Re: Redigobius balteatus, sys.  - 11/07/09
Hi Neale, how are you?
<I am well, thanks for asking Michelle.>
For various reasons it is taking a little bit longer to get the tank up and going but it is on track. Couple questions if you don't mind:
<By all means.>
The oyster shells are rather sharp, should they be filed down?
<No need.>
Also, when I looked up Oyster Reef on the net I see pictures of hundreds of oysters together forming one long massive bed. Can you find pictures of more like I should be aiming for when gluing them together?
<What you're seeing is what you're after! You can be creative here. The idea is to glue the shells with the part call the umbo (the "hinge") inwards, and the gape (the "opening") outwards. Think of it like a bunch of
flowers made from oyster shells, so you're going to end up with something that has lots of openings pointing in lots of different directions.>
Is there a floating plant that will work in brackish water?
<At low salinities, up to SG 1.003, which should be fine for Redigobius balteatus, Indian Fern does just fine. Hornwort also tolerates low-end brackish conditions rather well.>
Should I move my seeded filters and set up the plants and get the fish in the tank when it is just fresh water and then adapt them to brackish, or can it be brackish from the start?
<I'd set the thing up as a freshwater tank, and then raise the salinity to SG 1.003 across a week, in a series of small water changes. Filter bacteria are usually fine, but plants can sometimes be a bit funny about being moved from one tank to another, even without changes in water chemistry. The fish will fine in freshwater for a few days.>
Thanks for your help!
Michelle
<Cheers, Neale.>

75 gallon community; all sorts of selection and compatibility "issues" - 11/07/09 Dear WWM, <Hello John,> I currently have a 75 gallon FW aquarium with a canister filter, heater, and bubbler running for the past month. This tank is a direct upgrade from a 30 gallon tank I had been running and only has 2 additions in the past month. The tank currently is stocked with a 1 Tinfoil barb <Schooling fish, will get very big eventually.> 1 Plecostomus <Gets big, very quickly, and is incredibly messy; usually recommend Ancistrus (Bristlenose cats) instead.> 1 Dalmatian Molly <Does best in brackish water; tend to be delicate in freshwater.> 1 Kissing Gourami 1 Red Tailed Shark <Aggressive, but this tank should be adequate to avoid serious problems.> 1 Albino Rainbow Shark <Ditto; in fact, be surprised if these two Shark-Minnows don't spend all the time chasing each other.> 1 Eclipse Catfish <Also known as the Sun Catfish, Horabagrus brachysoma; gets very big (45 cm!) and is a schooling, non-territorial predator; will eat many of these fishes.> 1 Pictus Catfish <Also a schooling predator.> 1 Albino Cory Catfish <A schooling fish; likely terrified kept on its own.> 1 Snail 1 Dragon Goby <Gobioides sp., I take it? Definitely a brackish water fish, and will not live long in freshwater.> and had had 1 Powder Blue dwarf Gourami. <Dead, I take it; no surprise, these are garbage fish in my opinion. Avoid.> Now that you know about me let me tell you my problem. Attached is a picture of my Dwarf Gourami, note the perforations in his tail and odd spots on his side. <Could be bite marks, to be honest. In a tank with these animals, a Dwarf Gourami is at best a sitting target for aggression, and at worst, live food.> I believe this to be Dwarf Gourami Disease or perhaps a bacterial infection like fin rot but I do not know. <Could be either.> The problem is that I had a fire red Dwarf Gourami about 2.5 months back that came down with a very similar disease, that fish died. I am wondering if all my other fish are at risk or if this is simply a manifestation of DGD and I should not worry for the rest of my aquarium? <I'd write of Colisa lalia and be done with them. So, do you have problems with the aquarium? Yes indeed! The mix of fish is, let us say, adventurous, and the Dragon Goby at the very least has a limited lifespan without being moved to a brackish water aquarium. http://homepage.mac.com/nmonks/Projects/FAQ/6b.html There are schooling fish in there that need to be kept in groups, and some of the fish get extremely large and/or are predatory. Time to pick up a book about aquarium fish, read up on what they need, and concentrate on keeping fish that you are prepared to provide for properly. Keeping single specimens of schooling fish isn't fair, and keeping brackish water fish in a freshwater aquarium is doomed.> Thank you for your time <Always happy to help.> Sincerely, John <Cheers, Neale.>

Iridovirus

Guppy fry stopped coming??? - 11/07/09
Hi there, your site is amazing and I am THRILLED to have found it, thanks so much for helping all of us owners and all our fish! I am sure you have saved many lives.
