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FAQs on Freshwater Livestocking 4

Related Articles: Freshwater Livestock by Neale Monks, Freshwater Livestock Selection by Bob Fenner, Acclimation of New Freshwater Livestock by Bob Fenner, Fishes, Amphibians, Turtles,

Know what you're buying, its habits, temperament... before purchasing. Butis butis here... a Sleeper... till it's hungry!

Aquarium... FW, set up... stkg. 9/26/08
I realize that I haven't done my homework before putting my aquarium together. Sad.
<Oh dear.>
I did read an aquarium book, but most books don't provide enough information on freshwater fish and tanks.
<Don't agree with this at all; any half-way decent aquarium book will cover the essentials on water quality, water chemistry, and stock selection.>
Anyway, glad I came across your website.
<Good!>
I already have a 60 gallon tank with a Rena Filstar xP2 external canister filter with 300 GPH flow rate. I cycled the water with the filter on and no bacteria x 1-2 weeks. Bad.
<You can't cycle a tank without a source of ammonia. An empty tank with a filter is just water sloshing about. Nothing much happens. Might look pretty, but that's about it. The tank won't begin to cycle until there's some ammonia for the bacteria to "eat", and that means either adding livestock (a few, carefully chosen fish for example) or more humanely by adding an inorganic (or at least non-living) source of ammonia.>
Natural color gravel substrate. Added aquarium salt which I have read on your FAQs that it's not needed at all -- will not make that mistake again.
<Salt only helps in specific situations, and shouldn't be added for no reason.>
I've had fish in the tank 4 Neons, 2 cardinals, 3 guppies, and 2 Mickey mouse platy x 2 weeks.
<These fish have much different requirements, not to mention the fact you're overlooking social behaviour. Neons and Cardinals are both schooling fish: keeping less than six of either is cruel. Simple as that. You might not care, but the fish certainly do! Next up, Neons need relatively cool water, around 22-25 C, whereas Cardinals need warmer water, 26-28 C. So any conditions acceptable for the one will stress the other, the result being illness and premature death. Finally, whereas Platies and Guppies need hard, basic water, Neons and Cardinals want soft and acidic water. The latter species especially rarely does well for long in hard water. So again, anything that suits some of these fish will be stressing the others. You absolutely cannot randomly add fish to a system and hope they'll get along. Imagine a zoo that randomly placed polar bears, lions, frogs and peacocks all in the same enclosure. Obviously wouldn't work -- so why expect it to work with fish? Aquarium shops exist to sell fish, and assume the purchaser knows precisely what they're buying. Unfortunately, many shops don't provide "gentle reminders" at time of purchase so that newbie hobbyists can be dissuaded from bad choices. A cynic would make the point that a lot of purchasers don't care, and are happy to replace "cheap" fish every few months, and that approach is profitable for the retailer. Over here at WWM we take the other view, that pet fish should be given a fair chance of survival in captivity. And that means telling people (again and again) to research the needs of their fish PRIOR to purchase.>
Recently, the red MM platy died.
<Will be the first of many...>
Found a bunch of bubbles on the surface a couple days before it died. What do you think happened?
<Uncycled tank, too many fish, no information here about either water quality or chemistry, so could be a variety of entirely avoidable blunders on your part.>
I got another MM platy, 2 dwarf gouramis -- which I am reading will eventually end up dying from disease, and a black Molly.
<You're not supposed to add new fish until you've established why the last ones died.>
Not a good combination -- I found out. So my question is, what should I do with the set up I already have?
<Read, learn, make decisions.>
I will continue to just add freshwater with the water changes to get rid of the salt. But then what of molly? Which way do I need to go? Return the molly and get rid of the salt?
<What's your water chemistry? If it's hard and basic, the Molly may be fine, and adding a small amount of marine salt mix (say, 3-6 grammes per litre) will not harm the Platies or Guppies. It will stress the Neons, Cardinals and Gouramis though. As I say, you need to determine water chemistry, and then choose your fish. There's no "happy medium" any more than there's a happy medium for both penguins and ostriches. Different needs entirely.>
Will my dwarf gouramis get sick faster with the salt?
<Certainly won't help.>
Right now, all the fish are thriving well together, but I don't want a ticking bomb.
<Too late... the selection of fish you have is, let us say, unwise. You haven't cycled the tank, so the next few weeks will be very dicey unless you're regularly doing water changes (by which I mean something like 25% every couple of days) until the ammonia/nitrite levels stay at zero. Cycling with fish takes 4-6 weeks, and things can get worse before they get better. So do your water tests, do water changes, and observe.>
Also, do I have enough circulation and water movement with the filter system that I don't need an air bubbler?
<You're fine as you are.>
What's a good cooling system to purchase? I live in Southern California, and the house can get pretty warm when we are gone for the weekend.
<Neons and Platies do not like temperatures above 25 C, and ideally around 23-24 C. Cardinals, Guppies, Gouramis and Mollies thrive at up to 30 C, so they're less fussed.>
How much fish can I add?
<Don't even think about asking this question until the tank is cycled. Concentrate on removing inappropriate stock, and concentrating on fish that match the water chemistry you have. Then review social behaviour. Livebearers need to be in groups where the females outnumber the males, or you get bullying problems, so that's one factor. Tetras need to be in large groups to thrive. And so on. With very small fish (such as Neons) the "inch per gallon" rule isn't a bad guideline, but whatever you do, go slowly, adding a few fish each month, using your Nitrite test kit to check the filter has adapted to the higher workload.>
I want to add 4 more Neons to have a total of 10 neon/cardinal tetras. I read that they are happiest with 10. Is that true?
<They're happiest in groups of 100+, but 12 will do nicely, though 20 is better in terms of visual impact. These small tetras look prettiest in big groups because they "swarm" nicely, moving in sync around the tank. In smaller groups they just hang about at random, and are rather boring.>
If my dwarf gouramis die, are there any pretty/fancy fish similar to the gouramis that will live peacefully with the fish I already have?
<Depends on what your water chemistry is. If you have hard, basic water, then your choices will be different to soft, acid water. If your water isn't too hard, then Colisa fasciatus and Colisa labiosa are both hardy, peaceful gouramis that are easy to keep. There are other gouramis in the trade, such as gold or blue three-spot Gouramis, Trichogaster trichopterus, but these have distinct drawbacks in one way or another. Three-spots tend to be aggressive, and can make very poor community fish, despite being widely sold as stuff. Anyway, what you're asking about has been covered many times here at WWM; please do review these articles and the FAQs linked from them:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwlivestk.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwlvstksel.htm
>
Can I add 2-3 other colorful fish to my aquarium since the filter system is pretty good? Is the water change recommendation still weekly?
<Yes.>
Thanks,
Janice
<Cheers, Neale.>

Question about nasty Chinese Algae Eaters! 8/11/08
Hi there,
<Megan,>
I recently bought a 28 gallon tank from my neighbour. Excited to get started, I went and bought myself six guppies (who now have babies! Woohoo!), six neon tetras, two small gouramis,
<Colisa lalia by any chance? Do read my writings on this species elsewhere on WWM -- extremely poor quality stock in the trade, and serious problems with viral diseases mean that you must choose your specimens with the utmost care.>
and four barbs.
<And what, pray tell, are these Barbs? Do be aware that many barbs (e.g., Tiger Barbs) are notorious fin nippers when kept in too small a group (realistically less than a dozen) and your Fancy Guppies will be mincemeat once they get started.>
I have live plants in my tank and I bought one algae eater to begin with.
<If this is Gyrinocheilus aymonieri, this is too large for your tank (up to 35 cm/14") and extremely aggressive.>
After a couple days I thought my algae eater was looking a little lonely.
<They don't get lonely. They are territorial. Please be extremely careful about transposing human feelings onto animals. This path leads to all kinds of problems! Instead, research the animal and then act accordingly. Trying to cater to an animals social needs is absolutely the right thing to do. But those needs are not necessarily the same as ours. In fact they very rarely are.>
I don't know much about algae eaters but I thought, what the heck? I went to the pet store and got three more of what I thought were the same type. A couple days later, my neighbour came over to visit and made a terrible discovery - I'd purchased three Chinese algae eaters.
<Oh dear, yes, this is Gyrinocheilus aymonieri, possibly the single worst commonly traded fish in the hobby.>
Now, one of them is growing rapidly and becoming very aggressive. The other two are growing, but not as fast. My neighbour seems to think the fourth algae eater (my original one) is of the same
family, but we can't find it in books anywhere. It's almost albino looking - pale in colour and other than that, very similar looking to a Chinese algae eater.
<Likely the "Golden" morph. If it has the same shape and look, but is just sort of yellowy-pink, that's the beast. Gyrinocheilus aymonieri also have very distinctive gill covers, with small holes at the top that allow the fish to breath in and out through the gills. As you probably know, most other fish breath in through the mouth, and out through the gills.>
The pale algae eater isn't growing nearly as fast, however. I don't know what to do with them, so I want to know if you have any suggestions. I've tried just giving them to people, but no one seems to want them, and I can understand why!
<Yep.>
I can't bring myself to kill them unless it's completely pain free, and I've noticed on your website there are a couple different ways of doing so.
<If in doubt, consult a vet. With large fish, the simple methods recommended for use with Neons and the like may be inappropriate. Large fish will need to be sedated first, then destroyed.>
But before I take that route, I want to
know if there is anything else I can do, and if you can give me any more information on them.
<These are actually acceptable fish in certain situations, e.g., big cichlid tanks. They really need systems 750 litres/200 gallons upwards, where they are dynamic and attractive fish. So if you've called the local tropical fish shops and they won't take them, try joining some tropical fish forums and bulletin boards, and advertising on their "trade/swap/freebie" sections.>
I really don't want them hurting my fish, especially my beautiful little gouramis who are peaceful.
<Indeed.>
Any help would be appreciated!
Thanks
Megan
<Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Question about nasty Chinese Algae Eaters! 8/11/08
Hello again!
<Hail and well met.>
Okay, so instead of trying to explain visually what everything looked like for proper identification, I decided to send pictures... probably would have been a smart move in the first place eh?
<Right, the golden barb is Puntius sachsii, a species that gets to about 8 cm/3" in length. Like all barbs its sociable, so the more you have, the less likely it is to cause problems. But this isn't a particularly nippy species and with luck you should be okay. The algae eater and the golden algae eater are both Gyrinocheilus aymonieri, the big, nasty bruiser I was talking about last time around. The gouramis are Colisa lalia, in my opinion and utter waste of money. You appear to have two males, one of the "Red" variety and one of "Powder Blue" variety. Same species, same problems. I'm not saying they're bound to die after a short miserable life, but a lot of the do. Do a Google search for 'Dwarf Gourami Iridovirus' to learn more.>
Thanks for the information on my algae eaters. I hate it that pet stores employ people with little or no knowledge about the species they're giving you. I asked specifically for two small, calm algae eaters. I assumed even though I didn't know much about them, the people they had working there probably would. I recall the girl giving me a confused face and then saying "Oh, yeah, these are what you want then!"
<Agreed. Problem is that people often buy fish without researching them, going by price/colour first, and provided there's a market, retailers will stock them.>
Note to self: Just because the fish is small at the time it's bought, doesn't mean it can't grow to over a foot long. And, also, those Chinese algae eaters don't look any different then an ugly old trout when they grow up.
<They're not ugly fish when they're grown up. They're rather handsomely marked. But they certainly aren't community tank fish.>
I forgot to mention that I only asked for two and received a little freebie in my bag - bringing me to three plus one mystery fish.
<The photo labeled "Mystery Guy" is a golden morph of Gyrinocheilus aymonieri. The same species as the fish labeled "Evil". Notice how I use Latin names? Avoids all complications because this way everyone knows precisely what fish is being discussed. While you might think using Latin names is awkward, it actually dramatically simplifies fish shop shopping.>
Argh.
<Quite.>
Anyways, I am going to call the pet store today and see if they will take them off my hands. And your idea about the forums was a great one! So I guess my next question would be what can I get to replace them that's going to be calm and friendly and preferably not cost me my next month's
rent?
<If you want small algae eaters, then the safest bets are Nerite snails (harmless, don't breed, don't damage plants); Cherry Shrimps (colourful, small, but will be killed by fish medications, as will snails by the way); and Bristlenose Cats (Ancistrus spp.).>
I have attached a couple pictures. One of my gouramis, my barbs and my mystery algae eater.
Thanks for your advice, it's all really useful!
<Cool.>
(PS - I am a sucker for placing human attributes on animals - I'm constantly thinking "oh, he looks so lonely!", when in fact the fish would rather be alone and I just assume it needs "friends".)
<Note I'm not saying animals don't have feelings or don't like people. Animals surely do have feelings, just not the same ones as ours. Likewise many animals enjoy human company. Goldfish for example positively thrive when looked after well and attentively, as do most cichlids and pufferfish. Cheers, Neale.>

