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This video will take
some time to load. The faster your
internet connection,
the less time it
takes to load. If
you can't see the
video, shown just
above, try clicking
here.
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DrTom's Angelfish Aquarium contains about
55-gallons of water and about fifteen young
Angelfish at the time that this video was
recorded. The aquarium also contains one
Bushynose Plecostomus, which is a member of
the genus of catfish named Ancistrus.
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The
Complete
Details about this
Aquarium
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The list just below
gives details about
all the equipment
and supplies that
were used to
assemble this
aquarium.
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Owner
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DrTom
Bailey
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Location
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DrTom's
basement
in Point
Loma, a
suburb
of San
Diego,
California.
Point
Loma is
surrounded
by San
Diego
Bay and
the
Pacific
Ocean.
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Size
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This
aquarium
contains
about
55-gallons
of
freshwater.
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Material
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This
aquarium
is made of
acrylic
plastic.
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Dimensions
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Width
from
left to
right48",
Height
20",
Front to
Back
12.75"
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Filter
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Hi-Q
Complete
Cycle
Filter
System.
This
filter
requires
a layer
of
gravel
about 3"
deep. We
decided
to test
this
filter,
otherwise
this
aquarium
would
have
probably
had a
Penguin
350B
Filter
and the
aquarium
would
have no
gravel.
Click
here
for more
information
about
this
filter.
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Heater
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250-watt
Marineland
Visi-Therm
submersible
Heater |
Water
Temperature
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Water at
about 76
degrees
F.
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Installed
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Aquarium
set up
in
October
2008
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Videos
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Recorded
during
February
2009
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Fish
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About
fifteen Angelfish
and one
so-called
Bushynose
Plecostomus.
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pH
of the
Water
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7.6 to
7.9. A
lower pH
would be
better
for both
types of
fish.
But they
seem to
be doing well in
this
water.
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Aquarium
Ornaments
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Four
Ceramic
Driftwood
Logs and
one
Ceramic
Quonset
Hut
3"
deep
plus #2 size
gravel
labeled
for use
in
aquariums.
You
could
use any
color of
#2 size
gravel
that's
labeled
for use
in
aquariums.
But the
filter
in this
aquarium
requires
a layer
of
gravel
about 3"
deep.
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Lighting
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Fixture
containing two
36"
30-watt
4100K
fluorescent
bulbs,
but
usually
one bulb
is on
and the
other is
off.
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Timer
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Turns
lights on
at 10:00
am and
turns off
at 10:00
pm.
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Aquarium
Stand
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Made of
hardwood
with
a black
finish
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Canopy
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Matches
the
aquarium
stand
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Other
Equipment
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Magnetic
Scrubber
Python
Products
siphon,
water
changing
device
A set of
3
aquarium
nets
A
plastic
5-gallon
utility
bucket |
Water
Conditioner
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When
doing
10-gallon
partial
water
change
twice
each
week,
just
before
adding
replacement
water
from the
faucet,
a high
quality
Water
Conditioner
is added
to the
aquarium
water to
neutralize
the
chloramines
in
10-gallons
of tap
water.
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Food
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Premium
Food
Pellets
and
Flakes fed 3 to
5 times
each
day.
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Maintenance
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1. Use
magnetic
scrubber
to clean
inside
surfaces
of
aquarium
as
needed.
2. 20%
partial
water
changes
twice a
week,
using
Python
to clean
the
gravel.
3. Rinse
filter
pads and
scrub
filter
as
needed.
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The
Fish
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Ten
Angelfish
and four
Bushymouth
Plecostomus
Catfish.
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Comments
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At the time these
videos were recorded
this aquarium had
been set up for
about four months.
It ran for about
10-days, before the
fish were first
added. This is much
longer than usual
and longer than
needed. Usually it's
a good idea to set
up a new aquarium.
Fill it with tap
water and add water
conditioner, then
let it run for about
three days. During
that time the water
will completely
stabilize and the
heater can be
accurately adjusted
to the preferred
temperature. It's
also a good idea to
always let a new
aquarium run for a
few days to be sure
that it
will not leak or
have any other
problems, before
adding the first fish.
The new Angelfish
and Bushynose
Plecostomus were
small. The Angel's
bodies were less
than the size of a
dime, and the Bushy
was about 2" long.
They've been eating
a lot and growing
fast. They should
probably get two or
three feedings a
day, but they're
getting four to six
feedings, but each
feeding is not too
heavy. When they
were small, they got
premium flakes. But
it wasn't too long
before they could
eat pellets made of
the same premium
food.
