Freshwater Aquarium - Pet Fish - Animals/Pets

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About Karen 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!

You are here: Experts > Animals/Pets > Pet Fish > Freshwater Aquarium

Questions Answered By Expert Karen Fields
In Category Freshwater Aquarium

Subject	Date Asked

freshwater lighting	11/14/2009
Q: I have a 75 gallon freshwater tank with a wide assortment of fish from electric blue and yellow ... A: You definitely don't need the actinic bulbs and I'm sure the current working ones are more than ...
my dwarf gourami	11/13/2009
Q: my blue one died the other day it looked bloated and my pink one looks bloated and is panting and ... A: Definitely sounds like an internal issue like dropsy. It might help to read more here about dropsy ...
Figure eight puffers	11/12/2009
Q: This is going to be my first time keeping a figure eight puffer and I have already been doing some ... A: There has been lots of debate about whether or not figure-eights should live in brackish or ...
water gets cloudy	11/11/2009
Q: I bought a 150 gallon aquarium 9 months ago. I have previously had two 55 gallon tanks for over 12 ... A: When keeping large and semi-aggression fish together you are bound to have some problems with bite ...
Baby Mollies and Ick	11/10/2009
Q: I noticed the common ick on my fish yesterday. I haven't treated it yet because... i have molly ... A: Sadly, when you notice ick on one or two individual fish. Usually the others are soon to show up the ...
Melafix & Tropical Fish	11/9/2009
Q: My situation involves pop eye. First, a few stats to help you out: Tank: Eclipse System 3 (with ... A: Sorry to hear about the fish trouble you've been having. I believe that Melafix is safe for ...
fish	11/8/2009
Q: what fish could i keep in a 5 gallon tank A: Small fish like tetras (neons, glowlights, cardinals) Otocinclus catfish, male guppies, white ...
plecostamus.	11/7/2009
Q: We have a tank with 2 large goldfish and have high nitrites we were told to turn the heater off can ... A: Plecos can actually do okay in cooler water. But I would keep the heater turned on due to the colder ...
my shark	11/6/2009
Q: i have 2 columbian sharks and one of them has a very large belly but he/she hasnt ate anything but a ... A: Columbian sharks can be a bit difficult to take care of due to demanding water requirements. When ...
African Cichlids dying	11/5/2009
Q: . I have a 55gal tank with around 8 African Cichlids. I have had the tank for almost a year now, and ... A: I'm reluctant to say that this is truly a disease but I'd prefer to say this is an environmental ...
Angelfish not eating....	11/4/2009
Q: We have an Angelfish - not sure of the age, but we've had it a while (7+ years). She has recently ... A: I'm sorry to hear that. The angelfish may be having some trouble due to old age. She is getting up ...
black moor	11/3/2009
Q: we just got a black moor. we have a 5 gallon tank with a filter and also have a goldfish. The pet ... A: The black moor and other goldfish likely will be fine together. As long as both types are getting ...
Can I mix tetras with gold fish	11/2/2009
Q: I just bought two tetras, an algae eater, 2 gold fish and an albino frog....These guys have been ... A: Are these your first fish? You should check out some good fishkeeping websites that will help answer ...
All my levels in my tank are perfect, should I still do a PWC?	11/1/2009
Q: I have a freshwater tropical tank, I have not done a water change for 15 days and all my levels are ... A: It is always possible the tests -might- be false. Regardless of how many aquatic plants are present ...
Help with my new GSP	10/8/2009
Q: I just brought a new Green spotted Puffer fish home. I had my 15 gallon tank cyceling for a week ... A: The poor little puff. Many times puffers are never cared for well in petstores. And they usually ...
Fish acting very strange and an algae problem	10/7/2009
Q: I have a sunburst platy, dalmation molly, and a black molly. For quite some time now I have had a ... A: Green water is caused by two primary algae triggers - excess light and excess nutrients. An algae ...
Is my black molly sick	10/6/2009
Q: I just got given some black molly fish that some are to be pregnant. I have one fish that is ... A: Hard to diagnose always without being able to see the fish. The best I can do is make an educated ...
fish dying	10/5/2009
Q: Why are my fish dying? I buy two to three fish at a time, to cycle my tank and they usually die ... A: Sometimes you can be over cleaning the aquarium. The aquarium really needs to sit and be given ...
odor	9/12/2009
Q: My problem is an odor has developed in my two main tanks a 120gal and a 55gal, I keep mostly Malawi ... A: Odor in the aquarium usually means there is an organic or chemical causing the odor. Organic being ...
3 Pseudotropheus estherae in one tank	9/11/2009
Q: Hey thank you for taking my question. I have 3 of these fish in 30 gallon tank. I used to have 4 ... A: as you have mentioned, I think perhaps a larger tank may be needed. Something like a 55gallon may be ...
Duckweed	9/10/2009
Q: I am not sure if this is your forte, but I am having trouble growing duckweed in my tanks. I like ... A: Sometimes too much surface movement will cause duckweed to die and not do very well. I think more ...
29 gal stocking suggestions	9/9/2009
Q: just need some advice on stocking my 29 gal aquarium, it is a new tank, im running a rena 55 ... A: I think you are doing quite well with your aquarium! I believe once the aquarium has finished ...
Angelfish	9/8/2009
Q: I have bred angel fish before successfully but now that I am doing it again I discovered 1 pair and ... A: It is actually a common occurrence for Angelfish to lay eggs again once the fry have become ...
Small fish	9/7/2009
Q: I have 45 gallon aquarium and want to know if I just keep one kind of fish eg. small neon tetras, ... A: that sounds like a great idea! When you devote an aquarium to primarily one species of fish, you can ...
my blue acara has a bent mouth	9/6/2009
Q: wesley A: I'm sorry to hear about your Blue Acara. I'm afraid there's not much you can do about his mouth ...
Pregnant Platy?	9/5/2009
Q: One of my Platies that I recently bought from the pet section in Wal-Mart looks really fat compared ... A: It definitely looks like she is pregnant. Most livebearing fish remain pregnant almost all the time ...
yin and yang passed...	9/4/2009
Q: i have 6-8 guppies in a heavily planted 10 gallon tank and wanted to know if my 2 female bettas Yin ... A: Aww, I'm sorry to hear about that. 2 Years is about average for these fish however. I'm sure they ...
Buying first fish tank	9/4/2009
Q: I was wondering what the best deal for a fish tank that is 10 gallons would be. its my first tank so ... A: I think you should try looking into the 10-gallon 'kits' you can find at wal-mart and major ...
Goldfish Tank Temperature	9/3/2009
Q: I just recently switched to a all goldfish tank, from African cichlids, and my tank temperature is ... A: Here in Texas, its quite the same. The temperature is rarely that cool in my aquariums... Even ...
Black mollies with "buggy eyes"	9/2/2009
Q: My tank has three black Mollies. Two of the three have developed large bulging eyes. My tank ... A: I'm sorry to hear that. This condition is very common with livebearers like mollies. It is called ...
Fuzzy white growth in aquarium	9/1/2009
Q: i have found a fuzzy white growth in my aquarium.it is growing on everything my ... A: Its definitely a type of mold/fungus that develops in aquariums quite frequently. Usually when there ...
My clown knife has a bubble on his stomach	8/29/2009
Q: Someone please help me this is a an emergency and calls for immediate attention. I came home and my ... A: My thought is your Clown knife has a swim bladder disorder. The swim bladder being the organ that ...
Empty aquarium high nitrite reading	8/28/2009
Q: I bought a used 55 gallon that turned out to be a repaired leaker. It will hold about 12 inches of ... A: Good to hear that! As you know, nitrite will be present when there is some kind of pollution in ...
health	8/28/2009
Q: I've just purchased 2 shark catfishe's and put them in a 55 gallon tank that I've had for a month ... A: Ammonia definitely could be responsible for the behavior of the shark catfish. However, you do have ...
Empty aquarium high nitrite reading	8/27/2009
Q: I bought a used 55 gallon that turned out to be a repaired leaker. It will hold about 12 inches of ... A: The dog might be responsible. lol, ;-) One thing to check is your actual tap water's nitrite test ...
for fast growth	8/26/2009
Q: Sir, Presently , I am maintaining 3'5"x 1'5" X 1'.5" size aquarium with 10 no.s of albino tiger ... A: The two best things to do for the best growth and health in your fish is offer a varied healthy diet ...
dying	8/25/2009
Q: 2 weeks ago I change my water and add up substrate to my aquarium.Shortly(4 or 5 days) after that ... A: This will take some investigative work. Make sure there are no other fish that might be ...
Big leak in tank	8/24/2009
Q: I have a 150 gallon tank that sprung a big leak at the bottom of the tank in the seam. Leak seams to ... A: A few years ago I had the same joy of finding out my 105-gallon aquarium had sprung a decent leak ...
problem	8/23/2009
Q: My albino rainbow shark got stuck in a syphen tube. Her head looks bruised and eyes are really dark. ... A: Poor shark, I hope she is alright. Fish can go through some quite bad injuries and the black you ...
PLECO!!!	8/22/2009
Q: Ok. i dont know if my pleco is sick or not but, here are some details. i have a 20 gallon tank. 80 ... A: sorry to hear about your pleco! The best thing I can recommend is to do a 30% water change on the ...
algae eating Placo	8/21/2009
Q: I don't seem to have enough algae for my placo can I feed him (or her) some other green like ... A: Definitely! Plecos love cucumber, Zuchinni, Romaine Lettuce and even peas and green beans. Also, you ...
betta fish	8/17/2009
Q: i have two questions. Can betta's poop blood colts? what kind of parisite turns your fish a paler ... A: The color of the betta's poop depends upon what he is eating mostly. And its OK even then if it ...
girl bettas and guppies	8/16/2009
Q: i have 6-8 guppies in a heavily planted 10 gallon tank and wanted to know if my 2 female bettas Yin ... A: The best thing to do is try it out. Individual Bettas tend to have their own personality and some ...
Question.....	8/15/2009
Q: Karen, This is Ali here..... my son have got a 11 inch of aquarium flower horn fish... i would like ... A: I'm sure there is no harm in Chicken Kidney being fed to the flowerhorn. But like with many fish ...
Biorb Fish Tank	8/14/2009
Q: Are you familiar with the Biorb Fish Tank? We are considering purchasing one for our little girl's ... A: I am familiar with the Biorb fish tank but I regret to say that Ive never had the opportunity to ...
is my fish pregnant	8/10/2009
Q: 2 delta guppies.i have one that i do not know what breed she is.but she is way big and i think shes ... A: I can say that she is most likely pregnant. Female guppies stay pregnant the majority of the time. ...
cloudy tank after cleaning	8/9/2009
Q: I am dilgent about cleaning my fresh water tank. Once a month a change 25% of the water and the ... A: That's great that you are so consistent with water changes. However, when aquariums go cloudy after ...
open bottom fishtank help	8/7/2009
Q: I need to know what kind of pump i will need to make an open bottom aquarium my dimensions for the ... A: Well, I don't personally have any experience with open bottom aquariums so I don't feel like the ...
siamese fighting fish ill	8/6/2009
Q: I have 1 male siamese beta. and in the last week it has like a bubble underneath its mouth. Like ... A: It would always help to see the fish. Is there any way you could send a photo? If not that is OK. ...
fish died........	8/4/2009
Q: i have purchased a 20 gallon aquarium before 10 days. the pet sho owner stocked the aquarium with: 2 ... A: I can bet that your aquarium has not yet cycled. Which definitely would be causing your fish to ...
