Go To Archives Index

From: Lois Vallance 12/19/01
Subject: Very sad. Neons and bettas sick
I added 3 neon tetras to my tank with 2 young female bettas and 2 young corys Saturday night. Last night(Tuesday) when I came home one of the tetras was dead--I could not see anything wrong. This morning one of the other tetras was very inactive and had fuzzy stuff at the mouth, and one of the betta's mouth seemed lighter in color than usual and she would eat then spit it out. I started Furan 2 this am. This evening the tetra is more active, but the betta is much worse--can see the fuzz at the mouth, and the second betta probably has it too. I have added some aquarium salt--don't want to get too agressive with it because of the cories. I suspect the tetras since they showed symptoms first, but don't know. Any advice? I guess I just wanted to share. Thanks.

From: Leslie 12/20/01
Subject: Re: Very sad. Neons and bettas sick
Sounds fungal to me, too. I've had the same thing happen when I introduced new neons to alread-existing tanks. As far as the bettas go, they naturally tend to eat and spit out and then take more bites the same way...if they're hungry. I had a male that didn't eat but one betta bite for 3 days. I continued to feed him as usual, but scooped out the uneaten food after enough time had passed. After that 3rd day, he perked up and started eating again. Of course, I don't know what you feed your female bettas. I have one female in a community tank and she eats flakes like the other fish, but she'll still take a bite and spit part of it out. It's just a normal betta thing. Keep up with the Furan for the duration...don't stop it early! I did that once and my other female betta died. The fuzzy stuff is fungus and can be from illness or at an injury site, but can almost consume a fish even before it dies. I also have corys and have found that they are pretty tolerant of salt, but what size tank do you have?

From: Lois 12/20/01
Subject: Re: Very sad. Neons and bettas sick
Tank is 7 gallons. I know I was pushing it bio-loadwise for adult size, but the fish are young and pretty small. The tetra looks better this morning (ie moving around more), and the other tetra still looks OK. Little Red is worse, seems to be struggling for air (nose above water), and Peachie is very quiet, neither is eating. Definitely sick. Fed the others, more medication, and lights out. I saw a post someplace, may not even have been this forum, that said that not all cories are scaleless. Do you know anything about that? These are corydoras aeneus. I never had any major trouble before--I have 7 tetras in another tank and they were all just fine. I guess I will have to think more seriously about a quarantine tank.

From: Stacey 12/19/01
Subject: Snail???
Somehow, and I don't know how, I have a tiny snail in with my betta and 2 mollies. We noticed him several weeks ago and he was quite small, obviously he is getting enough to eat because he is growing. What is it that they eat? How might he have gotten in there? And what kind of snail is it?? Is it harmful to my fish? Thanx.

From: Karen 12/19/01
Subject: Re: Snail???
Not harmful but does add to your bioload. Eats uneaten food and aglae. Usually come in on live plants.

From: Stacey 12/19/01
Subject: Re: Snail???
Biolode? Okay fill me in, what exactly is that? So if clean my tank, and get rid of the algae and stuff, will that hurt the snail?

From: Eric 12/20/01
Subject: Re: Snail???
Cleaning the tank is fine. The snail will eat the food that fall to the bottom of the tank that the fish don't eat, so even if there's no algae to eat it's ok. It's good to clean the tank, especially now that your tank has to support another animal. Snails don't need to be fed the way fish do - I mean they don't need to be fed regularly everyday. Just don't add salt to the water if you want to keep the snail :o) Eric

From: Stacey 12/20/01
Subject: Re: Snail???
Thanx for the help. I don't plan on killing him, I just figure since he is there I might as well take care of him. I started out with 10 fish in separate tanks. I had 2 betta's in separate tanks, and 4 mollies in another larger tank and some goldfish, well when I bought the goldfish, the store never explained to me about ph levels, amonia levels, etc...even though I told them I had never had them before. I only found out how to take care of them through this webpage!! Unfortunately I was too late to save my black moor. Eventually they all died but the 3 I have left, so if a snail wants to hang out with them thats fine by me!!! He seems to be doing quite well and the fish don't seem to mind. Sorry for rambling on. Thanx to everyone who offered advice to me about my fish.