<Thanks for the kind words.>
I have already searched your site for several hours and can not seem to find an answer yet, although similar time period of a day or two but not over a week.
<Oh?>
I will give you background. I have a 10gal with 2male & 1 female (angry little thing so she did not get to be with the other pregnant mothers)
guppies, 2 balloon mollies, 2 albino Cory cats, 8 Red Cherry Shrimps.
<That's a busy tank. I'd say overstocked.>
I have separated the 3 other female guppies into a 14gal tank (with 5 ghost shrimp) so they can have their fry. They are in a large breeding net, which I made out of netting, the kind that is used under wedding gowns, with holes large enough for the fry to get out but small enough for the mothers to stay enclosed.
<Would tend to recommend against "nets" or "traps" of any kind; usually work the opposite to what people want. By stressing fish, they promote miscarriages. Things like shrimps and snails crawl into the nets, eat the foetuses, and the result is mysteriously vanishing baby fish. Much, much better to place floating plants in an understocked tank, let the fry swim into the plants, and then use a net to catch them and place them in a trap.
That's what I'm doing at the moment with my Halfbeaks, which are also livebearing fish (albeit much different to Guppies in terms of taxonomy).>
This also allows the gentle current and aeration from the filter to flow through the tank. They have plenty of swimming area and seem to be doing well, active and eating well. The question is I found 2 fry in the 14gal tank a week ago and none since then.
<Eaten or stillborn; could be either.>
These 2 babies are doing well, already trying to eat the adult flakes instead of their "first bites".
<Wouldn't worry too much about this.>
Although the mothers all seem fine, do you think they are all ok?
<See above; most "failures" with livebearing fish are to do with how the fishkeeper prepares for the Big Day. In an understocked tank (e.g., two females, one male in a 10 gallon tank) Guppy fry will be able to hide among floating Indian Fern and Amazon Frogbit with ease, and if you check the floating plants two or three times per day, you'll find the fry and net them out safely.>
When will they start having babies again?
<Gestation period is about 4-6 weeks, depending on various factors.>
What would the signs be if they aborted?
<Female looks slim again, but no babies...>
They all still look very pregnant! Each of my tanks have plants for the fry to hide in, but the tank with the fry the leaves are broader and I can clearly see there are no babies hiding in there, they are brave little things anyway!
<Plants must be floating plants, or they're no good.>
I do not have salt in my tanks because I usually sell the babies to other local community tank owners and I have always been told if a fish goes from a salted tank to an unsalted tank he may not survive.
<This advice is garbage. Guppies shouldn't need to be kept in slightly brackish water, but it is often easier to do so, especially if you live in a soft water area (pH less than 7, hardness below 10 degrees dH). Very little marine salt mix (not "tonic salt" or "aquarium salt") is needed, 5 grammes/litre should be ample (about SG 1.002-1.003). This is a cheap and easy way to raise pH and hardness (which, incidentally, plain salt, such as tonic salt, doesn't do). This has no bearing at all on what happens when you move the Guppies to another tank. Wild-type Guppies can be acclimated to seawater conditions for heaven's sake! So adding or removing very low levels of salinity is neither here nor there. But that said, if you move Guppies from a slightly brackish aquarium to a soft, acidic freshwater aquarium, yes, they'll get sick. That's not because the brackish water conditions are bad, but because soft, acidic water is bad!>
While I am here I may as well ask my other questions, instead of playing email tag! I have been trying to feed my fry microworms but they don't seem to have a clue they are supposed to eat them, for that matter neither do any of the adult fish!