Paradise Fish partial paralysis	8/3/2009
Q: I have a male albino paradise fish who I've kept for abour two years. Until now he has lived in a ... A: I apologize for getting back so late. My internet has been down for several days. I hope everything ...
white blotches on tail of goldfish.	8/2/2009
Q: I bought my son a couple of goldfish 2 days ago. Unfortunately it wasn't until I got them home that ... A: I'm so sorry for being ridiculously late. My internet has been down and I've been having to work on ...
????????????	8/1/2009
Q: I tested mi 75 gallon fish tank i discoverd that nitrite & ammonia was very high and i aplied tetra ... A: Without a little more info about your aquarium such as how long its been setup, what kind of test ...
my fish tank issue	7/31/2009
Q: This is new to me so bare with me. I have a 72gallon tank I have had it for at least 8yrs. All the ... A: Not sure if I can put an exact name to the bugs you are seeing. But they are very likely one of the ...
my fish are dying	7/30/2009
Q: I have 3 5-6 year old parrot cichlids. Im sure that you know that they are a hybrid, anyway, my tank ... A: Parrot cichlids can be quite sensitive fish. And i'm sure a combination of the drastic switch out of ...
Fin Rot - can Sparky survive this?	7/29/2009
Q: We have a very sick little betta. We know what we did wrong, we didn't change his water enough, and ... A: I'm sorry to hear about your little betta... A combination of poor water quality (like high ...
sick oscar	7/24/2009
Q: i have a 55 gallon tank with 3 oscars 2 albino and one black and orange, the two albino oscars are ... A: I believe your oscars may be becoming territorial with one another. Perhaps it is male/territorial ...
I think our beta is sick	7/23/2009
Q: Our beta is a happy vibrant fish, however in the last few weeks we have seen a cloudy film cover the ... A: Sounds like a common type of fungus that develops in aquariums when excess biomatter (such as ...
What's wrong with my Betta?	7/22/2009
Q: I brought my Betta a few months ago and I'm not sure if it's healthy or not. It just seems to float ... A: Sounds like he has a little bit of a swim bladder issue going on. This is common in bettas, they ...
Black moor eye problem?	7/21/2009
Q: recently I bought a black moor goldfish from my local fish and pond place. but once i got home I ... A: Hmm, very interesting observation. I do think I have seen black moors with that type of eye problem ...
oscar fish	7/20/2009
Q: my brother has a 55 gallon fish tank with three full grown oscar fish, well recently my brother ... A: Oscars are very very polluting fish and they can make their environment so filthy in such a short ...
What fish are best for my tank??	7/19/2009
Q: I have a 55 gallon tank right now with 8 balloon Mollies witch are actually from the same parents, i ... A: So you are concerned about any new fish you add might eat the fry that you currently have in your ...
Is my tank overstocked?	7/18/2009
Q: I just wanted to know if this is a healthy number of fish in my tank. I have a 15 gallon tank with: ... A: The main concern with overstocking is the pollution level getting out of hand faster than you can ...
Cycling?...	7/17/2009
Q: It's me again! (I asked you a few questions about starter tanks a few days ago)I've read countless ... A: Cycling means allowing your aquarium to establish two types of good bacteria in the environment. The ...
mollys, breeding, care,	7/16/2009
Q: i am just stating a aqurime and i have a eclipse system 12 with a heater set to 80 and gravle ... A: I apologize for the late email. I have found in my personal experience that mollies can coexist ...
panda corydoras	7/13/2009
Q: I just bought 3 longfin panda corydoras from a Pet store near me a few days ago, and they had been ... A: Its true panda corydoras can be a bit sensitive to pollutions in the water so simply make sure that ...
I am a total beginner!	7/12/2009
Q: I have never had fish before and I'm not quite sure what to do. I looked online and found a couple ... A: Welcome to the hobby!! Really you can start with almost any tank size as long as you know what you ...
BETTA COMPATIBILITY	7/11/2009
Q: ..AGAIN LOL! I JUST WANTED TO KNOW IF A SINGLE MALE BETTA WOULD BE COMPATIBLE WITH THESE FISH: 2 ... A: Logically, the betta should be fine with those fish. However, what may cause trouble is the betta's ...
severums-gold and green together,fresh food	7/10/2009
Q: I have a 29 long with the following fish in it: 4 juvinille severums, 2 gold,2 green, 2 2" clown ... A: I myself have encountered the very same problem you have with mixing green and gold severums ...
disease	7/10/2009
Q: I'm a college student with my second betta. I think it may be sick, but I'm not sure what it has. ... A: I'm not going to be hard on you about not keeping your tank clean enough but I really do think this ...
Nitrate and ammonia levels!!!	7/9/2009
Q: as a canister filter( the eheim ecco) i have 4 mollies 1 swordtail 1 rosy barb and 2 plecostamus ... A: The best thing to do to get your fish through the ammonia and nitrite levels safely is to do 50% ...
African cichlid Aggression problems	7/8/2009
Q: I have recently set up a 55 gallon african cichlid fish tank. I have 13 cichlids (Juvys) in it right ... A: Johani african cichlids in general are a very territorial and aggressive species. Males in ...
Tropical fish	7/7/2009
Q: I have 4 common angels raised together in a 12 gal well planted and established Cube Master. They ... A: Perhaps the best thing for you to do is give your angels some time to eventually form a pair out of ...
Bugs eating our fish kind of like ants	7/6/2009
Q: We have a freshwater tank and there seem to be bugs floating on the surface and some bugs in the ... A: There are many kinds of insects/crustaceans that can invade our aquariums and be labeled as pests ...
do you know anything about crabs?	7/5/2009
Q: I found a crab and I think it is a shore crab. is was in a tide pool, someone handed it to me and I ... A: Very interesting creature! I wish I could see a photo of it but that's ok! Without knowing the ...
Beginner needs help, fish are dying!	7/4/2009
Q: I recently bought a 10 gallon tank with a Top Fin Power Filter 10 and put my 2 male mollies in it. ... A: Hey there, Sorry to hear about all that. I'm certain the problem is this is a new aquarium and the ...
29 gallon tank questions	7/3/2009
Q: my name is Scott. I have a 29 gallon tank with a top fin 30 filter(came with as a package deal) I ... A: Most cichlid species do tend to be on the semi-aggressive to aggressive side. A group of rosy barbs ...
55 gallon tank	7/1/2009
Q: i was wondering what would be the best way to stock my tank it hasnt cycled yet and i would like 2 ... A: The best thing to do is to start out with several reasonably tough/hardy fish to cycle your tank for ...
Goldfish has 1 white blister/bump	6/28/2009
Q: Any idea what this might be. Thanks A: I have seen blisters/bumps like these on goldfish many times before. Its a very hard thing to ...
neon tetras	6/26/2009
Q: I have a small tank, fresh water with a filter/oxygen thing, and I have one neon tetra in it ... A: Its true neons often do spend a pretty good percentage of their time near the bottom of the aquarium ...
Platy behavior	6/26/2009
Q: Recently my female platy has been holding her fins close to her body and been doing that sort of ... A: This behavior usually signals stress. I would try doing daily 30% water changes on the aquarium for ...
neon tetras	6/25/2009
Q: I have a small tank, fresh water with a filter/oxygen thing, and I have one neon tetra in it ... A: Do you know the water volume of your aquarium? I would keep about 1 neon tetra per gallon. Be ...
fish disease?	6/24/2009
Q: I have an african cichlid that has suddenly developed a large pinkish colored growth on its ... A: Aww, that's a shame but it was best for the little fish to go before it had to possibly suffer even ...
dying tetras	6/23/2009
Q: I have a 300litre tank in which I had 20 tetras, 3 kuhli loaches, a couple of catfish, 2 indian ... A: Have you tried big (50-75%) water changes yet? The red veining in the fins/ red coloration around ...
balloon molly	6/23/2009
Q: I bought a balloon molly about two weeks ago. He/She has been doing great growing in size etc. ... A: The best thing to do is keep the water clean with plenty of frequent partial water changes to ...
fish disease?	6/22/2009
Q: I have an african cichlid that has suddenly developed a large pinkish colored growth on its ... A: wow, that's something I've never personally dealt with before but I have heard of fish developing ...
Wolf Fish	6/21/2009
Q: I just purchased a 13" Wolf Fish, I have him in a 120 tank with a 12" Alligator Gar. I also have a ... A: Interestingly, fish don't always follow exactly to the information about their species in books or ...
dying tetras	6/20/2009
Q: I have a 300litre tank in which I had 20 tetras, 3 kuhli loaches, a couple of catfish, 2 indian ... A: Massive fish losses like these almost always point to water quality problems. Are you certain you ...
POWDER BLUE DWARF GOURAMI	6/19/2009
Q: I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHAT'S THE SEX OF MY POWDER BLUE DWARF GOURAMI (IF YOU NEED ANOTHER PICTURE I ... A: its perfect. Looks like you have a male dwarf gourami. These little fish aren't too difficult to ...
injured fin	6/18/2009
Q: I noticed that my goldfish Bubbles has a reddish (bloody) joint on one of her fins! Is that normal? ... A: Little red streaks or 'veins' in goldfish fins is quite common and these appear due to several ...
green water	6/17/2009
Q: All my water parameters are good i am using a product called algone it has my nitrates down to 0 but ... A: Green water is primarily caused by an overabundance of light or nutrients -- which are the main key ...
flower horn	6/14/2009
Q: i have bought a flower horn baby half the size of the palm 2 dayes before and kept in a glass bowl . ... A: Flowerhorns, like many cichlids, are very shy when you first bring them home. They will take a while ...
snails	6/13/2009
Q: My son took home two freshwater snails from school and I was wondering if we would be able to put ... A: Silver dollars and snails should be fine together. The silver dollars may be a bit curious about the ...
bala shark looks different	6/12/2009
Q: one of our 2 balas all of a sudden has a white head and 1 white spot on his back and 1 white spot ... A: Usually ich characterizes itself as white spots very similar to grains of salt. And usually as if ...
ill platy?	6/11/2009
Q: two coralydis, a gourami, 2 guppy, 5 baby guppy(in net)and six neon tetra i have had them for ... A: Symptoms like these could point to several diagnoses. And unfortunately it is difficult to diagnose ...
Gold gourami weird behavior.	6/10/2009
Q: My question is why is my gold gourami just hanging at the top corner of my tank without doing ... A: I'm glad to hear he is doing better! There's your problem! Ammonia and nitrites are very stressful ...
Goldfish and PH	6/10/2009
Q: I have 4 fancy goldfish in a 75 gallon tank. Two of them I've had for almost 2 years and the other ... A: To try to avoid getting into major chemistry lessons ;-)-- Alkalinity is the amount of "anions" in ...
Feeding Young BN Pleco's	6/9/2009
Q: Week ago I bought 2 young,less than 2 in long, Bristle Nose Plecos. One is doing just fine and ... A: Bristlenose Plecos are such fine fish! Its hard to say what exactly could have happened to the one ...
Goldfish and PH	6/8/2009
Q: I have 4 fancy goldfish in a 75 gallon tank. Two of them I've had for almost 2 years and the other ... A: Very interesting! The one thing I am particularly concerned with is your water's Alkalinity level ...