From: biolode 12/20/01
Subject: Re: Snail???
Biolode refers to the amount of animals (fish, snails ...) that the size of your tank has to support. Adding fish, snails...to a tank will increase it's bioload, increases the amount of animals it has to support. If the tank is not big enough to handle that many animals, you've overstocked/overloaded the tank, and the animals start to suffer. Eric

From: Stacey 12/20/01
Subject: Re: Snail???
Oh okay, well its a 12 gallon tank with 3 small fish, so I think its okay.

From: brenda 12/19/01
Subject: mollie tank
I checked the ammonia this morning in our 10 gallon fish tank which has been established since june of this year. We had a slight ammonia spike with this brownish looking stuff in the sample I took. Someone mentioned this could be algae. If it is, I don't see it in the fish tank. I have 5 baby fry and a silver male. What can I do? I don't want to loose my fish

From: Leslie 12/20/01
Subject: Re: mollie tank
My tanks are 10 gallons and I do weekly gravel vac and water changes. I just did mine yesterday. The water usually has a greeissh hue to it, but since I've gotten a couple fo algae eaters, the water wasn't green yesterday, but a bit brown. I think it was just dirty water. Also, is it only in the water or do you see it as tufts or slimy stuff...same color....around the bottom in/near filter? The good bacteria in all of my tanks is brown. I used to scrub it out thinging it was bad, but I also used to lose a lot of fish by doing so.

From: Karen 12/19/01
Subject: Re: mollie tank
How often do you do a water change? Do you rinse your filter and put in clean media? Could be a brown algae floating in the water column or it could be dirty water. Another thing I have seen happen and not knowing your situation and water sorce, well anyway. When they flush the hydrants here our water gets this brown look to it, and if it happens when I am doing my tanks I have gotten that brown color in my water. It has only happened twice.

From: Kathy 12/19/01
Subject: Sailfin Mollies changing sex?
I had about 20 sailfin molly fry when the daddy died. All the fry were female about 4 months old. one of the fry about 1/2 inch long turned into a male,with all the correct parts. 3 months later I have 6 males very interested in the remaining females. Will they be sterile?

From: Karen 12/19/01
Subject: Re: Sailfin Mollies changing sex?
More than likely they just matured enough for you to tell them apart.

From: Anna 12/19/01
Subject: puffer fish
This is kinda a stupid pipe dream but can a dog faced puffer fish or any puffer for that matter live happily in a 29gal tank? I don't want an unhappy fish and I really don't want a dead fish. The tank is unoccupied and I don't even know if puffers are salt water. This was a "that fish is so cute thing" and I have every entention of researching them, but not if there isn't one small enough for my tank. Thanx

From: Anna again 12/19/01
Subject: Re: puffer fish
I just read about a dwarf fresh water puffer would this be any good for a beginer? thanx again!

From: Karen 12/19/01
Subject: Re: puffer fish
I do not think of any puffer as being a good beginners fish. They need special foods to keep their teeth worn down. Some are fresh water, some brackish and some salt. Some can tolerate all three if acclimated slowly. Some will love all the space a 29 will offer and some will hate the tight quarters so be sure and find out the full size. Also try and find out where it occurs naturally.

