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From: Stacey
Subject: Re: Bored??
I did get a heater for them, at what temp should it be set, the water feels fine, not too warm, not too cold. Any suggestions??

 
From: Karen
Subject: Re: Bored??
Goldfish are "cold" water fish, they usually do not like it warm. mine are at room temp which is about 60 right now. But I suppose there are exceptions to everything. What size tank are they in. My thought from what little you gave is too small a tank where the ammonia, nitrites and nitrates are getting to high. If we know the size tank it would be helpful.

 
From: Stacey
Subject: Re: Bored??
They are in a 12 gallon tank

 
From: Jessica
Subject: Re: Bored??
You might want to try adjusting the temp.. Just make sure that you don't get it to hot and do it over a span of time!

 
From: Stacey
Subject: Re: Bored??
How warm do you think it should be? I am not familiar with goldfish, I just got them recently and am trying everything to keep them alive and healthy.

 
From: Lucy
Subject: Re: Bored??
maybe they just normally don't move much or not too energenic

 
From: Stacey
Subject: Re: Bored??
I guess so. When I first got them, they seemed pretty active, its been about 2 weeks, and the water has been changed and everything.

 
From: Jessica
Subject: Re: Bored??
Goldfish are usually quite active. You might want to make sure you are feeding them the right amount (not to much , not to little). Besides the heater and the feeding amount I can't think of anything else that would make them act the way they are.

 
From: Karen
Subject: Here is my thought
You have 3 goldfish in a 12 gallon tank. Ideally it should be 20 gallons to one goldfish. The fancy round bodies can get 9- 12 inches in body length not measuring the tail. Commons, comets, feeders can get 24 inches. Goldfish are also very messy fish with a high output so ammonia can get high fast in a small tank. The widebody goldfish is also a lazy swimming fish as it takes an awful lot of energy to move that body around. They need well oxygenated water, a bubbler is a big help. They like room temperature, not higher than 75 degrees. Warmer water holds less oxygen.

 
From: Stacey
Subject: Re: Here is my thought
okay, one last question....what is a "bubbler"??

 
From: Karen
Subject: Re: Here is my thought
An airstone or decoration connected to an air pump to create bubbles. There are long wands and large round ones, some are bendable, some give off real fine bubbles. Some decorations are treasure chests that the bubles open the lid, sunken ships, plastic clams that the bubbles cause to open and close. They all have the same idea and that is to help with water circulation.

 
From: Eddie
Subject: mind you...
you probably already know but bubblers don't add oxygen in the tank....they do something else...but i forgot. but i know they don't add oxygen. :)

 
From: Christopher
Subject: Re: mind you...
Ok, a bubble will ad oxygen to a tank the same way that moving water on the top of the tank does. Simply put, a bubbler will be nothing but beneficial to your tank. I hate the way they look, so I do weekly water changes in my 10 gallon tank to avoid using one. With goldfish, make sure that you have plenty of plants both for them to hide in and to use up the massive amounts of waste that they produce. I will not have goldfish simply because of the fact that they are such dirty animals. but to each his own. I do see the appeal of them, and I love animals, so I want to see all of them cared for properly.

 
From: Lois
Subject: female Bettas, how many in a 7 gal??
OK, so I am hooked! I have a 10 gallon tank with a male Betta, 7 neons, 2 cories, cycled and doing fine, and Betta seems to have recovered from fin rot and tail growing back. (Thanks for previous advice!)I got to thinking that I could get another male Betta and put it in the 2.5 gallon tank I started with. So off to the lfs and came out with two females instead, one pale blue and one bright blue double tail. Am assuming they are young as they are much smaller than my male who I originally got in a Betta/peace lily setup. Am thinking of getting a larger tank, and I keep telling myself that I really do not have room for another 10 gallon, so am looking at 5 and 7. At the moment am thinking just female Bettas, which although not as spectacular as the guys, are very, very pretty. What do you think about numbers? I saw a picture on another web site of a 7 gallon with 12 females in it, but seems a bit much even for air breathers. What do you think? Has anyone here done this? Thanks!

