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From: Kathleen 10/14/00
Subject: Re: help my bettas
Hi Barb! Thanks for following up! Art recommended changing his water every day for 5 days and not feeding him for 5 days and putting the maracyn in for 5 days. Do you agree with all of this? It's very confusing! I did add aquarium salt today also along with the proper ph. I tested the spring water and it's ph is about 7.6. I could add the ph down to get it to 7.0 but I hate to keep adding stuff to his tank right now. Poor baby! When I added the proper ph to the water in the jug it took it down to about 7.4.

From: Barb 10/14/00
Subject: Re: help my bettas
Trying to force water to have a pH that isn't natural to it, especially in a betta who really doesn't care one way or the other about pH, will be a never ending battle for you (not to mention the expense of buying all those pH futzing chemicals). Leave him at a pH of 7.6. and follow your instincts of not wanting to add a lot of stuff to his tank. My bettas are extremely healthy (and happy!) at a pH of 7.4 and a pH of 7.6 is only a smidge different from that. When treating with Maracyn 2, do not change the water for the 5 days of treatment, as instructed so on the package. If your little guy has an appetite, then I would feed him, though lighty. BTW, what are you feeding him? Add aquarium salt at the rate of one teaspoon per gallon (I even use less) and only at the time of a water change, that is, don't add salt every day. How is he behaving now? Is he showing any other signs of illness on his body or fins? If so, please describe in detail what you see now. I'll look for your response, Barb

From: Kathleen 10/15/00
Subject: Re: help my bettas
Hi again...I will not change the water every day for the 5 days and use maracyn2 starting today. Since I gave him maracyn yesterday should I give him the m2 just for 4 days? He eats Omega one flakes, some blood worms sometimes, and topfin betta bits, and freeze dried tiny shrimp. I feed him twice a day...small amounts only. I only put the salt in at water changes. I change once a week. Is that too often? What about all the things I hear about good bacteria in the tank etc? He is very active now. I don't see anything else wrong with him except his fins. I looked at him a long time last night and this morning. I have 2 plastic plants and a silk one and I am getting rid of the plastic when I change his water.

From: Kathleen 10/14/00
Subject: Re: help my bettas
One more thing...I did buy Maracyn Two also so I will dose him with that tomorrow afternoon instead of the regular Maracyn.

From: Art 10/14/00
Subject: Re: help my bettas
Barb and I agree on most of these things. Fin rot in Bettas will usually respond to either Maracyn or Maracyn2. The main thing is to only treat one way. My rule is if you are treating with a medication and things are getting better, continue the treatment. The reason I did not recommend salt at this juncture was that the PH 7.5 has salts and buffering agents, and along with the infection I suspected osmotic shock from the use of distilled water. The dosage in fish medications seems to me (not scientific, just my observation) to be much weaker than they tolerate. I routinely double up doses on antibiotics (not antiparasitic) at the store with no observable deliterious effects. Approximating dosage for a betta bowl should be fine, I think, ever if you do overdose some. Here is where I have to disagree with Barb. While the PH difference of .01 is too small to make a difference, I recommended the PH7.5 because of the salts and minerals in it. I thought these were depleated from the fish's cells and because given a choice a betta does prefer moderately hard water around 7.5. One of my employees is a biologist named Marshall Ostrow who among his accomplishments did a lot of research on bettas and has written a book on them for TFH when he was editor of TFH magazine, and he assures me that I am correct in this. While bettas are so durable they can live at 7.0, most bettas will not breed as often, as well, have as strong babies, not live as long on the average as bettas kept around 7.5. Contrary to popular belief, fish cannot be bred or learn to live well in a PH outside their preferred range. The functions that regulate the PH of their blood and body tissues cannot be changed through acclimation or breeding because it took millions of years to develop and is not that genetically plastic. That does not mean that a betta can't survive, even for awhile even at 6.5, but not many would for very long. This is the same reason why salt is not good for all fish. Neons, for instance have a poor osmoregulatory function to transport excess salts from their cells because they never had to evolve it. Trying to breed them successively in increasing salt content will not change this. Does that make sense, or do you see something I am missing? Of course the main thing is your betta is doing better! I think if you keep up the antibiotic treatment, keep the water fresh for awhile, and continue using the 7.5PH, your betta will be up and around any day. Barb is correct, since they are small fish adapted to a small environment, they need only a small amount of food. Two to three pellets a day is plenty. If your tap water is 7.6, I believe Barb is also right, you can use your 7.6 water and salt and that should make your betta happy. I just think that he needs the 7.5PH for awhile to help get his strength back. Care, Art

From: Kathleen 10/15/00
Subject: Re: help my bettas
Thanks Art! He is much better today! I don't see anything else wrong except his fins. I did bring the spring water which has a ph of 7.6( from testing it) down to 7.5 with the proper ph7.5. I did add some aq. salt (1 teaspoon) also. I have fed him lightly and he is eating. He ate two betta bits this morning. If I change the water every day won't he be more stressed? He is certainly active now!

From: Barb 10/14/00
Subject: Art, let's discuss what...
Marshall Ostrow says in his book on bettas... "In nature bettas are found in fairly soft waters that are neutral (Kathleen, that means pH=7.0) to slightly acidic (Kathleen, that means pH is lower than 7.0): rarely is the water alkaline. In captivity bettas seem to be quite flexible in their water hardness and pH requirements as long as extremes are avoided." I have read that bettas prefer neutral water (and your employee is one of the many who have taught me so!) but alkaline (Kathleen, this means a pH which is higher than 7.0) water is well tolerated. If Mr (?Dr.) Ostrow has changed his tune based on new evidence, then I will be extremely happy for my bettas who will live a very long life in their water with a pH of 7.4! BTW, Mr. Ostrow's book is great and the pictures are gorgeous!! Barb

From: Kathleen 10/15/00
Subject: Re: Art, let's discuss what...
Barb...How do you get the water to 7.4? Do you use tap water? Don't you have to use a dechorinator then? We have so many chemicals and other bad stuff in our water here in Brevard county in Florida that it was voted one of the worst in the country several years ago. It stinks like chlorine when it comes out of the faucet. Most everybody here drinks bottled water! I wouldn't say the water is natural here and I would hate to put my fish in it! Do you think that the spring water is ok to keep using? 7.6 ph naturally...maybe a little higher.

From: Barb 10/15/00
Subject: Re: Art, let's discuss what...
I use tap water, which I let sit out over night so that it is the same temp (room temp) to do the water changes. The water from my tap naturally has a pH of 7.4 and CT how lives not to far from me has a pH of 7.8. A pH of 7.6 should be fine for your betta. Just stick with the same water source (i.e. the same pH) as fluctuations aren't tolerated well. I live in LA, so water doesn't get much worse (except in Brevard Co. of course, hehe). Go ahead and use bottled water, that's fine. I treat my water with 2 products, Amquel and Novaqua, which remove chlorine, chloramines, ammonia and other things toxic to fishies before using. How's your betta? BTW, what's his name? Barb

From: Kathleen 10/15/00
Subject: Re: Art, let's discuss what...
Barb: Do I need to put amquel etc. in the Spring water since it doesn't come out of the tap?

From: Kathleen 10/15/00
Subject: Re: Art, let's discuss what...
Sorry Barb I forgot...he seems to be doing well...active today and eating lightly like you suggested. His name is Neptune and he's beautiful! Turquoise with some red on him.

