Re: [GSAS-Member] Recommendations for a nano or pico aquarium

[Connie Carlson <nwconniec@hotmail.com>]

Not to beat a dead horse but I have several Paradise fish living quite happily 
in smaller containers, most of which are a gallon or slightly less.  Hardy 
fish, interactive; insert here all the ad nauseum preaching I have done in 
previous threads about them.  No filtration save the plants, and no heaters...  
about bimonthly if not weekly water changes for me though.  I really do think 
they are the perfect office fish; they seem to be quite entertained rather than 
threatened by normal activity in their surroundings, and the latest ones I have 
in the office have learned within a week that flashing their stuff usually gets 
them fed some sort of small snack (ie a fish flake or two, or a betta pellet).  
Begging fish can be quite cute!

 

I wouldnt trust them with shrimp however (although that might be an interesting 
experiment!), and they should be a single fish in this kind of environment; 
even adjacent containers, if the inhabitants can see each other, seems to be a 
source of irritation (although with these fish it is hard to tell the 
difference sometimes between irritation and entertainment!).  Me, I would 
rather have them interact with me when I walk by instead of being too busy to 
do so, due to arguing with the fish next door.

 

As for plants in these containers, my current faves are java moss, java ferns, 
and any Val. for height.  I quite like the V. asiatica I got at the auction - 
thanks to whomever brought it and please bring more!  It is a nice contrast 
with some java lace fern, also aquired at a previous auction.  The straighter 
Val is nice too and seems to be fairing well.  One of the containers has a 
crypt I got at the plant auction, and it too is doing the slow leaf by leaf 
melt...  they should be a perfect plant for this kind of container but we shall 
see.  It is possible the crypt just doesnt like the constant bumping and 
brush-bys I see the silly little fish do, who does this frequently while 
cruising around.  I have also tried najas grass but didnt like the look of it 
after a while, and it didnt like my containers either apparently, because it 
always seemed to give up the ghost after a few weeks.


So there is my .02.  Let us know what you finally decide on!

Cheers,

Connie
 
> From: ninita@hotmail.com
> To: gsas-member@thekrib.com
> Date: Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:21:05 +0000
> Subject: [GSAS-Member] Recommendations for a nano or pico aquarium
> 
> 
> Since I moved and can no longer have a "large" aquarium, I am considering 
> setting up a planted nano or pico aquarium (somewhere between 1-6 gallons) at 
> work. Does anyone have any recommendations for what brands/setups are best? 
> Any to avoid? Also, any species recommendations would be great. I was 
> thinking of just putting plants and shrimp in them, but would love to be able 
> to include some small fish. Thanks!
> Monica
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> GSAS-Member mailing list
> GSAS-Member@thekrib.com
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