Freshwater Daily Questions & Answers (FAQs)
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We ask that, before submitting a query, you refer to Neale Monk's: Before You Write; A Checklist of Common Problems with Freshwater Aquaria, Bettas, Goldfish, and Freshwater Turtles (Terrapins), Tips on Asking Questions, Ask the WWM Crew a Question, FAQs on FAQs. EDFP, TBPFWFAQs, Last Few Days Accrued FAQs, Subscribe to the Daily Pics	A nice group of Corydoras aeneus (Gill 1858), the Bronze Corydoras. Either as a wild type or albino, the Bronze Cory is a quintessential aquarium catfish. From South America; Trinidad, Venezuela, Brazil. To three inches in length. Best kept in a small grouping. Cond.s: pH 6-8, dH 5-19, temp. 25-28 C. Freshwater Pix Archive Link

Updated 2/6/2012 Other Specialized Daily FAQs Blogs: General, Brackish, Last Few Days Accrued FAQs, Daily Q&A replies/input from the WWM crew: Sue Garrett, Sara Liva, Scott Vallembois, Darrel Barton, Neale Monks, Marco Lichtenberger, Eric Russell, Chris Perivolidis, Chuck Rambo, Bob Fenner, are posted here. Moved about, re-organized daily Current Crew Bios., Not so current Crew Bios ____________________________________________________________

Plants in/for a Crayfish sys. 2/6/12
Hello WWM Crew!
Well currently I have been searching all over the web, asking any LFS employee I can, and even going to the library to find a decisive answer about my questions so I hope you guys can help. I have a ten gallon setup with a Red North American Crayfish and about 6 shrimps colors ranging from blue to red to yellow (Yes, I know he will eventually eat them but right now the Cray is still tiny and I figure if he does eat them when he gets older it would be a decent source of protein) I have 2 10 Watt Aqueon Coralife mini compact fluorescent 50/50 Colormax lamps, an Aquaclear 20 filter, a couple caves and such for hiding/molting purposes, an aerator/air stone, and finally 20 pounds of CaribSea Super Natural Moonlight sand. Now here's the thing I added plants about a week ago to improve oxygen levels so I wouldn't need that noisy aeration system anymore.
<Mmm, good luck>
Could that potentially work?
<Worth trying. Though I wouldn't count on any planted types staying there... Better to utilize floating, "bunch" type plants et al. w/ Crays... a fave, Ceratopteris>
Having plants supplement the oxygen contents through photosynthesis rather than the aeration? I have no idea but it kind of makes sense no?
<The dark reaction series (at night) reverses such oxygen generation...
Short answer, leave your outside power filter going... if too noisy, look into another make/brand>
Anyways, I never put any type of nutrient rich layer underneath the sand because I was not planning on setting up plants originally and was wondering if I absolutely needed it in order to promote my plant growth?
<Can help... see WWM re:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/PlantedTksSubWebIndex/substraags.htm
and the linked files above>
As of right now I only have two types of plants; Anubias barteri and Anacharis.
<Good types...>
They look okay but the Anubias's root is sticking out of the substrate.
Not sure if the crayfish named "crawl the warrior king" (gf's idea) has been uprooting it at night or what but every time I see him he seems to be leaving it alone.
<Sneaky little bugger>
I know I can't add fertilizer either because the iron will kill all my inverts
<Nah, not so.>
so I ask is there anything I could do to promote the plant growth without harming crawl and his warriors?
<All sorts... commercial prep.s or DIY... Please learn to/use the search tool (on every page) and indices on WWM. Peruse here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/PlantedTksSubWebIndex/AquariumGardenSubWebIndex.html
Also, these are my first plants and I want to add more if possible please get back to me as soon as you can before I can no longer restrain and put a bunch more plants in
there. Thanks for taking the time to help me out.
Sincerely,
Paul
<Cheers, Bob Fenner>

nitrite help 2/6/12
Hello,
My tank has been established for a few months now
<... evidently not>
but all of the sudden the past few days I have been getting a nitrite reading that is a little high, between .75 and 1.25. I did a water change of about 15% less than a week ago. Should I be concerned?
<Yes; toxic, debilitating>
If so should I change the water again or should I just wait a few more days and leave everything alone?
<... Quit feeding, start reading... is this freshwater or marine? Let's assume FW: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/NO2ContrF.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>
Thanks,
Erik

Tiny Yellow Bugs 2/6/12 I just cleaned my tank today and noticed these tiny speckles above the water line. On closer inspection they were crawling. They are extremely small yellow bugs, no bigger than a pencil dot. I looked through your posts and found one question about something similar. I have seen them floating on the water as well, but mostly on the side of the tank. I can see antennae and six legs if I strain my eyes. I too have a fresh water and live planted aquarium, 20 gallons. However I believe I know the culprit. I've found these brown bugs in the same room as my tank, adult size is about a 1/2 inch. I don't know the proper name, but I was told they're called Stink Bugs, because of the scent they emit when in danger or crushed. I found one hanging out on my filter while I was cleaning. I've found others there before, attracted to the light and heat, but never saw the little yellow guys before. They are however very similar with six legs and antennae. Also the same body shape. In the photo I've sent you (I apologize for the lack of detail), you can see tiny little dots just left of center. Those are the little yellow bugs. I don't have a picture of the adult stink bug. I just thought you guys might want an idea of what these tiny bugs might be. Please let me know if there's anything I can do to get rid of them. I've been using a paper towel and just wiping them out. Thanks for all the great feedback you've given! <And thanks for the kind words. Anyhow, these are harmless tiny insects, collembolans, mites, silverfish'¦ that sort of thing. Quite normal. Nothing to worry about. The fish don't seem to eat them, but conversely, they don't seem to damage the fish or plants either. They're mostly feeding on organic material that collects in warm, humid places like fish tanks. Cheers, Neale.>

Six freshwater angelfish and tank size 2/6/12
Hello:
I was just wondering what is a good size for six freshwater angelfish? I am assuming a 90 gallon, but I heard of someone keeping them in a 75 gallon.
Thank you!!
Judy
<Either of these tanks should work. Angelfish form territorial pairs when breeding, but other times can be quite social in largish groups. Pairs hold patches about 30 cm/12 inches radius around their spawning site. No guarantees that they'll tolerate other Angels though, and many fishkeepers will have a story about a psychotic Angel. Whatever else they are, they're cichlids in good standing. Cheers, Neale.>

New mix of fish / chasing 2/6/12
Hello, I am hoping you can spare a minute to give me some advice. I have owned fish only for eight weeks and the stores have offered conflicting advice, so I come to you for your expertise. I have a ten gallon tank
<Too small for the species you list.>
that had 5 zebra Danios, one male German Blue Ram,
<An extremely unreliable species; for expert fishkeepers only, to be honest.>
and one Green Corydora
<Corydoras, even when single. Corydoras is the Latin name, not a plural.>
as of yesterday. They were getting along fine but we wanted to give the loners some company.
<So far. Keep Corydoras in groups of 6+ specimens per species. Likewise for Danios, which if kept in groups of less than 6 can become nippy.>
Today we added two more Green Corydoras and one female German Blue Ram.
Here are my questions:
The male ram is larger than the female and has been chasing the female around the tank. Is this normal or should I be concerned, and what trouble signs should i look for?
<Normal, yes; in a small tank, the female may not be able to get any peace.
If they don't pair -- and there's no guarantees that they will, any more than any two humans will pair up -- the male WILL harass the female, to death even.>
How do you feel about this mix of fish?
<It's a poor mix. Ram Cichlids need very warm, very acidic, very soft water. So, we're talking 28-30 C/82-86 F in terms of temperature, a pH around 5.5, and a hardness no more than 5 degrees dH. While Corydoras would enjoy that sort of hardness, the pH would be a bit low for them, and the temperature is way too high. It's significant also that Rams are known to harass Corydoras and even bite out their eyes. They aren't recommended companions in many different ways, though Corydoras sterbai would be okay with Rams in a big tank where they could spread out. Corydoras aeneus, the species you have, prefers water between 22-25 C/72-77 F, and in now way belongs in a Ram aquarium.>
What is the correct temperature to keep this tank?
<See above. Danios and Corydoras need cooler conditions to Ram Cichlids.>
As for food, we have these: Aqueon Tropical Flakes, freeze dried bloodworms, sinking shrimp pellets, and Nutrafin max small tropical fish micro granules. Can I give them a reasonable diet from these, and which should I give / how often?
<One or two small meals daily is ample. Don't worry too much about this aspect. So long as your fish have gently convex bellies, they're well fed.
Catfish feed mostly at night, so an penny-sized wafer of sinking food 3-4 nights a week will be ample for anything up to 6 Corydoras.>
I have been given advice to feed anywhere from three times a day to every other day. Any other advice regarding our current fish and environment would be very much appreciated.
<Read, research species BEFORE purchase.>
Thank you,
Sue
<Cheers, Neale.>

my cichlids... no, info., rdg. 2/6/12
I have a question, we just started our tank up about a month ago, we have all the levels and temperature good.
<Meaning what? I need numbers, not adjectives. How big is the tank? How did you cycle the tank before adding the fish (cycling taking some 4-6 weeks to mature the filter). What is the current ammonia and nitrite level? What is the temperature? What is the water hardness and pH?>
We bought 2 albino cichlids, 2 tiger Oscars, Plecostomus, and an orange south American one sorry don't remember the name.
<Hope this is a big aquarium. The two Oscars alone will need some 100 gallons to get along; with a bunch more random cichlids, 150, 200 gallons is more like the minimum. Stick them into something ridiculously small, like a 75 or God help us a 55 gallon tank, then these cichlids will eventually beat each other up. Mother Nature has little interest in budget or space limitations -- cichlids need bucket-loads of space, and if that isn't provided, they kill one another.>
So my question is I have one albino that hangs on the top in the corner by him self, he rarely ever leaves the corner. I do see the orange one likes to bully in the tank,
<Yes.>
what do I do if he has a bad fin, since I don't see him swimming around?
<Need the relevant information here before I can say anything beyond the obvious.>
Thank you, Margaret
<Glad to help. Cheers, Neale.>

20 gallon freshwater with fish having problems! New tank, hobbyist syndrome 2/5/12
Hi there,
<Salve!>
I am pretty new to freshwater tanks and have only had two saltwater tanks in my 23 years of life which both were my father's tanks. So roughly three weeks ago my fiancée and i decided to delve into freshwater aquariums. We have a okay local fish store and at first i really thought they were good, but after talking and researching things after i started having issues i found out that the store was just selling to be selling and was telling me whatever they thought i wanted to hear. Anyways i bought what they said was a 15 gallon tank, turns out its a 20gl.
<A lucky break.>
With a heater, filter which i never could figure out what type of filter system it was and i got a plant and some zebra Danios to put in the tank they told me the Danios and plants would help. The plants were, when i asked for their name, the store owners "famous homegrown weeds"..
<Could be anything; hmm'¦ do read:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/keepoutfw.htm
Many cheap "aquarium plants" are nothing of the sort.>
so i washed my bag of larger sized gravel which i was told would help root my plants, put the gravel in the tank and then proceeded to poor water and fill the tank up. We live in western NC and have a well feed from a natural spring here on our 17 acres and when i took a water test in to check it i was told it was fine to use. After i filled the tank full i planted the plants, made a little shelter for my African leaf fish
<Ctenopoma acutirostre; a lovely but predatory fish; peaceful but will eat bite-size tankmates; gets fairly big. Doesn't eat flake, pellets or freeze-dried foods, so you will of course need to use live earthworms and river shrimps or wet-frozen alternatives such as bloodworms and chopped tilapia fillet.>
i was getting later and then turned the filtration system on. Immediately i could tell that something wasn't right because the water flowing out of the small filter was not much at all.
<Oh dear.>
Anyways, at the time i thought nothing of it. I put the Danios in to acclimate and then put them in the tank. The next day i take a water sample to the fish store and was told it all looked good and that i could take my leaf fish home as well as a loach.
<Did the retailer know you were putting the Danios with the Ctenopoma?>
They called it a dojo loach but it wasn't it was some other type of loach. After acclimation, i put the loach in first and then the leaf fish. The loach immediately started laying on his side and had very rapid gill movement.
<I see. Loaches, on the whole, are not good fish for new tanks.>
He lived for four days and then died.
<No surprise. They need good, clean water with lots of oxygen and no ammonia/nitrite.>
I exchanged him for a Rainbow Shark who looked healthy as can be.
<For now. A poor species for 20 gallon tanks; gets big, is territorial, potentially aggressive.>
This whole time my leaf fish is snacking on Danios at night and just doing great.
<Yes and yes. Being air-breathing swamp-dwellers, they're pretty tough. They're also dawn/dusk predators. See those big eyes? That huge mouth?>
I also got two mystery snails which other than them looking like their fighting or mating (i read the page on that issue already lol) they're doing great too. I've also been doing water tests myself at home. My dad has a 29 gallon bio-cube and has the reef master kit tests. The owner of my local fish store told me that i could use the reef test kit, ammonia, nitrites, and nitrate tests and it would be accurate so that's what I've been using. At first when the loach died, my ammonia spiked at around .25 ppm an a tiny bit higher then within a few days an two water changes later it went to 0ppm. But then my nitrites went quickly up to 2.0-5.0ppms and nitrates went to 40-80ppms. So we continued with the three water changes a week and my rainbow shark within a week an a few days started acting really weird, "flashing" some times but still eating and swimming around the tank.
<Reacting to ammonia or nitrite in the water.>
Within a few days though, by this time id been another week (2 total) and the nitrite and nitrates were still very high. The nitrates even went to nearly 160 ppm.
<Lethal.>
The rainbow shark has now been wedged on a ledge of my leaf fishes home and will occasionally come out and flutter on the ground then finds a spot and just sits there and ever so often its like he gas a seizure because his tail fin starts fluttering and his side fins start flapping like he's trying to warm them up or something.
<Ammonia and nitrite are irritants; they "burn".>
Now i do have a heater which is suction cupped to the back side of the tank and my temperature stays between 72-78 degrees F.
<!!! Between!!! Why is the temperature swinging this much at all? It should be more or less steady; aim for 25 C/77 F.>
So after a ton of internet searching the only thing that was making any sense as to why i have had no ammonia for two an a half nearly three weeks but deathly high nitrite and nitrates was due to my inadequate filtration system.
<Yes.>
Yesterday we went to a local Petsupermart and bought a Tetra EX 30
<I'm really not a fan of these hang-on-the-back filters. Big gap at the back of the hood for fish to jump through, noisy, often seem to force you into using proprietary filter modules (such as carbon, which most aquarists should avoid). No idea why they're so popular in the US. But whatever. The main thing is you need a decent filter offering a turnover rate about 6 times the volume of the aquarium; so for a 20 gallon tank, that's 120 gallons/hour. Anything less is a false economy. I believe the EX 30 offers 160 gallons/hour, so you're okay there. Good call.>
and we also last week got an air pump and air stone to help. Anyways, we got the new filtration system and a chemical additive called Nite-Out II. It is supposed to help the nitrite and nitrates become lower.
<Snake oil.>
So we took the old crummy filter out installed the new one and did a nearly 50% water change then started up the new filter.
<Hope you transferred across the mature filter media.>
As soon as we did, you could see an instant difference in the tanks clarity. The other filter while installed, left my tank very very foggy. So last night i decided, many hours after the water change, to do a water test. I did two at one time. I used the reef master.kit that I've been using this whole time and then this new test strips we got yesterday. The results were a bit confusing. The ammonia from reef kit was 0ppms, nitrites were 5.0ppms
<Yikes!>
and the nitrates were 80ppms, while the 6in1 tetra test strips said this; nitrate 20ppms which it says is safe, nitrite 5.0ppm listed as Danger, Hardness 75ppms listed as soft, total chlorine 0ppms, total alkalinity 80ppms listed as moderate, ph 6.8ppms listed as neutral. So the only discrepancy was the nitrates.
<Forget for now. In fact don't do nitrate tests at all. Nitrite is the issue here. So far as nitrate goes, don't feed more than 3-4 times a week, remove uneaten food after a couple minutes, and do 25% water changes 2-3 times a week until the tank settles down.>
This morning i did another strip test and it told me that my alkalinity was 0ppms ... so now I'm really confused how accurate is this Tetra 6 in 1 east strips for fresh and salt aquariums. My nitrites wont budge and I'm very scared that the prolonged elevation of nitrite and nitrates have slowly and is still slowly killing my rainbow shark.
<For sure.>
My leaf fish is doing fine
<Tough fish.>
and my mystery snails are doing good too.
<For now; lifespan in tropical aquaria is limited; see WWM re:>
I am so worried about my tanks chemical balance and that i may loose my shark and eventually my African leaf fish as well. What else can i do?? I cant find any answers on the internet nor at my local fish stores as their staff knows as much as i do at the moment. Any advice would be very appreciated.
<Stop feeding until nitrite below 0.5 mg/l. Don't overfeed when you do. For the next 4-5 weeks, do as many water changes as possible, at least 3-4 25% water changes a week, and ideally daily. Maintain filter carefully. Read, understand how the nitrogen cycle works.>
Kindest Regards,
Stephanie
<Hope this helps, Neale.>

