Archivarium 2004

Raggamuffin · Members Joined: 02 Apr 2005 Location: Melbourne, Australia

hey,
I'm begining to redo my 20 gal which contains a large angel, a school of tetras and a bristlenose plec. I have a few new pieces of driftwood which will go in soon, and I'll be rearranging rocks and plants.

I did a little rearranging a few days ago and the angel got so spooked while I was working that at one point he must have swum into something because he now has a few nasty scratches on his side. hes healing up nicely now though.

when I finish off the rest of the tank, what should I do with the angel? I was thinking I'll just put him in a bucket, but I don't know whether this would be more stressfull for him than leaving him in the tank while I move things around. what do you all reckon I should do? the other fish seem relatively alright with me moving things around.

benedictj · Advisors Joined: 05 Dec 2004 Location: new york, ny

A fish safe bucket might not be a bad idea. If that isn't an option, you can try reduce the amount of light you use when you scape ( if any at all).

Also, you might want to Melafix the tank to try to prevent your angels scratches from becoming infected.
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Best,

Jake

haname

I would put the angel in the bucket, and cover it so that it is dark. That will calm it down. Even though catching the fish will cause stress, it is short term stress compared to the time it will take to do the rearranging. There will be much less chance of further injury. Also make sure to have the lights out (tank and dim the room) when you return the fish to the tank so it isn't shocked by sudden bright light along with the stress of moving again. A dose of NovAqua will be helpful too if you have it., for the bucket and for the tank.
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Happy fishkeeping!

~Haname

fish man · New Members Joined: 02 May 2005 Location: labrador

hey raggamuffin what kind of fish is that in your pic it looks cool and I want one but I don't know the name
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fish are friends not food

elTwitcho · Members Joined: 15 Feb 2005

I think it depends on how much you're going to do in the tank and how much space the tank has. If the fish can comfortably get to the opposite side of the tank because it's big enough for him to stay out of your way, I'd leave the fish in there. Likewise, if you're just going to be placing a piece of driftwood and taking your hand out, again just leave him in the tank.

If the tank is only a 20 gallon or smaller though, or you're going to be mucking around in there for a few minutes, I'd put him in a bucket. When I had to redo one of my piranha tanks I put the fish in a bucket and it saved him (and me) a lot of stress rather than having him crash into stuff trying to avoid me. In my cichlid tank however, the 48 inches of length means the fish can usually get away from whatever I'm doing without much problems for anyone.

Pi · Members Joined: 09 May 2005

Raggamuffin · Members Joined: 02 Apr 2005 Location: Melbourne, Australia

thanks all for your replies!
its a 20 gallon tall and the angel is nearly full grown, so I don't really think there is enough space for him to chill in there while I work (especially because I'm completely redoing the tank). that means that I'll be taking him out. I bought an extra large net today to catch him and the bucket I plan to put him in is a plastic 30 litre stoage tub. I'm already Malafixing him, but I don't know what NovAqua is. what is it and what does it do?

yeah rummy nose tetras are so cool! they school so tightly! there are 14 in this tank and they thrive! their colours really perk up when they are happy and healthy. my avitar is a pic of one of the rummies in my tank! the red looks so great against hygrophila!

I'll post pics of the tank once it's done.

haname

The NovAqua info sheet should answer all your questions about this product.
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Happy fishkeeping!

~Haname