From: Ron
Subject: Rainbow Shark
I have two rainbow sharks. The first one I bought by itself a month ago. Just recently I got the second one. When I put the second one in. Thay actualy danced together. Side by side for about an hour. Now, the new one (larger in size.). Is ether agressive or trying to get the little one to lay eggs. The large one is not beating up on the little one. But the little one seams to be getting stresed out. I took a rock that made a cave. Moved the gravel so there would be a slick glass bottom and placed the rock in a position to make the cave. then put a small plastic plant in front. the large one took to it right away. The small one still hides from the large one. Do I have two males? Also, I've got ick. Treated the problem. All the fish cleared up fast. except for the small rainbow shark. Can stress play a part in this. One last question. Is there a site that can give me info on my rainbows ? Thanks, Ron
From: Sidni
Subject: # of guppy fry
I was reading Cheryl's post about having to perform a c-section on her expired guppy. Do they always have that many babies?!? ( 68 )
From: katie
Subject: suspect leaking tank-
Just wanted to share whats going on-my five gallon seems to be leaking, but i don't understand how, it is acrylic and has no real seems. it is only a little bit of water, and at first i thought maybe i just spilled water down the front and it gathered around the front of the tank, but i wiped that up and noticed more the next day, and then i even moved the tank back and wiped under the edge of it, and this morning at the very edge there seems to be water under the tank. Still not sure if it is leaking or i spilt alot of water -if it was leaking would it leak fast enough for there to be a noticable differnce in the level of the water, dont think i am ready for a new tank.
From: EmBibble
Subject: New plants & new creatures.
I have some plants I just got from a pet store / water plants / They seem to also carry 1/2 inch shrimp things, and some snails. No there not unwanted. Any way to find out what they are? Could I raise them?
From: Clint
Subject: Re: New plants & new creatures.
The shrimp things are probably scuds, they make good fish food and are a little amusing themselves. They should multiply as long as there are no fish with them. Snail killing chemicals will kill the scuds too.
CN
From: katie
Subject: website dedicated to snail care and keeping
Just thought i would share this site bcause i think it is pretty cool and it is very helpful in learning how to keep a snail alive. Petunia owes her waffer dinners to Wally! www.WallyBillingham.com-Everyone would enjoy this page because the pics of snails are truly beautiful!
From: EmBibble
Subject: Gourami in a bowl?
Gouramis have labrynths (spelling?)just like the bettas! They can breath our air too! But can you keep them in a bowl. The onlyproblems I found would be some are large in size, and some need heated water.
Any Ideas?
From: Clint
Subject: Re: Gourami in a bowl?
Paradise fish are a type of Gourami. They are very tolerate of temperature changes, and extremely hardy. The males will fight much like Bettas and they would be rough on a female in a small tank. But they are very attractive and should do well in a small tank by their self.
CN
From: fire ice
Subject: Re: Gourami in a bowl?
they *all* need heated water. dwarf gouramis would be the smallest, at 2.5". that means they should have at least a 2-or3-gallon tank
From: EmBibble
Subject: What Can You Do With A one Gallon Fish Bowl?
I got some neat ideas from the http://www.petfish.net/1gbowl.htm page but do they really work? Can I keep a small family of guppies in a gallon - what about platies? Any else thats not on the http://www.petfish.net/1gbowl.htm page
From: fire ice
Subject: Re: What Can You Do With A one Gallon Fish Bowl?
nope, platies get too big for 1 gallon. Actually, I think that most of those ideas would work better in a 2-gallon
From: Me
Subject: dissapearing snails--was spotty hungry, or am i just blind?
ok, i have a slight problem...a friend of mine recently gave me a pair of baby snails. i put them in my tank in the center so i could watch them. well, obviously i didn't watch them well enough because when i went back to check on them an hour later, they were gone, and my pictus catfish (spot) looked "full"..could he have eaten the baby snails, or am i just blind???...oh and, how long does it take for snails to get bigger? thanks...any oppinion would be greatly appreciated, my eyes hurt from searching the gravel for them...i need to find them!
From: katie
Subject: Re: dissapearing snails--was spotty hungry, or am i just blind?
