Bit of an intro.

[Tviokh]

Figured since I'm in Eau Claire, I might as well post a small intro here.

We currently have just one saltwater tank, but also have a freshwater cichlid tank, birds, dogs, rats, cats, ferrets, geckos and a tarantula.

The saltwater aquarium is one we bought out of the paper for $150. It had been established for about 14 years according to the previous owners, but had no live rock, no plants, nothing but an 8 year old clark's clownfish.

We took about half of the water home in buckets (roughly 22 gallons out of the 42 gallon tank), the tank, the fish, and all of the supplies.
The tank itself hadn't been cleaned in ages, had a dirty filter, a clogged powerhead, and an unused UGF filtration system that was full of SLIME. Ick.
Yeah, so, we cleaned the tank out and dumped the gravel. That was replaced with about 20 pounds of live rock and to start 15 pounds of live rock (we're up to 30 now), the water we took with us, cleaned filters, a skimmer, some air stones (the clown, who we renamed from Nemo to Pertinax, just LOVES playing in the bubbles) better lighting, and the clown.

Water quality has been amazing; no spikes, no problems, no illnesses. We test it daily, just as we do with the freshwater tank. I have the bad habit of overstocking my tanks which, with a cichlid tank, can actually be helpful where aggression is concerned, so daily water testing is just kind of ingrained.

During the weekend long power outage due to that lovely storm a couple months back, we got an AC converter, ran cables out to my car and in shifts my husband and I made sure the car battery didn't die and our fish tanks could have at least minimal filtration.

Since then, we've added some damsesl, crabs, and a scopas tang (that guy was at the PetCo here for a few months. I couldn't resist him earlier this week. )

In the future I'd like to add more live rock (wish we had more sources in Eau Claire; anyone have any of theirs up for sale? How about green marine plants? ), some more cleaner inverts, a host anemone for the clown and possibly some corals.

[the_colonel]

Welcome to RTR, and ECRC. Keep an eye on the TCAMS forum for more Live Rock, it comes up often, and usually goes $2.00 - $2.50 per pound, so worth the drive to the TC's.

[Tviokh]

Oh brilliant!
$7/lb at tropic waters gets pricey after awhile, and their selection isn't the best.

...they do have a gorgeous urchin right now though.

[chazz-66]

Hi, Welcome! I plan on getting some people together for a meeting sometime in Oct. in town here. I have only been into this hobby(addiction?) for 2 years now myself, but it has been amazing! If you would like some corals let me know. I'm sure I could come up with some frags.

[Loverotties]

Welcome to TRT too!

[Tviokh]

Originally Posted by chazz-66

Hi, Welcome! I plan on getting some people together for a meeting sometime in Oct. in town here. I have only been into this hobby(addiction?) for 2 years now myself, but it has been amazing! If you would like some corals let me know. I'm sure I could come up with some frags.

Seriously?
That'd be great.
Nothing in my tank is not-coral-safe as we'd planned on adding corals at some point.

I'd looked into buying some either online or at tropic waters (as for coral, they do have a fairly decent selection) but it was one of those "$50+ and I don't even know if I can keep it alive..." things.
I'm still new enough (we got the tank back in July of this year) that I don't trust my ability to make very delicate things live.

[Liza]

