From: Angel 1/14/02
Subject: thinking of getting a new betta for my 55gal
okay I have a 55gal tank and will that be to much room for him that's the question??
From: Matthys Kroon 1/14/02
Subject: Re: thinking of getting a new betta for my 55gal
Do you intend to keep him in the tank by himself ?
From: jones 1/14/02
Subject: large community tank/snails & guppies
For 6 years I have had a huge tank with a variety of species (2 water dragons, frogs, a salamander, a large red-eared slider, gold-fish, plecos, guppies, snails etc.) I have lots of egg clutches above the water line which never hatch (I would like to hatch a few to have more snails or tank food) and I have an over-population of guppies.
Does anyone have a tank similar to this? What could I add to control the guppies? The turtle only eats turtle food. Why don't the snail eggs hatch?
This tank is so much fun but apparently only to me. I don't know anyone who shares my enthusiasm so I thought I would check out this site.
From: AJB 1/14/02
Subject: Re: large community tank/snails & guppies
Your tank has a mix of fish in it that should have not worked, but if it did/does, I will keep my mouth shut.
I had the same problem with platies. Then, I just GAVE them to the LFS, and they sell them as feeders. Some times they actually insist I get credit to the store, because I have given them a lot of free fish, and sometimes I raise a couple and sell them to the LFS, which they resell as display fish.
I like livebearers, mostly because they are so easy to breed. I have sold some strange livebearer species to the LFS, and have made $5 a fish on some of them.
HTH,
AJB
From: Karen 1/14/02
Subject: Re: large community tank/snails & guppies
Please do not tell me all these are in the same tank at the same time! How large a tank are we talking here ? I have seen people do all the wrong things and it still works but if this is all in ine tank it takes the cake.
Anyway, the eggs may not be snail eggs but fish eggs. Some do lay them that way. Two females will spawn together in some species, but of course the eggs are infertile. My only guess.
From: jones 1/14/02
Subject: Re: large community tank/snails & guppies
Thank you both for your responses. I'd love to know why my tank shouldn't work. I have heard this before, but it has been working fine for 6 years, I guess it could fail but I hope it doesn't. I really like the set-up. The tank is very big, over 150 gallon size but only the bottom third has water in it. There are many plants and dry land and branches with a fountain in the middle. I have had plecos grow to 18" and then died and I had a goldfish grow to almost 10" and was then eaten by the turtle, but I suspect he died or was very sick first. Other than that, almost everything is original. I now have a new water dragon I am watching carefully, but he is doing fine. The old dragon is looking a little old.
I guess I am the only one with a tank like this. I had hoped I would find someone else. I am sure the eggs are from the snails, they are about 12" above the water line. THey appear almost every morning. I guessed they weren't fertilized, but I was hoping they needed something I could supply :-).
From: Karen 1/14/02
Subject: Re: large community tank/snails & guppies
I can tell you why it works.
Luck, you must keep it clean, and it is large so everyone has room to move around.
I bet it is interesting to watch however.
From: Levi 1/14/02
Subject: To much lighting?
I will be keeping Jewel Cichlids in a 29 gallon tank
and in most of the pictures I have seen of the species the lighting was fairly dark. Do Jewel Cichlids like less light? My 29 gallon is pretty well lit.
From: AJB 1/14/02
Subject: Re: To much lighting?
How much light do you have? If you have enough hiding places, even nocturnal animals will come out when the lights are on. Today my clown loach came out, inverted, and took food from the surface of the water, this with 124W of light beeming down on him.
AJB
From: Karen 1/14/02
Subject: Re: To much lighting?
Nice choice, I have a pair of jewels in my 29. Keep in mind they will allow nothing else in with them.
Mine are kept in a low lit tank with a plant that hangs across the top of the water. They seem happy enough but have yet to spawn as far as I know, which is fine. I've had my share of baby fish.
From: Tara 1/14/02
Subject: Mollie fry
My black mollie has been in my 5 gallon for about a week because she was obviously close to birth. Well this morning I found 1 fry....woo hoo. But its the only one found. it is almost as big as the fry i had at Christmas and as far as i know this is her first spawn...so what i want to know is how likely it is that she had just 1 and how long will they actually spawn (a couple hours or a couple days)? I missed the first one my fish died and they the fry were...if she might have more I would kinda like to catch it. Thanks
From: Angel 1/14/02
Subject: Re: Mollie fry
mollies do eat their fry, if your tank is heavily planted they might be hiding. She can give birth for 2 or 3 days
Angel
From: Tara 1/14/02
Subject: Re: Mollie fry
I think she (mom) is still pretty young. Shes the smallest of my 3 mollies and the fry i did find was pretty big (almost as big as my 1 month old fry who have grown a lot) so I really am not expecting her to have too many more. The fry I found looked like it was too big for her to eat.
From: Angel 1/14/02
Subject: Re: Mollie fry
it could be another fry that was born a month ago cause i've had that happen to me and it's fun to find new fish in your tank.
