OK. So we know what everyone looks like and what everyone does for a living. This thread will be about your pets.

I have two dogs, Bailey and Kayla. Here is a recent pic of them. Don't make fun of Bailey's shirt, he had an allergic reaction to some shampoo and needs to wear it until he stops itching at it.

i don't know whether its just me but your pic doesn't work

it no workie workie ehhh

This is my Bulldog Pepsi- I got 2 cats too, but those don't count

Here he is again.. buddy, my turtle :)

Not sure why it wont work. Works in preview mode. Oh well. Here is an attachment.

Those are some good looking dogs Rayzac..

Quote by rayzac99 "It's not cheating if my dog licks it off"

here's my pet turtle

ElDorito owns stock in Jif peanut butter. Why we ask?

Originally posted by oni_forever
here's my pet turtle

Wow, he's big.. my turtle is still very small.. when you got yours, was he that big?

Originally posted by tree
Those are some good looking dogs Rayzac..

Thanks :)

Originally posted by rayzac99
ElDorito owns stock in Jif peanut butter. Why we ask?

b/c I make millions off of you buying so much of it for you and your dogs..
:woot: :woot:

Originally posted by ElDorito
Wow, he's big.. my turtle is still very small.. when you got yours, was he that big?

same size for 10 years

Originally posted by oni_forever
same size for 10 years

ahh.. I've had mine since the summer

Now that is just sick!!!! Be careful or we will have Raddish letting us know this is getting off topic.

Here is Bogey, he's my 4 month old Peekapoo. Ugly huh??? He's so ugly he's cute lol

Originally posted by ElDorito
Here he is again.. buddy, my turtle :)

He lets his turtle do the typing. After all, the turtle is the smarter of the two!!!! :wave:

Originally posted by jason12
Here is Bogey, he's my 4 month old Peekaboo. Ugly huh??? He's so ugly he's cute lol


A Peekaboo? Looks more like a drown rat to me!:D

Originally posted by mmoerdyk
A Peekaboo? Looks more like a drown rat to me!:D

lol, yeah, he's not the prettiest dog in the world but he's my lil buddy

Didn't we have a pet thread a few weeks ago???

You may be thinking of ElDoritos post on his turtle.

i guess i'm late in posting, hopefully not too late!

i'm a fish person. freshwater and saltwater tanks. all i have right now are freshwater but i'm currently building the stand for my saltwater tank and will have it up and running by saturday, liverock will be in on tuesday, and after the two week wait of chemical levels to level off, i will be adding fish!

My Fish (http://www.geocities.com/juggernaut_92278/pets/fish/)

hey Juggernaut i love your fresh water tank, but ur not ur fish. you could have got some Bumble Bees, Arowonnas and cichilids. but after you finished with your custom salter water tank could you please post some pictures up here? I'm doing one myself, but its very small, only 29 gallons.

i used to have one of those online virtual pets, but it died pretty quickly :(

its name was "metroidkilla" :D

chompers - my male chinchilla

cutie - the momma chin w/ new baby

Originally posted by tonie
hey Juggernaut i love your fresh water tank, but ur not ur fish. you could have got some Bumble Bees, Arowonnas and cichilids. but after you finished with your custom salter water tank could you please post some pictures up here? I'm doing one myself, but its very small, only 29 gallons.

when the large albino oscar was alive (you can see what killed him in the photo - "hole in the head disease" i treated for 2-3 weeks and it kept getting worse :( ), i had a jack dempsey, a convict cichlid, and two malawi cichlids with him. this group is similar. 1 tiger oscar, 1 convict cichlid, 1 plecostomus, 1 malawi cichlid (yellow blue jaw), and the blue one i'm not sure, i'm guessing he's a malawi cichlid.

once i get my "nemo tank" up and running i will definitely put pictures up and post the link here. i'm planning on having (actually just wanting) 1 black and white butterfly, 1 red star fish, 1 sand sifting star fish, 1 bi-color blennie, 2 damsels, 2 true percula clownfish, 1-2 carpet or long tentacle anemone, 1 black longspine urchin, 1 yellow longnose butterfly, and 1 blue tang. as i'm sure i won't end up getting all of these fish, mainly just want i'm wanting :)

i want a puppy :(

Here are my two lazy beagles. Both about 3 yrs old.

Originally posted by oni_forever
here's my pet turtle

He doesn't live in that tiny little thing, does he?

I am the proud guardian of Skippy :p

Originally posted by justme
i want a puppy :(

Here's two :)

Originally posted by kapoentje
I am the proud guardian of Skippy :p

Skippy looks like he want to say: "what, you woke me up?!?!?!?!" :p

Originally posted by yeswarchief
Skippy looks like he want to say: "what, you woke me up?!?!?!?!" :p


Skippy is a weird cat. He likes to sleep on my head. =)

Originally posted by kapoentje
Skippy is a weird cat. He likes to sleep on my head. =)

just make sure he doesnt start humping your head. that'll be .......awkward

Originally posted by justme
just make sure he doesnt start humping your head. that'll be .......awkward

ARGH! He doesn't hump my head.. just all the stuffed animals in the house, and he's neutered!

For those of you interested: I have added 15 photos of my salt water tank stand, tank, etc. . . There are no fish in yet while i wait for the live rock to finish curing. After looking through these photos you will find out that i am NOT a professional carpenter! (Please don't stab at me too much for the looks of the stand) please enjoy the pictures and feel free to comment/question.

My Fish (http://www.geocities.com/juggernaut_92278/pets/fish/)

I have 2 dogs. One is part lab.

The other is what I consider to be the best dog combination:
1/2 Beagle
1/2 Chawawa

It has pointed ears like a Chawawa, but pretty eyes like a Beagle.

hmm. . forgive my ignorance but isn't the point of having an under-gravel filter to have circulation (suction) of the water out of the bottom, into a filter, and then back into the tank? Thus creating a nice current of water, down through the gravel and mesh/screen (sucking down the particles of waste) which is then sucked up into the filter?

From your pictures I'm a little confused why you installed an under-gravel filter but did not provide any form of circulating the water and drawing sediment into the filter?

Of course my understanding is probably pretty off, if you have time, please educate me.

Thanks..

by the way, the links you provided for your images (through jscript) are not properly assigned. They are trying to access the root directory of geocities.

I have a cat named zip who does nothing but lounge around. She contributes nothing to my household and I would like to kick her out on her ass.

hmm. . forgive my ignorance but isn't the point of having an under-gravel filter to have circulation (suction) of the water out of the bottom, into a filter, and then back into the tank? Thus creating a nice current of water, down through the gravel and mesh/screen (sucking down the particles of waste) which is then sucked up into the filter?

From your pictures I'm a little confused why you installed an under-gravel filter but did not provide any form of circulating the water and drawing sediment into the filter?

Of course my understanding is probably pretty off, if you have time, please educate me.

Thanks..

by the way, the links you provided for your images (through jscript) are not properly assigned. They are trying to access the root directory of geocities.

i know i didn't get many pictures of what i was putting on the bottom till i threw some sand on it and i wish i had. it's not an under-sand filter. it's pvc pipes, fan grate, and bug screen. here's how it works and a "Salt Water Setup Diagram" is linked from my Fish Page (http://www.geocities.com/juggernaut_92278/pets/fish/) (would have been attached, but i got an error of (sw-setup.jpg: Exceeds forum quota by 64.71 MB.):

A thick layer of sand, suspended above the aquarium bottom by a porous platform (a bug screen covering a fan grate resting on 1" pvc pipes), allowing the accumulation of anoxic water (low oxygen) in the plenum space underneath, is the most important feature. Small organisms present in the sand help to process waste materials, and denitrifying bacteria thrive in the low oxygen conditions at the bottom of the sand bed. Dissolution of calcareous sand returns important ions to the water.

Mainly, it's a natural under-sand filter mimicing the sea creating a low O2 level (where the bacterial waste removers thrive) under the sand helping the waste material to decompose faster going through the natural cycle of what it does in the ocean. so i'm making two environments, one environment for live rock and fish in the main or upper portion, and the 2-4" of sand is ideal for the bacterial waste removers. instead of using an under-sand filter, i've made a "natural" one.

always happy to talk about fish tanks! :D

the links were working ok for me in ie, but then i know not everyone uses ie so i made a change to them, let me know if they're still messed up! thanks.

chompers - my male chinchilla

Those Chinchillas are cool.. I petted one at the zoo and it was the softest thing I ever felt.. what kind of pets do they make Dumbazz? How much do they cost?

well, ole Cucumber has a couple snakes, Juice and Trigger. I am lookin to sell em if anyone who lives in Atlanta wants to look at em...gotta get rid of both snakes and aquariums....

Those Chinchillas are cool.. I petted one at the zoo and it was the softest thing I ever felt.. what kind of pets do they make Dumbazz? How much do they cost?

Look on www.petfinder.com rather than buying one.. it's better to adopt than to support breeding and animal farms.

I've introduced a 4 stripe damsel into the salt water aquarium and posted a picture online (http://www.geocities.com/juggernaut_92278/pets/fish/) of him along with the latest picture of the entire aquarium.

ARGH! He doesn't hump my head.. just all the stuffed animals in the house, and he's neutered!
:lmao: :lmao:

Cool pics! I noticed that you built your own stand.. very nice! I'll bet you saved quite a lot of money doing it yourself.. looks like good quality, too.

Since you like fish, do you know anything about Bettas? I have an absolutely gorgeous male and he's very feisty. Anyway I wanted to get a companion for him. I went to the local crap shop where they sell animals and asked them what I should do. The guy there said to get a bigger tank and give him not one, but *multiple* females. A little Betta harem LOL

I got a 10 gallon aquarium that I'm picking up this Thursday.

Anyway what do you think? Anyone? :D

:lmao: :lmao:

It's awful, isn't it? :lol:

I have Clifford hair and bunny hair strewn about the house.. (not real, of course)

Cool pics! I noticed that you built your own stand.. very nice! I'll bet you saved quite a lot of money doing it yourself.. looks like good quality, too.

Since you like fish, do you know anything about Bettas? I have an absolutely gorgeous male and he's very feisty. Anyway I wanted to get a companion for him. I went to the local crap shop where they sell animals and asked them what I should do. The guy there said to get a bigger tank and give him not one, but *multiple* females. A little Betta harem LOL

I got a 10 gallon aquarium that I'm picking up this Thursday.

Anyway what do you think? Anyone? :D

yes i built my own stand, i thought it would look real neat with the brick paneling. thank you for the compliments. :worship:

Bettas are awesome! if you're wanting a breeding mate(s) for him that would be cool, will keep him busy taking care of the fry. :) here's a few other tank mates that he should get along with: Tetras, Danios, Angelfish, Livebearers, Rasboras, Loaches, Plecos, and Catfish.

ok so i dont have pics of all my animals and they would get really really jealous if i posted pics of some but not all of them. heres my list though:
4 cats
2 dogs
3 pond fish
1 turtle
14 aqaurium fish

ok so i dont have pics of all my animals and they would get really really jealous if i posted pics of some but not all of them. heres my list though:
4 cats
2 dogs
3 pond fish
1 turtle
14 aqaurium fish

Wow, you must have a lot of room!

nice list Mark...got a zoo at your place!

my X-Roomate had a viscious fish tank back in college...
he had 2 Red Devils, 3 pirrahnas (sp), 2 Oscars, a snakehead, and Rambo the Goldfish (toughest Goldfish you will ever find).

i have no idea how Rambo survived in there for so long...but he did, and got pretty big. The Red Devils were nuts and ran the tank...killed the Oscars.....

Anyone here like spiders? I have a Hobo spider.. he's getting bigger and bigger all the time.. :D

Anyone here like spiders? I have a Hobo spider.. he's getting bigger and bigger all the time.. :D
:vomit: :eek:

<==== hates spiders

nice list Mark...got a zoo at your place!

my X-Roomate had a viscious fish tank back in college...
he had 2 Red Devils, 3 pirrahnas (sp), 2 Oscars, a snakehead, and Rambo the Goldfish (toughest Goldfish you will ever find).

i have no idea how Rambo survived in there for so long...but he did, and got pretty big. The Red Devils were nuts and ran the tank...killed the Oscars.....

i heard that pirrahna's were actually very boring unless you starve them for a week. the albino oscar i had (picture on site (http://www.geocities.com/juggernaut_92278/pets/fish/)) was very aggressive, he would nip at your arm when cleaning the rock. if you put your face close to the tank, he would slam his head into the glass trying to get at you. sometimes he would even try jumping out of the tank to bite at your finger if you held it 2" above the water.