Fish Compatibility... FW 8/5/08
Hello! Love the site, tons of information! After reading over everything, I still have a couple of questions if you'd be so kind as to give me some advice.
I have a 55-gallon, medium-planted with live plants, lots of caves and dark spots. I have one Whisper Powerfilter60 and an air stone, the temperature stays around 78-80 at all times, and it's been up and running for about a month. I currently have only a 6" Senegal Bichir, a 4" Raphael Striped Catfish, a 4" Blue Crayfish, and several mystery snails of varying sizes.
Questions:
1. Should I leave the aquarium light on all day for the plants, or can they get by on filtered window sunlight?
<Can work with sunlight, but don't bank on it. To get enough sunlight the tank needs to be right by the glass, and that means water temperature will go up dramatically. Fine in some instances, but not others. Moreover, the plants will tend to grow out of the tank, and the leaves underwater will basically die off. This is what most aquarium plants would do in the wild for at least part of the year. Again, fine if that's the sort of tank you're after (I have one just like this on an east-facing windowsill) but not at all viable for the average community tank.>
I don't want to promote algae growth but I want healthy plants.
<Sunlight = lots of algae. Again, great if you're after that... the livebearers in my windowsill love it. But not to everyone's taste.>
I have a bottle of Flourish that I put a capful of into the tank a couple of times a month...but I recently added more plants (replaced all plastic with live) and I don't want them to die on me so I'd like to make sure everything is set up right for them. I only have about 1" of gravel on the bottom, and they are all weighted down well.
<Need more substrate than this. If you're even half interested in growing aquarium plants you have to accept their needs. Would garden plants grow in an inch of plain driveway gravel? Of course not. Nor do aquarium plants. They need at least 5 cm of substrate, and that should be a mix of something nutritious (I use aquatic soil, but there are lots of options) with maybe sand topped off with fine gravel for looks.>
Does the Flourish add the nutrients the plants need, or will they also need supplements of iron or potassium?
<No idea about this brand; not one I use or see here in England. Read the label/instructions; consult manufacturers web site.>
2. I want to get more fish for the mid-top level of my tank, some active and interesting critters. The bichir I have leaves everyone alone and the crayfish has bursts of busy scavenging followed by long periods in his cave that he defends readily against the curious bichir.
<Don't bank on this peace holding forever. Crayfish are no more friendly towards fish than wolves are to buffalo. Sooner or later...>
The catfish I've had for years and it doesn't grow and doesn't appear to eat, but it's still alive.
<The fate of most catfish unfortunately. What he wants is essentially a mixed diet containing catfish pellets, algae wafers, frozen bloodworms, chopped seafood, and maybe even a few small snails.>
I saw on your site that they are social and are unhappy alone, but I
cannot for the life of me find another in my area or online so it's doomed to solitude at this point (sadly). It stays in it's chosen cave all the time as far as I can tell, but somehow it's still alive! What would be compatible with these guys?
<I'd honestly wait until another Platydoras costatus comes along. They are very commonly traded, but as with most South American wild-caught fish they're seasonal, and appear round about September. Any half decent aquarium shop can place an order for you.>
I would like a Black Ghostfish, some Gouramis (how many, sizes, colors, etc?), and maybe something else but I'd like your advice on that.
<Your tank is too small for Apteronotus albifrons, and that's also a difficult fish to maintain and feed -- the vast majority die swiftly in captivity. As for Gouramis, I'm fond of Trichogaster leeri, Trichogaster microlepis, Colisa labiosus, and Colisa fasciata as all be hardy, non-aggressive and easy to keep, which is more than can be said for most of the other species offered.>
3. Do I need more or better filtration for my tank? The Whisper60 seems to work fine, but I haven't had the tank long enough to know for sure and I'd like to avoid fish loss or excessive algae growth or murky water (obviously).
<My recommendation for a standard community tank is at least 4 times the volume of the tank in turnover per hour, and ideally 6 times. So check the "gallons per hour" rating on your filter and compare with your tank.>
4. Any other suggestions about any aspect of my tank would be greatly appreciated!!! Thank you!!!!
<Suspect you will need to re-jig the substrate and almost certain double the lighting to get decent plant growth (you need at least 2 watts per gallon lighting).>
Lyssa
<Hope this helps. Cheers, Neale.>

A fish no one knows about 7/18/08
Hello. I'm Samie. I'm 16. I can take care a lot of different fish, but I seem to have an eye for trouble makers.
<Oh?>
I have a 10 gallon tank. It has been set up since January. My pH is 7. Ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate are all at 0. I have drift wood and 1 small plant.
<All sounds fine, but do bear in mind that 10 gallons is really too small for the fish you have chosen, and long term are likely to have problems. Because 10 and 20 gallon tanks have almost the same footprint and cost almost the same amount of money, I always recommend people go with 20 gallons when starting out.>
The fish I have are tetras (2 white skirts, 1 rosy, and 3 x-rays) Ghost Shrimp, and Balloon Body Gold Ram.
<Ah, now these fish aren't compatible. White Skirt tetras are albino Gymnocorymbus ternetzi, a notorious fin-nipper and going to get quite large, about 5 cm long. Rosy Barbs (what I assume the "rosy" is) are Puntius conchonius, a subtropical species able to get to 14 cm and so obviously way too big for your tank. The long-fin version will also be vulnerable to fin nippers. X-Ray Tetras are Pristella maxillaris, a superb species, but in my opinion slightly too big for a 10 gallon tank. All these fish are schooling species, and MUST be kept in groups of 6 or more if they are to be happy. Keeping them in the numbers you have may be convenient to you, but it is intensely stressful for the fish, and long term they may exhibit aberrant social behaviours, such as shyness, fin-nipping, or chasing.>
My problem is, no matter how many people I ask, no one seems to know how to help me.
<We'll do our best...>
My Balloon Body Gold Ram is not eating.
<Likely too cold, wrong water chemistry. Mikrogeophagus ramirezi can ONLY be maintained in very warm (28-30 degrees C), very soft (less than 10 degrees dH), very acidic (pH 5-6) water conditions. None of your other fish will tolerate this, and some, like the Rosy Barb and the Shrimp will be quickly killed by such conditions. Mikrogeophagus ramirezi is simply NOT a community fish, and the majority of specimens die within months when put into community systems. Specifically, when kept too cold and too hard water their immune system is suppressed, and they become prone to diseases such as Hexamita and Hole-in-the-Head.>
?? I have tries frozen foods. Micro Pellets. Betta pellets, Betta flakes, tropical flakes, and he/she won't eat.
<Likely sick, dying.>
He/she has a red spot on he back. So I started treating him with MelaFix. Since it's been only 1 day.
<Could be Finrot, another opportunistic infection that affects fish when they are stressed by a poor environment. So this is consistent with my analysis.>
There is no change yet.
<There won't be. Firstly Melafix may be cheap but it isn't effective so serves no useful purpose except perhaps as a preventative. Once fish get sick, you need more useful medications like eSHa 2000 (in Europe) or Maracyn (in the US).>
If know anything about this fish.
<Much information in cichlid books; look up Mikrogeophagus ramirezi. Widely kept, bred and so the basics for its care are very well known. It's a shame retailers don't tell people what they need PRIOR to purchase. Underlines our mantra here that you should always RESEARCH a species BEFORE buying it.>
Why he/she won't eat.
<Wrong environment. Doomed.>
or even if it guy or a girl.
<Difficult to sex, but males tend to have longer dorsal fin rays.>
Please help me out.
<Have certainly tried.>
Thank you.
<Cheers, Neale.>