 
From: Lois
Subject: Re: female Bettas, how many in a 7 gal??
Thanks for the advice everybody! Suppose I can always use a big bowl(solitary confinement)if there is a bad actor, will probably get a 3rd and see how it goes. A large number of tanks actually sounds somewhat attractive, but I really do not have the space.

 
From: Rebecca
Subject: A word of caution...
Female bettas are very unpredictable in terms of how well they get along with each other in groups. Some females are nearly as aggressive as males and there can be some quite rough sparring between females at times. I'm not sure of the truth of this, but I have heard of females being pumped full of hormones by suppliers because this intensifies the colours (and I'm sure this would increase aggression problems too.) I have noticed females seem to be a lot more colorful than they were a decade ago, but of course this could just be breeding. Even when they get along, in most cases there is a pecking order among female bettas.... once it's established they tend to maintain peace. If you then add a new betta, there can be further fighting until they've reordered themselves. Females tend to look very peaceful in the fish stores because so many will be crammed into a tank with no decoration that it's difficult for them to each establish territory, and this also reduces aggression (same principle stores use to keep 30 gold gouramis in a 30 gallon with not much fighting.) I've kept dozens and dozens of females over the years and some seemed very attached to each other, whereas others were simply bullies. It's really hard to tell. I'm only trying to warn you that females are not ALWAYS completely peaceful with each other... so unless you have a lot of extra tanks you might not want to get too many until you see how it works out with the first 2. I actually like female bettas a bit more than the males, because they're much closer in looks to the original betta body shape. The really long-finned males almost waddle through the water sometimes, whereas the females are so quick and cute. Compared to males, the colours are more drab, but compared to other tropical fish I think females hold their own in terms of beauty. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

 
From: Leslie
Subject: Re: A word of caution...
I agree with everything you say about having more than one female betta. I had two in a community tank with a variety of other fish. One was definitely the boss and nipping was frequent. However, at times they seemed inseperable. A couple of months ago, the submissive one got weak, probably just due to old age, and the "boss" became so aggressive that she ripped the fins off the older one. I tried everything to save the older one, but she died less than a week later. I still have "Miss Plumb", but will not add another one since I've seen how aggressive she can be.

 
From: Rebecca
Subject: Re: A word of caution...
Yeah, they're funny that way. I just bought one last week which is still in quarantine being treated for ich. (I'm going to put her in my 33 gallon community) She flares at her reflection in a mirror just like a male. I once kept 4 together for years and they never fought once, but they were all sisters from the same brood and grew up together so that may have been a factor.

 
From: Jessica
Subject: Re: female Bettas, how many in a 7 gal??
Hello. I don't know for sure how many female bettas you can put in a 5 or 7 gallon tank. It is best if you go by the 1 inch per 1 gallon rule. For example if you have a 7 gallon tank you can put 7 inches worth of fish in there (not including the tail fin). You have to consider that they can breath air so you might be able to fit a few more in. 12 fish in 7 gallon aquarium does seem a little much though. Hope this helps!

 
From: Jessica
Subject: Re: female Bettas, how many in a 7 gal??
Hello. I don't know for sure how many female bettas you can put in a 5 or 7 gallon tank. It is best if you go by the 1 inch per 1 gallon rule. For example if you have a 7 gallon tank you can put 7 inches worth of fish in there (not including the tail fin). You have to consider that they can breath air so you might be able to fit a few more in. 12 fish in 7 gallon aquarium does seem a little much though. Hope this helps!

 
From: ann mcintyre
Subject: blackness
Could someone please tell me why everything in my tank is turning black I have perfect water plants shells.We have changed the water but it has come back again.I mean soot black.The fish look fine what is wrong. desperate.Thanks annmac

 
From: Karen
Subject: Curious
Is the water turning black or just the decorations? Does it look anything like algae? There is an algae that looks black that I have heard of (and thankfully never seen). As I understand it once it is in the tank you are in trouble.

 
From: jessica
Subject: lonely tiger barbs
I just got a new 29 gallon aquarium and all I have are some tiger barbs. I would like to know what kind of fish go really good with them. I like colorful fish and I don't want the fish to be aggressive towards eachother.