From: Barb 10/15/00
Subject: Neptune sounds like a hunk!
Kathleen, Neptune sounds just beautiful! He is getting better since he is more active and has an appetite. Good news! Change the water after the 5 day treatment with the antibiotic. If your bottled water doesn't contain chlorine (and most don't), you don't have to add Amquel. I would still add Amquel however because it removes other toxic substances, such as ammonia. NovAqua, another product, removes toxic metals and adds electrolyes and a protective skin coating. I use both with my bettas. Click on the following link which describes basic betta care and please ask if you have any questions about bettas... I love to help, when it comes to bettas and betta lovers! (http://www.bayoubetta.com/basic_care_sheet.htm) Basic Betta Care Please make a new post so your update will go to the top of the board... we're getting pretty far down on the board here. Take care, Barb

From: katie 10/15/00
Subject: Re: Art, let's discuss what...
Barb whats the name of the book and where can i get it? sorry to bother you so much its that i just started with bettas and i'm trying to keep them alive. i don't know much about fish - dogs i do but not fish, and they say that their so easy to keep but i'm really having a hard time

From: Barb 10/15/00
Subject: Duh!! I guess you were looking for books on bettas!
I have 3 books on bettas. They are all fairly short, basic and inexpensive. Again, I ordered them through Amazon.com. "Bettas: A Complete Introduction" by Walt Maurus (Goes heavy on the breeding and genetic aspects of bettas) "Siamese Fighting Fish" by Gene Wolfsheimer (Wow! What gorgeous pictures of bettas!! Did I say wow?!!!) "Bettas" by Marshall Ostrow (A good general book on bettas) I am glad that I got all 3, as between them, they cover the gamut of basic betta info and care. Barb

From: Barb 10/15/00
Subject: A couple books are good.
Katie, A great book on fish health and disease is called "The Manual of Fish Health" by Dr. Chris Andrews. I got my copy thru Amazon.com. Another great book about fish is "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Freashwater Aquariums" by Mike Wickham. Don't let the name put you off. It's actually very informative and quite a funny read. The book is hard to find though as it is out of print. I found my copy by going to my local PetCo and it was the last one. CT found another copy at a different PetCo in our area. So, I'd look at a PetCo first. How are the guys doing? Barb

From: Norm 10/13/00
Subject: red fins on Bala sharks
I have had three Bala Sharks in a 30 gallow aquarium for a few months without any problems. However, just a couple of days ago I noticed that one of the Bala sharks was developing redness on the edge of his fins near his body, and some red spots on his body. he died today. One of my other Bala's also has this redness, the third looks fine. I also have 5 red minor tetras and 4 Zebra Danios, and they are not developing this problem. Does anyone know what this is and how to control it? Thanks.

From: Barb 10/13/00
Subject: Re: red fins on Bala sharks
Norm, Red streaks and red spots, progressing to death, sounds like hemorrhagic septicemia. Get an antibiotic, such as Maracyn 2, to treat this condition. Have you checked your tank to see if there are any stressors which have made your fish more susceptible to infection; such as water quality problems (ammonia, nitrites, etc.), temperature fluctuations, introduction of a new non-quarantined fish, bullies in the tank and the like? Let us know how things go for your fellows. Barb

From: Kim 10/13/00
Subject: Black & Silver Mollies
My husband has a black molly 7 just introduced a silver molly to the community tank. I have no idea what sex they are. What signs can i look for if one of them gets pregnant. My husband is driving me crazy about this.......

From: Brad 10/13/00
Subject: Re: Black & Silver Mollies
If they're old enough (like, an inch long) it's easy to sex them by looking at their underside. The females just have normal-looking fins there, while the males have odd stick-shaped appendeges pointing towards the tail. (I leave it to your imagination what they're for) Sometimes it's hard to tell when they're pregnant, you won't know until you find fry in the tank...but sometimes they really get huge in the abdomen, and it's fairly obvious to see that they're carrying. All kinds of mollies will breed with each other, so if you have males and females you can soon look forward to raising young.

From: Rose 10/13/00
Subject: Snails for Clown Loaches?
What kind of snails should I get for my Clown Loaches? I was just wondering if one kind was better than another. Rose

From: CT 10/14/00
Subject: Re: Snails for Clown Loaches?
They'll slurp down whatever kind of snail you can get. Don't forget to check out (http://www.petfish.net/wwwboard/messages/7951.html) Clown Loach Lite. CT

From: Bill Grego 10/13/00
Subject: Salt
I understand that table salt can be used in fish tanks. I read that 1 teaspoon per gallon of water would be about right. Should the salt contain Iodide or not? Please advise me as soon as possible. Thanks in advance for any replies. Bill G

From: Barb 10/13/00
Subject: Re: Salt
Hello Bill! Steer clear of table salt, not so much because of the iodine, but many feel that the anti-caking additives may be harmful to fish. Stick with aquarium salt, which you can get from your local fish store, though Kosher and rock salt can also be used. Do not use salt which contains yellow prussiate of soda... bad for fishies! Use salt at a rate of one tablespoon per 5 gallons water. At this dose, salt is touted as stimulating slime coat production, which contains antibodies to fight off infections such as parasites and salt helps to protect fish against nitrite poisoning. Salt should be dissolved in separate water and then slowly added to the tank. A word of caution... some scaleless species as well as certain types of catfish, like some in the Corydoras family, may not tolerate the use of salt. Some may argue this point, as we all do in many aspects of fishkeeping! Nice to hear from you! Barb

From: Bill Grego 10/13/00
Subject: Re: Salt
Barb, thanks for the information. Nice hearing from you. Bill G

From: Kick 10/13/00
Subject: A note and re message: Kick Kick
Hi All. Sorry I have not been around, but work and other family matters have taken me away from the board for a while. I tried to check out most of the messages and it appears that everyone is taking care of one another, and I don't think I am really even being missed. It will be some time before I can return for any length of time. If any of you need me for anything, or you feel that messages of an off topic matter need to be deleted, just send me an email by clicking on my name in blue at the top of the page. I am sorry for any inconvenience this may cause, and I hope I will be able to return shortly. I did see the message "Kick Kick" from Unknown, and I don't have a clue as to who you are at this point. Are you a live body friend or did we met on the net? If you care to give me further info that would be nice. Hope everyone and their fish are doing well, and I hope to see you all again very soon. Kick

From: Ruthie 10/14/00
Subject: We do miss you, hope all will be well soon!
n/m

From: The Fish Lady 10/13/00
Subject: miss you kick, hurry back, take care n/m
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From: Barb 10/13/00
Subject: We really missed you!! Please hurry back! n/m
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From: Rose 10/13/00
Subject: Yes, please hurry back we really do miss you! n/m
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From: Beverly 10/13/00
Subject: Sick Austrailian Arowana
I have an austrialian Arowan in a 20 gallon hex tank and a orange fin Botia my Arowan is laying on its back but is still alive it is not breathing rapidly but is brathing I gave it some medicine and it got worth can you help? why is he just laying on is back and not simming. It moves when I prod it. I do partial wate changes every week and suddenly just the Arowan got sick. I gave it Maracide for a week and then it got worse so I remnove the water and added new filters nothing is working the fish has been like that for a week the Botia is fine.

