red belly pacus

Healthy fish will not let themselves starve to death so when they get hungry enough, they will eat the pellets. And they can go at least 3 or 4 weeks w/o eating and be fine.

They're probably still adjusting to the new environment. I know oscars in particular can be very moody and will pout any time their environment changes. I would just keep offering the pellets and they should eventually eat.

-Chelle

 

ok I will try and give them something to eat today or see if they have eatten any of the food I put in there yet. Do you know how many more fish I can put in the pool with the 1 clown knife 1 texas cichlid 1 jack dympsey 6 oscars 2 pacus and 1 tinfoil barb about how many more fish could I add and what kinds they still not eatting the food I drop in for them this morning

 

I wouldn't add any more. Understocking is really best, especially with such a large "aquarium". The fewer the fish and the more plants you have, the less need there is for water changes. Unless you want to do 500 gallon water changes every couple of weeks, I would keep the pool understocked.

Also, make sure to monitor the ammonia, nitrIte, and nitrAte. If you don't have any fish in the 60 gallon right now, I'd take the media from that filter and see if you can fit it into the pool filter. Or try to set up the whole filter from the 60 gallon on the pool.

-Chelle

 

how do I check amonia nitrate and nitrate levels on the pool and the filter from the 60 gallon wont fit on the pool the pool has a infateable top ring and how would I get a bigger pump for the pool and where could I get a heater for my pool well the feeder fish that where in there they finaly eat them

 

Most places that sell pond supplies will sell pond heaters. They're made so they won't damage pond liners so they should also be fine in a pool.

For the ammonia, nitrIte, and nitrAte, you will have to buy test kits at the LFS. I recommend the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals tests.

BTW, do you know how many gallons per hour your pool filter pumps? Is it an actual pool filter or a pond filter?

-Chelle

 

Hi christianwalker, The fish you have in your pond are warm water fish. With temperatures of 60 degrees their metabolism slows way down and they won't eat. Even cold water fish like Goldfish in an outdoor pond will stop eating when the outside temperature gets down to 45 degrees. Have you considered how you will over winter your fish. Even if you heat the pond you will need to cover it to keep the heat in, otherwise the heat will disapate very rapidly with the colder weather.

 

well the pool filter is a filter that came with my aqua leisure swimming pool dont know how many gallons of water it pumps but it is small how would I go on finding something bigger to filter this pool and heat for this pool well they started eatting now

 

I need to find out where to get a better filter for the pool and also need to find out where to get a heater for the swimming pool to keep the fish warm will I need to put oxygen in the pool if I put a cover over it during the winter time here in the high desert in apple valley california I am confused will they survive the outside or not please let me know.

I also have a 60 gallon fish tank with 1 pictus catfish 1 raphael catfish 1 red tail catfish 2 african dwarf water frogs 1 pink kissing gourmi 2 corry cats 1 indian sun catfish 1 kribensis 1 rainbow shark 1 striped botia 1 iridescent shark 1 bala shark 1 paradise gourmi how many more fish can I add to this tank please help.

 

I don't know how cold it gets there in the winter. With those type fish if the water gets down to 55 your going to start having problems. Another problem is keeping the temperature stable. Without the temperature being stable you will have a problem with ick. Even with the pump running and stirring up the top of the water, with it covered you will need to add some aeration. It may be possible to use Titanium heaters. If the pool liner is lighter weight than a normal pond liner you may have a problem with the heater actually burning a hole in the liner. You could use a swimming pool heater but they are fairly expensive and expenxive to operate and would have to be run pretty much continuously. From what information I have gotten on pool heaters, generally they will raise the temperature about 2 degrees in a 24 hour period. It is for these reasons that most people use Koi and Goldfish in their ponds. Also the Koi and Goldfish are more efficient at eating Mosquito larva.
With regard to the 60 gallon tank, the Red Tail Cat alone will completely fill the tank when its full grown. You really don't need to worry about the other fish in there because he will have eaten them long before he gets full grown.
I hate to sound so negative but you need to know what you will be getting into.