Well.....i am totally just guessing but i think he couldve ate them, if the were very small....i love snails personally, and Not all SNails breed, if you buy one at the petstore you can by a GOlden Mystery snail, or the ones with the cool "cinnimon swirl bun" shell. They aren't too expensive, Also they are gonna need some algae waffers...sometimes things just disappear and you don't wanna know where they went-My neon just up and vanished one day!
From: katie
Subject: Re: dissapearing snails--was spotty hungry, or am i just blind?
Well.....i am totally just guessing but i think he couldve ate them, if the were very small....i love snails personally, and Not all SNails breed, if you buy one at the petstore you can by a GOlden Mystery snail, or the ones with the cool "cinnimon swirl bun" shell. They aren't too expensive, Also they are gonna need some algae waffers...sometimes things just disappear and you don't wanna know where they went-My neon just up and vanished one day!
From: AJB
Subject: O boy,
I don't think he will eat them. The only fish I know of that will eat snails is the clown loach. I hate snails. Some eggs came in on my plants, reproduced, and a couple of days ago I pulled 45 yes 45 baby snails out of my tank. I gave them to my friend, who is going to put them in a 5 or ten gallon. I told him he will end up with more than 45, but he just thinks I am full of it. It takes a while for them to get bigger. Baby snails, and some grown snails, like dim or no light so turn the lights off and search for them in the morning.
Apple snails can get 6" big, I have seen them this big... Most others don't get near that though.
AJB
From: Levi Rawls
Subject: BIG problem
I recently bought a turquoise cichlid and an afrirican kenyi. After I got them, both got
ick and the cichlid has fin rot and the kenyi won't eat and he doesn't move much at all.
For the ick I put them in a tank with salt and to try to boost the kenyi's appetite I put
musqueto larva in but he did not even seem to notice even when they bumped him.
You probably would say for the cichlid "just go to your local pet store". I live on an is-
land where it is hard to go to the "local" pet store.
Any home remedies for a cichlid with fin rot and/or a kenyi who won't eat would be great.
From: Cin
Subject: HELP MY GUPPIE
HELP! my guppie has white bumps all over her! what's wrong and how do i treat it? do i need to isolate her from the other fish? thanks
From: AJB
Subject: Re: HELP MY GUPPIE
ICH!!!!! Your guppy has a disease called ich. It is highly contagious. Treat with salt (in a different tank than in now.) one tablespoon of salt per five gallons. Make sure it is aquarium salt. If you don't isolate her, than all the other fish will probably get it. If you want, go to the store and get a medicine for ich. Ask the people what will work best. AJB
From: Michele
Subject: Starving Guppy?
Hello. It's me again with my guppies. I still can't get this tank to cycle(Ithink i'm getting gray hair)
I have lost 3 fish and now the last male is teetering. The last week I have tried water changes and since last night I have had one of those c-100 pouches that absorb ammonia in the tank with them. The male is in his breeder tank again because he seemed to get noticably weaker 2 days after I let him out. He has not ate for a week?? the lps gave me some frozen brine shrimp but he doesn't seem interested in that either. He still looks ok, But he hangs out at the bottom and looks like he can't breathe good. :[ Any suggestions?
he's been like this for 5 or six days now.
From: Mary
Subject: Re: Starving Guppy?
You said your using pouches that absorb ammonia, that will keep your tank from cycling. Ammonia is the first stage of cycling a tank; ammonia will convert to nitrIte and nitrIte to the good bacteria nitrAte. I would stop using anything that will harm my ammonia and instead do as many water changes to keep it at an acceptable level, adding some salt will help the fish endure it better.
I personally hate these traps/breeder tanks. They are so small that in my opinion causes undo stress to any fish. I would think that fish put in these contractions probably get depress from being in such a confine space, not surprise if they don't eat and give up any will to live.
When adding medication to a tank filters should not be turned off, quite the contrary most if not all medications warn that much more aeration is needed. Medications do destroy your good bacteria regardless of their claim that they do not. Once medication is remove by adding fresh carbon to the filter it usually does not take as long to re-cycle the tank.