How should I sort my fish? - 06/29/08
I have recently inherited 2 - 10 gal. aquariums and some fish, but I am a novice. There are 7 guppies, 3 black tetras, 5 serpae tetras, 2 hatchet fish and 2 apple snails in one tank, and a Pleco, 2 dwarf Gouramis, 3 platies, 2 swords, 3 Rasboras, and 4 mollies in the other. Is this the best way to group them? Should I get certain species of fish to help keep the tank clean? If so, what kind?
Thank you for your time,
Laura
<Hello Laura. Probably the single best thing you could do is buy/borrow an aquarium book. All the species you're keeping are "common" species, but they each have very specific needs/characters. Black Tetras (which I assume are Gymnocorymbus ternetzi) and Serpae Tetras (Hyphessobrycon eques) are both "fin nippers", meaning they tend to attack slow moving fish or fish with long fish. Mixing them with Guppies for example, or Apple Snails, would be a very dangerous idea! I'd keep those two species alone in their own tank, or possibly with the Plec, assuming it is a small species. An adult Plec of the common species (Pterygoplichthys multiradiatus) gets to 45 cm/18" in length, and won't even FIT in a 10 gallon tank, let alone be able to live in one! It will need, minimum, a 200 litre/55 gallon system. In fact all your fish would do better in a 75 litre/20 gallon tank or bigger. Personally, if this was me, and I have a couple of 10-gallon tanks to populate, I wouldn't keep ANY of the species you've got, except maybe the Apple Snails. The Swordtails need a big, long tank because they are semi-aggressive, open water fish that need swimming space. Mollies are similar, but potentially get even bigger (some species to 15 cm/6"!) and need very hard, very basic water of perfect water quality as well. I'd argue -- strongly -- they really need to be kept in brackish water, not a freshwater tank. Platies are a bit less demanding than Swordtails, but all the livebearers (Swordtails, Platies, Guppies, and Mollies) need hard, basic water. By contrast, your Rasboras and Hatchetfish will need soft/acid water in the long term. While this is also the ideal for Serpae and Black tetras, those two species are so nasty I wouldn't mix them with anything as gentle as Rasboras or Hatchets. Dwarf Gouramis are frankly hopeless fish that I don't waste my time on. But you have them now, and presumably they don't have Dwarf Gourami Iridovirus or they wouldn't have lasted this long! Anyway, healthy specimens (which are damned rare!) are nice fish, but a bit slow and stupid, and easily nipped by Tetras, so don't mix them with anything nippy. Fancy Guppies are even more slow and even more stupid, and also get nipped. Fancy Guppies are best kept in their own quarters. Now, as for "cleaner fish" -- that's you, my friend. No fish, REPEAT, NO FISH, keeps your tank clean. All of them make the tank dirtier. Statements to the contrary are only EVER made by retailers trying to SELL you a catfish or loach. Filtration and water changes (and perhaps the odd wipe of the glass and stir of the gravel) is the way to clean a tank. Do start at WWM by going to these two sections, reading through the first boxes on each one for info aimed at beginners:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwsetupindex.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwlivestkindex.htm
I hope this helps. Cheers, Neale.>

Several Questions regarding Discuss/ Quasi-Amazon tank and more... Not ready for anytime "aquarist", reading 6/25/08
Several years ago I started a 30 U.S. Gallon tank with a Discus,
<... needs more room than this... and Symphysodon are social animals>
a Pleco, 2 Rainbows,
<... unsuitable water quality wise>
3 Kerri Tetras and 3 Bloodfin Tetras. All was well for about 1 1/2 years until I moved apartments and transferred those fish into a 55 Gallon tank. It soon developed a bad case of Blue-Green Algae. Not realizing what it was, I tried to limit the amount of light, which caused most of the plants to die as they became covered in the green slime, and my discus and Pleco both became sick and died.
<Bunk!>
After finally identifying the algae and killing it with amoxicillin.
<...>
I began buying some new plants (mostly swords) and bought an Angel and another Pleco. After a few months, I bought two new Discus, which were very skittish for about 3 weeks, then started bullying the angel (even though it was roughly the same size)
<Not a good mix... and you'd know this had you followed our directions and read before writing...>
for a couple weeks until they all settled into a pattern of coexistence. I also added 3 purple passion Danios, and at some point mysteriously lost one Kerri tetra and one bloodfin tetra.
Last month, one of my discus got hole-in-head disease while I was away, and by the time I got home, he was gasping for his last breath. Even though the other discuss appeared healthy, i treated the tank with a hole-in-head medication
<...>
as a precaution since I worried that the other discuss might get it too. After a few days, the tank appeared normal again, but I noticed that the remaining discuss suddenly became very skittish again. Though he used to eat very aggressively, this stopped and he rarely seemed interested in food. Then, last week we had a sudden heat wave, breaking all previous records and making the tank rapidly rise to 90*F (from its normal 84*). The discuss did not look healthy (very dark coloration) and stopped eating. I tried to increase water changes to maintain lower temps, but discuss died rather suddenly. All other fish remain healthy.
<... please, stop>
Tank conditions are 84*F, PH of 6.5, KH of 150, GH of 25. I perform weekly 30% water changes, using Deionized water
<Fish, plants won't live just in this...>
since I have had phosphate problems in the past. Tank has two filters, 1 Penguin 350 and 1 Penguin 200. Lighting is compact fluorescent and equals about 3.6 watts per gallon. Current plants include 2 Amazon Swords, 2 Brazilian Swords, 3 Vallisneria, 4 Rotala Indica, 2 Anubias congensis, and several Sagittaria subulata (which are all doing significantly better now that I've stopped making them live in black water since the death of the discuss) Current fish include 1 Angel, 1 Pleco, 2 Rainbows, 2 Kerri Tetras, 2 Bloodfin Tetras, and 3 Purple Passion Danios.
I've cured the blue-green algae and when not on vacation I can cure the hole-in-head, but I'm still rather frustrated, especially since I lost the last one to an unknown cause. (I suspect the sudden heat spike led to increased stress, which didn't help right after he became skittish and began eating less, but I'm not sure exactly what that was about, so I'm a bit confused, any ideas or general thoughts?)
<... that you should read>
So now that you have the past 4 years of my tank's history, here are my questions. I'm thinking about adding two Blue Rams to the tank, a couple more Kerri or bloodfin tetras, and possibly a couple pencil fish. Would adding the Blue Rams prevent me from getting another one or two discuss in the future?
<... Forget Symphysodon... you're not sophisticated, nor disciplined enough to care for them. Really>
Speaking of discuss, I'd like to find ways of improving my chances of keeping them for more than 1 or 2 years in the future. Would getting a Diatom Filter or UV sterilizer be helpful in this regard?
<... no>
I've been pretty lucky when it comes to Ick or other diseases ever since I stopped getting fish from Petco many years ago, but perhaps these items would make the water better in between my weekly water changes?
<... try another "hobby">
Water changes during the week are not usually possible because I work very long hours, so increasing frequency is difficult, which is why I'm looking to other possibilities.
<Again...>
Lastly, I'm curious whether any inverts would be able to live in this setup.
It appears as though Amano or Atyopsis shrimp might be able to handle the temp and ph, but I'm not sure if they would be bothered by the Angel, Pleco, or potential future discuss or blue rams. Thoughts?
<...>
Thanks in advance for all of your help and advice. I've read a lot of your other articles and found them very helpful.
- Mike
<... Mike, go to the library, read on the Net... stop killing the life in your care. Getting along in the universe by stumbling, reading, reacting after you've caused yourself, your livestock troubles... is the reverse route to go. Bob Fenner>

Re: Several Questions regarding Discuss/ Quasi-Amazon tank and more... PLEASE! Read before writing us... or you'll get "... and your uncle smells of elderberries...". 6/25/08
I must say that I am a bit bewildered and disappointed in the "advice" I just received in response to my questions. I own several fish tanks, reptiles, and amphibians that have never had any problems, but have lost 3 Discus and 1 Pleco over the past 4+ years all in the same tank, so I was looking for some advice. Instead, I was told that I am not sophisticated enough to care for fish, told to just "stop", and chastised for previous mistakes (including some which remain in open debate on your and other online forums, such as housing discuss and angels together, which my LFS said was fine if watched closely and provided with hiding places).
<Some of your writing (the bits on plants esp.) shows careful examination...>
Everything I've read lists soft water with a ph of 6.5 for these fish.
<Not Melanotaeniids...>
The 84*F temp was for the discuss,
<Please... Discus... not discuss...>
and have been told that the angels and tetras can adjust to this fine. Since I've had no problems with them now for a couple years at these levels, I'm not sure why you've said that the fish will all die in my water. Explanations would be more useful than curt responses.
<... agreed, but... this is a two way expressway... We ask for folks to search the site before writing us... there are tens of thousands of "you" per day... only a handful of "us" here... for free>
I realize the Rainbows are completely out of place and should have died ages ago, but I've had them for over 4 years and can't move them to any of my other tanks because they would be more out of place there (African Cichlid and Brackish tanks).
<So... perhaps another tank?>
Anyway, I was hoping for a bit of advice, which usually comes in the form of reasoned and articulate explanations. Instead, I'm told to "stop" to "read" and to "find a new hobby" (even though I've only lost 4 fish in 4 years while caring for roughly 50 total). I thought you guys tried to help people?
Disappointed,
- Mike
<We do. Do keep reading. B>

Re: Several Questions regarding Discus/ Quasi-Amazon tank and more 6/27/08
I have done extensive reading on your site, and received answers to most of my questions that way. Still I have a couple questions since deciding not to follow your advice to "stop" and "find a different hobby".
<Mmm, I would not do this>
I will consider starting another tank so that I can move the 2 Rainbows, and 3 Purple Passion Danios into cooler conditions.
<Ah, good>
Water temp is now at 82F, with PH of 6.5, and the water is soft (hardness around 6), though it looks like I previously (and accidentally) gave you a rather "hard" number for my general hardness. From what I've read, blue rams are compatible with my tank and would not prevent future additions of a pair of Discus. I am left with two specific questions that I hope you can answer.
<I'll try>
1: Will two Blue rams (*Microgeophagus ramirezi)* be bothered by either my Angel (roughly 5 inches) or the common (snow king) Pleco (roughly 7 inches)?
<Likely not too much... there are always individual differences... and the more crowded, the greater likelihood of agonistic troubles, but...>
2: Will angel and/ or Pleco eat any potential shrimp (*Palaemon pantanal, **Atyopsis moluccensis, or **Caridina japonica)?
<Perhaps... I give you good odds though>
*3: Since death of Discus, I have stopped adding peat/ black water extract, making plants much happier and better at fighting off black brush algae.
Would Blue Rams benefit from the black water or should I continue to not bother?
<Mmm, with the water quality measures you've given, I would skip>
Tank has 2 rocks, 2 large pieces of driftwood (28"),
<Very nice!>
3 medium pieces of wood (12"), and 3 small pieces (8") for hiding, along with previously mentioned selection of plants.
I understand that you receive many questions and have limited time to answer each request, but I would appreciate some guidance related to these 3 remaining questions. Thank you
- Mike
<Thank you for sharing Mike. BobF>