Introductions are a good idea! I'm Lisa and I have a pet addiction. -Now you say 'hi Lisa!'.
I've just started my first reef tank about 3? months ago. It's a 12 gallon nano cube jbj deluxe. I've got some corals I ordered from online and frags I've gotten from Chuck and Lori and it's really exciting when things start to look like a real tank. I probably have some kind of parameter problem since I've got a bit of hair algae, but unfortunately I got my lr from Tropic Waters and a chunk or two came with quite a bit already on it (I didn't have any up to that point).
I also have a sad looking 44 gallon saltwater tank I've had for about a year now. I'm hoping to upgrade the lighting and turn it into more of a reef some day, but I'll probably wait awhile to see if we move in the near future so there's a little less to tear apart and try to keep alive.
I also have a 29 gallon piranah tank with 3 red bellied piranahs that we raised from tiny tiny little fish about the size of a quarter (if that). Sadly we had 4, but this weekend they decided we hadn't given them enough feeder fish...
That brings me to yet another tank... a 5 gallon with a high turnover for goldfish, mortality is 100%.
We also have a 29 gallon with some bala sharks (they grow fast!) black tetras, zebra danios, a gorgeous pleco, and a violet goby. We need to upgrade to a larger tank when we can afford it, or have a place to put it, but for now they all look healthy and fairly happy.
I've got a 12 gallon brackish (heavy on the fresh) water tank with 4 red mollies, a bumble bee goby and a tiny little puffer. The tank has only been established about 4 months, but the fish we've had for over a year. They were in the 29 gallon and the piranahs were in a 10 gallon until they outgrew it and switched.
On top of that we have 2 cats, 2 rats (one who recently had a lumpectomy... cancer), a gerbil, a hamster, a cockatiel and a foster squirrel. Plus I have a step-dog that lives with my bfs mother.
I work for a non-profit social services organization where I take care of a couple of guys with developmental disabilities, so apparently I like the caregiver role.
My house is chronically messy and there is always a cage or tank that needs to be cleaned.
One of the cats is diabetic, so I have to administer insulin shots twice a day.
The squirrel is finally big enough to not need feedings every 3 hours, thank god. I think that's about it.
I grew up on a farm, so maybe I'm most comfortable surrounded by critters.
I also have a degree in Psychology... ask me if I'm crazy.

[Tviokh]

Originally Posted by Liza

That brings me to yet another tank... a 5 gallon with a high turnover for goldfish, mortality is 100%.

I can tell you exactly why on that one Lisa.
It's a 5 gallon tank.
Goldfish, even the small ones and the feeders, are NOT small fish and will not thrive or even really live in bowl or small tank environments.
Their waste produces a LOT of ammonia, and "fancies" can grow to 6-9 inches, whereas comets generally get to between 15 and 20 inches...koi can get even larger.
Small tanks not only have trouble keeping the water quality up due to the messiness of the fish, but they stunt growth and stunted goldfish are highly stressed, tend to not have proper fin or color development, and generally die within a few years.

Under good tank conditions, fancies can live for up to 15 years, and comets for up to 20. Some koi have been known to live for more than 50 years.

The species also matters, as most goldfish are cool water fish and don't mix well with tropicals due to different temperature requirements.
SOME goldfish species, however, are warm water fish and do need a heater.

In general, minimum tank size for 'fancy' goldfish (black moors, bubble eyes, fan tails, etc...) is 25-30 gallons for a single fish.

For comets and the larger fancies (orandas and the like), you'd be looking at 45-55 gallons minimum for a single fish.

Goldfish really do have a LOT of personality and aren't the super easy care fish that pet stores make them out to be.
If you like, I know someone from Eau Claire (I actually got to meet her at Borders when the 6th Harry Potter book came out!) who is on my livejournal friends list; she's really into goldfish keeping (one of her goldies who has some health problems even goes to a vet! Kindness Animal Hospital sees tropical fish. Her fishie's picture is on their board!) who would probably be willing to help you out if you're really interested in a successful goldfish tank.
Her fish and tanks are just amazing, and she knows quite a bit more about goldfish than I do.

On top of that we have 2 cats, 2 rats (one who recently had a lumpectomy... cancer), a gerbil, a hamster, a cockatiel and a foster squirrel.

Yay for cockatiels! I've got three.
Panzer is my big cinnamon whiteface heavy pied hen; she came from a breeder up in Minneapolis.
Owl is a DNA sexed cinnamon whiteface pearl male that came from PetCo (so he's not for any sort of breeding stock even though he is beautiful; I don't know his genetic background so...all eggs are sterilized)
Remmington used to belong to my old supervisor's boyfriend; he had a career change and she got a promotion and they found that poor Remmy went from an always out of the cage bird to a cagebound pet because they were gone so often. He felt it wasn't fair to do that to Remmy, and she knew I kept birds, so they asked if I'd take him. He's a big sweetheart, very well socialized and trained and can say a few words.

We also have a lovebird and two budgies and I've had rescue parrots in the past.

We've got a trio of rat sisters as well from Manitou Mischief (rattery in Minneapolis); they're about a year and a half old right now and are lovely.
In the past we've always had boys and they either came from that rattery or they were rescue/shelter rats.

...plus we have 3 cats (6, 10 and 17), two dogs, a mouse, two leopard geckos, the marine and freshwater tanks, and a rosehair tarantula.

