From: Steph 1/29/02
Subject: Re: bio-what?
Bio-wheels and bio-bugs are very important in maintaining a healthy tank. A bio-wheel is a filtration system, it has an intake tube that sucks water up from your tank into a filter, and from there the water passes into the bio-wheel which releases the water back into the tank. The filter collects unwanted materials and the bio-wheel over time collects beneficial bacteria which keeps ammonia and nitrite levels down. Bio-bugs live on the bio-wheel and also on your aquarium's gravel and do the same. When you first get your tank and add fish, your ammonia level in the tank will rise, do weekly water changes of up to 30% of water per week. After this your ammonia levels will diminish and then nitrite levels will rise. Continue with the weekly water changes and after 2-3 weeks this will decrease or diminish as well. After this your tanks water will have developed nitrates, this is healthy and works with the bio-wheel and bio-bugs to keep your tanks water levels healthy. Do not add all of your fish at once, add fish slowly and increase gradually over time. Good luck!
From: Jody 1/29/02
Subject: New Aquarius
My freshwater aquarium has been set up (fishless) for 5 days now. The water was perfectly clear until the fourth day and then I noticed that it was very cloudy. Why is this? I have a very good filter. There are no fish in the tank yet.
From: Lee 1/29/02
Subject: Re: New Aquarius
It's affectionately called "new tank syndrome". welcome to the aquarium world... :) just let the tank run a bit longer and it should clear up itself; at least mine always do. good luck
From: Karen 1/29/02
Subject: Re: New Aquarius
Could be a few things. Have you added any chemicals, water conditioners when setting up the tank? Adjusted the ph at all? Are all the aquarium decorations for tanks or did you pick some up in your yard? Could anything have accidentally fallen in the tank?
When you add your fish don't put everyone in at once, or you will see a very cloudy tank. Add them a few at a time over a month or two.
From: bonnie 1/29/02
Subject: betta fish
my betta has a bulging eye only his rt eye; he has a healthy appetite.
The fin on his back lays down all the time. He is not very active. Could he need oxygen? He sits on the bottom alot also.
From: Kathleen 1/29/02
Subject: Re: betta fish
It sounds like he has popeye and clamped fin. There are specific treatments for these. I will find out and post again.
From: Karen 1/29/02
Subject: Re: betta fish
I am thinking a bacterial infection. I would gradually add 1 tsp salt per gallon to his water then go to the store and pick up some meds for a bacterial infection.
Let's see what others might think.
From: Leslie 1/29/02
Subject: Re: betta fish
I have a white skirt tetra that lost an eye after being injured by a gourami. I noticed her eye bulging and so I did a partial water change and added tetracycline to the hospital tank I put her in. She was very afraid and was hiding a lot and her eye remained bulging even after treatment for what I assume was popeye or an eye injury. Anyways, she started swimming around more, had a healthy appetite, and her ragged tail and fins were growing back. I put her back into the 55G community tank and she acted perfectly normal. After about 3 days of being back in the big tank, I was looking at her and realized she didn't look right. Then she turned and swam the other way and I saw what was wrong...her left eye was completely gone! There was no bleeding or any indication that she'd been picked on. Someone on this board thought that maybe her eye had fungus in it and my Chinese algae eater was after that and got her whole eye. That was about 3 months ago and she's still swimming around like always. I winder if she was sick from that eye because it seemed after it came out, she perked way up.
As far as your betta, I agree with Karen (as always). Tetracycline is ok, but there are other antibiotics that are stronger...I think it's the ones that have "mycin" in the name, like erythromycin.
From: Sharon 1/31/02
Subject: Re: betta fish
Well, I'm going to ask some questions. First, how does the ammonia, nitrates and nitrites test in the tank. Also, what size is the tank. Filtered or not. If not, how often do you do water changes?
Sharon
From: Lori Andersen 1/29/02
Subject: fading stripes on tiger barbs
HELP!!!! I have a 10d old 25G tank which is stocked with 6 tiger barbs, 8 zebra danios, and 2 cory cats. Everyone was happy, very active, seemingly constantly hungry and looking great until yesterday.
Two days ago I checked the pH and it was 6.4 (down from 6.5 where I started). I called my fish store and was advised to do nothing since the tank had not yet cycled (nitrites were 0). I decided to top off the tank yesterday morning with an additional 2G of conditioned (dechloraminator and aquarium salt added) water as a way of bringing the pH up a little. By the afternoon I noticed that one of the tiger barbs' stripes had started to fade. Everyone was still swimming around and eating hungrily.