FW fish Compatibility 6/11/08
Hello. I just purchased a 156g tank for my fishes; 2 2-spot Gouramis, 2 angel pictus catfishes and 2 blood parrot fishes and I would like to know what other fishes I could put with them. Thanks a bunch! Jo Anne
<The list is long indeed... of major groups of fishes that are relatively available, get along with what you currently have, span the range of water quality... FW Angels, other medium sized Gouramis, many Rainbowfishes, some small to med. characoids, medium sized barbs, Danios, Rasboras... many other useful catfishes... Best to go through fish books, websites of size, making a prospective "want list"... seek further input to hone this down, visiting stores... Bob Fenner>

29 Gallon Stocking, FW, comm. 5/13/08
Ok I will be upgrading a 10 gallon tank in a few days to a 29 gallon.
<Ah! Some upgrade!>
I will be using some of the water and filter pad from the 10 gallon to hurry along the 29 gallon cycle.
<Good>
Anyway, currently in the 10 gallon there are 2 dwarf gouramis (paired), 2 male guppies, and 5 female platies
What else would go great with these fish in a 29 gallon aquarium?
<Perhaps some Corydoras sp. catfish... some small danios, rasboras...>
I do not want anymore platies separated the males from the females they breed way too quickly lol. And I do not want any Neon Tetras (I already have a 45 gallon tank devoted to those)
<Many choices are available... I'd be scanning books, the Net, your fish stores for ideas, possibilities... Bob Fenner>

Fish Stock Question, Loaches and Eels and Butterflies, oh my! Reading, FW hardness, CAE, stkg. period 4/24/08
Greetings crew!
<Alex>
I am not sure if you received my last e-mail, so I thought I would try again.
<Thanks... I don't recall seeing this, and I put most all away>
If you did, I apologize for any typo's or grammatical errors it contained, as I sent it via cell phone from my LFS >^..^<
So, here it goes. I currently have a 5ft long 120 gallon tank with 2 250W Stealth heaters, 2 Emperor 400 filters, 100lbs of fine gravel, a handful of live plants (Anubias, Amazon Sword, and some green Myrio), some Mopani wood and a number of hiding places, both PVC and decoration. The tank has been running for about three months now, and my water seems to have cycled well. Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate about 20 or so, and PH at 7.6, with hardness the only thing I am unsure of (should I make myself sure?).
<Mmm, not likely necessary... let's continue...>
I started out treating my water with Prime, but my LFS recommended Neutral Regulator to soften things up and bring my ph closer to 7.
<Mmmm>
May I ask your advice on this?
<Again, not really an issue in the vast majority of circumstances, livestock assortments>
from reading, 7.6 seems a hair on the high side for my stock selection, but not too sure. Should I possibly add more Mopani or other fish safe wood? Also, are my two emperors fine, or should I start looking for something more? from what I have read, you can never have too MUCH filtration!
<Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwhardness.htm
and the linked files above. Some excellent, succinct points made by NealeM>
As far as my stock goes, my current residents include 2 Flying Foxes (both young and can separate as needed, have a second tank), 1 Rainbow Shark, my survivor Firewag Platy (long story), 3 Yoyo Loaches and a Chinese Algae Eater (I think).
<I would "ditch" the Gyrinocheilus... issues gone over... on WWM>
May I please have your advice on my shopping list for the future, as well as a recommended time frame to keep from shocking my bioload?
<Sure>
6 Clown Loaches, as I find myself turning into a loach fiend 7 more Yoyo Loaches to make 10 total, for the same reason as above 1 Fire Eel, I love the way these guys look and don't see too many problems, how do they like current?
<Mmm, not so important... but this fish gets very large...>
2 African Butterfly Fish, some top fish that just look awesome. I have a glass top, and the tank is next to my stairwell. ooh, butterflies in the tank! current will be kept low in the tank if I can manage it right...
<Needs live food...>
12 Tiger Barbs... or not... heard they don't do well with the butterflies, but are otherwise a good addition to the clowns. I like the way they look, but donut want to loose any appendages off other fish!
<Are fine>
5 Rainbow Sharks, read they do well solo or in groups?
<Fight quite a bit in close confines... will a bit here in time>
It wont break my heart to omit them though.
Any further selections you would recommend? I am leaning away from the Tiger Barbs due to their potential pestering of the butterflies, but I would like some mid level action or some other "Dither Fish".
<Good idea... many choices... I'd look into Rainbows, mid-size Danios.... Characins>
Thanks for the awesome support and I am looking forward to seeing more good things in the future!
-Alex
<You'd do well to follow directions and search, read on WWM before writing us. Start now. Bob Fenner>

Fish stock question... from ayer, still not reading, FW 4/25/08
Greetings crew!
I have read through your q@a's a few times and i love what I have read so far. What I am requesting is more of a yea nay as to what my current idea is for stocking, as well as a good timeline for the additions so I don't overload. My equipment is as follows:
120H gallon (60w x 18d x 30h), 2x emperor 400's, 100lbs fine gravel substrate, and 2x 250w heaters. Anything else you need I may have forgotten?
<Mmmm...>
My stock currently includes 1 rainbow shark, 2 flying foxes (young and can relocate one as needed), and 3 yoyo loaches, with some random live plants. What i wish to add is as follows:
7 more yoyo's
6 clown loaches
2 African butterfly fish (slightly worried about fin nipping?)
1 fire eel
<I answered this ayer... this Mastacembelid will grow too large... Read re these species on WWM...>
Was thinking about 12 tiger barbs but I understand they WILL nip the butterflies fins... Any ideas for a suitable replacement for these guys that wont get eaten, or should i just forget them?
<See WWM re... other fish groups...>
My "prize" fish that i would like to maintain are the loaches, the eel and the butterflies.
<The Spiny Eel will eventually (a few years likely) have to be transferred out...>
Ps, my tank water is currently 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 20 nitrate. Ph is a lil high at 7.6 but I am treating with neutral balancer
<... I would not. As stated yesterday... Please don't re-send the same simple questions w/o following directions, searching, reading before writing us... and worse, writing back w/o having read where you were referred to>
to bring it down a tad, don't have a GH tester as of yet but i suspect tap is just as bad as my ph.
<The species you list are fine with such a pH... is more beneficial to be a bit alkaline... READ>
Tank has also been in operation for a little over three months. Any advice on keeping this a happy and healthy tank would be appreciated!
Newly addicted loach fan,
-Alex
<And reading fan I hope. BobF>

Starting a soft water tank, need help on choosing inhabitants, order of addition 4/15/08
I am working with my wife to set up a soft water tank. It is a 55 gallon tank. I am mixing RO/DI water with dechlorinated tap water. There are plenty of artificial plants as well as driftwood and some rocks. The centerpiece will be dwarf rams. We also plan to have some Cory cats and a schooling fish.
<Hmm... be careful: Mikrogeophagus ramirezi require warmer water than most Corydoras species, and warmer water than many tetras appreciate. If you keep these other fish at the required 28-30 degrees C, they will be stressed and potentially experience a much shorter lifespan. Among the Corydoras, Corydoras sterbai is the only common species that does *really* well in warm water aquaria, and is routinely kept with Discus. Do also remember Mikrogeophagus have been reported to bite the eyes from Corydoras catfish; they are not a recommended combination. My experience of Corydoras is that they are absolutely hopeless at learning about territories, and this makes them difficult to keep with territorial cichlids.>
We are trying to decide on what schooling fish to keep . . . Neons, cardinals, or zebra Danios. Reading over the site, it looks like the Neons prefer cooler water than the rams, and carry the risk of neon tetra disease. How significant is that risk?
<Danios and Neons definitely need cooler water than Rams; around 20 C is ideal for Danios, and around 22 C for Neons. So neither is a viable option. Cardinals do well as 28 C, so make the ideal choice. Another good choice would be the Lambchop Rasbora Trigonostigma espei (as opposed to the cooler water Harlequin Rasbora Trigonostigma heteromorpha). Finally, consider the Marbled Hatchetfish Carnegiella strigata, which also enjoys quite warm water.>
On the other hand, reading about cardinals, it seems they tend to be difficult to get acclimated, but they are hardy once successfully introduced. Is that a correct impression? If so, what are your suggestions for successful acclimation? I believe the article on your site recommends a drip acclimation. Is that recommended?
<Cardinals are generally hardier than Neons once acclimated, and a thousand times easier to keep than the terribly poor quality Rams on the market these days. So I'd worry more about the Rams than the Cardinals! In any case, if you are adjusting fish from maintenance in hard water aquaria (e.g., at the shop) to soft water in your home aquarium, then yes, a drip method acclimating the fish across an hour or so would work. Even better would be keeping the tank medium hard, neutral pH while you stock it, and then soften it across a week or two using water changes once you're done. A month or so as a medium hard water aquarium would do your fish no harm, especially if the temperature and water quality are optimal.>
If the cardinals and tetras are too likely to perish, we will probably go with the zebra Danios instead.
<Not a good choice at all; Danios come from fast, cool water environments.>
What do you recommend for stocking? I was thinking 8 Corys, 12 schooling fish, 6 rams. Could we or should we add more of the schooling fish or Cory cats? Are odd numbers or even numbers preferable for any of the fish we plan to keep?
<Numbers sound fine. Corydoras and most schooling fish behave themselves impeccably once decent numbers are kept, so don't worry too much about odd/even numbers. As for the Rams, do try and keep more females than males, but failing that, don't overcrowd and ensure everyone has their own hiding place.>
Finally, is there a preferred order of addition? I was considering schooling fish, followed by the Cory cats, with the rams added last (after I know I can maintain the water at the appropriate conditions).
<Sounds fine.>
Thanks in advance for the help.
Rick
<Cheers, Neale.>