Angel
From: Tara 1/14/02
Subject: Re: Mollie fry
I wouldn't think so because I moved everyone to a 29 gallon and the tank has been empty for a couple weeks till i moved my mollie back. I did leave it running but I never noticed anyone in there. Also my first are all white and this one is definately black.....I know they can be mixed though so i guess i'll just have to wait and see.
From: sw 1/14/02
Subject: betta with ich!
My betta has ich! I have read that if you put them in a concentrated salt bath (with aqurium salt and water) that you can kill the parasite within about 20 minutes.
My betta is in a big jar with plants and rocks (which I have to clean now) and I had planned to try the salt bath and then boil everything before returning him to the jar with new water.
I have also started ich treatment, but it doesn't seem to be helping yet, maybe because the temperature of the water is too low......
Does anyone have any ideas? Ever tried the salt bath?
From: Karen 1/14/02
Subject: Re: betta with ich!
You can't kill ich in 20 minutes.
Condensed info here.
Ich lives in 3 stages. On the fish, in the water column and in the gravel.
You can only kill it in the free swmming stage.
Up the water temp to 80 to speed up the reproduction. Salt is great, about 1 tsp per gallon added gradually so as not to stress the guy. You can use salt with ich meds. Takes about 4-5 days or longer depending on the severity and the temp. Some people use just salt or just the meds, I do both.
From: Angel 1/14/02
Subject: still need to know about river snails
I still need help???
From: Karen 1/14/02
Subject: Re: still need to know about river snails
What do you want to know?
Must have missed it if you asked before, sorry if I did.
If you are collecting them yourself they may be carrying disease to your tank. They also multiply very fast.
From: Angel 1/14/02
Subject: Re: so river snails will multiply??
cause my daughter wants to put it in her betta tank..
From: Karen 1/14/02
Subject: Re: so river snails will multiply??
Personally I wouldn't. They multiply, at least the ones around here do.
From: Angel 1/14/02
Subject: Re: snails
can some look at my post from last night
From: Attila 1/14/02
Subject: Tablesalt in aquarium?
Hi everyone,
On this site there is a page called something like "Product Review" and it says its okay to put tablesalt in aquariums. Is this true?? And if it is how much do bettas need?
From: Clint 1/14/02
Subject: Re: Tablesalt in aquarium?
The use of table salt is my opinion. The salt you buy (pay thru the nose for) in petshops is the same thing that is used to melt ice on roads. If you use some "aquarium" salt from a shop, dissolve some in a glass of water and look at what is on the bottom of the glass. This is the stuff they sell as "aquarium salt" not marine salt for saltwater tanks (which will raise the ph along with some other things that might not be beneficial.
The iodine issue just won't go away. The minute trace of iodine in table salt (that is approved for human consumption)will not hurt fish, it is an essential element for all living things. It might even help some fish who aren't getting any trace of iodine in their diet.
The biggest argument against salt is that fish will do fine without it. That is true most of the time. But even the most steadfast salt nonusers will have to aggree that salt in the aquarium will heal wounds, kill parasites and generally perk up sick fish. So my opinion is if it's good for sick fish, and it prevents most of the common fish problems, and it costs about .005 a gallon to use why would you not want to use it? Unless you have stock in a fish medicine company and want to spread rumors about common easy to use home remedies that out-compete your products in every way. In fact if you'll look at the ingredients in a lot of water conditioners, medicines, and other water additives for aquarium water you'll see that they are selling you salt along with some other ingredient to make it sound like it's something you can't get anywhere else.
Afterall I could run around naked in the snow and "survive", but I don't, because I use clothes to protect me. I think of salt in the aquarium as protection for the fish.
The use of salt in freshwater aquariums is one of the foundation points in my whole website. I am a firm advocate of it's merits. Salt and copper based medicines are the only medicines I ever use.
Copper is 100 times more dangerous than salt, so thats another story altogther.
Some of the things you see that are just flat out wrong about salt are:
Corydoras can't tolerate salt in the water, frogs can't tolerate salt, snails can't take salt, plants can't take salt, neon tetras, discus, and the list goes on. At the rate of 1 teaspoon per gallon all these organisms will have no adverse reaction at all. And it will most definately benefit the fish, and probably the frogs too, but I have never had a sick frog (maybe it's the salt?).
This is one of my "pet" projects, so I'm sorry if I come on too strong about it.
everyone has their own opinion.
Clint
From: Chris 1/14/02
Subject: Re: Tablesalt in aquarium?
Yes, you can put tablesalt in your tank, but you can go out and buy aquarium salt, which is better. If you use salt, follow it's instructions or use 1 teaspoon of salt per gallon of water. I hope this helps.
Chris
From: Karen 1/14/02
Subject: Re: Tablesalt in aquarium?
Table salt is fine if you want to.
Some people use Kosher from the grocery store.
I buy Ocean Salt from the petstore, but you can use aquarium salt as well.
Not all fish like salt, I used to keep 1/2 tsp per gallon for my fish but have discontinued doing so.
From: Lynanne 1/14/02
Subject: Re: Tablesalt in aquarium?
I've heard both ways -- I've heard that its fine in a pinch (no pun intended) but that it shouldnt be used long term because of the added iodine and its potential for toxicity. If I remember right, kosher salt isn't iodinized so its a good alternative.
