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Freshwater Aquarium/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| Found brown bugs in my filter! | 2/8/2012 | Susan Fields |
| Q: I can't find this answer anywhere! When I was cleaning my filters on my freshwater tank today I ... A: The minute I saw the photo I could tell the bugs are some kind of dragonfly or damselfly larva. Do a ... | ||
| Is my Molly pregnant? | 2/8/2012 | Jaymie Johnson |
| Q: I have a silver molly and a orange molly. I'm pretty sure they are male and female. I know Mollies ... A: Emma, It is very important to add the water conditioner with all fish. The chlorine in the tap ... | ||
| Is my Molly pregnant? | 2/7/2012 | Jaymie Johnson |
| Q: I have a silver molly and a orange molly. I'm pretty sure they are male and female. I know Mollies ... A: Emma, It is very possible that she is pregnant. The females are larger than the males so her being ... | ||
| bala shark | 2/7/2012 | Jaymie Johnson |
| Q: got a bala shark and a dalmatian molly. The shark freaks out.. he was all fine this morning but now ... A: Katie, Bala's are a schooling fish and need to be in groups of no less than 3 but preferably 6. If ... | ||
| 1.5 gal bettas and friends | 2/7/2012 | Susan Fields |
| Q: I recently had a male Betta in a 1.5 gal but he died:( To take his place,I am thinking about getting ... A: I'm so sorry to hear that.. :-( Female bettas do get along much, much better than males do. Large ... | ||
| smell in my tank | 2/6/2012 | Jaymie Johnson |
| Q: about two weeks ago i brought some new gravel and plants.After about a day the water started going ... A: Bianca, I have somewhat the same problem when I set up a new tank. Unfortunately, rinsing gravel ... | ||
| Betta sick? | 2/6/2012 | Susan Fields |
| Q: I have a male Betta in a 1.5 gallon cube aquarium. He usually hides behind the quiet flow filter ... A: The white spots you saw on him could've been gas bubbles that have not yet dissipated. These tiny ... | ||
| Apparent Pop-eye in Adult Lyre Tail Dalmation Molly | 2/6/2012 | Sam |
| Q: I have a beautiful (or he used to be) Black lyre tail Dalmatian Molly that I have had for about a ... A: Do not run the filter(s) while medicating the tank because the filter may remove the medicine in the ... | ||
| "dusty" water | 2/6/2012 | Jaymie Johnson |
| Q: i recently set up and cycled a 10 gallon tank(my first). Currently i have 2 dalmation mollies(1 m, 1 ... A: Chris, When you cycled the tank, which takes at least 6 weeks, were there fish in the tank? It ... | ||
| smell in my tank | 2/4/2012 | Jaymie Johnson |
| Q: about two weeks ago i brought some new gravel and plants.After about a day the water started going ... A: Bianca, Let me first make sure I understand the question. Two weeks ago you either added new gravel ... | ||
| fish compatibility | 2/4/2012 | Susan Fields |
| Q: I'm setting up a 60 gallon tank. I already have a Black Ghost Knife for it in my discus tank(I know ... A: One important thing to keep in mind about this stocking scenario is Pike cichlids (which ever ... | ||
| Constant 84 degrees = Healthy young Betta | 2/4/2012 | Jaymie Johnson |
| Q: My betta is nearly 1" in size now (including its fins) so it's still very young. I first got it a ... A: Mel, The best heaters are the ones with the dial which allows you to control the heat. If all the ... | ||
| Betta (Macro) flaring for the first time! + Age mystery | 2/4/2012 | Jaymie Johnson |
| Q: My betta is nearly 1" in size now (including its fins) so it's still very young. I first got it a ... A: Mel, Betta's can start flaring very early. My male fry start flaring at about 4 weeks. It is very ... | ||
| rope fish with Black Ghost Knife, pike, and silver dollars | 2/4/2012 | Sam |
| Q: I'm setting up a 60 gallon tank. I already have a Black Ghost Knife for it in my discus tank(I know ... A: Well a Pike's Species Name: Belonesox belizanus if you mean by the Pike Bearer. Silver Dollars are ... | ||
| Soap in African Cichlid 220 tank | 2/3/2012 | Jaymie Johnson |