Re: starting a soft water tank, need help on choosing inhabitants, order of addition 4/17/08
Thank you for your response. We have plenty to think about.
<You're welcome.>
I have some more questions, now related to water quality, not stocking.
<Okay.>
As mentioned, I am using a mixture of RO/DI water and tap water. The blend has a hardness of 6 KH, but the pH is above 7.6 (the upper limit of my low-range test kit). What is the best way to lower the pH? Should I use a buffer? Should I consider peat? I am targeting a pH of 6.5.
<6 degrees KH is fairly hard water; don't try messing about with pH unless you can lower the carbonate hardness. I simply cannot make this clearer: your job is NOT to change the pH, but to stabilise it, and instead you should use more softened water and less tap water until the carbonate hardness drops to around 3-4 degrees KH. At that point, the pH should be around 7, and you can safely use peat to lower the pH by adding organic acids, and then a pH buffer to "stabilise" the pH between water changes.>
Today, I am going to see what the parameters of the LFS water are, and will adjust accordingly. However, for my final parameters, if I stock with the Rams, Corys, and Cardinals, are pH 6.5 and 6 KH hardness good?
<The carbonate hardness is still to high for what you're after.>
Also, you mentioned the difficulty in finding quality rams. Any suggestions on where/how to get good stock, other than being looking carefully before I purchase them?
<Mikrogeophagus ramirezi simply isn't worth buying retail. These cichlids need very warm (28-30 C) for their health to remain solid. Specifically, their immune system weakens as temperature drops. So in the standard issue retail aquarium around 25 C, they are "chilled" and pick up every disease going around. Some bacterial infections and protozoan infections (such as Hexamita) may be latent and not causing any harm for weeks or months after the fish catches them. But sooner or later, the fish sickens and dies. Here in the UK, there are mail order companies specialising in dwarf cichlids. These maintain wild-caught Mikrogeophagus ramirezi in the warm, soft water they need, ensuring very high quality stock. I'd suggest locating a similar outfit in your corner of the world. Failing that, a local breeder is another option; your local fish club may be able to put you in touch with the relevant person. The attrition rate of mass-produced Mikrogeophagus ramirezi is simply so high I find it difficult to recommend them. They are a total and utter waste of money. You might (wisely!) opt for another dwarf cichlid such as Apistogramma spp., many of which thrive in similar conditions but don't need so much warmth. Apistogramma spp. therefore "travel" better than Mikrogeophagus, and assuming they're in reasonable condition when you get them, can be quarantined and fattened up without too much fuss. Cheers, Neale.>

Tank Troubles, Mixed tropical and Goldfish sys. 4/9/08
I am an experienced saltwater fishkeeper and I have set up a freshwater tank at my place of employment. It is a 55 Gallon with an oversized BioWheel filter and carbon media, it is only about two months old. I sped the cycling process along with "used gravel and filter media" from my LFS.
<Very good.>
The water tests at 0ppm for ammonia, nitrite, chlorine, about 15ppm for nitrates. I have an African Clawed Frog that I hand feed ReptoMin pellets and a dojo loach that eats a sinking shrimp pellet everyday.
<Fine, but do vary the diet and use (wet) frozen foods like bloodworms as well, or even live foods or chopped seafood. Plain dried food seems to cause problems with constipation, and in any case most animals get bored with it.>
Finally I have 3 fantail goldfish approx 3" each, I feed fresh blanched spinach and zucchini as well as sinking goldfish pellets every other day. I feed sparingly, I am a big fan of fit fish.
<Great!>
Anyway the crux of my issue, I have had a few fish deaths which I find strange. I had one goldfish pass, he grew weak and unresponsive until his death. My boss added two guppies and three platies ( against my better advice) and one of the guppies and two of the platies have passed away. They acclimate fine they seem healthy and active, and eating. Then I will find them dead within the next couple of days.
<When a random selection of fish die within a short period, it's almost always an environmental issue. So check temperature, pH, nitrite at once. Fish have varying demands in terms of temperature, and outside their preferred range quickly develop immune system, dietary problems. The pH will give you a quick handle on whether water chemistry is stable, and the nitrite will tell you about the filtration system.>
No apparent disease is at work, there is no outward sign of it anyway, the goldfish and the guppy and platies all appear healthy. Is there some water parameter that I am not taking into account?
<Not sure. Which parameters have you considered thus far?>
I realize that guppies and platies are tropical fish but can't they also acclimate to subtropical temperatures?
<Not as such, no. While it is true that one Platy species, the Variatus Platy fish Xiphophorus variatus is a subtropical fish, the fancy Platies sold are hybrids that require completely tropical conditions. Guppies are tropical fish, period.>
The temperature of the tank is a steady 67 degrees F.
<Too low.>
Please let me know if there is something I am missing or if a certain number of fish deaths is normal...I haven't lost any of my SW fish in many months, and years. So I am a bit perplexed. Thanks so much in advance.
<Cheers, Neale.>

Re: 55gal FW Re-stock question 4/7/08
Thanks Neale!
I do keep an eye on the Serpaes. So far they've been relatively "good" little fish. The Danios are all happy chasing themselves around and seem
oblivious to their neighbors, and the red lines mainly play with themselves in the plants we have. The fun starts when the loaches start to "play" and
try to include the Serpae group, which then scatter with a "What the" moment. Only two Serpaes had survived from the original group, and have been ok thus far since adding 3 more. Just want to make sure the schools are all at a decent size for everyone's social well being. Course, ID on tetras is relying on our own research as the LFS in the area aren't always the best in that regard.
Rachel
<Hello Rachel. All sounds fine. There are some look-alike fish that are sometimes sold as Serpae tetras, and they are less trouble. In any event, Serpaes are worst towards slow moving fish like Gouramis and angelfish, and that's my objection to them as community fish. They are lively and colourful though, so in the right system can be fun little fish. I'd certainly up the numbers on all these tetras though. Often we don't realise that in the wild these tetras are living in groups of dozens even hundreds of specimens. I've kept, for example, groups of twenty cardinal tetras and the difference in their behaviour is remarkable. They move as a single unit and look very much more dramatic than otherwise. Loaches are gregarious, and I once visited a fishkeeper who had 50 Clown Loaches in a single tank. Let me tell you these were amazingly happy fish! Really a sight to see. Cheers, Neale.>

55gal FW Re-stock question 4/6/08
Hi WWM crew!
I'm back again with another question. This time it's for our 55 gal freshwater tank. Current stock is as follows:
6 Zebra Danios (Danio rerio)
5 Serpae tetras (Hyphessobrycon serpae)
<Horrible fin nippers, so will be interesting to see how you make out with these little terrors.>
4 Red-line tetras (Hyphessobrycon amapaensis - not 100% positive I've ID-ed these guys right)
3 Yoyo loaches (Botia almorhae - love these guys!)
1 Pleco (we have no idea which species, working on that one)
<Unless sold deliberately as a Bristlenose Plec, then most likely one of the GIANT Pterygoplichthys species.>
Tank has been up and running for 5 months now (I'd uh, have param.s for you but testing kit ran out and haven't made it to the store yet this week), and I'd like to bring up the numbers of the Serpae and Red-lines if possible (a few of our red-lines ended up as "midnight" snacks for our 3 Sciades seemanni during their short visit in January while their brackish tank finished cycling up). I always get lost on exactly how much room per fish in mixed company.
<In a 55 gallon tank, schools of ten or more specimens of all these fish, save the Plec and the loaches, would be entirely in order and actually sensible. Loaches best in groups of 5+, Plecs almost always solitary.>
I'm looking to add 3-5 more Serpae, and 4 more Red-lines if there's room still without over-loading our tank. Filtration is currently a Whisper HOB with bio-sponge inserts and those lovely carbon pouches. Yes, I know totally worthless here, but it's what came with the tank and the husband likes it so -- yeah, have to pick my battles carefully on this, working on getting switched over to a canister filter system this summer hopefully.
<Cool. Nothing to stop you having BOTH filters. Dedicate one to chemical/biological filtration, and the other to mechanical/biological. I've routinely kept tanks with more than one filter, and it gives you a cushion in case one fails or needs maintenance.>
Think that should do it for this round, will sign off before I start
rambling for no good reason. =)
Thank you!
Rachel
<Hope this helps, Neale.>

Stocking & quarantine 03/26/2008
Hi there,
I do have a few questions and hoping you have the answers. I have a 55 gal. tank with an AquaClear "70" filter system. Right now I have 15 fish
5 zebra Danios
1 gold Gourami
3 swordtails (1 male -2 female)
6 Australian rainbows (3 male -3 female)
I want to add more fish and wonder if adding 3 more female swords and 3 more female rainbows would be all right for now. I want more color in my tank and thinking of a different species of rainbows. Any other suggestions would be appreciated.
<With schooling fish, adding more of the same species INVARIABLY improves the aesthetics. A common mistake beginners make is to take a couple of these, a couple of those, and a couple of the others. Different shapes and different colours. Throw them into the tank. Result: a jumble. None of the fish behave properly. They don't school together. So instead of a synchronized group of ten Neons playing follow the leader (when they look fab) you get five Neons hanging about all over the place looking nervous. So, before adding NEW species, think about adding MORE of the same. Adding more Danios should be a no-brainer. A dozen would have hardly any effect on the capacity of your tank, while the resulting social cohesion will dramatically increase their value in terms of entertainment. Adding more Swordtails would be another good move because the more specimens, the less aggressive the males will become.>
My next question concerns the quarantining of fish. I guess I've been very lucky in that I've never done this before but the more I read the more I think I should be doing this especially if I get a sick fish and not know it until it's too late.
<Quarantining is indeed valuable.>
I am a bit confused as to the set-up: bare bottom, diffused lighting, heater, thermometer and sponge filtering. It's the sponge filtering I'm not sure of. How do I get this sponge seeded and
what kind of sponge is it? What kind of filtering is needed and does the sponge filter go into this system? Where and what is the sump on my AquaClear filter?
<You basically set up a smaller version of your regular freshwater tank. Don't fuss about lights, the sort of filter, decorations, etc. I'd recommend grabbing some filter media from your existing tank and stuffing that into the air-powered box filter or small internal electric filter of your choice. Instant cycling! If the tank needs to be empty for more than a few days, don't forget to add some "food" for the bacteria in the form of a pinch of flake every 2-3 days.>
One other thing-what does dip/bath mean?
<Not particularly important for freshwater, so don't worry about it.>
Thank you very much for any assistance you can give me.
<Cheers, Neale.>

Population Questions; FW; Stocking Issues (Platies and Danios) 3/22/08
I currently have 11 Mickey mouse platies, two peppered Corys, and one zebra Danio living in my 20 gallon tank. I was wondering if that was too many fish.
<<Well it depends on the dimensions of said twenty gallon (is this a long variety or the standard or even worse the “tall” variation?) Also what type of filtration are you using, how many times per hour is the volume of the tank turned over? Last what is your maintenance (water change regime) and what are your chemical parameters? I would say based on the number of platies alone you are overstocked, Poeciliid Fishes (livebearers) are relatively messy (waste production) fish and when you consider the adult size of the platies and their eager mating behaviors, this a temporary arrangement at best. As far as the Corys, please ensure that they are receiving the proper nutrition and not getting lost in the sea of platies.>>
Also, how important is it for Danios to live in schools?
<<Here is a quote from one of Bob’s articles; - “1) Number: Remember that most of these fishes are schooling species; they only feel at ease and act naturally when housed in a large enough system in groups. Three individuals is an absolute minimum, with larger, odd numbers being better.” Having said or quoted that, you are in no position to add fish to your system at the moment.>>
I've read that they should be in groups of three or more, but since I don't have a quarantine tank and am worried about population, I haven't added any more.
<<Yes for the time being, I would begin thinning out the platy population, as well as implementing some aggressive water changing to keep the dissolved organics in check for the time being.>>
Thanks, Lori
<<Welcome, - Adam J.>>