Anyone here like spiders? I have a Hobo spider.. he's getting bigger and bigger all the time.. :D

i've never had a spider, don't know anything about them. i think they're neat, but never looked into getting one. i've been wanting to get a scorpion. the one that i caught in the desert just off base died some time ago. i doubt i will get another one tho :shake:

Here is my cat... she is 5 yrs old. I thought she looked cute asleep on my bed so I took this pic.

oh, and I also have this dancing kitty
<--------

i heard that pirrahna's were actually very boring unless you starve them for a week. the albino oscar i had (picture on site (http://www.geocities.com/juggernaut_92278/pets/fish/)) was very aggressive, he would nip at your arm when cleaning the rock. if you put your face close to the tank, he would slam his head into the glass trying to get at you. sometimes he would even try jumping out of the tank to bite at your finger if you held it 2" above the water.
the pirrahna's were pretty dissapointing...theyre pretty big wimps if they arent in a large school.

We thought our Oscars would act like yours, but I think they were gimpy. They just moped around the tank...

i hate when fish jump out!! one of the funniest momeries of my senior yr was hearing my meathead roomate, screaming and jumping around like a little girl when one of the pirrahna's jumped out of the tank. he refused to pick it up cuz he was afraid it would bite his finger off :lol:

Here is my cat... she is 5 yrs old. I thought she looked cute asleep on my bed so I took this pic.
that's a good photo of your cat! taking a nap? :)

i don't have any pictures scanned of my solid white manx cat that i had. unlike most manx cats, he had a 2" nub (instead of nothing) that he would wiggle and try to blend in with the other cats. he chased a neighborhood dog out of the yard once. he would sit underneath of cars with his front to legs crossed waiting for a prey. he would catch squirrels, chipmunks, and sometimes birds. i may have to scan a photo of him and post on my site.

Here is my cat... she is 5 yrs old. I thought she looked cute asleep on my bed so I took this pic.
that is a really cute pic :)

p.s. what typ eof kitty is that

the pirrahna's were pretty dissapointing...theyre pretty big wimps if they arent in a large school.

We thought our Oscars would act like yours, but I think they were gimpy. They just moped around the tank...

i hate when fish jump out!! one of the funniest momeries of my senior yr was hearing my meathead roomate, screaming and jumping around like a little girl when one of the pirrahna's jumped out of the tank. he refused to pick it up cuz he was afraid it would bite his finger off :lol:

that's funny! did you buy him a skirt after his dance rehersal? i'm sure some photoshop editing of a picture of him would have made great to hang in the hallways :D

Here is my cat... she is 5 yrs old. I thought she looked cute asleep on my bed so I took this pic.

What a sweet kitty! :D

that's funny! did you buy him a skirt after his dance rehersal? i'm sure some photoshop editing of a picture of him would have made great to hang in the hallways :D
i should have!!! but i think he would have stabbed me with one of his steroid needles :lol: :D


i mean, he was really really screaming like a little girl :lmao:

Here are some friends visiting us on our deck

Here are some friends visiting us on our deck
cant raccoons be pretty viscious?

Here's another

I adopted her free when she was just a kitten. I fell in love with her. I think she is Tonkinese, though.

http://www.breedlist.com/tonkinese-breeders.html

cant raccoons be pretty viscious?

I'm sure they can be, if someone's trying to steal their babies or food.. but I mean wouldn't you get vicious if someone was trying to steal your babies?

Anyway when we first bought our house (built in 1930) the basement had a broken window. It was extremely old, thin glass. Anyway, Skippy (one of our companion cats) was tripping out and acting like he wanted to go in the basement. So we went down there to humor him and low and behold.. 2 raccoons had gotten stuck in the basement. They were in the corner by the window but knew they couldn't get out. They looked at us curiously as I walked over to open the door. Then they just walked over and out!

Very cool little family. If you could see my deck right now you'd swear Ace Ventura lives here. There's wood ducks, 'common' ducks, woodpeckers, blue jays, finches, and lots of other animal visitors.. sometimes we see coyotes running around too, and we always hear them singing at night. :)

I adopted her free when she was just a kitten. I fell in love with her. I think she is Tonkinese, though.

http://www.breedlist.com/tonkinese-breeders.html

Hooray for adopting!! :woot: :worship:

I'm sure they can be, if someone's trying to steal their babies or food.. but I mean wouldn't you get vicious if someone was trying to steal your babies?

Anyway when we first bought our house (built in 1930) the basement had a broken window. It was extremely old, thin glass. Anyway, Skippy (one of our companion cats) was tripping out and acting like he wanted to go in the basement. So we went down there to humor him and low and behold.. 2 raccoons had gotten stuck in the basement. They were in the corner by the window but knew they couldn't get out. They looked at us curiously as I walked over to open the door. Then they just walked over and out!

Very cool little family. If you could see my deck right now you'd swear Ace Ventura lives here. There's wood ducks, 'common' ducks, woodpeckers, blue jays, finches, and lots of other animal visitors.. sometimes we see coyotes running around too, and we always hear them singing at night. :)
aaah, so your raccoons are your little buddies :D i love stories like that

i like animals but the only wild one's around me are deer...are the ducks loud? friendly?

aaah, so your raccoons are your little buddies :D i love stories like that

i like animals but the only wild one's around me are deer...are the ducks loud? friendly?

Deer are awesome! I become vicious when I hear talk of killing them..

Anyway the ducks aren't loud, they love it because I feed them :heart:

Oh I forgot the squirrels!!!!!! They now almost climb up my leg to get peanuts.
Good thing Costco sells BIG bags of peanuts.. I usually buy 3 at a time :)

right now i have a ball python and a little sheltie puppy. I was lucky enough to work at a reptile and amphibian store for about 2 years, got to work with all the cool reps such as Reticulated python, green and yellow anacondas, burmese and indian pythons, then all the way down to the small snakes, the milk snakes, corn snakes, and some of the tree boas and pythons. For a few weeks we had some hot snakes, Indian cobra, spitting cobra, fer-de-lance, but i didnt get to do much with them other then throw the occasional rat into the cage. Then we also had dwarf crocs, and some pygmy caimen (only about 4 feet, reletive of crocs) tons of frogs, and toads, turtles, and we had a pretty impressive collection of spiders and scorpions.

Juggernaut, i am currently working on a 44 gallon freshwater aquarium, i want to have black gravel, with some nice fish, i want a betta, and some neon tetras, i've been looking on some sites, and they say you can have anglefish with bettas...do u know if this is true or not, and can u suggest any more cool fish to try in the tank?

Pets?? did you mean the extra furry family members :D

Here are the finny ones :shake:
It's a sickness I know....

Juggernaut, i am currently working on a 44 gallon freshwater aquarium, i want to have black gravel, with some nice fish, i want a betta, and some neon tetras, i've been looking on some sites, and they say you can have anglefish with bettas...do u know if this is true or not, and can u suggest any more cool fish to try in the tank?

black gravel would look awesome with a brightly colored betta and some others. from different places i've read, these appear to be the best suitable with bettas:Tetras, Danios, Angelfish, Rasboras, Loaches, Plecos, and Catfish. i would recommend:

a pleco to help keep your tank clean, he's not much of a looker, but helps keep the natural cycle of chemicals moving.
a rummynose tetra, nice and colorful.
a female betta, to keep him company :nod:
a firemouth cichlid is semi-aggressive, but might live along with a betta.
a german blue ram would look nice with the black rock.


whenever you introduce new fish into the tank it's best to:

introduce more than one at a time
have fed your current fish well a half hour or so prior
move the ornaments/rocks/plants/etc... around so that the "established territories" are removed.


i hope this helps! let me know if there's any other questions you have.

Here are the finny ones :shake:
It's a sickness I know....
i like your oscar (i want to get a zebra oscar, but i just haven't got around to it yet) and the amount of plants/decorations you have (i need more in my fresh water tank).

i like your oscar (i want to get a zebra oscar, but i just haven't got around to it yet) and the amount of plants/decorations you have (i need more in my fresh water tank).

Thank you Juggermaut. He is a Tiger Oscar. I really like his fins and he has a nice orange pattern.

Looks like you and I will have plenty to talk about :) I love my fish especially the severums.

When I grow up I want a salt water tank too :woot:

the tiger oscar i have is 6", but i imagine he's going to get bigger. i had bought a tiger and zebra oscar together but the zebra oscar developed a bladder infection and i wasn't able to save it in time. the other fish found that it was hurting and began their ritual of killing the weaker/smaller fish. :( i'm also looking into getting a black ghost knifefish just because the look cool, but afraid my oscar and cichlids might take it as a delicacy :rolleyes:

the tiger oscar i have is 6", but i imagine he's going to get bigger. i had bought a tiger and zebra oscar together but the zebra oscar developed a bladder infection and i wasn't able to save it in time. the other fish found that it was hurting and began their ritual of killing the weaker/smaller fish. :( i'm also looking into getting a black ghost knifefish just because the look cool, but afraid my oscar and cichlids might take it as a delicacy :rolleyes:

Yes he will get bigger. Mine is about 14" right now and eats like a pig :OMG:
Most people don't like Oscars because they are a messy fish but I clean his tank each week and get a lot of enjoyment in having him. Oscars are the friendliest fish I have kept. Very curious about everything and follow you from one end of the tank to the other. Very aggressive eaters as you pointed out.

I kept cichlids for a while but they were really aggressive and I didn't have a big enough tank to make nice cave areas so they could stake their claim. They also tended to rearrange the tank especially moving gravel and piling it in the corner of the tank. I really loved the different varieties and colors you could get in cichlids.

The knife fish are awesome! I had an elephant nose a few years ago. They are quite a bit alike. Just couldn't keep him alive.

I have 3 tanks right now but would really like to add a 75 gallon, corner bow front in the den and fill it with disc maybe :heart:

Oscars are the friendliest fish I have kept. Very curious about everything and follow you from one end of the tank to the other.
i would have to agree with that. The Oscars we had let us "pet" them after a while...it was pretty cool.


so...you and fish....hobby? obsession? part of your career (or field at least)? :confused:

Yes he will get bigger. Mine is about 14" right now and eats like a pig :OMG:
Most people don't like Oscars because they are a messy fish but I clean his tank each week and get a lot of enjoyment in having him. Oscars are the friendliest fish I have kept. Very curious about everything and follow you from one end of the tank to the other. Very aggressive eaters as you pointed out.

I kept cichlids for a while but they were really aggressive and I didn't have a big enough tank to make nice cave areas so they could stake their claim. They also tended to rearrange the tank especially moving gravel and piling it in the corner of the tank. I really loved the different varieties and colors you could get in cichlids.

The knife fish are awesome! I had an elephant nose a few years ago. They are quite a bit alike. Just couldn't keep him alive.

I have 3 tanks right now but would really like to add a 75 gallon, corner bow front in the den and fill it with disc maybe :heart:

the Tiger Oscar in the pic is 14"? i guess i didn't really have anything to relate size to. he just looked like he was much younger i guess.

what size tanks do you have? mine are,

55 gallon freshwater community: 1 tiger oscar, 1 Gold Sexfasciatus Cichlid (yellow one), 1 pleco, 1 convict cichlid, 1 Moorei Cichlid (blue one), used to have 1 red eye puffer (just died the other day, not sure how :()

55 gallon saltwater community: 45 lbs. live rock, 40 lbs. live sand, 1 four stripe damsel

i love the cichlids, i would like to add a double full red cockatoo cichlid, but they're around $50 and i think the posse would take them out since they "normally" only get to around 4" :(

I have 3 tanks right now but would really like to add a 75 gallon, corner bow front in the den and fill it with disc maybe :heart:

check out my Fish section (http://www.geocities.com/juggernaut_92278/pets/fish/) of my website (http://www.geocities.com/juggernaut_92278/) if you haven't already. i have pictures posted there.

here's a picture attached of the double full red cockatoo

thanks for the help juggernaut, your new salt water tank looks like its gonna be nice!

so...you and fish....hobby? obsession? part of your career (or field at least)? :confused:

Hobby turned obsession :D

You set up what you think is the perfect tank with the perfect fish and than you see other fish you like or a different kinda set-up you like ...so than you buy another tank and so on and so on. I have been very lucky in picking up really inexpensive tanks at garage sales and than just adding the right pump and filter systems. They are very enjoyable to have around :) Turn off all the lights at night and turn on the tank lights...very cool in my opinion.