| Q: How can I clean up a tank which has mistakenly been contaminated with small amount of dish ... A: Bob, The best way is to remove the fish and scrub the tank clean. If there is gravel, and it were ... | ||
| Birth of Molly Fish Babies???? | 2/3/2012 | Susan Fields |
| Q: ! This is my first time here. I have a beautiful Tuxedo Gold Nugget molly, I am pretty sure she is ... A: Indeed! What a pretty little girl! :-) She is definitely close to having her babies. If the baby ... | ||
| Swollen betta | 2/2/2012 | Jaymie Johnson |
| Q: My betta start swelling from the bottom with the raised scale. Nippy eats well,swims around,fight ... A: Arsalan, If Nippy's scales are raised, it sounds like Dropsy. Dropsy is not a disease, but a ... | ||
| Sideways | 2/2/2012 | Susan Fields |
| Q: my Angel Fish has been floating on side uncontrollably. I need help imidetly! Is there anything i ... A: Sounds like it could be a swim bladder issue. The swim bladder is a special organ most fish have ... | ||
| Killing pests | 2/2/2012 | Sam |
| Q: I've just set-up my tank for two months and I'm facing several pests problems. Firstly, there are ... A: Well for the parasites you can try the Tetra Parasite Guard Treatment Tablets. One tablet per every ... | ||
| Killing pests | 2/2/2012 | michael mccorry |
| Q: I've just set-up my tank for two months and I'm facing several pests problems. Firstly, there are ... A: Arron, the worms are there due to excessive organics and as you mentioned prob came in on the ... | ||
| Getting rid of pests in freshwater aquarium | 2/2/2012 | Susan Fields |
| Q: I've just set-up my tank for two months and I'm facing several pests problems. Firstly, there are ... A: The worms and other critters must be thriving on the nutrients in the soil. Though I don't like ... | ||
| Killing pests | 2/2/2012 | Jaymie Johnson |
| Q: I've just set-up my tank for two months and I'm facing several pests problems. Firstly, there are ... A: Arron, Worms can be introduced into the tank by adding fish, plants, and some fish foods. The ... | ||
| Getting rid of pests in freshwater aquarium | 2/1/2012 | Susan Fields |
| Q: I've just set-up my tank for two months and I'm facing several pests problems. Firstly, there are ... A: While I'm not a scientist, I do not know of any common aquarium pests that are harmful to people. ... | ||
| Figure 8 Puffers/Brackish water plants | 2/1/2012 | Susan Fields |
| Q: I just got a new tank and I was looking at the fish at my local pet store and 1 caught my eye, ... A: Figure-eight puffers are one of those species that definitely grab your eye! With their unique ... | ||
| Rubber lip pleco | 1/30/2012 | Sam |
| Q: i have a 10 gallon set up with 8 neon tetra and one approximately 3 inch rubber lip pleco. he used ... A: Judging from the picture you sent me, it could be that the the skin is still eroding away due to its ... | ||
| Cloudy water + bubbles | 1/30/2012 | Jaymie Johnson |
| Q: Hey Jaymie, I have a 5 gallon aquarium that I set up on December 27th. I have two betta fish ... A: Sarah, Unfortunately, you have been given wrong information. The first is the heater. Your Betta's ... | ||
| Spots and marks on catfish. | 1/28/2012 | Susan Fields |
| Q: I have 8 channel catfish in a 55 gallon tank, that I have been raising for about 6 months now. About ... A: Despite those black marks, your catfish look quite good and healthy! My first thoughts would be ... | ||
| Apple Snail Cracked shell | 1/28/2012 | Susan Fields |
| Q: I have a 10 gal. w/ 1 glofish 2 cory cats and 1 mystery snail. I asked about Cory eggs ... A: A cracked shell is never good news for a snail. It can harm their delicate systems, or enable the ... | ||
| New 10 Galllon Tank | 1/27/2012 | Jaymie Johnson |
| Q: I live in Kuala Lumpur malaysia and I bought a 10 gallon tank on last friday and got almost 30 small ... A: Cycling the tank is for the good bacteria that both the tank and fish need to be healthy. Ammonia ... | ||
| high-ph-alka | 1/27/2012 | Susan Fields |