<Waste of time with these fish. Algae and finely powdered flake is ample.>
Although I know my fry do not need this food I have talked to serious breeders who say it helps in the growing of the fry and the faster they grow the less likely they will be to get diseases.
<Debatable. I rear Halfbeaks and Limia nigrofasciata on finely powdered flake and wet-frozen foods such as wet-frozen brine shrimp; small live daphnia also go down well. Halfbeaks are certainly *a lot* more difficult to breed than Guppies, while Limia are virtually identical (if genetically far less inbred and so less prone to deformities).>
Anyway is there a way to send a clue to the fish these worms are to eat?
Should I just continue to drop in a few once a day until they get the clue?
They are SO small and do not seem to pollute the tank, probably sucked into the filter.
<Use an air-powered sponge filter in the fry-rearing tank. A very common mistake is to assume fry don't make much mess. While this is true up to a point, you're still adding a lot of food, most of which doesn't get eaten.
Fry are also many times more sensitive to water pollution than the adults.
Hence serious breeders often change a portion of the water *daily*, and invariably connect good numbers of fry to providing excellent water quality. Healthy fry are at no risk of being sucked into an air-powered sponge filter; indeed, they often peck away at the algae and other tiny life forms on the sponge.>
We have a male Betta, we adopted, would he even possibly be ok with these other fish?
<I wouldn't mix them, but you can certainly try. Male Bettas end up being pecked by other fish though. Keep Bettas in 5 gallon tanks with an air-powered sponge filter and a heater. Avoid Betta Bowls and other "micro habitats" -- just review the e-mails we get about sick Bettas and you'll soon see why!>
I think the male guppies may be an issue even though they are about 1/5th his size, so should we even try?
<I wouldn't, but in theory, it can be done.>
Last one, I promise! Of my 2 balloon belly mollies, I believe one is female and one male based on their anal fins. The male is missing his two fins in front of the anal fin, this doesn't seem to harm him any as he swims and eats fine but I am wondering in the long run will this harm him?
<May be damaged or deformed, perhaps by Finrot or physical damage. Some breeders deliberately cut off the anal fin from the male to prevent buyers from breeding that particular variety.>
Also if he reproduces with the female will the fry have this trait? He looks almost exactly like the molly pic you have on this page
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/mollies.htm
(first pure white one about 4 down)
Thanks you so, so much. This will be in my top site for info from now on! I will also remember to donate and would encourage any reading to donate as well!
<Glad to be of help; good luck. Cheers, Neale.>

Age Question   11/6/09
Hi,
<Hiya - Darrel here>
I found a Red Eared Slider the day it hatched, still had the tooth. It was on its back in a hole and not moving. I thought it was dead. We were having a birthday party for kids and did not want the boys to terrorize the girls with a dead turtle. I picked it up and kept it hid in my hands until I could throw it in the bushes. After a few minutes it started moving. I am now the proud Mama of a Red Eared Slider!
<Congratulations!>
She is 6 months old. She is now at 2-1/2 inches. Of course she is the most beautiful Slider in the whole world.
<Proud mama!>
My question is at what point is a hatchling not considered a hatchling?
<They're really easy about that. Around 6 to 10 months we call them babies, then juveniles until adulthood>
Everything I have read says to keep her water 80f or higher for a hatchling. Then when I visit your site I get confused.
<We're hoping to avoid confusion, please tell us how to improve>
She does not bask as much as she should.
<Of course not. If the water is already 80 degrees, why haul out to warm up? The water should be room temperature. Unless you live in an Igloo, Sliders do fine in any temp you'll do fine in. The idea is to offer her a choice - cool water or warm rock?>
I do take her out of the water everyday for a good bit. I have made her a little pull down blind for the side of the aquarium for basking privacy. I turned her heater down and it is now 77 in the water. She is not a happy camper though.
<Finding the right relationship between warm and cool is an adventure -- keep trying. Meanwhile, make sure that she has UV light as well. I'll include a link below that covers the basics flawlessly. Check all your care against the suggestions in the article and correct any discrepancies>
Thanks, TJ
<http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/RESCareBarton.htm>

Black patches/poorly... Uhhh, on what?  11/6/09
My fish started to get small black patches on his body last week !
