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From: Blaze 10/12/00
Subject: Re: Cannibal Tetra's
Hi Trina, I agree with Lance. I have more than 20 neon tetras & having gone thru 3 deaths (old age), i have seen that they don't cannibalise each other. blaze

From: Art 10/14/00
Subject: Re: Cannibal Tetra's
Lance and blaze are correct. The cardinal tetra is found in soft acidic waters of the amazon basin in south america where they school in huge numbers. In fact, they are so geared toward being in large groups to survive and breed, that they often do poorly in smaller groups, certainly as individuals or pairs. The smaller the group, the more likely they are to become diseased. They also are a bit delicate. They don't normally transfer from tank to tank well, and do best when the water is very soft and ph 6.5. Some people even use peat in their filter to acidify the water and give it the "tea" look of the amazon and reduce the light. There have been reports of them being so skittish that when a light on the tank is turned on in the middle of the night, it can scare them so much they dash into things and kill themselves. At my store we tell people when they buy cardinals if they are floating belly up when they get home not to flush them, they are not dead, they have just fainted. One of the prettiest tanks I ever saw was a six foot long tank full of live plants and about 500 cardinal tetras. It was spectacular. Average lifespan of a cardinal is about 5 years, but most don't make it that long in home aquariums. Sharp fish, but not a cannibal, just delicate.

From: lance 10/11/00
Subject: MAbye........
OK this is what I think happened, the tetra that died just died by itself of old age or some other cause. Then I think the snail found the dead tetra and started to slowly eat it until the skeletons remained. I once had three tetras too and that just chased each other around and schooled together. hope this help. bye LAnce

From: Mel 10/11/00
Subject: Eclipse explorer & other small tank Q's
I'm interested in getting a 2-3 gallon tank for a betta. The eclipse explorers look appealing, but I'm not sure if it would be more expensive than $25 when i have to buy filter cartriges. Also, the Aqua Tank (2 gal hex) has a ug filter, and a light. It's $20. The eclipse explorer has all 3 filtrations, and no light (a good thing, I think. I'll save on bulbs, and the betta won't have a light overhead to stress him). The e.e. is wider/longer, and the aquatank is tall/thin. Which would be better for a betta? The betta's tank is going to be on a table.

From: Rose 10/12/00
Subject: Read this it might answer a question or two
I have 2 bettas. My betta Midnight( he's so blue he almost looks black) is in a Eclipse 3. It has a bio-wheel, filter cartrage with carbon in it. I have gravel and a rock with a fluffy plant on it for him to rest on if he gets tired. He has been in this for many months and enjoys it. I put his food in from the top and he swims in to the filter current to get food. He also swims in the current just cause. He will either sleep on the rock with the plant or he will go up top and sleep behind the intake. I very rarely see him not swimming. I think he likes the constant movement in the tank. The other betta is in just about the same set up. Instead of buying the filter floss (I do this for Midnight) I buy the ready made filters once a month and it cuts own of water changes. both bettas love the tank set ups they have. I have never had a torn fin from the filters or anything else horrendous happen to the bettas in this set up. I wouldn't go any bigger than a 3gallon tank for EACH betta. Just a reminder NEVER but 2 male bettas in the same tank with out a divider other wise you end up with dead bettas. I hope this helps a little. One other thing, if I had to do this again I would get the same set ups I have now. I am very happy with the set ups I have. Good luck and keep us posted on what you do. Rose

From: Meagan 10/11/00
Subject: Re: Eclipse explorer & other small tank Q's
I have four Betta Boys... each with his own 2 gal. hex... Let me say this, the UGF attacks Betta tails!!.. Sucks them right in and tears them up!.. My first Betta was a wonderful, colorful, full tailed guy when I brought him home... two nights with the UGF and his tail was torn... I took the UGF out, and have not put them in at all for the other three guys... So other than the light, the hex has no advantages, you end up with still water with one of those tanks... As for the Eclipse, I have not used one, but I have read many concerns from people on the amount of current the Eclipse puts out... Betta's like their water still, especially at the top... My fear is that you would spend the extra money, and end up not using the filter, or not using it properly... as for the cartridge refills, do they contain carbon?.. If so replacing them with a filter medium would not be proper use either, although it may work... and again it would be a waste of money... I know this doesn't tell you which to get, but I think you may be better able to deside with the help of some personal experience...

