Finally, the Hagen Master water test kit came in today. I will test the tap water first and then the aquarium water. I'm hoping that I will be better able to maintain a stable environment by being better able to monitor what is happening with the aquarium water.
Wednesday, March 31, 2004
Tuesday, March 30, 2004
Books Arrived
Posted on 4:52 PM by Unknown
Today, the two books I ordered came in. I called Drs. Foster Smith to check on the test kit and it has shipped and should be in tomorrow.
I started reading the Simple Guide to Freshwater Aquariums by David E. Boruchowitz, and have already found out that I messed up by getting a small tank. The analogy made in the book makes a lot of sense: if you have two cars out in the hot sun - a small sports car, and a large, twelve passenger van, and if they heat up to the same temperature, if you start both vehicles at the same time to cool them off, which one will reach a comfortable temperature first? Of course, the small sports car will. In the same sense, if you were to spill an equal amount of gasoline in each vehicle, which vehicle will the smell be stronger? Again, in the small sports car. In an aquarium, you want stable temperatures, and a larger aquarium resists temperature changes better! Also, in a larger aquarium, with a larger water volume, toxic waste is more diluted - so water quality is easier to maintain in a larger aquarium.
CRUD! I really did want to get that 29-gallon tank from Fish Tails in Rainbow City, and now it looks like I would have been better off getting it.
I started reading the Simple Guide to Freshwater Aquariums by David E. Boruchowitz, and have already found out that I messed up by getting a small tank. The analogy made in the book makes a lot of sense: if you have two cars out in the hot sun - a small sports car, and a large, twelve passenger van, and if they heat up to the same temperature, if you start both vehicles at the same time to cool them off, which one will reach a comfortable temperature first? Of course, the small sports car will. In the same sense, if you were to spill an equal amount of gasoline in each vehicle, which vehicle will the smell be stronger? Again, in the small sports car. In an aquarium, you want stable temperatures, and a larger aquarium resists temperature changes better! Also, in a larger aquarium, with a larger water volume, toxic waste is more diluted - so water quality is easier to maintain in a larger aquarium.
CRUD! I really did want to get that 29-gallon tank from Fish Tails in Rainbow City, and now it looks like I would have been better off getting it.
Thursday, March 25, 2004
Still Waiting
Posted on 5:38 PM by Unknown
I called and talked to Greg again (a fish tech at Drs. Foster Smith). He agrees that I should continue to wait to see what the water quality is in the aquarium. When the test kit that I ordered comes in, I can find out what is happening with the water and then take appropriate steps to medicate the tank and/or remedy the situation. We discussed the growth some more and decided that it might be a fungus rather than a bacteria or parasite - and as such, if medication is to be used, then I could use the MarOxy that I purchased from them earlier.
Wednesday, March 24, 2004
Aquarium Update
Posted on 2:06 PM by Unknown
The elephant nose continues to thrive - and even the plants look somewhat better. Whatever that whitish, cottonish stuff was, it seems to have gone dormant since the clown loaches died. I am still thinking of adding medication to the tank, but I still am going to hold off until I know what the tank is doing.
I feel somewhat like an idiot trying to figure out what this aquarium is doing - being the "newbie" and all.. To that end, I ordered two books from Drs. Foster Smith: Simple Guide to Freshwater Aquariums by David E. Boruchowitz, and Aquarium Plants Manual by Ines Scheurmann. Hopefully, these books will help me out of the "newbie" stage...
I feel somewhat like an idiot trying to figure out what this aquarium is doing - being the "newbie" and all.. To that end, I ordered two books from Drs. Foster Smith: Simple Guide to Freshwater Aquariums by David E. Boruchowitz, and Aquarium Plants Manual by Ines Scheurmann. Hopefully, these books will help me out of the "newbie" stage...
Tuesday, March 23, 2004
The Second Death in The Aquarium
Posted on 4:35 PM by Unknown
The medications that I ordered from Drs. Foster Smith finally came in this afternoon at work. However, by the time I got home, the first clown loach has already succumbed to it. Whatever the disease / bacteria / fungus was, it was deadly effective against the loaches - and it has not harmed the elephant nose fish at all.
I called Drs. Foster Smith and talked again to Greg, the fish technician. We decided that it would probably be better to hold off administering any medication until I can determine what the water is doing (waiting on the water test kit to come in!!!)
I called Drs. Foster Smith and talked again to Greg, the fish technician. We decided that it would probably be better to hold off administering any medication until I can determine what the water is doing (waiting on the water test kit to come in!!!)
My First Dead Fish
Posted on 6:21 AM by Unknown
Well, the second clown loach has died. I'm guessing that it's due to the whitish growth found on its sides. Which of course has me worried because the original clown loach has the same growth on its sides. I'm hoping that the medicine I ordered from Drs. Foster Smith comes in today in time to save the original clown loach.
On a little brighter note, the elephant nose does not seem to be infected or affected by whatever this growth, disease, or fungus is.
On a little brighter note, the elephant nose does not seem to be infected or affected by whatever this growth, disease, or fungus is.
Sunday, March 21, 2004
White Growth on Fish...
Posted on 4:02 PM by Unknown
Not good, not good at all. The white growth is not just on the aquarium sides anymore. Now it can be found on the clown loaches also. At least, the stuff is visible on the sides of the clown loaches. The second clown loach that I purchased from Lang's seems to be affected more than the first. But they are both *scratching* against the bottom of the tank. I plan to call Drs. Foster Smith to find out what the growth could be (since it is obviously not an algae!) and what I can do (medicate?) to take care of the fish and the tank.
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