This morning three of the barbs have fading stripes and the first fish's tail and last stripe are just about clear. But they ate breakfast fine. It is now the afternoon and the first fish is swimming less and hanging out in the back of the tank. The other two are still at normal activity level. (The Zebras are absolutely zipping around -- perhaps even more than usual and the Corys are on the prowl, so they all seem fine.)
Anyone have any advice? I know there are often casualties as a tank first cycles, but I'm not convinced this is the issue. I'm also not happy about losing fish -- and certainly wouldn't have expected the tiger barbs to be the first to go!
Email can be posted to this board or sent directly to me at andersen@massmed.org
Thanks!
Lori
From: lloyd_ii 1/30/02
Subject: Re: fading stripes on tiger barbs
tiger barbs are just weird fish, mine lose and regain theircolors all the time. they also like to rest nose down, they shiver sometimes. and these guys are in a little over a year old. they are just a quirky fish, like many others.
From: Leslie 1/29/02
Subject: Re: fading stripes on tiger barbs
My tiger barbs lose some of their stripe colors when they're sleeping...just like the colors fade a bit on my neons when the light goes out. Ammonia may be the problem, but my husband and I just do not have much luck with barbs, except cherry barbs. We have 7 very small tigers in a well-established 10G tank and we lost a green tiger today. He had been previously picked on and I had taken out to heal in another tank. He'd only been back in the barb tank for a few days. It's like they remembered they enjoyed picking on him and I guess he wasn't strong enough this time around. My barbs also swim for awhile very actively and then it's like they just get tired and take a rest. As long as yours are doing that and eating normally (ravenously), I'd say the behavior is really normal for barbs. I do know that if the tank gets too warm (above 76), my barbs are not as active.
From: Karen 1/29/02
Subject: Re: fading stripes on tiger barbs
I am guessing ammonia spike. I would have recomended starting with fewer fish. There is no need to lose fish with the first cycle. Tiger barbs are not fond of salt, and when topping off the tank do not add anymore salt to the top off water, salt does not evaporate.
I would do a water change every day or every other day may be bettter as your tank is not overstocked for a cycled tank, but yours is new so I would do about 5 gallons every other day.
Hope this helps, if not maybe we can think of something else.
From: Karen 1/29/02
Subject: Re: For Karen...
Glad to offer some help.
Goldfish are the most abused fish I can think of.
A fantail goldfish can reach a body length of between 9-12 inches and live 15+ years with luck and good care. Part of that good care is at least 20 galllons per fish although with water changes 10 will do, but even one goldfish should be kept in a 20 gallon long. They need the room.
Yes Petco and many of the other big chain stores will say they can live in these small tanks, because most people do not realize how long these guys can live, and if they survive a few years think that is good. Then people go back and buy a new one.
Another fish I thought of would be the paradise gourami. You could keep one in a 5 gallon tank.
But we will try to keep your fish happy.
From: fire ice 1/29/02
Subject: Re: For Karen...
dwarf gouramis are good, too. Just try to only get one male and then if you get females it should freferably be more than one, which would be overstocking your tank...you could try just a male with the platies. Or, instead of platies, you could get some mollies, they tend not to eat their fry as much, although I'm in the process of checking this out (I have a new silver one in my 10-gal, who's belly is HUGE, so I think she'll have the fry soon) Your son will also like seeing the fry, especially if you get a breeder trap -more expense, I know, but it's worth it in the long run because some pet shops will take the fry once they're older for some credit which could contribute to your bigger tank fund if you still want a bigger one. Otherwise, the parents will probably eat the fry (platies, at least, like I said earlier) which is healthy for them, think of it as sushi : )
From: Karen 1/29/02
Subject: Hi again
This is really hard because your goldfish need larger space as I posted above and the why's.
However to make your golds as comfortable as possible for as long as possible (because I certainly understand bugdet constraints and kids and other pets and husband and space) I will try to simplify this for you.
Goldfish are messy messy fish. They give off alot of fishy waste, more so than a slimmer smaller fish so they pollute their tank much quicker.
You need good filtration which you have, just need to divert the flow if possible. A tall plastic plant right in front of the filter might work, one that lays over the top of the water just a little.