Most if not all of your beneficial bacteria is in your filter, unless your using UGF, then it'll be on your gravel. I read that if the filter is off for over 4 hours the bacteria will dye. HTH
From: AJB
Subject: Re: Starving Guppy?
Do 25% water changes EVERY DAY until it starts to clear. You could very well lose him. If you do tell us, and I will tell you a way to cycle a tank in a week. What kind of filter is it? If it is a bio wheel, change the filter and put charcol in the gray filter thingys. Make sure he gets oxygen. Surface disturbances: air pump or a filter. Ammonia and chlorine will make him like that to. Get him in another tank if that dosen't work. My corys had nitrite poising and one died. They looked like they couldn't breathe...
AJB
From: Michele
Subject: wwwater changes
Silly question....If i changed too much water to begin with could that make it take longer to cycle? I have an airstone and overtheback hanging filter. Nothing special i'm sorry to say! I was treating the tank with Wardley's complete remedy(wednesday will be the 10th day.. Did I kill all my good bacteria?) So I have had the filter out. He did better at first. I will put the filter back in and do a water change tonight. thanks. I'm kinda scared i'm messing with it too much....
From: AJB
Subject: Re: wwwater changes
That is an important question, and yes if you change the water to much IN THE BEGINNING it can cause problems. Stop the medicine, it could have killed the bacteria, which is why you should always medicate in a smaller tank reserved for that purpose. Did the filter dry out? That will kill them too.........................
AJB
From: Michele
Subject: Re: wwwater changes
I was a good girl and i put the filter in a plastic baggie! :] ;) Should it be ok? I am going to need to invest in a quarintine tank.....
From: fire ice
Subject: just wondering, how do snails breathe?
yeah, probably a stupid question, but just wondering. And how many gallons per, say, cubic inch of snail? By the way, will they eat flake food that's sunk to the bottom of the tank? I can't seem to find algea wafers. Thanks for any help!
From: katie
Subject: Re: just wondering, how do snails breathe?
i have lost many snails, i never fed wafers, but my latest one seems to find the wafers and eat them, and i have had "petunia" about a month-so i think it is still to early for me to tell if algae wafers were the difference, but my feeling is yes the need them- Petsmart doesn't carry them? There is a website called Wally's snail cam or something like that with alot of info on snails, it is a link on aquarium.net-but you would probably find it by searching the words wally binghams snail cam- it also has info on their breathing, i can't remember except that the must be able to get to the surface too! but at any rate check that site out!
From: b
Subject: fish waste
My brother bought some stuff thats suppose to eliminate the fish waste in the tank...
that u just add to the water....heres the product:
http://www.hagen.com/canada/english/aquatic/product.cfm?CAT=1&SUBCAT=121&PROD_ID=01076610010101
...im just wondering ..considering its suppose to get rid of the fish waste...will it keep the
ammonia down too???
From: Karen
Subject: Re: fish waste
It does not get rid of fish waste. It either breaks it down or liquifys it. It is still in the water column or filter so you still need to do water changes and filter cleanings. This is one of those take your money things. in My Opinion anyway.
From: Angel
Subject: I need some ideas for a 30gal tank with betta and pleco
my betta isn't doing anything I mean he's staying in one spot in the tank.. Is that normal. He was in a 2gal bowl. but he is eating and the temp in his tank is 78.
From: Eddie
Subject: Re: I need some ideas for a 30gal tank with betta and pleco
it's normal, just let him get used to all the space he has now. i hope you don't have a common pleco, those get big. should get a bristlenose pleco. you should also get some cories, and a school of 20 neon teras.
From: Karen
Subject: Re: I need some ideas for a 30gal tank with betta and pleco
Barbs, tetras. Gouramis, small ones.
Cories.
