oneeyedfrog Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 A visitor commented the other day on how easy fish are to keep. Made me wonder how much time I spend mucking about with my tanks. I have 9 low tech planted tanks and 3 others. This morning I thought I'd spend an hour or two on them. I did water changes , cleaned some glass and trimmed some plants- nothing too major. I was surprised to find 4 1/2 hrs had gone by. I'd hate to think how many hours a week I spend doing fishy stuff :lol: So how much time do you spend on your fish? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 I'll spend 30-40 minutes at most, once a week. 30 mins includes a 50%WC and prune. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zayne Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 i usually spend about 3-4 hours a week playing around with my tanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfishybuisness Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 atleast 30hrs :oops: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bishop Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 I am new and have lots to learn but I spend at least half an hour each day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie841 Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 I only spend enough time to feed them once a day. The rest of the time is for looking at them. Plants might get pulled out if they are looking messy but that is only a matter of seconds and the WC is just sticking the hose in the tank a flicking a switch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishkeepa Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 i my water changes take on average 35 minutes a week plus the few seconds it takes to feed them daily, the occasional tidy up may take a little longer. I do find that if i don't what the time I can find myself mucking around and an hour has easily slipped past :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 In an evening I can take half an hour feeding and looking and poking about looking for another millimetre of algae or a new fry, but it will take 5 mins if I've got other things to do. Can do a water change in about 10 mins but if there is 'housework' to do it can take an hour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geana_wolf Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 Well time spent in the tank is only about an hour once a week (usually a tuesday) but i do sit and watch them playing all night (tank is right next to my computer) and i probably spend around 4 hours a night looking at all things fishie on the internet. Beats the rubish on TV anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 About 30mins a day maybe now that my Bettas spawned, used to be a couple of mins just feeding. Should do more but water changes on my planted tanks on top of raising this spawn is just too much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 change to africans, a water change once a week which includes a front panel scrub & food each & that's it. I must spend a total of around 30 mins per week i guess on 3 or 4 tanks. the fish eat the algae of the back panel so don't clean it & they are constantly moving the white marble chip substrate so it always looks pristine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Sabbath Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 Um.... goldfish ponds included.... Lets just say I set aside Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and spend around 8 hours those days, Then ofcourse feeding and watching on the other days Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Sabbath Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 Now i post a question, How much time do you spend on here? Im only new and probably total 10 hours maybe 15 all up so I can sit on my high horse and ask............. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 I have 35 tanks running and spend around half an hour a day (3 feeds/fish checks min) and 1-2 hours for water changes 1 day a week. Obviously if I am stripping or catching fish I spend longer but the above is all I need to keep them alive and healthy. It obviously doesn't include the time when I just pull up a chair and sit and watch the fish etc.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waterlogged Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 i think the real question is how much money =p i will spend atleast half an hour just fiddling with things at the moment. back in my flat i would spend hours Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ally07 Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 That's why I like to keep my tanks low maintenance! Less time spent mucking around trimming plants and more time sitting in my strategically placed couch watching my tank. (Apologies to all planted tank lovers) I reckon I spend about 1.5 hours a week doing a wc, but I have aquarium ADHD.. Everything can be fine one day and then suddenly (usually late at night), I'll get the urge to do something new. Either I'll get a creative burst to rearrange the rocks/ driftwood (which means I won't be able to sleep unless I get it done) or just sit and stare at my SUMP to figure out a way to make it run more efficiently. Call me crazy, but when I go to HFF, I spend 80% of my time looking at fish and 20% staring at sump designs. Efficiency is key! ...Even as I type this I have been tempted 3-4 times to just glance over my shoulder and look at my tank - such a distraction from something as important as writing this. :lol: @Waterlogged: the question NOT to ask is how much money. NEVER ask how much money. Especially not in front of someone's spouse/ parents/ loved ones who actually care enough about that person's financial situation to nag lol.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueether Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 Too much... I try and get live food for my natives once a week, that will mean a trip out to the olds to skim their pond for mozzie larvae, backswimmers, zooplankton etc. thats 30min in travel and another 10-20 with the net, then I might visit the stony stream just up the road - add another hour... Water change once a week - another 30 min at least, more if I move driftwood... 10min a day to feed them - have to cut up the ox heart etc then there is the 6hours a day that I should be working that I'm too easily distracted by the fish :oops: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 Can't work it out but a minimum of 20hrs a week just feeding and water changes :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waterlogged Posted January 14, 2011 Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 That's why I like to ................ancial situation to nag lol.. I agree most of my time spent isn't actuall care but more perdanticness and creative splerges :facepalm: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted January 14, 2011 Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 Can't work it out but a minimum of 20hrs a week just feeding and water changes :roll: What's your WC regime like? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcrudd Posted January 14, 2011 Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 I spend an half an hour for wc once a week Once a month add another half an hour for filter maintanance Every three months add another half an hour onto the above two for system maintanance Not that much time, mind you I only have the one small tank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supasi Posted January 14, 2011 Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 Depends on what is going on. When I have fry I can spend a couple of hours per day. But usually I spend about an hour per day with feeding and water changes, plant pruning etc. This is not including the hours spent in front of my many scattered tanks just staring. The Native tank seems to engross me most lately. Inanga are sure fun to watch chasing mossies and moths that land on water surface. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted January 14, 2011 Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 What's your WC regime like? FISH SHED - water changes (these are bare bottom tanks so only need a wipe down each water change) Fry tanks x7 - every 2nd day at about an hour a pop other tanks x9 - every 2nd-3rd day - about 1 1/2 hours HOUSE TANKS - water changes (all planted tanks so a wipe down and vacuum) Water changes 2-3 times a week - about 2 1/2hrs each time FEEDING (1 - 1 1/2 hrs daily) Feeding daphnia (live & dried), bbs, decap bs, mosquito lavae, micro worms, + any other live foods I can get my hands on and dried foods as well + frozen blood worms). Its all the individual containers that take the time. Then I spend at least 18 hours a week on this site :roll: :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted January 15, 2011 Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 Fish inside get fed every 3 or 4 days (if I think of it) although my young platies have been fed daily up until now. As I am away (in sunny Golden Bay) at the moment, they will go 3 days without food. I do a water change once every 3 months or so (takes about half an hour to do 3 tanks) and the occasional top up due to evaporation in summer. Filters get cleaned out once a year or so. The pond fish get fed once a day during the summer months, most days, just so I can sit and watch them while I have my cuppa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikBok Posted January 15, 2011 Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 I'll spend 30-40 minutes at most, once a week. 30 mins includes a 50%WC and prune. how do you mange to do waterchange and pruning in under an hr? I must be doing something wrong.. it takes me up to an an hr per tank ( a little less for the smaller ones) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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