From: Michele 12/19/01
Subject: What is the best way to rinse brine shrimp?
I was told I needed to rinse the bbs before feeding them to my fry. Can I rinse them through paper towels? Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks once again for coming to my rescue! Michele

From: AJB 12/19/01
Subject: Re: What is the best way to rinse brine shrimp?
Yes paper towels will work, but you can get special nets with a fine mesh made for straining brine shrimp; they are usually less than $2 and you can find them at www.petwarehouse.com. HTH AJB

From: me 12/19/01
Subject: empty 29 gallon tank
I own a 29 gal tank and I want to start a community tank, they need to be VERY hardie because I have had Mollies in a 10 gallon years ago and they all died in like a mounth and 2 goldfish in my 29 gallon tank which died in 2 weeks after getting like 3 different diseases. Well i completely cleaned out the tank and it has been running for a mounth fishless :( and now I want to fill it again but i don't know what to get and I don't want goldfish or mollies again. any help is appreciated! thanx

From: Leslie 12/19/01
Subject: Re: empty 29 gallon tank
Do you prefer docile fish or some that are more general or semi-aggressive/aggressive? The hardiest fish I have owned...and still own without ever having a problem...are cherry barbs (the males are quite pretty), one dward powder-blue gourami, 3 bleeding heart tetras (which can pick on smaller fish), female bettas (there are some very pretty ones out there now). Like you, I have been through the molly thing, but have 4 now that seem hardy. Also, my corydoras catfish (I have 2 albino, one very large emerald green, one small green, and one spotted...not in the same tank) have all done well. But I think I would say the cherry barbs are the hardiest, then the corys and bleeding heart tetras. I have had the cherry barbs the longest and NOTHING seems to bother them in the least. I only have 2, which is what I started out with. Those are my best fish. Never been sick, never have had a problem with any of them even when in a tank with bad sickness, they keep right on going.

From: jessica 12/19/01
Subject: Re: empty 29 gallon tank
If you wouldn't mind some kind of aggressive fish then I would suggest getting tiger barbs. They are very pretty and are very hardy from my experience!

From: Karen 12/19/01
Subject: Goody Goody Goody, my favorite question
But first a few for you. What look are you going for? Peaceful Community? Biotope or geographic where the fish all come from the same area and it is setup to look that way. Peaceful community where it is just colorful and active? Single Species? Large group or just a pair? Maybe a single fish? Lot's of live plants or plastic, makes a difference as some fish eat plants. If we know what look you have in mind we can be more specific.

From: me 12/19/01
Subject: Re: Goody Goody Goody, my favorite question
my tand has lots of plants and things to hide in but I was thinking of a very active and colorful tank someone gave me this list and I want to check if it will work 7 cardinal tetra's (I would buy these first to cycle the tank) 3 albino cories 2 dwarf gourami's and if there is anyroom later on anysuggestions would be appreciated.

From: fire ice 12/20/01
Subject: Re: Goody Goody Goody, my favorite question
I wouldn't suggest dwarf gouramis.From my experience, (and stated on several sites)they are fairly hard to care for. They are usually a bit sickly if the nitrites are too high or if they don't like the pH. Above that, they're picky eaters. Mine will only eat food that has sunken to the bottom of the breeder trap, which he picks at through the mesh. He sometimes goes to the surface to eat, but only when it's to eat freeze-dried blood worms. Anyway, you could give them a try, but make sure you keep your tank understocked and do frequent water changes and if your water isn't too far from 7. Good luck!

From: Lindsey 12/19/01
Subject: what is a dither fish??
i have been wondering what a dither fish is

From: Timboi 12/19/01
Subject: Re: what is a dither fish??
I think (and people may correct me if I'm wrong) that a dither fish is usally a small schooling fish (like perhaps zebra danio or neon tetra) that will make bigger fish feel safe. The idea is that if the big fish sees smaller ones swimming around happily, it'll be assured there is no nasty huge fish predator floating in the vicinity, and won't have to hide - or something like that

From: AJB 12/19/01
Subject: Re: what is a dither fish??
Yes that is mostly correct, but zebra danios are TOO active, to be dither fish. Tetras and rasboras are good dither fish. I use harlequin (sp?) rasboras as a dither fish for my rams, because the rams are very shy. HTH AJB