Not a part of my career just a way to relax away from my career :lol:

the Tiger Oscar in the pic is 14"? i guess i didn't really have anything to relate size to. he just looked like he was much younger i guess.

what size tanks do you have? mine are,

55 gallon freshwater community: 1 tiger oscar, 1 Gold Sexfasciatus Cichlid (yellow one), 1 pleco, 1 convict cichlid, 1 Moorei Cichlid (blue one), used to have 1 red eye puffer (just died the other day, not sure how :()

55 gallon saltwater community: 45 lbs. live rock, 40 lbs. live sand, 1 four stripe damsel

i love the cichlids, i would like to add a double full red cockatoo cichlid, but they're around $50 and i think the posse would take them out since they "normally" only get to around 4" :(

No, no...in that picture he is only about 7". That is an old picture. I will see if I can find a current pic of him and post.

I have a 55 gallon with green severuns, a Hero's sevrum, 1 redtail shark, 4 silver dollars, 2 large plecos, and 3 Coolie loaches.

A 39 gallon with Mr. Oscar and a large pleco.

A 25 gallon with freshwater trops: neons, rasborins, blackskirt tetras, fancy guppies, a pleco, and some tiger barbs (which are a bit agressive and i will have to move before they get much bigger).

:drool: Salt water tank...must have...damsel fish...anemones *damn I'm jealous :D

Love the pics ....Bruce the fish....love it :lol:

Well, lets see if this works. I just made one attempt and the whole post disappeared from my screen. Hope it doesn't show up twice.

Corey just turned 15 years old last month. She was adopted at 8 months old the day before she was to be put to sleep at the Humane Society.

Tugger was about to be brought to the Humane Society but instead ended up here. I love this picture of his king-size yawn.

Well, lets see if this works. I just made one attempt and the whole post disappeared from my screen. Hope it doesn't show up twice.

Corey just turned 15 years old last month. She was adopted at 8 months old the day before she was to be put to sleep at the Humane Society.

Tugger was about to be brought to the Humane Society but instead ended up here. I love this picture of his king-size yawn.

OMG that's hysterical :lmao: What a yawn! Looks like he is hitting the high note if a Puccini Opera :lol: :lol:

Very cute :)

actually, my cat just died today...

...Since you like fish, do you know anything about Bettas? I have an absolutely gorgeous male and he's very feisty. Anyway I wanted to get a companion for him. I went to the local crap shop where they sell animals and asked them what I should do. The guy there said to get a bigger tank and give him not one, but *multiple* females. A little Betta harem LOL

I got a 10 gallon aquarium that I'm picking up this Thursday.

Anyway what do you think? Anyone? :D

One of the best sites I've seen regarding Bettas is www.bettatalk.com (http://www.bettatalk.com) ... everything you wanted to know and didn't know where to ask! :)

She's got great info for caring & breeding for Bettas and quite a collection of unique ones too. I was able to save a friend's betta from certain death (he was floating sideways!) just a month ago. I've got three myself...two in a divided tank and a single at work...by 6th betta. Love'em!

Sorry to hear that BigBubba.

my dog libby :)

thanks for the help juggernaut, your new salt water tank looks like its gonna be nice!
happy to :) and thanks

One of the best sites I've seen regarding Bettas is www.bettatalk.com (http://www.bettatalk.com) ... everything you wanted to know and didn't know where to ask! :)

She's got great info for caring & breeding for Bettas and quite a collection of unique ones too. I was able to save a friend's betta from certain death (he was floating sideways!) just a month ago. I've got three myself...two in a divided tank and a single at work...by 6th betta. Love'em!

Very cool, thank you!

Juggernaut(or anyone else!) thanks for your help before, i'm just doing the research to begin my tank, i was wondering, i would like to have a planted aquarium, do i need anything special for this, or is this going to be extremely difficult?

Those of you with dogs--when you walk your dogs to go do their "thang" do you pick up after them? There's a guy in our complex that lets his dog poo anywhere he pleases and never picks it up. INCLUDING on the sidewalk. What would be a good way to tell him he's a lamo jerkwad and needs to pick up his dog poop?

Those of you with dogs--when you walk your dogs to go do their "thang" do you pick up after them? There's a guy in our complex that lets his dog poo anywhere he pleases and never picks it up. INCLUDING on the sidewalk. What would be a good way to tell him he's a lamo jerkwad and needs to pick up his dog poop?

Put it all in a paper bag and light it on fire on his doorstep.

Juggernaut(or anyone else!) thanks for your help before, i'm just doing the research to begin my tank, i was wondering, i would like to have a planted aquarium, do i need anything special for this, or is this going to be extremely difficult?

strong lights would be the first thing if you're going to have live plants as they will need it. you could get by with 1.5 watts of light per gallon but it would be best to get somewhere around 2-3 and depending on what plant 4 watts per gallon. For a 44 gallon tank you would need a bare minimum of 66 watts and that would be if you only had a couple small plants.

Now, a typical 48" flourescent bulb is only 40 watts (sometimes 30) and that is all the normal fixtures will handle. i purchased a 48" - 110 watt bulb (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=3805&D=actinic&R=7826&Ntt=actinic&Ntk=All&Dx=mode+matchallany&Ntx=mode+matchallany&Np=1&N=2004&Nty=1) at $25+shipping and a 220 watt ballast (http://store.yahoo.com/lamps-now/22elarovhoba.html) at $35+shipping for mine. i don't know the dimensions of your tank, but you may have to go with the 36" - 96 watt bulb or maybe two 36" - 96 watt bulbs depending on how many plants you're wanting. this ballast can handle up to a total of 220 watts, so that's no problem.

all you'll have to do to install the ballast is open the light fixture, cut out the standard ballast (leaving plenty of wire to the fixture) and connect the new one with twist connectors and re-assemble. You won't need any special end caps if you buy bulbs from the site listed above as they have the normal prongs. i hope this helps you out, let me know if you have anymore questions.

Juggernaut(or anyone else!) thanks for your help before, i'm just doing the research to begin my tank, i was wondering, i would like to have a planted aquarium, do i need anything special for this, or is this going to be extremely difficult?

Hey Zuma,

It's not that it is extremely difficult but you do have to make some special considerations when doing a planted tank. Such as...don't use an undergravel filter. You'll want an over the side or canaster filter system. You'll need about 2-3 watts of light per gallon of water and normally the bulbs you get with your tank are not strong enough. You will have to buy different ones. Think about the fish you want in your tank...will they be herbavories? Will they totally snack out on my plant?? When they get big will the try to pull my plants up...it can be frustrating.

Also a good rule of thumb is one inch of fish per 1 gallons of water. This means you will have to consider the adult size of the fish. ----> 4" fish needs at least 4 gallons all to themselves ;) It is important to remember that plants and decoration will take up part of that "4 gallons" so if you plant your tank heavily you will need to up that rule of thumb to maybe 2 gallons per inch of fish. If you commit to doing weekly water changes you should be okay with 1:1.

Okay now that I have confussed and scared you :lol:
Here are some beginner plants you might want to try:

Java Fern - Microsorum pteropus - Asia
Java Moss* - Vesicularia dubyana - Asia
Water Sprite* - Ceratopteris thalictroides - World Wide
Water Wisteria* - Hygrophilla difformis - Asia
Small Leafed Hygro* - Hygrophilla polysperma - Asia
Giant Hygro*- one of several Hygrophilla sp. - Asia
Willow Leaf Hygro* - Hygrophilla angustifolia - Asia
Valisneria or Tape Grass - Valisneria sp. - New World and Africa
Sword plants - Echinodorus sp. - New World
Rotala rotundifolia* - same - Asia
Milfoil or Foxtail - Myriophyllum sp. - World Wide
Ambulia - Limnophila sp. - Asia
Fuzzy Duck Weed - Salvinia sp. - New World

And how to plant them:
- "Rosette" or "crown" plants are planted individually in the substrate. Make sure that the crown itself is above the substrate surface. Only the roots should be buried. This is also true for the thick rhizome of Anubias plants.
- Stem plants are usually sold in rootless "bunches". They should be removed from their elastic band or lead weight, and planted no more than 3 stems at a time. They will quickly root themselves under good conditions. If they tend to float out of the substrate in the beginning, you can place a few small stones around the base. Another trick is to leave them floating for a week or so. Usually they will have begun to develop roots in that period of time, and it will be much easier to keep them down.
- Water Sprite can either be left floating, or planted in the substrate.
- Salvinia (and several other similar small plants) are floaters. Remember that they increase quickly, and remove most of them when you do other tank maintenance. Don't let more than 1/3 of the water surface become covered with these plants.
- Java Moss can be either left loose, or tied (or stapled) onto driftwood.
- Java Fern does not usually do well with its roots in the gravel. It is best to tie or rubber band this plant to rocks or driftwood. You can even just wedge some in between two stones.

http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/plants/randall_Setting%20up.html

When your ready we need to talk about cycling your tank before you introduce fishies :p :p

Those of you with dogs--when you walk your dogs to go do their "thang" do you pick up after them? There's a guy in our complex that lets his dog poo anywhere he pleases and never picks it up. INCLUDING on the sidewalk. What would be a good way to tell him he's a lamo jerkwad and needs to pick up his dog poop?

i would get some latex gloves, small dust mask, collect the fecal matter over a period of time (quantity depending on how pissed he's making me) and then smear it all over his front door and even leave messages with it like, "thanks for using your pooper scooper :)"

or if i was even more pissed, i would go ahead and get those latex gloves, small dust mask, an apron or clothes i will throw in dumpster, collect the fecal matter (quantity still dependant on how pissed he's making me), wait for him to take his dog walking again, and then return what is rightfully his putting it in his pockets, inside his jacket, etc. . .

Those of you with dogs--when you walk your dogs to go do their "thang" do you pick up after them? There's a guy in our complex that lets his dog poo anywhere he pleases and never picks it up. INCLUDING on the sidewalk. What would be a good way to tell him he's a lamo jerkwad and needs to pick up his dog poop?

Put it in his mailbox!

Print this and put it in his mailbox anonymously...

The top ten reason to pick up after you dog
http://www.beverlybarc.com/poop.shtml

All great suggestions on the dog poop. Whatever I do, I have to do it incognito for fear that he'll purposely have his dog poop on my doorstep so I step on it in the morning--plus I'm not one for confrontations.

I'm thinking of piling the poop up in front of his door along with the top ten list. That ought to get the message across!

All great suggestions on the dog poop. Whatever I do, I have to do it incognito for fear that he'll purposely have his dog poop on my doorstep so I step on it in the morning--plus I'm not one for confrontations.

I'm thinking of piling the poop up in front of his door along with the top ten list. That ought to get the message across!

that sounds good, i wasn't sure how subtle you were wanting to be :D

thanks Shucksgirl, all very helpful...one last (probably not last, but last for now!) question, does the susbtrate matter for these plants. I was planning on using just plan black and dark blue gravel, to go with the bright fish i was going to have (so the gravel and fish contrast each other) will gravel be a good enough susbtrate? I know that with other animals such as snakes, turtles, and frogs, if u have a planted habitat, u need to make sure that u used the right substrate, is this the case with fish?

Zuma, Folks use lots of different substrate like sand (childrens play sand like from Home Depot), Flourite, peat and on and on.

I prefer using 1 to 2 inches of fine gravel for the substrate. That should give you room to anchor the plants very well and you don't have the mess of sand clouding your tank or dealing with pieces of peat floating around. Sand is also hard to clean :p

here are my dogs. barky and grunty. jk kip and brenna really
kip is the doxie and brenna is the beagle.

here are my dogs. barky and grunty. jk kip and brenna really
kip is the doxie and brenna is the beagle.