 

ok well I hate my local fish store more now they told me that my fish would not out grow a 60 gallon even my pacus but I had no choice to put the pacus put side in the pool and the redtail cat and other fish that where in 10 gallon into the 60 what size tank do I need if I want to keep the red tail cat please let me know even when I got my oscars they lied to me saying they would not out grow 60 gallon now after buying all these fish I have found out they get too big why do they sale fish like this that get huge I hate my local fish store more everyday :x :x :x :x so what size fish tank do I need for them please help I am so confused :? why do fish stores want to lie just so they can sale the fish dont get me wrong I love my fish but they should not lie and say they wont get big and they will be small fish but they get huge PLEASE HELP what can I do? :?:

 

can I have my red tail cat fish in with my oscars and pacus and clownknife and texas cichlid and jackdympsey and tin foil barb when he gets biger yes or no? PLEASE HELP I am confussed how big will convics get what size tank would I need for 16 convics

 

Red tailed cats get about 5 feet long and would need around 1000 gallons for itself. Plus it would probably end up eating all those other fish.

When you first asked for advice, you only mentioned the 2 pacus and 6 oscars. I didn't know you had all those other fish as well. Quite frankly, I think the person who sold you those fish should be shot. There is absolutely no way a normal person (meaning the average aquarium keeper) would even be able to come close to housing all of them. If it where me, I would go back to the LFS and complain to the manager and demand that they take the fish back. You may even want to do some looking around on the internet and find sites that state the full grown sizes and/or minimum aquarium size requirements of some of those fish (namely, the iridescent shark, red tailed catfish, oscars, pacus, tinfoil barbs, texas cichlid, jack dempsey, and sun catfish).

-Chelle

 

Do you already have sixteen convicts too? Frankly this is shocking to me! Please don't take this the wrong way, but a couple of minutes of research could have saved you all this trouble. Never take what a salesperson says at face value without at least getting one other opinion.

IMO Red tailed cats and pacus should not even be sold. I would pack up your fish and take them back to the lfs. Ask for the manager and explain why you are returning your fish. Ask him why you weren't told how large they would get and see what his response is. At any rate when you leave, hand him your research on your fish that Chelle suggested and ask him to at least pass on correct information now that you've given it to him.

Leave the fish there no matter what he says, be prepared to just walk out the door even after they tell you that you must take the fish back home with you. Just leave.

Good luck, and don't be afraid to stand up for yourself. Do not let them make you feel stupid! You are in the right!

 

I have 16 convics also. looks like I should start up my own fish store I would be honest at least and would let people know how big the fish get from all this experiance I have with these fish now. my LFS is so stupid over here and they sale the fish and then they say they dont get big they lie even walmart lies too about there fish they sale there . I am about to just give up on houseing any more fish unless I know what size they will get and min size tank to house them in and if they get big like these fish do then I am not going to get them. would like to just start my own fish store and sale fish and etc. but dont know what I would have to do to start a fish store. after all the lies from my LFS I want to start my own fish store and make it a christian based fish store thanks for the help going to go to LFS today and talk to the owner or manager and ask them why do they lie about size of fish and see what they say

 

don't forget to take those fish with you

 

well I went to the LFS and talked to the manager and he is also the owner and asked him why he lied to me and said this fish dont get big and all he had to say is oh I didn't know thats the info I got from my distributors that ship me my fish. Well that makes me mad :x at my LFS he must have known but I still got the fish. well if anyone knows of anything else I can do please let me know

 

Honestly, I would bag the fish and leave them sitting on the counter at the LFS (then never go there again).

-Chelle

 

i would do the same i would have brought them when you went in to talk to the manger and left them there i would boycot the store also tell everyone you know not to go there and word of mouth will help put them out of business belive me this works i have done it

 

this has got to be wind up!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I love these fish so much though and would like to house them as long as I can but if I have to I will try to sell them to a place that has big enough area to house them if worse come to worse I will take them & leave them at the LFS and hopefully they have a place to house them so they dont die.