My house is chronically messy and there is always a cage or tank that needs to be cleaned.

LOL! Mine would be if it weren't for my husband. He's big on cleaning, and I'm really...not interested. If the house doesn't stink, if I know where everything is, and if I can easily move around, what's a little dog hair on the carpet or some clothes tossed on the couch?
That philosophy drives him nuts.

One of the cats is diabetic, so I have to administer insulin shots twice a day.

Now I have to ask...have you considered trying to switch your kitties to a grain free raw diet?
I ask because it can help them, diabetic or not, regulate their blood sugar better as it's digested more efficiently, is more nutrient dense, and won't give their blood sugar levels the highs and lows that come with eating cooked grains.

If you're at all interested, I can talk your ear off on it (and direct you to the community on feeding raw that I run over on livejournal); we've been feeding raw here for over three years and I can honestly say it's what saved our oldest cat's life.
We were ready to have her euthanized at 13 due to all sorts of allergies and so called chronic health problems. Even her arthritis diminished to the point where it's just morning stiffness instead of all day limping and being painful to the touch.

...and she's not on any of her meds anymore. She doesn't need 'em.

(Plus: No 'cat breath', less litterbox odor, less shedding, spotless clean teeth, better coat quality, less hairballs, and activity levels through the ROOF!)

[chazz-66]

Wow! You two are both busy! Makes me tired just reading

[Liza]

the fish aren't in the 5 gallon long enough to really have a problem. The piranahs go through 12 at a time, so they barely have time to hit the water in the small tank. They don't usually die in the 5 gallon... they get to stretch their fins for about 2.2 seconds and... gulp. It's pretty painless from what I can tell. My piranahs finish them off in one to two bites at most. Thanks, though.

[Liza]

My cockatiel is a whiteface pearl from Tropic Waters, and we think he's a boy since he sings constantly and varies his songs a lot. He's only about 4 months old, and still has a lot of pearling, so that's why we say we 'think' he's a boy... He is getting a little darker in the face, too. I couldn't thinkg of a good unisex name that fit him just in case, so we call him Bird with a slight accent on the 'i'. We're weird people.

As for Sabu, he's 13 and doing really well with his insulin. He developed diabetes about 2 years ago with my boyfriend. They do EVERYTHING together. We had him on special food for diabetic cats, but he would eat Simon's food (my 6 year old cat) and Simon would eat his. Cats. You just can't tell them what to do. He's really active, though, and initiates chasing Simon around, so he doesn't worry me much.

I've kept goldfish as pets before and think they're great, but the piranahs really need live food to keep healthy. I supplement their diet with flakes and the occasional frozen food, though. I do actually help care for an adorable pearlscale goldfish at work that belongs to one of my customers. I didn't mean to make it sound like the goldfish don't live long because of the tank. They just don't last long in my house because of their destiny. As a kid I kept feeder fish as pets and had a hard time at first handing them over to certain death. The first couple batches I would pick out the ones that caught my eye to spare them, but now I just don't look at them... if I did I'd need a MUCH larger tank... and house, probably. As it is, the tank does have a hang on filter and an undergravel filter, so for the short time they spend in there they usually do ok.

My rats are a pair of sisters and they're wonderful. I've never had one bite, and it's so cute when they stick their little paws through the bars to beg for more treats. Whitefoot had a couple lumps removed recently, and we're hoping they either won't come back or that it'll slow down the cancer at the very least. I'm sure not many people bring in rats for surgery, but they're part of the family. I've kept mice and have had them get cancer as well, I guess one of the reasons they use mice and rats in labs so much is their predisposition to cancer. I found it odd that even though they test on them so much they didn't have any other treatment for them other than removing the tumors.

Last night I stayed up late sewing satin pants for my squirrel.

I like to end with something that makes you more curious.

[Tviokh]

Originally Posted by Liza

They just don't last long in my house because of their destiny. As a kid I kept feeder fish as pets and had a hard time at first handing them over to certain death.

Oh good; if they're feeders and are only in there for a short while it's not so bad then.
It's amazing how many people try to keep goldfish in such small tanks though. :\

I've kept mice and have had them get cancer as well, I guess one of the reasons they use mice and rats in labs so much is their predisposition to cancer.