From: CT 10/13/00
Subject: Re: Sick Austrailian Arowana
What are your water parameters? How long has the tank been up and running? CT

From: Beverly 10/13/00
Subject: Re: Sick Austrailian Arowana
I have a 20 gallon hex tank and I know I need a bigger one and I was about to buy it when the Arowana got sick

From: CT 10/14/00
Subject: Re: Sick Austrailian Arowana
Hex tanks tend to have limited surface area which is where CO2 gets exchanged for oxygen. Adding an airpump with an airstone should help the overall health and comfort of the tank. Also, you're aware that you're probably overstocked. How many inches of fish do you have overall? If you can provide the water parameters below we will be able to help you further: pH: Water temp: What kind of water conditioner do you use?: Size of tank: 20g Type and size of filter: How long has the tank been up?: Ammonia: Nitrites: Nitrates: Live plants?: What are you feeding your fish?: Are you careful not to over feed?: CT Great Fish Links: (http://www.petfish.net/index.htm#fast) (http://www.tomgriffin.com/aquamag/aquasource.html)

From: Beverly 10/14/00
Subject: Re: Sick Austrailian Arowana
Now the fish is bent in half, there is nothing in the tank and I did the water change the fish is bent in half and periodically chases his tail around the tank, and just hangs at the top of the tank, breathing rapidly and looks very funny. The poor fish has not eaten in about five days maybe more, what to do? what to do? there are no plants nothing in it to make him act like that.

From: CT 10/15/00
Subject: Re: Sick Austrailian Arowana
Test your water for Ammonia, Nitrites, Nitrates and pH. And eliminate any stressors. CT

From: Beverly 10/14/00
Subject: Re: Sick Austrailian Arowana
Yeah I did add two air stonesand that helped for a minute I am going to do another water change and see if that helps.

From: bEVERLY 10/14/00
Subject: Re: Sick Austrailian Arowana
I know that I have to get a new tank because I have about 15 inches of fish in it I have a filter that hangs over the back and it is callled an aquaclear 150 it is but it is approapriate for the tank and I do knbow that the water is fine. the fish is not eating now but when he does I was feeding it pellets and dried blood worms, no live food but one thing that happened is that I got the tank in or about early or late august and the tank was infected with ick and I learned a lot about how to take care of mty fish but I am a grad student and I forgot to change the water for about two weeks and then the ick came back real bad and I medicated the fish with Maracide, I should have never done that after that he started to swim upside down and now he is just laying on his back barely alive. I also re-medicated the fish recently with Maracyn and Maracyn two and the fish was better for a minute now he looks worse. I think the fish is going to die. I can not afford to quaratine the fish and there is only the Arowana and Orange fin botia in the tank now.

From: Sherry 10/12/00
Subject: Worms!!
My sister has black worms in her filter system and her goldfish have bloody fins. Any ideas?

From: CT 10/13/00
Subject: Re: Worms!!
The place to find parasitic worms would be in or on your fish -- not in the filter media. These worms are probably doing you a favor by eating excess food trapped in your filter. Cut back on feeding and pass along your water parameters so that we can get a better idea of what's going on. Don't forget to address any (http://www.petfish.net/wwwboard/messages/7801.html) stressors in your tank. CT

From: Art Zurhorst 10/12/00
Subject: Re: Worms!!
Probably parasites like anchor worms which are common to goldfish and come in a variety of beautiful colors lol. Clean tank, and filters, do 25% water change, then do a treatment schedule with Clout and a sulfa based antibiotic. You should see inprovement in 48 hours or less. If not post back. Art Premier

From: lirunaway 10/12/00
Subject: How much gravel should be in the tank?
I've recently notice on some site's about fish stating a maximum of 1/4 inch of gravel on the bottom. Does this sound right? I had alot more than that. I just reduced the amount to a 1/2 inch. It just didn't look right to have any less.

From: lirunaway 10/13/00
Subject: Thank You everyone for the advice.
I have the Wallyworld special 5 gallon tank with the biowheel. With or without the wheel I want to set-up the best conditions I can because it may be overstocked depending upon who I talk to. I was sold a Peacock eel with the idea that the eel would mix the gravel. I learned on this internet that my tank is too small for him. About a month ago the eel came out of the gravel and hasn't gone back. Maybe there isn't enough oxygen or something in the gravel. That's why I got concerned. Now I reduced the amount to about an inch. I do have one live plant. I'll have more if the other three bulbs ever grow.

From: CT 10/14/00
Subject: Your gravel needs...
Now that we know your needs (live plants), you should have about ten pounds of gravel in your 5g tank. The "rule of thumb" at play here is ten pounds per square foot of tank bottom. I like to slope gravel higher toward the back as it makes for easier cleaning in the front (crud settles downhill). Place your live plants in the back and they'll have plenty of gravel for good root development. UGF filters need 1 1/2 to 2 inches of gravel in order to work properly. With no UGF or no plants you're free to use a thin layer or none at all. Note that a tank without gravel can be stressful because a reflective bottom isn't natural and may confuse your fish. This has never bothered any Angelfish I've kept over the years. Resources: (Now that we know your needs (live plants), you should have about ten pounds of gravel in your 5g tank. The "rule of thumb" at play here is ten pounds per square foot of tank bottom. I like to slope gravel higher toward the back as it makes for easier cleaning in the front (crud runs downhill). Place your live plants in the back and they'll have plenty of gravel for good root development. UGF filters need 1 1/2 to 2 inches of gravel in order to work properly. With no UGF or no plants you're free to use a thin layer or none at all. Note that a tank without gravel can be stressful because a reflective bottom isn't natural and may confuse your fish. This has never bothered any Angelfish I've kept over the years. CT (Now that we know your needs (live plants), you should have about ten pounds of gravel in your 5g tank. The "rule of thumb" at play here is ten pounds per square foot of tank bottom. I like to slope gravel higher toward the back as it makes for easier cleaning in the front (crud runs downhill). Place your live plants in the back and they'll have plenty of gravel for good root development. UGF filters need 1 1/2 to 2 inches of gravel in order to work properly. With no UGF or no plants you're free to use a thin layer or none at all. Note that a tank without gravel can be stressful because a reflective bottom isn't natural and may confuse your fish. This has never bothered any Angelfish I've kept over the years. Resources: (http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0876053274.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg) "Idiot's Guide" CT

From: CT 10/14/00
Subject: Boy, that came out ugly...
I don't even want to try and fix it. :-) CT

From: Art Zurhorst 10/12/00
Subject: Re: How much gravel should be in the tank?
Hey, kitty fish, this is Art of Premier Fish & Reptiles. Like so many things there is not one answer that is correct. Here is the way you determine how much gravel to have (and it IS important!) If you ARE using an undergravel filter and no live plants, you want an average depth of 1 1/2 inches to 2 inches. The reason for this is that the first eighth inch does not culture with the benificial bacteria very well because of the aquarium light shining on the gravel. The bacteria grow best in dim light or even dark and secrete an enzyme to "glue" themselves to the surface of the gravel. The bacteria are NOT floating in the water as some believe. After the water has passed 2 inches, the bacteria in the upper level has stripped most of the oxygen from the water and not enough is left to culture bacteria this deep. This can create another problem if the gravel is too deep (more on this further down). If you are using live plants with roots, you can increase the gravel and inch or two because the plant roots will help oxygenate the lower levels through their capillary action. BUT if you are using a wetdry or biowheel so that you are putting gravel directly on the bottom, then the gravel is just a decoration and should be just enough for beauty, but not to exceed one inch. With live plants, you can add an inch or two more because, again, of the action of the plant roots. The reason you do not want your gravel too deep is that if the deeper layers become devoid or reduced of oxygen two things could happen. You might get hydrogen sulphide which will smell like rotten eggs (or very swampy) and can kill fish, or you can get nitrogen reduction which will start converting your nitrates back into nitrites (and again maybe kill fish), and in extreem cases actually produce ammonia. For those really into these things, I know it is possible to set things up so the gravel bed works as a natural de-nitrator. I do this in my tanks at home and have not had a nitrate reading in years, but this is pretty advanced and takes lots of practice to get it right. I hope this answer did not bore you. I find that the customers in my store who learn a lot about the nuts and bolts of the science of fish are much better at sorting out the bad advice from the good advice, since there is seldom only one way to do something correctly, and there are many ways that are wrong, but don't fail 100% of the time or necessarily right away. So you will find most of my advice very detailed and complex, but if you are interested in such things, I hope it will help you and everyone who has never even considered that the depth of gravel can have a large influence on an aquarium.