From: Bizkit
Subject: Piranha
i was wondering if my piranha could survive living in chlorine. i know they can tolerate high ph levels and some other chemicals, but i dont know about chlorine
From: Mary
Subject: Re: Piranha
Chlorine is BLEACH, CLOROX. It's poison to you and to every living thing. PH levels are hard neutral or soft water. Do you know that contrary to what some people think Piranhas are sociable fish, they like to be in schools of 6, of course, they need a large enough tank, or they will wound up cannibalizing. HTH
From: cheryl
Subject: Guppys and delivery...omg, I cant beleive I did this
I woke at 4 this morning and found sometime between than and 11 last night my Guppy dropped 2 fry...and there was one hanging partly out of her. At 8 -4 hours later that 1 was still hanging out of her and she seemed to be wasting away, so I reached in and very gently rubbed her belly, she never even tried to fight me. So now I had 3 living fry and a very enormously fat and unwell Guppy. This all took place in a plastic breeding box. I sat there with her until I knew she would not make it, than I got some supplies ready, OMG I cant beleive I did this, please dont anyone hate me, but I have awated this Guppys birthing and wasnt going to lose my fry without a fight. I watched and when she died,and I couldnt prompt her even by touching her, I very quickly pulled her out and I made a very small cut down her belly with a pair of tiny nail sissors....I carried her back to the breeding box and squeezed out fry....68 fry....and out of those 68- 44 are living. I can not beleive I have done this, I really had no idea what I was doing, but I lost my Guppy and wasnt about to lose her fry.
I dont know if some of you will think this wrong of me, maybe I shouldnt have even told you, but I had to tell someone, someone who understands fish keeping. I am a nervous wreck,but also a little proud of myself....I really hope you all understand and dont think badly of me, Cheryl
From: Michele
Subject: GO GIRL!!!!!!!!!! That is really Cool!!!
n/t
From: AJB
Subject: Re: Guppys and delivery...omg, I cant beleive I did this
That was incredibly ingenius and wonderfull thing for you to do; save tons of other wise dead babies! You should be proud!
AJB
From: Mary
Subject: Re: Guppys and delivery...omg, I cant beleive I did this
Good for you. They would of all dye. Actually, I once read about someone doing something similar, don't remember the details. As far as I'm concern as long as she was already dead you did not do any harm but did save all the babies. You perform an operation, you're Dr. Cheryl! Enjoy
From: cheryl
Subject: Re: Guppys and delivery...omg, I cant beleive I did this...Thank you Mary and Steph
Your support has made me feel much better. Thank you, Cheryl
From: JerriLeigh
Subject: Re: Guppys and delivery...omg, I cant beleive I did this...Thank you Mary and Steph
I think you did a wonderful thing! Congrads on your fry! :0)
JerriLeigh
From: Steph
Subject: Re: Guppys and delivery...omg, I cant beleive I did this
Cheryl, I don't think anyone will think anything bad about you. You realized that the mother wasn't going to make it so you did what you needed to do to save the fry.
From: katie
Subject: Re: Guppys and delivery...omg, I cant beleive I did this
Fascinating, i couldn't have done that! but i am awed...
From: Dakota
Subject: My bala sharks are doing some weird ass dance thing...
I have had these two balas in my 20 gallon tank for about three months, everything is cool. However the last two times I've fed them, they sart doing some weird swimmy dance thing. They get side by side and jerk around. Sometimes they are head to head or tail to head. Sometimes they will hook fins and drag the other one around the tank. Then they nibble at each other, but the whole time they are next to each other, rubbing scales and tails. I can't figure it out. They do it for like 20 minutes only after eating, then they act normal again. Is it some kind of mating thing, are they cleaning each other, or are they trying to eat each other? I have no damn clue, but it's weird as hell. Someone let me know what's up.
From: Karen
Subject: Re: My bala sharks are doing some weird ass dance thing...
Bala sharks get 10-12 inches so a 20 long is not going to house these guys for long. They like to be in groups of 5 or more to help disperse agression. As far as I can find they have not been bred in the aquarium. Someone else may have newer info than I do on this.
From: Dakota
Subject: Failed to mention...
Sorry I faorgot to mention they are minature bala sharks, so they are only 3 inches long, and will probably stay that way as far as I was told.
From: Karen
Subject: Re: Failed to mention...
I have never heard of miniature bala sharks.
They could be a different fish that looks similar to the bala so they called them that at the store. Then we are talking a different fish altogether and to answer this we need to know what kind it is to answer your question.