<What sort of fish is this? A Goldfish? A Guppy? A Whale Shark? We do need to know this... As for the black patches, is this Finrot? Or simply that the fish's colour is changing?>
Then it has quickly covered most of his body ! I checked water it was high in ammonia !
<Review conditions in the aquarium. All fish are sensitive to ammonia, and anything above zero is dangerous. Firstly, check the aquarium is big enough for the fish being kept. Goldfish for example need an aquarium at least 30 gallons in size if two are being kept (the minimum number, since they're social fish). Guppies need 15 gallons upwards. And so on, depending on the species. Also check the filter is reasonable for the fish being kept. For small fish, like Guppies, a filter rated at 4 times the volume of the tank
in turnover per hour is adequate. In other words, for a 20 gallon tank, you'd use a filter rated at 4 x 20 = 80 gallons per hour. For bigger fish, especially messy species like Goldfish, you'd up this to 6 or 8 times the
volume of the tank. So a 30 gallon Goldfish aquarium would need at minimum 6 x 30 = 180 gallons per hour. The gallons per hour (GPH) (or litres per hour, LPH) number will be printed on the filter pump or its packaging, if you don't know it.>
So did a few water changes the ammonia remained the same so did a full water change ! Ammonia is now perfect /ph perfect nitrate etc all ok !
<Well water should be "perfect" after a water change. The tricky bit is keeping it that way. I mention this because 99% of the time, fishkeepers are dealing with sick fish because they're not providing the right water
quality or water chemistry. Goldfish for example need 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, a pH between 7.5 and 8, and a hardness level above 10 degrees dH. So check the numbers your test kits provide against what an aquarium book tells you about the species being kept.>
I have put in gold disease safe two days ago !
<Do you mean "Interpet Goldfish Disease Safe"? Believe this is an old-fashioned mix of formalin, copper, and malachite green. Fairly good for some external diseases like Ick, Fungus and Finrot, but will have little/no benefit otherwise. Potentially highly toxic, so avoid using unless absolutely necessary.>
However the fish is sitting on the bottom of the tank , fin down !
<Just sounds like a fish in poor environmental conditions. Review the size of the tank, filter, pH and hardness.>
If I approach the tank he perks up and swims normally , but he does not seem like himself ! I don't know what else to do very worried ! ?
<Assuming this is a Goldfish, which is the only species you'd use Interpet Goldfish Disease Safe on, then my money is on the aquarium being too small, the filtration inadequate, the water too soft, or the diet too monotonous.
Do read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/goldfish101art.htm
>
Any suggestions ! The other fish is happy as Larry and not effected by ammonia ! Any suggestions ? Thanks
<Most Goldfish die because their owners kill them. It's a simple as that.
Given the right conditions, these fish are astonishingly robust. So please, please, please review environmental conditions. If you need to discuss any of the above, feel free to write back. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Black patches/poorly, GF hlth., env., sys.   11/6/09
Thank you for your reply,
<Always glad to help.>
The fish are goldfish ! They are in a 60litr BiOrb,
<Useless waste of money; style over substance...>
there are only two !
<Not big enough for even one Goldfish... do remember, these are big, messy fish. Sure, a baby might "fit" into a 60 litre (15 gallon) tank but that doesn't mean much. Goldfish grow fast, if healthy, and two will need a tank twice this size. Just as importantly, the BiOrb is a "bowl" with a narrow top; since oxygen gets in through that narrow top, this severely limits the rate at which oxygen is absorbed by the water. In short, a useless tank.
You'll notice no aquarium book recommends these units... just retailers and manufacturers.>
The pump is suitable for the tank, just recently changed the pump to the BiOrb one !
<More overpriced nonsense; inadequate to the needs of Goldfish.>
Just checked water again the ph is slightly low how can I bring this up ?
<Do read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWsubwebindex/fwh2oquality.htm
The Rift Valley salt mix, used at half the recommended dose mentioned there, should be ideal for Goldfish.>
I have had both fish for five years, is this normal then for the fish to turn from orange to black with age then ?