Pond snail is slowing down 2/5/12
Our 3 week owned pond snail lives in a 10 gallon tank with a Betta.
<How was this system cycled? That is, biological filtration established?>
A couple days ago we noticed a new baby snail. Our big snail has slowed way down, seems to be sleeping a lot, and spends a lot of time floating while closed up.
<Not good>
Tonight she just sat on the bottom of the tank not moving partially open. She used to be fast. There are plants in the tank that she likes to chew on. Her shell appears normal, no cracks or thin areas.
The temperature is consistent, there is a filter.
<What species of snail is this? Where, how was it kept before your acquiring it? If kept in cool/er water, this may be cause for trouble here>
A few days ago I shut off the filter off 24 hours to encourage algae growth. The light is on only during the day. Any tips? I feel bad for her/him.
<Read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/PhysaF.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Little fin colored bumps on his tail 2/5/12
Hi everyone. I have a little problem. A few weeks ago, my crown tail Betta (Dinner), developed a couple of tiny pin-head bumps on his tail fin. Before he developed those bumps, I've also notice a "break" at the tip of one of the tail fins. Like how a stem attached to a leaf had been broken and it's hanging there. He's eating fine, swimming energetically and bowel movements are good. He hasn't made any nests for a while though. I do a 50% water change every week for his 3 gallon tank that doesn't have a filter or heater (room is very warm).
<Needs to have both a heater and filter. There are small units made for just such settings>
And, I also wash all the rocks and a fake fabric plant (with very hot water) before I do his water change (de-chlorinated tap water) every other week. He doesn't look like he has fin rot, or any other symptoms of other illnesses except for what I've described. Unfortunately, I've been looking online for days and still haven't found an answer. What could this be?
<In two words: environmental stress. Read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/bettasysart.htm
and the linked files above>
Thanks for your time and help.
Cecilia
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>

Greetings from Jakarta, Indonesia. Cray and Polypterus fdg. 2/5/12 <Salutations from San Diego, CA> Dear WetWebMedia Crews, Greetings from Jakarta, Indonesia. My name is Ben Haryo. I have been reading the contents of your lovely website, http://www.wetwebmedia.com, and I thank you all for providing such a wonderful place full of very useful information for hobbyists such as myself. <Welcome Ben> I happen to live in Jakarta, Indonesia. <Have visited there, and several other areas in your expansive country> Living in the tropics has its advantages, and that includes getting exotic fishes at very affordable prices. My current aquatic friends consists of three freshwater lobsters (I include a picture of one here), and two "Dragon Fishes" (that's a translation for the local name of Polypterus Palmas.. I have included their picture here). I have two aquariums, one specifically for the lobsters, one for the Dragon Fishes. I have a couple of questions.. I am sure you have heard these questions zillion times, so I am sorry for the inconvenience.. The thing is, the guy who sold me the lobsters and Palmas also sold me plenty of small fishes (I don't know their Latin names, here we call it "Ikan Cecere", literally "small fish") as live food. <Appear to be some species of livebearing or egg-laying toothed carp> He also sold me some Neon Tetras, which looks cool as a "contrast" to the rather dull colors of the small fishes. The lobsters ate both the small fishes and commercial shrimp pellets, with no bad effects at all.. in fact they have moulted twice and grow bigger ever since bought them. But I really curious, is this how lobsters eat in their natural habitat? Any advice? <Ah yes. Read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/crayfishfdgfaq.htm Also, the Dragon Fishes ate the small fishes too, and the Neon Tetras as well (here Tetras are very cheap, with one dollar you can get a dozen!). I read in your website that it is not very good in the long run to feed live fishes to the Palmas. Mine seemed to be doing just fine, they enjoy munching on the small fishes. I'd like to hear your further advice, should I wean them away from the small fishes, or let them be? <Should be fine, but do read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/polypfdgfaqs.htm Well, thank you for your time, and I wish you all a happy Sunday! Best Regards, Ben Haryo <And you, Bob Fenner>

Betta diagnosis, uncycled system... 2/5/12
Hi,
My Betta has a *white under his fins area*, like the one in the picture found at this link:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/betdisfaq7.htm (mine is a blue male)
I'm *currently cycling the tank*, just started yesterday. I have two Corys in there with him, and I hope they make it.
*10 Gallon* with gravel. I was suggested to use Nutrafin cycle (biological aquarium supplement) to help ease the process for the fish.
<This Hagen product is too "hit or miss"; do look for Dr. Tim's "One and Only" (formerly BioSpira); a steady worker>
What do you think is *wrong with the Betta*?
<Can't tell from the information offered, no image... Could be just normal coloration... Shouldn't be in a system that's not cycled... Read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/bettadiseases.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>
Thank you!

Silver Betta? 2/5/12 Hey guys, <Spam> I love your site, and have used the FAQs many many times while setting up all of my fish tanks. (a 50 gal coral/saltwater a 15 gal freshwater, and a mini 5 gal biocube) Your knowledge base has been a huge help for me over the years! <Ah good> Anyway, my latest project is a 2 gal bowl (tricky, I know) to go on my coffee table in the middle of my living room. After some research I decided the star the show would be a male Betta fish. I came across this little guy, a super delta Betta if I'm not mistaken, in the pet store and I was simply smitten with his personality - even in those horrid little cups they keep Bettas in at the pet store, he swam around as much as he could and does this delightful little shimmy dance whenever I feed him. His body is a silver-grey, shiny, with black lining on his scales. His fins are gorgeous with uneven streaks and specks of black throughout. The first 1/2 inch of fin is a shiny silver, fading into a jagged 1/8 inch band of bright, shiny white which kind of reminds me of pictures of butterfly Bettas I have seen. The band of white looks frosty, almost jagged and ripped up, but it leads into a band of clear/cellophane at the edge of the fin which is healthy and unmarred, and all of the fins and scales flash bright as tin foil when he swims. I can never seem to get a photo that does him justice (he always ends up just looking grey), but I will include one anyway. All of the websites I have looked at on Betta coloring have lots of information on black, red, blue, green, albino, cellophane, etc., but none of them have anything to say about Bettas as shiny and silver as this little fella. Any of you Betta geniuses out there know what kind of breeding strain his silver would have come from? Or his tri-colored fins? <Mmm, I do not; but there are many series of magazine articles (Gene Lucas in FAMA a fave) and books... Joanne Norton... on Bettas, genetics> While I'm here, do you have any recommendations for safe tank-mates? <Read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/betcompfaq2.htm I know more fish are out of the question from the size of the bowl, but what about snails or small shrimp to help keep the substrate tidy? <And the linked files above> I also am considering switching my fake plants for live ones, but I have heard mixed reports - any tips on a good plant for such a small space? <Keep reading> Should I just stick with the fake ones I have in there? <I like at least some live> Thanks in advance for letting me pick your brain :) -Mike <This isn't such a forum... WWM is a reference service. Please learn to/use the search tool and indices. Bob Fenner>

help, Molly ill Re: A Newby~ Question about fish compatibility for stocking a tank, and population control 2/4/12
Hi again, Neale,
I'm having my first real issue with the Mollies! I worry that it's because I waited....I wanted to make sure I had everything stable and surviving first before adding a new type of fish, and I was planning on finding Indian Glass Fish somewhere-- (Lala's because they're smaller) before switching the Mollies to brackish because I thought, if they did carry the Glass Fish in freshwater, it would be so much easier to switch everyone to brackish at the same time... So I added 2 tbsp regular aquarium salt per 5 gallons for now to carry over... doesn't look like it's enough, or could my filter be absorbing the salt?
Now a Molly died, and a second one looks like it's on the way out. The only symptoms are, lying at the bottom of the tank and breathing heavy. 29 gallon is normal- that's also why I expect it's Bacterial Gill Disease.
It's 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrite, 0 Nitrate, 7.2 PH, Alkalinity is 80, Hardness is 75, and Chlorine & Chloramine are 0.
I've listed the treatments recommended below, as I don't know which treatment to use due to having fry in the tank and a filter issue, so please advise!
[redacted text from another web site]
The trouble is, I currently have a filter that has the carbon inside of it, so I can't really remove the carbon without removing the entire filter to do the medicine!
<Then that's what you have to do. As I've stated many times on WWM, buying a filter with non-removable carbon is a bad idea. Low-end filters often go this way because saying they include carbon makes them sound attractive to less experienced hobbyists. In fact carbon is almost totally useless in the average freshwater tank.>
Should I buy some sort of sponge and put it in the slot in place of the filter when I do the treatment?
<So long as you don't lose the mature biological media, yes.>
Problem with that of course, is the sponge won't have bacteria on it.
<Then you have a problem.>
Though, there IS a plastic catcher that is put in with the filter that does have bacteria colonized on it. So, is it ok to take out the filter entirely?
<No.>
And do I need to put something in it's place?
<You must have some way to remove ammonia. This is one of those situations where using zeolite (ammonia remover) may be worthwhile, but unfortunately it isn't very effective once you add salt to the water, so you'd need to keep the salt level low (1-2 g/l) and overestimate the amount of zeolite.>
Will the treatment kill the fry????
<No.>
I was kind of hoping one would grow up and have the coloring of the other poor fellow I lost.
The other possible cause could be stress from a bully, though the way she's breathing I think it's illness... and I haven't observed the orange fish acting bad lately, however, one of the guys mentioned that right before they give birth they turn very aggressive.... which now explains what happened with the other three females that I moved into the 10 gallon when they acted up. Now that tank is swarming with little orange fry and the fish are skinnier!!! The orange fish IS pudgy, and she's been aggressive in the past, but I really think the fish at the bottom is ill. If it dies, do I still treat the whole tank to make sure no one else comes down with it?
<Worthwhile, yes.>
There is also a weird issue with the 10 gallon!!! And I'm worried about the little fry in that tank. Please advise.
10 gallon is 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrite, 0 Nitrate, 6.8 PH, 120 Alkalinity, and Hardness is 75, and Chlorine & Chloramine are 0.
The fish store had me buy something to up the PH since I have Mollies and they tend to be fussy. My concern is, no one is sick in that tank, and there are all of those babies!!!! Will it hurt or stress out the fry if I add the PH up product? Or should I wait?
<You shouldn't change the pH directly; that's risky. The fish shop half-understands what's going on. Here's the science: Mollies get sick in soft water. Soft water is water with a low mineral content. Water with a low mineral content tends to have a low pH. Hence Mollies tend to do badly in acidic water. But there's a chain there. It's a case of correlation rather than causation. The Mollies get sick because of the low hardness.
The low pH is caused by the low hardness. Sick Mollies and low pH are both caused by low hardness. In itself, the low pH (probably) isn't the major factor that kills Mollies. If you have soft water, your job is to harden it. If you harden the water, the pH will go up anyway. If all you're keeping is Mollies, or at least alongside salt-tolerant fish such as Guppies and Glassfish, then using marine aquarium salt mix is the easiest way to fix things. Marine aquarium salt mix isn't just salt but also minerals that harden water. Add around 5-6 grammes per litre of water, and the water will suit your Mollies perfectly! Alternatively, if you want a plain vanilla freshwater system, use the Rift Valley salt mix. It costs very little and is easy to make.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/fwh2oquality.htm
Depending on how soft your water is, 25-50% of the described dosage will be required for a mixed species tank. Mollies and other livebearers would be even happier with the full dosage.>
And do I need to feed the fry anything special?
<Nope.>
There's algae on plants and rocks and they nibble it, and I think some flake food sinks to the bottom too... I thought maybe there would be enough food for them to forage since they do like algae... but since I'm asking the other questions might as well clarify that too.
<Molly fry need plenty of food or they won't grow properly, so don't underfeed. As with any baby fish, aim for 4-6 small meals a day.>
Also, in the 10 gallon I have the granite chips. I wonder if this caused the drop in PH as they are super neutral and add nothing. I'm thinking about adding the Texas limestone rock that I removed from the 29 gallon when the PH climbed...to maybe help it climb a little. I don't want it too steep though. Do you think that would be a good idea?
<Adding limestone to a Molly aquarium is a very good idea. It will (slightly) buffer the water. But it isn't a fix for low hardness.>
Thank you. I appreciate all of your advice. I suppose I should start going to brackish asap after I treat the 29 gallon.... I shouldn't have waited.
Jill
<Cheers, Neale.>
Update: help, Molly ill 2/4/12
Well, the pet store's open till nine.... I decided I need to take action tonight and bought Tetracycline. The guy said that the babies will probably survive, no guarantee, and gave me some filter medium to use...
I still don't know about the PH. He said don't touch it if they look happy.. Do you agree?
<See previous message.>
I used inside water on the 29 --- the softener had run out of potassium.
<Hang on'¦ are you using water from a domestic water softener in aquaria? No wonder you're having a hard time. This is NOT a good idea. Domestic water softeners do not soften the water, regardless of the name. That's why they're so cheap (per gallon water) compared to reverse-osmosis filters that really do remove all the minerals and soften the water. Domestic water softeners ONLY remove what plumbers call "temporary hardness" and aquarists call carbonate hardness, measured in degrees KH. This is the stuff that buffers pH and keeps it stable. Remove it, and all you have is the general hardness (degrees dH) left behind. This "permanent hardness" doesn't cause lime scale, which is why plumbers don't care about it. In the aquarium it's useful enough in its way for how fish manage osmoregulation (the water balance in their bodies) but it doesn't buffer pH at all.>
I had the Texas limestone in there that I ended up removing. Ph was 8.
<pH 8 is ideal for Mollies.>
Then I did two water changes in time, each time using outside water which had a slightly lower Ph. I started the 10 gallon with water from the change and outside water.
I still don't know why it went to 6.8! Outside water tested at 7.5.
<Without carbonate hardness, which is removed by your domestic water softener, pH will plummet in the aquarium between water changes. Do read:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/fwsoftness.htm
>
Are the little kits better than the strips as far as accuracy?
<Generally, yes, but shouldn't make a huge difference.>
If my water starts averaging 6.8 .... That would be totally frustrating, as they say we're so hard here! That's why I chose Mollies over say Cherry Barbs and Tetras and a Sparkling Gourami. I wanted to choose something that would be happy with the water I have, same reason why I don't plant Azaleas! Oh well. I guess if it's more difficult than I expected, I'll gain experience.
Thanks,
Jill
<Hard water, if left alone, can be an excellent medium for fishkeeping so long as you choose the right species.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/HardWatrCommTkStkMonks.htm
Cheers, Neale.>
Re: help, Molly ill 2/5/12
Thank you, Neale. It sounds like I just need to go brackish ... I'll return the PH booster.
<Okay.>
The aquarium was purchased as a kit. None of the items separately could have been purchased so inexpensively together (it even had included the heater), and the filter is super quiet. That it has the little rubber bacterial trap in the filter is at least helpful so it won't have to re-cycle each time it's changed- I'm not removing the bacteria each time.
<Good.>
One of the top local fish shops is reported to use ONLY sponge filters.
Maybe a sponge along with the filter medium inside of the box could work temporarily.
<Sponge filters are excellent. But they work by being a place for bacteria to live. In and of themselves they don't remove ammonia.>
I'll go to that fish store today. Since they're entire store is sponge, they can probably advise me how to convert it at least temporarily.
<Yes.>
Though they have sponge filters even on their brackish. I need to read your article on it before I go to see what I need for the brackish system.... If sponge would work and were the least expensive, it might have to do for now until I can invest in something more modern.
<An air-powered sponge filter is an economical and effective filter.>
Thanks again.
Jill
<Cheers, Neale.>
Re: help, Molly ill 2/5/12
Thanks Neale.
If my poor babies survive, then after I finish treating the 29 gallon (five more days!) I'll move the other 3 adult Mollies back there. Then I can move the two fry in the 29 to the 10 gallon in with the tiny orange school of fry. This way I can give all of the fry better circumstances with no adult competition. For some reason the orange fry like the java moss but haven't paid any attention to the huge mass of hornwort I added for them! So giving them private quarters is best. If I raise them right, maybe I can trade most of them for a whole bunch more brackish tolerant plants, as it sounds like this will be helpful if I have a sponge filter, along with more frequent water changes and whatever else I'll need to do.
<Indeed. Do read:
http://homepage.mac.com/nmonks/Projects/FAQ/2d.html
Lots of salt-tolerant low-end brackish plants that thrive with Mollies.
Many cheap as chips.>
Cheers!
Jill
<Cheers, Neale.>
Re: help, Molly ill 2/5/12
Thanks!!!
<Welcome. Neale.>
Re: help, Molly ill
Good news, the baby fish finally discovered the hornwort. They are so cute....!
Cheers!
<Good to hear, Jill. Now, before Bob gets annoyed about chit-chat <<Too late!>> on the
Daily FAQs, let me remind you that discussions about aquarium successes, fishkeeping ideas and whatnot are best enjoyed over at the WWM Forum, here:
http://wetwebmediaforum.com
See you there! Cheers, Neale.>

one res bigger than the other 2/5/12
whats cracken, i have 2 res that are 4 months old and one is growing really fast and the other is the same size as when we got them,
<It's very common with two turtles living together that one becomes more dominant and *steals* the larger share of food. What's important is that the smaller one is getting enough food and is growing. If you have any concerns about this, I'd suggest feeding him separately from the other.>
<Equally important, though, is that the larger turtle isn't eating too much and growing too quickly. This can lead to health problems. Young or old, turtles should only be fed every other day as much as they can eat in 5 minutes or so. No more.>
they are in a 50 gallon tank and the temp is around 80.... whats the deal????
<What's 80 degrees? If it's the water, this is way too warm and may be another reason your *dominant* turtle is growing so quickly. Warm water increases their metabolism and appetite. Turtles are completely dependent on their environment to regulate their internal body temperature. Specifically, water is where they go when they want to cool off after basking. It should only be in the 68-70 degree range, even for young turtles. >
<Likewise, they leave the water for dry land to seek warmth and UVB. If 80 degrees is the temperature of their basking spot, this is not warm enough. That temperature needs to be 88-90 degrees or so. Their basking spot needs both a heat lamp and UVB in order for them to properly digest their food.>
<Here is a link to our care guide. Read it over carefully and make sure you're providing them everything they need for their diet and environment. ~ Sue
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/RESCareBarton.htm >