From: Mike 12/19/01
Subject: Hard water in Toronto
Hi, Thanks for your answers AJB, Clint, Karen and Timboi. This is a really good messageboard. (BTW who is maintaining the website, is it Clint only ?, I just wanted to say "Keep it up, it's a great website"...) Here in Toronto, the water is so hard and my pH goes up to more than 7.8 (deep blue with the testing kit) after a few days in the tank. I was told that the hardness makes the pH goes up. (This is bad for my tetra). I usually add some boiled water to my water to adjust the temperature of my aged water to that of my tank. (I keep my water in a room that does not have a heater). I heard that boiling water lowers the hardness, at least it gets rid of the calcium. I also have Java ferns (love those) and a driftwood in my tank to favor low pH. Now, I am thinking of adding some peat moss in my aquaclear to lower the pH. I don't want to put in any chemical solution to bring the pH down. How do I know how much peat moss to put ? How quickly does it lower the pH ? I don't want to bring the pH down too quickly. One more question: What kind of fish likes high pH ? I read that African cichlids do.

From: Karen 12/19/01
Subject: Re: Hard water in Toronto
I keep tetras, bumble bee gobies, jewel cichlids, newts, ghost shrimp, bettas, danios, goldfish, african cichlids,,, I think that is all at this time. My ph is 8-8.5. I find it far more stressful on my fish to mess around with my ph than to leave well enough alone. However I do not keep neons or angels as they do not seem to adapt well to the ph. African cichlids do well in hard water. Most fish will adapt to harder water. The exeption is if you are trying to breed a more sensitive fish that is not easily bred.

From: Leslie 12/19/01
Subject: A VERY SAD DAY...DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN...
I just had to euthanize 2 healthy gouramis. They were both males, bullies, and had outgrown their own tanks. They couldn't even be in a huge tank with each other and they ate and mauled many of my other fish before I isolated them. "Two-spot", the largest, was a beautiful gray-blue and "Gold" was a little smaller and had one spot. I couldn't stand to see them in those tiny little tanks any longer. I could not find anyone at all to take them and I thought it was cruel to leave them in those tiny little tanks. They could hardly move. Anyways, I used a method given to me on this board using clove oil and whiskey. I also put in a little viscous lidocaine. Two-spot was first and the worst. Although it didn't take him too long to die, he fought it so hard that I almost took him out, but I knew even if he lived, he'd never be the same. I stayed with him and told him I was so sorry. Gold didn't fight it, he basically just laid down and went to sleep. I feel terrible. I just killed two of God's beautiful creatures all because I didn't do my homework in the beginning and find out all I could before purchasing those fish. I do own one other gourami, but he's a very docile dwarf variety and gets along well with the others in the community tank. All I can say is, if there's a fish you see that you like, get all the info on it that you can before making the purchase. Know what you're getting into. It isn't the fish's fault that he gets real big and aggressive. Good lfs' will ask you where you're going to put the fish (tank size, other fish, etc.) before making the sell, but there are just too many out to make a few bucks and couldn't care less what happens to the fish. I will never, ever euthanize a healthy fish again. I am writing this through tears which will probably continue for at least the rest of the night. I don't feel sorry for me, I feel sorry for what I did and I hope no one else ever has to experience what I did this afternoon.

From: Tigerbarb 12/19/01
Subject: Re: A VERY SAD DAY...DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN...
I suppose I'm stupid because when I had loads of fish, and one was showing symptoms that the med would'nt seem to cure, I couldnt get rid of it.Thats probably why a load of others got sick. Next time, I am going to buy one goldfish! It is unfair. You see poor goldfish in tiny bowls with no substrate or anything and they live for ages, but if you try sooooo hard to look after your fish, it dies. You cant win.

From: Karen 12/19/01
Subject: Don't beat yourself up to much
You have learned something, those two fish taught you more than any of us ever could. I wish we had lived close enough that I could have taken them, but sadly that is not the case. You did what you thought and felt best and did not make the decision lightly.