From: kitty fish 10/12/00
Subject: Re: How much gravel should be in the tank?
Hehehe! IMHO, 1/4 of an inch is insane. If I have any gravel in a tank, I at least keep it at about 1.5-2 inches. 1 pound per gallon is a very good ratio for most gravel grades. Of course, you don't even *need* gravel at all. Up to you! kitty fish

From: ajoy sodani 10/13/00
Subject: Re: How much gravel should be in the tank?
No gravel>no bacteria>poor water conditon>dead fishes. Gravel may a boon for not so experienced ones. -ajoy sodani

From: kitty fish 10/13/00
Subject: Re: How much gravel should be in the tank?
I have to defend the "bottomless" tank. If you have an established tank that is not overstocked and which has proper filtration (bio-wheels are very helpful here) and aeration, it will be very successful. Plus, you won't have to risk the pockets of anaerobic bacteria, fish swallowing gravel, or have to dig around for the mulm and deitrus. Because of this, bottomless tanks are a SNAP to clean! Bacteria grows on every submerged surface, so just because you don't have gravel doesn't mean you don't have bacteria. kitty fish

From: Jennifer 10/12/00
Subject: New to the hobby, but how does this sound?
Hi! What do you all think of my setups? Are they OK? 1. 5.5 gallon-spongefilter-liveplants-Black Male betta 2. 5.5 gallon-spongefilter-liveplants-Purple Male betta 3. 5.5 gallon-spongefilter-liveplants-Blue Male betta 4. 5.5 gallon-spongefilter-liveplants-Red Male betta 5. 10 gallon-powerfilter-liveplants-6 female bettas 6. 15 gallon-2 powerfilters-liveplants-6 guppies-6 zebra danios, 3 dwarf cories, 2 otos 7. 30 gallon-canister filter-liveplants-2 angelfish, 2 discus, and 5 cardinal tetras I'm thinking of setting up a 20 gallon Long with 2 gold gourami, 3 dwarf gourami, and a small shoal of glowlight tetras, w/ a powerfilter and liveplants. I'd love to hear about some of your all's setups. Do you think I'll be oK in the hobby with these setups. I do 2 20% waterchanges a week on all the fish and change/clean filter monthly.

From: LAnce 10/12/00
Subject: one thing...
Every thing sounds great but for the 15 gallon tank the amount of fish are are a little overboard. And also you dont need to buy 2 power filters for the 15. as long as you get one strong enough to handle 15 gall your just fine. The basic rule for fish is 1 inch for every gallon, this is for juveniles. I also would recommend that you use under-gravel filters for the betta tanks so you will not have to keep buying cartridges. Ok, here is my setup though its kinda boring, a ten gallon tank with a 50 watt visitherm heater, few anarcharis, an under-gravel filter w/ carbon, regular gravel, one floresent light tube, hood, small inside box filter, one power filter, 2 gouramies, 3 zebra danios, and a saimese algea eater.

From: Rose 10/12/00
Subject: Welcome abord Art. It's nice to have some new blood in here. n/m
n/m

From: CT 10/12/00
Subject: Yes, Welcome aboard Art! n/m
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From: CT 10/12/00
Subject: Yes, Welcome aboard Art! n/m
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From: Art Zurhorst 10/12/00
Subject: Re: Yes, Welcome aboard Art! n/m
Thanks for the greetings. I will try to contribute whenever I can. Like most people I am far too busy with things other than fish. FYI I don't know everything about fish, that is why I am still facinated by them. I have, however, kept and studied fish for 48 years, and because of my interest hold a degree in biology, with a specialty in fish. I currently own Premier Fish & Reptiles in Memphis Tennessee. My store is different than most because we have over 300 displays of fish and reptiles for sale to the public. My "wall of Africans" attracts a lot of attention as one of the largest and most diverse collections of Rift Valley Africans in the nation. Many of the fish I get are bred or collected by many authors and researchers whose names most African cichlid people would recognize. My fish staff includes myself, a friend who has a Master's in fish genetics and is the former editor of TFH magazine, a young man majoring in aquatics biology in college and another one working toward becoming a reptile vet. I also have a reptile biologist and my son is a herpetoculturist. So I hope the years of study and research by my staff and I will help those who want to learn more about the scientific aspects, and as always, I know I will learn more about fish just by participating. Thanks again for the warm welcome.

From: Rose 10/12/00
Subject: Gourami poo not gettting much better
Ok guys this is getting frustrating. My gourami almost had a solid poo a coupl of days ago and this morning it's white and stringy again no solidity to it at all again. I put him in a larger tank to give him a little more room to swim in and he did better for a couple of days and now he's not. He's not eating again. I put a worm in this morning and it's still floating in his mini tank. ARRRRRRG!! Any ideas I forgot what that medication was Barb you told me to try. I'll talk later. Rose

From: Art Zurhorst 10/12/00
Subject: Re: Gourami poo not gettting much better
In my experience the white stringy poo is almost always an intestinal bacterial infection. The best remedy is Tetra Medicated Food for bacterial infections with tetracycline IF the fish is eating. Furacyn, if not eating, is an antibiotic with a high rate of adsorbtion by the fish's cells and is worth a try. However once appetite is lost, the fish usually follows. Factors causing this can be stress because of aggression. Blue, Gold, and other large Gourami can get quite territorial while Dwarfs usually do not. The other thing is temperature. I have personally caught Gourami in the wild and the water is very warm. 80 to 85 degrees is best temp for them and cooler water can reduce their immunity and lead to internal infections. If you want to try, you can mix the antibiotic food with water, put in a very small eye dropper and force down the throat of the fish. Three to five days of this can bring the fish around. If this is a very favorite fish of yours, and 6 inches long or longer, you can give it antibiotic shots. If a local vet will provide you with a syringe and antibiotics, I can tell you how to give a fish a shot if your vet doesn't know (most vets don't do fish). Hope this gives you some workable ideas.

From: Barb 10/12/00
Subject: Hello Art!
Educate me please... what bacteria are you specifically referring to when treating for intestinal bacteria? Also, what reference do you consider to be the Bible of diagnosing and treating fish disease? Thanks, Barb

From: Art 10/13/00
Subject: Re: Hello Art!
Getting into specific strains of pathenogenic bacteria, causes, and specified preferred antibiotics per strain gets a little beyond me. This is usually in the farming or collection end of the business where you can sacrifice several fish and get stains to identify specific bacteria or parasites inorder to get an effective treatment for the other thousands of fish that are sick. I have never had to deal with situations like that. I have always dealt with a sick fish, or a few sick fish that must be "diagnosed" symptomatically in order to try to save them. Fish get sick or die for thousands of reasons, of which many we never understand why. Therefore what I, and people like me do is observe the fish or listen to the reported symptoms, analyze any factors that may have precipitated the outbreak, and make a generalized diagnosis, and based on our reading, research, and experience, suggest a treatment we feel will have the best odds of succeeding. Fortunately this works in the majority of cases. So I don't have a "bible" and don't what is the fish disease bible. For my purposes, I use a book as a guide which has symptomatic flow charts, suggested treatments, and does have sample slides of the offending organisms. For what I do this book is even more detailed than I really need, but it looks like at least a good primer on fish pathology. This book is "Handbook of Fish Diseases" by Dieter Untergasser, Copyright 1989 by T.F.H. Publications, Inc. and translated by Dr. Herbert Axelrod. While this looks very detailed to me, if you want more (since you seem to have a deep interest in things like this), I will be glad to ask someone I know who is a fish vet working in the tropical fish farming industry. I am sure she could recommend a very thorough and up to date disease lexicon. Just let me know and I'll ask her. Hope this is kinda what you are looking for and helps. Care