<For Goldfish, yes, sometimes they turn green or bronze in colour. Just the scales. Otherwise they are healthy and normal-looking.>
Or could it be because of the ammonia and if this is the case, will the black fade now there is no ammonia ?
<Ammonia can burn fish, and among other things, discolouration can be a result.>
Maybe their diet is boring, I think I will look into other alternatives!
<Do read here re: symptoms and solutions:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWsubwebindex/gldfshmalnut.htm
Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Black patches/poorly   11/6/09
Thanks for the info ! I will get a bigger tank!
<Cool.>
But what can I do in the meantime for the fish with the black patches ?
<Depends. Assuming that these are ammonia burns, the black is actually a good sign because it means the fish is getting better. Still doesn't mean the fish is happy, merely it survived a mild case of Finrot! So simply
keeping up with water changes, providing a healthy diet, ensuring good water quality and water chemistry will all help. There's nothing you really need to do. The colour often stays black for a long time though, perhaps permanently.>
Is there anything I can do ? And will the ammonia burns-if they are- get better? Is this fish likely to survive?
<Yes.>
He seems perky one moment then sits on the bottom next !
<You see, the black patches and the behavioural oddities are related by being caused by poor environmental conditions. The fish is healing after being exposed to a high level of ammonia, which for our purposes is anything above zero. The ammonia kills the skin cells and weakens the immune system, bacteria cause an infection, and this either gets out of control (Finrot) or else gets better (ammonia burns). Either way, it's a sign of problems. In the same way, ammonia stresses fish and makes them feel sick. They go off their food, they often become listless or conversely, spend all their time darting about trying to escape. Again, implying a problem. The single best way to avoid problems with ammonia and nitrite is to keep fish in a tank of adequate size with an adequate filter.
In the case of two or three Goldfish, that'd be a 30 gallon (115 litre) aquarium with a filter rated at about 6 times the volume of the tank in turnover per hour.>
Had them a long time ! Never had any problems would be upset to lose one ?
<Hope it won't come to that. Good luck, Neale.>
Re: Black patches/poorly
Thanks for your help
<Happy to help. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Constipated female Betta - 2 years old   11/6/09
Hi Neale,
<Elizabeth>
After reading your replies I have a really good feeling that she will be fine. That is a great idea about the feeding, I will remember that when I leave town.
<Cool.>
After my girl recovers I will vary her diet more with the live or wet-frozen brine shrimp and the daphnia. I started her off on pellets but once she tasted the freeze dried blood worms she would NOT eat nothing else, except the occasional quarter of a pea.
<Ah, that happens. I guess flake food isn't all that tasty. Many of my fish won't eat it, or at least, only grudgingly.>
Right now she is 'perched' in her bed of grass and since it is difficult for her to swim, she doesn't always come out to see what's going on. When she realizes that she isn't going to be fed, she 'humpy swims' right back over to her sleeping area.
<Sounds like she's on the mend.>
Thank you Neale.
<Happy to help.>
Sincerely,
Elizabeth
<Have a good weekend, Neale.>

Fish tank noise, Betta sys.   11/6/09
We have a little Betta who we love.
<Good stuff.>
He lived in a Betta Cube for several months, but now he seems not to be doing too well (tail rot which I am treating) & we bought him a Marineland Eclipse tank (3gal). We set it up, and find that it makes this constant humming noise that it really annoying to humans and quite loud.
<To be really honest, tanks smaller than 5 gallons are typically "toys" rather than serious aquaria, and I can't recommend them. The Finrot you are dealing with is directly related to poor water quality, of that there's no
doubt. The so-called Betta Cubes are practically death traps, and shouldn't be used, and even a 3-gallon tank is a marginal habitat, at best. They're difficult to heat and difficult to filter, and because they contain so
little water, there's no leeway for error. I have no idea why they're sold, or for that matter, why people buy them. A 5-gallon tank is, in my expert opinion (!) the minimum for safe, reliable Betta maintenance.>
I imagine, if you are a fish, it may be devastating.
