Petfish.net Message Board Archive No. 12 Part 1B

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From: Tom Bailey 2/22/00
Subject: Re: Tropheops, Malawi Peacock, and Red Zebra.

Christa,
The three Cichlids you mentioned are all African Cichlids from Lake Malawi in East Africa.
The Tropheus and Red Zebra are Mbuna Cichlids that live among the huge piles of rocks along the shore. There are many (probably 100+) varieties of Mbunas, and they are all very aggressive. Far too aggressive for all the other fish you listed and usually too aggressive for any other fish except maybe Synodontis Catfish that are very spiney and painful to bite.
The third fish you mentioned,the Malawi Peacock, is one of the very most beautiful freshwater fish. LINK to
http://www.aquariumfish.net/prod_fish_cich_african_malawi_hap_peacock.htm
for a very good image and lots of good information. Malawi Peacocks live in Lake Malawi too. But they stay away from the rocks and the super aggressive Mbuna Cichlids there. Peacocks are usually miserable when kept with Mbunas but do well with the Electric Blue Hap., Yellow Peacocks, and other similar fish.
You can go to the LINKS
http://www.aquariumfish.net/prod_fish_cich_african_malawi_tropheops.htm
and
http://www.aquariumfish.net/prod_fish_cich_african_malawi_zebra_red.htm
For really good images of Tropheops and Red Zebra and there is lots of good information at these LINKS. Please post me a comment here with your opinion of these LINKS.
Hope this helps you.
Tom

From: Christa 2/24/00
Subject: Re: Tropheops, Malawi Peacock, and Red Zebra.

Great links! I got alot of my questions answered. I am not going to add them to my tank now but I might set up a tank in the future for the peacock. (It's my favorite out of the three.) Thanks alot for the great link! It's on my favorites list!
~Christa <>{

From: Christa 2/23/00
Subject: Re: Tropheops, Malawi Peacock, and Red Zebra.

Is the Malawi Peacock aggresive too? Thanks for the link. I'll go look at it. :)
~Christa <>{

From: Tom 2/24/00
Subject: All Fish are Aggressive But .....

Christa,
After watching lots of fish for a long time, I conclude that they are all aggressive. I didn't get this feeling for a long time. One of the first fish I had were some Glow Light Tetras. They were small, but I liked them because they weren't aggressive. At least it seemed that way, and that's what every body said, and I was the beginner and they seemed to know everything.
After a year or two, I got interested in breeding fish and raising the babies, and pretty soon I didn't have any small Tetras, but did have it in the back of my mind how nice and gentle they were.
Over the years I gradually saw aggressiveness in all the fish I kept. The cichlids, the livebearers, the killie fish, ... all of them. A few years ago I got some more Glow Light Tetras, Harlequin Rasboras, Neon Tetras, .... Just to enjoy and relax and avoid the aggressiveness in my other fish. But immediately I noticed the aggressiveness in the Glow Lites. There were stronger more assertive glow Lites! I could soon tell my 8 or 9 Glow Lites apart, and a couple of them regularly bullied the others.
I'd like the world to be a more calm place, but I think that aggression and assertiveness are always present, at least that's what I see in all my fish.
Of course the aggressiveness I see varies in its consequences. The dominant Glow Lite Tetras just poke or even pretend to poke, but the other Glow Lites get the message, and no physical damage is done. The Mbuna Cichlids of Malawi really rip each other every time they can. So the consequences are different, but their motives as I see them are rather similar.
If you put the Malawi Peacock in the aquarum with the Mbunas like Tropheops and Red Zebra, the Peacock will almost always be miserable. But the Malawi Peacock will make other less aggressive fish miserable too. It all seems to be relative. Or maybe I should say most fish are aggressive when they can be and need to be.
To me personally, the big point is how much these fish have taught me. Mostly by watching them. But in the beginning I didn't quite know what to look for. I was dazzled by the colors of some fish, and wanted to breed fish, and lots of other things were always flying around in my head.
But eventually, I came to see more, and really appreciate my fish more, and become a better observer of the world the way it is. I'd like to be a better observer, and my fish help me, because I love them and love watching them, and this gives them the chance to show me knew things.
I hope this wasn't too boring.
Tom

From: Christa 2/24/00
Subject: Re: All Fish are Aggressive But .....

