hi im new all info and help needed thanks

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craigzeb
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hi im new all info and help needed thanks

Post by craigzeb »

hi all im new to the zebra world i am looking at getting some adult zebras after buying 4 small zebras and loosing them all as they passed away was gutted and not happy at all costly and upsetting loss. i was wondering what is the size of tank needed for these fish and what is the smallest tank they can be kept in ?? how many filters are needed are airstones needed ?? and what water perameters they can servive in. i put the 4 babies in my tank i had while i was getting a new tank sorted out for the babies but none made it ?? all perameters were clear nitrates were 12mg/l and ph was around 7. im on the lookout for a breeding pair young adults if poss i love these fish and want to carry on the breeding too of these wonderfull zebs

thanks

craig
Last edited by craigzeb on Fri Jan 07, 2011 7:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Stevie.K
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Re: hi im new all info and help needed thanks

Post by Stevie.K »

Hi Craig & welcome to the site.
It all depends how many you are looking @ buying what size they are ie fry or adults, I keep mine in as small as 60l for a few adults or more fry & as big as 600l.
125l-150 l is a good size imo, but it all depends on your space @ home.
Bigger tanks will be easier to keep better water as you have more water volume to prevent as much pollution, smaller tanks would require more frequent water changes.
I run 2 filters in mine just to have maximum filtration & in case one should fail, but this is just my personal taste & I also keep the tank well aerated with air stones & aquaballs.
Water params, Zebs will leave & breed in all kinds of water so they don't really have any specific needs.
Others may give you a few pointers, welcome :D
craigzeb
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Re: hi im new all info and help needed thanks

Post by craigzeb »

cheers stevie and thanks for help how many do you have in your 60l tank ?? have you had any spawnings ?? what filters are you running too i have an 80 liter tank cycling at the min for when i get some more after my losses of 4 small ones all help and info welcome cheers

craig
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Re: hi im new all info and help needed thanks

Post by I_Need_Zebras »

I have around about 4 adults in a 2 ft tank and each of my 3ft I have about 8 adults. Filters always have 2 in my tanks for back up and each turn over around 12 times the volume an hour. I have no airstones, just make sure the surface water has no "quiet" areas, the whole tnak should be moving, no dead areas as high Disolved Oxygen content is essential at high tank temps of around 28-30C.

Ph around 6-7.5 any higher or lower they will still survive but not ideal. Substrate can be bare bottom, sand or small smooth gravel, many people will argue bare bottom or gravel, but its your choice.

Think the most important thing to remember is a zebra that is hiding is a happy zebra. If you see your zebra too much, theres a problem, these fish love to hide, so provide caves, logs, stone stacks woth crevices so they can hide.

A happy healthy zebra will have a blue glow to there fins, an unhappy zebra will have a red tinge to there body and the stripes may fade a bit.

Apart from keeping the water conditions correct, theres not much else to it. We are keepers of water, if we get this right, the keeping of fish is the easiest bit. I think you were just unlucky with the first four, maybe stressed from the travels or introduction into a new tank.

Don't give up.
[b]Stuart[/b]
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Joby
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Re: hi im new all info and help needed thanks

Post by Joby »

Hiya and welcome to the forum :)

Sorry you lost your first 4 zebras :( how small were they and what size tank did they go into? Is it possible they didn't manage to find food in a large tank? Also were they competing with other tankmates as they don't compete all that well for food. When I got my first 5 they were only just at 1" total length so I kept them in a very small tank of 16" x 10" for a couple of months to make sure they were getting enough food before I moved them onto the big tank.

I have 7 adults in a 3 foot with an internal filter with diffuser and an external filter with spray bar so plenty water movement. My PH is at the higher end of the scale at 7.5 and I have hard water so I use plenty bogwood and alder cones to soften and lower. No breeding from mine yet but nice fat healthy zebs :D

Good luck finding a pair and hope you have a better experience next time around :aok:
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Re: hi im new all info and help needed thanks

Post by Stevie.K »

Hi Craig, I have 2 males & 3 females in the 60l tank & yes I have been fortunate to have breed zebras before.
Your in the right place for any advice :wink:
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Re: hi im new all info and help needed thanks

Post by TwoTankAmin »

Welcome to the site :-)

I strongly suggest you keep zebras in a species tank whether its for grow out or for spawning. They don't compete well for food.
What makes the common person uncommon is common sense.
craigzeb
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Re: hi im new all info and help needed thanks

Post by craigzeb »

thanks for info stevie and joby they were about an inch long 2 were a little smaller id put them in a fry trap floating in my 180 liter fish tank while was waiting on the new tank i bought for them put a couple small bits bog wood in so they could hide in and under was feeding them on tetra prima and some meaty pellets and before i could even get them in the new tank they died off 1 by 1 only spotted a little bit of small fighting between 2 of them lol. gutted aint the word felt like cryin :( was looking forward to bringing them up watchin them grow and maybe spawns from them as got 2 1st then another 2 added.
anyone hear of any young male and female adults going for sale keep me posted think ill try them out see if better luck or maybe some more baby ones once my new tank is all cycled. will add another filter to the new tank to along with the built in 1.
if its a 80 liter tank and you need alot of turnover what size filter and pumps does anyone suggest ??? cheers all :)
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Re: hi im new all info and help needed thanks

Post by I_Need_Zebras »

I may have a few 8 year old wild caught males going for soon in the next few weeks if interested about 4-5inches in size, will provide photos and post sale on here if I go ahead.
[b]Stuart[/b]
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Re: hi im new all info and help needed thanks

Post by BRIAN09 »

This got me a little worried "A happy healthy zebra will have a blue glow to there fins, an unhappy zebra will have a red tinge to there body and the stripes may fade a bit"

my zebs seem nice healthy and fat plus they clearly have the blue tinge to the fins tail ect but they also have a slight red tinge or glow to the back half of the body
should i be worried ???

Oh and welcome to the site :) just to add the 1st zebs i got where babies about 1inch long and they went straight into my community tank as i did not have a species tank set up then! they did fine in there for a couple of months till i moved them to there new tank! maybe you were just unlucky or they had some disease!
Get your species tank set up and cycled correctly and you should be fine all the best if you try again :)
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Re: hi im new all info and help needed thanks

Post by I_Need_Zebras »

no, blue tinges is more important, if I see them, I know my fish are happy. Your fish are eating well, thats the most important thing. I always put "dizzy" fish into my tanks. Like cardinal tetras, in the hope if the water or tank crashes, the tetras will show signs first of a problem, if they die, its a £1 to replace, where if I lose my zebs "ouch".

Dizzy fish and weekly water checks (or a couple of hours after each water change) is all I do to monitor my fish.
[b]Stuart[/b]
Looking for L260's - adult or fry, PM with any details
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