From: Mel 10/11/00
Subject: Re: Eclipse explorer & other small tank Q's
Eek I wouldn't want my betta's tail ripped. How about one of those "kritter keeper"-like things? I think the largest is about 1.5 gal. How would a betta like that? Also, I've already bid on an aquatank on ebay for $2.19. I suppose I'll keep it for a hospital tank for my other fish.

From: Meagan 10/12/00
Subject: Re: Eclipse explorer & other small tank Q's
I would try the Eclipse... Rose says her boys love theirs.. and as I have no experience with the Eclipse, I would try it... as a matter of fact, the still water in my boys tanks drive me nuts!... Whether they like it or not, I don't know, but I HATE the water not moving... I may buy my boys some new tanks myself... Thanks Rose... 8-) Take care.... Meagan

From: LAnce 10/11/00
Subject: I think it should be long.
Ok, I think you should get one of those explorers. they are GGGRRRReat, and its filteration is exelent though the cartriges are a bit pricy. It also has a bio-wheel wich is good! One more thing bettas, in nature, live in shallow mud pools with poor oxegen and they also dont like deep tanks I'v heard. so anyway I would go with the eclipes.

From: LAnce 10/11/00
Subject: I think it should be long.
Ok, I think you should get one of those explorers. they are GGGRRRReat, and its filteration is exelent though the cartriges are a bit pricy. It also has a bio-wheel wich is good! One more thing bettas, in nature, live in shallow mud pools with poor oxegen and they also dont like deep tanks I'v heard. so anyway I would go with the eclipes.

From: LAnce 10/11/00
Subject: Tip
you can just buy regular filter floss wich comes in huge bags and are only a couple of dollars. You can use this as a replacement for the filter catridges. there is a space where the filter cartridge goes where you can put the filter floss. I do this with my tank and it seems to work just fine. I change the filter floss like once a month and every body is happy! good luck on your tank, hope I helped. bye LAnce

From: ~deb 10/12/00
Subject: Aqua Tank
My betta loves his 2g Aqua Tank! I like it because it circulates the water without making tidal waves. I put 1 1/2 to 2 inches of gravel(at least 1/8") and a fluffy silk plant in it. I don't have the strong current that Meagan has! Yikes! Mine is more of a gentle bubbling. I did modify the top for a heater because of the extreme temperature changes where I live. Your betta is very lucky to be getting a nice new home! : ) ~deb

From: Rose 10/11/00
Subject: black spots/ fins falling apart
I have a betta that has black spots all over his fins. His fins are also falling off. There is no sign of fungus on the fins or for that matter any where on him. Ammonia is 0, nitrItes 0, NitrAtes 5 and pH 7.8 He's in a Regent 5 gallon tank. I don't know if this really anything to worry about or not but I thought that I would check and see. Thanks for the help. Rose

From: CT 10/11/00
Subject: Re: black spots/ fins falling apart
Sounds like something to worry about. No Stressors? Have you used your MelaFix and salt combo? CT

From: Rose 10/11/00
Subject: Re: black spots/ fins falling apart
Been useing that for the last 2-3 weeks. no improvement. I don't even know what the black spots are or anything about them. Only fish in the tank. No stressers that I know of or can find. Rose

From: Barb 10/11/00
Subject: Re: black spots/ fins falling apart
Hi Rose! Try to ferret out which of CT's stressors is to blame. Black spots can be burns from transient ammonia spikes, but it sounds like your tank has cycled and is stable, so this is unlikely. Black spots can just be the fins decaying, before they fall apart, as sometimes seen in fin rot. I advise the following: 1. Treat for fin rot with clean water & Maracyn 2. 2. Try to figure out which stressor lead to this illness and remedy it. 3. Go a little easy on the salt... too much salt will trash a betta's fins. BTW, are there any snails in this tank? Barb