However, I suspect the fish store just wanted to sell you the fish and or the person selling them to you knew no better. Hear of this all the time and seen it happen myself. Are they silver with black on their fins?
From: Dakota
Subject: Mini balas?
When I bought my two "mini" bala sharks they were in the same tank with "regular" bala sharks. The regular ones were as you described, a lot bigger than mine, like 8-10 inches or so. They made mine look puny. I bought the mini ones knowing I only had a 20 gallon tank and thought they would fit perfectly. I don't necessarily know how long fish take to grow, but they haven't thus far. They look exactly like the "regular" bala sharks, silver bodies with black fins. They also behave in the same manner, constantly swimming around and staying close to, and sometimes playfully chasing each other most of the time. They show no signs of aggression toward each other nor to the yellow angelfish that's in the tank too. They simply do the weird jerky dance after they've been fed, every other day. And I'm just curious to find out what it is they exactly are doing.
From: Karen
Subject: Balas
They are just small balas, may have been stunted at some time or I suspect just young ones. I am not sure how fast growing these guys are.
The dance just sounds like play.
Anybody else have any ideas?
From: cheryl
Subject: salt?????
Ok my previous message titled "help"....Mary suggested I use 1 tablespoon of salt per gal instead of 1 teaspoon.....Mary is this amount of salt ok with a platy, Guppys, and albino corys? Thank you Cheryl
If so do I add it all at once?
From: Mary
Subject: Re: salt?????
I answered this before don't know where it went. Yes, the amt your using is fine as long as, they're not showing sign of distress. I use 1 tablespoon in all my tanks unless someone is sick. In which case I gradually increase to 3 teaspoon for ea gallon. I have use 3 teaspoon per gallon w/all the fishes you have mentioned above and they take it well. HTH
From: AJB
Subject: Re: salt?????
I hate to act like a smart-a$$ but three teaspoons is the same as one tablespoon. I would recommend one tablespoon per five gallons.
AJB
From: Mary
Subject: Re: salt?????
Your not a smart-a$$, 1 tablespoon does equal 3 TEAspoon. However, I said I KEEP 1 TABLEspoon for ea 5 gallon, BUT for illness 3 TEAspoon for EACH GALLON. HTH
From: sidni
Subject: # of guppies in 20 gallon tank
how many guppies can comfortably be kept in a 20 gallon tank without causing them any stress or harm?
From: Eddie
Subject: Re: # of guppies in 20 gallon tank
just get 8, 3 males and 5 females. have lots of plannts in the tank, including some floating plants. within a few months there will be more guppies.
From: Mary
Subject: Re: # of guppies in 20 gallon tank
If you keep male and female it will be impossible to keep a certain amount, as they are prolific bearing and many young always manages to survive. HTH
From: Attila
Subject: 15 guppies in a 20 gallon tank.
My best guess would be about 15.
From: me again
Subject: fish mates
I am starting a new tropical fish tank and its 18inches long, how many fish do you recommend to put in it? and also my betta has been living in cold water all his life with me and i put him in the tank at 23-24 degrees celcius and he is as happy as can be although some how he can see his reflection off the plant picture backing so he attacks it , would that stress him? Anyways i really wrote this to ask what fish he would enjoy to live with i was hjoping to put 4 females in with him and a few gouramies but im not sure any suggestions?
thanks
love me
From: Karen
Subject: Re: fish mates
My ten gallon is 20 inches and my 5 1/2 is 16 inches. I am not sure how many gallons an 18 inch tank is.
Either way this is a pretty small tank. One male and four female bettas would about be the limit. To put more than that would be stressing. As for his playing with his reflection, won't hurt him none.
From: joe
Subject: Re: fish mates
hello? unless they are ALL female, bettas don't get along together. I'm surprised Karen didn't notice this. Males fight with any other betta. try a small school of zebras or tetras.
From: Karen
Subject: Re: fish mates
Actually I goofed in another way too. I have had females as agressive as the males. I have had them go after each other and a male. I should have warned about this possibility also.
A male and females can be done in a heavily planted tank but it is taking a chance.
Oh well, can not get them all right.