The less gravel, rocks and decorations the more water you will have in the tank. I have no gravel in my gold tank a few plants and a tall thin rock for them to swim around.
For water quality you need to do water changes. There is a very cheap hose they sell for around $5 usually, best investment you can make. Vacum the gravel and change 50% of the tank water at least once a week.
This will keep them happy and healthy for awhile, and if luck prevails you may keep them happy a full year. You can pick up a ten pretty cheap and the filter you have will fit it fine and the gravel and all you now have will be fine. When you can that is.
But I still recomend returning the fish and choosing something else, but as they are your sons fish I understand you may not wish to do this.
From: Brandy 1/29/02
Subject: Re: Hi again
I am going to return the fish today...I would love to have them last me 25yrs but due to the space, a bigger tank just wont work..I think I may get the 3 Platies as you had suggested. I saw some pics onlune and they look beutiful & somewhat similar, to a 2yr old. He won't even know the difference. As long as one is gold b/c he calls any gold fish a gold!! ;-) Thank you again & I will keep you updated on how everything works out! Brandy
From: Karen 1/29/02
Subject: Re: Hi again
I would love to know how it works out and how he likes them.
Good luck.
From: Barb 1/29/02
Subject: Re: pregnant platy
I used a bio bag that you put the charcoal in to cover up the intake, it lets enough water flow through. It worked for me.
From: Lynanne 1/29/02
Subject: Re: pregnant platy
Although I would definitely reccomend the modifications Clint suggests, having babies sucked into a filter accidently is not always the disaster one might suspect.
Monday I had a pregnant female guppy drop her fry earlier than expected in a 5 gallon hospital tank that was completely bare. Another male guppy in the tank must have helped her "clean up" because there was not a fry in sight. I turned off the filter, opened it and found one fry (dead) on the filter cartridge but couldn't see any more. Just in case, I poured the water out into a container and found 5 live fry actively swimming around. I couldn't believe it!
In any case, congrats on the new fish!
From: Karen 1/29/02
Subject: Re: missing fish
I am going to go with all of the above. Depending on what other fish you have they probably bacame dinner.
From: Christopher 1/29/02
Subject: Re: missing fish
I bought 3 baby spotted loaches about 3 weeks ago. The day after I could only find 2 of them. but just yesterday I spotted the 3rd one hiding in a small cave way in the back of my 55 gal. how big is your tank, and how many spots are "invisible" when you look at the tank from different angles. It might be there and just hiding. Also, look for a white puffy mass on the bottom of the tank. That is a good indication that it died and was eaten.
From: Karen 1/29/02
Subject: Re: Betta in a vase (again)
Along with the problems Clint mentioned some of the vases are so small.
If it is a larger vase, fed regularly, water changed regularly and the roots kept trimmed so the fish can move around and at least 50% of the water surface is open the fish should be fine.
I have not done the lily but I did have a couple of bettas in vases and I rooted my philodnedrons in their vases. I thought it looked really nice and the bettas seemsed to enjoy swimming around the plant stems.
From: fire ice 1/29/02
Subject: Re: Betta in a vase (again)
Philedendron is a bog plant? I never knew that...interesting. Anyway, As an alternative from live fish, she could get some of those pretty glass fish, you know, the painted ones attached to fishing line, and then to a glass bubble kinda shaped like a hershey's kiss that keeps them suspended in mid-water... that way she doesn't need to change water or feed them, and she can chose from different kinds, shapes, and colors of fish.
From: Karen 1/29/02
Subject: Philodendron
No a philodendron is not a bog plant but it can live for a long time with it's roots in water, I had one over a year that way.
From: AJB 1/29/02
Subject: Re: Tips for purchasing a Betta
Little white spots. There are various 'cures', but let us know the one you plan on using. (if you do use some)
AJB
From: Lee 1/29/02
Subject: Re: what do you guys think?
Like Karen said, I'd put the Betta in last.
From: sylvia ludlow 1/29/02
Subject: Re: ghost fish
Thanks for the response....but mine is not black...it is more blue/gray, is long with a beautiful long fin under it's body. He has eyes
but I was told that they are blind or almost blind and go by a sort of radar. I have had it for a week and it seems to be doing okay in with many other fish...in a 125 gallon tank.
From: christopher 1/29/02
Subject: Re: just thought I share something :)
I have a frog in my 55 gal. that will watch me and come to my hand whenever I have to get into the tank to see if I have any frozen blood worms.