From: Leslie 12/19/01
Subject: Re: Don't beat yourself up to much
You are right about the fact that I thought long and hard about it. I guess if Two-Spot had gone as gently as Gold, then I wouldn't even be this upset. Also, if there had been any indication of sickness, I guess that would've been an excuse. It's just that Two-Spot fought it so long and hard and because of that, I added a little more whiskey to the brew....maybe that's why Gold went faster and easier. I sure would've given them to you in a heartbeat if I could've. Thanks for your encouragement, too. Luckily, I have some decent pictures of 2-spot to remember him by. I just wanted people who are a little newer to aquarium-keeping to stop and find out about the fish they are about to buy...before they buy it. They may be fish and a lot of people think they don't feel things, but once you've kept them and cared for them you know better. This message board is the best. I look at it almost everyday and am in a constant state of learning. Even though my 2 big gouramis are now gone, I still have many other fish, a couple of frogs, 2 cats, and a young dog to keep me occupied in addition to my hubby and me going through the requirements to adopt a kid or two! My hubby had given me the ok to get a canary since I'd had one as a kid and always wanted another, but I've decided against it for the time-being for many reasons. Thanks to Clint for a wonderful messageboard and website, and thanks to everyone who has taken the time to give me advice over the last couple of months. Once we get our personal info-type page in, I'll include a couple of shots of Two-Spot and see if I can't fine one of Gold, too. You are right about this being a tremendous learning experience. I am just not willing to let go of the fact that my poor Two-Spot had a hard time and wouldn't give his life up so easily. He was a very strong guy. I was a nurse for 12 years and took care of many people who ended up dying, but I think I've cried more with my animals than I ever did with them! Thanks for everything!

From: Kathleen 12/19/01
Subject: Re: Don't beat yourself up to much
I had to euthanize a sick betta once but I will never do it again. He was sick but he still fought to live. It was awful. I know exactly how you feel. I still cry over it and that was in August. It's a very hard thing to do. It really takes guts to do it and not feel any remorse.

From: Leslie 12/20/01
Subject: Re: Don't beat yourself up to much
Yeah, I told my husband last night that I could never be a vet and have to do that to any animal just because it wasn't wanted. I also lost my first and favorite male betta back in September, but he was very sick, I think possibly with TB. Even though I did not euthanize him and he was extremely weak, he fought to the very end. I think he knew I was there, though, when he took his last breath. I did the same with the gouramis. I am still very upset this morning about what I did. Their places are empty and even though it was impossible for me to keep them, I certainly didn't hate them and I have a big hole in my heart for them right now. Time will heal it, but right now it hurts. Thanks for all the words of encouragement.

From: Tigerbarb 12/19/01
Subject: To leslie and Karen from Tigerbarb.
Hello. Thanks for listening. When I clean them out I use water conditioner and I take the sponge thing out of the filter and rinse it in the water I have taken out of the tank. I remove any new fish from their bag with a net and dont put in the mongy fish shop water. The salt I use can be used in conjunction with an anti bacterial med and also acts as a pH balancer. ( neutral 7/7.5) It also gets rid of evil organisms like fungus. I last bought one small tiger barb or three months ago to keep my two barbs company and he has been absolutely fine. I dont want to lose these lil guys but in a way I wish i could just have a healthy aquarium with a couple of mollies in.

From: Leslie 12/19/01
Subject: Re: To leslie and Karen from Tigerbarb.
You sounds like you do everything possible to keep a healthy aquarium. It's frustrating to see fish get sick or die all of a sudden. I just took a dead tiger barb out of my tank, but the barb tank is pretty new and this guy never would hang out with the others. I guess I knew all along something was wrong, but sometimes things seem to happen for no reason. I think you're using the right treatment on your barb or it wouldn't have gotten better the first time. As far as mollies go, sometimes they're really healthy and sometimes they're not. All depends on what kind of process they've been through before they come to live with you.

From: Karen 12/19/01
Subject: I really think you are onto something here Leslie
The care a fish gets before we get it is very important. Unfortunatley we rarely ever have the chance to find out. Also fish are being bred so fast and in such large quantities that I am not sure they are as strong as the wild ones. Little thought or time is put into healthy stock. I too think Tigerbarb is dong about all they can.