No! No! That was everything but boring! Wow! You have changed the way I look at my fish. After I read that I looked at my fish and saw that agressiveness you described. I guess every fish is agressive, just some more than others. If they weren't agressive then they wouldn't get food because they wouldn't be bold and agressive enough to get it before the others. If they weren't agressive they wouldn't have their own little hang outs in the tanks and so on. They would be push overs to the other agressive fish. Thanks Tom for sharing that. That was really cool!
Thanks!
~Christa <>{

From: Ken 2/22/00
Subject: How much do I feed my fish???

I have 2 clown loaches, 1 placo, 1 bala shark and 1 spotted molly. I am feeding both flakes and sinking pellets. I am finding huge amounts of fish waste in the tank and the water is staying cloudy. I think i may be overfeeding. How much of each kind of food and how often should I feed my fish?

From: Christa 2/22/00
Subject: Re: How much do I feed my fish???

Feed the top feeders only what they can eat in about 2 minutes. And only once or twice a day. As for the pleco and loaches one pellet a day should be enough.If they don't find it, it will dissolve and get on the gravel.They enjoy finding this and eating it. They are scavengers and will do fine finding food on their own. The cloudy water and fish waste can be stopped by turning the filter on maximum as long as the current isn't too strong for your fish. Is your tank a new set~up or old? (How long has it been running?) What type of filter do you have and how big is your tank? Do you have a bubble wand? If you answer these questions I can help you more. Good Luck! Have fun!
~Christa <>{

From: Ken 2/22/00
Subject: Re: How much do I feed my fish???

The tank is about 2 months old and I have a charcoal filter that hangs on the back of the tank (not sure what its called). I can't honestly say what a bubble wand is so I'm pretty sure I don't have one. Any help would be appreciated.

From: Christa 2/22/00
Subject: Re: How much do I feed my fish???

Well since your tank is 2 months old then the problem is not cycling. Cycling is when a new tank cleans its self. This cleaning process usually causes cloudy water. Since it is not cycling it must be over feeding. (I gave advice on overfeeding earlier.) A bubble wand is a foam strip that you attach to an air pump which causes bubbles to go up along the back of your tank. Good Luck! Hope this helps! :)
~Christa <>{

From: Tom 2/22/00
Subject: Re: Read LINK at AquariumFish.net

Ken,
Read about feeding fish at the LINK
http://www.aquariumfish.net/advice_recommended_treatment.htm
feeding fish more than they'll eat in a few minutes is the biggest problem in fish keeping.
I recommend you also go to the LINK
http://www.aquariumfish.net/advice_essentials.htm
and read that whole bried page. Then please post me a message back here with your opinion about these LINKS.
Hope this helps,
Tom

From: Lisa 2/22/00
Subject: First time fish owner

I have a 5 gallon tank and 2 pregnant platys. I know nothing about fish. My 3-yr old daughter wanted fish so we decided that we would try it. What should I look for when the platys drop their fry. I don't even know what they look like. I have searched the web and I have not found that information. We purchased the fish pregnant from the pet store and I've had them for about 5 weeks. Please help.

From: Jose 2/22/00
Subject: Re: First time fish owner

Hi Lisa. I hope you're not letting your 3-yr old daughter take care of the fish... You need to do some reading, there're plenty of websites and books that deal with livebearers such as platties. I don't have any at hand because I am not interested in livebearers, otherwise I'll give you the links.
If you don't have another tank to separate the pregnant female to give birth in, you can purchase a breeder (box made of sort of a mesh with holes through which the babies will fall out of the reach of their mother's mouth...). Follow the instructions printed in the box to place in your tank. An alternative would be to place several floating plants in your tank to provide shelter for the babies. They are pretty big, and seeing the labor process is very interesting... They'll be able to swim pretty soon after birth, and also will eat pretty soon too. You can feed them finely crumbled flakes or live brine shrimps.
Platties like salt in their water, add 1tsp of aquarium salt/5gal of water (one tsp in your case). Pre-dissolve the salt in a bit of aquarium water before you add it because salt is an irritant to fish. Keep the temperature at 78F (you'll need a heater that provides about 3-4 watts/gal of water, in your case it'll be a small heater, excess wattage is no a problem as the thermostat should prevent overheating). Do partial water changes once a week (remove 1 gal of water by siphoning out the water and at the same time aspirating solid wastes from the bottom). Make sure you add chlorine/chloramine remover from the fresh water before you add it (i.e. Amquel). Try to match the temperature of the fresh water to that of the tank by graduating the cold/hot knobs of your water faucet.
Enjoy your fish, and avoid too much manipulation (sticking fingers/hands in the tank, etc...). Try no to overfeed them, just feed them twice a day, and no more than what you see they can eat in 5 minutes.
There's much more to fish keeping than this, much more.... If you're serious about fish, you'll need to read on the nitrogen cycle that goes on in your tank. There are many elementary books for begginers available at your LFS (local fish store).
Good luck, and if can be of any further help, don't hesitate to email me.
Jose