 
From: Leslie
Subject: Re: lonely tiger barbs
Well, I can tell you in my experience anything with long fins, such as male bettas, are prime targets for aggressive fin-nipping by tiger barbs. Also, almost anything smaller than the barbs is not a good choice. I had a tank once with only tiger barbs, the regular kind and the green barbs, but my tank was smaller. I've also had tiger barbs in a 10 gallon tank with dwarf angelfish and they were fine together. I like colorful fish, too, and made the mistake of putting a beautiful red male betta in with the barbs and some other fish. The poor betta was dead the next morning and had no fins left at all. Some of the larger tetras might be a good choice.

 
From: Karen
Subject: One of my favorites
I love the Tiger Barb, but they can be nippy. The secret, the more tigers the less they nip at other tank mates. I kept 10 in my 29 gallon with some kind of gourami, cories. Trying to rememeber what else I had in there, if anything, this was a few years ago. A 29 is not a large tank and can easily and quickly become overstocked so you have to be careful. (Oh, yeah, a clown loach was in there to. He tended to school with them, but he outgrew the tank and I had to return him). I would have no less than 5 tigers, they do behave much better in larger schools. Some of the smaller cichlids like Kribs make nice tankmates, other tetras but again these would be schooling fish. There are so many I can think of, did you have anything in mind?

 
From: Jessica
Subject: Re: One of my favorites
I had some fish in mind! Some neon tetras and maybe a little bit of the neons that are gold and clear. I also thought some yellow labs would be good but I don't know if they would be aggressive to the other fish. I thought of maybe getting some more tiger barbs too. I don't have any fish planned for sure. Thanks for suggesting some!

 
From: Karen
Subject: Re: One of my favorites
Tigers and neons are not a good mix, and the gold neons might be head and tail light tetras? Glowlight tetras? Gold tetras? I think the labs would be a bit more aggressive than what you are looking for. If you are looking for cichlids I would say rams or kribs.

 
From: Jessica
Subject: Re: One of my favorites
Thanks for the infromation. I think that gold and clear tetras are glowlight tetras. I was thinking about cichlids at one point and time. What are the ram and krib cichlids like? Would they go good together with my tiger barbs?

 
From: Karen
Subject: Re: One of my favorites
Kribs are fairly peaceful as far as cichlids go, however they can get teritorial when breeding. They tend to use less space than most cichlids. Rams the same thing. Using any cichlids has the risk of aggression but if you wanted to have some these are the two I recomend. Others may recomend others or not recomend these. They should get along ok with tigers, however if they do spawn the tigers will eat any young they can catch.

 
From: Carol Lewis
Subject: Mollies with the shimmies/black alge
Hi! I was reading thru' the many questions and came upon one that deals with mollies that have the shimmies. I have had mollies for about a year. I successfully bred the first one I owned! One day I came home from work and there were about 20 babies swimming around. The adult fish were eating them left and right. (I had boughten live barrers with this 'natural' protein in mind for my betta) I couldn't bare to see the little guys and gals devoured so I quickly grabbed a net and was able to save five. I put them in a bowl with treated water but no heater. They lived! Then one by one they died. When I had only two left I read that often times fry die from the shimmies. Looking at the little guys I noticed them shaking. Something I hadn't thought to look for. I bought some 'Molly Bright' and was able to save one. The other was too far gone. Also, can someone tell me how to control BLACK ALGE in my 29 gal tank?! I leave the light on for about 16 hrs. a day. Is this too long? Is there something I can purchase to kill this alge without harming my fish? Thanks! Carol

 
From: Karen
Subject: Re: Mollies with the shimmies/black alge
I have heard that Black algae is near impossible to kill, thankfully I have never had to deal with it. Unless you have a plant that requires that much light I would cut it back some. 8 - 10 hours is the normal recomendation.

 
From: Lynne
Subject: Help-Sick Betta!
I have a beautiful betta that I got about a year ago. He has always been healthy until a few weeks ago he had a scale right between the eyes that looked kind of grey. Now it has spread around his eye. Does anyone know what it is and how it can be treated?