Your suggestion... Reading, re FW fish sel. – 03/20/08
We currently have a 20 gallon tank that has the following fish...
2 Neon Tetras
2 Bloodfin Tetras
<Small tetras are better off in larger numbered shoals>
1 Male Guppy
3 Female Guppies
1 Bala Shark
<Needs much more room>
1 Redtail Shark
<Too often becomes problematical behaviorally... See WWM re this minnow sharks...>
1 Cory Cat
1 Rasbora
<Another schooling species...>
1 Female Lyretail Molly (pregnant)
1 Male Lyretail Molly
1 Female Red Wag Platy
1 Male Red Wag Platy
We bought a 10 gallon tank & it is currently cycling. When the time comes, which fish would you suggest that we move to the 10 gallon tank.
Thank you for your help.
Melissa
<Read re the fish species listed above period... I'd be moving the softer/acidic, more tropical species OR the harder/alkaline cooler water ones... and trading in the sharks... READ, don't write. Bob Fenner>

Upgrading Tank/Adding more schooling/shoaling fish, FW – 03/18/08
Hello WetWebMedia Team!
I've been reading your site off-and-on for a few years now, but recently have been reading the FAQs daily (as well as other documents on your site) in preparation. I have been recently upgrading my aquascape as my old 20-gal tank sprung a small leak - it lasted 20 years and thankfully wasn't seriously harmful, but enough to warrant upgrading. Now I've got a 47-gallon freshwater "column" tank that I've recently set up with some of the water and filter from the previous tank, as well a number of new plants (I've been aiming for a more natural tank this time around, and it's looking gorgeous so far, the plants are already sprouting new leaves). I recently moved the entire fish community to my new tank and I'm going to wait until things settle down before adding more fish (at least another month or so, I'm keeping an eye on all the chemical levels which are within safe ranges and no casualties so far, fingers crossed), but I wanted to ask you for some advice. Of the fish I have in my tank, which ones would you recommend that I add more of so that they are less-stressed? I am aware that I have a number of grouping fish, and would just like to hear your thoughts.
3 Golden Barbs
<Too few, likely to become nippy or aggressive.>
2 Pineapple Swordtails (They were labeled Platys in the store but I can't find "pineapple platy" online, they look like swordtails)
<Regardless, the males are very aggressive, so if you want zero hassle always keep one male to at least two females. I'd recommend only a single male per aquarium. People ignore this advice all the time, but then e-mail us with stories of one male Platy/Guppy/Swordtail/Molly beating seven bells out of the other males in the tank. Your move.>
2 Zebra Danios (probably my oldest, these guys are hardy!)
<Need 4 more, at least.>
3 Galaxy Danios
<Groups of 6; in any case these need subtropical conditions, so aren't compatible with fish that need warmer than 24 C, for example Cardinals. Also need hard, alkaline water, so you can't keep them with Cardinal tetras, for example, which have a short lifespan in hard water.>
4 Cardinal Tetras
<Need to be kept in big groups to stop being shy and actually develop full colours; I'd recommend at least a dozen.>
1 Fancy Guppy (Male, I believe)
<Incompatible with Cardinals; totally different water chemistry and also prone to nipping.>
4 Lyretail Guppies
<Ditto.>
3 Ghost Shrimp
<Fine.>
1 Green Rocket Shrimp
<Fine.>
1 Zebra Nerite Snail
<Fine.>
I guess the other question is this - when I do get more fish of the same species to fill-out the schools/shoals, will introducing the same fish to the tank allow them to school together, or will they school in separate "packs"?
<Will coalesce into single schools.>
Or would it be recommended to add similar, but not identical, livestock (such as Cherry Barbs, or Cherry Shrimp)?
<nope.>
Thank you very much for your time!
<Not a problem. For what it's worth, I'd probably sit down and think about which way you want to develop this tank. You have a bunch of species with different water chemistry/temperature requirements, and so at least some of these fish not be at their best. Decide what you want to concentrate on, and optimise the conditions. A subtropical/cool-tropical tank around 22-24C would be great for Danios and shrimps, and you could easily add barbs and loaches, and then stabilise the water chemistry around the neutral to slightly alkaline level.>
Sincerely,
Jason
<Cheers, Neale.>

Minor stocking question, FW 3/17/08
Crew:
With thanks for all the info your site has provided:
I have a minor stocking question. In one room, I have a 30 gallon FW tank set up last fall to combine an overstocked 10gal and a 20 gal. It houses mostly tetras and Corys with a few
' left-over' individuals that I had no place else to keep. (No disrespect to the fish intended, they have been here for several years.)
<OK.>
In another room, I have a new 29gallon currently inhabited only by 4 young keyhole cichlids (about 1 inch each) introduced as soon as nitrites were at 0 - about 3 weeks ago.
<Nice fish.>
They are doing well. My intent was to move three green swordtails from the 30g to this one, (see question re water chemistry below) to add some upside-down cats and possibly another pair of dwarf cichlids and a banjo cat (wish list, but probably not a good idea) as soon as possible.
<Skip the Banjo Cats; they're difficult to keep in standard community tanks and often starve to death. They need a soft sand substrate (they are burrowers) and only feed at night (so lose out in competition with more aggressive feeders, including Synodontis. By all means keep with tetras and Rasboras in a tank without other nocturnal fish.>
The swords are almost impossible to catch without dismantling the entire tank. I have tried a few ploys (feeding first as a distraction, etc.) but they are faster than I am.
<Yes, Swordtails are high-performance fish, and that's why I object to keeping them in small tanks.>
An alternative would be to move a 'left-over' Koi angel who currently dominates the 30 gal. He hasn't harmed anyone, not even the Glowlight tetras but he is rigid about who can go where or eat what and he basically tells me when feeding time has arrived (or at least tries to).
<Normal Angelfish behaviour. They tend to dominate community aquaria.>
So it occurred to me to buy 2 young angels, put them in with the keyholes and, after a day or two, move this guy over. Your site advises that if one is to keep more than one angel in the same tank, it is necessary to introduce them all at the same time.
<Correct.>
Would it make a difference if I put the new ones into the tank first and then moved this one? He is definitely easier to catch than the swords.
<He'd likely attack any new angels, regardless of the permutations or calculations. Possibly if you dumped five adults his own size he'd be fine, but don't bank on it.>
If I did this, would there still be room for the cats and another pair of dwarf cichlids at the bottom?
<In 30 US gallons? No.>
Both tanks are planted with varying arrangements of bogwood/driftwood, rocks, petrified wood, sand substrate, tapwater (I have separate questions re water chemistry which I will get around to asking below), but there are more rocks, fewer plants in the 29g. They both have HOB filters plus mature sponge filters, get 50% WC per week, Prime-treated.
I realize that 3 angels might be a bit of crowding and suspect that adding these would send the tank into recycling. I treat with Prime and could do almost daily water changes on the one tank for the next week or two if that would be sufficient.
I'm not even sure that moving the swordtails was a good idea anyway. We are talking about fish of incompatible water chemistry which is why I mentioned the question earlier. As I say, I use tapwater (hard though it is). I have always been assured at local stores that they keep all FW stock in the local water, that tank-raised fish are accustomed to it regardless of what their wild cousins may have preferred - so, not to worry.
Anyway, by playing with tests and mixing small amounts of water, I have determined that I could lower over-all pH to the mid 7's (currently 8.6
or more - hard to be sure I've read the colour chart accurately) without lowering carbonate hardness below 120 (not sure of units, this was determined with Hagen drop tests). Would it be advisable to do this - slowly, of course - in either tank considering that most of these fish have been living in this water all their lives?
Other inhabitants of the 30 gal.:
5 serpae tetras - over 3 years old
4 Glowlight tetras - over 2 years
2 Rummynoses - 'left-overs' - not sure of age
6 Corys - pandas - vintage varies
2 Farlowella - adults - not sure how old but they are quite
active and compete with the Corys for food at bottom (I drop pellet food here)
1 moonlight Gourami - 'left-over' - not young
1 blue strawberry platy Variatus - 'left-over' - male, several years old
3 green swordtails being discussed
1 Koi angel being discussed
1 Pleco - about 6 inches or so who lives under a big piece of Mopani wood. Yes, I may have to rehabit him in time but he has been here for several years in a smaller tank when he was smaller than now, the sponge filter addition is helping keep the water clean. Without the 2nd filter, this one needed 2 WC per week. He is rapidly devouring all of my Hygrophila but I'm still postponing doing anything else with him.
Anyway, he seems healthy and content for now. The Farlowella try to fight with him over boiled greens if I drop some into the tank but he tolerates even them.
Anyway, if you have any thoughts on how I could best rationalize these two tanks (water and fish) before the keyholes think they own that one without making any damaging errors, it would be appreciated.
Totally unrelated question: there was some suggestion on one of your faq's (if I didn't misunderstand) that the depth of the substrate could influence the size the fish attain. By what mechanism?
<No idea. I wouldn't agree with this conclusion at all.>
Rosemarie
<Your tanks are pretty well filled already. I wouldn't go about adding more livestock just yet. Thin the stick you have, buy another tank. Your move. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Minor stocking question 3/17/08
Thanks, Neale:
I appreciate what you say. Another or bigger tank may come later.
<Good.>
Meanwhile, the keyhole cichlid tank (4 babies) requires some thought. I don't want to wait until they have grown and decided to take the whole place over.
<Angel would likely ignore the Keyholes if the tank has LOTS of plants and hiding places... but there's just no guarantees. They're temperamental fish once they've decided to take over. Like almost any other cichlid, they're territorial. Keyholes might be ignored... but then again, they might not.>
Would the swords (I would like to free them from the domination of the angel) be better there in that they could have the whole top to themselves? Would they be less oppressed in their movements or am I just sending them to more of the same?
<Are we talking about moving them from a 10 tom a 29 gallon tank? If so, yes, that's better. I wouldn't expect Angels to cause serious harm to Swordtails.>
I could catch them but it would require an afternoon of dismantling the tank and don't want to do it if not to their advantage in the end.
<Surely not that hard. Use two nets: drive the fish with one net towards another net. If you must, half empty the water from the tank.>
If not, do you have other suggestions re tank mates for the keyholes.
<Midwater dither fish (Danios, Rasboras) plus Corydoras are the classic combos for small South American cichlids.>
Would lowering pH be useful to these fish at this point - more comfortable once done?
<Only if you lower the hardness too. By itself, pH isn't that important. Too many inexperienced aquarists concentrate on pH without understand that general hardness and carbonate hardness are what matter. So if you're saying you're going to lower the general hardness to 10 dH and the carbonate hardness to 5 KH then sure, that's great for Angels and Keyholes (though unacceptable for Swordtails). If you're asking me about dumping some "pH down" chemicals into the water, then no, don't do this because you likely don't understand about water chemistry yet and should read up on the subject before you stress your fish with random pH changes. Have a start here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwsoftness.htm
Cheers, Neale.>