Each Angel has a
different
personality. Fast or
slow, bright or not
so bright, etc. They
are fascinating to
watch. It's
revealing to pick
out one of the
angels, usually a
different one each
time, and just watch
that Angel swim
around in the
aquarium, looking
for food on the
bottom, or
interacting with the
other Angels.
Shown just below are
pictures of some of
the Angelfish with
brief comments about
each. |
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| In this picture you
can see most of the
55-gallon aquarium
with some of the the
Angels, the Ceramic
Driftwood Logs, and
the gravel.
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| Just above: This is
a Silver Veiltail
Male Angel. He
actually shows lots
of green coloration,
which is a surprise
to DrTom. He also
has lots of small
red spots. This fish
illustrates the fact
that you never know
what these Angelfish
will grow-up to look
like. Each one seems
to be uniquely
beautiful,
especially when they
are given very good
care. |
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| Above: Here is a
Gold Veiltail Female
Angel. Her body is a
metallic gold
coloration and her
fins have orange
stripes. She is very
beautiful, very
healthy, and very
energetic.
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| Above: Here is
Leopold a male
Leopard Veiltail
Angel. |
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| This Angelfish is a
Gold Marble
Veiltail. Angelfish
can 0, 1, or 2 genes
for marble. If an
Angel has 0 genes
for marble, it will
show no black
marbling. With one
gene for marble an
Angel will show
light marbling like
the fish shown
above. With two
genes for marble, it
will show heavy
marbling like the
Marbled Veiltail
Angel that is shown
just below. A lot is
known about various
Angelfish genes and
the affects of those
genes on the
appearance of
Angels. |
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Bushymouth
Plecos
This 55-gallon
aquarium also
contain four
so-called Bushymouth
Plecos. |
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This video will take
some time to load. The faster your
internet connection,
the less time it
takes to load. If
you can't see the
video, shown just
above, try clicking
here.
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This catfish,
shown in the video
just above,
is a male Bushymouth
Pleco, and he regularly scourers the gravel
on the bottom of
this aquarium for
bits of food.
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| In the two pictures
just below, you can
see the big
tubercles that have
grown between his
eyes and the shorter
tubercles along edge
of his mouth. This
male is about 4"
long and probably
full grown.
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A female Bushymouth
Pleco., like the one
shown just above,
will sometimes have
a few tubercles
along the edge of
her mouth. This
female is now about
3.5" long and is
nearly full grown.
Sometimes
the Bushymouths are
called Bushynose or
Bristlenose Plecos.
All the Bushymouth
Plecos. are in a
genus named
Ancistrus, and there
are lots similar
looking catfish in
that genus.
Investigators say
the tubercles have
something to do with
raising baby fish,
which is the male's
job, and apparently
a female prefers to
pair with a male
with lots of big
tubercles.
Bushymouth Plecos.
have been spawned in
aquariums many
times, but I haven't
done it yet.
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The Three
Beacon Pleco.
This aquarium also
has one so-called
Three Beacon Plecostomus,
shown just above.
This is almost
surely a fish that
was collected from
the wild in the
Upper Orinoco River
basin in Columbia
and
Venezuela in South
America. This
Pleco. was about 3"
long and a resident
of this aquarium,
when I was given
this aquarium. Now
this Pleco. has grown to
be about
5" or 6" long and
is doing very well. In
the beginning it
stayed in a ceramic
log-shaped ornament
almost all the time.
The opening in this
ornament seems to
just match this
fish's
cross-section.
Recently this Pleco.
seems to be coming
out of the ceramic
log and moving
around in the
aquarium more often.
Everybody who sees this fish, says "Ooooo"
or "Ahhhh", and
watches it for a
while. Its tail and
body are covered
with spines, or
perhaps they are
more like bristles.
It's a very
interesting fish and a
fun fish to watch.
In the wild it ate
caddis flies, snails, and
freshwater sponges,
which is a very odd
diet, but in this
aquarium it eats the
premium food and
does very well.
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Concluding Remarks
This 55-gallon
aquarium is a good
size for keeping and
raising these fish.
A 30-gallon aquarium
would have been be too small.
These Angels do
better in a big
group like this one
with 15-Angels. A
common Trinidad
Plecostomus can grow
to 30" and would
soon get too big for
this and most other
aquariums. The
Bushymouth Plecos.
are
ideal.
This aquarium is
very easy to care
for. It's lots of
fun and very enjoyable.
It would be nice to
add some plastic plants
and Corydoras
Catfish.
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