 
From: Kathleen
Subject: Re: Help-Sick Betta!
Could it be that it's his natural coloration? Some bettas have gray on their heads and faces. Also their color changes as they get older.

 
From: Drew
Subject: Re: Help-Sick Betta!
Lynne, I am very (very) new to fish and taking care of them but I have a betta and I've used different medications to help treat them. As a norm I use 1 Teaspoon of aquarium (sp?) salt per gallon of water in their tank. But for any type of fungus growth, or bacteria infection I have used the following products with fantastic results. (Fish healed within 3-5 days) 1. Fungus Clear : its like an fizzing tab that makes the water blue. Just drop it in a let it "fizz" 1 tab per 10 gallons. (+/- $3.95 for 8 tabs) 2. Melafix: "A botanical remedy made from tea tree extract." This makes the water smell really fresh, and healthy. (1 teaspoon per 10 gallons. +/- 4.00 to treat 240 gallons.) I have used these myself for Black moors, orandas, and betas. The price may be cheaper where you are at because I live in Hawaii, which makes things a tad more expensive. This is just my own personal experience. There are a lot of people here that know much (much) more than me. I just wanted to let you know what I found effective. Thanks a lot! Drew

 
From: jessica
Subject: Re: Help-Sick Betta!
I used to have a betta so I have done my share of research. I think that your betta might have fungus. I t says that you can get rid of it by soaking your fish in non-iodized salt. About 1 tablespoon per gallon. I am not guaranteed that this is what it is or that that is the cure. I hope your betta gets better good luck!

 
From: Karen
Subject: Re: Help-Sick Betta!
Could be a fungus, would look into that suggestion. Also, some bettas do lose some of their color as they age. I undestand most bettas sold in stores are around 7 months old so yours would be getting close 2 years old which is getting up there for these guys.

 
From: Alyssa
Subject: AHHHHH sick fishies!!!!!!!
Please! I'm a idiot, i've noticed after my one angel died of what everyone figured was dropsy that the rest of my angels (2 breeding pairs) got torn fins (don't know the name but they're the see-through ones right by their gills). I took out the more aggressive pair and put them in a smaller tank, to treat their fins and let the other pair have a break from the fighting. I thought that was the reason for the tattered fins. Then i noticed on the isolated pair, that there is a white floaty-like stuff, kinda like fluff, on the fins also. So not knowing what it is i put some fungus eliminator in (which also claims to help clear bateria also). Running to my 50 g tank, i noticed that, yes, although not as bad, my other angels have it too. Then i noticed my Serpae Tetras!!! Th base of their tails, not the actual fin though, is swollen and angry looking, kinda purplely red. They act fine, no fin clamping or not eating. But my Balas, whom i always assumed were the most sensitive to disease, are apsolutly fine. I treated my large tank with Fungus Eliminator also. Can anyone put a name to this? Is it all the same kind of sickness?!

 
From: Alyssa
Subject: something else!
The Serpae tetras tails where it's discolored seem to have a film on them, kinda white-snot-like.

 
From: Karen
Subject: Re: something else!
Sounds like fungus, though the red discoloration by the tails sounds like an infection. I would do a large water change and watch those balas. They could have been nipping causing wounds that then became infected. So I would watch them for nipping and for disease. I think your med choice was good but would also add some salt. I think all your fish can handle some salt. I would gradually add salt so as not to shock your fish til you have 1 teaspoon per actual tank gallon. Remember that your rocks and decorations take up water space.

 
From: Alyssa
Subject: methylene blue?
Once again, thanks Karen. I added a little salt and it seems the angels are recovering enough to lay eggs (AGAIN!). I took out the 3 tetras with the red tails and will watch them closly along with the others to make sure no one else gets sick. I read some where about applying methylene blue (which i have) to help fungas and infections. There was even a little about applying it directly on to the fish and fins to help disinfect. Only warning was not to get it on the gills. I use m.b. in my fry tank when hatching angel eggs without parents to keep out the fungus. Is m.b. really that vesitile? Have you any experience with it? Thanks so much!

 
From: Karen
Subject: Re: methylene blue?
Tahnkfully I have had little to use methylene blue, but it does seem to be that versatile. I recently used Melafix and really was happy with the results, and the smell, tree tea oil. It is for disease and wound treatment.