From: Christa 2/22/00
Subject: Re: First time fish owner

As Ken said you might want to separate the mother and babies if you want them to live. There are many different ways of doing this. Go to your local fish store(lfs) and ask them what types of breeding kits they have. You also might want to buy baby brine shrimp to feed the babies since they will be too small to eat normal fish food. Good Luck! Update us when you get little baby Platys! :)
~Christa <>{

From: Ken 2/22/00
Subject: Re: First time fish owner

I am fairly new at the fish game and i havent had platys but i also bought a pregnant fish from the fish store. Platys are livebearers so you wont have much trouble seeing the fry, theyll be swimming all over. I have heard that platys eat their fry so you should probably separate them. You can buy a hanging net to keep them in. Also check out this site http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Prairie/9239/Livebearers/platy.html

From: Justin 2/22/00
Subject: My oscar's behavior

HI. I am the owner of two young oscars. They have always been very active and seemed to never stop moving.Lately, though, they have been acting strange, I have noticed that they lay on the gravel on the bottom of the aquarium, often on their sides and appear to be dead, but when i approach the aqarium they start swimming again. I have been told that this "laziness" may be from over feeding. If anyone has any info or suggestions for me it would be greatly appreciated. Thank You.
~Justin

From: Christa 2/22/00
Subject: Re: My oscar's behavior

Try not feeding them for a couple of days. Don't worry, fish can last this long without being fed. See if they become active after this. If they do become active then that means that their behavior was caused from over feeding. Then try to cut down on the amount of food you give them.*Remember
that a fish will always ask you for food even if its full! :) Good Luck!
~Christa <>{

From: Tom 2/22/00
Subject: Re: My oscar's behavior

Justin,
This could be the sign of a serious problem. Go to the LINK
http://www.aquariumfish.net/advice_symptoms.htm
where six signs of stress and disease are listed. You'll see "crashed on the bottom" listed. Maybe your fish are not crashed but it sounds like they might be crashed and you should give them the universal treatment which is given at the LINK
http://www.aquariumfish.net/advice_recommended_treatment.htm
Please read these links and post me a comment back here with your opinion about the information a these links.
Hope this helps,
Tom

From: Justin 2/22/00
Subject: Re: My oscar's behavior

Tom,
Thank you very much for your advice and taking your time to give me the site. I greatly appreciate it and i will post up the results. many thanks
Justin

From: Justin 2/22/00
Subject: oscars acting strange

Hi. I am the owner of two young oscars, they have always been very active and seemed to never stop moving. Lately, though, i have noticed that they just lay on the bottom of my aquarium (on the gravel, often on their sides and appear to be dead, but when i walk over to the aquarium they start swimming very aggressively and appear to be looking for food.I have been told that this "Laziness" may be caused by over feeding.If has any ideas or suggestions i would be very grateful. thank you
~Justin

From: Dream Weaver 2/21/00
Subject: I need some advice...

I have a Peacock Eel, and Im wondering were I can find out some info. about feeding habbits.

From: Tom 2/22/00
Subject: Info. about Peacock eels at AquariumFish.net

D.W.
Lots of info. about Peacock Eels at this link
http://www.aquariumfish.net/prod_fish_eel_peacock_striped.htm
where you'll find that they like to eat worms such as live black worms and ghost shrimp.
I hope this helps,
Tom

From: Dream Weaver 2/22/00
Subject: Re: Info. about Peacock eels at AquariumFish.net

thanx for the info. Tom.

From: Susan 2/21/00
Subject: Thanks

Just wanted to say thanks to all for your imput regarding my Betta and the filter. I tried hooking up the filter and well I almost lost my fish. The current was something else. I am actually going to return my 2 1/2 g tank and am going to purchase a larger one (10 g). I figure in the end it will cost me a lot less money and be a better environment for them. At the moment I just have one Betta and will put him in a seperate container until I have cycled the larger one.
Again, thanks for all your patience and imput. What would we newbie fish owners do without ppl like you :o)

From: Free Surf 2/21/00
Subject: Free Internet Access

Free Internet Access is available from at least 8 providers nation wide. Download one or all eight from http://www.freesurfusa.com They are all 100% free! this is no scam Keep the intenret Free

From: jay 2/21/00
Subject: Re: www.netzero.com is free too, no catch whatsoever....i have it.

