier the more confident you feel

 

[Squid]

Yeah it'll wear off in time.

Having said that, keep a close eye on things will make sure you spot any potential problems before they get out of hand.

And now you know not to add panda cories / dwarf gouramis to a newly cycled tank...

hmm.. shame to learn the hard way though.. i had been lead to believe that the gouramis would be ok, and that they suffer from bacterial infection in non-newly cycled tanks too. The male has survived, and his colours are really flourishing now. a bit of bloodworm seems to help that.

Squid

I still check all of those things Squid - but they are second nature now and do them pretty much without conscious thought. It'll get easier the more confident you feel

i guess i am more conscious of it after finding a couple of dead one

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

thanks tokis.. will try...

oh.. and i believe you are somewhat of an angel expert. would my description of the angel lend itself to one who is feeling a little got at?

If so, perhaps i either need a third, or should re-home him..

Squid

Nah i really no expert on angels at all, Tolak is your man for that kind of fish, but this thread will basically answer all the common angel questions/worries;

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=129078

The angel doesn't sound like anything to worry about though, how long have you had him ?

 

[Squid]

Thanks... perhaps i was confusing the name

about 3 weeks now..

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Thanks... perhaps i was confusing the name

about 3 weeks now..

If there is no agression between the angels, they should be fine- adding some extra planting to create more hiding places will help cut down on stress though, you can also add some StressCoat dechlorinator to your tank next time you do a water change as well as it helps encourage healthy protective slimecoat growth on fish, cutting down on the amount of time the tank lights are left on per day can also help cut down on stress- keeping a stress-free tank is the key to keeping a happy one .
Try feeding your fish some treats like frozen bloodworms and daphinia as well if you can, and a bit of veg like algae wafers or cucumber, what and how many fish do you have at curren t?

 

[Squid]

I have: (rio180 by the way)

3 pandas (did have more )
7 pentazona barbs
1 dwarf gouramis
2 anglefish
1 spotted raphael talking fella

Thanks for the tips..

 

[annka5]

... relax....
IMO you've been unlucky with the gourami; it seems like some "batches" can be good, some bad, depending on how conscientious the breeder has been (e.g. cramming them in together and using antibiotics constantly). From a "bad" batch, I don't think newly-cycled tank /mature tank would help much.
You'll start to panic less and enjoy more once you get used to seeing how they normally behave.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

I have: (rio180 by the way)

3 pandas (did have more )
7 pentazona barbs
1 dwarf gouramis
2 anglefish
1 spotted raphael talking fella

Thanks for the tips..

Your stocking sounds fine although he angels may nip the gourami's feelers as they can be quite nippy fish on occasion- your stocking sounds great though other than that compatability wise although i'm not sure how many gallons a rio 180 is ? Another thing you can do if you are paranoid about desease outbreaks is add "Liquisel" by Interpet to the tank- this can help cut down on harmful deseases present in the tank water and does not harm filtration, it is a handy med to have around when introducing new fish to a tank although you should only use it occasionally so you do not weaken the fish's imune systems in the long term(its good for the fish to be exposed to at least some natural deseases in the tank as they normaly would so their imune systems can stay strong and active ) .
Increasing filtration or filter current/raising teh filter slightly so it creats lots of bubbles in the water and thus increases oxygen levels is also good as oxygen does not disolve very well at tropical temps, extra filtration is also generally handy to have around too either way .

 

[Squid]

Its about 47 us gallons.

thanks for the ideas above too. The gourmai has been good at looking after himself at the moment, but I will keep an eye on him. Hes one of my favourites, fantastic colours and very active.

i have been considering getting an external eheim filter. Bloozoo2 has always raved about the 2223 or 4.. cant remember.. as good value for a tank of this size.. the eheim range is a little confusing at the moment. I'm having a read to understand the difference between ecco, proff and the other ranges

Cheers
Squid

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Its about 47 us gallons.

thanks for the ideas above too. The gourmai has been good at looking after himself at the moment, but I will keep an eye on him. Hes one of my favourites, fantastic colours and very active.

i have been considering getting an external eheim filter. Bloozoo2 has always raved about the 2223 or 4.. cant remember.. as good value for a tank of this size.. the eheim range is a little confusing at the moment. I'm having a read to understand the difference between ecco, proff and the other ranges

Cheers
Squid

Personally i use Fluval filters, although not that many people recommend them as old/well used ones can be prone to not starting(i've encountered this problem a couple of times, but i just tap the motor with a chopstick and it always starts them up imediatly, my fluval filters are a couple of years old now), but other than that i have had no problems with them and they are easy to clean out plus they are good at dealing with tank waste in my experience- if you are looking for a second filter i would recommend a fluval one, although i don't have much experience with other filter brands so i'm probably not the best person for general filter shopping advice .

 

[springmom]

thanks tokis.. will try...

oh.. and i believe you are somewhat of an angel expert. would my description of the angel lend itself to one who is feeling a little got at?

If so, perhaps i either need a third, or should re-home him..

Squid

If you can, keep angels in groups, especially when they're young. Even though they're "peaceful" cichlids, they're still cichlids, which means they'll get hierarchical and in a non-bonded pair, SOMEBODY'S going to be the recipient of aggression. Instead of rehoming, maybe you can add another three or four?

Jan