Too Peaceful?

[L number Banana]

My Spring:
Things have been pretty peaceful in the catfish tanks lately. Catfish are healthy and hale, even my 'new' Kryptopterus minor are thriving and growing.
The water's clear and has become low maintenance and stable. No one's having babies. Plants are growing. Feeding is under control and not causing water/substrate issues. Don't fancy any new tank ideas at the moment.

So now I'm bored.

Do other people go through this lull? I guess it's just a case of beware what you wish for. I think now I understand when people want many small tanks instead of a few large tanks. I like the maintenance that comes with 'issues' and my community tanks are just fine but kind of like completing a painting. Sad in a way.

The weather is finally warming up and the basement goldfish have been moved out to the big pond for their summer vacation. Breeding has already been initiated.

I'm entertaining the idea of starting another pond on the deck with a rigid sided 90 gal preformed pond shell. Aside from the elusive madtoms, are there catfish that I could keep out there? I was thinking of a giant pleco or syno that could live outside in the summer and have their own indoor sanctuary in the winter. The indoor tank would be the empty 45 gal so I couldn't go for anything that would get too big for that. I see a lot of 'common pleco' and S. eupterus but I don't know if these fish could handle the night/day swings in temperature. Maybe I could make the outdoor pond a hoplo pond?

Just playing with ideas. Any thoughts?

[2wheelsx2]

Not me. I wish for more peace. I'm always tweaking something and it drives my wife nuts. Maybe it's because my pleco craze really only started about 6 months ago so I'm still in the honeymoon phase, but I just love watching them.

[L number Banana]

Hmm, maybe I'm just a touch wacko I suppose

I still love watching them and I even have some okay drawings of them so I can certainly tell them apart - even the Glowlight tetras but I feel like if I tool around with anything else I may start something and kick myself later. My 'showtank' was supposed to only be for the glass cats and I missed watching the twigs and the L401 so I moved them in as well, then the otos and now I miss the clowns but I think if I keep moving fish back into that tank sooner or later I'm going to tip the happy-scale and I'll be visited by the evil water fairy again.

Maybe I gave myself the answer earlier. I could always trade in my big tank for a couple smaller tanks and move them back into an area of the house where I can see them more often. That 'big tank' is in a sort of craft/storage room that I no longer spend much time in. Two smaller tanks could fit in my office and there's a 15 and a 20 in the basement. AND I have some baby orchids that would love to use the big tank as a nice tropical home.

Know what you mean about driving the other half nuts. My Bigger Half hasn't rolled his eyes at my 'fish-ues' for a while, must be time.

Just needed to talk it out I guess, my head is filling up with ideas again, thanks.

[Carp37]

"Fish-ues"- love it

I crave "boredom" with my tanks- I've finally got my 3' and less tanks to not being overcrowded, but still have major water problems with my 5'X2'X2.5' tank (a mixture of stupidity on my part, and trusting Fishbase with geos that were supposed to stay at 4" but rocketed to >8" TL). I've recently been on holiday for a week in Spain, which turned into 10 days due to the ash cloud crisis- I was 90%+ sure this tank would be totally wiped out, but astonishingly I didn't lose any fish (in any tank, other than possibly a few bristlenose/endlers fry). However, I've since been catching up on water changes, and since I'm still doing these by bucket they're something of a pain to do. As such, the idea of having serene, non-overstocked tanks is somewhat appealing.

I've only bought 6 (small fish) in the last 18 months- all my stupidity came earlier...

I really should get rid of some more fish in the 5' tank, but can't bear to part with the Callichthys or Distichodus affinis.

[2wheelsx2]

Maybe I gave myself the answer earlier. I could always trade in my big tank for a couple smaller tanks and move them back into an area of the house where I can see them more often.

Yes, that's the answer. My 125 is in the basement so I only get to see it if I run downstairs. So I have a 20 gallon in the living room and a 15 gallon in my bedroom. So most of the time, I have a tank in my sight.

[apistomaster]

You are experiencing the beginning of too many tanks addiction syndrome for which there is no cure except those which involve severe withdrawal symptoms. They don't warn you of that when you take up this hobby.

I know for myself that if my tanks are not all in convenient to see and care for locations these isolated tanks rarely get sufficient attention. I solved my problem by turning my house into a fish room in which I somehow live. I wish I could say I am sorry but the best I can say is that you are not alone. Many of us have the same problem.

One way which helped me was to adopt some standard sizes, mainly 40 gal breeders and 20 longs and place them all on three tiered stands so I could consolidate most of my tanks in just one small area. Then I keep my two largest tanks, a 75 and 125 gal in my living room.

[Carp37]

I solved my problem by turning my house into a fish room in which I somehow live. I wish I could say I am sorry but the best I can say is that you are not alone. Many of us have the same problem.

I've done much the same thing- four tanks in my (fairly small) living room, and five tanks in the spare bedroom, where my computer lives. I've always avoided changing a shed into a fish house because I know I'll not spend much time actually watching fish in it, so I would end up resenting all the work that needs doing with the fish.

[L number Banana]

Oh good, I'm not alone and it sounds like I'm making my way through all the expected mistakes and experiences that will round out my catfishing adventures.

I now only have two tanks running, the taller 35gal in the living room, no complaints there. Took the one out of the bedroom because the

Megalechis thoracata

were making so much noise it was keeping me up. It's the 45 gal that I never really see that's needing to be split up.
Kitchen's too small, bathroom is too small but that will be part of my basement/whirlpool/fishwall plans someday. I was thinking about the small tank 15gal back in the bedroom with some of the quieter fish and the 20 gal into the computer room.

Tank #1 15 gal - Bumblebees, hatchets and oddball corys, yoyo loaches,
Tank #2 20 gal - Hoplos, danios, cooler corys, P. maccus
Tank #3 empty 45 gal - orchids.

I think that looks like a good split and I think the cooler guys may appreciate the lower temps. Think P.maccus would like the warmer tank better?

[apistomaster]

i think Panaque maccus would be best off in a warmer tank.