AboutBenty Expertise GOT A QUESTION ABOUT:
Basic needs for specific fish, illnesses, best tankmates, breeding, water chemistry, tricks to safely cut corners, and/or “stupid” questions? Maybe I can help! :)
I like to explain why you do things in aquariums (like why to use spring instead of distilled, or what pH numbers mean, ect.) so you understand why and not just taking someone’s word for it. I also like giving answers where you have two choices so you can choose which is best for the time and money you can commit to your fish. I understand how tight money can be and how expensive fish related things get.
I will NEVER leave you with an “I don’t know.” Ever. I hate that. That would waste your time and that's just mean. :)
Puedo contestar tus preguntas en español también.
Experience I have had tropical fish since 1999. I currently have: a 55gal, ten 10gal, 3 five gallons, three 2gal, and a bunch of jars and bowls. At the time I'm typing this, I have: 14 angels, 13 goldfish, 73 bettas, 12 barbs, 5 catfish, too many guppies, 4 gouramis, 2 plecos, 10 loaches, bunch of swordtails, and probably a few others, lol.
I love to rescue fish. I've had everything from mutant danios, to one eyed goldfish, to my newest adoptee, a 2 year old betta with a MASSIVE tumor problem. He was brought to a pet shop and left there because the lady didn't know what to do with him. He's pretty scary looking. One of the guys at the store there I know let me have him. :D YAY! Elephant Man lives in a gallon bowl with pretty stones in my bathroom.
Plus!!!
I sell: veil, delta, halfmoon, plakat, and crowntail bettas as well as halfblack and blonde tuxedo fancy guppies. Ask me about it sometime.
Question We have a small 3 gallon freshwater tank. We changed the water about a month ago. It is probably about 70 degrees. I don't know what exaclty the fish in question is, but he is about 2 inches long, has black and orange vertical stripes (2 black, 3 orange), and his mouth is located at the bottom of his "face" (It is small and has little whiskers, definitely a bottom feeder).
Anyways, what he does is balance himself so that he is floating on his side at the bottom of the tank. Whenever we come close to the tank he will quickly flip over into attention and appear perfectly normal. He swims around the tank fine and appears to be in good health otherwise. He has been practicing this for weeks (using a plant to help hold him down) and has finally perfected it so that he can lay on his side for as long as he wants. Is he sick or just full of "personality"? There are two other fish in the tank with him... (one bigger- about 2.3 inches, translucent, and with two movable "danglers" and another about .5 inches long, almost completely transparent) perhaps he needs more room? Please help us help Tigercat Charlie.
That's a Clown Loach.
If it's not, that's fine. Bottom feeders for some reason seem to get board of laying on the bottom. They sleep sideways, proped up on their backtail, and even almost upside down ina corner. Plecos and catfish do those all the time. It's perfectly normal for fish... even if it's a little odd to us. lol. Well jus think... we don't like sleeping in the same position all night, each night... why would they?
Fish are weird when they sleep. Half of their brain shuts down to rest and the other keeps working. It switches throughout the nap. They are partly alert and if a threat comes along (or an owner) they pop back awake. Things like parrot fish and a few others are exceptions to this kind of sleeping, but all other fish keep swiming while they sleep.
But yeah. Tigercat Charlie sounds completely normal and relaxed to feel comfortable enough to let himself be open. That's good!
One thing though... unless you have a filter (you should have atleast an airstone or a filter with ANY fish that does not have a labrynth organ [bettas and gouramis] you should change it about every two weeks - three weeks max. The ammonia builds up from poopy and when they breathe out. Over time (sometimes a very short time) it burns the delicate gills of the fish and they suffocate. Not a nice way to go.
Incase Tigercat Charlie is a clown loach (I'm guessing it is) you may want to know a little about them. :)
They slowly grow to about a foot. (Don't freak out... it's slow.) They like to shoal (swim with other fish of the same kind) and become more brave and outgowing with other of their kind. They're at nearly every petshop for not too much. A three gallon shouldn't have more than 5 or 6 small fish. Getting another shark (if you want... if you want to just enjoy him tha's fine too!) would be ok but they will grow up.