 
From: Alyssa
Subject: AHHHHH sick fishies!!!!!!!
Please! I'm a idiot, i've noticed after my one angel died of what everyone figured was dropsy that the rest of my angels (2 breeding pairs) got torn fins (don't know the name but they're the see-through ones right by their gills). I took out the more aggressive pair and put them in a smaller tank, to treat their fins and let the other pair have a break from the fighting. I thought that was the reason for the

 
From: Alyssa
Subject: something else!
The Serpae tetras tails where it's discolored seem to have a film on them, kinda white-snot-like.

 
From: Bonnie
Subject: pregnant neon and pregnant marble hatchet
I have 25-gallon tank with 12 fish and 9 frogs. I have a pair of various species of nonagressive fish. I have one black/silver striped neon and one hatchet that are each chubby towards the upper half of their bodies. I think they are pregnant, but I am afraid the frogs with eat their eggs. Is it safe to plac eeach pregnant fish in a separate bowl with a filter until the eggs are layed? Do the male fish have to sprinkle sperm over the layed eggs or not? Please tell me what to do. Thanks.

 
From: Rebecca
Subject: Re: pregnant neon and pregnant marble hatchet
Hi Bonnie, You don't say what species of hatchetfish you have but I don't believe they are bred successfully in captivity yet. Neon tetras will breed but the spawnings are often unsuccessful unless you have a setup designed for them (very low pH between 5 and 6, fine leaved plants for them to scatter the eggs in.) The neons themselves will voraciously eat their own eggs as soon as they're laid. The frogs are only a secondary problem. The fry, if they hatch, will require special food and a tank of their own, if you're serious about breeding neons. I wanted to ask, do you have only 2 each of neons and hatchets? Both are schooling fish by nature which are much happier in groups of a half dozen or more. Hope this helps :)

 
From: Rebecca
Subject: Ah, MARBLE hatchets, duh...
Damn, I'm sorry, you SAID marble hatchet right in the subject line, I missed it, apologies! I was assuming they were common hatchets. Here is a web page with a bit of information about breeding marble hatchetfish. http://www.exotictropicals.com/encyclo/fresh/characins/marblehatchet.htm Cheers, R

 
From: Leslie
Subject: Betta Appetite
I have a beautiful multi-colored male betta who, until a couple of days ago, had a good appetite. Now, all of a sudden, he doesn't eat his betta bites. Other than that, he seems perfectly healthy. He is active, and I can see no signs of disease. Do bettas sometimes just not want to eat? Any ideas?

 
From: Kathleen
Subject: Re: Betta Appetite
If you are keeping him in a 2 and a half or 2 gal tank you should do complete water changes once a week unless you are cycling. You should also be conditioning the water. I use bottled spring water but I still condition it with Novaqua and Amquel for the ammonia. My bettas never stop eating unless they are sick...even with fin rot they will usually keep eating and acting normally..even with treatment going on.I've never had one stop eating for a few days and start again although I guess it's possible.

 
From: Karen
Subject: Re: Betta Appetite
Mine will sometimes not eat for a few days, I offer about 1/4 the normal food til they start again. If however it goes into a week I would maybe get concerned. Just watch for any other signs. What size tank is he in and any finny friends in with him? How often do you change the water and what water do you use?

 
From: Leslie
Subject: Re: Betta Appetite
Thanks for the comment. He ate 2 betta bites last night, so far none this morning, but he continues to look and act normal and healthy. As far as his tank, he was in a 3-chamber 2 1/2 gallon tank with my two other bettas, but I moved him a couple of days ago to a different 2 gallon tank to isolate him just in case he was getting sick. Yesterday I put a mirror up for him and he has been flaring at himself ever since (he had stopped doing that with the other males). I do at least partial (about 30-40%) water changes weekly or sooner if needed. Last night I added some aquarium salt to his tank just incase he has something going on I can't see. I think he's fine, and like you said, sometimes bettas just don't want to eat. I can't find any other explanation for it. Thanks!

