Overwelmed.. What To Do

[loveforfhishies]

i got into aquarium fish about 4 months ago and felt like i took onto it pretty fast.. i got a 55 gallon hex tank and everything goin with some danios T barbs and some other little communtiy fish in there.. it fully cycled and was doing good so i got bored and wanted something new.. i then bought a 20 gallon long tank and put my community fish in there.. i then took my 55 and turned it to a cichlid tank.. it looks alot better with all the rocks and colorfull fish but im just confused with what i really wana do.. i read that the cichlids i have in my 55 gallon require different water chemistry. im trying to get new cichlids in my big tank fast so the cycle stays good.. anyway the main point its im just confused on what really needs to happen with both of my tanks and i dont know where to get the help.. i think i took it on to fast and now im overwhelmed and just wana drain them and put them away.. but i know i can get through it and get them how they need to be..

is there any sites i should go to that would help me figure out what i wana do..

so far i wana put cichlids in my 55gallon tank and thinkin about a dwarf puffer in my 20..

but the main thing is what do i do with all these fish i have had.. i cant just throw them away and i cant keep them in the tank with my cichlids.. will the store take them for store credit?

 

[modaz]

soory im getting tired and my brain aint working so good
do you mean you want to put the puffer in the 20 on its own?

 

[loveforfhishies]

i would like a pair or more of them but i read somwhere that puffers should be kept alone? im not sure if that makes sense cuz i see them with like 20 in a 10 gallon at the fish store?

what advice can you give me to do with my danios and other fish.?

 

[modaz]

puffers on their own a good idea, they can be very aggressive fish and are carnivorous but they do look cute, wether they can go with their own kind i dont know cos only seen them together in LFSs not in a tank over a long period of time and some LFSs know that they are very popular at the moment and the wrong advice does sometimes generate a quick sale for them, which is sad, ive been caught out like that before

try posting your other fish on the swap,buy and sell section of this forum, im sure someone will give them a good home or ring your LFS to ask if you could exchange them for a puffer its worth a try

 

[Amunet]

I wouldn't put dwarf puffers with any other fish (not sure about keeping them with their own kind).
I've read that they can become VERY aggressive and will peck at fish until they end up dieing. I just wouldn't want to risk something like that happening.. ya know?

 

[Rhiannon]

Sometimes I feel bored with mine and wonder why I got the fish I got, but then I look at them and think "gosh I love you all" and I would never get rid of them.

I rushed into it all too, and brought fish like guppies etc, but now that I come here, found out about all other types of fish and now I want a cichlid tank or a Killifish tank.

So I am just going to buy another tank. I could never get rid of my fishies they are so special to me.

Goodluck with what you decide.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

if you give us a list of all the fish you have and what tanks you have we can give you some pointers to work out who should go where.

 

[Torrean]

here's a thought. Do you have the cichlids yet?

If not then here is what I'd do. (in fact it's what I'm trying to do) Keep the community fish in the 55 gallon and make the 20 gallon a shelldweller tank. it's not terribly complex.

Go to your lfs and buy some crushed aragonite sand...caribsea is what I have. Use this as your substrate and that will take care of the different water params needed for african cichlids. The aragonite will raise your PH to around 7.8 (ideal) Next build your rockwork and research the fish you want. You can use pure ammonia to keep your filter running. Since you have the 55 going you can add the full load all at once. Make sure you consider things like level crowding (which fish tend to swim where) you want to have a balance. If you have to many fish that like the substrate (or the top or middle) you could have some aggression issues down the road. Also consider aggression level, adult size, and diet. The general rule of thumb is one inch of fish per gallon. That needs to be stretched a bit with most africans. The thought here is more fish will spread out the aggression preventing one from getting picked on hiding and dieing. I'm sleepy so I'm sure I'm leaving out something vital. Look around in the old world cichlid forum I'm sure you can get some specific help there.

Shellies that I like= neolamprologus multifasciatus, occelatus, meleagris, brevis, (leleupi)

check cichlid and shellies As well as the cichlid forums and the fish index here. I'm sure you can find what you need.

 

[Breeze7050]

Most LFS's will take your fish back from you and offer a small store credit. You may just want to call around and ask to double check.