Tiny white worms 2/5/12 Hi Bob I am not sure if you can help me but there seems to be some tiny little white worms crawling on the glass of my yabby's tank. I have attached a picture (not so clear). Are these harmful at all to the fish and to yabby? <Not likely; no. Their sudden appearance is not uncommon. With regular maintenance, being careful re feeding, they will just as suddenly go> Your help is greatly appreciated. Thanks Danielle <Read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwwormcompf.htm and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Help! My balloon Molly seems really sick* 2/4/12
Hi, I really appreciate your willingness to help, and I'm sorry to come back with the same question, but I've read for hours... I've Google searched, and looked at just about the FAQ, there was a lot of really great information, but I couldn't find a case like mine, that offered help. maybe I missed it?
<Hmm'¦ from the photo, you seem to have the standard issue environmentally-stressed Molly. Lack of hardness, low pH, insufficient warmth, introduction to a new aquarium without a mature filter; that sort of thing. Common symptoms include patches of white mucous on the body and face, clamped fins, rocking from side to side, the "Shimmies", lethargy, and eventually a mysterious death. There's usually not much point to medicating, if the conditions aren't fixed, and you haven't yet told me anything about the water quality or chemistry.>
I've learned that there is A LOT to know about taking care of mollies and I still need to educate myself. In the meantime, I don't live in the USA, and all pet stores will be closed here until Sunday, so my only chance is home remedy until then.
Any ideas how I can help her? She seems to be getting worse, fins are moving more rapidly, although she has eaten. None of the other fish seem sick (yet'¦) But I see she's distressed, and I'd hate for her to die if there's any way to help her. I don't have bacteria in my tank, but as per instructions from the store (yesterday) I had put salt in.
<What do you mean by "no bacteria" in the tank? Is the aquarium new? It needs to have its filter cycled for a good six weeks to become mature. Mollies simply don't do well in new tanks, so I wouldn't keep them in an aquarium that was less than 3 months old.>
I replaced a third of the water again today, but it doesn't seem that's helped. Should I add more salt?
<How much are you adding? A good amount for Mollies is 5-6 grammes of marine aquarium salt mix per litre of water. That's about SG 1.003 at 25 C/77 F.>
Should I give her some greens? (is broccoli or spinach good too?) heat or cool the water?
<The water should be between 25-28 C/77-82 F.>
I'm afraid to move her out of the tank because I don't have anything else with a heater. I've attached a picture of her, just resting on the filter, don't know if it helps.
Any suggestions how to help her until then?
Thank you! from me and my mollies :-)
<Hope this helps. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Thanks and Ctenopoma acutirostre 2/4/12
Hi Neale
<Gordon,>
My wife has emailed you regarding the health of the Ctenopoma recently. You recommended a complete aquarium strip own. I'm a bit hesitant to do this, I respect your experience but surely the tank would start to cycle again if we went for something this drastic?
<Not if you keep the filter running by connecting it up to some water in a bucket. Alternatively, if you switch the filter off, you can take the biological media out, put in a bowl or bucket, and cover with aquarium water. Ideally, add an airstone, but otherwise so long as the media stays wet, it should be happy for hours, even days. Have removed filters and preserved them MANY times before; there's no risk if done properly. Clean the tank down, correct any problems, then fill with water at the right temperature and water chemistry. Then reconnect the filter. Easy!>
I've already made the horrible mistake of taking this tank home with the previously running filter media carefully preserved in aquarium water, placing the filter media in my 60 litre, boiling and rinsing the gravel and ornaments, adding the gravel back, filling the tank, adding 2 gouramis and two Ctenopoma, thinking "Great, a pre-cycled filter," and then seeing a horrible bacterial bloom and losing three fish.
<Hmm'¦>
It took about 6 weeks for it to cycle with an unfortunate surviving gourami living in it. Previous occupant was an 8" cichlid of some variety, I saw it running, was happy. I'm not up on cichlids, so couldn't tell you what one.
Filter is a Fluval U2, too small for this tank I know, but will be upgrading to a U4 shortly and certainly keeping bio-load low until the tank is able to take it. I seriously doubt that 2 x 3/4" fish could really place so much of a load on the U2 that one would die. Maybe I'm missing something, if so please tell me. I'm highly suspect of the matter that was growing on the bogwood. It looked like fungus, with sporing heads, and I'm wondering if a mycotoxin might not be something to consider.
<Not very likely. Have seen fungus on bogwood before, and even watched Plecs happily eat the stuff. So I don't think it is normally toxic. But who knows about every single case?>
I'm also fairly sure it was a thiol, not hydrogen sulphide that we were smelling. H2S is "rotten eggs" and stings the nose but thiols are more "eggy farts" and make you retch.
<Possibly, but hydrogen sulphide is (said to be!) the standard end-product of anaerobic decay in aquarium substrates.>
Too much time in the haz waste industry smelling drums full of noxious nasties!
<Okay.>
I hope the above does not seem like criticism, I am very grateful for the help you've given us so far, but I have to ask or I won't learn anything.
<Indeed.>
You asked for hardness - unknown. According to Scottish Water 10-11 mg/l as carbonate, from the tap.
<Extremely low. Could easily be a major problem in itself. Do read:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/fwsoftness.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/fwh2oquality.htm
Without adequate buffering, the pH in an aquarium will plunge between water changes, and this will harm your fish.>
As far as I can tell, there are no carbonaceous materials in the tank. The full set up in there is: 1 Quartz boulder, two schist boulders, Pets at Home black gravel over inherited horrible blue gravel, plastic aqua-safe ornaments and a few crypts/swords, I struggle to tell the difference between them from photos. Do you know a reputable online dealer to order a dH kit from?
<Any, all; you're after a standard issue freshwater hardness test kit. A general hardness kit (degrees dH) is useful, but if you can only buy one, you should get the carbonate hardness (degrees KH) because that's the hardness that inhibits pH changes between water changes.>
I know, "Let me Google That For You", but I'd rather act on a recommendation from someone than burning myself with a dealer that is problematic. I won't buy anything from my LFS; Dobbies and Pets at Home don't sell them.
Anyroads, the other Ctenopoma seems fine. His (her, who knows?) behaviour has changed though. Instead of popping out of cover every now and again for a wee swim, he lurks in an ornament and never comes out. I know that's their nature, but I've had the blinds drawn for two days, there are no lights on the tank but I don't even see him come up for air. I know he's alive because if I spend about 10 min.s angling my head the right way I can peer into the ornament and build up a picture of a fish in normal posture. If I disturb the ornament he moves in a normal fishy way. I've done my best to create dusk conditions, and am in danger of becoming pale and Goth-like from lack of daylight.
<Overkill. Get a block of wet-frozen bloodworms, and place a small piece in the tank. If he's hungry, he'll eat; if he's not, then do review possible problems with water chemistry, quality.>
I've got a wee shoal (5) Glowlight tetra and introduced them today. I have room for them in another tank if anything goes wrong and they will be removed before Ctenopoma has them for tea. I had thought that it might just be the Ctenopomas lack of confidence, since there were no other fish about, that was making him turn hermit-like. He is still in the ornament.
The problem is I can't feed him if I can't see him, or more accurately I can drop things in with tweezers or with a syringe but I can't see if he's eating it. Another concern I have is that feeding him like this will encourage him to just stay in the ornament. Would a better approach to be just to let him come out when he's hungry? I don't want him wasting away though.
<They are shy fish. The schooling tetras may help though.>
Confused Ctenopoma owners say ta.
Gordon and Denise
<Cheers, Neale.>

Flame tetra
Problem: flame tetra's bottom lip is quivering. 2/4/12
<Probably means he's breathing heavily. Fish gulp water in, and expel "used" water through their gill covers. So the more the mouth moves, as if panting, the faster the fish is breathing. Typically this means they're stressed -- could be social behaviour like bullying, but also water quality issues, excessively high temperature, or sudden changes in pH.>
Looks like he wants to go belly up, but fighting it off a little. Letting himself get blown around by the light flow of the water filter circulation.
Tank specs:
10 gallon, (should have bought a 20 or 50) had a Betta for 2 years in it added fish:
2 cory's
4 flame tetras (1 died over night, two going strong, one looks like he's struggling)
I do partial water changes ever 2-3 weeks, trying to do a month.
<Sounds all okay. Yes, a 20 gallon is the best side for starting a basic community tank (10 gallons being a bit too small for community tanks to be easily done). But Flame tetras aren't big fish, and you should be able to keep them in a 10 gallon tank without serious problems.>
I recently moved, the tank was empty for 2 days, then I added the Betta plus bought the flame tetras (4) then two weeks later added the Cory's.
Whats do you think is the problem, what fish should I get, why is my Betta always hiding now, will he be ok?
<On the Betta front, chances are he's been nipped a few times. Virtually all Hyphessobrycon species can be nippy, especially if not kept in sufficient numbers (i.e., at least 6, and really 10 or more is best). Some are worse offenders than others, but few will turn their noses up at a nice bit of Betta finnage! Bettas very rarely do well in community tanks.>
Thanks a lot!
<On the Flame Tetra front, a few issues to check. First, check water quality. You must have zero ammonia and nitrite. All tetras are acutely sensitive to poor water quality, as well as low oxygen levels and extremes of temperature (this species is adaptable, 22-28 C, but don't expose it to sudden changes in temperature). Next, what's the water chemistry? These are soft water fish and won't do well in hard water, though hard water shouldn't kill them overnight if already adapted to hard water by your retailer. If the retailer kept them in soft water though, and you've placed them in hard water, this could explain the fatalities. Likewise, sudden changes in pH can have the same effect. Finally, they're social fish.
Groups of 4 are a non-runner frankly, and while they don't die overnight from being lonely, if you keep too few, the dominant fish will bully the weaker ones, and this in turn can indeed cause deaths and visible stress.
If water quality is excellent (0 ammonia and nitrite) and water chemistry is correct (2-15 degrees dH, pH 6-7.5) I'd be tempted to get another 4 more specimens, and see what happens. With luck, the struggling one will have been socially stressed, and by adding more specimens, things will settle down. Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Flame tetra 2/4/12
HI,
thanks for your reply. I'm taking a sample of my water to the pet store for sampling.
<Okay.>
I also have a heater in the tank, and the water temp is fairly consistent.
Could you recommend a few fish for me that could live peacefully with my Betta?
<Honestly, there's not much! The best bets are Corydoras catfish, but these will need a reasonably big tank, at least 10 gallons, so they're not viable for "nano" tanks of the sort often used with Bettas. A good all-rounder would be the Bronze Catfish, a group of 5 specimens plus a Betta working adequately well in 10 gallons. Most everything else will either nip the Bettas (even peaceful fish like Neons!) or will be viewed as a threat (small Gouramis) or else will be eaten (if small enough). Corydoras catfish are peaceful and stay at the bottom, so mostly, Bettas ignore them. African Dwarf Frogs can work too, for the same reason. Shrimps sometimes work, but some Bettas will eat them.>
Thanks a lot!
<Cheers, Neale.>

Sick tank with Ghost knife 2/4/12
Hi, my name is Kathy,
And i have a issue with my fish i went to pets smart and got 4 baby angels what a mistake,
<Oh dear'¦>
well when i got them in tank i was checking them out they were hiding of course so i left them alone, and retired to the living room the next morning i feed every one ghostie my blk ghost knife his frozen bloodwoorms,i noticed the baby angels i just got have small white stuff all over them there fins were clamped down and they were flicking and twitching darting,
<No good. How long has this aquarium been running? Does sound like Finrot and/or Fungus; treat accordingly.>
they acted stiff. wow what a drag i also have a albino Cory cat and 3 tetras one algae eater in a 30 gal, my ghost knife is 2 yrs old i love him he is not my first, i have a strong filter it is a fs tetra 20-40 my tank has been up and running for 2 yrs,
<I see. Now, what's the water quality? Saying the filter is designed for a certain size aquarium is one of the ways manufacturers mislead us. This small hang-on-the-back filter may be rated for tanks in the 20-40 gallon size range, but that's only meaningful if the aquarium is lightly stocked with small fish. It's like the miles-per-gallon fuel consumption quotes you get with motor cars; more a sales pitch than anything else!!! In fact your filter probably isn't up to the job of cleaning a 30 gallon tank stocked with fish as big and messy and carnivorous and above all else sensitive as a Black Ghost Knifefish, and Angelfish are only adding to the workload. Whatever else is going on here, water quality is surely the root cause.>
now well the angels have died and now one of my tetras have white spots in fins great... well i tried api, Pimafix for 5 days before the angels died.
<A fairly hopeless product.>
one died about 2 days after i started the treatment, then i did a water change about 25%waited 2 days then i tried
copper safe by Mardel for a week and the rest of the angels died,
<You're randomly medicating! Stop. Sit down. Put the kettle on and have a nice cup of tea. Think about what's going on. Water quality is surely a problem, so start by doing water changes and of course don't feed the fish. Clean the filter out if it seems bunged up, and maximise its ability to remove ammonia by removing things like carbon and making space for biological media. Of course, carbon can't be used with medications (it removes them) so you should have removed carbon anyway; I'm just making the point for clarity.>
the ghost knife seems fine but the tetra has the same white spots on fins, so the whole tank has to be treated with some thing that will work without hurting my buddy the ghost knife
<Here's the thing. One of the bits of aquarium voodoo is that if you overstock or wrongly stock an aquarium, the Angel of Death visits and deals with the problem in his own way. You've been incredibly lucky the Knifefish has survived thus far -- but I wouldn't push that luck.>
something that will work. the temp is 74-76 pre set heater, i use filtered water from martins it is ro water the system says so were i fill up at,
<Just RO water? Honestly? You don't buffer the water with something like Discus Salts? You don't mix it with hard tap water? Here's another source of problems if you're keeping the fish in pure RO water. RO water contains no salts at all, and this makes it dangerous for fishkeeping. It sounds to me like your existing fish adapted to it over time, but the new fish couldn't adapt quickly enough, and that's what killed them.>
i do water changes about every 3 weeks its a 29 gal tank the nitrites are..o.. and the nitrates are 20-40 ph 7.5 i have live plants, well whats left of the after the copper safe got them..plz help what can i treat the tank with that will get rid of this problem without hurting my ghost knife..
<You need to sit and think about this tank VERY carefully. If you have been keeping them in pure RO water, that's bad. You need to do a series of water changes to add some hardness. Not massive changes, and since you're keeping South American fish, soft water is great. But either mix 3 parts RO with 1 part hard tap water, or else buy some Discus Buffer and add that to your RO water before use. Do maybe 10-20% water changes daily to improve water chemistry. Secondly, look at the filter and the size of your tank and reflect on water quality. Something's amiss here. Clean the filter, clean the tank, reduce feeding, improve water turnover. Don't add any more fish. Don't feed for at least three days while things settle down. If you medicate, and you should if Finrot is still apparent, use an antibiotic, not copper or formalin, as both of those are lethal to Knifefish. Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Sick tank with Ghost knife 2/4/12
Thank u for your reply, the hard water source would have to come from the outside spicket,
<Hang on a second here. What comes out of the tap in your kitchen? Be crystal clear that domestic water softeners DO NOT make RO water. All they do is replace temporary hardness with sodium. General hardness remains, as well as that extra sodium, so what they make is NOT suitable for fishkeeping. But if you're using genuine RO water, the expensive stuff, then yes, you can mix with hard tap water. Treat the hard tap water with standard water conditioner, of course. Preferably one that removes chlorine, chloramine, ammonia and copper.>
if i was to mix it with the ro water. and what would be the mixture?
<For soft water fish, 1 part hard tap water to 3 parts RO water is ideal.
But use a water hardness test kit on your tap water first. I'm assuming your tap water has a general hardness (degrees dH) of around 20. For soft water fish you want something like 2-10 degrees dH. So if you mix 50/50 hard tap water with RO water, you'd get a general hardness of 10 degrees dH. Mix 3 parts RO water with 1 part hard tap water, and the general hardness would be 5. Simple maths.>
or we do have soft water, in the house.
<Do not use water from a domestic water softener in an aquarium.>
so what would be the mixture for soft water and witch one would u choose, the hard water is city water hard with metals, and chemicals, and as far as treating the tank i thin its ick, i don't know is there a med i can use that will combat all, that's safe for the knife fish? whats it called?
<Salt.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/SaltUseFWArtNeale.htm
Read for the details. Cheers, Neale.>