 
From: fire ice
Subject: Re: Betta Appetite
my bettas just refuse to eat betta bites. they will,however, eat gelatin-based food, and freeze-dried red grubs. But he should start eating again soon

 
From: Lindsey
Subject: can anyone explain egg-bound ?
i need to know what egg bound means thanx' Lindsey

 
From: Karen
Subject: Re: can anyone explain egg-bound ?
Pretty much as it sounds. The female is full of eggs which for a variety of reasons she is unable to release or absorb. Could be physical or food or enviromental causes. Caged birds will get egg bound also.

 
From: Deanna
Subject: Neon Tetras aggressive & dying
My son Jake has a 29 gallon tank about a week and a half old. He put in 8 neon tetras and has been slowly losing them. The first one we found just floating. The last one seemed to be under attack from the other tetras and then was having trouble staying upright when swimnming. We think possibly swim blader disease. The other tetras are now attacking one another - seem to be nipping at fins, acting very aggressively. We're going to try changing 25% of the water today and see if that helps. Any suggestions? He's getting very depressed about losing them. Thanks for your help. Deanna

 
From: Leslie
Subject: Re: Neon Tetras aggressive & dying
Do you use any products to promote "good bacteria"? It's so common to lose fish quickly in a new tank. Are the neons the only fish in the tank? If there are others, what are they and how is their health? Have you checked pH, ammonia, and nitrite levels in your aquarium? Even if your tank water is good, you can get a batch (or one or two) sick fish and lose them quickly. It's happened to me, but I lost almost all of my fish when my tanks were new. The floating neon could've had swim bladder disease, but the aggression you describe the others as having, I've never witnessed except for healthy fish trying to rid the tank (their home) of sick/dying fish. Definitely test your water. Most pet stores will do this for you at little or no charge.

 
From: Deanna
Subject: Re: Neon Tetras aggressive & dying
Thanks Leslie. I went to Petco today and purchased some A.C.T. bacteria culture which we put in the tank when we got home. We also changed out 10% of the water with distilled and tested. Ph, ammonia, nitrates and nitrite checked out fine. The tetras are still nipping and biting one another. They are also very aggressively chasing. We'll keep watching and waiting. Thanks for the help. Deanna

 
From: Karen
Subject: Re: Neon Tetras aggressive & dying
In my opinion and that of many others the bacteria in a bottle is yuck. There is a shelf life and not necessarily the right kind of bacteria. If you lose all the fish you might try fishless cycling which is less stressful on the fish but still takes around 6 weeks. If all you had was 8 neons in a 29 I do not think the cycling process is what did them in. That is a pretty low bioload. I have always found neons to be touchy little buggers. If he likes the colors he might try cardinal tetras which are a little hardier. They may of had neon tetra disease which is always fatal and highly contagious.

 
From: Rebecca
Subject: Re: Neon Tetras aggressive & dying
Good advice, Karen. I too don't think 8 neons in a 29 could produce ammonia/nitrite in sufficient levels to kill themselves in 10 days, unless they were being fed a pound of raw steak per day :) Deanna, neons are not the hardiest fish and not the best for beginners. Cardinals are a better choice, but they are often wild-caught and in that case are often more sickly than neons. A better choice would be livebearers, especially platys, which are colorful, friendly, and very hardy. I don't know why you are using distilled water for your aquarium. Fish stores tend to keep their fish in your local dechlorinated tap water, and they do just fine in that at your house, assuming your tap water is drinkable. There is no need to use distilled water in aquariums and because it is completely pure, it lacks essential elements found in nature. In short, it's not a good idea to keep fish in it... for some reason people seem to be using this lately but I don't know why.

 
From: Leslie
Subject: Re: Neon Tetras aggressive & dying
You are right about some of the bacteria in a bottle being yuck, but I have found that if I cut the recommended dosage in half, it doesn't seem to foul my tank water. I do agree with you, too, that normal cycling with healthy fish is the absolute best way to get a tank in order. I currently have seven neons which have been in my "docile" tank for a number of months without any healthy problems. I've never seen aggression in any of the neons I've ever owned...it's usually them that get picked on. Deanna, you may want to check with your pet store and see what they carry for starter fish to get the healthy bacteria going before adding anything else. Good Luck!