| Q: the ph is at 7.8 and alka is at 300 . Iam concern about these levels , my tank is a 55 gal with ... A: This may be a surprise but its actually not necessary for you to lower your pH. Most cichlids are ... | ||
| New 10 Galllon Tank | 1/26/2012 | Jaymie Johnson |
| Q: I live in Kuala Lumpur malaysia and I bought a 10 gallon tank on last friday and got almost 30 small ... A: Vijay, Putting 30 fish, regardless of their size, in a 10 gallon tank is not good. That tank is ... | ||
| Big white patch on rummy nose tetra | 1/26/2012 | Susan Fields |
| Q: I bought 7 rummy nose tetra from petshop yesterday. One of them now has a big square shaped patch on ... A: It could be an injury from handling or obtained during handling or transportation, which should heal ... | ||
| Cloudy and suds in a new tank | 1/26/2012 | Susan Fields |
| Q: I have had my tank for about three weeks. I made sure I read all the directions before buying fish I ... A: Sounds like a bacterial bloom. Definitely seems to be a buildup of some kind of organics in the ... | ||
| Sick Comet Goldfish | 1/25/2012 | Susan Fields |
| Q: I've read through a lot of your Q&As to find my answers and I think I have done quite well with ... A: Such wonderful news! I'm so glad Swimmy is doing better, and its all thanks to your good care and ... | ||
| Betta Fish Tank | 1/25/2012 | Jaymie Johnson |
| Q: my name is Manuel i am 15 years old and i have a 20 gallon aquarium. I want to get a small tank for ... A: Manuel, 2.5 gallons is the absolute smallest tank he can be in. 5 Gallons, however, is better. In ... | ||
| Changing substrate | 1/25/2012 | Jaymie Johnson |
| Q: A while back, on the advice of experts here, I covered my white pebble substrate with a thin black ... A: Removing the gravel will upset the biological balance. If you take a small portion every week to two ... | ||
| Adding multiple filters | 1/25/2012 | Susan Fields |
| Q: I have a 50 Gallon tank and these are fishes I have at present: 8 Small Cory Cats 6 Glowlight Tetra ... A: You're welcome! Good thinking there about changing the substrate out little by little! That's ... | ||
| Pregnant or disease? | 1/25/2012 | Susan Fields |
| Q: I have started a 30-35 litre (6.7 gallons) tank. 2 weeks ago I got one male Endlers Livebearer. I ... A: Endlers are such a beautiful species! I don't think there is a cause for alarm here. The fact that ... | ||
| some black hair stuff in my tank | 1/24/2012 | Sam |
| Q: I have a 10 gallon with about 10 small fish and a few live plants and all of a sudden a few months ... A: According to your description, I believe it is Black Brush Algae. Sending a picture might help. ... | ||
| Red - Blue Tetra issue | 1/24/2012 | Susan Fields |
| Q: I have 3 Red - Blue tetra and 3 Black skirt tetra. They are in a ten gallon aquarium. One of the Red ... A: You're welcome! Hmm... how interesting. You know it could very likely be the one fish was behaving ... | ||
Freshwater Aquarium
Answers by Expert:
Susan Fields
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I own and maintain a large number of tanks with many various tropical fish species. During my fishkeeping past I have learned a lot of the myths and truths about tropical fish care. Currently I keep a wide range of species and have a lot of experience in; Severum cichlids, gouramis, platies, goldfish, bettas, tetras, paradise fish, Angelfish, Corydoras catfish, and many others as well as a couple of years with brackish water. If you have a question on tropical fish keeping I`ll be sure to answer it in the simplest way I can, and if I don`t know the answer, I`ll research the answer for you. Happy fish keeping!
Experience
I have experience in setting up fish tanks, what to feed certain species, compatible species in my experience, cleaning the tank,
and all around tropical fish care. I also have learned the truth of many of the myths of tropical fish keeping in the past.
Happy fishkeeping!
Education/Credentials
Homeschooled
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