Sad Platy? 2/4/12
We bought our son a 5 gallon tank
<Too small.>
for his b'day back in Oct and 2 male Platys,( one yellow Mickey and an orange one) we don't want babies - They got along just fine up until about 3 weeks ago. Swimming normally, eating/playing normally.
<Fish don't play. What you call "playing" was actually aggression. Male Platies compete with one another for females, and they don't compete by playing games!>
Now I noticed our yellow Mickey is hiding in the cave all day, won't come out for food ( how long can they go without eating??). When the orange one goes near the cave the yellow flicks his head or tail at him, trying to push him away. The yellow has even chased the orange one away and then retreats back to the cave.
<Aggression; trying to protect itself.>
I haven't seen any aggression from the orange one, if anything it seems like he's trying to tell him to come out and eat! Very occasionally the yellow will come out the cave and go hide at the top of the tank.
<Hungry.>
We have artificial plants and one small rock cave. I clean the tank once a week - and had my water tested a few times. The pet shop told me that my water is in great condition - better than theirs even!
<Meaning what? Really do need the numbers here, not their opinion. After all, they seem to have told you 5 gallons was enough water for Platies -- and that's utter rubbish. Platies need 15 gallons, minimum.>
They don't show signs of fighting, no missing tail or fins! So, could he be depressed, or not happy in his environment?? Would a 3rd Platy help?? I certainly don't want to over crowd my small tank.
Thank you!
Vera
<As Bob would say, keep reading! Start here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/poeciliids.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/platybehfaqs.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/platysysfaqs.htm
Follow the links. Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Sad Platy? 2/4/12
Thank you for your quick response!! We appreciate it.
<My pleasure.>
We have never owned fish and just wanted a smaller tank for my sons room - can you suggest some fish that would be ok in that size tank??
<For 5 gallons? Not much. A single Betta, or else a small colony of Shrimps or African Dwarf Frogs. But really, that's about it. Sadly, 5-gallon tanks are pretty well useless for fishkeeping. Here's some reading to get you going.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_5/volume_5_3/stocking.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/BettaGldfshKpgArt.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_5/volume_5_3/Editorial.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwset-up.htm
If you think about it, 5 gallons is a bucket. Can you imagine many fish living a happy life in a bucket?>
Should we take the sad Platy out, separate and feed him??
<These fish will need rehoming, yes. Long term chances of success are very low; likely one fish will die within the next couple weeks, and the other will last a few months before something goes wrong.>
I love that size tank, its easy to maintain, especially for a complete novice :)
<Actually, it's not, as you're learning to your cost! Five gallons is a terrible size for beginners. It's difficult to stock for a start, but also cannot provide healthy, stable conditions without a great deal of skill and
effort (and experience!). Bottom line, a 5-gallon tank is usually a waste of money. Much better to start with 15-20 gallons; even 10 gallons is smaller than most people will find "easy".>
Thank you!!!!
<Cheers, Neale.>

Betta with a Hernia? 2/4/12 My roommate's female Betta has a protrusion from her stomach. It looks like a small kidney bean that is attached to her tummy. Earlier this week she was acting like she was having seizers so we tested her water and her nitrate and stress levels were high so we changed her water and added aquarium salt to reduce the hardness, and she seemed fine after that. She has a normal appetite. Her diet is mostly Betta pellets with freeze dried blood worms given occasionally for a treat. She lives in a half gallon tank with a Betta hammock and a plastic plant. Her water gets changed once a week and while her tank does not have a heater we try to keep her water temperature in the mid seventies or higher. She has been blowing bubbles more often then normal as well. <Mmm, I don't know what this might be; but definitely not a kidney... these are retroperitoneal as in ourselves. If it were me, mine, I'd leave this mass as is; not treat... likely it will drop off of its own accord. Bob Fenner>

Hello :: Recovery from Ich 2/4/12
Hello Crew,
<Liz>
Just had a bad turn with the ick. I had purchased an Otocinclus
<Are social animals. Do poorly kept singly>
to help out with the algae but it died within 48 hours. Then I noticed the dreaded ick on my beautiful dark blue/purple female Betta. Immediately I treated the 10 gallon, heated, filtered water with CopperSafe
<Not very safe. I would have just used elevated temperature; as detailed on WWM>
on January 22, 2012 and the
Whitespot appears to be gone. My glorious fish is once again swimming, eating and then flaring at me when she feels like it. This morning she was blowing tiny bubbles.
My question is, what's next? How long do I wait to do a water change and how much should I change out? And can I be certain that all those parasites are truly dead?
<The last? No... but I would recommence w/ the water changes in a week or so. Do read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwichremedyyes.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>
Thank you,
Elizabeth
: Hello :: Recovery from Ich 2/4/12
Hi Bob,
<E>
Thank you for the information, it's always the very best. Luckily, I suppose, I used the chemical directions exactly in tandem with the increase in tank water temperature. My Betta seems to be just fine.
<Good>
Initially I totally freaked out over the death of the Otocinclus. Why do you think he died so fast? No friends? Not enough food? It makes me sad that he died under my care.
<... See, read on WWM re Otocinclus... quite touchy>
In one week I will do the recommended water change for the Betta.
Thank you for your patience,
Elizabeth
<Cheers, BobF>

Red ear sliders - 3 yr old female and 4 yr old male 2/3/12
Hi there, I need some good RES advice. :)
<Hi Sherry, this Sue. Hopefully I can give you some!>
I just got two RES turtles from an acquaintance that did not want them anymore. I just picked them up yesterday.
<Thanks for doing that. Unfortunately all too common a scenario.>
I did read how much work they were, but still decided to get them, b/c I just felt they were not being properly cared for. I have always loved turtles. My son and daughter were very excited about getting them. The previous owners actually thought the male was the female, after all this time.
My acquaintance, Terry, got the male from her grown stepdaughter when he was 1 yr old. Then her 8 yr old son thought he needed a companion, so they got the female as a baby, and put them together in the 36 gallon tank where they have been for the past 3 yrs. They are now the same size, 4 1/2" long. Terry told me that they haven't eaten in days.
<This is often the first sign that they're sick. Even though you just got them, I'd take them out of the tank for a few days for some R&R. Get a UVB light, then follow the instructions in the following link, under the section in the article called *ISOLATION*:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/treating%20RES%20Dis%20DarrelB.htm >
<Normally I wouldn't suggest subjecting turtles to a 2nd new environment while they're still trying to acclimate to their 1st one. But given that they weren't eating for days before you got them and may be ill, a warm dry environment is a better place for them (though THEY may not feel this way!) And hopefully after spending a few days warming up under UVB (allowing them just a few minutes each day in water to drink, poop and possibly eat) they'll feel a bit better and try to start eating again. >
I know I don't need to feed them often, but I thought just feeding them turtle pellets was not enough, but they have never had anything else. They do have a basking area, a floating dock, with a heat lamp but no UVB light!
<As you have already guessed, UVB is an absolute MUST and at least one factor affecting their appetite. I'm just surprised they're only showing signs now. While it can take a long time before turtles show signs of illness, 3 years is longer than I would have expected.>
There is also a filter. Terry did mention that they give them calcium, but I am not sure in what form.
Another friend of mine has another tank that they could give me, if it is better to separate them, but then I would need all the supplies for it. I think it's a little bigger than the tank I have now. I wonder if my new
turtles will be more aggressive with each other as they mature, since they are still considered juvenile at 4 and 3 yrs old. I believe Terry said that the male was bugging the female more of late.
<Actually their sexual maturity is based on size more than it is on age. And males mature sexually before females at around 4' or so; females not until they're a couple of inches larger. This is likely why your friend mentioned that the male is starting to bug the female more recently. And compatibility issues can start to occur when they're at different stages in their maturity. Aside from being at different sizes and stages of development, turtles of the same species generally can live fine together, but a lot can also depend on the individual turtles and/or how their environment is set up. >
They seem calmer today. Yesterday we just set them up in my house, so they were very nervous.
<It will likely take them several days if not longer to adjust to their new surroundings.>
I am sure the male is stressing the female out right now.
<Quite possibly, and as above, she likely won't be interested in him at all until she's a bit larger! Until that day comes (and sometimes even after!), she will see him as more of an annoyance, which may occasionally create some *tiffs* between the two!>
He chases her, with either both claws pointing straight for her face or he climbs on her back. This also seems like the mating dance, although I thought they were both too small.
<Again, he's not, but she is.>
She does not have any injuries yet. I just wonder if this has been the relationship for the past 3 yrs. I feel sorry for her, although she can fend them off, that must be tiring.
<I imagine it is. Unlike in nature, being in cramped quarters doesn't enable her to swim away. But don't feel too sorry for her! Females will often strike back at the males and can injure them as well, especially when they become larger than them!>
Can you give me some advice for housing and feeding them. I know I need to get the UVB lamp and feed them other food then pellets, I need to introduce new food. Could the lack of the UVB lamp and variety of food be the reason they are not bigger?
<What concerns me most is that they've had no UVB for 3 years. This should be #1 on your shopping list! It's possible the basking area is also not warm enough. It should be in the 88-90 degree range so I'd check that, too.>
<The pellets are actually fine as a staple as long as it's a good quality pellet like ReptoMin or even a Koi pellet. You can also offer them an earthworm or two every few weeks as a treat and for some added nutrition.>
<It seems like you've done some research already and have many of the basics covered, but here's a link to our care guide. Turtles don't need a lot, but they must have what they need. Besides the UVB, in particular read about how much to feed (and the importance of not over-feeding!) and make sure they have the proper water and basking temperatures:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/RESCareBarton.htm >
I know the female should be much bigger than the male. She is only 3 yrs old now, like a mentioned.
<As above, this will eventually change! For now though, once they're both eating again, just make sure he's not hogging all the food away from her! In fact one thing that can also help with compatibility issues is to feed each one separately, and in a separate container. The few minutes of extra time you spend here will also save you some time later on filter and tank maintenance! The container can be as simple as a plastic storage bin filled with a couple inches of water. Allow them time to eat and poop then simply dump the water!>
Will they try to mate if I keep them in the same tank? I know there is no place for the eggs to incubate.
<You won't have to worry about either of these things for a long time!>
Would they be better separated, or could they live in somewhat harmony in the same tank?
<You'll get a better feeling for this in the days ahead as you have more occasions to observe them together. Feeding them separately will help the odds. It will also help if you give each of them their own spot to escape to in the tank where they can get away from each other, both physically and visually. One way to accomplish this is through *décor* such as stacking some large stones in the center that they have to swim around and strategically placing two or three artificial plants around the perimeter. Just make sure that whatever décor you put in the water doesn't have any tunnels where they *almost fit but not quite* as they could become trapped and drown.>
Thanks so much,
Sherry
<You're welcome Sherry. Hope you found this advice helpful! Definitely read over the two links I sent and write us back if anything is unclear or if you're not seeing any improvement with them over the next several days.>

jerky movements and "coughing", GF in three gallons of water 2/3/12
Hi WWM
<Allison>
New to the site, and a new "goldfish mom," and this site has been very helpful!
<Ah good>
Ted is a "rescue fish" (standard gold/orange split-tail gold fish--2.5 inches-ish, beautiful!) that I took from a couple back in October, who were mistreating him and his water (i.e. putting out matches in his WAY too small beta-box, not feeding him properly, etc). Despite the fact that I am not necessarily a fish person, I adopted him IMMEDIATELY, and literally brought him back from the brink of death, floating on his side at the top of the water, barely breathing--and I'm happy to report that he's been happy and healthy for almost 6 months now.
<Commendable>
He was very happy and lively in the gallon glass vase
<Much too small>
i had for him for a long time-- until about New Years when he wasn't eating, and doing herky-jerky movements and having "coughing fits," especially when I would change the water (about once a week, before the water got too murky). He had never done this before. He was more lethargic, no longer swimming and flitting about when I came in the room, etc. I've always replaced his water with filtered water.
<Environment>
So heeding your advice I found on your site, (and especially since he'd gotten bigger), I changed his "home" from a (barely) 1gallon glass vase to a 3gallon Aqua Culture 360 view Cylinder Aquarium with an airstone pump, a water conditioner/pH balancer and everything (http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=17492098) . Sure enough, he sprang back to life--lively, eating, following me around the room.
<Still too small>
Well, he's been in there for about a week now, and just tonight I've notice that he's started his jerky swimming again, and sporadic "coughing fits."
These behaviours do go away, but I'd really like to get to the bottom of this behaviour. His energy is still moderate-active, appetite is alright (a pinch of Tetra-Fin Goldfish Flakes in the morning and the evening), sometimes he'll eat the food that's floated to the bottom, and is appearance looks fine. It seems to take some time for him to drop his poop, but at least he's pooping. Maybe he's just an active guy?
<Mmm, no. Tis mainly metabolite feedback ("pollution")... at cause here.
Too little water, too much waste>
But the erratic swimming and "coughing" thing has really got this new mom worried.
Thanks for any help or suggestions.
<Please read Neale's piece here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/goldfish101art.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>
Re: jerky movements and "coughing" 2/4/12
Thank you for the advice. I will look into it.
<Do soon, this goldfish is suffering in present circumstances>
This just in, though: Ted has about 2-3 INCHES of poop hanging out of him. The first half inch is white-ish/clear, while the rest is a brownish colour.
Is this normal??
<Not unusual... per what's been fed... see WWM re GF fdg...>
thanks as always for your responses.
<Thank you for using the site. BobF>

my angelfish laid eggs! 2/3/12 Hi Neale, Crew, First, thanks for the advise on my PopEye angel and Epsom salt in a future nursery tank. <Most welcome.> The angel was not recovering after a couple of weeks and stopped eating. we thought she would die, so I put her in my outdoor pond (700 gallons) with some Koi, goldfish, and a pair of blue gourami (they were exiled for being bully's to their tankmates, and like seem to like it out there) so she could die in peace. (not to worry, we live in south Florida) We also needed the tank back for some newborn mollies. Well, angel is actually doing great, very active now after a week in the great outdoors. <Ah! Yes, good environmental conditions will often effect a recovery. It says a lot about the problems of maintaining good conditions in aquaria (even spacious ones) that ponds can provide dramatically better, therapeutic conditions.> Meanwhile, back in the main tank, we have 110 gallons with pineapple swordtail: 2 adults and 9 juveniles; assorted platys: 6 adults and 5 babies (2 months); mollies: 2 black (babies in the nursery) and 4 Dalmatian lyre tail; tetras, 2 white skirted x-ray or ghost, 4 Serpae; <Watch these like a hawk; very nippy.> and 3 angels: 1 Koi male, 1 black marble female and a striped female. (the female Koi was sent to the pond) . Now, when i came home from work today i see that female striped and male Koi have laid eggs on the filter arm that goes about 18 inches down into the tank. <Great!> I have no idea what to do. <Up to you. Do you want to breed them?> If the eggs hatch, <Parents will almost certainly eat them before that happens; Angels are very bad parents.> i am afraid the filter will suck the newborns in, <Possibly.> or they will get eaten by all the others, like the baby black mollies, I could only save 8. <For sure.> Should I try to put up a partition in the tank to separate mom, dad and eggs from the rest of the tank and just take chances with the filter. <Could do. But see above re: parents.> I have never seen baby angels and am just thrilled but also afraid of seeing them be eaten. <Baby Angels are very sweet, and don't have the flat shape at all, but only grow into that shape.> If the eggs were on anything else, i would move them, but on the filter!?!? <A problem. Ideally, you're remove the tubing, replace with another (many pet stores sell spares for a given filter) and put the tubing in a fry rearing aquarium. No need for parents. Add Methylene blue to the water to stop fungus, and put an airstone nearby for oxygen-rich water to flow close by. Start up a simple biological filter (some ceramic media or filter floss taken from the mature filter is a great way to do this; stuff into an air-powered box or corner filter). Keep water at 28 C/82 F. Remove fungused eggs on sight. The fry will hatch after about 6 days, and become free-swimming (i.e., feeding) about a day later. Ideally, use newly-hatched brine shrimp, but reasonable results can be had with certain powdered flake foods, e.g., Hikari First Bites. You'll get fewer fry (some fry only take live brine shrimp nauplii) but it's less hassle.> Could you please give me some advise? I am attaching the best picture I could get of the tank. Thanks so much for your help, Lynn <Do read: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/fwangelreprofaqs.htm Most good aquarium books will have a section on fish breeding, and Angelfish are a staple of the hobby, and not difficult to rear. Even I've managed it once or twice! Cheers, Neale.>

Hi I've got a question do molly's change sex ? 2/3/12
<Nope.>
my tank has about 4 molly's all female until a few days ago she was female as i had breed her with a Dalmatian male i keep in a separate tank is it true that they can change sex as mine has
<The idea livebearers change sex has been around for decades, but there's no scientific evidence it happens. It's never been seen in situations where the fish was verifiably one sex and then becomes another sex. What usually happens is that a male develops later than normal, so to the less expert eye, looks like a female. After all, it's the shape of the anal fin we go on, and juvenile males have the same shaped anal fin as the females; it only becomes its particular shape after sexual maturity. If a male is a "late bloomer", he might have the female-looking anal fin for many months later than he should. What you describe would seem to be different, and I can't explain it at face value, but my guess would be that there's some sort of misidentification going on here.>
yours sincerely
d.Taylor
<Best wishes, Neale.>