Goldfish almost blind	6/8/2009
Q: I have had Magoo for three years and I am believing he is almost blind. I wrongly named him as he is ... A: Haemorragic Septicemia is a very common problem with goldfish. I wonder if the antibiotic you used ...
beta fish	6/8/2009
Q: what does a female Beta fish look like when its pregnant? Our beta (red) has a huge stomach that ... A: Large stomachs in bettas can mean several things. Obviously the fish may be full of developing eggs ...
Goldfish almost blind	6/7/2009
Q: I have had Magoo for three years and I am believing he is almost blind. I wrongly named him as he is ... A: I see, so his eyes are getting cloudy? You should read about cloudy eye in goldfish here. This ...
Goldfish Not Eating	6/7/2009
Q: Fields, I have a six-inch fantail goldfish that has been acting very sluggish and not eating for ... A: I'm sorry to hear that. :( Finrot is usually caused by a water quality problem and polluted water ...
Goldfish almost blind	6/7/2009
Q: I have had Magoo for three years and I am believing he is almost blind. I wrongly named him as he is ... A: Wow! Interesting -- But poor Magoo! He does still eat on occasion right? He's not having trouble ...
guppy bredding	6/7/2009
Q: I was wondering what is the best way the seperate the guppy female from the babies while she is ... A: I would give the female guppy a small 2 gallon or 10 gallon tank to herself filled with a lot of ...
Gold gourami weird behavior.	6/6/2009
Q: My question is why is my gold gourami just hanging at the top corner of my tank without doing ... A: I see... Most all gourami species do typically behave the same. But the sad thing about Dwarf ...
Goldfish and PH	6/6/2009
Q: I have 4 fancy goldfish in a 75 gallon tank. Two of them I've had for almost 2 years and the other ... A: I feel your pain! ;-) I know this may sound strange. But is it possible your test kit for pH may be ...
Gold gourami weird behavior.	6/6/2009
Q: My question is why is my gold gourami just hanging at the top corner of my tank without doing ... A: I would definitely assume the gourami is reacting to the ammonia and nitrites present. Some fish are ...
Follow-up to Silver Tipped Shark Q	6/5/2009
Q: "Hi Sarah, Silver tipped sharks are often sold as freshwater fish, but they must have brackish water ... A: You can keep Silver tips in freshwater when they are young (2-3 inches) but as they grow they will ...
Regeneration	6/5/2009
Q: Our baby Koi lost it's tail. Will it regenerate? She is very tiny, less than 3 weeks old. A: Aww, :) The tail will likely regenerate provided the environment is very clean and she gets quality ...
starting over	6/5/2009
Q: Starting new set up after losing our golden fantail+black moor-we want the same fish but how to ... A: I'm sorry to hear that! :( You did try your best and asked for help! I don't think there is any ...
Gravel	6/4/2009
Q: my tank cleaning was successful and my fish happier. i can tell by the brighter color in their ... A: Changing over gravel can be risky due to a large majority of those special bacteria that keep your ...
algae?	6/4/2009
Q: i was cleaning my tank today and noticed that on the substrate there was a large amount of green ... A: the main reason tanks develop an overabundance of algae is usually a sign that the tank is out of ...
stocking/compatability	6/4/2009
Q: within the next few months i will be purchasing a 75 gallon tank. i need help with ... A: Getting a new tank is always so exciting! And such a big one too! That will be fun. The potential ...
one white spot on fantail goldfish	6/3/2009
Q: I have a 10 gallon tank, with one goldfish a fantail, she's small and I've had her for a year. The ... A: Its always difficult to diagnose a fish illnesses with just a few symptoms to go off of and without ...
Green water	6/3/2009
Q: There is ammonia in my water supply water company uses chloramines to disinfect the water. The ... A: A common problem unfortunately! However, simply use a water conditioner that neutralizes ammonia, ...
Platy Fry are Dying	6/3/2009
Q: I had two batches of Platy fry in my 10-gallon aquarium. From the first batch, I only managed to ... A: The problem may in fact be water quality issues. You should try to clean out uneaten food after each ...
Help!	6/3/2009
Q: I ahve a 16 gallon tank with platys and neon tetras. My tank has been sparkiling clean for the last ... A: these types of situations do occur occasionally -- the tank goes so long with any maintenance and ...
pH problem	6/2/2009
Q: I have a verity of brackish water fish including 5 fin fish, 4 sword tails, 5 frys, 4 shrimp, 3 blue ... A: Hey Tiffany, Well, fish don't normally eat wastes so I don't really think the rainbow shark helped ...
aquarium guppie breeding	6/2/2009
Q: 7 very small ones about 2 m and 5 of about 4 cm.I would like to breed guppies but what should I do ... A: You basically have three options when you have pregnant guppies. The first is to let her have her ...
dying fish	6/2/2009
Q: I have had a healthy running tank for several years now and recently added 1 male and 1 female rosy ... A: I can understand your frustration completely! The thing I'd do is check the water quality in terms ...
increasing water hardness for livebearers	6/2/2009
Q: Fields! Thanks in advance to you and the allexperts website for your invaluable help and advice. I ... A: What is your current pH level -- 7.0? Livebearers actually aren't that picky when it comes to pH ...
blood worms in turtle tank	6/1/2009
Q: Could you please tell me where the infestation of red blood worms come from that are in my turtle ... A: What did the vets say about the worms? Any info about them? Bloodworms are the larvae of chironomid ...
sprouting seed in my aquarium	6/1/2009
Q: About a month ago, my son dropped a sunflower seed from the bird dish into the aquarium. It ... A: Its fascinating how a terrestrial plant like Sunflowers will grow in submerged aquatic conditions as ...
water temp.	6/1/2009
Q: solve-listless golden fantail,black moor-we are trying what you suggested- another thought came to ... A: Goldies like Fantails and Black moors do well at room temperature actually. Upper 60's to upper 70's ...
pH problem	5/31/2009
Q: I have a verity of brackish water fish including 5 fin fish, 4 sword tails, 5 frys, 4 shrimp, 3 blue ... A: Aww, I'm sorry to hear about the silvertip. The reason I mentioned about salt is marine salt mixes ...
meds	5/31/2009
Q: i ve been treating with maracyn plus can i add a fungus med too? A: Maracyn plus is formulated to treat fungus as well as bacteria infections. So it probably isn't ...
new tank-novice-idle fish	5/31/2009
Q: URGENT-3 day idle tank(5.5 gallon) before adding 1 black moor and 1 golden fantail (approx. 1 ... A: :) I think the issue here is water quality related...Pollution trouble. You see the aquarium ...
mollie gestation	5/30/2009
Q: How will I know when to separate my pregnant mollie from the other's...Will she display any signs ... A: Actually, sometimes its really best to allow the pregnant molly to have her babies in the main ...
tiny shells in gravel	5/30/2009
Q: I bought some used gravel from a guy yesterday and when I rinsed it out this morning, hundreds and ... A: Those are the unique shells of Malaysian Trumpet snails! See here- ...
I think my paradise fish is sick	5/30/2009
Q: I had a paradise fish for about 2 years. He was given by a friend, and he was already an adult ... A: Its always possible it could be the water quality. And some fish are simply stronger then others and ...
pH problem	5/30/2009
Q: I have a verity of brackish water fish including 5 fin fish, 4 sword tails, 5 frys, 4 shrimp, 3 blue ... A: This may take some investigative work indeed. What is the normal pH of your tap water? If it is 7.2 ...
Kissing Gouramis	5/29/2009
Q: I have 165 ltr tank, having 2 parrots, 2 oscars, 1 dollar, 2 pink kissing Gouramis. i need your ... A: The kissing gouramis are only eating live worms? This type of problem happens a lot with fish that ...
filter advice	5/29/2009
Q: I have just aquired a used pentagon-shaped aquarium with a stand. I don't know it's exact capacity ... A: No worries! ;) I really like to use hang on the back type Power filters for most of my aquariums. ...
kissing gourami	5/29/2009
Q: i lost a gourami i have one left had high nitrates did about a 60% watetr change left fish for ... A: So he's still hanging in there? wow. He's a fighter! The fact that he sits upright sometimes is a ...
kissing gourami	5/28/2009
Q: i lost a gourami i have one left had high nitrates did about a 60% watetr change left fish for ... A: Small water changes wont have much of an impact on high nitrate levels and larger ones (around 50%) ...
platy	5/28/2009
Q: I have eigth platies in my aquarium alongwith two goldfish & 8 guppies-2males,6females.I dont know ... A: Platies are generally easy fish to keep and breed. Females are usually pregnant all the time but ...
Help with Ich, please	5/28/2009
Q: I have a ~22 gallon tank and currently have 2 adult female mollies (1 dalmation, 1 bubble), 4 ... A: Perhaps a false reading on the nitrate test? Its always possible the medication might be ...
sick black moor	5/28/2009
Q: My black moor recently developed a blister of sorts above his right eye. Today I noticed it had ... A: sorry to hear the bad news! I think I would leave the blister alone. Change 50% of the water ...
Golden Algae eaters	5/27/2009
Q: My 25 gal tank with 3 angels, 1 tetra and 1 gouramie (one died 6 days ago, probably from stress) ... A: The golden algae eater is a color variant of the "Chinese Algae eater" There is also a very similar ...
kissing gouramis	5/27/2009
Q: I am new at keeping fish, and I got my 10 gallon tank in December. I just recently bought two ... A: you may already know this. But the kissing behavior is a dominance/fighting display. So I suppose if ...
Regarding cycling	5/27/2009
Q: I have a 29 gallon tank with 2 small fantails and I have a 10 gallon with a Betta and the 10 gallon ... A: If its a hang on the back type power filter simply move the old cartridge from the 10's filter to ...
Cichlids	5/27/2009
Q: I have one kenyi cichlid in a 10 gallon tank right now. She is about 3 to 4 inches long and I am ... A: Kenyi cichlids are very aggressive and really they do better when kept in a larger setup than a ...
Black markings on goldfish	5/26/2009
Q: We recently won a goldfish from a local fair. We've had it for about 5 weeks now and have a goldfish ... A: He is either developing color (which I might say probably not depending upon his current coloration) ...
kissing gourami	5/26/2009
Q: i lost a gourami i have one left had high nitrates did about a 60% watetr change left fish for ... A: Sounds like the best thing for you to do is lots of big (50%) water changes to battle the high ...
Help with Ich, please	5/26/2009
Q: I have a ~22 gallon tank and currently have 2 adult female mollies (1 dalmation, 1 bubble), 4 ... A: I've never used Jungle brand Ick buddies but I'm sure it will be effective. I would use the ...
Neon Tetra belly discharge	5/25/2009
Q: An otherwise vigorous neon tetra has begun to discharge its belly! It is brownish and seems too ... A: I can understand the annoyance the neon must have from being trapped in the floating bag! :) You ...
Plecostomus	5/25/2009
Q: My Plecostomus is the catfish type I think. He has lived in my 30 gallon aquarium for over 2 years ... A: Is the slime poo? Or discharge from his skin? If its poo, occasionally fish will produce this and ...
30 gallon fish tank: cycling	5/25/2009
Q: I am 13 years old and recently have purchased a 30 gallon acrylic tank setup with a whisper 40, Ebo ... A: Sounds like an interesting fish combination so far. I think I would keep a bit larger group of ...