Awwwww, what cuties irons :nod:

thanks shucks

alright, i lied. my previous post wasnt my last one in this thread, but oh well. Alright, i've read conflicting points on different web pages, does anyone here have a community tank, that INCLUDES bettas? I've heard this was ok, aslong as the other fish do not have large fins, and would not try to eat the bettas fins. Other pages said, no way, leave bettas in there own tank. Which of these is true?

at the bottom of this page, it shows some ideal tank mates for bettas, do you agree, or disagree with any of these??

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?siteid=21&pCatId=990

Here is my dog, Oreo.

She died last year. :(

:woot: My new additions that arrived TODAY!!! :woot:


3 - Freshwater Clams
12 - Dwarf Blue Leg Hermit Crabs
12 - Empty Hermit Crab Shells
2 - Haitian Reef Anemones
1 - Sand Sifting Sea Star (Fiji)
1 - Red Sea Star
1 - Blue Tang, Solomon / Fiji
1 - Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp - Small (back-ordered, but will be shipped next week)


i will try to get some photos posted on my pets/fish site (http://www.geocities.com/juggernaut_92278/pets/fish/) tonight!

here are my dogs. barky and grunty. jk kip and brenna really
kip is the doxie and brenna is the beagle.

oh man! Kip needs to go on some doggie weight watchers!! =)

My ex's mom had two of those dogs.. and she overfed them horribly. Poor things couldn't even stand on their own legs. (they wouldn't reach) The pretty much moved around like seals. I was really pissed for what she did to those dogs... they both died of liver failure I believe.

-not that your dog is anywhere close to being THAT bad.

juggernaut...sounds like some nice additions!


where do you purchase your animals from? i assume offline somewhere, as you said shipment has arrived?

Here's my dog. He's awesome.

Krypto (http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0404/14/sb4.htm)

juggernaut...sounds like some nice additions!


where do you purchase your animals from? i assume offline somewhere, as you said shipment has arrived?

www.liveaquaria.com is where i get bulk orders from as it comes out cheaper than the local store and they have a 10 day guarantee the fish will survive unlike the locals that say, "It will make it home alive"

there is a "supplies" link on that site that takes you to a sister site of theirs that has stuff for all types of animals.

:woot: My new additions that arrived TODAY!!! :woot:


3 - Freshwater Clams
12 - Dwarf Blue Leg Hermit Crabs
12 - Empty Hermit Crab Shells
2 - Haitian Reef Anemones
1 - Sand Sifting Sea Star (Fiji)
1 - Red Sea Star
1 - Blue Tang, Solomon / Fiji
1 - Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp - Small (back-ordered, but will be shipped next week)


i will try to get some photos posted on my pets/fish site (http://www.geocities.com/juggernaut_92278/pets/fish/) tonight!
curious how much did that new batch cost you?

:woot: My new additions that arrived TODAY!!! :woot:


3 - Freshwater Clams $6.87
12 - Dwarf Blue Leg Hermit Crabs $10.68
12 - Empty Hermit Crab Shells $2.99
2 - Haitian Reef Anemones $17.98
1 - Sand Sifting Sea Star (Fiji) $11.99
1 - Red Sea Star $13.99
1 - Blue Tang, Solomon / Fiji $19.99
1 - Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp - Small (back-ordered, but will be shipped next week) this guy actually came in today!! :woot: $15.99
Shipping $5.00 (Split with other friends as they got stuff too)
Grand Total = $105.48


i will try to get some photos posted on my pets/fish site (http://www.geocities.com/juggernaut_92278/pets/fish/) tonight!

i haven't got the pictures up yet, but will have them posted soon. i will bump this back to the top of the lounge when i do.

My two all black cats have two human pets.

i haven't got the pictures up yet, but will have them posted soon. i will bump this back to the top of the lounge when i do.

Can't wait to see the pics Juggernaut :woot: :woot:

Awesome on the Red Star and Tang!!

*pouting again*

I'm so damn jealous :lol:

Zuma babe...How goes the tank?? :D

5 pictures added, here (http://www.geocities.com/juggernaut_92278/pets/fish/). Descriptions:

2 3-Stripe damsels and 1 yellow tail blue damsel
Anemone with anemone crab
Anemone and red sea starfish
2 anemones and red sea starfish
scarlet skunk cleaner shrimp

5 pictures added,

Very cool! I really like the starfish! :nod:

Zuma babe...How goes the tank?? :D


going well. i havent started to put it all together yet, as we are moving from our current house in about 2 weeks. I hope to start getting it ready for fish by august. I'm going away for the summer, and i dont want to leave it in the trust of anyone else for the first little while. If anything goes wrong, i'd rather have it on me, then a friend.

5 pictures added, here (http://www.geocities.com/juggernaut_92278/pets/fish/). Descriptions:

2 3-Stripe damsels and 1 yellow tail blue damsel
Anemone with anemone crab
Anemone and red sea starfish
2 anemones and red sea starfish
scarlet skunk cleaner shrimp


Very Nice :D :drool: :D :heart: :nod:

5 pictures added, here (http://www.geocities.com/juggernaut_92278/pets/fish/). Descriptions:

2 3-Stripe damsels and 1 yellow tail blue damsel
Anemone with anemone crab
Anemone and red sea starfish
2 anemones and red sea starfish
scarlet skunk cleaner shrimp


Very Nice! I really like the anemones.

thank you kapoentje, Shucksgirl, and mmoerdyk :) since it's not obvious, i'll just tell you that i REALLY like fish and aquariums. :D

I'm going to try and get a picture of the sand sifting star and, not to make you pout more Shucksgirl but because i want a pic of her up there, the blue tang. she (the blue tang) is tough to get a picture of, she's not as social as the cleaner shrimp.

Good news and bad news. First the good news:

9 more salt water fish pictures added!!! HERE (http://www.geocities.com/juggernaut_92278/pets/fish/)

Bad News, Original Anemone #1, #2, & #3 have died. The new Anemone #1 & #2 have been living for longer than the others and I've done research and found that the "Coralife Target Food" can be DEADLY either directly or indirectly to anemones. unfortunately, i found out AFTER they died. now i feed them ground up sea food combination food and shrimp pellets.

the research article I found can be located on my website linked next to the "Salt Water Setup Diagram". PLEASE NOTE the feeding your anemone section talking about the Target Food.

Very nice Juggernaut!

Too bad about the first Anemones but atleast you found out what the problem was. I've been looking and shopping and shopping and looking but haven't committed to a salt set-up yet. They are just sooooo bu-tee-ful :heart:

Thanks for sharing the pics and I saved your site in my favs so I keep it with the rest of my fishie info.

Do you have any regular fish forums you go to for advice or just to talk fish??

very nice juggernaut..sorry about the anemones.

Do you have any regular fish forums you go to for advice or just to talk fish??

Reefcentral.com is far and away the best forum I've found for saltwater information and discussion.

Btw, I've been keeping reef tanks for over 10 years now so I've built up quite a bit of experience that I'm more than happy to share if anyone has any questions.

Just picked up this guy (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=312276) last week. He's the actual fish shown in the photos (the poster was his former owner). Like a yellow marshmallow floating around the tank.

Reefcentral.com is far and away the best forum I've found for saltwater information and discussion.

Btw, I've been keeping reef tanks for over 10 years now so I've built up quite a bit of experience that I'm more than happy to share if anyone has any questions.

Just picked up this guy (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=312276) last week. He's the actual fish shown in the photos (the poster was his former owner). Like a yellow marshmallow floating around the tank.

Hey! Thanks for the link and the offer of help. I don't have a saltwater tank "yet"...

I am resigned to sit and drool over Juggs and now yours for the time being :drool:

I have several freshwater trops though.

The little "yellow marshmellow" is very, very kwel. What is that? A puffer??

Its a baby boxfish. I'll see if I can get some pictures of my tank taken sometime soon.

Very nice Juggernaut!

Too bad about the first Anemones but atleast you found out what the problem was. I've been looking and shopping and shopping and looking but haven't committed to a salt set-up yet. They are just sooooo bu-tee-ful :heart:

Thanks for sharing the pics and I saved your site in my favs so I keep it with the rest of my fishie info.

Do you have any regular fish forums you go to for advice or just to talk fish??

I don't really go to many fish forums. i will have to check out the one that wwxc mentioned. the only one that i go to is www.practical-pet-care.com and i don't really go there that often as i normally don't have a lot of time. i took their "test" to become one of their experts and have answered 2 posts so far. i wish i had more time to read through the questions and give answers (which is why i haven't taken the cat or ferret "tests"), but it's not normally as busy as this forum and if someone has already answered, i see no point in saying the same thing twice. i'm always available to answer questions about fish and am normally eager to help when someone needs help, tips, or whatever.

my first tip for salt water tanks is: when you go to do a water change, make sure you clean the algae off the glass at the top, because if you don't and something comes up in the middle of your water change, then it starts to dry out, and it stinks! :D

I don't really go to many fish forums. i will have to check out the one that wwxc mentioned. the only one that i go to is www.practical-pet-care.com and i don't really go there that often as i normally don't have a lot of time. i took their "test" to become one of their experts and have answered 2 posts so far. i wish i had more time to read through the questions and give answers (which is why i haven't taken the cat or ferret "tests"), but it's not normally as busy as this forum and if someone has already answered, i see no point in saying the same thing twice. i'm always available to answer questions about fish and am normally eager to help when someone needs help, tips, or whatever.

my first tip for salt water tanks is: when you go to do a water change, make sure you clean the algae off the glass at the top, because if you don't and something comes up in the middle of your water change, then it starts to dry out, and it stinks! :D

OMG! That's where I have seen your name!!! heehee I'm a Mod in the dog forum there (although I have been on sabbatical) :woot:

Well ooooo on the stinky algae thing. I'll be leaning on you Jugg.

Jugg, what kind of lighting do you have on your tank and how big is it?

Jugg, what kind of lighting do you have on your tank and how big is it?

55 gallon salt water tank, two VHO Actinic White Flourescent 110W bulbs and one blue moon 36W bulb for night viewing. All bulbs are 48"

what are your setups? you've been in it for ten years you must have some really cool tanks!

OMG! That's where I have seen your name!!! heehee I'm a Mod in the dog forum there (although I have been on sabbatical) :woot:

Well ooooo on the stinky algae thing. I'll be leaning on you Jugg.

i'll have to keep an eye out for you when i'm in there then. another reason i hadn't been going in there was because my home computer kept locking up on that website and i couldn't figure out why. recent troubleshooting found that my video card was on the edge of incinerating itself and i'm waiting on my replacement while running on my second video card only - of 32M. :eek:

55 gallon salt water tank, two VHO Actinic White Flourescent 110W bulbs and one blue moon 36W bulb for night viewing. All bulbs are 48"

what are your setups? you've been in it for ten years you must have some really cool tanks!

Actually, I just moved out to San Diego so I had to break down my old setup. Right now I just started a barebottom 55 reef in my room with 2X175 14000K metal halides, protein skimmer, 100 lbs of fiji live rock, and two fish: royal gramma and the boxfish I posted pics of earlier.

I recently helped a family friend in San Diego set up a 300 gallon reef with dual sumps, chiller, 2X250W 10000K halides, 4X55W Actinic PCs, Euroreef Skimmer, 400 lbs Live Rock, 1.5 inches of live sand, and a bunch of fish, inverts, and corals. I really need to get some pics of that one, its pretty freaking awesome. Wish I could afford something like that. At least I can make it look nice.

Don't want to rain on your parade or anything, but I've known a number of people (including myself) that have had a tank crash because of the plenum system you're using. I found it to be a giant detritus trap when I tried it about 6 years ago. Make sure to keep that sand very clean or else you'll run into bad problems within the year.

Don't want to rain on your parade or anything, but I've known a number of people (including myself) that have had a tank crash because of the plenum system you're using. I found it to be a giant detritus trap when I tried it about 6 years ago. Make sure to keep that sand very clean or else you'll run into bad problems within the year.