From: Barb 10/14/00
Subject: Re: Hello Art!
I ask about the intestinal bacterial infections that you mention because I cannot find references on this as it relates to tropical fish. White stool as described by Untergasser is from intestinal flagellates which are protozoa, not bacteria, although they are treated with certain antibiotics, though not the type contained in the usual antibitoic fish food. I am just trying to sort out all these intestinal infections. I am looking for something beyond "The Handbook of Fish Diseases". I would really appreciate it if your friend would recommend a book that is both more current and in more depth. Thanks Art! Barb

From: Art 10/14/00
Subject: Re: Hello Art!
Will contact her first of next week and get a recommendation for us both.

From: Barb 10/14/00
Subject: Fantastic! Thank you!! n/m
n/m

From: Barb 10/12/00
Subject: Re: Gourami poo not gettting much better
Hi there Rose! Consider putting him back in the smaller tank... maybe the larger tank stressed him out and he is relapsing from that. If you want to treat with medication, I would first go after the intestinal protozoa with Medicated Fish Food by Tetra (parasitic kind, not the bacterial kind) which contains metronidazole (aka Flagyl, I.N.Z.). If you are unable to find this, then treat with metronidazole in the water. Problem is that it could be intestinal worms, which would be treated with something altogether different. Check LFS to see what they have available to treat intestinal worms and this would be my second approach, if the metronidazole fails. Some meds for worms are mebendazole, praziquantel, piperazine and flubendazole. These meds can sometimes be difficult to find. Let me know what you decide (and are able to find) and we'll talk about it further. Barb

From: CT 10/13/00
Subject: Re: Gourami poo not gettting much better
Nice use of the bold tag, Barb... I know that Rose is working on the "stressors" in her tank so I don't have to go on about them. But I do think that medicated food might be a good approach. That leaves us back with the age old question, "what are you treating?" Is it bacterial or parasites? I have both of the Tetra medicated foods and fish seem to like the parasite flakes better -- if that's any help. They get really tired of either one if you feed nothing else for 5-7 days as directed. By about day three my Harleys grab mouthfuls and spit the flakes back out while looking right at me. CT

From: Barb 10/15/00
Subject: Oh yea CT?? Check out my bold tag usage below under Dawn, My Betta's... 10-14-00(5). n/m
n/m

From: Rose 10/13/00
Subject: Food feeding gourami
I went and got the Tetra anti-bacterial food today. He ate a very small bit and seemed to spit some back out but I think he did eat a little of it. I will keep you posted on how he does. Thanks for the tip CT. I'll give him something else too once in a while. Rose

From: Art 10/13/00
Subject: Re: Food feeding gourami
Good that he took a little of the food. If your PH isn't 7.5 to 7.8, use an adjuster to raise it since this is his prefered PH. Also slowly raise the temperature to 85 degrees to speed up his metabolism. If you want, you can add a little floating plant like hornwort. These things might increase his appetite. I think the food will work if you can get him to eat (not always easy). Luck!

From: Rose 10/14/00
Subject: Water in all my tanks
I have city water and it's pH is 7.8. except for the once every 3 or 4 months when I get phantom pH. This is what those who know me at my LPS call it. I get a pH of 8.2+ once every 3-4 months and no one knows why. It's in all my tanks at the same time. It happens suddenly no warning nothing. The day phantom pH shows up the water straight from the tap reads 7.8 but in the tanks it reads 8.2+. I would like to know why it does this so far nobody can tell me why. It's strange. I've gone so far to get this figured out that I have asked several people who work at various city aquariums if they have heard of it and what causes it and how to prevent it. No one seems to know. I've even asked several tropical fish groups and associations about this. If your guys have any ideas let me know. It's not salt related I already tried that. I thought that it was conditioner realted it wasn't that either. I'm out of ideas on this if you have any let me know. Rose

From: Art 10/14/00
Subject: Re: Water in all my tanks
I have seen something similar to this myself and was baffled. I talked to someone I know that knows a WHOLE LOT about water. What he told me is that sometimes for a variety of reasons, some unknown, your water can get loaded with co2. Once it is in an aquarium and has been run through the filters, it degasses the co2. If the co2 is high, it is depressing the PH and when removed the PH goes up. To test this, he suggested, take a sample of water directly out of the tap and aerate it with an air pump. Get a PH reading before and after aerating it. You will see a rise in PH. Son of a gun if in the last year I can across this several times, and he was right. The only thing we found to help was adjusting the PH like you normally would. I think it would be smart to also test the total alkalinity since he said a high co2 level can disolve some minerals from the pipes and raise the total alkalitity. I haven't observed this yet, but if he was right about the one thing, I figgure sooner or later I'll see the other effect also. Try this the next time you get phantom PH and see if that is what it is. Art Premier

From: CT 10/13/00
Subject: Re: Food feeding gourami
I'm having trouble making a connection with pH and the problems that Rose is seeing. Also, pH adjusters are notoriously problematic because the pH seldom stays where you want it and they tend to cause cloudy water. A pH that bounces around is more stressful to most fish than a pH that is too high or too low. CT

From: Jon 10/12/00
Subject: Re: Gourami poo not gettting much better
I was gonna ask the same question. My pink gourami is dong the same thing. He NEVER stops eating but has some sort of diahrrea. Maybe a tapeworm, hehe.

From: Hiddyn 10/12/00
Subject: Easy brine shrimp and living!
Hi, First I have some info that yall either knew already or will be excited by, I figured out an easy way to breed brine shrimp for my betta. SEA MONKEYS! Yeah that's right, they are brine shrimp:) Buy the little sea monkey kit for 5 bucks and grow some easy to maintain brine shrimp:) Exciting I know. Now I have a question: I was wondering if natural spring water is okay to use for water changes, since it's natural spring water it's not filtered or purified, is that okay? My tap water is city water and friends I have all lost their fish from using it. I think it has too much chlorine. Please let me know. Thankyou hiddyn hope the sea monkeys are exciting.