In any case, regular table salt is just sodium chloride whereas aquarium salt contains additional electrolytes that are helpful to the fish. These aren't essential except in the case of illness.
From: Ben 1/14/02
Subject: Yellow Tang with Red Spots????
Yes I have a yellow tang that has gotten Red Spots on him I don't know what is wrong anyone out their that can help me please.
Answers Looking for: What are the Red Spots? , What Caused them? , and how to Get rid of them. Thanks.
From: Karen 1/14/02
Subject: Re: Yellow Tang with Red Spots????
I myself do not have any idea.
From: Matthys 1/14/02
Subject: Re: Earthworms !!
Thanks, I'm not likely to ever try the milk idea again.
What about food inside the worm's digestive tract, or is that little enough ?
From: Karen 1/14/02
Subject: Re: Earthworms !!
Make sure they are from a weed free pesticide free area. I am not sure how long it would take for chemicals toleave a worms body if they ever do.
I keep mine on slightly moist paper towels and sprinkle a little fish food on top.
From: Karen 1/14/02
Subject: and
I keep them in the fridge.
From: Karen 1/14/02
Subject: Re: walking catfish
Yes.
They also get very large and are illegal in some states.
From: AJB 1/14/02
Subject: Re: walking catfish
When Karen says "very large", I say, "not in my aquariums."
Walking catfish: 24" in length, calling for a huge aquarium, for just one of them.
They are already in the wild in some states, such as florida, due to the raising of them in outdoor ponds, then the fish proceed to follow the walking part of their name, transfering to a wild body of water.
AJB
From: Karen 1/14/02
Subject: Finally found this post
You said in the other thread your daughter wanted to put it in with her betta.
If the snail came from brackish water I would keep it brackish. Although bettas can be kept with some salt they are not brackish. Although brackish is verying in its salinity.
Can you describe the snail as far as coloring goes? (I should have asked that before). What river was it found in, or part of the country.
If you have a fish store close by you might take it there and ask them.
From: Angel 1/14/02
Subject: Re: Finally found this post
okay thank you karen, well it's flat on top and cone shape tan and brown stripes and found in the little Mantee River, Florida. and i thought it was a shell she picked up. My daughter is only 2yrs old. we were picking shells up.it's only 3cm.
It's small. Will it multiply or do they want bigger shells. I have it in a bucket right now.
From: Chris 1/14/02
Subject: Found him!
Hey,
I found the little booger, and he has been burrowing in the gravel.
Chris
From: seth 1/14/02
Subject: Re: disease
I also forgot to add that my tank was cleaned about four weeks ago.
From: seth 1/14/02
Subject: Re: First thoughts
I have a Zerbra Danio witch has a bottom red finand is sploched with red
From: katie 1/14/02
Subject: Re: Betta Names
I have a one gallon with UGF as well. I completley change my water very often even though it has the ugf...like every two days, if i am in a rush one day I change like 70% percent of the water. I hope you won't rely on the one gallon to do all the work:) I almost lost a fish thinking since it is a tank-the water changes every two days aren't necessary, but because of the ammonia build up in such a small tank, as well as waste and uneaten food.....i would still treat it as a one gallon bowl-this is just my experience...bettas are beautiful and its cool you are getting one!
lets see....i'll have to think on the names...running late for work-such an addict!
katie
From: ILUZFISH 1/14/02
Subject: Re: Betta Names
I love the Andy Griffith Show too. I have Opie, Aunt Bee, Barney, Andy, Ellie, Gomer, Helen, ThelmaLou, and Claira. It has got to be my favorite old time show!
From: Karen 1/14/02
Subject: Re: Betta Names
It is, hands down.
I prefer the older episodes with Barney, but a goood show.
From: Carly 1/14/02
Subject: Re: Identification please
I'm absolutly POSITIVE thats is NOT a tiger barb! it has the same body shape as my white cloud minnow but a totally different color, somebody has to have seen a fish like this, i'll see if i can get a pic of it and post it up and write the address but im 100% positive its not a tiger barb
From: Kathleen 1/14/02
Subject: Re: Spring water
I've always used spring water...not distilled or ozonated(reverse osmosis). My bettas have done fine in it. I still condition it with Novaqua and
Amquel. I also use Polyaqua by Kordon in it. I use
it because the tap water where I live has very high chlorine, chloramines, and nitrites in it. It smells very bad and has had toxic algae in it in the past. I don't drink it either.
From: Jeff 1/14/02
Subject: Re: A Tale Of Three Dead Frogs- Clint can you help solve?
got the worm from outside after it rained, crawled onto my steps. water temp may have dropped to 69 deg F
From: Kristen 1/14/02
Subject: Re: gouramis.. male or female?
Hi. Thanks for the help. The new one is a male then... and they are getting along much better. Thanks again
From: Karen 1/14/02
Subject: Re: partial water changes
Twenty percent every 2 weeks. Let things settle down before adding any more. Takes about 6 weeks to cycle a tank.
The cycle stuff is a waste of money to me. I have never heard of anyone having good luck with it. Must be someone as they keep selling the stuff.