What kind of problems did you encounter with the anoxic setup? what do you mean by "tank crash"? amonia and nitrite spikes to wazoo? i currently know several people that have done this anoxic level aquarium setup (one has had his for 3 years) with no problems.

my tank is currently occupied by the following:

45 lbs. fiji live rock
40 lbs. live sand
1 porcelain anemone crab
2 dwarf red leg hermit crabs
15 dwarf blue leg hermit crabs
1 Haitian reef anemone
1 Rock Flower anemone
1 Scarlet skunk cleaner shrimp
1 - 3.5" Sand sifting star fish
3 Turbo snails
2 True percula clown fish (1 quarantined)
1 Yellowtail Damselfish
2 Three strip Damselfish
1 Blue velvet Damselfish
1 Blue Tang

And I intend on adding the following very soon:

2 Haitian Reef anemones
1 Bulb anemone
1 Porcelain anemone crab
15 dwarf blue leg hermit crabs
1 Red Sea starfish
1 Burgundy starfish (this species sometimes has 6 legs :eek: )
1 Spiny blue lobster


the starfish, crabs, and snails pretty much take care of the sand and i have to clean off the glass every other week or so, but that's my preference so i can see them better. i've had my tank occupied for about 3 months now i think and have only had to clean out the sand once because i thought the detritus was getting too deep. and by deep i mean it went down into the sand approximately 0.25" - 0.5" of the visible 1.5"-2" from the top. i was using a protein skimmer, but lost interest in it and have a power sweep that agitates and oxygenates the water at the surface to prevent the scum layer from building. i've been thinking of going 10 gallon sump tank, but haven't really found the time.

You absolutely need to be running a protein skimmer. No buts about it. It does so much more than keep the top of the water scum-free.

The crash I'm referring to was a pretty nice permanent nitrate and phosphate spike that caused a neverending algae bloom to take over. The problem with the plenum system is that detritus will build up in the sand closest to the anoxic water but you can't get it out of there without disturbing the whole thing and releasing toxic gasses into the system. So it sits there and rots, creating a constant algae-feeding nutrient souce in the tank. Plenum systems were basically dismissed as hooey a few years ago. Yes, they are good in theory but rarely work in practice, especially in a heavily stocked tank such as yours. There are exceptions (your friend's tank), but I've found them to be rare.

I'd stay away from the lobster if I were you. It will get big quick and be nothing but a poo machine.

My best advice, start hanging around the reefcentral.com forums and being to take in the knowledge found there. Some of the world's foremost experts post there, along with marine biologists, zookeepers, and hobbyists with years and years of experience. Local fish stores are no place to be getting advice.

You absolutely need to be running a protein skimmer. No buts about it. It does so much more than keep the top of the water scum-free.

The crash I'm referring to was a pretty nice permanent nitrate and phosphate spike that caused a neverending algae bloom to take over. The problem with the plenum system is that detritus will build up in the sand closest to the anoxic water but you can't get it out of there without disturbing the whole thing and releasing toxic gasses into the system. So it sits there and rots, creating a constant algae-feeding nutrient souce in the tank. Plenum systems were basically dismissed as hooey a few years ago. Yes, they are good in theory but rarely work in practice, especially in a heavily stocked tank such as yours. There are exceptions (your friend's tank), but I've found them to be rare.

I'd stay away from the lobster if I were you. It will get big quick and be nothing but a poo machine.

My best advice, start hanging around the reefcentral.com forums and being to take in the knowledge found there. Some of the world's foremost experts post there, along with marine biologists, zookeepers, and hobbyists with years and years of experience. Local fish stores are no place to be getting advice.


the people i get info from are not the local fish store 16 year old clerks. i read books with credible references and discuss things over with several people that have had systems for some time and look what has worked for them as well as all the problems they've had. for the ones that have used the monaco style aquarium, not one person i've spoken with (personally and not on forums) has ever had a problem with it. 1 person has never used a protein skimmer style filter in the 3 years they had theirs, mainly because a research shows that a skimmer can take out wanted organics as well as the unwanted ones.

the only thing a protein skimmer does that i can think of is remove built up protein from the surface of the water and from within the water. the whole time i ran a protein skimmer, there was never enough protein foam created that needed to be removed. the micro bubbles created by the power sweep i use allows the protein in the tank to bond and then it carries it out of the tank when it reaches the surface and bursts (i've had to scrub the underside of my hoods several times now).

As for your algae bloom, how high did your nitrates and phosphates get? maybe should have had more sand sifting type critters to eat the detritus or vacuumed it up before it became a problem? my crabs, starfish and snails tear my sand up, like i said, i only had to vacuum the sand once in 3 months or so, and that was only a small section of the sand that the starfish wasn't getting to and it looked like the detritus was getting down into the sand too much. it is good for some to get down there, that's the whole point of this type of system, but obviously bad if it gets out of control without catching it by vacuuming or dumping more sand sifters in there.

i did get a nice 40+ page anemone care file that i found had some additional info that i didn't know or elaborated on further from what i knew. i also just got done reading about how several of the members are going "skimmerless"

Didn't mean to assume you were getting your advice from 16 year olds, but the majority of people starting out in this hobby go to the fish store and take all the advice they get as gospel. Almost all fish stores, except the very, very best ones, are out to make a quick buck off their customers and tend to be more than willing to sell you crap you just don't need in order to solve a "problem" that was created by them in the first place. "Oh, that died? Well here, add a bottle of this and it will be all better." The term LFS (local fish store) is like a swear word over at reefcentral.

The newest overriding theory with reef tanks is that they are closed systems, unlike the ocean which is for all purposes an open system. Organics need to be taken out of the closed system or else they will build up and cause problems (nitrates, phosphates) down the line. The only two real methods of removal are protein skimming and water changes (with physical detritus removal). If the total addition of organics (food, animal waste, etc.) exceeds total taken out over time, you're going to get problems down the line. Even if the stars and snails are "getting to the detritus" its not being removed from the system, its just being recylcled into another form. You might not see it, but its there.

By the way, none of those animals you have actually eat detritus. The stars eat critters in the sand and algae films, the snails eat algae, and the crabs eat uneated food and stuff that has died. They'll do a good job stirring up the sand but they don't eat the actual brown crap coming out of the rocks and building up in the sand that is true detritus. Thats where you need to come in with removal. Sounds like you're doing well with that, but you need to stay very vigilant.

Skimmers do remove some beneficial things, but nothing that can't be replaced through your regular water changes with a good quality salt mix. Since you don't have corals you don't need to worry about phytoplankton either. What type of skimmer did you get? Sounds like a seaclone to me, hehe, hope I'm not right on that.

Almost all reef tanks will be fine through the first year, its past that point where it will go downhill if things aren't right. Longterm staying power is the true measure of reefkeeping methods. Good luck.

Didn't mean to assume you were getting your advice from 16 year olds, but the majority of people starting out in this hobby go to the fish store and take all the advice they get as gospel. Almost all fish stores, except the very, very best ones, are out to make a quick buck off their customers and tend to be more than willing to sell you crap you just don't need in order to solve a "problem" that was created by them in the first place. "Oh, that died? Well here, add a bottle of this and it will be all better." The term LFS (local fish store) is like a swear word over at reefcentral.

The newest overriding theory with reef tanks is that they are closed systems, unlike the ocean which is for all purposes an open system. Organics need to be taken out of the closed system or else they will build up and cause problems (nitrates, phosphates) down the line. The only two real methods of removal are protein skimming and water changes (with physical detritus removal). If the total addition of organics (food, animal waste, etc.) exceeds total taken out over time, you're going to get problems down the line. Even if the stars and snails are "getting to the detritus" its not being removed from the system, its just being recylcled into another form. You might not see it, but its there.

By the way, none of those animals you have actually eat detritus. The stars eat critters in the sand and algae films, the snails eat algae, and the crabs eat uneated food and stuff that has died. They'll do a good job stirring up the sand but they don't eat the actual brown crap coming out of the rocks and building up in the sand that is true detritus. Thats where you need to come in with removal. Sounds like you're doing well with that, but you need to stay very vigilant.

Skimmers do remove some beneficial things, but nothing that can't be replaced through your regular water changes with a good quality salt mix. Since you don't have corals you don't need to worry about phytoplankton either. What type of skimmer did you get? Sounds like a seaclone to me, hehe, hope I'm not right on that.

Almost all reef tanks will be fine through the first year, its past that point where it will go downhill if things aren't right. Longterm staying power is the true measure of reefkeeping methods. Good luck.
well, my town doesn't have any really good pet stores, and the ones that we have, are pretty much owned by someone that owns another business in town and let's their 16 year old run it.

i'll keep my eye on the detritus build up, like i said, if i notice it getting too deep into the sand i'll vacuum the sand and clean it out, but so far only had to do it once.

the skimmer i had was a prizm pro deluxe.

i registered on RC, there are a lot of people on there, not sure i'll be able to keep up reading all the posts!

well, my town doesn't have any really good pet stores, and the ones that we have, are pretty much owned by someone that owns another business in town and let's their 16 year old run it.

i'll keep my eye on the detritus build up, like i said, if i notice it getting too deep into the sand i'll vacuum the sand and clean it out, but so far only had to do it once.

the skimmer i had was a prizm pro deluxe.

i registered on RC, there are a lot of people on there, not sure i'll be able to keep up reading all the posts!

Yeah, reefcentral can get hectic at times. Some of the smaller forums are just as good and go by slower. Stay out of "New to the Hobby," its just a bunch of newbies giving other newbies bad advice. Eric Borneman's coral forum is good, as is Ask. Dr. Ron. The good thing about all the people is that if you post a question you'll get a bunch of responses back within ten minutes at all hours of the day.

The Prizm is junk unfortunately. No wonder you weren't getting any foam. I'd see if you can return that if I were you. The Aqua-C Remora is a great hang on the back skimmer, but stay away from the prizm and the seaclone.

Anyway, good luck and keep us updated.

7 new photos added to my site (http://www.geocities.com/juggernaut_92278/pets/fish/) showing new salt water inhabitants.

I have a question, i just got a baby pit bull 10 weeks old and when i put on his leash to walk him he just plops to the ground and if i pull he freaks out like hes having a seziure. anyone know if this is jsut a puppy thing he will get over or...?

Here are some friends visiting us on our deck

Looks like our guests sometimes...and it looks like my deck too!!! Say, have you ever been to my back deck???

here is a pic of lil smokey.

n/m it won't upload properly for some reason.

it was a pic of our black kitty cat.

here is a pic of lil smokey.

n/m it won't upload properly for some reason.

it was a pic of our black kitty cat.
I have a black kitty cat too.. but I sent him to live with my parents until I can get him fixed... :D

The newest overriding theory with reef tanks is that they are closed systems, unlike the ocean which is for all purposes an open system. Organics need to be taken out of the closed system or else they will build up and cause problems (nitrates, phosphates) down the line. The only two real methods of removal are protein skimming and water changes (with physical detritus removal). If the total addition of organics (food, animal waste, etc.) exceeds total taken out over time, you're going to get problems down the line. Even if the stars and snails are "getting to the detritus" its not being removed from the system, its just being recylcled into another form. You might not see it, but its there.

By the way, none of those animals you have actually eat detritus. The stars eat critters in the sand and algae films, the snails eat algae, and the crabs eat uneated food and stuff that has died. They'll do a good job stirring up the sand but they don't eat the actual brown crap coming out of the rocks and building up in the sand that is true detritus. Thats where you need to come in with removal. Sounds like you're doing well with that, but you need to stay very vigilant.

Skimmers do remove some beneficial things, but nothing that can't be replaced through your regular water changes with a good quality salt mix. Since you don't have corals you don't need to worry about phytoplankton either. What type of skimmer did you get? Sounds like a seaclone to me, hehe, hope I'm not right on that.

---

Yeah, reefcentral can get hectic at times. Some of the smaller forums are just as good and go by slower. Stay out of "New to the Hobby," its just a bunch of newbies giving other newbies bad advice. Eric Borneman's coral forum is good, as is Ask. Dr. Ron. The good thing about all the people is that if you post a question you'll get a bunch of responses back within ten minutes at all hours of the day.

The Prizm is junk unfortunately. No wonder you weren't getting any foam. I'd see if you can return that if I were you. The Aqua-C Remora is a great hang on the back skimmer, but stay away from the prizm and the seaclone.