Help! My balloon Molly seems really sick 2/3/12
Hi I've searched ur forum and can't find anything like this. My 3 month old balloon Molly started leaning back and swimming head up. At the store they told me to change a third of the water and add salt. I thought for a moment it helped but she continued doing that and started resting at the bottom of the tank. Today - 3 days later - she's hiding near the heater and won't eat. She also stopped using her tail completely and is mainly head up. the store told me that she probably has a propeller birth defect that only showed up now and that there is nothing to do. But honestly it doesn't seem they care too much so I was wondering if they could b wrong? Is there any chance I can save her? The info of my tank; its a small one with a sponge filter cuz I got them as newbies. There r 5 guppies and 1 other balloon Molly all the same age plus two baby mollies. The temp is 26 degrees cel. And my water snail died for no apparent reason the day b4 but my store now thinks it's a coincidence.
<Hello! Please do start reading here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/mollies.htm
What aren't you doing that you should be doing with Mollies?
Do then peruse the following page and the Molly Disease articles 2, 3, 4, and 5 linked at the top. Chances are, you're dealing with some sort of environmental issue that others have faced before. Lack of hardness, low pH, high nitrates, an aquarium that's too small; all these are common.
Brackish water conditions, though not essential, do help.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/mollydisfaqs.htm
Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Help! My balloon Molly seems really sick 2/3/12
Thanks so much for the speedy reply.
<You are welcome.>
I will research the links right away.
<Cool.>
But do u think it could actually b this birth defect that erupted suddenly?
<No; genetic defects will be apparent from birth. Cheers, Neale.>

Red Belly Turtle, hlth. 2/3/12
Hi,
<Hi Mark, Sue here with you.>
my turtle is a baby Red Belly Turtle. I found it by the shore with one of its leg bent. This was around the summer of 2011 and I took care of it until it's leg was healed. But it doesn't really use the healed leg to swim around. At the same time it's shell color is black turning a little white, but the outline around the shell still have its color on it. I gave space to swim around
<What else are you providing him for a habitat? He needs more than this!>
and dried shrimp from the pet store for it to eat. It likes the dried shrimp a lot,
<Dried shrimp is the equivalent of junk food for humans. That's why he likes it! However, you should not be feeding him this. Instead feed him a good quality turtle pellet like ReptoMin or even a Koi pellet. This should be the main staple of his diet. He may initially balk at this but you do need to change him over.>
but some days it won't eat and then it will again. Does this have to do anything about the shell color?
<Well both these things together actually point more to an improper diet and environment. >
<Besides changing his diet, it's possible you might be over-feeding him. You should also only be feeding him every other day and only as much as he can eat in 5 minutes.>
<As far as his environment, you didn't mention anything about providing him with a dry basking area, heat lamp, separate UVB light, his basking or water temperatures (should be 88-90 and 68-70 degrees respectively), or how long he's out of the water basking each day (should be for several hours). These are the absolute *bare minimum* necessities he needs to stay healthy. Read over this entire care guide and make the necessary corrections or he'll become ill, if he's not already:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/RESCareBarton.htm >
Thanks Mark
<You're welcome, Mark. One other suggestion: If you haven't been giving him the basics for his environment, that plus an improper diet may have caused him to become debilitated. You didn't mention whether the white color is more of a fuzzy substance or hard like the actual shell itself turning white. A whitish appearance is often a sign of a fungal or other infection. Whether it is or it isn't though, based on what you've said so far and not knowing the rest, I'd err on the side of caution, take him out of his wet environment (a magnet for microbes) and follow the instructions in the article below under the section called *ISOLATION*.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/treating%20RES%20Dis%20DarrelB.htm >
<It won't hurt him in any way to do this, and in fact if he IS feeling under the weather, this will help give his immune system a little boost until you make the necessary changes to his environment (which if you aren't providing now, you do need to get for him right away as you've already had him for over a year).>

55 gallon tank with catfish, Corydoras et al. cats... comp. 2/2/12
Dear Crew
<Hello,>
You may recognise me from various catfish queries in the past, for which you have been very helpful. Since writing last, I have acquired a large (55 UK gallon +) tank,
<66 US gallons; a very nice size aquarium.>
which houses my Featherfin squeaker, now about 7 inches long, and 3 upside-down catfish. When writing last, I mentioned baby Cory cats, rescued as eggs, in my smaller 10 gallon tank - they have now made it to the big tank, and are nearly as big as their adult orange Venezuela parents; they are very hard to count, but always somewhere between 13 and 17. (They are amazing to watch when they decide to shoal, most often after a disturbance, i.e. me cleaning!)
<I agree, Corydoras are a treat to watch in big groups.>
Since acquiring a bigger tank my fish population has increased, with the addition of 2 lemon Bristlenose (Ancistrus?) Plecos, one juvenile red-tailed shark, and most recently a striped talking catfish. I am most interested in the catfish, and like the idea that they should live a long time if properly looked after. I have looked up the talking catfish on your web pages and have found that they like their own company!
<Yes indeed.>
My idea of keeping fish is to have a few well cared for individuals, and not an over crowded difficult to maintain tank. I have been trying to find out the catfish capacity for my tank, but have not found any helpful information.
<Difficult to say with catfish of all these different sizes. The objective test is for nitrite -- if zero, the tank is functioning adequately. Even better if the fish all seem happy and active.>
Whilst thinking of the welfare of these lovely animals, I do not wish to bring problems upon myself by putting too many big fish in too small a space. I was wondering if you could tell me if I am at my limit already?
<If you go with the "inch per gallon" rule, that's about 55 inches of fish.
One big Squeaker (~7 inches) and three smaller ones (~3 inches each) makes 16 inches. Let's say 15 of the Corydoras at up to 2 inches a piece, so that's 30 inches the lot when grown. 4 inches for each of the Bristlenose Cats, and another 5 inches of the Red-Tail Shark, makes 55 inches altogether. The Talking Cat will be another 6 inches on that. So, your tank is pretty well stocked now. If you removed some Corydoras to the other tank, and so made space for one or two more Talking Cats, you'd be okay. To be honest, you're probably okay even with the Corydoras in place because catfish aren't terribly active so don't place a huge load on the oxygen level and filtration of the tank. But still, when all these fish are grown up, they will fill out the tank quite thoroughly.>
And if not, how many talking catfish is a good number? Also, I read with interest, an article on your pages referring to talking catfish barbels regrowing ... my fish seems to be missing an outer barbel; it does not appear broken off, or re-growing, just missing as in not there, looks like never was, as there is no damage, and no evidence of a barbel. I guess this is not normal?
<Does vary, and many cats loses their barbels for one reason or another.
Gravel is inferior to sand, but if either gets dirty, it can promote bacterial infections that erode the barbels.>
And is it anything to be concerned about?
<Generally not. But can be clue something is amiss.>
I have read that these fish will eat snails.
<If hungry, yes.>
I am hoping so as I have an infestation of small pond snails (tadpole snails) that I would like to get rid of.
<If hungry, yes.>
I have stopped buying live plants now, and have decided upon plastic, for this reason. I have had a snail problem in both my tanks, and have purchased 5 striped assassin, killer/bumblebee snails for my 10 gallon tank, and they seem to be doing a good job.
<Good.>
I have moved my 2 large elephant snails to the larger tank meanwhile.
<These are fun, too. Likely too large to be harmed by the cats.>
The striped catfish is only around 2 inches long at present so I am assuming it will take a long time for him to polish off all the problem snails. As the elephant snails are around 4cm long I am hoping they will remain untouched.
<Should be, yes.>
I have never seen any babies of these, so I suspect they are of the same sex.
<Quite possibly. Once you have both sexes, baby Tylomelania aren't far off!
A fun species to breed.>
In time I am hoping to return the elephant snails to my smaller tank. My concern is that if I then place the Assassin snails into the big tank, will the talking catfish eat these as well as the little pond snails?
<Possibly, but hard to say for sure.>
Your help is much appreciated.
Many thanks.
VWG
<Most welcome, Neale.>

Red Eared Slider's ears not red? 2/2/12
Hi there!
<Hiya - Darrel here>
My wife and I have a 1.5 yr. old Red Eared Slider about 5-6 inches long.
<Congratulations! Is it a boy or girl? Are cigars in order?>
We have him in a 20 gallon tank with a good filtration system and a large basking area, with both heat and UVB lights. He basks a lot, several hours each day, and is also an active swimmer. He feeds well and eats his calcium bones regularly. Lately, we have noticed that his "red ears" are no longer a bright red.
<hmmm '¦>
They are now a grayish color, almost as if the red is covered up by grayish-brown skin. Is this alright or could it be indicative of a health problem?
<Oddly, it could be either>
His shell was also flaking more than usual, so we started using the Tetra Turtle Vita Shell- Shell and Skin Conditioner just this week. We have seen an improvement in his shell (i.e. less flaking), but no change in his ear color. The tips of his "ears," closest to his eyes, are still a bright red, but the part of his ears that is typically covered by his "turtle neck" are discolored. Thanks for your help! Horace Pemberton III appreciates it.
<Well, the good news here is that Horace is not in pain. Nor is this a critical issue. But it is a bit strange. The first thing to think, which you have already thunk - is that he's dirty or that he's having a problem shedding. To test this, dip a Q-Tip (technically that is a "Q-Tip Brand Cotton Swab on a Stick") in some household vinegar. White vinegar is best, cider vinegar is OK but do NOT use Balsamic vinegar (unless Horace is one of those snooty, euro-centric health vegan turtles). Anyway '¦ when you hold him and tuck his little front feet IN '¦ he'll have to stick his neck OUT and then you can swab it. Expect Horace to be a bit offended and hold this against you for a few weeks. See if any color (gray) comes off on your swab.>
<If this doesn't do it, check his diet. Repto-min floating food sticks and/or an un-dyed Koi pellet (I used Kay-Tee brand) in case his skin is coloring due to a dye in the food>
<lastly '¦ fill a shallow bowl with about 2 quarts of lukewarm water and dissolve in 2 tablespoons of salt. Give Horace a bath like that for 15 minutes twice a week.>
<then write back in about 2 weeks>
All the best,
<Back at ya!>
Ricky

7 year old Red Eared Slider with pink under tail 2/2/12
Hi,
<Hiya - Darrel here>
My daughter's 7 year old Red Eared Slider, Skippy, has had a pink tinge to his skin on the underside of his tail and on his rear claw skin. We spoke with our vet last week and he advised to take Skippy out of his tank every day for 3-4 hours so he could completely dry out. We have done that each day. The pink tinge is also now near his neck on what would be our shoulders. Also, today, he has spent an unusual amount of time on his basking dock, moving very little, mostly staying in the same position other than moving his head in and out of his shell and looking around. He ate his ReptoMin this morning but not all of it. This is all very unusual for him. We have checked his water temp, basking temp, etc. His tank is cleaned once a month and the filter changed. Any advice would be helpful. We plan to call his vet tomorrow but it would set our daughter's mind at ease if she felt he would be ok.
<Well, the first thing that comes to mind is simple dye coloration. Is Skippy's basking rock one of those 'red brick-looking' stones you buy? Or is it an actual red brick? Anything like that?>
<The next thing is a colored dye in something Skippy eats? Hopefully not>
<Now from THAT, we get into medical issues. Pink skin can be a sign of Septicemia, which is bad - but very unusual. I mean VERY unusual. We normally see that in turtles that are so sick they've stopped all feeding and movement for a month '¦ not Skippy's case.>
<Does Skippy have a UV-B lamp next to his basking lamp? When he basks to get warm, he needs to absorb UV-B which comes from a special lamp - not through glass or screen. Read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/RESCareBarton.htm >
<Also, his water temp should be no higher than room temperature (unless you live North of the Arctic Circle)>
<The thing about turtles like Skippy is that when they get sick or even a bit run down, the natural aquatic environment that is their home can become their enemy: when they're not feeling well, the warm & moist world gives a leg up to the bugs and germs, so what I suggest is this: Let's give Skippy 2 week vacation. Let's keep him somewhere warm and DRY where he's under UV-B 24 hours a day. Again: read here about warm, dry isolation: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/treating%20RES%20Dis%20DarrelB.htm >
<Once he gets accustomed (a few days) we should see him being bright and alert and actively feeding when you place him in water>
Thanks,
Michele

Do Red Cherry Shrimp eat fish eggs? 2/2/12
Hi WWM Crew,
<Hello Jamie,>
I've got 3 tanks cycling at the moment, 1 x 65 litre and 2 x 35 litre. They were previously used for breeding Mollies (but they weren't really big enough for that), and still have a few Assassin snails in them after some problems with snails being introduced on plants (that's another story though).
I've yet to introduce plants to these, but that is another topic, although suggestions would be appreciated.
I'm planning on using 1 of the 35 litres tanks for a male Betta and the 65 litre tank for some Cardinal Tetra (10-15) and a female Betta.
I want to move the female Betta to the tank with the male on occasion for breeding, and I'll use the other 35 litre tank for and Tetra eggs that I can save (if I can get them to spawn).
I'd like to use Red Cherry Shrimp to help control the algae on all the tanks, but I'm concerned they'll get a taste for any of the eggs on offer as well.
<Indeed.>
Can you tell me if this will be the case, or if you can recommend something else of suitable size for the tanks for cleaning, it would be appreciated.
<I keep Ricefish (which lay eggs) with Cherry Shrimps, and every so often I'll find two or three baby Ricefish swimming about that clearly came from uneaten eggs. So whatever impact the shrimps have on the number of eggs, mine don't eat them all, if they eat any of them at all. Your own mileage may vary, of course! Few animals turn down fish eggs given the chance, because fish eggs are immobile, easy portions of protein and fat. Nerite snails are probably the closest to "safe" because they're such dedicated algae eaters. But shrimps and most other snails will surely eat an egg if they can.>
Many thanks in advance,
Jamie.
<Cheers, Neale.>

Emergency....I Hope you can Help PLEASE!!! GF, env... 2/2/12 Hi, I'm hoping you can help me if you read this quick enough. My son went away to college in September and left his younger brother in charge of his 2 healthy Gold Fish that he's had for 2 years. They are in a 10 Gallon filtered Tank, that sadly, my son does allow to get cloudy before he cleans it, but that's not unusual for these fish, the boys are not the best with it and clean the tank every 2-3 weeks with a water change, sometimes small water change, sometimes full because the fish foul the tank quickly. <Indeed. Your problems here are environmental; i.e., lack of care caused these fish to get stressed, sick, and they are now doubtless suffering. Start by reading here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/goldfish101art.htm Goldfish have a baseline set of requirements. A big aquarium (30+ gallons), a large filter, and weekly water changes are all essential. If a child is so irresponsible they cannot provide this sort of care, then they shouldn't be trusted with pet animals.> I think they are bubble eyed fish, although eyes were not that bubbled out, and they started out small but really grew over the past 2 years. Those of us here are not really fish people and I wish my son had been allowed to take the tank to college. Son #2 noticed tonight that the black fish had a white patch on one side of his body, not fuzzy looking, but looks like his scales turned white. He is laying listless on that side so white patch faces down. His eye (same side) looks horrible, bubbled out and clouded over. While taking pictures to send to you he flipped onto the good side so I could see the bad side. I noticed that at the bottom of the white is a SLIGHTLY red spot, hardly noticeable until you enlarge the photo. My son had added a new little house last week (he washed it well) but I'm wondering if the fish has hurt himself on the new little house, or if he is ill, with a parasite (as someone from a reputable, but not so local fish store) suggested on the phone or they mentioned an ulcer. I can't bring it in to a fish store, he was in the midst of locking up so is closed till the morning. He said if it's still alive in morning I can bring it to him, and he'll take it to try and fix him up. We did a water change, and separated the two fish. The healthy (so far) orange fish is in the tank and I put the black fish in a clean bowl of water. He started to swim around a bit more then, but didn't eat the few flakes I put in. <A bacterial infection. In a healthy aquarium with good water quality (0 ammonia, 0 nitrite) would heal up nicely with the use of anti-Finrot medication (not salt, not Melafix, not Pimafix). A combination treatment of Maracyn 1 with Maracyn 2 seems to be popular in the US. Here in the UK I recommend eSHa 2000. Whichever you use, you need to remove carbon from the filter (if used) and ensure good water quality.> The store I called said it sounds bad, and I can either boil up water and throw him in to put him out of misery <What? No, throwing animals into boiling water isn't humane. It's horribly cruel!!! Whatever made you think this would be a painless death? I'm shocked, to be honest, and have never, EVER heard this method of torture mentioned.> or wait to see if he's okay to bring him in the morning. I can't put him in boiling water. <Thank the Fish Gods!> But if he's in pain or suffering I don't want that either. My husband can flush him'¦.but before we do, <Stop. Again, flushing is cruel. All it does is remove a suffering animal from your eyesight. The animal will die, horribly, in a sewer somewhere. On top of that, you're letting disease-causing organisms get out of your control. If sewers are connected to storm drainage, and most are, there's a very real risk of disease-causing organisms getting into the wild, where they can infect native fishes. You and your husband need to start thinking logically. Read: http://wetwebmedia.com/euthanasia.htm Unless you're a vet or animal physiologist, the best way to euthanise fish is to use Clove Oil which is cheap, easy to use, and sedates the fish before it kills the fish. 30 drops in a litre of water taken from the fish tank does the job nicely.> I was hoping maybe you could see the pictures and or tell me if I should let him hang in there till morning. <This could be treated. In the right aquarium with the right medications, it would recover.> I am a dog lover, we have 3. I don't want the fish to be suffering, but I don't want to kill him if this looks like he could be healed. Do fish FEEL PAIN??? <Apparently so. They certainly get stressed and agitated, but for many years the assumption was they didn't feel pain as such. Recently, the laboratory evidence seems to support the idea they do feel pain, though perhaps not using quite the same methods as mammals do.> And if your fish looked like this, what would you do?? <Fix the aquarium. Review my list of things Goldfish need, and make the changes. Short term, stop feeding and do regular water changes to bring ammonia and nitrite levels down to zero. Medicate. Within the next week or two, upgrade the aquarium and filtration system.> Let him be for the next 12 hours or put him out of misery (if that's what he's feeling) <I'm sure he's unhappy. But that's the fault of whoever set up this aquarium. I cannot stress too strongly how cross I get about children keeping pet animals they cannot keep properly. Most of us would agree that mistreatment of a cat or dog would be wrong, yet we often turn a blind eye to children mistreating a pet fish. By the looks of this fish, it's sickness was a long time coming, and things have progressed downhill for many days if not weeks before this e-mail. Your child needs to reflect on this, and the two of you need to establish some ground rules about its care. If you can't "fix" things for this fish, then euthanise all the pet fish with Clove Oil (or at least this ailing one and rehome the other) and wait a few years until your child is adult enough to care for his pets.> Thanks so much, I appreciate your help. Best, Elyse <My apologies if this is a bit scolding. But it's 6:40 AM here in England, I haven't had a cup of tea yet, and this is precisely the sort of e-mail that gets me worked up! Good luck to you all, Neale.>