Goldfish breeding	5/24/2009
Q: I am a relatively new goldfish hobbyist. Recently managed to spawn two females (a gold fantail and a ... A: Very interesting project you have going here. We can never be sure of the exact outcome of the ...
weird iridescent shark behavior and color	5/24/2009
Q: I just purchased 2 iridescent sharks and at the store they were great. Dark in color, very active. ... A: Definitely sounds like they are stressed. Most likely a combination of being moved from place to ...
Fluval Aquarium	5/24/2009
Q: I just got Fluval vienza 180 bowfront aquarium on wednesday. Im in 7ty grade and parents wanted to ... A: That sounds awesome! A new 40 gallon bowfront! So you have a fluval 205 filter I assume? These ...
Gourami having fun?	5/23/2009
Q: I have a 20 gallon wide (30") tank with not many fish. One of my fish is a dwarf gourami. This ... A: I do admit I have seen fish display "play-like" behaviors. And a lot of fish enjoy swimming in ...
Theres a buldge in my angel fish	5/23/2009
Q: I recently noticed that my freshwater angelfish had a little bump in its stomach. I then noticed ... A: Sounds like a swim bladder problem caused by either constipation putting pressure on the swim ...
Neon Tetra belly discharge	5/22/2009
Q: An otherwise vigorous neon tetra has begun to discharge its belly! It is brownish and seems too ... A: Oh WOW! I have never seen anything like that. Hope you don't mind but I'd like to post this photo ...
stocking	5/22/2009
Q: Hey I have a 55 gallon tank setup that has gone through all the cycling and I am now looking to add ... A: Needlenose gar would be good candidates for a predator themed tank and they love to eat Crickets, ...
cichlids	5/22/2009
Q: whats the best food for cichlids colors. A: A big variety! :) Lots of vegetables- Zucchini, romaine lettuce, peas Vegetable based foods- Algae ...
fish keeping	5/22/2009
Q: my name's Tanea, and I've asked you a question before and you were a lot of help! I'm not quite ... A: I don't think you have to worry. Just continue to keep tabs on the water quality (make sure to check ...
water parameters	5/21/2009
Q: I have a 20 gal. freshwater tank that I finished cycling about 3 weeks ago. Over the past three ... A: Its best to leave your water just as it is compared to trying make the pH perfect with chemicals. ...
Air pump death	5/21/2009
Q: A few years ago i installed an air pump with the air wall (along the bank of the tank) attachment. ... A: Wow, a very interesting (but sad) story. I've never heard of an air pump/air wall causing such ...
30 gallon fish tank: cycling	5/21/2009
Q: I am 13 years old and recently have purchased a 30 gallon acrylic tank setup with a whisper 40, Ebo ... A: So you took the cherry barbs out due to the bacterial bloom? Fortunately this problem should go ...
Sidways Pacu	5/20/2009
Q: So we has a 70 gallon take at the office and my fish (Paco the Pacu) is swimming sideways. He has ... A: That sounds like Swim bladder disorder. If you aren't sure what this is - many species of fish have ...
Betta care / setting up hosptial tank	5/20/2009
Q: Karen. I've written before about my betta who has fin rot. He's had a mild case through the ... A: How much temperature difference is the 3.5 gal? He could always be adjusted the lower temp by ...
toxic silicone	5/20/2009
Q: ok just a couple of days ago i got a 50 gallon aquarium from my neighbor. it had a very tiny hole on ... A: Well, since you mentioned somebody else put some silicone on the inside where the hole was there's a ...
Will this tank be over stocked?	5/19/2009
Q: I'll be setting up a 125 gallon (72x18x22) Aquarium later this week, And i was wondering what you ... A: Sounds like an awesome setup definitely not overstocked! I love Black ghost and Severums. Moving ...
30 gallon fish tank: cycling	5/19/2009
Q: I am 13 years old and recently have purchased a 30 gallon acrylic tank setup with a whisper 40, Ebo ... A: I must say you are doing an EXCELLENT job at starting your tank up and keeping tract of the cycling ...
my neontetras	5/16/2009
Q: i have had my aquarium operating for about 6 weeks now. i started with 1 guppy, 2 sunset platy's and ... A: Oh I'm sorry to hear that. She may be suffering from something. Like an unknown illness or water ...
Black Moor	5/16/2009
Q: We just changed the water today to see if would make a difference.Could you please tell me what is ... A: Sounds like a bad reaction to poor water quality. Definitely start doing 50% water changes ASAP. ...
fish	5/15/2009
Q: I'm setting up a 15 gallon aquarium with with white sand and wanted to have a community aquarium ... A: The red tail Black shark would probably be fine actually. Give him plenty of hiding places and you ...
Aggressive Female Swordtail?	5/15/2009
Q: Mkay Background info: So my little brother and I both have a ten gallon tropical/freshwater tank. ... A: Wow, I'm sorry to hear that. Sounds like you may have to move the swordtail into a separate tank of ...
sand	5/15/2009
Q: Is silica the same as pool sand?They also said to buy Malaysian trumpet snails because they help ... A: Silica sand is fine to use. I've also used play sand which is a lot finer than silica sand. Just be ...
neon tetras	5/14/2009
Q: ive just started setting up my tropical community fish tank.so far i have only purchased 6 neon ... A: Neon tetras do have to the tendency to display this type of behavior and the darting is like ...
My flowerhorn	5/14/2009
Q: My flower horn is not eating from the past 1 week since i have bought it. i m very tensed please ... A: Is there any way you could check your water quality? Make sure the ammonia and nitrites are ZERO ...
Whats wrong with my fish	5/14/2009
Q: I have 4 ciclids and they rup there sides on the rocks and decerations i have 2 of them have green ... A: I don't know of any green dots as being signs of disease and more likely it is natural coloration ...
determining the sex of a fish	5/13/2009
Q: I have 6 Malawi African ciclids. I read that it is important to have the right ratio of male to ... A: Red Zebras typically are distinguished by the males being larger than females and becoming paler on ...
Cloudy water	5/13/2009
Q: I have my first aquarium, a 29 gallon, with 10 tetras. 3 days ago I bought 7 more fish (to add up ... A: Definitely a bacterial bloom! ;-) Bacterial blooms occur whenever a tank is relatively new and ...
fantail foods	5/12/2009
Q: what kind of fruits can i feed to my fantail goldfish? A: Goldfish usually love orange slices. I have also known that fish enjoy bananas too. I'm sure they'd ...
Gourami with white ring around eye?	5/12/2009
Q: I've been worried about my female dwarf gourami lately and was wondering if you could help :) Well, ... A: When white rings develop around a fish's eye it usually means that there is a slight fluid buildup ...
my neontetras	5/12/2009
Q: i have had my aquarium operating for about 6 weeks now. i started with 1 guppy, 2 sunset platy's and ... A: A water sample would definitely would be helpful here. It may be a water quality problem, neons are ...
Sick Cichlid	5/12/2009
Q: Need your help pls with my Red Devil Chiclid. She is 3 years old and lives in a 45 gallon by ... A: Aww poor Lucy. It's very strange for this cichlid to be sick for 3 months! poor girl. My main ...
What fish for large tank?	5/11/2009
Q: I currently have a large 150 gallon freshwater tank. I had huge two butterfly koi and an 18 inch ... A: Unfortunately, I've never ordered from an online source before but I plan to someday. I found this ...
determining the sex of a fish	5/11/2009
Q: I have 6 Malawi African ciclids. I read that it is important to have the right ratio of male to ... A: Hmm... Do you know what species you have? Without knowing the species of Malawi cichlids its ...
What type of fish can I add	5/11/2009
Q: I have a 115 liter diamon shaped tank which is about 450mm deep I currently keep 2 parrot chiclids, ... A: I must first apologize for being so late. But I have been very busy with helping some of my ...
sick betta	5/11/2009
Q: I am currently trying very hard to get my betta fish better. But am having no luck. I originally ... A: Hmm. Probably shouldn't try fasting him. He may be in too poor condition. All you can do is try ...
My Suffering Betta	5/11/2009
Q: I have only noticed this yesterday, but my poor four-year-old betta is not his peppy self anymore. ... A: The symptoms you described definitely point towards old age as being your betta's problem here. I ...
What fish for large tank?	5/10/2009
Q: I currently have a large 150 gallon freshwater tank. I had huge two butterfly koi and an 18 inch ... A: Sorry to hear about the lightening tragedy. What a loss. There are so many suitable community ...
mollies	5/10/2009
Q: Just a quick question, I've been doing large fish tanks for about 10yrs. The last 6 or so yrs I've ... A: I have kept and raised the lovely Sailfin mollies before. They are stunning fish when the males grow ...
sick betta	5/10/2009
Q: I am currently trying very hard to get my betta fish better. But am having no luck. I originally ... A: Yes I have found out that sometimes certain bettas bettas do a little better in smaller water ...
angelfish floating & feeding greens peas	5/10/2009
Q: I have been raising 2 angelfish in my 20 gallon tank, and have watched them grow big from such a ... A: I'm so sorry to hear about your poor Angelfish. When swim bladder gets this bad. It could be an ...
sick betta	5/9/2009
Q: I am currently trying very hard to get my betta fish better. But am having no luck. I originally ... A: I'm sorry to hear that. It's possible it may just be old age. How long have you had him? Most ...
goldfish eye punctured	5/9/2009
Q: i have a ryukin with 2 orandas in my 30 gal tank. Tody i noticed his left eye protective cover has ... A: poor fella... Good deal to have moved him into his own tank. The best thing you can do is keep his ...
changing to cichlids	5/9/2009
Q: Karen I have read your advise on staying with single variety of cichlids. I have a freshwater 55g ... A: It's very common for any livebearing species to quickly overrun a tank if the population is kept ...
Fresh Water Fish Selection?	5/8/2009
Q: hey Karen I wanted to add some unique fresh water fish to my tank... im just getting bored with ... A: Oh I see! Two weeks makes it much better! ;-) But still, as always, the more water changes the ...
My red belly Pirhanas	5/7/2009
Q: ANSWER: Hi Jimmy, Could you send in a picture? That would definitely help. Could be a cyst but ... A: Oh wow, I suppose that's a good thing? I hope all is well with your piranhas. It may have been an ...
Fresh Water Fish Selection?	5/7/2009
Q: hey Karen I wanted to add some unique fresh water fish to my tank... im just getting bored with ... A: Hmm... A unique fish to add to your current collection of a blood parrot, 2 african cichlids, 1 ...
Breeding Guppies	5/6/2009
Q: I started out with 2 guppies and now I have several! Can you tell me how often a female can breed ... A: Guppies breed all the time. Pregnant females will have an ever-growing belly that will really ...
green water	5/6/2009
Q: I bought my children a 10 gallon tank about 4 months ago. after 2 months the water turned a very ... A: Algae chemicals never work for long. Because its very important to target the cause of the ...
Whats wrong with my gourami?	5/6/2009
Q: I have a tropical tank and i have recent lost 2 peppered corys and a gourami. Another one of my ... A: Red stripes can definitely signal bacterial infection. And it could certainly have been derived from ...