From: Eddie 2/23/00
Subject: Re: www.netzero.com is free too, no catch whatsoever....i have it.

The only catch is that there is a banner, Worldspy doesn't have a banner.

From: karla 2/21/00
Subject: convict cichlids

I have gone to several pet stores(we only have 2 lol!!) and no convicts,one even said they could not get me one.Any sugestions.

From: Tom 2/21/00
Subject: Convict Cichlids Available at AquariumFish.net

karla,
I hope you got my previous message about Convict Cichlids. You can also order a Pink Convict or Wild Black Convict from
http://AquariumFish.net.
Take a look at that site and post me a message about what you think about that site.
Tom

From: karla 2/21/00
Subject: convicts

does any one know of a extensive site on convict cichlids? thank you much*karla

From: Karla 2/21/00
Subject: black convicts

Does any one know of an extensive article on these fish.Thank you much*Karla

From: karla 2/21/00
Subject: black convict

I would like to read more info on the black convict,I just do not seem to find much on them,any help would be a blessing.

From: Tom 2/21/00
Subject: Links for Black Convicts and Pink Convicts

There are two color varieties of the Convict Cichlid. The Wild Black Convict and the Pink Convict.
For lots of info. on the Black Convict try
http://www.aquariumfish.net/prod_fish_cich_neotropical_convict_black.htm
For Pink Convict try
http://www.aquariumfish.net/prod_fish_cich_neotropical_convict_pink.htm
For inofrmation about breeding Convicts try
http://www.aquariumfish.net/advice_how_to_raise_baby_fish.htm
scroll down to the bottom of this page.
Karla, post me a message if these links help you. OK?
Tom

From: LJ 2/21/00
Subject: Re: black convict

I don't know if you already checked this out... but I got this info in response to a question I asked about my kribs.
Hope it helps.
there is more information about Black Convicts at
http://www.aquariumfish.net/prod_fish_cich_neotropical_convict_black.htm
and about Pink Convicts at
http://www.aquariumfish.net/prod_fish_cich_neotropical_convict_pink.htm

From: hotcurry 2/21/00
Subject: Breeding Gouramis

Hi, could u be able to give me some information about breeding gouramis, thanx,

From: Kick 2/21/00
Subject: Re: Breeding Gouramis

I have never tried to breed gouramis, but apparently, it is moderately easy. They are bubblenest breeders. I would think you could maybe breed the same way bettas are bred. Pick out a pair, put in tank by themselves, with very mild filtration so as not to disturn the nest, make sure there is something floating so a bubblenest can be made and wait. I hear the babies are hard to raise because they are so small. If you succeed, I would suggest feeding the fry microfood. Good Luck. Kick

From: karla 2/21/00
Subject: why can I not post right

I try to post but it does not show up unless I post off some one elses post.what am I doing wrong? thanks much *karla

From: Becky 2/21/00
Subject: Re: why can I not post right

you have to click the reload button on your server to be able to see your messages

From: Kick 2/21/00
Subject: Re: why can I not post right

If you want to post a message of your very own, look at the very bottom of the message board. There is a place where it says "post a message". Hope this helps. Kick

From: ken 2/20/00
Subject: molly's in trouble!

I have a female black molly and a male spotted molly. I have had them for about 6 weeks. The male has always chased the female around the tank nipping at her but in the last day or so the female has chewed looking fins and what looks like missing scales from her back. She has become listless. What should I do?

From: Deni 2/26/00
Subject: Re: molly's in trouble!

When a male molly becomes aggressive with a female molly it is usually because he wants to mate and either she is already pregnant, or does not want to mate at all. Adding more female mollies (2 more should be plenty) will allow the male to spread out his attentions and give the females a break.
Also, mollies do better in slightly brackish water... I suggest adding some salt to the tank to assist your female in healing and possibly putting her into a better "mood". Add the salt slowly, over a day or so, and you should have no problems. I presently have mollies living in full strenght salt water and they are doing so much better than they were in freshwater. I also have guppies and ghost shrimp in this tank, so i have been adding the salt slowly over the past six months. If it were just the mollies I could have done it much quicker :)
Good luck with your mollies!
-Deni

From: Christa 2/21/00
Subject: Re: molly's in trouble!