From: Rose 10/12/00
Subject: Tap water
The reason your friends are loosing fish is they are not conditioning the water befor they put it in the tanks. What you need to do is get some water conditioner the removes chlorine and chlorimies. You can use tap water I do and I condition the water before I put it in with my bettas and various other fish. Just thought I would let you know. Thanks for the sea monkey tip. Rose

From: Dawn 10/12/00
Subject: 'HELP Betta with fungus
My son's betta has a fungus infection. It started with a black fuzzy coating near his mouth & face. Then it started to spread backwards. I bought Betta Max and have been treating him for 2 full days. (By the way, it is confusing on how to use it because there are 2 sets of instructions that give 2 different concentrations. I hope I'm doing this right!) I am worried about the little fish because now it looks like his belly is starting to get a little dark. His top fin has a couple of very tiny black dots on it and the fin has started to come off of his body a little bit. It doesn't appear that he is getting better. If anything, he looks the same or worse. He is eating and swimming fine, but he looks bad and I am worried about him. Can you pass along any recommendations for treating this fungus? Are there any other products that work better or faster? How long does it take before he will get better? I talked to our local pet store owner. She wasn't much help. She said to just keep treating him with the Betta Max. I am concerned because he just looks so bad. Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

From: Barb 10/12/00
Subject: Re: 'HELP Betta with fungus
Hello Dawn! It sounds as if your son's betta has Cotton-Wool Disease (aka Mouth "Fungus"). It is actually caused by a bacteria called Flexibacter, not a fungus. It is characterized by fungus-looking tufts (which can be black) on the mouth and face, and it can spread to the body and ruin the fins. It unfortunately carries a high death rate. I find it worrisome that the BettaMax is not helping as it should help. Explain the instructions to me and let's make sure that you are dosing correctly. Two days of treatment may not be long enough to see a noticeable improvement. Other antibiotics that are supposed to be helpful are Kanamycin, Erythromycin, Tetracycline and Sulfa. What size tank or bowl is the betta in? What are the water parameters, that is, ammonia, nitrite, etc. levels? You need to provide optimal water conditions, by ensuring that the betta has clean "conditioned" water now. Get back to me with an update, especially regarding the Bettamax dosing. Barb

From: Dawn 10/13/00
Subject: HELP! Is my betta dying?!!
I was wondering about this "fungus" and if it was really that. The pet store owner told me it sounded like fungus to her. I stopped by her shop & was reading all of the antibiotic packages she carries. The description of fungus on the packages was whitish or gray stringy stuff. My son's fish has a dark brown to blackish stuff. It is not stringy, it is fuzzy or cottony looking. It started around the mouth, then the face, and now it is starting to get onto his body. The pet store owner gave me something to try made by Jungle Lab called Binox, an extra strength bacteria & fungus remedy. It says 1 tsp per 25 gallons is the dilution. I don't have a tank anywhere near that. This is my 6 year old son's fish. We keep him in his room in a 1 gallon filtered tank. I was never told anything about testing the water, etc, so I have no idea where to start with this. It says to remove activated carbon during use. Does this mean I shouldn't use the filter at all? Please help! The fish looks a little worse every day. He still swims & eats fine but he REALLY needs help! If this is that cotton disease, is this going to help or should I try something different? We have used the Betta Max since Tues. afternoon and the fish looks worse not better. I used the dilution described in "Betta Bowl Water Changes" where you add 1 capsule to 1/2 gallon of water. Mix that tonic w/ equal parts of fresh water. If anyone has any help, I need it FAST! I am REALLY concerned about the high death rate w/ this cotton mouth disease!

From: Barb 10/13/00
Subject: Re: HELP! Is my betta dying?!!
Dawn, You are describing classic Cotton-Wool Disease. Although most often white fuzzies are mentioned, the fuzzies can definitely also be black. This diease goes by the other names of Mouth Fungus, Black Fungus and Cotton Mouth. Remember though that it is caused by a bacteria. I do not know what the chemical name is for the antibiotic in Binox, but I believe that it is a newer generation and stronger antibiotic, which will likely work against the Flexibacter. You have a huge problem trying to dose this stuff. I believe that it is used in ponds, so dosing like one teaspoon in 25 gallons isn't so tough to carry out in a pond. I think that it is going to be dangerous for you to try to dose this correctly for a one gallon tank. You'd have to have a syringe filled with one teaspoon's worth and only put one fifth of that into 5 gallons of water in a bucket which has never seen soap or the like and then put one gallon in the betta's tank. Gee whiz, what's the fish store lady thinking when she gives you this drug which you can't easily dose with any safety? I don't have the BettaMax instructions in front of me, so if you can tell me exactly what the 2 treatment choices are and their instructions, then I can better advise you as to whether you have been dosing the tank correctly or not for this problem. You may need to go back and get an antibiotic for Cotton-Mouth, such as Kanamycin, etc., which at least you can dose a lot easier than Binox. Do not use a filter with charcoal when treating with antibiotics. Bettas don't need filters, if their water is changed regularly. Make sure that there is clean water, conditioned with Amquel and NovAqua to remove chlorine, etc. which can be toxic to fishies, in the tank. Have you or your son been performing regular water changes and how are you doing this? If you need help with how to change "conditioned" water in his tank, we can go over this. In all honesty, things seem grim for your betta, but I have seen many a betta with one fin in the grave, survive. Barb

From: Dawn 10/13/00
Subject: Re: HELP! Is my betta dying?!!
I sure hope I have dosed this Binox okay, but I am sad to say that I am starting to run out of hope over here. For dosing, I had a 1/8 tsp, so I dipped it in the jar & only filled it about a third of the way up. I put it in a clean gallon jug of fresh water, cleaned his tank & everything in it using fresh water. He's back in his tank, but I really think it is only a matter of time now. He seems like he is more lethargic now that he's in the Binox. Breathing seems like an effort at times where he just stays at the surface barely moving or he drifts to the bottom. I am so sad about this. I am new to fish and I am trying to do what I can for him. I am really surprised that a pet store owner who SPECIALIZES in fish didn't know what these symptoms were & how to treat it properly. I don't know if it would have made a difference or not, but I am just beside myself seeing this fishy getting worse everyday. We did change his water regularly. We just used our tap water mixed 50/50 with spring water. We have a filtration system in our home that removes acid, chlorine & all the bad stuff from the water. We added stress coat to the water, but that was it. I never knew about adding all this other stuff. I think the betta was really promoted as a low maintenance pet....just change water, feed, and nothing else. Maybe part of the problem with the Betta Max was because I was keeping the filter running. The other set of directions on the Betta Max box said to mix 1 capsule for 5 gallons of water. The set of directions I was using was 1 capsule in 1/2 gallon of water, then put in the tank with 1/2 fresh water & 1/2 of the tonic. The tonic mixture is stronger, roughly 1 capsule to a gallon of water, vs the other way 1 capsule to 5 gallons of water. I thought the stronger method listed as "betta bowl changes" would help him kick this faster. Anyway, now that my fish seems to be doing worse since using this Binox, should I change his water again to take him out of it? I am so clueless with all of this....I don't know if constantly changing his water is good or bad for him. The Binox contents say 100% sodium chloride & nitrofurazone. It says it is a broad range treatment for all tropical fish & goldfish. Clears irritations such as fungus (columnaris), grey slime (costiasis), scratchin (flave bacteria) and open sores (furunculosis). Should I take him out of this solution? Please let me know what you think.