My red belly Pirhanas	5/6/2009
Q: Hi i have 4 red bellys one has i thought a bite or something its like a red ish bubble under it what ... A: Could you send in a picture? That would definitely help. Could be a cyst but can't say for sure ...
sunken fish	5/5/2009
Q: i have a 20gal. tank with filter and heater. what's the cause or is there anything i can do?? A: I hate to say but he may be on his way to passing on but it could also be a swim bladder issue going ...
White covering on a black googly eye	5/5/2009
Q: I have just bought a black googly fish to add to my aquarium, which currently holds 4 other ... A: Sounds like a fungal infection. Which is common on the delicate eyes of those types of goldfish. ...
Regarding tank size and filtration	5/4/2009
Q: I have a redcap in my 10 gallon tank. I am cycling a 29 gallon tank with no fish in it. I am cycling ... A: I actually think that hang on the back type power filters are the best kind for goldfish as well as ...
My fish tank has gone cloudy	5/4/2009
Q: We recently bought a Aqua Start 320! We set it all up with everything in, water pump, air pump etc! ... A: Your aquarium being cloudy is part of the "establishing stage" it has to go through which can take ...
Bettas & Maracyn-Two & Fin Rot	5/4/2009
Q: I have 8 separate 1 gal. bowls for my 8 bettas. Two of my fish have developed fin rot. I bought ... A: I'm sorry to hear that. One of the best things you can do to battle finrot in bettas is target the ...
setting up a new tank	5/4/2009
Q: I'm setting up a new tank (20 gal) and I did something stupid. I grabbed a new sponge to wipe out ... A: This is a concerning situation. I think I might filter the water with extra carbon (which of course ...
Disappearing fish	5/2/2009
Q: I had a bull nose pleco who simply disappeared out of my tank. It is a 30 gallon tank with 3 ... A: very strange. But not too uncommon. I'm sad to say this but are you certain that he didn't jump ...
75 gallon freshwater set-up for African Cichlids	5/1/2009
Q: I have recently set up a 75 gallon fresh water tank and have everything up and running quite nicely. ... A: Sounds like a nice setup! African cichlids are indeed some of the most colorful freshwater fish ...
mite like bugs in tank	5/1/2009
Q: my tank has what looks like small white mites. They are on the filter, driftwood in the rocks and ... A: There are many types of bugs that can get into our aquariums. Most are all scavengers, feeding off ...
initial set up for freswater aquarium	4/30/2009
Q: I have a 9 year old girl who has been dying to take care of some peet fish. Consider me ignorant in ... A: How wonderful your girl is so eager to take care of some fish!! ;-) I'll answer your questions ...
trop fish and birth	4/30/2009
Q: I had 2 Mickey mouse fish one just died not sure why, one dalmatian had 2 but again one died, and a ... A: Telling the differences between male and female livebearers, (whether it be mollies, guppies, ...
rapid gill movement	4/30/2009
Q: I have an Eclipse system 12 tank with a built in bio filter that is the only source of water ... A: Definitely a strange situation here. Have you tested for "nitrites" and "nitrates"? Rapid gill ...
Gourami chasing moelli	4/29/2009
Q: I have a pair of gourami's and 1 black moelli. They have been living together for the past 4 months. ... A: Gouramis do often have the tendency to be territorial. Especially if you have males. If the tank is ...
Fin Rot or New Fin Growth?	4/29/2009
Q: My son has had a male (veil tail) betta for about 6 months now. His name is Whiplash, he lives in a ... A: Its definitely a good mindset to "not" treat when there isn't an known issue going on. :)doing so ...
Start up with raw shrimp	4/29/2009
Q: I have had tanks in the past. Now starting a new 50 gal tank. I read about using raw shrimp to ... A: The best thing to do is have test kits that way you can monitor the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate ...
Angelfish	4/28/2009
Q: I have a breeding pair of angels that have laid several batches of eggs in the community tank and ... A: Are you for certain that the ammonia and nitrites are both ZERO? It may be that they are shy and ...
fungus in fish tank	4/28/2009
Q: its like the fish have air bubbles on them have 11 or more baby fish not got it and danio not got it ... A: The air bubbles aren't in fact ick are they? Please look here for pic- ...
Cichlid babies	4/28/2009
Q: We have 2 jeweled cichlids that recently just hatched some eggs. We were worried about the other ... A: Congrats!! ;-) Try to get fry foods ready ASAP. They can usually eat finely powdered flake food, ...
Tropical Fish in a 10 Gallon Tank	4/28/2009
Q: I have a brand new 10 gallon tank with everything to go with it, & I would like put tropical fish in ... A: Before you start stocking the tank, make sure you know about cycling or establishing your ...
Acute onse of swim bladder problem-WHAT TO DO?	4/25/2009
Q: I have a 3 year old comet goldfish which is about 10" long. He is in a 55 gallon tank with all ... A: Oh I'm sorry... :( :( :( I now know that it was something that couldn't have been helped by me or ...
BETTA	4/25/2009
Q: me i needed a bigger tank but i got this at the pet store especially for bettas... i got the ... A: Cute pic! Your betta would look gorgeous in a bigger tank with some florescent lighting though! He'd ...
Acute onse of swim bladder problem-WHAT TO DO?	4/24/2009
Q: I have a 3 year old comet goldfish which is about 10" long. He is in a 55 gallon tank with all ... A: The problem -could- be infection or Constipation due to new food or simply not enough variety or ...
pregnant fish	4/24/2009
Q: i have 2 angelfish,they seem to be kissing alot,lol,and hanging round the pump,1 of the fish does ... A: Here's a good example of an angelfish with her spawning tube- ...
SICK GOLDFISH	4/24/2009
Q: My goldfish has just been sitting at the bottom of his tank the last couple of days, he doesn't even ... A: I'm sorry to hear that. You didn't mention what size tank he was in but if it turns out to be ...
Follow up of first letter.	4/23/2009
Q: I am sorry that I did not see my mistake sooner. I stated that I change the filter bi-weekly, it is ... A: No problem at all. ;-0 Actually, this may sound strange but its really best to rinse a dirty filter ...
Cory Catfish	4/23/2009
Q: I have a small tank, one and a half gallons to be exact. Before buying fish I asked someone at the ... A: I'll try to make this as simple as I can. Don't bother with easy balance, nitraban, pH adjusters ...
green spotted puffers	4/23/2009
Q: i have two green spotted puffers and they both are covered with little bubbles and it looks like ... A: Oh I'm so sorry to hear that... :( Ick parasites can kill fast if they are left unchecked and some ...
i have a few questions about the 2 black fin sharks i got about a week ago	4/23/2009
Q: this is my first time buying fish...i bought a 10 gallon tank about a week ago i set it up and ... A: I see, Some good fish to start out with (especially in a small aquarium) are: Platies Tetras ...
i have a few questions about the 2 black fin sharks i got about a week ago	4/22/2009
Q: this is my first time buying fish...i bought a 10 gallon tank about a week ago i set it up and ... A: You're welcome. Well, not sure how big they are right now but I would guess they are probably about ...
converting tank to "El Natural"	4/22/2009
Q: So you have probably heard about the "El Natural" method of aquarium keeping, where one uses ... A: That sounds like a wonderful project! However, as much as I have wanted to do something similar to ...
green spotted puffers	4/22/2009
Q: i have two green spotted puffers and they both are covered with little bubbles and it looks like ... A: I'm not sure exactly what they have, and its always difficult to diagnose with a text description. ...
Worm like thing on wall	4/22/2009
Q: My son has a small 5 gallon tank. All of a sudden we have noticed these little worm like things on ... A: There are many critters that can show up in our aquariums and although it might be a bit alarming-- ...
stock	4/21/2009
Q: 5 black widow tetras 1 baby bristlenose pleco my first question is do you think i am being a good ... A: Yes and Yes! Your aquarium sounds well-kept and an extra plus is the tank is not overstocked. It ...
i have a few questions about the 2 black fin sharks i got about a week ago	4/21/2009
Q: this is my first time buying fish...i bought a 10 gallon tank about a week ago i set it up and ... A: There is a great potential for a problem going on with your water quality. Due to the tank being a ...
black swordtails	4/20/2009
Q: tank is brand new, 10 gallons. no other fish with the swordtails. filter is an aqueon power ... A: The problem is your aquarium very likely has not cycled yet and ammonia is therefore building up ...
Mollies and Goldfish	4/20/2009
Q: I'm not an expert when it comes to taking care of fish. I "helped" take care of fish when I was a ... A: I'm quite certain that your problem with losing the mollies in the past was related to the tank ...
A five gallon fish tank?	4/18/2009
Q: My older brother and I have recently set up a 5 gallon fish tank in his room. The tank currently has ... A: Make sure the tank has some biological filtration going before fully-stocking it. Also known as your ...
Goldfish dying suddenly	4/18/2009
Q: I have had a two instances in the last few months where an oranda has died overnight. This happened ... A: Oh that's a shame! I really hope you can get them better. Because Septicemia is primarily a ...
bladder disorder	4/18/2009
Q: I was hoping you could help. My Parrot Cichlid George (he is 5 years old) has started lying upside ... A: I don't think its such a good idea to treat right away with Tetracycline. Cause for one, we aren't ...
Male siamese fighter just sits at the bottom of my tank	4/17/2009
Q: Im hopeing you can help as ive never actually kept siamese fighters before but from everything ive ... A: Hmm.. Since he is in a community tank there are two things you would want to check on to figure out ...
Fairy Shrimp	4/17/2009
Q: Do freshwater fairy shrimp live in the South Eastern U.S? I found some creatures that I think are ... A: Fairy shrimp can live in fresh or saltwater and there are many species of fairy shrimp in Western ...
pregnant fish	4/16/2009
Q: i have 2 angelfish,they seem to be kissing alot,lol,and hanging round the pump,1 of the fish does ... A: Angels kissing. LOL. Actually that can be a courtship behavior among a pair. In other cases it can ...
Goldfish dying suddenly	4/16/2009
Q: I have had a two instances in the last few months where an oranda has died overnight. This happened ... A: Aww, poor Tinto, the symptoms sound very much like Septicemia which is a common problem with ...
Fish dying after water change	4/15/2009
Q: I am having trouble with my 55 gallon tank. It has the filter that hangs on the back of the tank. On ... A: I'm sorry to hear about your fish issue. :( I think the simple answer to your problem is your ...
kissing fish	4/15/2009
Q: I just got 2 kissing fish nethier of them will move. what can i do to make them happy? A: Hmm... what is their tank situation like? How long has the tank been setup? Are they the only fish ...
HELPP	4/15/2009
Q: we have recently been given a 170litre tank and have in it 3 angels 4 mickey mouse 2 loaches 3 ... A: Its possible the angels may have been fin nipped severely by one or more of their tankmates. Its ...
Goldfish dying suddenly	4/14/2009
Q: I have had a two instances in the last few months where an oranda has died overnight. This happened ... A: Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that. :( Have you tested your tap/source water? Do you always make sure to ...
Balloon ram help...	4/14/2009
Q: We've just noticed that our ballon ram isn't doing very good.. he has some kind of weird thing on ... A: Sounds like it might be fungus. Or perhaps another fish bit at him a lot. Could you attach a ...
Sick Platy!	4/14/2009
Q: I have recently started up my own ten gallon freshwater fishtank. I own a few tetras, corydoras, ... A: I do believe you have properly diagnosed your platy as having the 'dreaded' dropsy disorder. This ...