From: me again
Subject: tuberlosciuos on my betta?
Hi ive been worrying about my betta , after looking up a disease tuberlosciuos and my fish has some symptoms. he is a bit bent in the spine well not straight just kinda curvy not to much though, he has a little ( not really big ) pot belly a few scales missing from his head and belly he acts normal and eats like a pig, he is very lively. Hes neva had pop eye but sometimes when i shine a light on him down the side he has a dull line which looks like velvet but im scared its not because tuberscoliuos is contagoius to humans could some1 please help
thanks
love me
From: Mary
Subject: Re: tuberlosciuos on my betta?
I don't think you have to worry about TB. One of the symptoms is that they stop eating and become emaciated. A hump back can be due to age and genetic, unfortunately they do not live very long, 5 years maximum, which I believe very few, attain, average I would say 2 to 3 years. Missing scales can be due to brushing against ornaments or anything else in the tank, or diet. The potbelly could be due to overeating and not enough exercise. What size tank/bowl is he in? It could be a tumor; there have been a lot of those lately. Most of the time they (tumors) are not malignant they are unsightly and may produce discomfort to the fish depend on location but other than that the fish could live with it (euthanasia if suffering). You should always take care to protect not only yourself but your fishes when doing any maintenance/hands in the water, by thoroughly washing your hands before and after. HTH
From: Karen
Subject: Re: tuberlosciuos on my betta?
I agree with Mary, sounds like your betta may be getting older.
From: Hannah
Subject: ugh! problem eyes!
I have some silver tips in my tank. There is an aggressive male who stays in the middle of the tank and fights with the other males and also attacks the females. The majority of them now have the lenses missing off their eyes. I think they are doing it to each other.
Has anyone else experienced this? Oh, + they're getting older too. They all look a bit tatty. But, they are healthy apart from that, with lovely vibrant colouring and good swimming + displaying actions. The dominant male does have a minor war-wound - a protruding scale.
Hannah
From: Karen
Subject: Silver Tip Tetras?
I am assuming you are talking Silver Tip Tetras.
How large a group are they in and how large a tank.
Some tetras like Tiger Barbs do better in larger groups, silver tips may be the same way. Overcrowding can also cause aggression.
From what I have read these are fairly peaceful fish, but there is always the possibility you just have a bully. You could try quarantining him and seeing if everyone else settles down.
I would use 1/4 tsp salt per gallon to help with healing.
From: Mish
Subject: Help please :)
Hi, I am quite new in keeping an aquariam. So far I have 3 Neons, 4 Cardinals, 4 Glowlight tetras 1 Betta, 1 Blue Guarami, 4 Harlequens, 1 guppy, 4 platys,1 dwarf guarami, 4 zebra danios, 1 dalmation Molly, 2 Yellow mollies and 4 Kribs. They are all in the same tank and have been going really fine. Most of them look very happy!
My questions are,
1. I have a fifty litre tank, what is the equivelent to this in Gallons??
2. Do I have too many fish for a 50 Litre tank?
3. All my fish get a long except 2, My male Betta keeps chasing my Guaramies around and sometimes I think he is going to attack one of them. My betta gets a long fine with all the other fish. Is this normal? how well do they go together? Also my Kribs are very agressive towards all the fish and chases them all around.. why is this happening?
4. Every where I read, its says that Kribs are colourful and have red/purple tummys. Mine are all the same colour- white with brown stripes and a white tummy. Is this common??
5. Are there any fish of mine that REALLY dont mix well together??
6. I have around 34 fish, how many flakes approx would I put in for them to eat? I have no idea if I am putting too much food.. It all seems to get eaten in about 1 minute.
Thank you so much for your help and sorry about all the questions!!!
From: fire ice
Subject: Re: Help please :)
1. 50 litres is about 12 gallons
2.yes, it is way over. I would reccomend taking out the platies, gouramis, the mollies, kribs, and a school of tetras. Who told you to have this many fish in this size of tank? If you want to keep them all, get a 55 gallon tank (200 litres).
3. yes, it's normal, he'll calm down if there were less fish in the tank
6. feed all that they can eat in about 3 mins