From: Barb 10/14/00
Subject: Re: HELP! Is my betta dying?!!
Dawn, I would put him in clean dechlorinated water with a little Stress Coat and nothing else at this point because: 1. I calculate that you have dosed the Binox at 3 times the recommended dosage, that is, the level in the tank is likely toxic. 2. (Glad that you gave me the chemical name for the antibiotic) Binox contains exactly the same antibiotic (nitrofurazone) that is in Bettamax. You've been given more of the same. The nitrofurazone is not working now because either the bacteria is resistent to it or unfortunately he may be too far gone. If you want to continue to try to save him, go and get a different antibiotic, such as Kanamycin or Maracyn and follow the package directions for dosing. For my own edification, in order to try to help others in the future, for what conditions do they list the 2 different dosing schedules on the Bettamax, as they describe dosing very different amounts of antibiotic? Only charcoal From: Dawn 10/14/00
Subject: Re: HELP! Is my betta dying?!!
Late last night I decided to take him out of the Binox. Honestly, I don't think he would've made it through the weekend or maybe even the morning the way he looked last night. He wouldn't eat, was pretty lethargic & he was gasping for air like someone looks when they have an asthma attack. So I cleaned everything again & put him in the Betta Max again...didn't get your post until just now. By morning he was swimming again & eating but the black stuff is definitely on him. It was really strange, but when he was in the Binox, it looked like the black stuff was disappearing, but it also looked like he was going to die in the bowl. So I put him in the Betta Max, he swims & eats normally now, isn't gasping for air, but the black stuff is definitely back. The Betta Max box says it is good for treating mouth & body fungus. Is this the same mouth fungus that he has? I was half scared to try anything new after what happened yesterday. Have you ever had a betta survive this cotton wool disease? By the way, the mixture for the betta bowl water changes was 1 capsule in 1/2 gallon of water to make a tonic. Add equal parts of freshwater to tonic. The therapeutic & preventative use lists 1 capsule for 5 gallons of water. I don't know too much about the filter I was using. I bought a one gallon tank that had a filter with some kind of pumice looking stone at the bottom, which I assume is the carbon? It came with the gravel & plants. It was the perfect size for my son's room & I thought it was better for the fish than those dinky little goldfish bowls you see them in at the store. Well, I don't know how the fish will do, I think he may be too far gone. I wonder if my Betta Max concentration is too high in his tank. I used the "recipe" for betta bowl water changes. The pet store is closed now. I'll see if Kmart or Walmart sells the other products you recommend. Thank you so much for your help. I feel like you ought to give that pet store owner a lesson or two. She said to me, "Well if he dies, we have 20 more bettas here for sale." Nice comment, huh? I told her that is a fine attitude for her when she loses one and has 20 more, but when you're talking about a 6 year old's pet which is his ONLY fish, you want to try & help it recover. If I see he is suffering too much, we'll cross that bridge when we get there. But I keep hoping that SOMETHING will work for him soon. It sounds like there's not a lot of hope with this disease.

From: Barb 10/14/00
Subject: Re: HELP! Is my betta dying?!!
See... your instincts kicked in! It was right to move him out of the Binox (triple dosing was poisoning him)! Don't add any more Bettamax, as he already has toxic levels of furazone in him. You are still left with the dilemma that the Bettamax, even at the correct dose (you HAVE been providing the correct therapeutic dose!) is not working. I'd get one of the antibiotics that I mentioned and still give it a go. I have never had a betta with this disease, but I have read that it can be highly and quickly lethal without treatment, but that there can be cures given optimum water conditions (that means clean water!) and prolonged treatment (that means he ain't gonna be cured in 5 days... may take 2-3 weeks). BTW, please describe how it looks around his mouth now? Your LFS lady ticks me off... poor advice and worse yet, a lack of caring for a fish's life. Keep me updated and my fingers are crossed for your son's betta boy, Barb

From: Dawn 10/14/00
Subject: Re: HELP! Is my betta dying?!!
The cotton wool condition is the strangest thing. The lower part of his face & some of the side of his face seem to have had the black stuff fade away a little. Underneath his "chin" appears to be clearing up. Around his gills it went from solid fuzzies to just patchy fuzzies. However his body shows a slight bit more darkening with just a little bit of tiny black dots on his fins. Weird, huh? I don't know if he is getting better or worse! Now this is going to sound like a strange question, but does this skin condition cause him to itch?? It is really odd, but for a good portion of the day he was going up & down the sides of the tank like he was trying to scratch his face. He would swim really fast up & down, get a little bit tired out & sit for a minute or two, then go nuts swimming around again. I have no idea what is going on here. By the way, I had no luck with finding those medications today. I guess it's not something that chain stores sell. One of my friends told me there is an aquatic store about an hour way that is open on Sundays. I'm sure they would have it, so I will check it out tomorrow. I haven't given anymore Betta Max. He is in the same water from last night. After doing 3 water changes in 24 hours, I thought I would let him be until I get the right medication for him. He seems to be okay, doing better, eating fine, just swimming a little furiously. He looks like a ball of energy in there, that's why I was wondering if this condition was making him itch & he couldn't stand it! Here is another question for you, if he doesn't respond to treatment, is this tank going to be safe for another betta or should we pitch it out & get a new one? I would hate to see another little fishy go through this. Hopefully, we will get this one better but I know from the sounds of what you are describing, it sounds like curing him may be slim to nill. I hope to get him better but I really don't want to see him suffer. Right now he doesn't appear to be suffering like he was last night, but maybe he is just itchy, I don't know! Anyway, I guess you can tell that I need a fish education! I grew up with cats, dogs & birds, so I am a rookie with fish. Need all the help I can get! Thanks again.

From: Barb 10/15/00
Subject: Re: HELP! Is my betta dying?!!
His condition sounds better to me. They often exhibit "shimmying" behavior, that is a lot of the strange swimming that you are seeing. I wouldn't be surprised if it did itch him! Fish rub on things in their bowls in order to scratch. If you don't find another antibiotic to use by tomorrow, them I would resume the Bettamax at the therapeutic dosage... going without antibiotic for too long and things will likely just get worse again. We may have been too impatient and didn't give it long enough to do its' work, but ideally, I'd make a the switch. I agree to hold on the water changes. You can clean the tank out and use it again, but no negative thinking now, OK! (http://www.bayoubetta.com/basic_care_sheet.htm) Basic Betta Care Barb

From: Barb 10/14/00
Subject: Sorry, some sentences ran together...
I wanted to say that it is the charcoal filter which remove medications. Are you using this kind of filter? Barb

From: Lindsay Douglass (betta breeder) 10/12/00
Subject: Re: 'HELP Betta with fungus
I haven't really tried Bettamax, so I can't tell you if it's a good medicine. What I would recommend though, is Maracyn, or you can use MarOxy. Your store may have a few other varieties to pick from. As for the fin problem, if it looks like it was ripped off then it is probably fin rot. If it isn't, then it probably isn't anything big to worry about. Haven't heard anyhting about black dots in bettas yet, but if it progresses get help fast. If your not already a member, in the Yahoo! (www.yahoo.com) , click on "clubs" and type in "Betta Splendens" and click on the "betta splendens" club. Click on "join this club" in the top right hand corner and you can join the club to post messages. Once you ARE in the club, post a message on your problem. You'll probably see results in less than a day from professional betta breeders who are a lot more than I can. :) Hope this helps with your betta problem!! Lindsay

From: Rose 10/12/00
Subject: MelaFix
Get some MelaFix. This is my treatment of choice. It's all natural and will heal his fins and fight the bacterial and fungal infections as well. It's safe to use with fry, scaleless fish, salt water fish and invertabes. Basically it's safe on all aquarium decorations and fish and plants. I use this on my fish who have missing fins and they grow back just like they were never missing. Good luck and keep us posted. Rose

From: Kristen 10/12/00
Subject: Algae question
I have a 20 gallon long tank with 2 blue gouramis, 4 cories, 4 lemon tetras, 4 neons, 4 zebra danios, and 4 harlequin rasboras. All the fish are an inch at best with the exception of the gouramis. The tank has a couple live plants and the rest of the plants are silk. It's been up and running since July and my water parameters are all in the normal range for my test kit. I have a Whisper hang on the back filter for the 10-30 gallon range. I feed the fish once a day with a mixture of food and make sure the cories have some bottom feeder tablets of their own. I change about 4-5 gallons of water every other week. The problem I'm having is that even at the end of the first week after doing a water change, I get brownish algae on the plants and aquarium glass. It's not blanketed by the stuff, but it becomes noticeable. I can clean it off the surfaces easily, but hate to pull up the silk plants if I'm not doing a water change. Do I have any other choices beyond manually cleaning the plants/glass myself? The tank is in a sunny room, but doesn't get direct light. The hood light is on from when I get home to when I go to bed 5:00 pm to about 11:00 pm. I'd love to get a couple of oto cats, but can't find them ANYWHERE. I've had BAD luck with Chinese algae eaters in the past and that's all the local fish stores seem to carry and these places swear by them even though I know better.