Anyway, good luck and keep us updated.

so now i'm curious, what does the aqua-c do that the prizm can't? and how?

i also do 20-30% (rough guesstimate) water changes weekly while vacumming the sand if needed, which in essence is removing detritus or anything lingering in the water that the crap eaters aren't getting. so far everything is fine, been watching my levels closely and nothing rising or dropping to out-of-ideal levels.

Does anyone have a tortoise? I saw sweveral turtles on this thread and I am interested in getting one, but I was wondering what considerations need to be taken. Can anyone PM me and give me a hand?

so now i'm curious, what does the aqua-c do that the prizm can't? and how?

i also do 20-30% (rough guesstimate) water changes weekly while vacumming the sand if needed, which in essence is removing detritus or anything lingering in the water that the crap eaters aren't getting. so far everything is fine, been watching my levels closely and nothing rising or dropping to out-of-ideal levels.

Not that the Prizm can't skim well its just that it requires constant re-adjustment, is often noisy, and has a manufacturing problem that results in a broken pump "drive shaft" in a number of the units. Its more poorly made than anything else.

Sounds like you're keeping on things. Get the detritus out and you'll be fine.

Juggernaut, I like the pictures. I don't think I have ever seen a choclate chip star fish before. Good luck on the tank, and keep the pics coming!

Juggernaut, I like the pictures. I don't think I have ever seen a choclate chip star fish before. Good luck on the tank, and keep the pics coming!

thanks ZanexGt! i love fish/inverts, so i greatly enjoy talking about them. One of my friends had a CC starfish, and he told me he had to give it away because it grew to around 16" and became very aggresive :eek: i'm hoping mine will be more social and not predatorial :D i now plan to work some overtime so i can get a much better camera and take some really close pics, specially of the oddball that i haven't identified yet and can't get very good pics of with the camera i'm using now.

pics here: One (http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v250/judgejuggernaut/fish/OddBall01.jpg) - Two (http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v250/judgejuggernaut/fish/OddBall02.jpg) - Three (http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v250/judgejuggernaut/fish/OddBall03.jpg)

i've been wanting a sea cucumber, but i couldn't find one that would be beneficial to my tank but also look decent. so i bought a Sea Apple which is categorized in the sea cucumber section. i also bought another anemone, people are now starting to call me an anemone freak. potty word potty word potty word on them! i also took a picture of one of my turbo snails as he flew across the front glass.

located at my website (http://www.geocities.com/juggernaut_92278/pets/fish/)

i've been wanting a sea cucumber, but i couldn't find one that would be beneficial to my tank but also look decent. so i bought a Sea Apple which is categorized in the sea cucumber section. i also bought another anemone, people are now starting to call me an anemone freak. potty word potty word potty word on them! i also took a picture of one of my turbo snails as he flew across the front glass.

located at my website (http://www.geocities.com/juggernaut_92278/pets/fish/)

thats a great site, is it hard to maintain? (the tank I mean)

thats a great site, is it hard to maintain? (the tank I mean)

it's not too bad, i do about a 10-20 gallon water change (depending on how dirty) and clean the filter and powerhead every week and i'll move rocks around and let the shrimp clean my hand, then i'll pull up my bean bag chair and watch them do their thing for a while. i know anemones don't really do much, but when you drop in some ground up fish for them to eat, it's cool to watch them grab it and pull it in. the lights i use are on a timer (they just went out) except for the blue moon bulb which i turn on when the main lights turn off to watch the "night time viewing".

i moved my two red leg hermitt crabs into a 2 gallon tank because i think they're disturbing some of the anemones, so they're in time out. i need to get some more blue leg hermitt crabs and maybe another sand sifting starfish to help keep my sand clean. i want to get a seahorse next, if i don't get another anemone first :whistling:

i've been wanting a sea cucumber, but i couldn't find one that would be beneficial to my tank but also look decent. so i bought a Sea Apple which is categorized in the sea cucumber section. i also bought another anemone, people are now starting to call me an anemone freak. potty word potty word potty word on them! i also took a picture of one of my turbo snails as he flew across the front glass.

located at my website (http://www.geocities.com/juggernaut_92278/pets/fish/)

Good lord, you gotta research what you buy before you buy it. Sea Apples are known as the ticking time bombs of the marine trade. They're virtually impossible to keep fully fed and tend to die unexpectedly. They're highly toxic and will clean out a tank within hours of passing away. I'd get it the hell out of your tank unless you're a betting man. I can't believe stores still sell those. I wouldn't trust anyone that sold a sea apple to a unknowing hobbyist.

Also with the seahorse, make sure you do a bunch of research before you get one. They're quite hard to keep and usually don't last past 6 months unless you really know how to care for them. There's no way they'd be able to get enough food in a tank with damsels due to their speed. Seahorse.org is the best seahorse site out there. You might want to consider setting up a dedicated tank if you're interested in seahorses.

Good luck with everything. I'm struggling to keep my temp down in this damn SoCal weather.

http://www.slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?t=28233&highlight=meiko

i obviously didnt use the search feature....

i've been wanting a sea cucumber, but i couldn't find one that would be beneficial to my tank but also look decent. so i bought a Sea Apple which is categorized in the sea cucumber section. i also bought another anemone, people are now starting to call me an anemone freak. potty word potty word potty word on them! i also took a picture of one of my turbo snails as he flew across the front glass.

located at my website (http://www.geocities.com/juggernaut_92278/pets/fish/)

I like your site, I just got a 29gallon setup. I treated the water and filtered, now I have a couple of goldfish in there just to make sure the water is somewhat livable, they have been in there for a few days everything ok.

any suggestions about what fish to put in there???? I don't reallly want an oscar I think they are mean fish.

Good lord, you gotta research what you buy before you buy it. Sea Apples are known as the ticking time bombs of the marine trade. They're virtually impossible to keep fully fed and tend to die unexpectedly. They're highly toxic and will clean out a tank within hours of passing away. I'd get it the hell out of your tank unless you're a betting man. I can't believe stores still sell those. I wouldn't trust anyone that sold a sea apple to a unknowing hobbyist.

Also with the seahorse, make sure you do a bunch of research before you get one. They're quite hard to keep and usually don't last past 6 months unless you really know how to care for them. There's no way they'd be able to get enough food in a tank with damsels due to their speed. Seahorse.org is the best seahorse site out there. You might want to consider setting up a dedicated tank if you're interested in seahorses.

Good luck with everything. I'm struggling to keep my temp down in this damn SoCal weather.

you have absolutely no faith in anyone else do you? yes i did research about the sea apples prior to buying it and i know about how it has a toxic tubule that can kill if something goes wrong. but since i don't plan on pissing in the tank after drinking a six pack of mountain dew, not much should go wrong. i don't go to the LFS and just point and buy. i look at what they have, tell them to hold what i like and go research. i thought we went through this before about how i don't listen to the 16 year olds selling me things? as far as the seahorse, i mainly stated that i wanted one, most likely if i decide to get one, i will be getting a seperate tank and putting all the seahorse in there. i merely give general information and pictures here online for others' viewing pleasure. i'm not here to say what i purchased and then give a report on it. i know you're knowledgable with fish also and have good intentions, and i appreciate you giving your info that you have on stuff, but fish, physical training, and being a good father/husband are the things i believe i excel in, i don't claim to know a lot about anything else, but i do my best on being a great father/husband and i do research on the other two. like always, i will keep everyone updated on my tank with pictures or discussion as anyone wishes to discuss.

I like your site, I just got a 29gallon setup. I treated the water and filtered, now I have a couple of goldfish in there just to make sure the water is somewhat livable, they have been in there for a few days everything ok.

any suggestions about what fish to put in there???? I don't reallly want an oscar I think they are mean fish.

juggernaut did you see this post by any chance??

you have absolutely no faith in anyone else do you? yes i did research about the sea apples prior to buying it and i know about how it has a toxic tubule that can kill if something goes wrong. but since i don't plan on pissing in the tank after drinking a six pack of mountain dew, not much should go wrong. i don't go to the LFS and just point and buy. i look at what they have, tell them to hold what i like and go research. i thought we went through this before about how i don't listen to the 16 year olds selling me things? as far as the seahorse, i mainly stated that i wanted one, most likely if i decide to get one, i will be getting a seperate tank and putting all the seahorse in there. i merely give general information and pictures here online for others' viewing pleasure. i'm not here to say what i purchased and then give a report on it. i know you're knowledgable with fish also and have good intentions, and i appreciate you giving your info that you have on stuff, but fish, physical training, and being a good father/husband are the things i believe i excel in, i don't claim to know a lot about anything else, but i do my best on being a great father/husband and i do research on the other two. like always, i will keep everyone updated on my tank with pictures or discussion as anyone wishes to discuss.

I have no faith in any store that would sell sea apples. That also goes for any store that sells Moorish Idols, Gonioporias, wild caught Seahorses, and Shark Eggs.

It also blows my mind that you'd still be willing to keep one knowing full well that it could destroy everything you've worked so hard to attain within a few hours. I've seen it happen before and all I'm tying to do is prevent you from making a terrible mistake. Yes, they can be kept but its quite a risk to take on. Btw, DT's makes a great brand of phytoplankton to feed with.

But hey, its only my 2 cents and its your tank. Take my advice however you want.

I like your site, I just got a 29gallon setup. I treated the water and filtered, now I have a couple of goldfish in there just to make sure the water is somewhat livable, they have been in there for a few days everything ok.

any suggestions about what fish to put in there???? I don't reallly want an oscar I think they are mean fish.

Try danios, mollies, cory cats, guppies, some tetras, etc. Keep in mind goldfish usually like the water colder than tropical fish do so you might run into some issues there. Oscars will get way too big for a 29.

Try danios, mollies, cory cats, guppies, some tetras, etc. Keep in mind goldfish usually like the water colder than tropical fish do so you might run into some issues there. Oscars will get way too big for a 29.

I don't like them because they seem to be too aggressive

I put a goldfish in my friends oscar tank and he just outright ate it

juggernaut did you see this post by any chance??

yeah, i was on my way to bed when i posted that last one.

since you're not wanting any mean fish i would go with:

pleco
black ghost knife fish (some are semi-aggressive, but some aren't)
small school of cardinal or rummynose tetras (they like dim lights)
topsail platy would look cool

and then mainly what i do after i have a tank partially occupied is go to the fish store to see what they have available (if you're not going to bulk buy online from sites like liveaquria.com), tell them to hold it for you for a day, go home and research it to see if you want it. let me know if you have any questions about specific fish, i'll help with what i can.

btw, you're impatient :harhar:

I have no faith in any store that would sell sea apples. That also goes for any store that sells Moorish Idols, Gonioporias, wild caught Seahorses, and Shark Eggs.

It also blows my mind that you'd still be willing to keep one knowing full well that it could destroy everything you've worked so hard to attain within a few hours. I've seen it happen before and all I'm tying to do is prevent you from making a terrible mistake. Yes, they can be kept but its quite a risk to take on. Btw, DT's makes a great brand of phytoplankton to feed with.

But hey, its only my 2 cents and its your tank. Take my advice however you want.

sigh... how do you know i didn't buy it online? maybe i didn't get my sea apple from the LFS. would that make it all that better? less likely to explode and catch the house on fire?

why would it blow your mind? why set up a salt water tank and only put hardy fish and crabs in it? that would be a big waste in my opinion. why not get beautiful things to put in there? if you want these things then you have to take the risks, but risk reduces when you know what you're doing and take the time to care for the tank inhabitants.

following your analogy, i should build a bomb shelter under my house and stay there forever, because i never know when a co-worker might bring a gun in to work, or when the next serial killer might come around and i happen to be there, or someone who just carjacked a vehicle runs a red light while i'm going through the intersection and literally plow me over while i'm riding my bike. or maybe when i leave work another satelite will fall from orbit, crash into me and fuse to my body leaving me a charred corpse with an awkward size casket. we take risks all the time.

i don't come on here criticizing what you recommend to people or what you put in your tank, why do you find something wrong with everything i setup and buy? dad? is that you? i know your intentions may be good, but you're not the only person that has had certain fish inhabitants, maybe some people don't have problems with things, not everyone goes out to buy a bucket, fill it with water and dump fish in. some people actually set up tanks, you're not the only one. i would imagine this is the case otherwise stuff like that wouldn't be for sale.