<Certainly fish are sensitive to vibrations in the water.>
Is it ok for us to move our fish there, or should we get another tank?
<I'd take the thing back if it's new, and get a refund. Much better to buy a plain vanilla 5-gallon glass tank, or even a 10-gallon tank if you'd like to add some shrimps and plants and maybe some carefully choose tankmates like Kuhli Loaches or a school of Corydoras habrosus. Do see here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_5/volume_5_3/stocking.htm
Equip the tank with an air-powered sponge filter, a heater, and you're all set. Some floating plants are welcomed by Bettas for a variety of reasons, and Indian Fern would be a good choice here. In that case, choose a system with some nice bright lights, upwards of 1 watt per gallon.>
What should we do? We change the water 2x week on the Cube, but we thought he would be happier in a nice tank.
<That's the theory, anyway. Unfortunately, like many things in life, quality varies. A little research and a willingness to spend a sensible amount of money, perhaps on good basic kit rather than something cleverly
marketed can be wise.>
Please help.
Vicki
<Cheers, Neale.> 

Betta behavior  11/6/09
my beautiful bright blue Betta (McSteamy) seems to like burrowing in the marbles and smooth glass "pebbles" on the bottom of his tank.
<Maybe hungry and looking for food? But more probably, he's annoyed by the reflections in the glass pebbles and marbles. It should go without saying that the best (most humane) substrates are natural substrates such as pea gravel and smooth silica sand. Anything brightly coloured and/or reflective might seem amusing to us, but fish hate them. Pet shops will happily sell inexperienced aquarists overpriced glass baubles, but you'll notice that experienced aquarists don't go anywhere near them. There's a reason for
that...>
He comes to me when I "call" him by putting the tip of my clean finger in the water. He actually rests against it and responds every time. eats well.
He is very small so I assume young. Is the burrowing worrisome?
<May well be an issue if he's disturbed by his reflection. Remember, male Bettas are territorial, and they will attempt to drive off anything they consider a rival. If they can't do that, because it's a reflection not another animal, the continual stress can lead to physical problems. While there's some debate about how animals respond to behavioural stress, aquarists agree that a stressed fish is likely to become a sick fish.>
I appreciate your help.
<Cheers, Neale.>

Constipated female Betta - 2 years old  11/6/09
Hello Crew,
<Hello Elizabeth,>
Thank you as always for the incredible job you do helping us keep our fish happy and healthy. Pixy lives in a filtered 10 gallon, heated tank.
<What a fantastic home for this fish! Music to my ears. Well done.>
I went away for 5 days and I think she was overfed during my absence.
<Yikes! Remember, instead of scheduling others to feed them, most (adult) fish are best left without food for up to two weeks. This does them no harm at all if they're in good health to begin with.>
She is swimming vertically sometimes and has a small bump on her left side. I did some reading on your web pages and it would seem that she is constipated.
<Can, does happen... especially where dried foods are used.>
I treated the tank water with two tablespoons of Epsom salts, gave her ¼ of a pea and she has not been fed now for over 24 hours. The feeding stopped on November 4.
<Good.>
My questions are:
Is there anything more I can do for her?
<Time, afraid, is the great healer here.>
Do you have any idea of when she will start swimming normally again?
<Should clear up within a week.>
Of course I do not want to starve her so I thought I should start feeding again (her regular amount or less) on November 7 or 8.
<Don't worry about starvation! Don't feed the fish at all until she's better, or if you do want to feed her, stick religiously to foods that have a laxative effect, i.e., peas, live (or wet-frozen) daphnia, and live (or wet-frozen) brine shrimp. Do not use any freeze-dried, flake or pellet foods; this include freeze-dried daphnia and brine shrimps. It's the drying process that makes foods more likely to cause constipation, which is why I recommend they be used as part of a balanced diet, alongside wet-frozen, live, and/or green foods.>
Can you help me to help her?
Thank you,
Elizabeth
<Happy to help. Good luck, Neale.>

Re: convict cichlids breeding information  11/6/09
Thanks dude for the info.
PAVAN G.S.
<I assume being a "dude" is good! Cheers, Neale.>