From: Rose 10/12/00
Subject: How much salt Barb? n/m
n/m

From: Barb 10/12/00
Subject: I'd stick with the one teaspoon/gal. n/m
n/m

From: Rose 10/12/00
Subject: No snails
I don't have snails in any of my tanks. I might need to get some for my new clown loaches who will eat nothing but frozen blood worms. That's aggrivating to say the least. I swear I have yuppie loaches. "Only the best for us," say the spoiled three some. Some one thought that he might have too big of a tank and that it's stressing him by having too much territory to protect. Could this be it??? He's been in his 5g tank for about one month maybe a week or two longer than that. There are no other fish in this room with him and the back of his tank is covered so he doesn't get stressed with the mirror in the bathroom. He's sittin on the counter. He had a few of the black spots when I bought him and thought that this was some sort of design on the betta then his fins started to fall off and they multiplied like mad. Let me know what you think about all this. Mean while I'm off to search for a cure or something to help him. Talk to you later. Thanks for the help. Rose

From: CT 10/11/00
Subject: Re: black spots/ fins falling apart
There is a (http://www.aqualink.com/disease/sdisease.html#blackspot) black spot disease. The link is less than useful for ideas on treatment. The "Manual of Fish Health" talks about a black spot disease that is snail born and has an odd lifecycle. Try to keep fish eating birds away. :-) CT

From: Kathleen 10/13/00
Subject: Re: black spots/ fins falling apart
Barb...I have been reading all these statements from people about fins falling apart. I thought my Betta had velvet but after reading all this I did notice some black on his fins..no spots on him and fins are falling apart. Oh God...I'm sick about this. Should I treat him for Velvet and for fin rot and black spot? I don't know what to do! He seems to have some symptoms of all 3 things!

From: Barb 10/11/00
Subject: Re: black spots/ fins falling apart
Hello CT! Yep, it's really a chore to keep those pesky fish eating birds away from my guys! Nah, it's not Black Spot Disease, but "fun" (for me) to think about it anyway. So... you're speaking to me!! I was afraid that you were just a wee bit angry with me. It is extremely good to know that we are still friends :) (but does that mean that I'm not allowed to make you crazy anymore??) Barb

From: CT 10/12/00
Subject: Re: black spots/ fins falling apart
I've had too much fun for one little "conversation" to upset me. :-) I'm back in crunch mode so I'll check in as often as possible. What happened to Kick? CT

From: ~deb 10/12/00
Subject: A possible stressor...
could be too large of a "territory" for your betta to protect. My betta freaked out when I gave him a nice roomy 5g mansion. Now he's happy as can be back in his little 2g kingdom. ~deb

From: Dean 10/11/00
Subject: Beta's and peace lilly's
I'm sure you are all sick of this by now, but it is still a new one on me (Regina, Sask. Can. does not tend to be on the cutting edge). I've read some of the posting and so far what I hear is that it is an OK idea but that maybe the Beta is not the perfect fish for the job. What would be the best fish for the Job? D

From: Barb 10/11/00
Subject: Re: Beta's and peace lilly's
Dean, I can't think of another fish, which could withstand this set-up. The betta is chosen because, besides being beautiful, he can withstand a lot of abuse (eg. poor water quality), live in a small container and breathe air from the surface of the water, making aeration devices in the vase unnecessary. These set-ups are not OK with me because they are most often sold with instructions not to feed the betta or change the water in the vase. The set-up, in and of itself, is not decidedly inhumane but the misinformation that accompanies them most certainly creates an inhumane environment for such lovely creatures. Are you thinking about making one? Barb

From: Dean 10/12/00
Subject: Re: Beta's and peace lilly's
Yeah. A friend bought one and I thought it looked like a very interesting idea. I've had fish for years but at present I don't have anything set up. I thought this may be nice, relativly low maintenance system to have at work. I know better than to think it was NO maintenance, but I thought that maybe a different species may be more suited to this system. The theories behind it are all good, as long as it is an educated choice of plant and fish, and a proper balance is maintained

From: tmoss 10/11/00
Subject: gravel cleaning & cloudy water
howdy, I was cleaning the gravel in my 29g last night and noticed pockets of green stuff (algae?) in the gravel. You could see it from the underside. Anyway, sucked it out. Does this stuff commonly occur w/ the other debris that accumulates down there? I've only been regularly vaccuming the gravel for about 2 months now. No ammonia or nitrite. Water is still slightly cloudy, though. ?? :( This is my first tank. Been set up for 7 months. We've got 7 zebra danios & 2 cories, no plants. 1 biowheel & 1 whisper HOB. 20% water changes every couple of weeks or so. Light feedings. Hope to get some more fish when water clears up :) i'll do a better job on the gravel... maybe that's the weak link. Thanks ...tmoss