Genetics plays a lot into that; pet store rats are always poorly bred as no reputable breeder sells their litters to a pet store.
Well bred rats rarely get cancer. The breeder my current girls cam from had a girl who was apparently well bred that came down with a benign mammary tumor at 8 months. She was immediately pulled from the breeding program and everyone who had rats from her litters was notified by phone or e-mail to request that they NOT breed them and if they had to pull them from breeding lines and notify anyone who had bought babies from them.

Since I'm not a registered rattery with the RMCA ( http://www.rmca.org/ ), part of the contract I signed when I got my girls was that they could never be used for breeding purposes.

Cancer tends to be unfortunately common in pet store rats and mice though just due to poor breeding practices.

Temparement is determined by genetics as well; poorly bred rats and mice are much more prone to being nippy and skittish even if well socialized and handled a lot.

Last night I stayed up late sewing satin pants for my squirrel.

I like to end with something that makes you more curious.

A squirrel in pants.
That's got to look odd.
The closest I get is a sweater in the winter for our small dog.

[Tviokh]

Originally Posted by chazz-66

Wow! You two are both busy! Makes me tired just reading

Most of my free time is split between husband and animals...and all too often, the animals take up more of that time than the husband.

[Liza]

Yeah, I don't plan on breeding my rats (two sisters) and I guess I feel that even inbred unpedigreed animals deserve love, so I'll keep my rats, cancer and all. It's funny that dogs are inbred so much to keep the blood lines pure or if a certain trait is seen they want to propogate... of course, you end up with a lot of genetic issues there, too (hip dysplasia, etc.). Hmm... people get cancer a lot... interesting.
As for temperment, like I said, they've never bitten or nipped and they're extremely friendly. I would trust them to be even tempered much more than most of my other pets (Simon is skittish around anyone under 4' high, for example). Maybe I'm just lucky.

Panji looks like a super hero in his pants, and have you ever tried to potty train a squirrel? Heh... not happening.

[Tviokh]

Originally Posted by Liza

Yeah, I don't plan on breeding my rats (two sisters) and I guess I feel that even inbred unpedigreed animals deserve love, so I'll keep my rats, cancer and all. It's funny that dogs are inbred so much to keep the blood lines pure or if a certain trait is seen they want to propogate... of course, you end up with a lot of genetic issues there, too (hip dysplasia, etc.). Hmm... people get cancer a lot... interesting.
As for temperment, like I said, they've never bitten or nipped and they're extremely friendly. I would trust them to be even tempered much more than most of my other pets (Simon is skittish around anyone under 4' high, for example). Maybe I'm just lucky.

Panji looks like a super hero in his pants, and have you ever tried to potty train a squirrel? Heh... not happening.

Oh no doubt; my rescues have all been animals that came originally from pet stores and ended up in either lousy homes or in shelters.
They've all been great animals, even the two nippy rat boys, but none of them were animals that should've been bred.

Even with line breeding in dogs, if it's done properly and responsibly it's not a problem.
Far too many people though think that just because they have a purebred dog that it's "breeding quality"; fact is, most aren't.
Mutts and poorly bred dogs can and generally are great pets, but just because it's a great pet doesn't mean it's suitable for breeding.

Our little dog is probably the sweetest mutt I've ever met. He's cute to look at (shaggy and orange), he's well socialized, well trained, no physical problems, healthy, good temparement, etc...but I don't know his genetic history, I don't know what he might have as recessive genes, and most importantly, I know that there are hundreds of just as cute and sweet mutts and purebreds sitting in shelters who'll die if they don't get a home so...he was neutered at 6 months.

I can't say I've ever tried to potty train a squirrel; my grandpa fostered one once when I was about 7 or so, but other than that squirrels are something we trap, shoot and feed to the dogs, cats and ferrets. Morbid as it is, a bag of squirrel heads gets me mobbed by two dogs and three cats who all want one (my dad puts them in old sandwich bags when he sends them home with me, the animals here KNOW that if I leave in the car and come back bearing sandwich bags that I have food for them)...and there are never enough for everybody. Thank heaven for dog crates.

Don't tell Panji that though.
...just like I don't tell my mouse Wireless when I'm feeding whole mice (pre-killed) to the ferrets. I just tell him not to look.