Re: Emergency....I Hope you can Help PLEASE!!! (RMF, I confess, an unhappy customer)<<Oh oh>> 2/2/12 Neale, Warning: DO NOT READ THIS EMAIL TILL AFTER YOU'VE HAD YOUR MORNING TEA!!! <Oh?> Thank you for your "help" but as for your "apologies" as to what you called 'a bit of a scolding''¦'¦I certainly did not expect you to judge us so harshly. If your scoldings happen before tea....most people wouldn't want to deal with you....so perhaps you shouldn't read anyone's posts before tea! Just a little bit of advice, not that you asked or were in need of any I'm sure. I worked you up??? Sorry, that was certainly not my intention Neale! Now you've done the same to me and I'm pretty worked up! <Indeed.> I was not going to write back, but decided that since my letter got you worked up'¦.your letter, made me question why in the world I'd let a total stranger's judgment get me so worked up. 'My apologies if this is a bit scolding. But it's 6:40 AM here in England, I haven't had a cup of tea yet, and this is precisely the sort of e-mail that gets me worked up! <Quite so.> You had a website that popped up when I Googled a question. It was a nice website, one that genuinely seemed to want to help educate people'¦..silly me'¦..I thought I was only asking very NICELY for some medical fish advice'¦..I didn't ask/deserve/or need to be judged on such a personal level. I asked for a medical evaluation, not a personal parenting evaluation. Until you have walked in my shoes'¦.hold your scolding's please! I have 3 nearly grown 'children' 2 of whom are medically challenged. Helping them to become independent young adults'¦.has been quite a challenge. To have you judge me on my parenting ability'¦.got me worked up! When my youngest awakes in the morning, I consider that a good day! Do you have kids Neale? Are they healthy? If so, count your blessings. <All this was absent from your message.> I had been a bit hesitant to even write to you, because one never knows what kind of person you connect with on the internet'¦but my son, who is an epileptic by the way'¦.. was stressing so, that I decided after making 5 phone calls to local pet shops, all in the process of closing or not having any fish experts on hand'¦.that we'd go online to see what could be learned and stupidly I thought as a part of a lesson to my son, we could reach out for help online from an expert. What a MISTAKE that was! <How? You got accurate information, specific things to fix/improve, and a reply from an expert that was sent as quickly as possible. In what way were you short-changed? Think about that. We're volunteers here. I spend an hour a day helping people with their sick pet animals. I have no interest in becoming concerned with their lives beyond that; I just don't have the time. I reply, I provide help, I'm accurate, I'm unambiguous. What I'm not is a counselor or family therapist. I'm sorry if I offended you. But I did help you, and I did help you when you needed it.> Consider my lesson learned. Never again will I encourage that! <Too bad. Notice I'm not selling you anything or expecting any kind of reward. Indeed, many people who write in don't even bother with a tank-you. But many do write back, and most of those express kind sentiments. That's why I stick around.> My son, who is 17 by the way, is not a 'child mistreating a fish' stayed up fretting and kept checking to see if you had written back. I'm glad I intercepted your email and kept it from him. Who are you to not only judge my son along with my parenting; but my integrity as to lying about how long the fish had been like that? <How could I tell? The fish was ill, and from the wounds seen in the photo, had clearly been so for a VERY long time: weeks, not days or hours.> I'm sure he's unhappy. <Which is what I'm concerned with. I'm here for the animal. I'm expressing to you the things they can't say. If you want someone who says nice things about you and your family, but provides no practical help for your animal, then you can get that lots of other places. I didn't try to sell you anything, I didn't bill you for my time, and I didn't fob you off with empty promises. I told you what you NEEDED to know, WHEN you needed to know it. My apologies if it was blunt. But I will not apologise for being honest about what I saw and what I interpreted from the available evidence.> But that's the fault of whoever set up this aquarium. I cannot stress too strongly how cross I get about children keeping pet animals they cannot keep properly. <Good.> By the looks of this fish, its sickness was a long time coming, and things have progressed downhill for many days if not weeks before this e-mail. <Surely.> Your fish/health skills may be accurate but you are wrong as to the fish being sick for days or weeks prior to my writing. <I'm not. That fish has been sick a very long time. Maybe not as obviously, but Finrot like that doesn't come about overnight. If the wounds really are something sudden, then we're talking about some severe physical trauma. But if you can count that out, then it's Finrot, and that takes a while to develop, 99 times out of 100 anyway.> Why would I take the time to make calls and write, if the fish had looked like that for days or weeks?? <No idea. But many people who seek help for these pet animals only do so after the early symptoms have passed and they're hoping the thing would get better by itself. Some people don't notice, and it's a simple accident.> Geez, I brush my 3 dogs teeth for G-d sake'¦.you think I'd let a fish look like that for any amount of time? <No idea.> I saw the fish a day prior, and it was not deteriorated'¦.calling us out on that was just plain wrong'¦..and your people skills'¦.leave much to be desired! <My people skills are just fine, thanks. Indeed, what I've learned here is that people respond better to honesty than diplomacy. If I underplay my concerns, and step around the hard facts, some people will read that as being a lack of urgency, and ignore what needs to be done.> Your child needs to reflect on this, and the two of you need to establish some ground rules about its care. I have ongoing life lesson discussions with my son'¦.thanks for the unsolicited parenting recommendation; I didn't know you had your degree in child psychology. <Nope, but I am a high school teacher, so spending time with difficult teenagers is part of what I do. And believe me, it's even more difficult to get right when they're standing in front of you. I get it wrong often. But going with the truth, with reality, is usually the best approach.> Writing to you was a small part of our longstanding discussions'¦.my son, is a true leader in his school, loved by his teachers, and tries hard in life in spite of medical challenges. <Great. But that's not my concern here. If a child puts his hand towards a flame, you don't pause and explain slowly what the problem will be -- you grab the child's hand and pull it away. There's a time for sensitivity, and there's a time for urgency. This fish needed help, and fast, and from the evidence you gave me in your e-mail, there was no reason why I should play "camp counselor" and hold back.> It would have been a better lesson and much kinder of you, <I'd been kind just replying. I'm good at what I do (feel free to check up on me) and I'm not just some guy sending out cranky messages. Almost always, I can send people helpful, useful information. I did precisely that for you. I'm not here because I make people feel good about themselves. I save that for my friends and family. Right here, right now, my job is to help the pet owner help their pet animal. That's it.> had you taken the time, and the empathy to realize that if we were writing, it was because we cared about the fish. The fish store I drove to this morning, the reliable one a half hour away, complimented me on caring enough to drive all the way there with the fish'¦.they put some medicine on him, gave me some medicine for the tank, and said they were hopeful he could recover. Just for your information, I took the water sample in from before I changed the water last night and the water was fine! <Meaning what? Pet shops often have no clue about what "good" water quality is. Some are staffed by experts who care -- but certainly not all. Just spend some time reading the e-mails we get here. Pet shops sell people 10 gallons tanks for goldfish, or tropical fish that get to be 3 feet long, or tell them low levels of ammonia are fine'¦ the list is endless. If pet shops were 100% reliable, we wouldn't be here at WWM helping out!> Go figure! That's the kind of people I needed to hear from, I needed help, which I appreciate you tried to give'¦but maybe'¦..just maybe, you could have tried doing that without scolding along with it. Try to give people the benefit of the doubt Neale. <I do. But this fish was in such a bad state, there wasn't time. This was triage.> We are not fish people doesn't mean we didn't 'LIKE' them'¦.but were admitting we don't know a lot about them when they are sick'¦..and obviously were not as perfect as you are in taking care of them, as I explained, my older son left for college and did give the younger one advice on care. The local fish store help son #1 set the tank up 2 years ago for much smaller fish, assuring him they stayed small. The STORE said the original tank (bowl really) was correct size for small fish. <See above.> We already upgraded to a bigger tank and thought it was handled correctly again when advised by the local store when we said the fish were bigger. Now in the midst of an emergency, we were really trying to do the right thing by the fish and by both my sons. <Good.> If you reread your response to me Neale, your words were much more than a "bit of a scolding"'¦..it felt as if you were ripping me up one side and down the other and your lesson was lost on my son because I'm not even able to show him your judgmental reply back, <I think you're reading far too much into my message. Yes, I was blunt, and yes, my British English idiom may be a bit hard a time -- but in the precise same way American English often comes across as flippant to me. The written word often betrays us like that.> as I wouldn't want to or ever teach him to ever respond so rudely to someone when they are openly admitting they are not educated on fish and so were asking nicely for some advice. I really wonder if you have kids'¦'¦teenage kids. Do they suffer from epilepsy, are they A students, are they working toward their Eagle Scout in Boy Scouting and do they by chance happen to be applying to colleges and working their asses off? What's that, did I hear a No? Then again, don't judge me or mine until you are in my shoes. <Whatever.> Hopefully, you are reading my reply to you, AFTER you've had your morning tea.....perhaps you may want to consider that if someone takes enough time to write to you, it means they do care or they would have just flushed the fish who we call 'BLACKIE' down the toilet. I have no sewers, we have self-contained waste here....although you were right in that I never did think of that, how stupid of me, I don't know WHAT I was thinking'¦.Oh wait, I do, I was just out of my mind thinking of how to keep my epileptic son from freaking and my college son from being devastated hearing the fish he left here had died in the care of his younger brother. <Think about my role here, and what you told me. I do feel that you're lashing out a bit here. That's fine enough if it makes you feel better -- but it's hardly justifying your concern. If you think I was too hard in replying to you, then that's fine; say so. I will always apologise for hurting someone's feelings if it was unwarranted. I already have done so. But sending out a boatload of mean-spirited comments in retaliation isn't constructive.> I just didn't know if Blackie could be saved or if not, how to put him out of his misery which is why I asked if they felt pain....I had looked that up too but found varied answers. I was ASKING you because as I said I COULD NOT DO THAT!!! And you are asking me 'Whatever made me think???' What? No, throwing animals into boiling water isn't humane. It's horribly cruel!!! Whatever made you think this would be a painless death? I'm shocked, to be honest, and have never, EVER heard this method of torture mentioned. <It was in your message. My problem here is I have to work with what's sent to me by e-mail. We get plenty of people who think feeding goldfish to predatory fish is fine. Who think flushing half-dead fish is fine. Who think freezing fish to death is fine. I wanted to be crystal clear that what was mentioned in your message was definitely NOT fine.> Thank you for the Clove Oil info on that. You are full of information, but low on empathy. <If you say so.> I would never torture an animal and I too had never heard that, I just didn't know what to do. While I can try and understand your anger with me'¦.. I SINCERELY wish you would have thought a bit more about my son'¦..he's not a monster and deserved a kinder response than you gave, so that I could be able to share a more kinder letter with him and then he could learn the lesson here. You Neale, obviously don't get it'¦..so let me explain please. <Oh, will you'¦?> I'm NOT the monster you seem to think'¦.though I do wonder what kind of person you are before your morning tea. <A person who, at 6:30 AM, half an hour before he leaves for work, took the time to reply to an urgent request for help. That's the person I am. I care. I made the effort. Words seem to matter to you; I care about the actual thing done. I offered help. Maybe not the way you wanted it, but there it was, sent to you as fast I could do it. I'm sorry that wasn't enough. But I don't recall you paying for anything here. I volunteered. I was there to help. Apparently that makes me a bad person?> I do not profess to be as bright as you are'¦.. <No idea.> but I've managed to keep 3 dogs and over the years many more dogs than that'¦..and my 3 children including son # 2 who as I mentioned is an epileptic and my elder one has medical issues as well. We are crossing our fingers while he is away at college....as he wants to be independent like most his age. I've been a mom now for over 21 years, raised good straight kids, who are kind and caring with people and with animals, so I can't be all that stupid. <I agree.> Son #2 is not a 'completely irresponsible child he's old enough'¦." Goldfish have a baseline set of requirements. A big aquarium (30+ gallons), a large filter, and weekly water changes are all essential. If a child is so irresponsible they cannot provide this sort of care, then they shouldn't be trusted with pet animals. The local fish store we got everything from initially obviously wasn't the best, these started out as small goldfish in a bowl'¦'¦but we did upgrade over a year ago. I did have another very long discussion last night while we changed the tank water. Son #2 inherited something that he was just trying to help his brother with and as an epileptic, he was stressing terribly about letting his brother down'¦.and not being able to keep the fish alive. Think Neale'¦.before you respond to people please'¦'¦your words were vicious, <Really?> and had my son read them, you would've devastated an already devastated kid. Is that really who you are? You had some valuable advice on your website, and in your email response to me'¦..but the harsh lashing'¦'¦would be better heard had they been softer, or not said at all. Perhaps finding a better home is a good answer.....but I opened your email tonight after a very long day of trying to take care of this fish. And now I'm feeling very angry, just like you are cranky in the morning before your tea'¦.I get cranky at night after a long day worrying if the stress my son has gone through the last 2 days will cause him to have a seizure tonight'¦..(you see you're an expert on fish, I'm an expert on seizures and lack of sleep and stress are the worst things for an epileptic next to illness of course) and my son didn't sleep last night fretting over this fish'¦.so now it is me who is cranky'¦'¦shall I APOLOGIZE to you for that, or shall I just hit delete and not send this rant'¦..No I'm going to send, as I really feel the need to respond to your harsh letter by letting you know I never got to fully read your email till just now, as I drove Blackie a half hour this morning to a very reputable pet store, because the ones by us only have kids working there and I sought out an expert, just as I thought I was doing by writing to you. They assured me the water was fine, and they gave me some medicine and kind advice. He was already looking better by the way and is swimming around but we are not sure he will make it so thanks for your good wishes which felt very insincere. <Again, you misjudge me. If I didn't care, I wouldn't have bothered. Do you know the story of the Good Samaritan? I wouldn't claim to be living the life implied by that parable, but I'll make the point that we don't know if the Good Samaritan grumbled when he dragged the wounded man to the inn, or if he was cross about wasting time going to wherever he was set, or if he yipped at the wounded man for being so silly as to get done over by the bandits. Nowhere in the story does it say the Good Samaritan was nice, a good listener, or experienced in offering post-traumatic counseling. All that matters is that the Good Samaritan was there. He helped the wounded man. I hope my point is clear here. I tried to help. Clumsily perhaps, and maybe in a way that lacked a certain element of tact. But I took the time out of my early morning start to help.> Neale, For your information, I called 5 stores in total, I went on numerous websites, I spent time trying to clean and care for a fish, while trying to calm my epileptic son, who was crying here over this poor fish and now I'm reading your nasty email accusing us of this all being long in coming from his terrible mistreatment of the fish. <Whatever.> Not sure if you have kids Neale.....but at some point, we need them to grow up and teach them as best you can and then allow them to take some responsibility which is all a part of small pet care. He didn't TORTURE the poor fish.....He's not a MONSTOR'¦.. Most of us would agree that mistreatment of a cat or dog would be wrong, yet we often turn a blind eye to children mistreating a pet fish. Excuse me, you don't know us, and I resent that you insinuate you do know my son. You had no right, he's a good kid....an A student despite the fact that he's a chronically sick kid who was only trying to help his older brother out by keeping his fish for him....but he's a busy kid who because of his seizures, doesn't have as many hours in his day to accomplish all he needs to do. He's got a lot of work to do for college prep and he takes epilepsy medication which has side effects that tires him and he needs more than 9 hours a night sleep if he is to control his seizures'¦'¦.so the list of things to do is long and the day is short. He's not someone that you should accuse of 'mistreating' the fish. <Honestly, while I have the greatest sympathy for you both -- none of this really matters to the pet animal. Animal welfare is a binary thing, like being pregnant. You're either providing adequate care or you're not. If you're not, it doesn't really matter why not -- the animal is suffering. If I can help provide better care, I will.> Not everyone has the kind of time or knowledge to be as perfect as you seem to be when it comes to fish. I don't need or appreciate your sarcasm either as to how to euthanize a fish'¦..I was merely asking because the local store told me that was the way to do it, I was the one who said I couldn't do that!! <My misunderstanding, apologies.> Should I be caring for the fish instead of having my son do it? <If the son can't care for a pet animal, then probably, yes, you will need to provide help, care, assistance.> This is a rhetorical question in case you can't tell. Perhaps I should be......but he's a teenager, and I'm trying to teach him'¦.that's the key word...trying to teach'¦.because as a parent I do direct and try to make him do the right things so that he can grow up to become an independent and reliable human being, hopefully he will be living long enough to become a husband and a father one day. He takes care of his seizure alert dog, he's an A student and he's becoming an Eagle Scout......so I must be doing something right....although I'm sure I can do better as well. But we all learn from mistakes and hopefully it's without killing anyone or anything (including a pet) along the way. The kid takes spiders outside when we find them in the house'¦.so for you to make us feel terrible over the sickness of a fish'¦.was cruel of you'¦..TEA or NO TEA! You need some people skill lessons. If you didn't want to respond kindly'¦then don't respond at all. What was I thinking??? Perhaps you need to think who and how you are responding to ordinary people'¦..think they may have much more on their plate than you realize. Kindness goes a long way. You should try it sometime. Perhaps if you had a bit of empathy or realization that we all have our issues as we travel through this life'¦.but some of us are genuinely caring people, doing the best we can and if it's not good enough to stand up to your measurements'¦.then you should not choose to offer advice to people if it can't be kind. <Why? Accurate, timely, kind; choose any two. You needed help quickly; I was on my way to work. I didn't have time to write a treatise on practical parenting (and as you observe, I probably wouldn't be any good at it).> You have good advice. But I'd never come to you again (yes you can praise the fish G-ds)'¦'¦ <Ah yes, the Fish Gods!> because you played judge and jury and then you played doctor, while showing obvious anger at our mishandling of the situation, that doesn't make for a lesson'¦..it makes one afraid to ask for help. <Too bad.> And although I'd like to believe that in your heart, you want to help, <Wouldn't be spending an hour of my life here if I didn't want to help. Be crystal clear on that -- I'm volunteering here to help people help their animals. Go elsewhere for tea and sympathy.> I hope my email back to you helps you to realize we were looking for help'¦.that should tell you we cared enough to make lots of phone calls, write emails to a stranger, and drive a fish to be evaluated. <Quite so.> We are caring people. <Yes.> When was the last time you drove a half hour to get a fish evaluated?? We didn't need the 'bit of scolding' or ripping you gave us. I believe a spoon full of sugar, helps the medicine go down'¦'¦. <That's one way of looking at things. But sometimes you need to take your medicine straight. Sugar, after all, is bad for the teeth.> Maybe, in order not to work yourself up first thing in the morning from idiots like me'¦'¦you shouldn't read your email's until you've had your morning tea'¦'¦This lesson we learned was completely different than what we set out to do. Note to self'¦.don't write to get help from a stranger'¦..they make you feel like a fish murderer. <Whatever.> Oh, and sorry Neale for this bit of a scolding'¦..I was up all last night with an epileptic and a sick fish, so I'm a bit cranky. Thanks Neale'¦..for all your help. <Glad to be of assistance.> Elyse <Cheers, Neale.> Re: Emergency....I Hope you can Help PLEASE!!! 2/3/12 Neale, This morning.....after my coffee and a decent night sleep....I realized this 5 gallon news must have just pushed you right over the edge. <?> The pet stores yesterday reassured me that a 5 gallon tank for two fish this size is okay and my water was not the problem, cloudiness was probably from an overfeeding, <They are point-blank wrong. Goldfish need 30 gallons, and at an absolute pinch 20 gallons for a singleton but that's hardly ideal. Cloudiness is a bacterial bloom in the water, possibly also silt from inadequate mechanical filtration. The bacteria infect wounds, and that's where your Finrot (dead white tissue, open lesions, bloody patches on the fins) come from. Any shop that tells you a 10 gallon aquarium is adequate for a fish that can grow to 8-10 inches/20-25 cm in length is clearly wildly inaccurate when it comes to information. Grab a side plate from a kitchen cupboard. That's about the size of an adult (3-5 years old) Fancy Goldfish. Hold it against a 10 gallon tank measuring 20 inches in length and 12 inches in depth. Does that tank look anything like big enough? Sure, people put Goldfish in 10 gallon tanks, but most of them die very quickly. Maybe 1 in 10 lives more than a year, and fewer than that see their next birthday. Think about your pet store with hundreds if not thousands of Goldfish on sale. Do you really think all of the hundreds sold each month live the 15-30 years they should live for? Of course not; most of them die very quickly, within months of sale. That's because the vast majority of people simply have no grasp of what these POND fish need to do well indoors. There's no rocket science here; the care of Goldfish has been well established for hundreds of years. But because people WANT these fish to do well in bowls and tiny aquaria, pet shops carry on selling them Goldfish for just such "use".> but they did say a 10 gallon upgrade would be more that enough room should Blackie survive. <"More" than enough room!!!> I've been doing much more research and just wanted to rest assure you.....I will hopefully if Blackie recovers.....as per your suggestion upgrade properly in another week. <Glad to hear it.> No need to ruin your day worrying over my lack of knowledge'¦..I've been sufficiently lashed....thanks for your information. I do realize you had the fish interest at heart. <Yes.> As did I....though you probably don't believe that'¦.Elyse <Real good. Cheers, Neale.> Re: Emergency....I Hope you can Help PLEASE!!! (RMF, I confess, an unhappy customer)<<Oh oh>> 2/4/12 Neale, Just wanted to let you (and the crew) know that you need to be appointed to sainthood! You had such an amazingly constructive response to a person that clearly doesn't "get it". Some people just don't seem to understand that WWM is completely VOLUNTARY! Why would anyone complain about a free service, none the less a free service that has repeatedly proven to be of the highest caliber? It just saddens me how certain people seem to lose all emotional control when faced with minor issues. You, Neale have extraordinary people skills! To provide a well thought out, constructive response when the person on the other end has lost their cool is fantastic, not to mention your expertise in the field. Thanks to you and the crew for everything that you do! Joe <Joe, thank you very much for these kind words. Much appreciated! Cheers, Neale.>