From: Art Zurhorst 10/11/00
Subject: Re: gravel cleaning & cloudy water
I can probably help you with more information. What color is the cloudyness: Milky, smoky, green, yellow, or brown. How deep in inches is the gravel in your tank. Do you have any shells, or castles as decorations. What kind of gravel do you have in the tank and where did you get it. Do you have any rocks as decorations and where did you get these. Do you have an undergravel filter? What is the PH of your water. What is the total alkalinity. I help people solve "Cloudy water" problems almost every day, but need more information. Art, staff biologist, Premier Fish & Reptiles, Memphis, Tn

From: tmoss 10/12/00
Subject: Re: gravel cleaning & cloudy water
Thanks Art, Here's some more info: 1) Water is slightly milky to greenish 2) Gravel varies from 1" to 1.5" deep 3) No shells or rocks, just plastic plants and a piece of plastic driftwood 4) Used some natural colored gravel from petsmart... don't remember the brand 5) No undergravel filter 6) pH is 6.9, don't know the total alkalinity. did a KH?test the other day. don't remember the the exact results but they were within the "recommended" range. 7) Tank receives no direct sunlight and I keep hood light on about 10-12 hrs/day thanks again..... tmoss

From: tmoss 10/12/00
Subject: some good news
got home from work today & noticed some improvement. water still not crystal clear but much improved since Monday when I did a 40% water change and gravel cleaning.i'm cautiously optimistic

From: Art Zurhorst 10/12/00
Subject: Re: some good news
Glad to hear the improvement. I think it is temporary, however, and will shortly return to murky. If this happens, please post and I'll give you a few ideas about what might be happening and how to prevent it. Luck!

From: tmoss 10/13/00
Subject: Re: some good news
Art, I did have this scenario about 3 months ago. Water cleared up after a 50% water change but then became cloudy again within a couple of weeks (oh, did add a cory cat then). Maybe I'm interfering with the cycling process too much? I'll post a status report soon. Thanks... tmoss (former Memphian!)

From: Art 10/13/00
Subject: Re: some good news
Great, will wait for status report. If you get to town, come by the shop. I think you will tell the members of the group here that we have a really awesome shop to offer people who love fish and reptiles. Care

From: Carissa 10/11/00
Subject: my fish looks funny...
I have three platies in my 10 gallon. One of them is kind of skinny looking, but she's looked like that since I got her (I've had her for 3 months) so I figured that's just how she was. Three days ago I noticed that my male (who was usually really fiesty) was not maintaining a very high profile, so I searched him out, but I couldn't find anything wrong with him except for his behavior. All the same, I added salt and increased the temp in case it was internal parasites. Now he's out being hyper again, but he has the same look as the other skinny fish, just like bony and skinny looking. The third platy looks normal, as usual. I've noticed that the two skinny fish don't seem to eat as much as the healthy looking one, although they are up fighting for the food, they just don't swallow much of it. Should I try changing foods? It would seem to me that if they were starving, though, they wouldn't be picky. I have given them flake food since I got them. Any ideas?

From: Art Zurhorst 10/11/00
Subject: Re: my fish looks funny...
Earthworms are good in moderation. The oils act as a natural laxative for fish, so easy does it on this. This condition could also be caused be internal bacterial infections. Look to see if when they go to the bathroom if their waste is white and stringy. That is a dead giveaway. Tetra makes an antibacterial food which works much better than medication put in the water if they are still eating. Also check your ph. If it is too low (7.0 and below is too low for Platies) this could cause acute acidocis and cause the symptoms you describe. You can also keep them at 85 degrees and see if that helps. A shot of a deep absorbing antibiotic like kanamycin sulphate would also be wort a try. Without actually seeing the fish, I am only making educated guesses.

