I Think I've Been Lucky!

[mandy1169]

hi i'm not new at keeping fish but i'm now thinking i may have been lucky in keeping them!! i started quite a few years ago with a hexagon shaped tank that i added lights and filter and a heater. i then purchase a lovely little black ghost night which my son liked, i was assured this would mix in my community tank and wouldn't grow big!!!!!!!!!!! i'm now on to a 3ft tank to accommodate the knife fish and a baby orb for the ones he didn't eat. I've never had any water troubles just make sure i put the chlorine remover in (i've never tested the water ! didn't know until this forum you had to, but never had any problems) I've now just got my son a superfish aqua 30 set up and his fancy goldfish he purchased has died, it was lurking around the bottom and didn't seem to be swimming correctly, i had it running for about a week without fish, and i've now done a 50% water change and left it running for 4 days now without fish, when a plant (artificial) came dislodge i've gone to put it back and noticed like a white filmy substance in the gravel under the filter, so i've done a 25% water change with a gravel filter and the white stuff was only located under the filter in the gravel. Have i just been lucky with the other tanks am i doing something wrong? thanks mandy

 

[SimoUK]

Well, i'll let somebody else handle the white film thing, ive never seen this before. One thing i do know is that it would be a very good idea to invest in a test kit, most large liquid test kits will cover Nitrates, Nitrites, Ammonia and Ph. Also make sure the test kit you buy is a liquid one, the test strips dont work too well, the liquid kits are alot more accuarate.

 

[walkers101]

You will need a bigger tank than a 3ft for the black ghost knife fish

 

[mandy1169]

Thanks guys, i will go and get liquid test kits. i've had my ghost knife fish for about 3 years and he's 9 inches long so i know he'll need a bigger tank but he's really happy loitering around the filter and patrolling the tank, we love him to bits but i don't think my house will accommodate a larger tank (i got told he didn't grow big!!! by the same person who told me he wouldn't eat other fish) i've had plenty of offers of purchase for our beloved ghost but my children just adore watching him skirt around, am i being cruel by keeping him where he is? He's in with 2 clown loaches which are now about 2.5 inches to 3 inches long (once again didn't research and went with i like them, do they grow big ..... no!) i must admit i started keeping fish because the kids wanted them (although did nothing with them) but after having to get the bigger 3ft tank, i love keeping fish, but like i've said i think i've had good luck so far with no ailments etc. My sons fancy goldfish in the 30l tank has got me to thinking i need to be more technical???

 

[mandy1169]

sorry also got in with the ghost knife fish, 4 black widows, and strangely enough 2 head and tail fish which i've had forever. I'm now hoping to transfer the black widows to my sons tank when i solve the problems with it. My cousin also bought the aqua 30 by superfish and she had the white filmy stuff on her heater suckers, so i thought it was something to do with the rubber or plastic, so before i put water in mine i throughly scrubbed them hence no white filmy stuff on my suckers for the heater, just under the filter in the gravel

 

[kizno1]

I think a 5-6 foot long tank with strong filtration is needed for them once adults. Clown loaches need to be kept in groups of 6+ but if you get a 6 foot tank i thin you could have the knife fish a 6 clown loaches no problem.