 
From: sarah
Subject: Aquababies
Has anyone got an aquababy? I want one but I'm not sure if the biological filter is completly reliable. Let me know what you all think. Cheers.

 
From: Eddie
Subject: Re: Aquababies
they tell you to feed them a toothpick full of food every once in a while or so. they say you never have to clean the 'tank'. the fact is, in such a small enclosure with little food and no 'new' water the fish living in it will die. their life span is greatly shortened, they are more open to diseases, they get stunted. when a fish becomes stunted it's body stops growing but its insides keep growing, sooner or later the insides will be too much for a little body to hold. don't get an aquababy, it's cruel, stupid and inhumane. get a 5 gallon tank instead with a better or something.

 
From: Karen
Subject: Save your money
I'd rather see you get a 10 gallon tank and lid with some gravel and a gravel vacum and put 4 guppies or two frogs in that. even without a filter if you did regular water changes you will have much happier healthier prettier and normal looking fish with normal behaviour.

 
From: fire ice
Subject: Re: Save your money
plus, this will probably cost less than an Aquababies. Where I live, they're about $50

 
From: Leslie
Subject: Re: Save your money
What is an aquababy?

 
From: Eddie
Subject: Re: Save your money
go to a search engine and type "aquababies" or "aquababy"

 
From: Kathleen
Subject: Re: Save your money
I must tell you...I belong to PETA and they are researching and looking into aquababies. It is cruel and inhumane. No creature should be kept that way. I stated how I felt about these little torture chambers some months back on this board and got a nasty anonamous e mail message from someone...presumably a retailer who sells them... telling me that I should not talk about things I didn't know about and why didn't I tell the truth, I shouldn't give people the wrong information, etc. And 50 dollars?! My God! What nerve they have to try to sell those horrible things much less at that price! Thank you for questioning this!

 
From: Karen
Subject: Re: Save your money
Target has them for $20. here in Minnesota. An employee came up as I was looking at them and said they are so cute. I replied they are disgusting and she walked away. A mom was looking at them with her daughter and I commented they won't survive 6 months and they are cruel and she walked away, but I think she went back after I left and bought one anyway. Makes me want to picket the stores that sell them makes me so mad.

 
From: AJB
Subject: Re: Save your money
The mom will be wondering how you knew it would be dead in a week or two.

 
From: Karen
Subject: Re: Save your money
I know, but she did not want to hear the truth about them. One little cube has 4 frogs in it. So sad.

 
From: Clint
Subject: Has anyone used "Golden Pearls" fish food?
If you have used Golden Pearls or The no BS fry food I'd like to hear how you liked them and if they lived up to your expectations. Clint

 
From: Karen
Subject: Re: Has anyone used "Golden Pearls" fish food?
Never heard of it before.

 
From: Lindsey
Subject: ph strips
I am in a SERIOUS shortage of ph strips. There is no pet store where i live. The problem is that my faimily has a hot tub and has ph strips for that. Would they be ok for fish tanks to??

 
From: Clint
Subject: Re: ph strips
I agree with Karen, the pH strips for the hot tub should be as accurate as aquarium pH strips. But I would like to tell you that if your pH is within 6 to 8 then the best thing you can do for your fish is to let them adjust to your waters natural pH and not try to continuosly change it. Fish and plants are very adaptable to pH and hardness as long as it's within reasonable limits and if it's stable. Adding chemicals to alter the pH will usually do more harm than good because it will be bouncing around (unstable) and it will be one less problem for you to worry about. I went thru the same thing, I was determined to have a certain pH and it took years for me to realize that it was best just to leave it alone. I havent tested pH in years now, and I am happy and my fish are happier.

 
From: Karen
Subject: Re: ph strips
Try it, if you know what your ph is in your tanks try it. Just be sure to test water in a cup and do not put the water back in the tank.