From: SLI 12/18/01
Subject: pregnant fish??
i have a swollen bellied tetra. i don't know if it's a girl or a boy, but there ARE more than one of the same species in the tank. what do i do and how do i check if it is pregnant? i have put her in a small bowl. i hope this is ok.

From: fire ice 12/19/01
Subject: Re: pregnant fish??
return him/her to the tank. they lay eggs, so they need the opposite sex around anyway. The only fish who have live babies are guppies, mollies, platies, and swordtails.

From: colleen 12/18/01
Subject: Mollies - Out of control reproduction
Hi, I bought four mollies (three black and one sailfin dalmation) last year at Walmart. I now have about 75 mollies in the same 10 gallon tank that I started with. They won't stop reproducing. Is there anything that I can do to stop them from having babies without hurting them? I can't afford a larger tank and they are overcrowded as it is. Thanks for your help!

From: Jim Bradley 12/18/01
Subject: Re: Mollies - Out of control reproduction
There is nothing you can do......well there are some alternatives. First remove all males or females(75 fish in a 10 gal you are up shits creek with ammonia and high nitrate). Then call around family and friends and try to adopt them out. If that fails call a local fish store and I'm positive they will find homes for your fish.

From: colleen 12/19/01
Subject: Re: Mollies - Out of control reproduction
Thanks Jim and fireice - I have to change one third of the water every two-three days and have to change the whisper filter twice a week. It is getting kind of expensive to keep these Walmart fish.

From: Leslie 12/18/01
Subject: Re: Mollies - Out of control reproduction
Oh, my gosh! 75 mollies in a 10-gallon??? I have one male pearl white lyretail, one pearl white lyretail female, one dalmnation (very large) female, and one marigold (?) (also very large) female. I agree with what fire ice says; however, if you take away camouflage, such as plants, rocks, etc. that babies can hide in, likely the adults will eat them. Somehow one or two always manage to live....they are true survivors. It sounds cruel to let them be eaten, but it's their population control, and also, how cruel is it for 75 mollies to be in a 10-gallon tank? I feel sorry for you! Short of buying at least another 10-gallon set-up (about $55 for tank, kit, and stand at Wal-Mart) to separate the males and females, getting something to eat the babies and young ones is just about the only thing you can do. You sure started off with 4 fertile, strong mollies, didn't you? Can you tell how many males vs. how many females you have now? If one sex is much higher in # than the other, you could get a 5-gallon tank ($30 at Wal-Mart) which doesn't require a sturdy stand, put it on a counter/strong table, and put the lower #'d mollies there. I would suggest from now on, if you're going to buy livebearers, get only females! As far as trying to sell/give them away to your lfs, good luck! The ones around here will just not take them even to use as bait or for free to sell. I've also heard that many other times on this board. Keep us up-to-date!

From: colleen 12/19/01
Subject: Re: Mollies - Out of control reproduction
Thanks for all of the feedback. Since the mollies are a mixture of black and dalmation, they are not very attractive and would probably be use to feed other fish (not something that I would be happy about). I thought that at some point they would stop reproducing but no such luck. The poor algae eater it really annoyed with them. Does anyone know how to tell the difference between a male and a female molly?

From: fire ice 12/18/01
Subject: Re: Mollies - Out of control reproduction
Won't the parents eat the babies? I know guppies, in particular, (or it might just be mine cuz I have the slow-growing, more aggressive, almost colorless wild type) will eat their young if they can get to them. Anyway, try to sell (or give, just get them to take them) most of them to local petshops.the smallest ones can be disposed of just by getting a fish of another species, who will eat them. This will sound like overcrouding the tank, but in the end it will help. Any other livebearer will do: platie, swordtail, or guppy. I'm suggesting livebearers because they like the salt mollies need and don't mind a temp a bit higher. so add this fish, which, since it isn't a mollie, will eat any new babies, and then wait until some of the babies grow to adults and, as they do, sell, give, whatever, them to petshops. good luck!