From: Barb 10/11/00
Subject: Art...
It isn't clear to me what you meant by "shot... like Kanamycin"... did you mean give it a try or do you know how to give a fish an injection of antibiotic? If so, please explain to me how to do it. What gauge needle do you use and where is the antibiotic injected in the fish's body? Thanks, Barb

From: Art 10/12/00
Subject: Re: Art...
Actually I did mean give it a try by dosing the tank, but you can give a fish a series of injections if you want. It usually takes a fish of 6 inches or larger. I have not done this for awhile myself so I am not sure of needle size, but we are talking small. Does 20 sound right? Anyway, very small needle. Drop down from the dorsal fin to the thickest part of the muscle on the dorsal ridge just below the medial line of the dorsal fin. Slide the needle under the rear edge of a scale slanting the needle toward the gill operculum. Inject IM. Dosage depends on weight of fish and type of medication used. Your vet should have some gm to wt ratios you can use. Several months ago in my store we found a large Oscar who had tried to eat a Pleco and the Pleco stuck in his throat and died. When we discovered it we had to disect the Pleco insitu and remove it piece by piece. The Oscars throat became infected and it would not feed. I taught one of my young students how to inject a fish and he gave this fish a series of 10 injections of pennicillin. After 5 days this 11 inch Oscar began eating. By the end he was as robust and fiesty as before. Within a week he was sold to a good home and named Charles after the young man who proudly gave this fish the injections. It was really cool. Hope this answers your question.

From: Barb 10/12/00
Subject: Re: Art...
A 20 is pretty wide. I was guessing it would be more like a 22-25 gauge. I am assuming that your instructions are for giving an IM dose of antibiotic. I read about injections given between the ventrals and the anal vent, off to either side of the midline, which puts it into a sinus? Does this sound familiar? What about injecting small fish, like bettas? Is it ever done? Thanks for addresssing my very curious mind!! Barb

From: Art 10/13/00
Subject: Re: Art...
Sounds like you know more about needle sizes than I do, I would assume you are right. No I have not heard of injecting a fish where you say. Nor have I ever heard of injecting a small fish like a Betta. Just because I haven't heard of it doesn't mean it isn't common--just I have not heard of it. I see no reason that someone who is good, like vet, dr. nurse, etc could not inject a small fish. I would expect dosage would be problematic, but still possible even with a small fish with very light body weight. Sounds like you would be a better judge than I about this. Anyone hear of injecting small fish or injecting a fish in the ventral area? I am not familiar with a sinus or any cavity in that area in fish except for the body cavity. Can someone help with this also? Care, Art Premier

From: LAnce 10/11/00
Subject: idea!
Try feeding them freez-dried blood worms or freeze-dried tubefex worms. Another great food that all fish relish is frozen brine shrimp! If you just dont want to get those foods you can also go to your back yard and take some earthworms, freez them, put them in a diposable cup and snip, snip, snip into bite sze pieces. this is a great treat I'v heard! But I rarely do such thing for I am QUITE squrmish about hings like that. Hope this helps! LAnce

From: ron 10/11/00
Subject: algea
well i have searched high and low for a uv sterilizer and no lfs has one as a matter of fact two of them have never even heard of it. i have bought a chemical calledalgae destroyer liquid and after the second treatment still nothing. so unless you have any ideas i guess i ditch the tank and start over ( nott looking forward to this). so if anybody has had sucsess wih any other problem please let me know. it doesnt seem to bother the fish but it bothers me. if you missed my last post and want to be brought up to speed i have a floating algae that is very persistant

From: Nick 10/11/00
Subject: Re: algea
Yeah, I think you should eliminate the source of the problem and the algae will die. If you start all over, your fish will be stressed, maybe die, you have to cycle all over again, and if you do that same thing that you've been doing the algae will just come back even though you've cleaned everything and started all over.

