Reef Sanctuary - View Single Post - **~~DOW- Tank Maintenance~~**

DewDropPony · 07-01-2007, 08:17 PM

Since I'm just starting with SW I don't yet have a usual schedule for that. But I'd like to comment on how important observation is.

Example:
I had a 5'' oscar in a 55 gallon with a 2'' green terror (a temporary solution, by the way). I noticed, on the oscar, that there were small patches of head started to "erode". Since was a tank in the basement so I don't spend a lot of time down there observing. For any of you that have kept oscars, you know the scare of hole-in-the-head-disease. I automatically thought that's what it was. The oscar was still eating and swimming around the tank just fine. I removed the carbon from my filters and started doing 50% water changes every cople days. I think I had done three or four of these water changes, when one night, after collapsing on the couch after another water change I blindly stare at the tank. The oscar is swimming around in the open as usual, when out of nowhere the 2'' green terror swims out from under a log, rips off a chunk of the oscar's anal fin and swims back under the log. As stupid as that was, I never thought about the GT being the cause of the oscars injuries for several reasons

1. he never seen him come out from hiding. He always is under that log and the oscar is always the one swimming out in the open.
2. The oscar was not acting like he was being bullies. He was swimming, and eating fine, not hiding.
3. I've had GT's before and they where always the least aggressive of my cichlids, even the oscars.
4. I've read that GT's aren't as aggressive as people make them out to be because the pet store GT's are a diluted hybrid of the original wild GT.
6. The oscar was 5'' and the GT was 2''

It just goes to show you what a little observation can do. But I'm sure they both appreciated the water changes none the less. (P.S.--The GT was moved).

07-01-2007, 08:17 PM	#25 (permalink)
DewDropPony Bryozoan Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 57 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: ~~DOW- Tank Maintenance~~ Since I'm just starting with SW I don't yet have a usual schedule for that. But I'd like to comment on how important observation is. Example: I had a 5'' oscar in a 55 gallon with a 2'' green terror (a temporary solution, by the way). I noticed, on the oscar, that there were small patches of head started to "erode". Since was a tank in the basement so I don't spend a lot of time down there observing. For any of you that have kept oscars, you know the scare of hole-in-the-head-disease. I automatically thought that's what it was. The oscar was still eating and swimming around the tank just fine. I removed the carbon from my filters and started doing 50% water changes every cople days. I think I had done three or four of these water changes, when one night, after collapsing on the couch after another water change I blindly stare at the tank. The oscar is swimming around in the open as usual, when out of nowhere the 2'' green terror swims out from under a log, rips off a chunk of the oscar's anal fin and swims back under the log. As stupid as that was, I never thought about the GT being the cause of the oscars injuries for several reasons 1. he never seen him come out from hiding. He always is under that log and the oscar is always the one swimming out in the open. 2. The oscar was not acting like he was being bullies. He was swimming, and eating fine, not hiding. 3. I've had GT's before and they where always the least aggressive of my cichlids, even the oscars. 4. I've read that GT's aren't as aggressive as people make them out to be because the pet store GT's are a diluted hybrid of the original wild GT. 6. The oscar was 5'' and the GT was 2'' It just goes to show you what a little observation can do. But I'm sure they both appreciated the water changes none the less. (P.S.--The GT was moved).