From: Eric 12/18/01
Subject: thingy hanging from my betta
Hi, This sounds kinda dumb, but I've been watching my betta like hours everyday since I've got him 4 weeks ago, and I've never seen him poop, except maybe till today. Right now, there's a light brown glob hanging out of his underside just a few cm from his gills. It's right between the two strips of "fins", like the bear thing. Is that a dropping? Do they poop very often?, caz this is the first time i've seen it poop in like a month. Thanks, Eric

From: Leslie 12/18/01
Subject: Re: thingy hanging from my betta
Bettas must not poop often. When I change out their water (I have 4 males), there is never much poop in the bottom. Plus, I have never seen mine poop, either. What I find is more of a rounded brown ball in the gravel. I'm sure what you're seeing is poop, so I wouldn't worry. They are peaceful to watch, aren't they?

From: fire ice 12/18/01
Subject: Re: thingy hanging from my betta
I'm not sure if it is poop, but if it's kind of stringy then it probably is. Actually, I've never seen any of my 3 bettas poop, so I guess it doesn't tend to trail out like other fish (swordtails, goldfish, zebras, guppies, etc. sometimes have an inch or so of poop hanging out of them)

From: Eric 12/19/01
Subject: Re: thingy hanging from my betta
The poop (yeah, it's probably poop) was more of a rounded glob ob brown, like Leslie said. It took quite a while for my betta to finally drop it, like a half hour or so. I didn't acutally see the drop. Yeah, betta poop definitely look a lot different from other fish.

From: AJB 12/18/01
Subject: Had-A-Snail; safe for very sensitive fish?
Is this medication safe for rams? I don't want to kill my two ten dollar rams being stupid. Thanks, AJB

From: Clint 12/18/01
Subject: Re: Had-A-Snail; safe for very sensitive fish?
As long as you don't go over the one drop per gallon directive. Don't use it in a shrimp tank. I'll get back to you on the trade, I'm waiting to see how the heterandia are gonna do and if I need to go on another collecting trip. I updated the het.htm page with new pictures of them. http://petfish.net/het.htm

From: AJB 12/18/01
Subject: Re: Had-A-Snail; safe for very sensitive fish?
Ok, thanks Clint. I can't wait for our trade! :-) AJB

From: Tanya 12/18/01
Subject: Betta & Peace Lilly
Need help

From: Lois 12/18/01
Subject: Re: Betta & Peace Lilly
If you do this, suggest you get the biggest vase you can. I fell in love with the look at a mall and brought one home, but then I did some research on line and decided it was not the best thing for the fish, who is now in a tank. They can survive in the vase if you take really, really good care of them, but I decided he would be a lot happier in other conditions. The peace lily looks just great in the vase without the fish, and the fish looks just great swimming around in the bigger space. I have a heater in the tank because my house gets so cold at night, and he is more active in the warmer water. Good luck with whatever you do. They are really lovely fish aren't they?

From: Timboi 12/18/01
Subject: Re: Betta & Peace Lilly
What is this peace lilly and betta thing? Is it a craze or some sort of fengshui? I'm just asking because I've heard alot of people doing it with specifically peace lillies and bettas and I'm wondering what all the fuss is about.

From: Tanya 12/18/01
Subject: Re: Betta & Peace Lilly
How do you make the peace lilly adjust to living in water and how long do you have to wait before placing the fish in the vase with the plant? Thanks.

From: Karen 12/18/01
Subject: Re: Betta & Peace Lilly
Most of us will recomend keeping the peace lillyin soil and the fish in its own tank. If you really want to do this here is my suggestions. I would wait til the peace lily is adapted to life in the water. Any dead or rotting roots need to be removed quickly so as not to foul the water.When you add the fish make sure at least 50% of the water surface is open for the fish. Change the water every 3-4 days depending on the size of the tank. Feed the fish every day to every other say. Make sure the roots do not get so large or thick that the fish can not swim around.

From: Kathleen 12/18/01
Subject: Re: Betta & Peace Lilly
Please don't do this to the poor fish. It's a torturous life for him...not to mention unhealthy.