From: CT 10/11/00
Subject: Re: algae
You have to remove the cause of the algae in order to keep it under control. Free floating algae is usually caused by excess nutrients in the water and/or too much light. * Is the tank in a room with a lot of sunlight? * How many hours are you running your lights * Are you careful not to over feed? * What are your water parameters? * Live plants will compete with the algae for food and help remove excess nutrients from the water. * One of the excess nutrients that feed algae are phosphates. Phosphate absorbing beads can help with this. CT

From: daniel 10/11/00
Subject: advice on new fish
hi i have a 5G aquariums with 6 rasboras inside. i wanted to add a new fish or two.. do you have any ideas except livebearers ? thanks -daniel

From: ajoy sodani 10/11/00
Subject: Re: advice on new fish
Exchenge couple of rasb for other fishes at your fish store. --ajoy

From: CT 10/11/00
Subject: Re: advice on new fish
You're already overstocked as previously stated. CT

From: Art Zurhorst 10/11/00
Subject: Re: advice on new fish
There are lots of fish you could add. The species depends on whether or not you have a heater. The number depends on the kind of filtration. If you have biowheel you can easily triple the number if the fish are small when fully grown. With an undergravel filter, you could add four or five more. No heater? Then try any of the danios except giant danios, or white cloud mountain fish, or even a betta (they basically attack only other bettas). With heater, as your local store to recommend hearty fish that stay as small as a danio, are peaceful, and prefer neutral to slightly acidic water like your Rasboras. It would not hurt to have them test your water to make sure you PH suits your Rasboras. Lots of luck! Art, Premier Fish & Reptiles, Memphis, Tn

From: CT 10/12/00
Subject: Re: advice on new fish
He has a 5g not a 15g. Is there even room for 11 fish to swim around in a 5g? CT

From: Art 10/12/00
Subject: Re: advice on new fish
Sure, if they are all small, slim bodied (that means low waste producing) fish. Also if he has a biowheel it has a higher carrying capacity than other filters. In an experiment, we kept 45 neons in a ten gallon tank with a biowheel 125 and weekly 20% water changes, and not overfeeding, etc. I would not recommend this to anyone, but it does show you what can be done depending on the variables. Good filtration, low waste producing small fish, good husbandry and I think 11 should work fine.

From: CT 10/13/00
Subject: How do we know when we're overstocked?
When do we know enough is enough? Do we add all these fish at once and hope for the best? CT

From: Art 10/13/00
Subject: Re: How do we know when we're overstocked?
What a great question! Unfortunately, there is no formula or pat answer. Biowheels support more fish than sponges, for instance, so filtration is a factor. Water changes are the ONLY way to keep the hundreds of organic compounds building up in the water at acceptable levels, so more frequent water changes have an effect. Five one inch neons will not cause the water to deteriorate as quickly as one five inch goldfish so the kind of fish makes a difference. If you are keeping something like Discus at a PH of 6.2, you have little room for error since below 6.0 your biological filtration starts shutting down and fish waste lowers PH. It comes down to a matter mostly of experience. Two 12 inch Oscars in a 55, or 15 to 18 average sized Africans or a hundred or more tetras in the same tank. You will be best served if you understock your tank, because a one inch guppy in a 100 gallon tank is more fish per gallon than in nature. You know you are overstocked when you are doing everything right and still having serious trouble maintaining good water quality. As for how many to stock at a time, again experience really counts here, but if you stock no more than an estimated number and size of fish that will increase the waste load by no more than 50%, and stock at three to four week intervals, you should be safe. It is also better to go by test results. After adding fish, once ammonia is 0ppm, Nitrites are 0ppm, and Nitrates are increasing gradually, but less than 50ppm, it is safe to add new fish. Usually it will be about three weeks after the first stocking, two to three weeks after the second, one to two weeks after the third, and weekly intervals after that. Of course it never hurts to go slower, often hurts going faster. Hope this helps. Care.

From: CT 10/13/00
Subject: Re: How do we know when we're overstocked?
Actually, there are two pretty reliable "pat answers". These two "rules of thumb" yield similar results. One rule allows for stocking one inch of slim bodied fish per gallon or water. The "Idiot's Guide" has a decent chart that uses this rule and it "scales" up pretty nicely for larger fish (the changes account for the extra girth of a bigger fish). The second rule calls for one inch of slim bodied fish per each 12 inches of surface area. This rule of thumb can be scaled up as well for larger fish. I don't use this rule so I'm less familiar with it. Overstocking is another stressor that adds to the overall "bad health" of a tank. If fish are crowded and bumping into each other all the time it makes rest hard to come by and "fights" tend to break out. Play it safe and use one of the rules of thumb. Why press your luck? What will you gain? CT