I don't like them because they seem to be too aggressive

I put a goldfish in my friends oscar tank and he just outright ate it

you didn't like that?? next time you put a gold fish in with an oscar, put your ear next to the glass and listen to the CRunCh. my albino oscar would eat the gold fish and then spit out scales for an hour or so afterwards, all he needed was a toothpick :lol:

yeah, i was on my way to bed when i posted that last one.


btw, you're impatient :harhar:

thanks for the info, I have the tank filled and cycliing, with nothing in it. I'm sure you would be impatient too!!! I really just wanna chuck some fish in there, but know better

thanks for the info, I have the tank filled and cycliing, with nothing in it. I'm sure you would be impatient too!!! I really just wanna chuck some fish in there, but know better

yeah, i was so impatient waiting for my live rock to cure. as far as your tank cycling, have you been "feeding" the fish? the ones that aren't there? have you checked your levels? ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH. i will try to scan a graph of how the spikes come and when tonight and post for you. but mainly the ammonia should spike first immediately followed by the nitrites, they will read off the scale, then they'll slope off while the nitrates (good stuff) will steadilly climb.

what kind of ornaments do you have in there? going to put any plants in?

sigh... how do you know i didn't buy it online? maybe i didn't get my sea apple from the LFS. would that make it all that better? less likely to explode and catch the house on fire?

why would it blow your mind? why set up a salt water tank and only put hardy fish and crabs in it? that would be a big waste in my opinion. why not get beautiful things to put in there? if you want these things then you have to take the risks, but risk reduces when you know what you're doing and take the time to care for the tank inhabitants.

following your analogy, i should build a bomb shelter under my house and stay there forever, because i never know when a co-worker might bring a gun in to work, or when the next serial killer might come around and i happen to be there, or someone who just carjacked a vehicle runs a red light while i'm going through the intersection and literally plow me over while i'm riding my bike. or maybe when i leave work another satelite will fall from orbit, crash into me and fuse to my body leaving me a charred corpse with an awkward size casket. we take risks all the time.

i don't come on here criticizing what you recommend to people or what you put in your tank, why do you find something wrong with everything i setup and buy? dad? is that you? i know your intentions may be good, but you're not the only person that has had certain fish inhabitants, maybe some people don't have problems with things, not everyone goes out to buy a bucket, fill it with water and dump fish in. some people actually set up tanks, you're not the only one. i would imagine this is the case otherwise stuff like that wouldn't be for sale.


Thats a damn stupid analogy you went with there. Where do you think sea apples got the nickname "cuke nukes?" You think that I'm making this stuff up from personal experience only? Why don't you go buy a blue ring octopus if thats your line of reasoning because some stores still sell them. Hey, they only kill a few people a year but they look really cool.

What I said was more of a warning than anything that "hey, this thing could die suddenly and wipe out your tank." Most people that are aware of the danger associated with these animals wouldn't buy one. By the simple fact that you bought one I made the assumption you didn't know jack about them. I guess you took it as a challenge or something because I was wrong.

Don't bring up this dad thing. This is the first inhabitant of yours I've commented on so far. You're a beginner and most beginners listen to the fish store for advice. I wasn't aware at the time when I said something about the plenum system that you'd been talking to a bunch of fish guys. My mistake.

Stuff like sea apples and the other animals I mentioned will always be for sale because there is always someone out there that likes what they look like and
a) gets suckered in by the fish store, which is always looking out for their bottom line
b) takes it as a challenge and buys the animal anyway

Screw the fact that 9/10 moorish idols die within 3 months from starvation. Screw the fact that seahorses require a constant supply of cultured live food. Screw the fact that sea apples require a ton of phytoplankton (which will stress a small system) and can die and wipe your tank within a few hours. Screw the fact that sharks don't belong in anything but the largest tanks. People will still keep buying them as long as the ocean will keep supplying them. Its the sad fact but its the truth. If by me speaking out I can keep one more of those animals in the wild so it doesn't end up in the toilet, I'm going to do so. Take offense if you want but thats not the way I mean it.

Here are my pets. I have a Betta in a tank on my desk at work and I have these two cats:

http://www.mavtech.net/images/Cats/cute%20couple2.jpg

Here are our companions, rescues and visiting animals..

http://gallery76015.fotopic.net/c216339.html

Thats a damn stupid analogy you went with there. Where do you think sea apples got the nickname "cuke nukes?" You think that I'm making this stuff up from personal experience only? Why don't you go buy a blue ring octopus if thats your line of reasoning because some stores still sell them. Hey, they only kill a few people a year but they look really cool.

What I said was more of a warning than anything that "hey, this thing could die suddenly and wipe out your tank." Most people that are aware of the danger associated with these animals wouldn't buy one. By the simple fact that you bought one I made the assumption you didn't know jack about them. I guess you took it as a challenge or something because I was wrong.

Don't bring up this dad thing. This is the first inhabitant of yours I've commented on so far. You're a beginner and most beginners listen to the fish store for advice. I wasn't aware at the time when I said something about the plenum system that you'd been talking to a bunch of fish guys. My mistake.

Stuff like sea apples and the other animals I mentioned will always be for sale because there is always someone out there that likes what they look like and
a) gets suckered in by the fish store, which is always looking out for their bottom line
b) takes it as a challenge and buys the animal anyway

Screw the fact that 9/10 moorish idols die within 3 months from starvation. Screw the fact that seahorses require a constant supply of cultured live food. Screw the fact that sea apples require a ton of phytoplankton (which will stress a small system) and can die and wipe your tank within a few hours. Screw the fact that sharks don't belong in anything but the largest tanks. People will still keep buying them as long as the ocean will keep supplying them. Its the sad fact but its the truth. If by me speaking out I can keep one more of those animals in the wild so it doesn't end up in the toilet, I'm going to do so. Take offense if you want but thats not the way I mean it.

i think what is more stupid is how you trash my thoughts on tank setup because of your bad experience, how you trash the things i get because there's a possible risk, and how you see yourself as the all knowing of fish and everyone else knows crap. for someone who

as i said, i was sure your intentions were meant to be good, but it seems more and more that you want to keep proving how great you are with fish. i told you before that i don't listen to the fish store people for all their advice, not sure why you keep assuming that.

how bout this, screw the fact that you're not the only one that can research stuff. screw the fact that others may want to work harder to have something in their tank. screw the fact that fatal car accidents happen (you're bringing in shark talk :NotSureWhySmiley: ). screw the fact that i don't go buy fish/inverts to put in my tank to die and i do the necessary research to know what needs to be done to keep them alive, healthy and happy AND THEN decide if i want to take the responsibility to care for them. and you assume too much.

it appears that you take more offense because i am not taking your word as gospel. i'm a person that doesn't take everyone's advice (specially from people online), "o, you're right, i just went to a store and umm bought what was really pretty and now i need to empty my tank and remove everything because there is a mushroom cloud developing in my tank, buy a $370 skimmer, etc . . . . all because some guy online said i need to". i ask questions, then i ask questions on the answers i get because most people don't fully answer questions. i like to hear experience, but if answers come in a contradictory form, i tend to dismiss most of what came from that individual.

not sure why the pets thread turned into a bashing thread :mad:

Saturday night i found a baby snail zipping across my front glass. this morning i found another one. both measure appoximately 1/8". it appears that the 3 turbo snails i have, have been getting a little friendly with each other or the two i have piggy-backed into my tank. either way it's cool and i will be adding a photo later tonight!

Here are my pets - Hermit Crabs. Since my both my mother and my wife have allergies, I have never had traditional pets.
<img src="http://www.slickdeals.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=2497"/>

Here are my pets - Hermit Crabs. Since my both my mother and my wife have allergies, I have never had traditional pets.

my wife has allergies so i am unable to have the traditional pets as well. when i lived with my parents, we had cats. there was only one that i liked, he had to stay with my parents becuase of my wife's allergies and then my mom ran over him in the driveway a couple years ago. i kind of wanted a hermit crab setup like you have, but i never got around to it.

here's my cat, solid white manx. he was bold, he would chase dogs out of the yard, catch chipmunks without killing them just to prove he could get them. i miss him :sadbye:

Allergies are overrated. Just because someone is allergic to one cat, doesn't mean he/she is allergic to all. A lot of people think they are allergic to the cat itself, or the fur. It's actually the dander. That's the buildup they get from cleaning themselves with their saliva. Some cats have a bigger build up than others. Some, almost none at all. I'm very allergic to cats. I've had cat scratch fever twice in my life. The most recent being a few months ago. When I was away at college and not around the cats very much, I would come home and have problems for the first day or two. Then, my body adjusted. Now, I have two cats but I am not allergic to them at all. But, if I go over to my girlfriend's mom's house, her cats drive me nuts. Her cat is the one that gave me the latest bout of cat scratch fever.

I had a girlfriend once that said she was deathly allergic to cats. We ended up having to stay at my parents house where there were our two cats. She didn't have one single problem. I knew she overreacted with her allergies.

I'm allergic to cats. But, I wouldn't trade mine for the world. :heart:

Here's me and my pooch. We had just had him shaved for the summer.

Alright...as the new school year is coming up, i need to start thinking about what all i need to get for my 44 gallon tank. I know i need all the gravel, and plants and what not, the thing i am asking is, what equipment i need? I figure i need a filter, and probably some other things...right?

Hey Zuma... I gave davemon my link (http://www.fishpalace.org) already, and he found it pretty useful. You can start in the Basics section, or you can start from one of my articles... should answer most of your questions (the tank article links to filter and other accessory options).

http://www.fishpalace.org/Tank.html

A lot of it depends on what kinds of fish you're keeping, which are also covered from the main site. For a 44 gallon, your best bet would be some type of cannister filter.

Oh, and since people are posting up pics of their pets and stuff... couldn't resist...

http://www.fishpalace.org/Tank8.jpg
http://www.fishpalace.org/aqu0.jpg

http://www.fishpalace.org/Flame1.jpg
http://www.fishpalace.org/reef2.jpg

http://www.fishpalace.org/octo3.jpg

http://www.fishpalace.org/H_barbouri.jpg

pandora, i am jealous. ^^^ that is so awesome. :)

That is an awesome aquarium pandora!

Thanks, guys. :) They weren't all in one tank (and not all the tanks are up anymore).
But you can get some idea of what kind of nut I am...

Thanks, guys. :) They weren't all in one tank (and not all the tanks are up anymore).
But you can get some idea of what kind of nut I am...


We always had an idea of what kind of nut you are :lmao: .....Just kidding.

Seriously though, those were nice pics.

Thanks, guys. :) They weren't all in one tank (and not all the tanks are up anymore).
But you can get some idea of what kind of nut I am...


My guess would be those pics are from 4 different setups? Possibly 5. I understand the addiction - I used to have a saltwater tank.

My guess would be those pics are from 4 different setups? Possibly 5. I understand the addiction - I used to have a saltwater tank.

Yes, good guess, it's 4 diff setups. If anyone knows something about keeping an octopus... you can't keep them with very much else; they'll eat just about anything you put in the tank, so he had his own tank. The top ones are a FW planted setup, the 2nd from the reef tank I used to have before a power outage claimed it ( :( ) and then there's a separate seahorse tank.

Don't get me started... LOL. (Just one more pic... mantis shrimp in the refugium):
http://www.fishpalace.org/aqu5.jpg

Yes, good guess, it's 4 diff setups. If anyone knows something about keeping an octopus... you can't keep them with very much else; they'll eat just about anything you put in the tank, so he had his own tank. The top ones are a FW planted setup, the 2nd from the reef tank I used to have before a power outage claimed it ( :( ) and then there's a separate seahorse tank.

Don't get me started... LOL. (Just one more pic... mantis shrimp in the refugium):
http://www.fishpalace.org/aqu5.jpg

I like your fish pandora :)

& I'm sorry about hurricane Isabel and that damn cat.. :(

very nice setups...cant wait til i'm an addict too!

Yes, good guess, it's 4 diff setups. If anyone knows something about keeping an octopus... you can't keep them with very much else; they'll eat just about anything you put in the tank, so he had his own tank. The top ones are a FW planted setup, the 2nd from the reef tank I used to have before a power outage claimed it ( :( ) and then there's a separate seahorse tank.