There is a medication that you can buy called melafix. It grows back fins and scales. Try it! :) Hope it works. Good Luck!
~Christa <>{

From: amber 2/21/00
Subject: ALSO

Get rid of your male molly or purchase 2 more females!!!

From: Ken 2/22/00
Subject: Re: ALSO

Thanks, Christa

From: Kara 2/20/00
Subject: How long to cycle a 10 gallon tank?

Last tuesday I set up my new 10 gallon tank. I have a Whisper 1 power filter and an undergravel filter. I bought 4 plastic plants and a rock. I have not added any fish yet, and was wondering what the best way to cycle my tank would be. In the past I have cycled my tanks with fish, but I am interested in the "fishless" cycle. I know that you have to add ammonia to the water. Which brand or type would you all reccomend? How long do you suppose a 10 gallon tank would take to cycle? If I were to use fish, which fish will work the best? Any help or links would be appriciated. Thanks!
:)Kara

From: Jose 2/22/00
Subject: Re: How long to cycle a 10 gallon tank?

I am shocked to hear some of the comments on the posts... I am no expert, but know a little bit about fishkeeping, and when I don't know, I don't give misleading advice....
Just for your information:
1) Nitrifying bacteria (nitrosomonas and nitrobacter) are aerobic bacteria (=use oxygen), and hence they don't live inside fish, but outside! They grow firmly attached to the glass walls, the gravel, the filter parts exposed to water, on ornaments, etc...
2) Nitrifying bacteria don't produce oxygen (aerobic!), they use it themselves. Nitrosomonas thrive on ammonia and oxygen (which they convert into nitrite), and nitrobacter use nitrite and oxygen as energy sources.
3) Nitrifying bacteria are not custom-made to individual fish wastes...they use ammonia, nitrite, and oxygen, period.
4) They will grow in new tanks, provided there's enough ammonia and oxygen for them to thrive (nitrobacter will establish themselves once enought nitrite is present). To speed up the colonization process, you can seed the tank with gravel, ornaments, etc...from established tanks, or use live plants (excellent source!).
My personal advice, read, read, and read! so you don't be mislead by people who give advise right and left without having the proper knowlege or experience to do so.
Jose

From: Tom 2/20/00
Subject: Re: How long to cycle a 10 gallon tank?

First, a new aquarium and it's filter have very few of the nitrifying bacteria that will take the fish waste and digest it by adding oxygen. There is no substitute for these bacteria. They perform the biological filtration. You can also have mechanical and chemical filtration. But bio-filtration is the most important type of filtration.
Where do these nitrifying bacteria come from? They are everywhere. But there are lots of them in your fish's stomach and intestines, and there are lots of them in an established aquarium every where they can find a place to grow with water flowing that contains fish waste. Sounds like the sponge or the floss in your filter, or the gravel on top of your undergravel filter.
When you start a new aquarium, try to move some of the bacteria from a good sweet smelling established aquarium. If you have gravel, seed the new aquarium with some gravel from the old aquarium. If you have a sponge filter rinse some of it in the new aquarium.
Best of all if you have a bio-wheel filter with two bio-wheels such as the Penguin 330, then you can move one old wheel with bacteria on it to the new aquarium, and put one of the new wheels in the old aquarium. You'll need to be careful for a while and trim the amount you feed the old aquarium. Or better move half the fish from the old aquarium to the new aquarium.
A high percentage of the waste from fish is ammonia or urea which quickly becomes ammonia. But there are other waste molecules besides ammonia that must be digested too. The bacteria in your filter now are highly adapted to the pH, temperature, and other characteristics of your water. They are also adapted to the exact combination of molecules in your fish's waste. You can't do better that transfer the same bacteria and give them the same sort of waste to digest. And it's probably the least complicated method too.
I hope this helps.
Tom

From: Karla 2/21/00
Subject: Re: How long to cycle a 10 gallon tank?

There is a great thing called Biozyme.It is live bacteria.Add this to a new aquarium and it has done the work of fish from the start.

From: Jose 2/23/00
Subject: Biozyme does not do "the work of fish"

Biozyme is merely a concentrated suspension of nitrifying bacteria, which by the way, does not work for most people...
It does not do "the work of the fish", which is to contribute with ammonia which nitrosomonas feed on (along with oxygen).
Biozyme is intended to make up for the nitrifying bacteria (nitrosomonas and nitrobacter) that will grow in your tank in due time if conditions are kept as they should. Nothing can substitute for the natural process of bacterial colonization. Biozyme may be useful in reducing spikes of ammonia/nitrite during cycling.
Jose