From: art 10/14/00
Subject: Re: How do we know when we're overstocked?
Of course you are right. I understock all of my tanks except for the African cichlids. The "rules" you talk about were originally developed when the only really reliable source of biological filtration was the undergravel filter. The inch per gallon came from the typical measurements of standard tanks and was calculated on the amount of surface in the gravel bed that was available for filtration. The surface area idea tried to take into consideration two things that the per gallon rule did not. Taller tanks should not have as many fish as longer tanks of equal gallonage (becuase there was not as much gravel surface area), and since degassing can only take place at the air-water interface, surface area comes into play. With the newer biotowers and RBC (biowheel), however these rules don't strictly apply since both the available colonizing area for bacteria and the air-water interface are increased tremendously. All of that being said, however, I agree, you will be more successful more often if you put less fish in the tank than you think it will hold, and the old rules you quote have a lot of caveats, but still lead to success.

From: CT 10/15/00
Subject: Re: How do we know when we're overstocked?
I agree, Art. All rules of thumb carry caveats. These rules of thumb are mostly to keep new aquarists from getting into trouble. Advanced aquarists will always try to push the limits and therefore force advances in the hobby. When all is said and done the (http://faq.thekrib.com/) Fish FAQ has fairly sound advice that is hard to beat. CT

From: ~deb 10/12/00
Subject: Re: advice on new fish
Bettas can be unpredictable. My betta lived peacefully with his rasbora buddies for months. Suddenly he started chasing them and harrassed one to death before I could move him. Mix bettas with others at your own risk. I think however that there is *always* room for an oto cat. : ) ~deb

From: unknown! 10/10/00
Subject: Kick, Kick!
I'v finnally found you! After all this time! Do you know who I am? Hint: I like you!

From: Meagan 10/11/00
Subject: That's no hint... we all like Kick!... n/m
n/m

From: Rose 10/11/00
Subject: Speaking of Kick where is she??? n/m
n/m

From: angel 10/11/00
Subject: Re:I think shes working in wal-marts pet sec. n/m
n/m

From: Alpha 10/10/00
Subject: Blue Gourami sick?
We just bought some fish today, one being a Blue Gourami.When we got home we noticed that it had a slightly raised brick red spot. It has a slightly frosted lookto it. Does anyone know what this is? Any info. would really help.We would appreciate any help. Thank you. Alpha.

From: Lance 10/10/00
Subject: turburculosis?
It might be turburculosis. I'v read that you need to keep stricked hygiene when treating turburculosis(sp)! This is because it can be transmitted to humans. I do not know how to treat it so I surely wasnt much help. bye LAnce

From: Evie 10/11/00
Subject: Re: turburculosis?
Take it back ASAP. I had a run of very bad luck with Gouramies and have seen this type of post a lot lately. I tried everything known to do and prolonged the life of the fish but did not save the fish in the long run. I lost 6 of 10 fish to the same thing. Also, check the others with a magnifying glass, and remove the obviously infected. I have heard some say that it is difficult to treat. I have yet to save one from it. Simultaneously treating different quarantines with the suggested treatments, alternative and other wise and no luck at all. One fish did heal but died anyway. I now take a magnifying glass with me to purchase fish. And if possible quarantine before adding to tank. Gouramies are particularly susceptible to this.

From: Bartlelby 10/10/00
Subject: scared fish
hi i have a 5" celestial eye goldfish in my fishbowl. i think it is a gallon or something like that. my neighbor gave it to me because his mom didn't want him to have it anymore. he kept putting it in the toilet. anyway, my fish looks freaked out all the time. i don't know what he is afraid of because there are no other fish in his bowl and we don't have any dogs or cats or anything. do you think he was permanantely messed up from being put in the toilet too much before i got him? why does he look so freaked out all the time?

From: orson 10/10/00
Subject: Re: scared fish
are his eyes like staring straight up? the same thing happened to mine, we found out it happened cause our parrot kept swooping over his bowl, poor guy looked up so much his eyes just kinda stuck there.

From: Bartleby 10/10/00
Subject: ya thats right
his eyes are looking strate up. they are both on the top of his head. he looks like he is waiting for something to fall on him. could it be from being in the toilet?