Don't get me started... LOL. (Just one more pic... mantis shrimp in the refugium):



When I read that you lost your reef tank to a power outage I actually had a huge OMG moment. I know how much money and care can go into something like that and it was probably a huge loss. Anyway, your mantis shrimp rocks - has he tried to break the glass yet?

When I read that you lost your reef tank to a power outage I actually had a huge OMG moment. I know how much money and care can go into something like that and it was probably a huge loss. Anyway, your mantis shrimp rocks - has he tried to break the glass yet?

I know, it REALLY sucked. I had about $3 K invested in that tank alone... gone by the 3rd day of no power (our power was gone for 6 total)... in retrospect, I could have gotten a generator (I had a battery powered air pump, dunno why I was thinking that would hold it up temporarily)... but hindsight is 20/20. :( Still get a little choked up thinking about it...

On the mantis shrimp... he was in that system (in the refugium), so he was gone, too. :( But when I did have him, the refugium was thick plexiglass, so there were no disasters of that kind. Though he did try... every once in a while I'd hear his taps.

clownfishboy, I saw Juggernaut's tank pics, but not yours... you have anything online?

I have just started my aquarium about a month ago and got 2 Asian needlenose gars. They are some mean lil sons o'bitches! I bought 2 glass catfish to keep in there with them thinking the cats were big enough to be ok...after the first i realized i was dead wrong when I came home and they had vanished, I thought I was just having a hard time seeing them and then i saw a little fin at the bottom...so sad! So now i just keep my 2 gars and they eat like no other! I have to feed them about a fish a day to keep them happy althought they can eat as many as 3 a day. They are pretty neat to see eat, when you drop a fish in there they just go flying after them and they then BAM! just clamp down on the poor fish and swallow them whole. Its weird cause sometimes you can see the fish trying to move inside of the gar. Its fun stuff!

I have a kitty.
Her name is Mazzy (after Mazzy Star).
She's completely bananas.

Man my mind is in the gutter today...this is what i read the first time

I have a kitty.
It loves bananas.
:shake: I know, i'm just wrong

I have a neurotic Maine Coon named Simon.

i dont have any kind of animals in my house

I have a kitty.
Her name is Mazzy (after Mazzy Star).
She's completely bananas.
What does your kitty faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaade into? :lmao:

Yes, good guess, it's 4 diff setups. If anyone knows something about keeping an octopus...
Incredibly intelligent animals, the biggest challenge we've always had is with keeping them in the tank. If a power-outage occurs it seems that they go into a frantic panic when the oxygen levels run lower than normal and often will climb out to their death. We had one reach up and slide over a piece of ply-wood with 75lbs of brick on top of it in order to climb out. Now we securely attach a lid to the top of their tank. Though these are all wild-caught Octopus vulgaris so perhaps they are not as suited to tanks as the ones you might get in the pet trade. Regardless they are absolutely amazing creatures and if handled often make extremely friendly and curious pets.

Man my mind is in the gutter today...this is what i read the first time

:shake: I know, i'm just wrong

oh jeebus!


Pictures....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v187/cgbwheeler/TheMaz.jpg

Mazzy in the dishwasher


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v187/cgbwheeler/TheMaz2.jpg

When I got her


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v187/cgbwheeler/TheFuz.jpg

Alex's cat ... her name is Mr. Fuzzums.

oh jeebus!


Pictures....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v187/cgbwheeler/TheMaz.jpg


hahaha that one cracks me up :lol:

I know, it REALLY sucked. I had about $3 K invested in that tank alone... gone by the 3rd day of no power (our power was gone for 6 total)... in retrospect, I could have gotten a generator (I had a battery powered air pump, dunno why I was thinking that would hold it up temporarily)... but hindsight is 20/20. :( Still get a little choked up thinking about it...

On the mantis shrimp... he was in that system (in the refugium), so he was gone, too. :( But when I did have him, the refugium was thick plexiglass, so there were no disasters of that kind. Though he did try... every once in a while I'd hear his taps.

clownfishboy, I saw Juggernaut's tank pics, but not yours... you have anything online?


I haven't had a tank in years but I did have 2 marine tanks - one reef and one eel / puffer tank. I had them for about 5 years. I had some pics but I cannot find them. My favorite fish was a clownfish (obviously) - I had him for the whole life of the reef tank.

BTW - I know how expensive it can get. I have plenty of stories as I am sure you do too, but I bought a cleaner shrimp (around $30 I think) and my clownfish fed him to his anemone within a day.

I don't have any pets of my own at the moment, but I love dogs. My parents have two dogs. I really like visiting and playing with jkeyes0's Yorkshire Terrier.

Here's my cat Cassie. This was taken after the first time I ran the vaccume cleaner after I got her.

Just curious to see what everyone has for pets. We bought a Pembroke Welsh Corgi about 7 months ago. He was born on Valentine's day so we almost named him Valentino but went with Darwin instead.

A couple of ferrets...

http://members.chello.nl/n.dinkgreve/29nov2004/image/gage.jpg

http://members.chello.nl/n.dinkgreve/29nov2004/image/gage.jpg

Are her shots up to date?

My doggie :D
http://www.bolt.com/uploads//5/9/7/0/5/9/7/5970597/albums/photos/u79ySotjeKzfeaNu.jpg

and my hamster :)

http://www.bolt.com/uploads//5/9/7/0/5/9/7/5970597/albums/photos/J5XVYwcKS6b2ELYK.jpg

:lol: :lol: :lol: Teencraft is my pet. :lol: :lol: :lol:

http://members.chello.nl/n.dinkgreve/29nov2004/image/gage.jpg

OMG!!!!
I thought I was the only one who has seen that movie!

SWEET!!!

I want a dog or a lizard, buy I have no money and am too lazy to feed anything beside myself

Here is Tommie Girl.
No, her name has nothing at all to do with clothing.
**************************************
Here she thinks the baby's saucer is her's. :rolleyes:
http://tinypic.com/xddn7
**************************************
Sleeping in Dad's briefcase. :sleeping:
http://tinypic.com/xddsh
**************************************
She loves hanging out in windows. :grin:
http://tinypic.com/xddu1
**************************************
She thinks the baby's changing table is her bed. :ermm:
http://tinypic.com/xddvc
**************************************
Kitty Porn? She sits this way sometimes. :unsure:
http://tinypic.com/xddzd

:lol: :lol: :lol: Teencraft is my pet. :lol: :lol: :lol:
HAHAHA HOLY CRAP I KNEW YOU WERE GOING TO SAY THAT! :lmao: :lmao:

I think I'm going to get a pitbull, something about the fact that their breed is in question of being "banned" just makes me want them even more.

I think I'm going to get a pitbull, something about the fact that their breed is in question of being "banned" just makes me want them even more.

Why not go for an anaconda then?

Why not go for an anaconda then?
I already have a ball python, Those motherfarkers take years to get big and lets be honest I'm not a very patience person.

My buddy (part wolf).

And a baby picture.

My buddy (part wolf).

And a baby picture.

Wow, Beautiful!

Wow, Beautiful!

Thanks DJ.

Loyal as can be, too. Always by my side.

I had an American Staffordshire Terrier 7 years ago. Great dog. I will own an American Staffordshire Terrier yet again.

My buddy (part wolf).

And a baby picture.


looks like a German Shepherd/Wolf cross.
Are the paws big?

edit: changed sheepherd to shepherd

My Blueberry. :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/elishamarie2/blueberry.jpg

My Blueberry. :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v451/elishamarie/blueberry.jpg

I was trying to figure out what that was.. I thought it was a plant ..lol
cute . I had a fish that color - very pretty.

I was trying to figure out what that was.. I thought it was a plant ..lol
cute . I had a fish that color - very pretty.

It's like one of those 3D pictures....you just have to stare at it and let your eyes relax a second. or two.

Actually it prolly took me 5 whole seconds to figure out what that was.

But then "Hello Mr. Blueberry!"

My Blueberry. :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v451/elishamarie/blueberry.jpg

It looked like a rubber tree plant to me at first.
I don't believe I've ever seen a fish that colour before.
It's pretty.

Yishana, our old girl, she's an aussie/shepherd mix (her eyes are two different colors)
http://home.blarg.net/~namaah/mydogs/yishana.jpg

Sasha, my fat little sheltie
http://home.blarg.net/~namaah/mydogs/sasha.jpg

Kala, who knows what she is ... we call her a wiggle beast
http://home.blarg.net/~namaah/mydogs/kdog.jpg

And Colette, our french lap slut. When she curls up in a ball she looks like a large pile of seagull droppings
http://home.blarg.net/~namaah/mydogs/colette-oven.jpg

There's some gorgeous animal pictures posted!

I have a Corgi as well. He's a goofy little mutt, but cute as hell.

looks like a German Sheepherd/Wolf cross.
Are the paws big?

Malamute/Wolf.

His paws are friggin' huge.

Right now I only have an orange tabby that we like to call TAFKATSMU, taffy for short, The Artist Formerly Known As The Supreme Master of the Universe for long. At my moms house I had 2 bulldogs, a beagle, a bird,a cat, some fish, a frog, and a snake. At my dads I had a bull mastiff, a rottweiler, my stepsisters pitt bull(all 3 huge dogs but so sweet), and a bird. Yep that about covers it.

It looked like a rubber tree plant to me at first.
I don't believe I've ever seen a fish that colour before.
It's pretty.

He's a betta fish, or a Siamese fighting fish, whichever you prefer. They are the best fish... he always greets me when I walk in the room by swimming over to the side of the bowl. He just interacts with me really well, I guess. It's kinda funny. I could swear he knows me from other people.

Chihuahua Dog

Here's my cat and a weird place he likes to sleep.


http://www.mavtech.net/images/Cats/bs3.jpg

I unfortunately (meanig 2 or is ok but five is overwhelming)have 5 cats
Thats alot cat food and a whole lot of cat crap!
But luckily the wifey takes care of input and output of the cats

My little Nova :) He is 7 months old.

His eye doesn't look like that in real life. It's red eye, well red eye shows up greenish in dogs.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v96/sara137/DSCF0336.jpg

I unfortunately (meanig 2 or is ok but five is overwhelming)have 5 cats
Thats alot cat food and a whole lot of cat crap!
But luckily the wifey takes care of input and output of the cats
I hope she doesn't end up dealing with something like this like Tree's girlfriend did::vomit:
http://img26.exs.cx/img26/6781/fancyfeast8lb.jpg
From this thread if anyone missed it:
http://www.slickdeals.net/forums/t58863.html?

I hope she doesn't end up dealing with something like this like Tree's girlfriend did::vomit:
http://img26.exs.cx/img26/6781/fancyfeast8lb.jpg
From this thread if anyone missed it:
http://www.slickdeals.net/forums/t58863.html?&highlight=fancy+feast
I remember that....:vomit: :vomit:

I'm catching up to you!!

Ewww that was nasty. I didn't need to see that Iaaaiws. :P

Ewww that was nasty. I didn't need to see that Iaaaiws. :P
At least I didn't bring back the one with the puke in the toilet:vomit:


:lol: :lol:

I'm catching up to you!!

Just don't knock me off page two in number of posts. I just got there today.
I'm Number 60 :woot:

Just don't knock me off page two in number of posts. I just got there today.
I'm Number 60 :woot:
Cue Jaws theme...

I've still got awhile to go to catch up to you guys.

And not to get off topic, here's another pet that we used to have until he was sold. Poor Tbone. I miss him.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/elishamarie2/100_0246.jpg

(that's me with the darker hair and my sister with the blonde hair - bad picture of us, but oh well)

Poor Tbone. I miss him.


Tbone
:lmao: :lmao: :lmao:

My dad barrowed a digi cam from work, so I can finally post my dog! This is sparky. I have a ton of pics if you want more. Sparky is a mix between a westie and something else who we adapted from the SPCA about 4 or 5 years ago.

My cats I rescued from the Vet. Clinic:
Crash is in the back, and smokey in front
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-6/761131/GoodMorning.jpg

They're pretty cats.

They're pretty cats.
Thank you. They are my joy & companions. I never owned a cat before Crash & boy is he entertaining at times. And once I brought smokey home the real fun started...everynight after 11pm :(

Your Smokey looks related to my Colette.

I have a rock!!! lol jk jk jk i have a dog

I have a cat cat.