Dying Spiny Eel. I'm desperate. 2/2/12
Hi,
I have a Spiny Eel, about 10 inches long, approximately four years old. The day before yesterday he was fine, up and about interested in food, generally healthy. Early this afternoon, I went to my tank and he was just ghastly looking, it broke my heart. At this point in time, he's on the bottom of the tank, on his side, gasping for air (harder than you can imagine). He's lost all of his colour, and seems to be slightly swollen, and somewhat stiff. He's unable to move, occasionally, he will try to turn over if I approach the tank to check on him, but that's about it. I'm heartbroken, and there have been more than a few tears shed over my fish baby.
I've completed a 30% water change, and added aquarium salt, along with some Ammo Lock. The few harlequin Rasboras I have in with him look fine, along with my Bristlenose plecostomus (although, they're both hardy enough it would take a fair effort to kill them).
Water parameters look fine, and as I said nothing else looks sickly. The only change I can think of is the heat which has taken a turn for the worst, my tank is sitting at about 34 degrees Celsius. But, this is not uncommon with our climate, and it isn't the first time, nor the last that the tank gets that warm.
Please, any information or direction to try and fix this would be greatly appreciated. I fear it may be too late for him, and am prepared to euthanize him if necessary, but he's been a loyal fishy companion for quite some time now, I'd like to try and help him before I give up. Although, seeing him suffer just makes me cry.
Thanks, Sarah.
<Hello Sarah. Do you have gravel in this tank by any chance? Bacterial skin infections (which need treatment with antibiotics) are very common with Spiny Eels when they get scratched by the substrate. Do read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/spinyeelsmonk.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_4/v4i3/Spiny_Eels/Spiny%20Eels.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/spinyeeldisfaqs.htm
http://wetwebmedia.com/euthanasia.htm
The high temperature may be a factor too; some of these Spiny Eels come from fast-flowing streams and dislike the low oxygen levels typical of warm water. Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Dying Spiny Eel. I'm desperate. 2/2/12
Hi Neale,
Thank you so much, for a quick response. Unfortunately my eel, Ick as he was lovingly known, died about an hour ago, shortly after writing the email.
<Ah, too bad.>
I had had him for four years, so it's quite a loss. He was an awesome, intelligent creature, I'd trained to take food from hand, always leaving his random hiding space to greet me when I came to the tank. He was very much a pet, and will be very, very missed.
I would like to know what happened to him though, so in answer to your question, yes, I did have a gravel in my tank. I realise now that was a mistake on my part, however, in the four years of having him he was never sickly and never appeared injured.
<And therein lies the problem. Spiny Eels clearly can do well in tanks with gravel. But it does seem that skin infections spread across Spiny Eels extremely quickly, and scratchy gravel is very likely one cause. Perhaps it's not so much the algae as, say, not cleaning the gravel properly one time, so that there's a little more dirt in the gravel than usually is the case. I just don't know.>
Even looking at him after he has gone, he does not appear to have any physical signs of injury or illness. As I stated, the symptoms he had were some slight swelling (although that may have been because he wasn't his usual lithe, quick moving self), a complete loss of colour, almost white, and the gasping. He was absolutely fine the day before yesterday, foraging for food in the tank, hiding in his PVC tube, poking about for attention;
and then bam, it was all over.
<Yes.>
I Googled anything and everything to try and find a solution, scoured your sites pages, but it appears it was fast hitting, and without resolution, unfortunately. That being said, I greatly appreciate your fast response, and your site (especially that faq page on Spiny Eel Health/Disease), it was the only information I was able to find that offered any serious recommendations (as opposed to the thousands of forum pages arguing water quality or overstocking, which is fine, but in a hour of need you require solid information quickly).
<Quite so. With Spiny Eels, prevention really is the key. A soft substrate and ideally a very low salt concentration (1-2 grammes/litre) seem to be the things that minimise problems.>
Thank you again, I wish I could have saved my fish baby, but in the least I'm hoping I can find a cause, and my information help someone else when and if they should need it.
<Surely the case.>
Sarah.
<Cheers, Neale.>

Hello! Snail problems? 2/2/12
This may be a bit rambling. I have a ten gallon freshwater tank in which I keep freshwater plants and two snails - a black Mystery snail from PetSmart and an unknown little brown snail from my science professor, likely local.
When I first introduced them to the tank, I also had four goldfish in there as well.
<Yikes... too small a volume/>
The goldfish soon perished but the snails seemed fine. We checked the water quality, like the pH and the nitrite, and everything was normal. We tried a few more fish and they died as well, so we gave up and are now just keeping the snails there because they seem unaffected by whatever is wrong.
My Mystery snail is acting odd lately - he will retract into his shell and stay there for hours, not coming out to eat that I can see. However, sometimes I'll find him in a different place than before, but I still rarely see him move and he acts very lethargic and reluctant to come out.
Could the problem that killed the fish be affecting my Mystery snail?
<Mmm, perhaps some aspect of water quality is mal-affecting the snail...
that worked the goldfish woe as well>
Also, my little snail has a bubble in his shell and has begun to float around. Before, when one of them would float to the top, I'd push him down with a stick or something and he would sink again. However, I can clearly see the bubble in the little one's shell and, though he has attached himself to the side again, I worry that maybe the bubble could damage him internally. Is that plausible and if so, what should I do about it?
Thanks, Maria
<Monitor water quality, execute regular (weekly) water changes. The Mystery Snail may be simply showing signs of normal behavior... Please do read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/MollusksFW.htm/MystSnailsF.htm
Bob Fenner>

Betta fish with cut on his face?? 2/2/12 Hi there! I was wondering if you could possibly help me figure out what's going on with my King Betta, Hindenburg... I've had him about 4 or 5 months now and haven't had any problems with him so far. He eats like a PIG and is very personable, and wants to eat anytime he sees me feeding my cats. He's a pretty cool little dude. I have him in a 1.5 gallon tank, and I change the water out every 2 weeks or so. He has one plant in there that's got some very flat, pointed leaves. It's supposed to resemble bamboo I guess. The tank is on the bottom shelf of a small bookcase in my bedroom, and the shelf is the perfect size so my cats can watch him swim around, but can't open the lid or reach around the tank to swat at it. (not that they try...they really just like staring at him. And he stares back, haha.) But with it not being up at my eye level, I hadn't noticed anything different about him until last night, I thought his face seemed a little misshapen when I fed him. I didn't think too much of it, but tonight I actually sat on the floor to feed him and noticed he had what looks like a rather large gash across the side of his face. That DEFINITELY wasn't there last time I checked. He is swimming normally, and there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with him anywhere else. (The red in his eye is normal...he has brown/blue eyes and the flash makes them look redder than they really are) His appetite is voracious as usual. I just now cleaned out his tank, added some salt, and took out the plant because I'm worried he cut himself on it. Is that possible? Or does it look like something else? I Googled "fish lacerations" and that really didn't help at all... I attached a picture. Hopefully you can help me figure out what this is and what to do for it! Thank you in advance for your help!! Ashley LaRue <Does appear to be a "bend" in the gill operculum... perhaps from a run in w/ the plant or jumping (do make sure there's a top, or the water level down a bit... Nothing I would do to actually treat this Betta. Just good care and time going by. Bob Fenner>

Re: Betta fish with cut on his face?? 2/3/12 Thank you so much! Should I bother with Melafix? <No; see WWM re this tea oil; of no real use> I have some on hand... Definitely replacing the plant with something not so sharp! The Betta who inhabited the tank before him was very lazy and didn't move hardly at all, but he's very active and robust and does swim through the plant sometimes. I should have known better! Ashley <No worries. BobF>

Planted tank lighting, LEDs 2/2/12
Hi Crew.
<Johan>
Been out of this hobby for way to a long a time. My pride and joy 6 year old Discus's died after a power outage over 2days in the middle of winter, new baby in the house and and and.. just placed a damper on it all.
<Understandably>
So I just want some approval on what I'm doing, things are somewhat costly so I just want to know if I'm on the right track.
<Ok>
I like to focus a little more on my pants <plants!> than the fish this time.. Opening the old boxes and equipment I stored from years ago, I think most will still be functioning, I tested most of it for leaks and so, and I think I'm in the clear. I'm planning on making the 2foot tank a planed <> tank first, see if I get things working before even starting with the other. Since the other tank is 80gal and lighting will cost the same as the rest of the setup cost me.
Being somewhat of a DIY kinda guy, ( note kinda ) .. I bought some CO2 canisters a regulators and from Eheim I bought a final regulator and diffuser and digital ph and Co2 meter from oxygaurd.
The Idea was to plant Hygrophila corymbosa in the middle Riccia on the drift wood, and lots of micro swords surrounding it.
<All right>
I bought 3x20Watt 5500k compact florescent lights, that's a lot of light right?
<Not really; no>
With my CO2 reading at 31ppm and ph 7.3, 60watts of CF light I created the absolute best and perfect environment to grow luscious think green ALGAE!
Over the last month the plant just died off and Riccia was just never really happy, and the sword just slowly turned brown.
<I'd start such tanks w/o the CO2 infusion... run them for a few weeks w/o>
So in an attempt to find out what going on spoke to what seems like a reasonably well informed pet shop owner, and he informed me the 5500K doesn't really host all the right spectrum light the plant need,
<No; should be fine. This temperature (relative to black body radiation) is about what sunlight on the surface of our planet is like>
they just mix some phosphor till the colour looks right, and them pointed me to his stock of light tubes of all sorts of names and price tags, but none that will fit into my tank. Some are 60cm long, that's 67cm with all the fittings and so, and my tank is only 60cm long, the lid is even smaller. So he mumbled something about LED lights that might work that he can order, and said something I recognized "Cree".. and a light when on in my head.. I love these LED lights made by Cree. I know some Cree 50/50 light for really cheap ( compared to the Sunglow T2 lights ) and bought some of the lights in the link below. They are waterproof, and 18 Cree 50/50 LED per Aluminium strip, man.. this is going to be easy. But only if Cree 50/50 are any good?
<Are...>
So I bought 2x 18LED aluminium strips and 2x 10watt floodlights,
http://www.foxandsons.co.za/LED%20Strip%20light%20pages/Lumeno.html
last night I installed the 18LED aluminium strip into my 2foot tank, since its only 32cm long, it as easy... But its bright, and I mean blindingly bright..
So the part I need help with is...
How do I know how much light is right when it comes to these LED's I mean the little, and by little I mean 110mmx85mm unit gives 750lumens of light, spraying down a mere 30cm before it hits ground level seems almost to <too> much..
<The only measurable way to tell, other than bio-assay (waiting and seeing what they do) is to use a PAR or PUR meter... at depth... See the net re these; perhaps your fish shop or local fish club have such meters to lend>
O. and for the fish I'm thinking of getting is 10 rummy nose tetra's and 2 Ram cichlid's..
<Sounds very nice indeed. Bob Fenner>