Angelfish	4/14/2009
Q: I have a 31 gallon tank with 5 angels and 2 clown loaches, the person at the pet store said there ... A: Hmm... It is always possible. I'm not sure how strong the 'fish hunting' instincts are in clown ...
cloudy fish tank	4/13/2009
Q: We have a tropical fish tank that has been established for 3 years. We have encountered a problem ... A: Plants usually don't cause problems like this. Perhaps it might be the wood leeching out dissolved ...
cloudy water and it smells	4/13/2009
Q: and my water is white cloudy and it smells bad. i have 2 Plecostomus, 1 bala shark one died today i ... A: What is it you are confused about? I will do my best to help. Cloudy water is a common occurrence ...
Angelfish	4/13/2009
Q: I have a 31 gallon tank with 5 angels and 2 clown loaches, the person at the pet store said there ... A: Well, your tank sounds like it would be definitely a 'full' tank. But I can imagine as long as water ...
severums	4/13/2009
Q: I have several gold and green severums along with 5 parrots and convict and a plecostomus in my 150 ... A: I have located a few places online that ship Rotkeils such as- ...
cloudy fish tank	4/12/2009
Q: We have a tropical fish tank that has been established for 3 years. We have encountered a problem ... A: Cloudy water problems usually signal there is an imbalance of nutrients in the water feeding the ...
my sick betta	4/12/2009
Q: Karen, I just read a question you answered on the net about constipation. I tried the mashed up pea ... A: I'm sorry to hear about your little betta. Constipation is a very common problem with bettas but ...
white alage	4/12/2009
Q: can you use a algae remover or algae eater to remove white algae. i don't know how i got it. i ... A: Sounds like the 'white algae' is the common type of aquarium fungus that develops in white sheets or ...
cloudy tank	4/12/2009
Q: IVE HAD FISH FOR 40 YEARS, ALWAYS VERY CLEAN AND CLEAR,BUT FOR THE PAST 4 MONTHS I HAD CLOUDY ... A: Like most cloudy water issues it is usually due to a bacterial bloom due to an imbalance and ...
Sick Pleco	4/11/2009
Q: He about 8 inches long, about a year old, and in a 30 gallon tank with a few other community fish (3 ... A: You're welcome! Good to hear is isn't pale or not eating enough. I would definitely offer ...
Sick Pleco	4/11/2009
Q: He about 8 inches long, about a year old, and in a 30 gallon tank with a few other community fish (3 ... A: Sorry to hear that... :( How does his condition look besides the scrape on his nose? Is he thin ...
Guppies	4/11/2009
Q: I have 5 female guppy and 4 males but they don't breed. I read everything on the Internet so I'm ... A: Perhaps the reason why it seems like your guppies never have babies is they actually -are- dropping ...
fish compatibility	4/11/2009
Q: I had two goldfish in a 30 gallon high tank for almost 15 years.. until they both went sideways,, ... A: It is a bit difficult to know what exactly is wrong without plenty of info about your tank and ...
bitten platy	4/10/2009
Q: Two days ago we added 2 platies to our tank of a siamese fighter, a danio, 3 minnows, 5 guppies and ... A: Sorry to hear that. I can bet that it was your Siamese Fighter that did the damage to the platy. ...
sick Platy & Pregnant Platy	4/10/2009
Q: Karen, I actually have 2 questions and they are very opposite from the other. First question, I ... A: Part of the sick platy's problem is likely due to old age because average lifespan for platies is ...
Do I need more filtration?	4/9/2009
Q: Karen, I just setup a 75 gal two weeks ago and have a canister filter (80 gal cap). My water is ... A: Oh you have a scary situation on your hands. With the tank being a new setup, the fish being big ...
golden snail	4/8/2009
Q: My daughter wants to take her golden snail to school for a day (about 7 hours) in a jar or plastic ... A: The snail will probably be OK but it depends on how careful she is with it. And if other kids would ...
Swim bladder	4/7/2009
Q: ...he is swimming face down and this has been for over a week....i think maybe the water change ... A: Have you seen him poo at all? It would be good to know if constipation is the reason he is not ...
Regarding cycling of tank	4/7/2009
Q: I have one redcap. He is very small right now. I have a 10 gallon and planning to move to a 20 ... A: Good to hear that Mike! I'm glad your redcap is doing great! Its a very good idea to feed sparingly ...
german blue ram eggs	4/7/2009
Q: .i have a 65 gallon densed planted tank with pressurized co2, built-in wet-dry filter/ phosphate ... A: Congrats on the ram spawning! ;-) The eggs may be disappearing due to the other fish. The snails ...
Do Parrotfish do well with male bettafish?	4/7/2009
Q: I have a red parrotfish. Do they do well with male bettafish? I have both in seperate tanks, but I ... A: Its possible that they could get along but it really does depend on the individual personality of ...
Green Spotted Puffer	4/6/2009
Q: Karen, I have purchased a Green Spotted Puffer about a week ago and I found him the other day at the ... A: What kind of environment is he in? What size aquarium? Brackish or freshwater? Is this tank a ...
Regarding cycling of tank	4/6/2009
Q: I have one redcap. He is very small right now. I have a 10 gallon and planning to move to a 20 ... A: Cold water tanks do take longer to cycle than the warm water which boosts the bacteria's growth. The ...
My Oscar	4/6/2009
Q: I have had my Oscar for about 3 years and lately it is looking a little sad. It will just sit in ... A: The best first thing you can do is check his water quality and take note of the ammonia, nitrite and ...
My common oscars...	4/5/2009
Q: I have three oscars, maybe 2-2.5" in a 10g tank. 1 white, 1 black, 1 orange. I've been watching them ... A: You have quite a crowd in your 10 gallon aquarium. Keeping the water quality stable and healthy will ...
Danio behaving weird	4/5/2009
Q: I have 6 Danios in a fairly new tank (the tank is 130 gallons, approx 8weeks old)and I've had the ... A: The poor little fish. I don't think its anything you have done wrong. What it sounds like to me is ...
parrotfish eggs	4/4/2009
Q: my red parrot fish just lays some eggs yesterday. this morning i notice about 100 eggs were gone. i ... A: Wow! Congrats on the eggs! It's fascinating to hear that your Parrots have spawned. I wonder if the ...
Corydoras, Zebra Danios, and PH	4/3/2009
Q: Hey! I tested my ph with drops (not the strips) and I got 8.5!!! How can I lower this to a ph where ... A: I have a high pH around my area too! Lots of fishkeepers have to deal with this. But in fact-- you ...
Swim bladder	4/3/2009
Q: ...he is swimming face down and this has been for over a week....i think maybe the water change ... A: He sounds stressed and possibly afraid. So he was only eating Dried Krill before? Hmm... that's ...
Zebra Danio and the heater	4/2/2009
Q: We have just started to set up a new tank a couple of weeks ago. We have three Zebra Danios. The ... A: I have noticed that fish sometimes do this. They may only be resting/sleeping for a moment. Often ...
Pearlscale fish with a blackmoor fish	4/2/2009
Q: I've had a pearlscale goldfish for about a month now and when she was on her own she appeared ... A: The divider was definitely a good idea! Sounds like the black moor is determined to dominate the ...
Betta Fish Possible Fin Rot	4/2/2009
Q: I have a male betta with possible fin rot. I currently have him in a 1 gallon bowl. I took him out ... A: Sounds like you should treat for fin rot for a while now just to be sure there since your little ...
Dwarf Gouramis	4/1/2009
Q: a kuhli loach and a mystery snail. My dwarf gourami male has made bubble nests several times but ... A: It might also be possible a tumor could be responsible for the bloating and I've personally seen ...
Swim bladder	4/1/2009
Q: ...he is swimming face down and this has been for over a week....i think maybe the water change ... A: Definitely sounds like a stress/swim bladder issue here. Can he still eat? Have you tried feeding ...
chiclids	4/1/2009
Q: whats the best cichlid to keep for beginners and how would they be taken care of? and also would ... A: Many of the common available cichlid species are acceptable as beginner cichlids. Some of these ...
Black Ghost Knife	4/1/2009
Q: I just bought a black ghost knife about 4 days ago and I saw his entire body for the first time ... A: It might be a skin injury, like scraping against rocks or other rough decorations. Or it might be ...
Dwarf Gouramis	3/31/2009
Q: a kuhli loach and a mystery snail. My dwarf gourami male has made bubble nests several times but ... A: Poor doll. I hope she is still hanging in there. How long has this been going on?? Did her symptoms ...
ithink my goldfish have a swim bladder diease	3/31/2009
Q: I have a total of five-2 inches gold fish living in a 1 gallon(I think)fish bowl. Well technically, ... A: I do believe your goldfish issue here is due too many fish in too small a container as you already ...
compatibility	3/31/2009
Q: i have a 55 gallon tank with two bala sharks, one being about 3inches and the other about 5 inches, ... A: There's never that guarantee that no fish in any particular grouping will cause a problem for the ...
African Cichlid	3/29/2009
Q: I have a 3 1/2" inch parrot cichlid and a 4" Jack Dempsey. today i got a 1 1/2" yellow African ... A: You've encountered a very common problem with introducing a new cichlid into a tank already housing ...
freshwater set up	3/29/2009
Q: I recently bought a 75 gallon tank. would like to set up as a fresh water tank. But this is the ... A: Congrats on the new tank! The Basic things you'll need- Tank, Stand, complete glass/plastic cover ...
Black Ghost Knife	3/29/2009
Q: I just bought a Black Ghost Knife and when its swimming in the open, it does so sideways ... A: It is normal for Black ghosts to swim oddly at times and they are quite fascinating in their ...
how 2 beta spawn	3/28/2009
Q: ya um i got them in a tank ND THERE flaring and nipping wat do i do do i wait 4 something are they ... A: Probably the best thing for you to do is read through this site on breeding bettas which will ...
Guppy breeding	3/28/2009
Q: This is my question. I have three female guppies which are extremely colorful and 1 male which has a ... A: I'm not sure if the big stores like Petco and Petsmart are willing to take homegrown fish. They ...
fancy goldfish.one scale with blood.	3/27/2009
Q: My fish has an injury. is a big scale on the side with blood beneath. I went to pet smart with a ... A: I wonder if its an injury or septicemia...which is common in fancy goldfish who pollute their tank ...
Bichir care	3/27/2009
Q: (pardon the informalities) im beginning to get a hang of the aquarium keeping hobby with a lot of ... A: Bichirs are such fascinating fish with their unusual primitive appearance and interesting behaviors. ...
Parrot vs Electric cichlid...	3/26/2009
Q: Having this to cichlids family in a same fish tanks, would bring me any problem? Coz i have 2 ... A: So you have two different pairs of fish trying to breed in the same aquarium at the same time! Big ...
fish compatibility	3/26/2009
Q: I have recently purchased a 30 gallon aquarium and I am wondering if two fantail goldfish, six ... A: While goldfish and tropical fish -can- live together. Really they aren't the best combination due to ...