From: Beth 12/18/01
Subject: HELP!!!
Noticed some white spots on the sydontis today its all over his body and his eyes. We moved him to the hospital talk till we can determine the problem. Now at least 3 other fish have the same thing, they are all clown loaches. HELP what can I do to help them all. All advice is appreciated. Just so you know we do weekly water changes, every saturday and water tests all was perfect with the tank. We have added a few new fish. The sydontis is the only one that is seperated at the moment. Thanks Beth

From: Karen 12/18/01
Subject: Re: HELP!!!
Did you quarantine the new fish for 3 weeks first? Sounds like ich. Loaches are tougher to treat for ich as many meds adverly affect them. You will need to go to your store and read the labels and find one that will work on loaches. I would also add salt, gradually at water changeing times adding salt to the water you are adding not straight into the main tank. With loaches I would start with 1/4 tsp per gallon. Could also be velvet, do the spots look like salt or more powdery? Salt is ich and powdery could be velvet. I am guessing ich as it is more common/

From: AJB 12/18/01
Subject: Re: HELP!!!
As usual, Karen beat me too it, and didn't leave a thing out that I was going to say.... She is just to quick. ;-) AJB

From: Beth 12/18/01
Subject: Re: HELP!!!
After some research I realized it was Ick, but I didnt really have the option to quarantine :( just dont have the space. I will try all your advice and lets HOPE all goes well. Thanks so much for all your great advice. Beth

From: Christopher 12/18/01
Subject: Re: HELP!!!
Got the meds today for the tank. Talked to the guy at the pet store and he said that Aquatronics Formalite 2 would be perfect for the fish in our tank. It says that it cant be used on invertabrates on salt water tanks, so I am kinda woried about our ghost shrimp...only have one left. If I cant find him to move him in the morning when I start treatments I guess he will just have to ride it out. Wish me luck. I am going to do a 50% water change, remove the carbon filters, medicate the tank, and then take our 5 year old to the doctor for a nasty sore throght. Will let you all know how things are going in about 5 days.

From: Karen 12/19/01
Subject: Re: HELP!!!
Hope your 5 yeard old feels better, the ghost shrimp makes it and the fish do well.

From: Scott J 12/18/01
Subject: Keeping Sharks
I currently have a 150-gal. saltwater aquarium, but would like to upgrade to a larger tank that will accommodate sharks and rays only. What equipment (i.e. pumps, filters, etc.) will I need to support a tank that is approx. 1200 gallons. There are plenty of resources for buying sharks/rays, but not much on setting up tanks for these species.

From: Timboi 12/18/01
Subject: Re: Keeping Sharks
You might find someone who can help you on: www.aquariacentral.com or http://www.aqualink-too.com/ubb/board/ultimatebb.cgi There are alot of people who go to those boards that should be able to point you in the right direction

From: AJB 12/18/01
Subject: Re: Keeping Sharks
All I could tell you is that they probably will not make it unless your water is perfect. What ever filter(s) you find, the combined total would need to be at least 5000gph, maybe more. If you don't mind the noise, a pond filter might work, although I am not sure. HTH AJB

From: Karen 12/18/01
Subject: Re: Keeping Sharks
This is a tough one. I could make suggestions but as with AJB, no experience with anything this large. I do know it is difficult at best to keep sharks and rays, needing a minimum 500 gallons each. Be very sure of the type of shark you purchase as only a few stay small enough for the home aquarium. You will prbably be able to get the pump info from wherever you order this tank from.

From: Ashli 12/18/01
Subject: Need help with my guppys
hello, last night i found 5 fry in my tank, so i took my mollies out so they would not eat the fry, sence they are large. but left my two females and my male guppy in the tank with the fry. when i woke up my male guppy was dead, i have no clue why. I still have the females and the fry in the tank togetter. and they seam to be doing fine, please e-mail me if you think i should do something or have any ideas that could help me out,thanks,ash