Hi, I've read all of your other posts about swordtail fish. New aq. 2/2/12
I just recently had a birthday, and for it I received my very first aquarium. It is a small tank that is 10 gallons. I had no intention of breeding or anything, because I am still a teenager and unable to get a job to buy the necessary things. My mother, as part of having a tank, agreed to buy the original decorations and food for the fish, as well as get me three fish. The three I got was one Pecasomous fish,
<Plecostomus... might be one that gets way too big for this volume. Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/loricselfaqs.htm
gender unknown, one male Betta fish, and then one marigold swordfish. The guy in the pet store said that they would go together well because none of them were aggressive.
<Mmm, do keep your eye on the Sword... can become rambunctious>
In my tank I have a small castle with room for the fish to hide, I also have five fake plants. I have shells and a little dragon decoration. As I said before, I had no intention of having a breeding tank, the things that went in there were mainly for looks and for the fish to hide in. Well, two weeks after getting all of my fish in there my marigold (named Orange, which has been changed to Mama Orange) emerged from the castle where she spent nearly all of her time.
<Unusual... how was this tank cycled? That is, the biological filtration established?>
She has not gone back there since, nor have either of the other fish (Alpha and Pecko) gone in there. However, I did notice the next day that I have a few baby fish. I counted a total of five, none of the other fish have attacked them or tried from what I can see eat them. I cannot get another tank for them, and my mother has deemed that if they live, they live. I want to do the best I can for them to live, so I placed another plant in the tank. I was wondering, because I read that they need to eat up to six times a day, should I feed my fish more.
<Be careful here. IF feeding frequently, make the amounts very small>
Originally I was told to feed them a certain amount once a day. Before the babies were born, not all of the food would be eaten. My Betta fish (Alpha) got Ick the day after I brought him home, I got the medicine for him and cleaned the tank before the
babies were born, but he's still getting treated for it. The product the pet store sold me is Lifeguard Halo Shield All-in-one therapeutic treatment. Will this harm the babies?
<Mmm, shouldn't if not over-dosed>
I don't want to loose <lose> any of my fish. How often should I feed the other fish?
<Twice a day is fine; no food should be left over after several minutes>
The babies seem to be fine in the tank. It has been a week since Mama Orange emerged with them, and all five are still alive. Thank you.
<Do read here as well:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwset-up.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Brand new Betta with too much energy, no info. or reading 2/1/12
Hello WWM crew, I purchased a new delta tail Betta today and put him in a 10 gallon tank all to himself. Usually my Bettas calm down after an hour or two after being added to their new home, but this little boy is a different story. I placed him in the tank 7 hours ago and he is not acting right at all. He twitches for a moment then bolts across the tank, kicking up the gravel even. I can hear it hitting the side of the tank.
<... is this tank cycled?>
The water is fine and I acclimated him before putting him in his new home. I at first thought it was pent up energy from having to stay in that cup for so long, but now I'm worried about him. I'm afraid he is going to hurt himself.
<... Need data... Read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/BetDisDiagF.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Salamander young fdg., care 2/1/12
Hi I'm Blake.
<Hello Blake.>
A few days ago i was at my friends house and we were in the woods and we found some salamander/newt larvae in a pond.
I decided to take some home. I put them into a 10 gallon tank. There's an aeration system and some live plants in there and about 5 inches of water.
<You will also need a biological filter. Without this, these animals will soon die. Also get a nitrite test kit. If you can't do either of these things, return them -- these animals are doomed without at least a minimum level of basic care.>
The thing is what should i feed them?
<Small live foods; daphnia, for example. But nothing at all until the biological filter has been running at least two weeks.>
They are really tiny and only have front legs and gills. They are about an inch long.
Thank you!
<No problems. Cheers, Neale.>
ID
And one other thing, How can i tell that type of newt/ salamander they are?
<Consult a book on local amphibians. No idea where you live, so can't suggest anything. Here in England, the most common newt seems to be the Palmate Newt. Elsewhere, you'll need to do your own research.>
Or do i just have to wait?
<Could well be. Cheers, Neale.>
Re Salamander young ID 2/1/12
I live in Columbia Illinois. Monroe county.
<Well there you go. You'll need to find a local naturalist or herpetologist who can help you out. And when you do, don't forget to say 'thank you'!
Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Re: Re: re: 2/1/12
Believe me i wont.
Thank you for everything! You guys are great help!
<Most welcome. Have fun with your Newts! Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Re: Re: Re: re: Salamanders... What WWM is not 2/2/12
I will!
But can they live 2 weeks without food?
<Yes. It's more important you get the biological filter up and running for a week at least before you start feeding. And for the first 3-4 weeks of the biological filter running, feed only very small amounts every couple days.>
Or do they just eat the stuff of the bottom in the gravel?
<No, they don't "scavenge". They really do need small live foods, and as they get bigger, then appropriate wet-frozen foods such as brine shrimp and bloodworms. Adults will eat earthworms and the like. Generally, wild-caught Newts and Salamanders don't take freeze-dried, flake or pellet foods.
Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: re: 2/2/12
Thank you!
I'm going to get the filter tonight and do you have to buy the blood worms or brine shrimp online? Or can you buy them at pet stores?
<Wet-frozen bloodworms and brine shrimp are sold in pet stores. Because they're frozen, they aren't easy to send by post. Do understand freeze-dried foods are very different, they're stored at room temperature,
but probably won't be eaten by wild Newts. Cheers, Neale.>

Snapping Turtle Biotope Setup 2/1/12
Hi Crew,
(Disclaimer: This may end up longwinded, sorry about that!!)
Forgive me if I missed an article on this topic - I've searched for information on the subject but can't seem to find quite what I'm looking for. I'm a turtle & fish keeper, have been for years, although I'm currently down to a single tank setup. About a year ago I was lucky enough to receive a juvenile common snapping turtle from a local high school's Biology class (making ownership of the turtle legal in my state). The turtle was maybe 6 months old and the teacher had been keeping the babies in a bucket with ~1 inch of water. Long story short, the turtle I took home has in rough shape but has fully recovered in the past year. He (not sure of sex yet, so I call it a "he") has learned to swim, how to hunt feeders & worms, and is getting very chubby and BIG! While he hasn't quite outgrown the 20-L I currently house him in, he's double the size he used to be and I want to give him more space. Last night I purchased a 40-breeder tank (36"x18" footprint) to keep him in until I find a good deal on a 125g or 150g tank.
I'm a big fan of "Nature Aquariums" as well as biotope setups, and have had built several species-themed tanks in my day. I plan to set up the new tank in as snapper-friendly a way as possible, and am looking for some advice with that. Currently the 20-L has an array of African Mopani wood, many small/medium sized smooth pieces of granite, mixed sand & gravel substrate, lots of "moss balls" (not sure of Latin name of the plant, but he loves tearing them apart and then hiding in the free-floating moss) and a surface covered with Duckweed. I will be reproducing the same bog-like effect in the new tank, and will be building a small shallow-water "shelf" on one side by siliconing a sheet of plexi-glass vertically to the bottom & sides and filling the cavity with gravel. I've got a 75-W heater if necessary, although the room he's housed in is temperature controlled at 72*F and I won't be running the heater constantly. I also have two Fluval canister filters ready to go, I forget which models (at work at the moment and can't check) but they're each rated for a 75g+ tank. I know it's a ton of throughput for a 40g tank but snappers are messy little buggers and I can always remove a filter if it proves to be too much.
<Heavy filtration is precisely what you need.>
So anyway, with all of the above information in mind, I'm looking for suggestions on how to make my tank more of biotope, if that's even possible. I'm looking for any & all suggestions pertaining to live plants I could try (so far, only duckweed and the above-mentioned moss have survived the jaws of death).
<Snapping turtles are partially herbivorous, so providing regular offerings of green foods is sensible. Any/all plants are likely to be consumed or at least bitten, so don't use anything you don't mind being eaten. Clumps of Pondweed is probably the best thing to use. Floating plants are worthwhile, too.>
I've seen setups for other turtle species that use terra-cotta pots as submersible planters (for things such as grasses, sword plants), as well as set ups that use hanging plants. I don't have experience with either of these, especially combined with a snapper, and was wondering if you have any advice on the subject??
<Adult Snappers are normally kept in very large, very bare aquaria that provide ample space for these big, messy reptiles.>
I'm also looking into possible tank-mates for the turtle, aside from the feeder guppies/minnows/comets he gets for stimulation.
<I would strongly recommend against using Thiaminase-rich feeders altogether (Goldfish, Minnows, etc.) and that the only other feeders you use are those bred at home. Buying store-bought feeders is like keeping a cat and feeding it mice you know are infected with parasites. Store-bought feeders are just about the easiest way to ensure your treasured pet becomes sick. You'll notice that zoos and public aquaria don't use them, and they're the folks that keep these animals best. Feeders aren't even available in the UK any more, but for whatever reason, the US trade is clinging on to this backward, dangerous, practise.>
The species that come to mind include the common Pleco and N. American freshwater fish such as perch, sunfish, "pumpkin-seeds" as we call them in New England (unsure of real name), etc. I'm a bit hesitant to introduce a Pleco, as I feel their fins are a big fat target and that their spines may inflict damage on the turtle. I've been curious about the other species I mentioned, as well as any other N American freshwater fish that I might not have thought of. I'm totally inexperienced with these fish though, and would love any information you might have on keeping them. I am very much so a researcher, so please don't trouble yourself with detailed explanations - I just need a few good ideas to start out with!
<Any, all fish kept with a Snapper will be viewed as potential prey.>
Additionally, any other tidbits of info you happen to have would be great as well. I know a decent amount about keeping turtles but am always looking to learn more!! Thank you for your time & help, I appreciate it very much =)
Sincerely,
Matt
< Chelydra are not difficult to keep or feed, though admittedly, they make poor pets. They are very VERY big, very VERY messy, inactive, and potentially dangerous. But if you have a few years' experience of keeping turtles and terrapins, and you understand issues like Thiaminase, calcium supplements, UV-B, and water quality management, and also you have an aquarium or pond a couple hundred gallons in size, you should be able to keep Chelydra successfully. Feeding is a snap, to coin a phrase. About one-third their diet is greenery, so that's easy, and in the wild, the rest is a mix of fish, invertebrates and carrion. So if you replace the live feeder fish with healthier fare, like earthworms (which they LOVE!) and tilapia fillet (cheap and Thiaminase-free) you'll be all set. Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Snapping Turtle Biotope Setup 2/1/12
Hi Neale,
Thank you for the quick response!
<My pleasure.>
I wanted to clarify a few things and I apologize for not being clearer in my first message, especially skipping details about feeding. My feeding practices are as follows:
-ReptoMin pellets every other day, doctored up with calcium & vitamins. I feed him small amounts over a span of an hour or so, instead of one large feeding.
<Good. While many carnivores eat a lot in one fell swoop, then go without for days, even weeks, I don't think that makes sense in captivity. For a start, it places a heavy load on the filter. Better to offer small amounts of food that the filter can handle if regurgitated and/or excreted. Secondly, reptiles (like fish) have pretty poor nutrient uptake, so much of what eat is passed straight through their gut without having its nutrients extracted. Above a certain amount then, anything they eat will be wasted.>
-Maybe 2-3 live feeders per week, usually guppies and always fish that I've had quarantined for several weeks.
<Still'¦>
I keep a bare 10gallon next to the turtle table, and always quarantine feeders. Additionally, I only buy my feeders from a gentleman I used to work for -- he runs a small scale breeding operation out of his store and he's my exclusive source for feeders.
<Fair enough, but I would still strongly recommend against. You'll find few, if any, professional reptile keepers at places like zoos using live feeder fish. Even if you quarantine them for a month, you won't know for sure they aren't carrying anything. I understand the urge to provide "stimulation" in the form of hunting, but that urge is something we feel, not the reptile. If you want to see hunting behaviours, there's just as much fun to be had "teasing" the turtle with meaty treats impaled on something like a satay stick.>
-He has a continual source of greens from the moss / duckweed. I see him nip the duckweed quite frequently, although he's not big enough yet to wipe it out before it grows back.
<Give him time'¦>
-In the summertime I dig up the occasional earthworm and feed it to him in a separate tank. Given what I just learned about the minnows/goldfish, I'll probably start using earthworms more often, maybe once or twice a month as treats. Would it be safe to use earthworms sold as fish bait? I've also seen various worms sold by Petco & PetSmart, are these worth looking into?
<Should be safe, yes, because earthworms come from a terrestrial habitat, not an aquatic one. That means any parasites they carry (and they'll surely carry a few, just as we do) will be terrestrial parasites that can't infect aquatic animals. Fish, by contrast, can (and are) intermediate hosts for all sorts of parasites that infect animals in aquatic environments.>
As for the Thiaminase-rich feeders I had been using, I honestly didn't realize they were a dietary concern and will stop using them. My rationale had been to use various species for stimulation (for both him and for me) but of course health concerns far outweigh entertainment value. Thank you very much for pointing that out to me!
<The whole Thiaminase issue is relatively recently discovered. But if you survey the reptile literature, you'll see it's now strongly implicated as a major health problem for reptiles. To be honest, a Snapper is eating one-third green foods and two-third meaty foods, so in reality, the greens should be topping up the Vitamin B1 levels nicely, so the risk from Thiaminase is small. But still, it's one more thing to think about, and if you can eliminate Thiaminase from a reptile's diet almost completely, then so much the better.>
Additionally, I've decided to forgo pursuing tank mates. My dream had been to setup of a 150g (or bigger) tank as a North American biotope and was all hot & bothered to have a great looking setup with lots of fish, but I was trying to put a square peg in a round hole so to speak. I had it at the back of my mind that there would be some species of fish out there I wasn't aware of that would fit the bill, but I'm going to have to make my peace with a fish-less turtle tank. And hey, the turtle has always been my first priority so that's not a terrible thing.
<Quite so. They're fascinating animals, and amply rewarding if you have the time, space, and experience. They don't do much to be sure (adults are notoriously static) but when they do move, they're like dinosaurs, they look so ancient.>
Again, thank you for your insights, and for reaffirming the fact that I shouldn't try introducing long-term tankmates. Assuming it's okay on your site I'll try remember to post some pictures of the tank when I'm done aquascaping it.
<Please do.>
I spent a few hours last night cutting the acrylic retaining walls and siliconing them in place, so the hardscape is coming along nicely. I hope to have it set up, filled & cycling before the weekend. Oh! Random question for you, as I always had a 120g for my sliders and have never transferred turtles before. Do I have to let the tank cycle in the same manner as a fish tank?
<Ideally, yes, but unless the filter is gigantic, you'll never see a zero ammonia level. Because reptiles have impermeable skin, the ammonia shouldn't really do them too much harm, at least not at low levels (high levels can irritate the eyes, I'm sure).>
My plan was to 'seed' the new tank with media from my old tank's filter,
<Great idea.>
as well as with pieces of driftwood and stone. I was then going to let the tank sit for a week or two to allow the bacteria colonies to build back up before introducing the turtle. Do I have this right?
<Pretty much! Would be even better if you can connect the mature filter to this tank alongside the new one, for at least a couple weeks. You could then move the turtle right away.>
Thanks!!
<Most welcome. Cheers, Neale.>

Lighting 2/1/12
Hi Neale,
<Phill,>
Hope you are well. Just wondering if you had any input on lighting. I know the Amazon River is not littered with plants
<Understatement!>
but I'd like to have a few.
<Okay.>
I plan on doing Eco-Complete mixed with Silica Sand. Keeping some swords in there and maybe some pygmy chain (though I am afraid it will take off and cover the whole floor with the light and Eco-complete).
<I have always found this quite a demanding species.>
My aquarium is ~20 inches in height.
<So quite a deep tank.>
Would a dual T5 fixture be sufficient?
<Would be very surprised if this was sufficient. You're probably after about 2.5 watts/gallon for this species to do well in a tank this deep, if not more. I have never found Pygmy Amazon Swords "easy". Given ordinary levels of lighting the plants sort of sit there, sending out the odd daughter plant, but not really doing much otherwise. They need strong lighting to form that thick green "turf" effect people see in aquarium books. By all means try it out, and you may be okay. But don't be surprised if it doesn't work out.>
I will not be using CO2 so will the plant leaves get burned?
<Echinodorus tenellus is one of those species that really benefits from both nutrient feeding through the roots and CO2 fertilisation.>
Will I see increased algae production?
<Probably. If you up the lighting level, but don't have fast-growing plants to use up that lighting, algae tends to fill the gap.>
Do you guys recommend Malaysian Trumpet Snails to aerate the soil and prevent pockets?
<I think they're useful, but not essential. Some people object to them very strongly and it's true they breed extremely quickly. Once introduced, they can become a pest if not somehow managed. I think Clea helena is a better bet; it burrows, but breeds slowly. Otherwise, don't worry about the substrate too much; catfish and shrimps will do almost as good a job keeping not clean. Whiptails in particular are effective burrowers.>
Thanks again Neale. I'll be sure to get some pictures up on the website once I get it done. I hoping it will look amazing with all the input I have from your team.
Phill
<Cheers, Neale.>

Glowlights vs. neon tetras 2/1/12
Hello:
I notice some people here keep Glowlight tetras with angelfish without problems, yet neon tetras are angelfish food.
<Yes. Or at least, big Angels will eat small Neons. Many farmed Angels fail to reach the full size of the adults -- i.e., 15 cm/6 inches in length -- so many people will keep farmed Angels and Neons together without problems.>
I always thought there was no difference between neons and Glowlights except color. What is it about Glowlights that make them a good fish to keep with angels?
<Glowlights are a bit bigger. They're also more tolerant of warm water (Neons prefer to be kept between 22-25 C, which is a little cooler than Angels enjoy).>
Thank you!
<Cheers, Neale.>

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