im marcus. just got 4 zebras and after looking on this site ive found out that they might not be in the best condition. i got them on ebay and only paid 65 each. they are 3 males and 1 female(which is tiny compared to the males)
as im just a beginner with zebras does anyone have any ideas on how i can get them back into good condition, as i would love to start breeding them.
many thanks
marcus
hi
hi MArcus
If these are the fish I think they are, thye really need to be looked after well. The gentleman selling them (as far as I am aware) had five or six, but some died before the auction had ended. That said, £65 is a fantastic bargain, so if you improve their health you've done just dandy.
The biggest problems with zebras is that they do not acclimatise terribley well. They would also rather hide than eat. So the major factors are make sure they have the perfect water conditions, ( I would suggest about 10% a day for the next few weeks at least), and feed them at night with the light out. Remember to remove all uneaten food the next day.
We would do with some more info.
What size of tank are they in?
How long has the tank been established?
Are there any other fish in the tank, (if there are, you may have problems getting them to come out for food).
What temp are you keep ing them at.
If you have a digital camera, you could post some pics and I'm sure everyone will come up with some helpful advice.
Oh yeah and welcome to the forum!!!
Rob
If these are the fish I think they are, thye really need to be looked after well. The gentleman selling them (as far as I am aware) had five or six, but some died before the auction had ended. That said, £65 is a fantastic bargain, so if you improve their health you've done just dandy.
The biggest problems with zebras is that they do not acclimatise terribley well. They would also rather hide than eat. So the major factors are make sure they have the perfect water conditions, ( I would suggest about 10% a day for the next few weeks at least), and feed them at night with the light out. Remember to remove all uneaten food the next day.
We would do with some more info.
What size of tank are they in?
How long has the tank been established?
Are there any other fish in the tank, (if there are, you may have problems getting them to come out for food).
What temp are you keep ing them at.
If you have a digital camera, you could post some pics and I'm sure everyone will come up with some helpful advice.
Oh yeah and welcome to the forum!!!
Rob
The perfect white lie..."Of course I didn't pay that much for the fish honey"
. As Rob says some more info on the zebras current setup, tankmates etc would be be helpful.tank set up
the tank there in is a 180lts 3 footer, im using just R.O. water. there are no other fish in the tank. they seem to be eating well with few left overs in the morning. tried bloodworm, brine shrimp and dalphna all frozen but defrosted before hand. they seem to like the bloodworm most of all.
ive been changing 30lts of the water every other day so far but will change it to daily. the tank was used for my community tank for about 4 months but the fish out grew it and have been moved into a 5 footer.
before adding the zebras i rinsed the gravel added a bed of sand fitted an extra power head and external filter. i think the water is being turned over about 10-15 times an hour.water temp is 27c and stable. ph is 7.3/4.
just found another 3 females which im thinking of getting this weekend but am a bit worried on how this would effect the others and the new ones(as they are costing me £180 each).
will try to get some pics but i dont want to stree them out anymore than they have been.
thanks
marcus
ive been changing 30lts of the water every other day so far but will change it to daily. the tank was used for my community tank for about 4 months but the fish out grew it and have been moved into a 5 footer.
before adding the zebras i rinsed the gravel added a bed of sand fitted an extra power head and external filter. i think the water is being turned over about 10-15 times an hour.water temp is 27c and stable. ph is 7.3/4.
just found another 3 females which im thinking of getting this weekend but am a bit worried on how this would effect the others and the new ones(as they are costing me £180 each).
will try to get some pics but i dont want to stree them out anymore than they have been.
thanks
marcus
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Shell231
- Mentally Certified!
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- Joined: Mon Mar 07, 2005 11:49 am
- Location: St Leonards on sea E Sussex
hehe! u outbid me for them fish hehe! it is ok, u am sure you will take good care of them as u may of read on here, a few members thought they weren't up to standard but if u follow the intructions giving to u by the more experienced members they should do just fine! At least they are eating which is always a good sign! try the homemade food on them, that work wonders so i have heard you will find it in the hints and tips section, Welcome to the forum you are in good hands! x
Hi Marcus,
Welcome to the forum.
I am concerned that you are using 100% RO , which due to not having any hardness buffer is most likely to ph crash with the likelihood of you loosing your zebras. If you live in a hardwater area ,I would add 25 to 50% tap water to the RO. This is what I do in London. If you live in a soft water area,add some RO mineral salts together with some KH plus.
With regards to food , in addition to what you are feeding, I would make up a home made frozen mix, recipe shown elsewhere on the forum. I also feed mine JMC high protein granules and JMC catfish pellets but would be very careful using these in a tank with gravel substrate as these foods can dissappear in the gravel causing the water to be polluted.
Regards,
Des
Welcome to the forum.
I am concerned that you are using 100% RO , which due to not having any hardness buffer is most likely to ph crash with the likelihood of you loosing your zebras. If you live in a hardwater area ,I would add 25 to 50% tap water to the RO. This is what I do in London. If you live in a soft water area,add some RO mineral salts together with some KH plus.
With regards to food , in addition to what you are feeding, I would make up a home made frozen mix, recipe shown elsewhere on the forum. I also feed mine JMC high protein granules and JMC catfish pellets but would be very careful using these in a tank with gravel substrate as these foods can dissappear in the gravel causing the water to be polluted.
Regards,
Des
