My Story as a Newbie

[betta blue]

I'm going to go on for awhile cause I just saw Shari's site. I only hope other people are responsible enough to learn more of what they bought and take care of their fish. As a newbie, I would love to hear your experiences...however old they may be...these are mine...

My story is that a little over a year and a half ago, I bought a pretty blue betta fish for a bowl I got for Christmas. I thought he was so pretty that I bought a lovely red betta the next day. Had it not been for that red betta, I would not have known that the pretty blue fish I bought had fin rot. Thanks to Red, I went onto the internet to find out why my Blue Betta didn't look the same. It's when I found out he was sick. Blue survived and thanks to the internet I found out how inhumane keeping a betta fish in a small bowl was. That made me get two 5 gallon tanks to hold both Blue and Red. Then I became obsessed with fish. I got plants for both 5 gallon tanks and one plec (which was like 1 inch when I bought him) and two oto's On a history line, Blue recovered from his fin rot...got ich as I was attempting to solve his fin rot...took no time in his small bowl to recover...in the interim, he did a high flying leap from the top of a cabinet to the floor...still not sure why I woke up to check on him...but was able to "throw him back"...he survivied...then I introduced him to his new 5 gal. tank with plants and in month, a common plec. They got along fine but the plec was getting too big for the tank. I had bought 2 ten gal. tanks for two other bettas that I loved so transfered Plec...at this point I knew Plec needed a tank at the least 90 gal. It took me 6 months to find a used tank I could afford...but did...and Plec is now happy living in his much bigger quarters.

I had asked for two otocincluses for Blue's tank but as they grew and grew, it was a customer I had that said they sounded like Chinese Algae Eaters...poor Blue was harrassed by these two...I didn't understand cause I had another Oto in the other 5 gal. that was a smigen of the size of these guys and totally peaceful...but my customer was right and we did not have Oto's We netted the two and took them back to the pet shop. They were amazed at the size of them cause everyone says that small aquariums stunt growth. These guys were easily 3 inches going on 4...poor Blue just hid behind the heater for almost a month with these guys.

After a year, I should have known better with the big LFS stores...but no...I bought two clown loaches from a tank that showed ICH. I asked them why the dead fish in the tank were covered in this kind of white cacoomb...they said my guys were fine cause they were still active. For that, all I can say is that I saved two clown loaches from dying. Cause I put them into my 90 gal. tank that I bought strictly to keep my beautiful plec in, I had to keep them and Plec safe...salt and temperature and they
survived. I had bought two other clowns a month prior to rid my snail problem in a 10 gal. tank with intentions of moving them to the 90 gal after they cleaned out a horrendous problem I had. In the interim, one clown got fin rot. I still maintain it came from being harrassed...thx to blue, I saw something different with him. I appreciate all the info I got here cause not sure of the medication, but do appreciate with all the water changes...it all worked out for my harassed clown. I have been renegging on changing them to the 90 gal...but know I need to do it right away...just wanted to make sure the clown was fine. I don't know about the rest of the newbie's out there but I will say that this past year and a half has been a totally educating part of my life. I spend a lot of time on the internet learning about fish, plants and algae. I totally appreciate forums like this that can help my individual problems. In the past year and a half, I have lost one beautiful red betta to dropsy that I spent his last 24 hours with him, one otto to I don't know what but I still have the mate that has melded with the dwarf frogs...I did loose one dwarf frog after 6 months...but his mate has survived this past year as well as his new frog friend introduced 4 months ago. I have 3 bettas that are 16 to 17 mo. that I've had them...the big, common plec is 16 mo., the bristlenose plecs...2...are 14 mo. and looking great...the oto by himself...feel bad about that but don't want to crowd the tank more...is 14 mo. but he loves his frogs....one frog is 13 mo. that I've had him...other one only 4 mo...going on 5 and doing well...a male that loves the old female in the tank...my glass catfish are over a year old. All totalled, everyone is doing well and I love them all. I have lost one beautiful red betta, an otto and one dwarf frog. I don't like mortalities and will do anything in my power to avoid them if I know there is a problem.

As a novice, thanks to sites like this, I am happy with my stats. Sometimes it feels good to say what you have done on these sites instead of always saying what you haven't down right. I would love to hear other aquarists trials and tribulations...sometimes, it's just good to say "what have I done that is right!"

I hope you post cause I would like to read!

Betta Blue (he's still swimming strong)
Shar

[Gary Stanton]

When I started almost 50 years ago I realized that if I left the light on all the time I didn't need a heater. When the light died I got another and the next day all of the fish but one guppy were dead. The old bulb was 25 watts, the new one was 50 watts.
I too had a fish jump out, a five inch Asian Arowana. It died and I got another one the next day. It is still alive. It jumped out a tiny little crack where the filter hung. I will NEVER have another fish jump out.
Reading is the answer and the web sure provides lots of material, good luck with a great hobby. This forum sure has a lot of great advice.

[betta blue]

Thanks Gary! I too live inland but love the ocean....is that why we love our fish. My poor Blue Betta landed about 7 feet to the floor. Have no idea how he survived and even more, why I woke up to find him on the floor to throw him back. 50 years with fish! Wow! Bet you can tell us stories! I respect you big time! Would love to hear any more you have!

Shar

[betta blue]

Just enjoying watching my little male dwarf frog hug my big female...he's so happy...but the Oto isn't...swimming around them trying to figure out why they aren't noticing him...my perception...

So Gary, How big is your Arowana now? I believe I looked at them and found out they get very big! From what you said....it's been a long time that you've had him!

Good story about the wattage and your lights. I can relate!