Overwhelmed by choices/numbers, Re: FW lvstk. sel. 3/6/08
Hi Crew, I have been doing much research for my new 20 gallon tank and I have picked some fish I think will do well together some of which Neale had suggested). I would just like to get some confirmation on compatibility and numbers, if that is ok. I have a twenty gallon tall tank I am in the process of cycling, so I really am still in the research stage. It has aquarium gravel in the bottom along with a waterfall ornament with hidey hole in it and also a hollow log with several holes in it for hiding in. I also have a small terra cotta pot in it on its side. There are various plastic and silk plants roughly 8) Still plenty of swimming room in the center. It has a Top Fin power filter of which I am not too sure I like. No Bio wheel or anything, just a cartridge.
Will this filter suffice?
<Mmm, you may want to add something more here... perhaps an inside power filter... for redundancy, when you clean one, don't do the other... to retain biological conversion capacity>
I would like to put in 2 Dwarf or Blue Gourami's
<Mmm, not the Dwarfs... see WWM re>
3 Platies and 4 leopard Cory cats (Corydoras julii). I think according to the 1 inch rule this would about do it. I have read these fish will be compatible together, but honestly everything you read has so many suggestion of "this OR that" with several different groupings it is very overwhelming. I would just appreciate another opinion on my proposed tank stock and I certainly do not want to overstock. Thanks so much ahead of time, I appreciate all of the good information on your site and could read for hours-Aaahh if only life would let me. I have not been able as of yet to find here or pretty much anywhere else "lists" of suggested beginner tanks, to include breed number and introduction order. Something like this would be fabulous for beginners to choose a grouping from to start them in the hobby. As we learn and grow we could branch out from there. If you do know of any kind of resource such as this could you please let me know? I do apologize if I have over looked it on your own website-I have used the search feature extensively to no avail:-(
Regards!
Debbie
<The Trichogaster/Blue Gouramis and Corydoras will do very well here, together... and you might want to add something more for color, excitement... Perhaps some Xiphophorus helleri/Swords... there is room, compatibility behavior and water-quality wise... Bob Fenner>

Oddball tankmates... GSP, brackish, Danios... What? 2/27/08
Hello,
I have a green puffer, Sailfin molly, and a small Danio in a 7 gallon bowed out tank.
<Please tell me this is a joke. PLEASE!>
The green puffer is still a baby and will be moved to a larger tank when he starts to get bigger (about a year or so from what I've heard).
<Not just a larger tank (at least 120 l/30 gal) but also a brackish water one maintained around SG 1.010.>
The Danio kept harassing the puffer until I decided to section him off for about a week.
<Doesn't work this way. Danios aren't smart enough to learn you're cross with them. All the Danio knows is that he is a schooling fish that spends his life scrabbling with his school-mates to establish a position in the pecking order. Kept by himself he is bored out of his mind because all his natural behaviours are being frustrated. This is not on the table for discussion: Danios are schooling fish that need to be kept in groups of at least 6 specimens and in tanks at least 60 cm/2' long so they have room for swimming. Anything else is animal cruelty, willful or otherwise.>
When I released him, he seemed to want to school with the puffer instead. He doesn't bother the molly, and if he does, the molly can handle it.
<Again, Mollies are not suitable for a 7 gallon tank. Even a tank three times that size would be borderline.>
I dumped some freshwater salt into the tank to get rid of the ich because the general cure did very little.
<"Dumping" salt isn't the way forward here. Have you asked why the fish are getting Ick?>
I also have been treating with Melafix to help with the ich repair the puffer's fin damage from when I first bought him at Wal-Mart.
<Long term, outside of brackish water, this pufferfish will not stay healthy.>
Is it odd that the Danio wants to school with the puffer?
<Absolutely typical when Danios are kept incorrectly.>
Also, I heard that mollies can handle marine like conditions. So when I start to increase the salinity, will the molly be ok?
<Both the Molly and the Pufferfish will do perfectly well in brackish or even marine conditions. I'd aim for SG 1.005 while they are young, and once the Puffer is upwards of 8-10 cm, gradually raise the specific gravity over the next few weeks to SG 1.010. Obviously the Danio cannot be kept in such conditions.>
It appears that my tank is a bit small considering the fish I have,
<Never a truer word spoken!>
until I get a bigger tank, if the water parameters don't stay within a healthy range, can I add more oxygen and a stronger filter, on top of making more water changes until I can get a new tank?
<Good money after bad. There is no way you can redeem this aquarium, it is simply too small.>
(I already have a bubble stone and a pretty powerful filter meant for a 5 to 10 gallon tank).
<Neither here nor there.>
The puffer starting swimming around frantically and swimming near the surface when I fed him some flakes this morning.
<Flakes are not the right food for this fish. Long term you will cause constipation and overgrown teeth. Lots of articles here at WWM about puffers: read them!>
I tried burping him, but no air came out (he bit me the first time though), he seems to have recovered, but I'm not sure what made him do that in the first place.
<Does happen. Try to avoid though, because sometimes puffers swallow air, cannot expel it, and eventually float so long their gills dry out and the fish dies.>
I found something that works if you don't have a net. Small bubble wrap can be used to "section off" the tank to watch a fish more closely. I think all of the reflections in it chill out the fish.
<Fish don't "chill". They are either happy or terrified. Not much in between. A fish confronted by thousands of reflections of itself is unlikely to be happy.>
It worked wonders when I rubbed the stomach of the puffer, he didn't bite this time.
<Very good. Anyway, I'm sure you are very fond of these fish and I can sense you want to do the best for them, which is great. But right now you are not even close to having a balanced, viable aquarium. Green Spotted Puffers are not reliable community fish, and often end up being kept alone. The Molly is potentially viable in a community with the Danio, though I usually recommend Mollies be kept in slight salty water, and ideally a brackish water aquarium. Danios must be kept in tanks that are long (I'd honestly recommend a 20 gallon tank) and in groups of 6 or more. Do sit down and read about these fish, and then plan your fishkeeping accordingly. Cheers, Neale.>

Marine Aquarium Qs, set-up... conv. from FW -02/24/08
Hello,
I have just one main question.
I am interested in starting a new tank. I would like to have at least 30gal. I am interested in the percula clown fish, and cardinal fish in a fish with live rock and eventually adding an anemone after I get the basics down.
<If you want to keep an anemone, I'd suggest a larger tank (at least 55g).>
I was wondering if you could give me some set-up advice as well as the types of equipment you would recommend. Also do you know of any aquarium kits that would be good for a first timers.
<These are all good questions to ask your LFS and other local aquarists. It's also good to read about these things on your own (make use of the search tools -get a good book or two). A lot of it is personal preference.>
I have two freshwater aquariums I have had them since September and are running fine and think that it is time to upgrade to a salt water.
<Upgrade? Salt water aquariums aren't necessarily "better" than freshwater ones. Again, it's a matter of personal preference. I've seen some professionally set up planted freshwater aquariums that could put the average home marine aquarium to shame.>
My fresh waters are a 29H with three goldfish 1 fancy tail and 2 feeders that I put in to cycle the tank, two Cory cats, 1 red tail shark that the 5 from the 10gallon they were picking and his fins were torn to pieces and a plecomus. My other is a 10 gal with 5 red tail sharks 2 tiger barbs and plecomus.
<Ugh, it seems you have a lot to learn still about even freshwater aquarium keeping.>
Thank-you for your advice and time
<Sure, but please do be prudent and read as much about marine aquarium keeping as you can before starting one.>
Brett
<Best,
Sara M.>

Freshwater Tank Qs, lvstk. sel., cycling... -02/24/08
"My fresh waters are a 29H with three goldfish 1 fancy tail and 2 feeders that I put in to cycle the tank, two Cory cats, 1 red tail shark that the 5 from the 10gallon they were picking and his fins were torn to pieces and a plecomus. My other is a 10 gal with 5 red tail sharks 2 tiger barbs and plecomus.
<Ugh, it seems you have a lot to learn still about even freshwater aquarium keeping.>
Thank-you for your advice and time
<Sure, but please do be prudent and read as much about marine aquarium keeping as you can before starting one.>
Brett
<Best,
Sara M.>"
hi I was just wonder if you could elaborate on you answer to having a lot to learn about freshwater aquariums?
<<1) you used 2 "feeders" to cycle a 29g tank--not the best way to do things for a lot of reasons.
2) You have 4 "red tail sharks" and 2 tiger barbs in a 10g tank?! Unless you like watching fish slowly kill each other, this is a stocking nightmare. Tiger barbs are fiercely aggressive fish. The red tail sharks get to be up to 6in long and even ONE of these would need a lot more room than 10g.
These are the two biggest reasons I think you have a lot to learn about freshwater aquarium keeping. But I don't mean to pick on you. Certainly, these are mistakes a lot of people make. However, if you're not the type of person who likes to do much of your own homework and reading, these kinds of mistakes will cost you even more in marine aquarium keeping.>>
and all of my LFS are lame I have to drive at least 1 hr to an 1 1/2 hrs to get to one that has any variety of any live plants or any one who has any knowledge. My 10 gallon and occupants was recommended by my LFS
<<Oh, I can easily believe that. Unfortunately, many LFSs give a lot of bad advice when it comes to livestock selection. They're better for knowledge about dry goods (IMO). Fortunately, for knowledge on livestock and livestock selection, there are a lot of other good resources... books, websites, etc. Again, best to research before you buy, before you even set up the tank. Here's one place to start:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/index.htm>>
thanks again
<<De nada,
Sara M.>>

