any freshwater people out there?

[bill109]

hey
(Sepulatian)
i have a few question on freshwater aquariums for you all

i have a red blood parrot fish but i am wondering wheather they will be aggressive towards eachother if there are 2 in a tank.
also my parrot fish had a black discoliing on him and my lfs said that it was part of his color and now the black coloring is gone :notsure:

also i was looking on the websites and it says that for a frshwater eel they all need over 50 gallons but it also says for somefish i have 50 as well and i have them in a 20 long and they r fine and my lfs says the same. could i put an eel in or would i have to update my tanksize (i have a bit in there but only 2 good size fish and the rest are small tetras) that are 2 inches maybe a little more. (tetras are an inch. so could i buy an eel? :help: :jumping:
i have never had live plants in my tank only a small fern now but how do you keep snails off of them??

i am plannig on buying a much larger tank soon so could i use live sand in a fresh water tank or would it be a problem with amoneia

any advice or partial advice would be AWESOME

 

[tx reef]

:notsure:

 

[pontius]

if I'm not mistaken, parrotfish are cichlids, correct? if so, they are aggresive. though some cichlids (like my preferred African cichlids) love to be packed in a tank like sardines so they can share the aggresion like a big dysfunctional family.
parrots are probably not as mean as Africans, but they probably do like to be kept in groups so they can spread the hate around.
*also, don't buy parrots that have been artificially colored.....it is unethical.

 

[nw2sltfsh]

Up until 3 years ago I had parrots in a 100 gallon - I had 6 of them in the same tank and they ranged in size from 2inches to 8 inches. They are somewhat aggressive but due to the shape of their mouth it is difficult for them to cause harm
What type of parrot do you have? Blood Parrot, Purple Parrot or Black and Red spot?
From my dealings the Black Parrot is the most agressive and contains alot of the look of a African cichlid - Mine was my favorite as far as looks but he harrased everything in the tank
Also along with not buying artifical colored parrots - be wary of the Valentine Parrot - these are heart shaped fish (while cool looking) it is horrible to think that these fish had their Caudal fin removed so that their shape can be modified.

 

[sepulatian]

Hey Bill! Parrots tend to have a personality of their own from my own experience. I have had 4 in a 46 bow that never fought. I now have one in the same tank and he likes to "push" my catfish around. He does no damage whatsoever to any of the other fish but does like to push. He also gets shy if anyone comes up to the tank and actually lays down sideways under a fake plant I have on the bottom of the tank. As far as the eel goes, what type are you interested in? If you are going for a fresh water Moray, you can say goodbye to all of your tetras. Spiney eels are nice, they are smaller in size and have a pointed mouth. Beware, all eels are great escape artists so make sure all holes are covered. Mesh works well, you don't want to seal off the oxygen supply. Eels also generaly like to bury themselves in the substrate. Sand works well for them to move smoothly, however I have had them in with gravel and they still go through it.
Snails love to devour plants. They seem to leave green foxtail and anacharis alone though. Any other questions you may have feel free to ask!!

 

[dual45s]

If you didn't have a tank that would rip one apart, I'd say get a clown loach, they absolutely DECIMATE snail populations.

 

[sepulatian]

Thats very true, actually most loachs do. Some people like snails for algae control. Some of them are pretty cool looking. Watch out for mystery snails (small brown guys) they take over a tank in no time!

 

[bill109]

Originally Posted by Dual45s
If you didn't have a tank that would rip one apart, I'd say get a clown loach, they absolutely DECIMATE snail populations.
i have a small clown loacher

 

[gen1dustin]

Really I think two parrots would need a larger tank than a 20g. They are a cichlid not extremely aggressive, but somewhat agressive. They might possibly eat your tetas though. Parrots will get around 8" long & 20g is also pretty small for a clown loach. They can get a foot long or so & also likes to have more than one of theirselves. They would get along with your parrots fine though. I know tons of people who keep them with parrots, oscars, & other old world cichlids. Most eels can't fit in a 20g neither. They also need a soft substrate.
To keep snails off live plants you'll need to get rid of them. There are treatments that will kill snails, but also other invertabraes & they don't work that good. Most loaches will eat snails, but I've heard a lot of them getting lazy with that. The best way IMO is to smash them when you see them. :scared:
Also as previously mentioned do NOT buy dyed or human mutilated fish(as the valentine parrot).