Moving Convict Fry To Breeding Tank	3/25/2009
Q: Karen, I just recently bought a breeding pair of convicts and in about a months time they ... A: I have netted fry before quite easily. I do like to use a large brine shrimp net which is made of ...
breeding german blue rams	3/25/2009
Q: i have two pair of german blue rams and to my supprise i whoke up to eggs yesterday. today she ... A: German blue rams typically spawn in a cave or dig a pit in the gravel for their eggs. Up to 200 eggs ...
my african childs gills	3/24/2009
Q: i have a fish tank that has only african childs in it.i have had the same fish for 4 yrs. now my ... A: If it doesn't appear to look like fungus and is not white/stringy/whispy or fuzzy then it is ...
i have a community tank and they have ich and mouth rot what do i do	3/24/2009
Q: My first tank they have ich and im treating that,my second tank is full of swordtails and mollies ... A: The best treatment schedule I've worked out for Ich in my fish patients is- *Do daily 50% water ...
glass catfish sick	3/23/2009
Q: Along with 6 danios 2 snails and a plecostamus. One of the glass cats seemed to get white spots on ... A: Sorry to hear that. Is there any way you could test your water? Glass cats tend be very sensitive ...
tropical freshwater tank mates	3/23/2009
Q: I was told at one pet store that it was ok to mix mates. I have a 55 gallon tank set & working well ... A: I love Severums. They are so beautiful and such great cichlids. They do not commonly grow to 12 ...
cichlids	3/23/2009
Q: I am currently moving all my fish from my 20 gallon to a 110 gallon. I was considering replacing ... A: The choices are somewhat limited in a 20 gallon tank as far as cichlid species go. Mainly due to ...
algea eaters and pacu	3/21/2009
Q: My fishtank gets algea really quickly and i have to keep cleaning frequently.I have a redbellied ... A: The best way to battle algae problems is to target the source/cause. Which is typically an imbalance ...
Old fish with new fish?	3/20/2009
Q: I have 5 goldfish I've had together for about a year. The biggest may be 2-2 1/2" in diameter. My ... A: The goldfish introduction should go very well. The old/new goldfish will investigate each other for ...
upside down tetra!	3/20/2009
Q: i noticed that my tetra (sorry,i don't know the type, i got it from a friend a long time ago) is ... A: Oh gosh, sorry to hear that. Sounds like the little fish is in shock and unfortunately there is not ...
what is my fish?	3/20/2009
Q: My grandma gave me some fish today and she said that they are zebrafish but when I looked them up on ... A: Do the fish look like a species of danios? Look here- Zebra danios- ...
Stocking fish	3/19/2009
Q: one bala shark that is five inches in length, four silver dollars that are all about two inches, one ... A: A 150 or 200 gal would be perfect! Your aquarium will support the current fish for probably a few ...
Two of my Dwarf Powder Blue Gouramis just died. What happened?	3/19/2009
Q: I have a 20 gallon tank, and I've had it for about 6 to 8 weeks. We cycled the tank for a week ... A: I am so sorry to hear about your Gouramis. It could possibly be that even though you've had your ...
Stocking fish	3/18/2009
Q: one bala shark that is five inches in length, four silver dollars that are all about two inches, one ... A: Wow! I would say that for a short time you could add the clown loaches but with the group of other ...
Freshwater aquarium questions	3/18/2009
Q: I have a few questions. I've never kept any type of fish before, so I was wondering if I could have ... A: Wonderful first fish combination! I think (when your water conditions are stable) that adding a ...
Weird Oranda Disease	3/13/2009
Q: I bought an Oranda (very small red cap) the other day and established his tank with water from my ... A: They might actually be breeding 'stars'. Which are little white spots that develop on the head of ...
betta fish	3/13/2009
Q: I am new at owning fish well i just bought a betta fish and has been acting really weird like ... A: There are many things that can go wrong with fish if you are not armed with the right info. Was ...
bluegill breeding	3/12/2009
Q: i have a 20gl long with 2 filter pumps with 2 bluegill in it,1 bright (male) 1 not (female).until ... A: The lovely Bluegill! I've kept one before and he was quite a lovely pet! Interesting behavior you ...
Beta Fish Mating	3/12/2009
Q: Hey there, I have a male crowntail beta and a female crowntail beta, and I want to mate them. The ... A: Breeding bettas is always trial and error and things rarely go smoothly at first. But it is possible ...
Is my fish dying?	3/11/2009
Q: Well to start off I had got a new fish at the store and I bought it some rocks and everything, but ... A: I hope its not too late for Bubbles. :( :( Its very difficult to make a straight forward diagnoses ...
concerned	3/11/2009
Q: i have a black moore goldfish i just got it from a pet shop 3 days ago, its face looks like its ... A: It sounds like a fungal infection. Look here for perhaps a better diagnoses as well as treatment. ...
Free floating tiny dark critters in my betta fish tank	3/10/2009
Q: I have a betta fish tank that I have had for about 3 years. It's a biowheel filtration system. ... A: There are many freshwater aquarium 'pests' that can invade our aquariums. Most all are harmless ...
severe algae problem	3/8/2009
Q: we have a 125-gallon freshwater tank with less than 15 fish, mostly gouramis, mollies and a couple ... A: Severe algae problems always are a sign that your aquarium is out of balance in something. The two ...
goramis	3/7/2009
Q: can you keep several species of gourami's in a large aquarium peacefully? i have a 90 gallon and ... A: A 90-gallon should work out well for combining several gourami species. But be warned--males do ...
what types of fish mix well together?	3/6/2009
Q: I just ordered a twenty-gallon tank online, and I'm not sure what fish or how many I can keep in ... A: Mollie aggression is very common actually. I've seen both males and females become 'nippy' at ...
dying fish	3/6/2009
Q: i have a 55 gal aquarium, with: mollies, guppies, platty, 1 bottom alge eater, 2 (dont know the ... A: When you say your water tests are good. It still makes it difficult to feel comfortable enough to ...
Mexican Axolotl	3/5/2009
Q: I have a Mexican axolotl for almost a year now, when I got her she had anchor worms but I had no ... A: Unfortunately I don't have any experience with the wondrous Axolotl. And therefore, feel its best to ...
How do you make brackish water for Bumblebee gobies?	3/4/2009
Q: I've been an Aquarius for the past 17 years and I'm always looking for new challenges and lately ... A: Popeye is fluid buildup behind the eye in the fish and it is usually a reversible condition. The ...
How do you make brackish water for Bumblebee gobies?	3/4/2009
Q: I've been an Aquarius for the past 17 years and I'm always looking for new challenges and lately ... A: Hydrometers definitely help!! ;-) The issues with brackish water are: 1.) Petstores usually force ...
behaviour of 2 of my neon tetras	3/4/2009
Q: I have recently started my 1st freshwater tropical tank and i only have 6 neon tetras just now.2 of ... A: They may be trying to hold a small territory. It's a very interesting behavior I have witnessed a ...
freshwater fish water clarity	3/3/2009
Q: I have had my tank for 7 years and I have a blood parrot and two big plecosomus and recently I added ... A: There are a few things to consider here- First, we need to sort some things out. You say you tested ...
cloudy water and odor	3/3/2009
Q: I got a 10 inch red belly_6 inch iridesecent_5 inch jack dempsey_6 inch placo(algea eater) in a 4 ... A: The easiest and best solution to your problem is to do a large (50-75%) water change ASAP! I would ...
Molly Aggression	3/3/2009
Q: I just added a dalmatian molly to my five-gallon aquarium this evening. I have a very large ... A: That behavior is typical of mollies. Especially since the resident molly you already have is a male, ...
Kissing Gourami with Ich	3/3/2009
Q: I have a 10 gallon tank, only one fish, a pink kissing gourami. I had added 2 clown loaches and I ... A: You are on the right track. You just need to give more time to the treatment period. I prefer ...
Betta Illness	3/3/2009
Q: I have a MG halfmoon for about 3 months now and recently, something happened to him :( The ... A: I appreciate it cause it helps me so much more. It's possible the white strings are excessive ...
Swollen Belly on Tetra	3/2/2009
Q: I have a two year old Orange Glo-Fish Tetra. He shares a 20 gallon tank with a one year old pleco. ... A: sorry to hear that It sounds like an internal swelling problem definitely. Perhaps kidney failure ...
Fin Rot	3/2/2009
Q: I have to fish tanks that some how overnight got fin rot and all the fish died in both tanks. now in ... A: I would wait it out with your tanks instead of doing an overhaul cleaning. I don't really think it ...
Platies/Tetra	3/2/2009
Q: I have a 16 gallon tank with 4 nenon tetras and 2 platies. my question is are platies and trtras a ... A: Yes you can definitely add more fish. I would recommend you getting two more female platies for ...
green water	3/2/2009
Q: My 60 gallon tank has been green for a while and i read your previous letter to another person about ... A: "My 60 gallon tank has been green for a while and i read your previous letter to another person ...
tank start up questions	3/2/2009
Q: I was wondering if you could help clarify some things about tank start up. I have a "blood parrot" ... A: The main worry revolving around any new tank setup is the water quality issues that can occur soon ...
mysterious green fog	3/2/2009
Q: I have a 10 gal. with a few guppies. Two have died. One has remained sick with multiple symptoms. ... A: The gasping at the top is a very serious sign something is terribly wrong with the water. Its very ...
oranda goldfish	3/1/2009
Q: i have 2 ORANDA GOLDFISH FOR ABOUT A WEEK NOW AND 1 WAS ACTING FUNNY LAYING AT THE BOTTOM IN THE ... A: Its possible the goldfish may have a internal disorder. It sounds like swim bladder disorder. The ...
cichlid care and sickness	3/1/2009
Q: I have diagnosed 2 of my cichlids, one with cotton mouth and anchor worm, the other with fin rot and ... A: Could you send any pics? Anchor worm usually isn't that common in fish. However, cotton mouth does ...
Angelfish and Water Movement	3/1/2009
Q: I have a question regarding angels and water movement. In a newly acquired 55 gallon tank, I'm ... A: Yes I think you have a great idea with the powerhead redirecting and all. It should work out well! ...
Fin Rot	3/1/2009
Q: I have to fish tanks that some how overnight got fin rot and all the fish died in both tanks. now in ... A: Sorry to hear about all that. :( I think with your entire dilemma going on all revolves around the ...
Oscars	2/20/2009
Q: Hey my 30 gallon tank just finished its cycle and everything is normal, I have research for a while ... A: Well, I'm not gonna get mad or yell. ;-) I get your point about "who goes out and buys a big ol' 75 ...
Goldfish	2/20/2009
Q: I have a 20 G tank with one 2 year old Orange Fantail, one 1 year old Red and Silver head fantail, ... A: I love the name "Butters" so funny and cute! I'm wondering (going off by his symptoms) that ...
healing fins on geophagus jurupari	2/20/2009
Q: I am concerned with the injured fins on my fish. I added a fish to a tank that was the same for a ... A: Well, now it sounds like a possible fungus infection issue. I would do a big 50% water change and ...
plocastamus	2/20/2009
Q: I have a 29 gallon tank with 3 Zebra 2 Guppies 2 mickey mouse a little catfish and a 4-5" Pleco...My ... A: The behavior might be a reaction to stress. I'm thinking possibly a water quality problem. I would ...
healing fins on geophagus jurupari	2/20/2009
Q: I am concerned with the injured fins on my fish. I added a fish to a tank that was the same for a ... A: What I have noticed that while all fins can heal. Pectoral fins seem to take quite a while. Probably ...
curious on tank levels	2/19/2009
Q: I currently have 2 Red bellied pacu, a synadonis catfish, and one Pleco in a 300 gallon tank. I am ... A: Do you mean 'Nitrite' when you say nitrate? If your 'nitrate' readings are 0.2 there is nothing ...
fungus	2/19/2009
Q: I have a 50 gallon tank with 10 goldfish. I had a sucker fish that just died today. One of the ... A: I would try testing your tap water's pH to find out if your tank's pH is low due to a high level of ...