Shar

[Gary Stanton]

Well over two feet long. It was full grown when I sold him to one of my Chinese customers when I moved onto a sailboat. I lived on the boat for twenty years ending four years ago. I still keep in touch with Tim, the guy who bought the fish, and it is doing great. We cant import them into the US anymore although Canada can. Clown loaches and African Cichlids were fish I'd wanted to keep and after a twenty year hiatus I now have both. Fifteen clowns in a 100 gallon. In a few years I will up the tank size to 300 gallons.

[betta blue]

Wow! 2 feet...wonderful...a little worried about my Plec who is suppose to grow to 16 in. Currently having a great time in his 90 gal. but know he is going to need something larger in time...thank heavens we have that. How big was your tank for the arowana? I have 4 clowns...two currently living in the 90 and two that need to still go there. You mentioned both clowns and cichlids...I'm assuming you have two very big tanks? Any advise is appreciated!

I lived on a sailboat with my father in law...he built it...ferro cement...absolutely beautiful...good memories... 50foot ketch...also sailed the Bahamas in a small sloop...wonderfull...also have a friend in the Baha that I'd love to visit with a 55 foot ketch...someday when I either make some money or am too old

Shar

[Gary Stanton]

The Arowana was in a 240 gallon. I now have two 100 gallon, one with 15 Clowns and a few dither fish, the other with six Frontosas. Some day I will get back on the water till then I will shovel snow.

[helen nightingale]

i bought the only striata in the shop, and was told that 1 was fine. i didnt see it very often, as he buryed himself under a hollow ornament. now he is quite cocky, as there is plenty of company. i made the mistake of believing what i read in a very basic book, and some of the daft stuff you can read in the magazines. i had no idea how much extra current i should have had.

everyone must make mistakes as newbies. sometimes its good to confess. i do still have some of the rasboras that i bought as my first fish. i hope i will have them for a while longer

i was interested to read about your time on a sailboat. my dad now lives on a narrowboat.

[betta blue]

I think your rasboras have a very good chance cause you care! I too would like to hear more about Gary's life on a sailboat! I also just shovel snow here at this time of the year!

Another story I have is loosing a dwarf frog for 4 weeks...thinking my neighbour didn't have the heart to tell me he died. When I came back in town, I couldn't find him anywhere. Four weeks later, I was changing the filter system and when I dumped the water into the sink (with garburator), poor froggy was jumping so close to the drain. Was able to capture him with my hands and run across the house to the tank he came from. He somehow survived on whatever there is in a filter system for food. It's been four months and he's an amourous male frog with my big girl! They are living very happy withan Oto that's adopted them.

[helen nightingale]

is a garburator a waste chopper? i am glad to hear the frog is now doing well. it must have scared the life out of you when you saw him in the sink

[betta blue]

Thx Helen for your understanding! Yes, if we have nine lives, I lost one that day! The garburater does chop everything. It's not switched...it's based on the top going on to activate it. That means, everytime I have lost anything into it, I or at least I think I need to be very careful not to activate it. So I am very happy I caught the little, probably starving frog...probably the reason I could catch him. It's been four months now. He and I know it's a he with his arms around "Miss Piggy"..she's quite fat...is doing wonderful...very active...gained a lot of weight since end of Sept.

[Gary Stanton]

It was called a Traveller 32, a double ended ketch. We pumped our cold only water. If you were claustrophobic this life wasn't for you. Storms, rough seas, fog walking 100 yards from your car all made you that much closer to nature.
Great Blue Herons on the dock, I could walk within five feet of some as long as I didn't make eye contact. A cat that would catch and eat rabbits, gophers, terns, black birds. She would bring them down below and eat 100%
of them, the crunching in the middle of the night was eerie.
The only negative of the whole time was the need to do laundry either at the harbor or a laundromat, too time consuming. Pumping our drinking water with a hand pump had one major advantage to and motorized pressure system, it never broke!
I live in a 840 sq. ft. house now although I have a much larger one that I rent out. My friends always question why not live in the big house, I could live in my bathroom and be happy. It's nice and cozy thank you.

[betta blue]

We had a 750 ford dorset diesel engine and a diesel stove/hot water system. It kept the sailboat warm and though I had hot water to clean dishes, we still needed to go to the marina to take a shower or wash clothes. Of course we could use the head thx to holding tank, with ocean water. We also had herons on shore but never a cat to bring things on board. We had these wonderful swans though...Rambo was the male...they had babies every year and we would feed the mother. Rambo determined if it was okay...only people living there were allowed, otherwise, if he didn't know you, he would be very aggressive. People speak of the motorcycle group...which back in the 70's, I experienced probably better than I can express cause there was an automatic inference that you were a fellow motorcyclist than now every senior does it and doesn't understand the difference of when it wasn't accepted by the masses. My experience both in the motorcycle world as well as the sailing community was that there is a beautiful commarderie that our city neighbourhoods don't do. Don't get me wrong. I love my community and all the full grown trees. I just don't see the same involvement with my neighbours that I saw when I was on the sailboat.

[Gary Stanton]

I think the greater feeling of community comes from having to deal with different forms of adversity. It's a more refined common ground. You were always willing to pitch in, no matter what time it was, no matter what the weather was doing.
I too did the biker thing back in the 60's and 70's. Last year I succumbed to the call of the highway again after a 17 year hiatus. My first ride was 2000 miles in 41 hours, I still got it! I always have laughed at the guys that have bikes now, they're clueless as we both know. They don't even have tools!
But they sure have lots of pins and doo rags.

[helen nightingale]

it sounds like you have a bit in common with my dad. he lives on a narrowboat, and used to ride his bikes at trials, and had to get it home again with only the tools he could carry with him.

2000 miles in 41 hours, that is quite a trip