Online Freshwater Livestock Store? - 08/19/2005
What is a good web site to order freshwater fish/snails/crabs online?
<As far as fish are concerned, you might try http://www.liveaquaria.com/ .  Crabs - please keep in mind that there are NO truely aquatic, freshwater crabs available in the hobby in the US, to my understanding....  ALL are brackish to marine animals, or absolutely require a land mass....  For some pretty neat fish and inverts, http://www.franksaquarium.com/ .  Some really awesome North American natives can be found at http://www.jonahsaquarium.com/ .  Hope you find what you're looking for!  Wishing you well,  -Sabrina>

Just a quick question, missing livebearers post holiday  7/14/07
Hi, I currently own a ten gallon tank with a few platies and a guppy inside it, along with a few platies that are small. I went on vacation and notice that a few are missing.
<Sorry to hear that. Be sure and figure out *why* before adding anything new. Check water chemistry and quality, for example, and double check you're using the right food, i.e., something vegetable/algae based rather than generic flake food.>
I think they might be dead, and I just want to know your suggestions on what might have happened...
<No idea without more details. Water chemistry, water quality, number of each species, how long you were gone, what foods used, etc....>
...and what kind of crabs and shrimps are compatible with them.
<None. Crabs are [a] amphibious so need somewhere to walk on land and [b] predatory. Shrimps can work with small fish but they are generally delicate and if you can't keep guppies alive then you're probably not at the stage in your hobby where buying shrimps would be worthwhile. That is, unless you don't mind the shrimps being dead in 4 weeks. Seriously, they need excellent water quality, the correct diet, and safe places for moulting where they can't be molested.>
I usually leave fry in the tank instead of separating them and I want a few to live, are these good to add to the tank?
<Don't understand this. Do you mean the crabs and shrimps are good to add to the tank? If so, no.>
Or are they bad like Albino Aquatic Frogs? (I had bad experiences with them)
<Not "bad" but just wrong for you and your aquarium. Crabs need their own vivarium a bit like something used for newts or frogs, with some water for bathing but also some dry land for social behaviour and feeding. Shrimps are really something for the semi-advanced hobbyist. Most of the ones sold end up dying within a few weeks when thrown into generic community tanks. Cheers, Neale>