 

[hardcrab67]

Yes, a 40gal would be better for two cichlids. Though my mother-in- law had a Jack for 3 yrs in a 10gal and he was only 3" long till I gave him a 40gal and grew to 10" in 2 yrs. I've had 2 convicts in a 20l and they out grew it the first yr. At 4" a piece they were crowded IMO. 1 cichlid, 1 loach would be a cool set-up in a 20l for a little while, couldn't keep anybody w/ ole "Jack" if I had 100gal, I think 3 yrs in that 10 made him very territorial.

 

[nw2sltfsh]

Parrots get up to 8 inches -- 20 and 40 gallons are far to small of them
BTW - have you experienced the parrots staring at you yet ? Parrots have a habit of "floating" in a single spot and staring out of the tank directly at people
When I had my 100 with Parrots every once in a while I would look up and all 6 were staring at me

 

[bill109]

Originally Posted by NW2SLTFSH
Parrots get up to 8 inches -- 20 and 40 gallons are far to small of them
BTW - have you experienced the parrots staring at you yet ? Parrots have a habit of "floating" in a single spot and staring out of the tank directly at people
When I had my 100 with Parrots every once in a while I would look up and all 6 were staring at me
haha yeah there is a full tank at the pet store they do that and follow you when you walk buy its got the fake ones in there

tht is cruel
but yeah mine does that to but the other night he swam and hit the filter and almost took it off he had the thing shaking lol he hasnt tried it in awhile last time was when he could fit through the gap and cant ne more lol
is this normal though: when you come into my room he goes and hides into the clay pots i have in there and he almost lays down like hes sick?

 

[sepulatian]

Yes, mine does it all the time. Any time anyone goes near the tank he lays under a plant on the bottom completely on his side.

 

[bill109]

Originally Posted by sepulatian
Yes, mine does it all the time. Any time anyone goes near the tank he lays under a plant on the bottom completely on his side.

good to hear

 

[nw2sltfsh]

parrot fish remind me of hippo tangs in that aspect - a few have probably been flushed by the playing dead act. Mine used to play dead and then once they got used to the external movement and noise they would just stare. There is nothing like that feeling that someone is watching you - you know that hairs on the back of your neck standing up because you get the I am being watched feeling and then realize it is your fish
I love Parrot fish because of their personality - in fact if it wasnt for a horrible vaction tragedy and a friend that didnt understand if a fish dies take it out of the tank I wouldnt have my saltwater tank

 

[bill109]

Originally Posted by NW2SLTFSH
parrot fish remind me of hippo tangs in that aspect - a few have probably been flushed by the playing dead act. Mine used to play dead and then once they got used to the external movement and noise they would just stare. There is nothing like that feeling that someone is watching you - you know that hairs on the back of your neck standing up because you get the I am being watched feeling and then realize it is your fish
I love Parrot fish because of their personality - in fact if it wasnt for a horrible vaction tragedy and a friend that didnt understand if a fish dies take it out of the tank I wouldnt have my saltwater tank
lol
i LOVE my parrot but he seems like he eats ALL the food tht goes into the tank it wierd and then he seems hingary.. he comes out when i go to the tank glass cus he thinks im fedding him but he stares when he realizes that it isnt feeding time AGAIN

fun to watch though ***)

 

[clsimons29]

I currently keep butikoferi Cicliads aka, tiger, zebra cicliads. Can not keep anything else in with them, was given a large parrot by someone who was going to flush it otherwise and they managed to kill it within a week. Also had a jack dempsey twice as large as them that they killed within a month. As far as using snails I would recommend "japanese trap door snails" they do NOT lay eggs so it is easy to control population and they will eat their body weight each day, great for natural algea control. I use them in my tank and for my koi pond.

 

[bill109]

Originally Posted by clsimons29
I currently keep butikoferi Cicliads aka, tiger, zebra cicliads. Can not keep anything else in with them, was given a large parrot by someone who was going to flush it otherwise and they managed to kill it within a week. Also had a jack dempsey twice as large as them that they killed within a month. As far as using snails I would recommend "japanese trap door snails" they do NOT lay eggs so it is easy to control population and they will eat their body weight each day, great for natural algea control. I use them in my tank and for my koi pond.
thts horrible should og given him to the lfs lol .. he was led to his death too bad he couldnt pick one