Freshwater Tank Qs -02/24/08
thank you very much. with your advice I better slow down and do a lot of research before I start which I plan to do starting with your site.
<awesome>
I have been reading it all day and it is very informative thank all of you for your time and patience. could you give me any other web sites that sell marine kits that you would recommend thank you again and I will have to do something about my tank right now I agree I didn't do enough research before I bought but I will do my homework on the marine setup seeing how the price is so much more
<Yes, considering marine aquarium livestock run about (at least) 10x the cost of freshwater, this is a wise plan. As for marine "kits," even though it's far away, I would still start with a "local" aquarium/pet store. It's nice to be able to see these things in person before you buy them. For anything you can't find in the store, I'd recommend Salty Critter (but only because I'm familiar with them-- there are likely many other such LFSs with a corresponding online store).
Good luck and happy reading :-)
Sara M.>

Old Tank, FW stkg. -02/20/08
Good afternoon to whoever answers. And all of you actually.
I have a ten gallon tank that has been stored. I would like to bring it into use again and have two questions.
How do I do the recycling? I kept the old filter material and the water filter but have washed the stones and tank ( no bleach). Do I start it like a new tank or would it be ok to use the old filter material?
<You can certainly deep clean sponge and ceramic media (hot water, lots of squeezing and rinsing!). There's not much point re-using chemical media (carbon, zeolite) or filter floss.>
I would like to have more than one fish (greedy) and would like to know if there is such a fish for a ten gallon tank. Or should I just make a Betta very happy?
<Either. In the February issue of TFH I have a WHOLE article about stocking 10 gallon tanks, so try and grab a copy of that if you can. It's not in shops anymore, but you might find your local public library or fish club has a copy. Failing that, let me give you some general advice: almost all the standard community tropicals need more than 10 gallons to do well. What you want are small (ideally 2.5 cm/1" or less) fish that are neither very active nor very territorial. Ideal choices include Neons, dwarf mosquitofish, pygmy Corydoras, Kuhli loaches, Cherry shrimps, and Nerite snails. Most everything else, including guppies, barbs, cichlids, etc. are all too active and/or aggressive for such a small tank.>
Thanks so much. Linda
<Hope this helps, Neale.>

New Freshwater Tank, lvstk. sel. 2/19/08
Greetings, Crew,
I have a 180 (acrylic) tank with overflows and sump, that I have set up as a FW tank. It has just finished cycling, and has a couple of 10-year-old Plecos and 4 small (5 year-old) clown loaches. I would like some mid and upper tank fish. Especially, I would like fish that wouldn't nip at or pester the loaches.
<Really not too difficult. There are a few nippy fish to avoid: Gymnocorymbus ternetzi, Hyphessobrycon serpae and its relatives, Puntius tetrazona, to name the most egregious fin-nippers. But most Danios, tetras, barbs, Rasboras, Rainbowfish would all work well.>
I read about giant Danios and rainbow fish on your site; both sound fine.
<Indeed. Giant Danios (Devario aequipinnatus) are hyperactive and in a large group (say, 10 or more) put on a superb show. They are predators though, so be careful if you decide to add anything smaller than they are later on. Giant Danios also prefer slightly cool conditions: 22-24C ideally, and no more than 26C, and even then with strong water currents to ensure good circulation of oxygen. Kept too warm they simply "burn out". Rainbowfish are excellent all-around fish for medium to large sized community tanks. They will do well even in quite warm water up to about 27 or 28C, though closer to 25C suits the Australian species best, while the New Guinean species might do well a little warmer. Again, they look their best in largish groups, when the males will display to one another. An important tip: make sure you get equal numbers of males and females -- though females are sometimes less colourful in some species, the males won't get their best colours without them. Also, do remember Australian Rainbowfish are often drab when young, and only get their best colours when a year or two old. Most species live quite a long time, 5+ years, so can be excellent value. I happen to like the warm water species Melanotaenia boesemanni from New Guinea.>
Would a school of rainbow fish be OK with the loaches?
<Yes.>
Could I mix the Danios and rainbow fish?
<Yes, if each was in a decent sized group and the Rainbows had some shady areas to hide in: Giant Danios can be boisterous.>
Any other suggestions for fish that might complement what I already have/am planning for?
<In really big tanks, you have the option of keeping a really big school of fish, and I suspect you'll find that the best way to create a visually stunning view. Twenty mature Melanotaenia boesemanni would be an unbelievable sight. So do think carefully about the balance between lots of different species versus larger numbers of just one or two.>
Thanks for your help and for a great resource.
Water here is moderately hard. I keep tank at about 80F.
<Water would suit either fish, but perhaps slightly too warm for Giant Danios.>
tom
<Cheers, Neale.>

Tank Diversity... I'll say! And a partridge in a pear tree?! 2/18/08
Hello and thanks in advance.
<Hail.>
I've jumped in feet first here and I feel slightly overwhelmed. I am trying to be as conscientious as possible and want to offer the best environment possible for the animals I've chosen to support.
<For the love of God, please tell me this is research *prior* to purchase. Obviously these animals won't get along. One is big and aggressive, one is soft and easily damaged, and the other is a land animal that drowns when it falls into deep water. No chance whatsoever of these animals coexisting in an vivarium.>
I have a new 29 gallon tank with a very young Red-Eared slider turtle, a Fire Belly Toad, a Hermit Crab (species unknown to me).
<Oh dear.>
I have the tank divided into three distinct "zones"; I have a tall pumice stone which offers a place to climb and explore and where I deposit the food for all of the animals. In the middle I have a 2-2 1/2 inch deep area intended for swimming. And finally I have a raised, dry, sandy area for the turtle to bask and for the crab to
burrow/bask. I've also planted a few small aquatic plants throughout each
"zone".
<Water area too shallow for the Terrapin, but fatally deep for the Hermit Crab.>
I have a new UVB light and a new infrared light which keeps the humidity and temperature within nominal limits and I regularly test in each of the three respective areas. I have a new 140 gph filter and a heater in the swimming area. I am using decomposed granite and aquarium gravel as substrate in the wet areas and washed play sand in the raised "beach" area.
<Hermit Crabs need moss or coir (Coconut fibre) to burrow into when resting. Sand doesn't hold moisture so well. In any case, the crab can't be kept in this enclosure.>
I have been reading as much as I can about the animals and believe that I have provided an ample environment for each of them. While I understand that a new environment and new "roommates" can be intimidating, how do I ensure a good quality of life for the inhabitants?
<By keeping each in a tailor-made environment specific to their needs. Firebelly Toads for example need relatively cool water less than 24C, but this is too cold for Terrapins. Conversely, while Terrapins appreciate a gravel substrate for resting on while basking, Toads can swallow gravel and die, and should NEVER be kept in enclosures with gravel. They need bare glass or pebbles in the water side of their tank, and damp moss 5 or 6 cm deep over the gravel on the land side of the system. Again, terrapins are hugely polluting animals that dump a lot of ammonia in the water; toads are highly sensitive to ammonia, developing the amphibian equivalent of Finrot, known as "Red Leg".>
I've never seen a tank divided like this and believe there is no reason why it can't be successful.
<Many, many reasons. Too numerous to list here, but even a quick read of the literature on each species should make these immediately obvious.>
Please give as much detailed information as you can afford.
~ Joel
<Separate these animals into their own systems, or else return two of them and specialise on just the one. There is no way these animals can be kept together. Cheers, Neale.>

Newbie to freshwater seeking some help. Stkg. mostly, maint. 2-9-08
Hello there,
<Hello, Merritt here today>
Thank you for such a helpful and precise website. I've spent a long time reading through some very useful and informative information that doesn't seem to be found elsewhere on the web.
I'm new to the world of freshwater fish keeping so please bear with me; I have three questions to put to your experts. After cycling our tank for three weeks (which was a painfully long wait when I was so keen to start buying fish!) we finally had the right conditions to stock our 54litre (10 UK gallon) freshwater tank. It's fitted with a filter, light, heater, and some plants. We've started off with 2 sunset platys and three male guppies. We hope to add a further selection of fish over the next few weeks as long as water conditions permit it. We've been testing the water daily with kits, (today's readings showed ammonia at 0, Nitrite at 0 and Nitrates at 20ppm) the fish seem happy and healthy and things are coming along nicely. Hopefully by next weekend we can get some more fish added. However, I have some concerns over our platys. We were lead to believe they were both female, and from what I can see (them both having fan shaped fins at their bases) they are indeed the same sex, but we've been finding fry in the tan; four or five over the last two days and we're confused as to how this has happened given they're both female and supposedly kept in an all female tank at the store? Currently we're not sure what to do with the fry as we weren't expecting to have ANY babies! How long could our platys be giving birth for? Is there any way of knowing?
<You might indeed have two females, but it is possible that they could have gotten pregnant at the store. It is known that some families of live bearers are able to store sperm for later use, and your platys could be utilizing it now. Your platys are already done with the birthing process due to it only taking a day or two for all the fry to be born, and most likely some fry were eaten soon after birth by the other fish. If they are utilizing the sperm storage they should stop giving birth when the sperm storage runs out but that could take awhile. Some sperm storage only lasts for one complete ovulation/cycle, just keep an eye out for any babies and call your LFS and see if they would accept the fry for free. I had a similar problem with guppies and my LFS took them for me.>
My second question(s) relates to stocking. We initially had set out hopes of adding the following to our tank: Two dwarf gouramis and a shoal of 6 harlequin rasboras to the tank also. Along with our 2 platys and 3 guppies, will this be adequate stocking for our 10g tank? And how long should I wait after maintaining correct water parameters should I consider adding them?
<You will be over stocking your tank with the addition of all these fish. You should only add the harlequins or just the gouramis.>
And thirdly, I found a snail in my tank today. A tiny one but a snail none the less. I thought I'd removed all the snail eggs from the plants when we got them but clearly not. Is it worth attempting an anti-snail product yet or should I wait and see if it becomes a big problem first? I'm unsure as to whether snails are helpful or not to an aquarium but while the tank is still new I don't want to add another biological load to the tank.
< I personally love snails because they keep the algae down in my tank without the use of an algae eater or chemicals that could potentially harm my fish. I would doubt that a snail would increase any of the bio-load in the tank, keep it and if the population gets to large you can purchase some anti-snail product if you really don't want any.>
Thank you so much for reading and for any information/advice you can give. :-)
<Hope I helped!>
Sarah
xx
<Merritt A.>

Discus not eating... poor mix... no data re water quality or reading – 02/07/08
Hi there, I am Dan and I have a few questions. First off, I really like your website. It is very informative.
Anyway, I recently bought a neon blue discus which is in a 40 gallon tank with a Firemouth, Pleco, tetras, tiger barbs, and a puffer.
<Uhh... trouble with this mix>
Everyone gets along great.
<No>
There is no aggression and they seem perfectly healthy.