New to forum, from Lakewood

[Jackietupr]

Hi there, my name is Jackie and I have several tanks set up right now. Here's the sittuation...

I have 3 young Angelfish, 2 adult Platy, and several babies for both in a 55 gallon glass tank. I'm planning on putting a pleco in there once the algae grows in again, but for now it is clean/freshly set up with a Marineland Penguin PFO 200B. There are new filters in there and a new-ish Bio Wheel. I have a plant bulb in the light fixture, and live plants I hope to grow up high with the shortness of the tank. My fiance would like to set up an under gravel set up, and I'm looking for the parts I'd need for this tank. If anyone knows where I can pick up parts for this, I'd welcome the heads up.

My other tank is a 37 gallon Eclipse with a mirrored back. It is really too tall for the plants to get much out of the plant bulb in there, but I try... I have 4 adult Angelfish (1 male Sunset Blusher, & all female 1 Blue Blusher, 1 Golden[all standards], 1 Silver Veil) & 1 Juvenile Blue Blusher Angelfish (possibly another female), 2 Dwarf Gourami, 2 Emerald Green Cory, 1 Rubber Lipped Pleco & 1 Raphael Catfish in there, and live plants. The Bio Wheel in there has all the biological it needs to be a healthy tank, but I'm having issues with cloudy water. The water quality is good, but just put some clarifier in there today. We put black substrate with natural rock mix for the plants.

I also have an 18 gallon tall tank with 2 Juvenile Koi Angelfish [1 Veil & 1 Standard], a Rubber Lipped Pleco & a Peppered Cory, with live plants. The filter is an Aquatech 5-15, but that's all I have for that tank right now. When I have the money, I have a Marineland Penguin PFO 100B to put in it when I can afford the Bio Wheel & filter media.

I am also housing a Delta tail Male Betta in a 2 gallon hex with the standard under gravel filtration you get with those cheap set ups. He has 2 live swords in there along with a baby Hi-fin Spotted pleco & a Peppered cory, but they are all very small right now.

My avatar is of Jewel, my Koi Veil Angel.

[Spyral]

Welcome to the site!

[protocl]

I know of one place that supplies Under Gravel filtration system - Midway pets in Kent.

Welcome to WaFishBox!!!

[stierwalt3]

to the site...you'll love it! I'm sure the answers to all your questions will be flying at you here shortly!

[protocl]

Also, you might not need to add any chemicals, regarding water cloudiness.
Add a prefilter sponge to the HOB or canister intake.

[alexmuw]

Welcome to the BOX!!!

[Jackietupr]

Thanks for the encouranging words and welcome.

As for the cloudiness, it is still there, even with chemicals. I've changed 30% water out three times since it has occured, and it still won't clear up. It has an Eclipse Bio-Wheel filter, as it is all in one in the hood. I've washed out the filter, which I put in new last time I cleaned the tank earlier this month, but the gunk in it was thick, so I don't know what to do other than put my last filter in there....but they should last up to a month with washing them out.

I wish I could figure out how to post pics, I have several I'd love to share, but for now they are on my FaceBook photo page if anyone is interested. Search using my email jackietupr@yahoo.com. I just got two Koi Angelfish, Jewel (which is my avatar) and a Standard Koi, and I got a beautiful Black Lace Veil, named Riddick for his Pitch Black body with silver sides. He was in the 18 gallon tall, but was getting picked on, so I moved him to the 55 gallon to grow out. He's hanging with the babies I got from my Sunset Blusher and each of the other two females in my 37 gallon tank, Goldie & Stripes. The baby from Stripes is quite different, he/she looks like a heart monitor tape on his sides, and doesn't have red eyes, but a stripe going from dorsal fin to eyes. Since he is from a Sunset Blusher and a Silver, I'm wondering what he'll turn out to be.

My Sunset Blusher (Blushie) is hemorrhaging and not eating right now, and his tail is clamped/bloody. I treated the water with PimaFix to prevent any fungus and infection, but the fish store guys at Aquarium Paradise didn't have any other advice. The alpha female, Stealth, (Blue Blusher) is clamped tail & not eating also. She isn't bleeding into her tail or anything, but more like having sympathy pains. Goldie also clamps her tail, but they are all swimming around peacefully right now. Nobody is picking on anyone else, as they usually do for their ladder games, but Blushie seems to be recovering somewhat. He's had me worried for a few days now. For a while now, all of them have been floating near the top of the tank, almost as if they were taking a breath like the Betta does, but I know they don't have a lung to fill. This is odd behavior for these guys, as they are usually picking on each other to let everyone else know who's the boss in the tank.

The Juvenile Blue Blusher hasn't been named yet, but I think she's a very curious little girl. She's always sticking her nose in everyone else's business, and has to have her picture taken whenever the camera is out. I've thought about the little monkey who was called Curious George and wondered if that would be an appropriate name for her, but I'll wait until she has more personality as she grows up.

Well, I guess I'll have to get another female Platy for the male to bother. He's harrassing the one that is left over until she goes into the coliseum in the darkness. All of her babies are female, but they are still too young to breed with the male. The other female that came with the 55 gallon tank died (I'm thinking in childbirth because there were fry in the 37 gallon tank one day before I found her dead). So the male is being a butt to the other female and won't leave her alone.

Take care everyone.

[sandnuka]

Hey and welcome to WFB, the best local forum for fish hobbyist around... being a local forum you can make trades, sell, buy, and even get on group buys for fish! enjoy the site, let us knowif you have any questions.

[alexmuw]

Cloudiness is usually from organic molecules (ie: ammonia). Your tank could be going through a mini-cycle. I would not replace the filter cartridge (only wash with TANK water, as tap has chlorine and will kill the good bacteria). [I saw above you said the tank was "newly" setup, what are your water parameters? Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate ?]

Keep us updated with progress. Good luck!

[Jackietupr]

The 37 gallon has high Nitrites due to over-feeding, accidentally. I posted in the blog spot a little of what I've been dealing with, and fish loss. I've had several funerals at sea in the past two weeks & today's was a hard pill to swallow. I lost my breeding male Sunset Blusher Angelfish last night.

Blushie, male Sunset Blusher


Right now, I have all the fish out of the 37 gallon for fear of losing them. They all live in the 55 gallon, which I'm afraid I'll lose all my babies I have in there, but there's plenty of places to hide now. I took the plants out of the 37 gallon and stuck them in the 55 gallon for them to hide in.

The pH in the 55 gallon is a little high, but at least that won't kill fish... but I can't say the same for my new plants I put in there. I lost a couple already, but put pH down in there to help out with that & FloraPride.

55 gallon tank before adding all the fish & plants


I'll try to get some good pics of the 55 gallon with all the plants and fish in it. Right now, the population is a bit crowded, but I'm expecting some of the babies to be eaten by the adults...an unfortunate side-effect of being small! I have two adult female Angelfish, one adolescent (female?) Angelfish, three juvenile Angelfish, one baby Angelfish, four adult Platy (1 male, 3 female) and seven baby Platy, two adult Dwarf Gourami (male Powder Blue & female Honey Sunset), two Emerald Green Cory, one adult Raphael Cat, one adult Flying Fox (being a punk & chasing everyone), baby Hi-fin Spotted Pleco. When I get the 37 gallon back on track, I plan to move some of these guys back into their home.

Any advice would really be appreciated. Thanks!!!!

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