From: Art 10/12/00
Subject: Re: Algae question
Kristen, I own Premier Fish Store in Memphis, and am a biologist. If people at the fish store are trying to get you to buy Chinese Algae eaters you need to find another fish store! Your bad luck with them is so common that I don't even carry them in my store. They can grow to over 6" long and get very territorial and agressive. When grown they can even hold their own with most large cichlids. If what you have is true brown algae, then you could use two or three algae eaters called Siamenses. There are a number of similar fish in this "Flying Fox" family, but only the true Siamenses will eat all kinds of algae, including brown, and not hurt your plants. I suspect you're actually overfeeding and what you are seeing is excessive mineralized organics. If you will please post your PH, Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate readings, even Phosphates would help, I'll check back in a couple of days and try to help. Several things you said make me suspect overfeeding. Also your filtration is inadequate. Once I see what your readings are, I'll tell you why you need a new or additional and different type filter. I would have a fish store (not the chinese algae eater store) do the tests for you and you write down the exact values. If you can, take the sample to two different stores and have it tested. You would be surprised how many people I help in my store after I test the water myself and get readings very different from what another store got. Once you get the actual values (don't let them tell you it's OK) like Ammonia 0, Nitrites 2ppm, nitrates 40ppm. phosphates 4ppm, PH 7.1, then we will have something to work with. Will check back in a few days.

From: Kristen 10/13/00
Subject: Thanks
I wish your store was nearby! I live in the northeast. I have a test kit at home and will take some readings over the weekend. I think doing it myself is a much better option than taking it to one of the stores around here like Petco - those kids working there have NO idea what they're doing and I always here them tell people the wrong things. Still, if you know what you're looking for, the prices aren't bad for supplies and I've had reasonable good luck with fish bought there too. I'm interested in what you said about my filtration. What would you suggest adding other than an undergravel filter. That's not an option because they get so gross after a while and there's no way I'm taking apart the whole tank to install one. A new filter is a possibility though. Any other filter suggestions would be great. I only feed once a day and only put in what the fish can consume in 2 minutes.

From: Art 10/13/00
Subject: Re: Thanks
Glad to help. Thanks for wishing my store was near you. I like to work with people like you who have a sincere interest in doing this right. Many people want the joys of pretty fish and think that there is some magic to it other than knowledge. Will check back for your test results and take it from there. Feeding for 2 minutes is too much, and giving Cory cats tablets every day is also too much. It is late and I have to get up early tomorrow (Saturdays in my store can be hectic). I will explain more to you later and it will all make sense I promise. Care

From: LAnce 10/12/00
Subject: Re: Algae question
The cause of brown algea (diatoms) is lack of light. so I reccomend that you keep the lights on a little longer. You can also get algea destroy things at your local pet store. good luck, hope this helps. bye, LAnce

From: Blaze 10/12/00
Subject: Bumblebee Gobies & Neon Tetras
Hi, A friend of mine has bought too many Bumblebee Gobies & is going to give me 10 (LFS in my country do not accept exchanges). Thing is, can i add them to my tank of Neon Tetras? It's an established tank with water plants. I know the gobies eat live foods so I'm a little apprehensive. blaze

From: kitty fish 10/12/00
Subject: Re: Bumblebee Gobies & Neon Tetras
Bumblebee Gobies are reputed to be aggressive and fin-nippers, though I have found the opposite; mine are relatively peaceful (towards other fish). They may tend to be aggressive towards each other though. Provide a lot of hiding places! The gobies and the tetras should do ok together, otherwise. kitty fish

From: Kristen 10/12/00
Subject: Re: Bumblebee Gobies & Neon Tetras
Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't bumblebee gobies brackish water fish? Or are they the kind that can be acclimated to fresh or brackish water? If they are either, just make sure the water you are putting them in is similar to the water they are coming from. I'm not sure if neon tetras can tolerate brackish water. Mine are in strictly fresh water.

From: kitty fish 10/12/00
Subject: This is where it gets confuzzling... ;)
There are three varieties of Bumblebee Gobies. I'm not completely sure of the scientific names (xanthoa sp?, dariae, and another). Each of these species can be differentiated by the number of rays in their ventral fins; 6, 7, or 8, it doesn't really matter. ONE of these species is strictly brackish, the other two can go either way. In my opinion, all Bumblebee Gobies should be kept in brackish water, though they can be acclimated to freshwater, and do quite well as long as care is taken to ensure that they are fed and stress-free. Remember, brackish water doesn't just mean salt. It's pH and GH, too. If Blaze's water is very soft and acidic, that is almost guaranteeing that the gobies not do well (which is probably the case, as she is keeping Neon Tetras). Hope this helps a bit and didn't just do some more confuzzling. ;) kitty fish

From: Blaze 10/12/00
Subject: Something else...
Hey kitty fish, Read in your earlier posting that u feed your Bumblebee gobies earthworms. I may have problems buying them around here. Could I feed them say, bloodworm flakes? Or if they only eat 'live' foods, howabout bloodworms or brine shrimp? blaze

From: Blaze 10/12/00
Subject: Re: This is where it gets confuzzling... ;)
Hi, I added them into my tank last night & they appear to be doing fine. The guy at the LFS told my friend that these critters can be acclimated to fresh water so I guess it's quite safe. Thanks for your help kitty fish & Kristen, and no, it didn't confuzzle me. =) blaze

From: kitty fish 10/13/00
Subject: Goby Food...
I tried just about everything and all my guys accept are chopped earthworms. I'm almost positive they will eat the blood worms, but I'm not sure about the brine shrimp. Go ahead and try it! lol! Gobies don't read books, so they don't know what they're supposed to "prefer." .o0(Oh, well! It says here I'm a Bumblebee Goby and I'm supposed to eat crackers and cheese! Hmm?) Just try a few things and see what they accept. ;) kitty fish

From: Blaze 10/12/00
Subject: Re: Bumblebee Gobies & Neon Tetras
Thanks KittyFish! Can't believe that Bumblebee gobies are fin-nippers. They look so inactive/peaceful! No probs with hiding places - my tank has lots. blaze

From: Angela 10/11/00
Subject: Lights
I have a 29 gallon and I like to leave my light all the time. Do you think this is a bad thing? Nothing is growing in the tank and I have a kissing Gourami who likes to suck on everything. So what do you think?

From: Art Zurhorst 10/11/00
Subject: Re: Lights
Angela: Like most animals, fish also need to rest. Most of the fish found in home aquariums come from areas of the world where there is about 12 hours daylight and 12 dark. This is a good place to start. Most home aquariums do well with 10 to 14 hours, mostly depending how bright the room is. If you leave the light on all the time you will also get a bad algae bloom called "green water" where your water actually looks like green soup! So if necessary, put you lights on an inexpensive timer. I own Premier Fish & Reptiles in Memphis Tn and help customers with this problem all of the time.

From: Genny 10/11/00
Subject: Kribensis
Hello. I have a pair of albino kribensis that have a wonderful spawn of over 100 fry. 11 of the fry are standard colored kribs. I have a question that I hope someone can answer.(I've heard this several times but is it true or not?) True or false? Does ph have an effect on the resulting sex(es) of kribensis fry? I've been told that if the ph is to high or to low that the entire spawn will be one sex or the other. I'm hoping to get a standard pair from the spawn and if this is true, I might have lower chances.