 
From: Michele
Subject: breeding guarami's
I was wondering if anyone can give me any advice on breeding guarami's. We have a pair, and I think that one may be pregnant but I don't know for sure. Any help would be appreciated. Michele

 
From: Rebecca
Subject: Re: breeding guarami's
What kind of gouramis are they? Normally the male builds a bubblenest on the surface, they spawn underneath, and the male puts the eggs into the bubbleness and guards them and the fry. Males may become very aggressive to other fish in the tank, including the female. If you want to know the ideal conditions for breeding it would help if you said what species of gourami you have.

 
From: christina
Subject: fish deaths
okay, here's the deal: i bought six corys and two bristlenose plecos a week ago. prior to that i only had tetras (neons, head and tail light, and serpae) tetras in my tank. i have had a few deaths since setting up my tank (55 gal) more than 2 mths ago, but hadn't had any for more than 2 weeks. ever since i put the corys and plecos in my tank i've found at least one fish dead a day. four of my corys have died. i took one of their little bodies to the pet store where i bought them and they told me it looked like internal bleeding and that maybe they were being beat up on. for those of you who read my messages, you probably recall my complaining about my serpaes being aggressive. anyway, she checked my water and said that my nitrites/nitrates (whichever one is bad) was high and that i was probably overfeeding. her advice was to do a 10% water change every other day for a week to see if that straightened things out. my ph reading was about 7.6 and there was no ammonia detected. i have also lost a serpae tetra and multiple neons in addition to the loss of the four corys mentioned above. the deceased corys and tetras looked okay other than loss of color a little while before they die and what looks like some sort of internal bleeding/hemorrhaging. a friend of mine has said he has a lot of trouble keeping corys alive. from what i've read about, corys are supposed to be pretty hardy, aren't they? does anyone have any idea about what might be killing my fish? p.s. i swear my plecos aren't eating. how much should i be giving them to eat and when? also, i was siphoning out during a water change last night and moved the castle that my plecos hide in and there was this filmy frothy (snot looking stuff) that i siphoned out. any idea what that might be? i'm at wits end. i hate that my fish are dying on me left and right and could really use some 'words of wisdom'

 
From: Karen
Subject: Re: fish deaths
OK, first the easy one. Feeding your plecos at night after the lights go out, they are night feeders and will have a better chance at the food. They like algae wafers and zuchini. Attaching it up near the top of the tank will give them an even better chance against the cories. >> filmy frothy (snot looking stuff) <> This could be a clue as to what is killing your fish, or not. I am wondering if this could be uneaten food that has hidden and gone "moldy". Internal bleeding is a sign of high ammonia, nitrites, nitrates. Could also be bacterial, if there is bloating it could be , grrrr what is the name???? Also known as pinecone disease. Velvet can have the same thing, are there any spots or other signs of ilness? in general cories are very hardy fish, with their thicker scales most fish do not bother them too much.

 
From: christina
Subject: karen follow-up
no bloating to fish. lost another neon as of this morning. i'm going to continue to do water changes every other day for at least a week and see if that doesn't help. should i do it every day or is every other day good enough? i have a ph tester and ammonia level check, but didn't have anything for nitrates/nitrites so i bought one of those, as well. i understand that it's not all that important to worry about hardness or ph level -- is that your experience? for awhile i was trying to get the ph to closer to 7 by putting in tablets that are supposed to reduce the ph, but it didn't seem to be going down so i more or less just gave up and am letting it just stay where it's at. sound about right? about hardness? i wasn't worrying about that too much either. i know we have pretty hard water, but everyone seemed to be doing fine until a week ago. i got the snot looking stuff out of the tank as soon as i saw it. i have little algae sinking wafers -- i fed two to my plecos last night. my plecos had been hiding since i got them last wednesday, but yesterday the one was out feeding on the glass with the lights on -- yea! i was sooooo excited. my fish are all piggies and tend to go to the bottom for leftovers. i'm not so much afraid the plecos aren't going to have anything to eat cuz they can eat algae and my other fish are pretty active during the day so definitely slow down at night, but my corys don't have a whole lot of luck getting food. i know they aren't 'garbage' eaters so how do i make sure they get food too. i only have two corys left right now -- hopefully they will survive. any idea about real hardy corys or are they all pretty hardy? the ones i have are panda corys (started out with 6 and am now down to 2).