Cory Catfish eggs	2/18/2009
Q: I have a 10 gallon tank. I had 10 guppies, which I bought. All 10 died, but not before birthing 2 ... A: It is possible for female cory cats to lay eggs when there is no male present. Telling gender ...
Apple Snail Siphon	2/18/2009
Q: I bought an apple snail to pair with my betta about two days ago. I guess you would say it's a ... A: That is interesting. I've never encountered such an issue but you might be on to something about it ...
WATER PH	2/18/2009
Q: I HAVE A FRESH WATER TANK AND THE PH IS 7.6. THE FRESHWATER HIGH RANGE PH IS 8.2. THE NITRITE IS 0. ... A: Yes, your water sounds just fine. The most important things to keep check of is ammonia, nitrites, ...
New Aquarium - Fish now swimming at top	2/18/2009
Q: Karen, We had an aquarium for years, then dismantled it. Just refilled it. 24 gallons - got a ... A: Definitely sounds like an ammonia or nitrite problem. These two chemicals are common in recently ...
Fish on it's side but can swim?	2/18/2009
Q: I have a pond that USE to have koi and large comets until I had a recent raccoon invasion and we ... A: Hmmm... sounds like a swim bladder problem. It could also be a stress-reaction to poor water ...
fish diseases	2/17/2009
Q: I have pink kissing gourami which is about 3 or 4 years old. I have her in my 33 gal. tank with ... A: Connie, It's probably not gill disease. As long as the gills look nice and pink there probably isn't ...
mekong puffer	2/17/2009
Q: can I keep the mekong puffer fish with figure 8 puffer and pea puffer in my tank and any of the ... A: I don't have personal experience with Mekong Pufferfish but what I do know from reading loads about ...
Snail shell	2/17/2009
Q: Do freshwater snails shed their shells. I was told no but my sons snail in his aquarium did and is ... A: Sadly, no, when a snail looses its shell is usually dies. A normal healthy snail has a muscle ...
betta's	2/14/2009
Q: I have bought a male betta fish from wal-mart plus a new 1 gallon fish tank with new rock and the ... A: Sounds like Fungus. I think he needs a little treatment. I would go for the quite reliable "Fungus ...
Puffed out Molly	2/13/2009
Q: Hey, My brother has a tank with one sucker fish, one other fish (forgot the name) two mollys a ... A: I'm sorry to say she does have dropsy. Which is more a condition or a "symptom" of an underlying ...
Beta Fish with discolored waste	2/13/2009
Q: My son has a female Beta Fish. We have had her for about a month. For the past week she has has a ... A: Sometimes occasional poo discoloration like even stringy waste is fine. As long as it is temporary ...
New Betta	2/12/2009
Q: So I got a new betta 3 days ago. When I first got him home i floated the bag in his 1 gallon tank ... A: I'm sorry to hear that. I'm sad to say that while your sister may be innocently oblivious to it, I ...
corydoras eggs	2/12/2009
Q: my catfish laid eggs yesturday morning, I have about 110 eggs and nearly all of them are see through ... A: You can try leaving the eggs with the parents, but know there is always that chance some could get ...
algae in my tank	2/12/2009
Q: ANSWER: Hi Akhil, You have green hair algae. I've encountered this many times before and it is a ... A: Oh yes, you can certainly just remove the algae by hand. I wasn't sure if this was a planted tank or ...
guppies and mollies	2/12/2009
Q: ) now i think my Mollies are pregnant but I'm not sure and i don't want the fry to be eaten like the ... A: Surprisingly enough, whenever I breed mollies, I leave the mother fish in the main aquarium and ...
Sick Veil-tail Goldfish	2/12/2009
Q: Karen Hi. For the past 2 weeks we have been having problems with our veil-tail calico goldfish. She ... A: I'm not real familiar with the condition you described in your Veil-tail but I have some ideas. ...
Fish compatibility	2/11/2009
Q: I have a 50 gal. freshwater fish tank with 2 clown loachs, 1 pleco, 1 algea eater that is aprox. 7 ... A: While goldfish are usually absolutely 'banned' from tropical tanks I say it -is- indeed possible. In ...
algae in my tank	2/11/2009
Q: hi there is this sort of green hair in my tank and i have no idea what it is so i think it might be ... A: You have green hair algae. I've encountered this many times before and it is a real pest when it ...
Foamy Water and Floating Particles	2/11/2009
Q: My 10 gallon aquarium contains water that is a bit foamy at the top, and small, dust-like particles ... A: Foamy water is usually due to dissolved organics in the water coating any bubbles and therefore ...
lobsters and chiclids	2/11/2009
Q: i have a 40 gallon tank i want to introduce a pair of lobsters in it i allready have a morphed ... A: It is highly possible for the other fish to attack your lobster. Being cichlids, they have high ...
maintaining a good tank...	2/10/2009
Q: I have a couple questions about maintaining a good tank and also basic grouping of fish. I started ... A: Sorry to hear about the barb. :( You could definitely add more pictus and tiger barbs. There are ...
lobsters and chiclids	2/10/2009
Q: i have a 40 gallon tank i want to introduce a pair of lobsters in it i allready have a morphed ... A: I'm not sure what species of lobster you have in mind and how large he grows which would determine ...
New Fish Tank Set Up	2/10/2009
Q: I just recently purchased a 10-gallon tank, decorations, filter, and a male Betta. The woman that ... A: I don't know where the lady at the store came up with that. But that is indeed some strange advice ...
what types of fish mix well together?	2/10/2009
Q: I just ordered a twenty-gallon tank online, and I'm not sure what fish or how many I can keep in ... A: Your current fish list sounds really nice and I believe it will work out really well. Just one thing ...
gravid spot	2/10/2009
Q: do all pregnant guppies have a gravid spot by their butts A: ) What's strange is I've seen that spot appear even on females whom haven't been around males in ...
Spots on Koi	2/9/2009
Q: I'm not sure if this is something you can answer or point me in the right direction. We have a 1,000 ... A: I've consulted with the wonderful folks at KOIVET.COM and they are more than happy to help! They ...
iridescent sharks	2/9/2009
Q: I have 2 iridescent sharks and one of those sucker fishes in a 10gal tank. each are about 2 inches. ... A: Iridescent sharks can be difficult fish to keep. They are sensitive and therefore take some time to ...
Starting tank back up	2/9/2009
Q: I own a 75 Gallon tank with several slate rocks good fluval canister filter. Due to remodeling in a ... A: I'm not the most experienced with african cichlids so this website may help answer many of your ...
maintaining a good tank...	2/9/2009
Q: I have a couple questions about maintaining a good tank and also basic grouping of fish. I started ... A: Aw the poor barb. I hope he can heal ok. As for the silver tipped shark. These guys are in fact ...
what types of fish mix well together?	2/9/2009
Q: I just ordered a twenty-gallon tank online, and I'm not sure what fish or how many I can keep in ... A: It is difficult to determine how many fish can be kept in your aquarium because it does depend on ...
Water levels for different "creatures"	2/8/2009
Q: I would like to know the correct safe water levels for the following: Betas (have 1 in a 1 gal ... A: For all the aquariums- Ammonia-0 Nitrites-0 *Nitrates- 20 and below Bettas can live in varying ...
Black Moor feces color	2/8/2009
Q: I have a question about my Black Moors feces color. Lately it has been long and clear with small air ... A: Occasional feces changing color is normal. But if it remains consistent that way everyday, there may ...
Rosy Tetra	2/8/2009
Q: I have looked everywhere on the Internet but can't seem to get any information on my fish. I have ... A: Many species of tetras such as Rosies, will become pregnant or 'gravid' with eggs frequently. It's ...
Mollies and guppies dying	2/8/2009
Q: We have a freshwater tank with a community of mollies, guppies, and tetras. Since we changed the ... A: Could the white spots be ick? If it appears as if the fish have been sprinkled with salt, that may ...
Sick severum	2/8/2009
Q: I have a juv green severum that was light colored with dark stripes. he was very active until today. ... A: You mention that all your water levels are within range, but many times what people think is OK is ...
very small "something" crawling or floating	2/7/2009
Q: I have hundreds of little, almost microscopic, circular "things" floating or crawling around in the ... A: What you are seeing is very common. They might be Planaria or Nematodes. Or perhaps even Copepods. ...
Female Bettas with Ick	2/7/2009
Q: I have a ten gallon tank is a heater and a filter. I use betta water conditioner. I had one betta ... A: Ick must go through a process until it can actually be gotten rid of. The parasites live on the fish ...
I need IMMEDIATE help - added cichlids to an uncycled tank!	2/7/2009
Q: Okay - I was given a new aquarium (with a plecostomus catfish which will be leaving my care ... A: Yes you can definitely "seed" your new filter with bacteria from your old established filter. Taking ...
I need IMMEDIATE help - added cichlids to an uncycled tank!	2/6/2009
Q: Okay - I was given a new aquarium (with a plecostomus catfish which will be leaving my care ... A: Well, I hope this hasn't come too late for you. And I hope you haven't encountered any issues yet. ...
goldfish are not swimming around	2/6/2009
Q: My son and I have just gotten into fish so we bought some fish from petsmart. Anyway, 2 comets and ... A: I think your problem is simply being the aquarium hasn't had a chance to establish or "Cycle" yet. ...
bettas	2/6/2009
Q: i was wondering about getting a Betta for my fish tank and i have no idea if the Betta is compatible ... A: Bettas can get along with guppies. It does depend upon the individual personality of the betta. Some ...
newts or salamanders	2/5/2009
Q: I have a 10 gallon tank that has live plants in it, a couple of african dwarf frogs and some bumble ... A: There are in fact several species of fully-aquatic newts/salamanders. The first one that comes to ...
transferring fish to larger tank	2/5/2009
Q: I want to transfer my fish from my 29 gallon tank to my 40 gallon tank. I currently have a 6" pleco, ... A: Is there a way you could hold off moving your fish for several weeks? I say this because I've ...
shark	2/5/2009
Q: My daughter wants to buy her friend a shark for his ten gallon tank. I know he has a few fish in ... A: Red-tail black sharks are indeed beautiful fish. They usually get along with most community species ...
little gnat looking bugs	2/4/2009
Q: I have had freshwater aquariums all my life ranging from cyclids to angels to guppies and anything ... A: There are many types of "pests" that can get into our aquariums and although it may be alarming to ...
Warts(?) on angel fish's mouth	2/4/2009
Q: About 6 weeks ago I noticed one of my two angel fish's mouth looked swollen. Now it has developed ... A: Although I've never encountered this condition before, it sounds like a lip fibroma, which is known ...
black moor with fungus	2/3/2009
Q: I have one black moor in a small tank (2g) in my daughter's room. It has an undergravel filter. I ... A: You are definitely on the right track about toxins building up in the tank. And you are definitely ...
catfish	2/3/2009
Q: three sharks,koi,zebras,angels and others. my question is the catfish is not eating and we've had ... A: Oh, sounds like Pictus catfish and Raphael catfish you have there. Look here to confirm- Pictus ...
red tail finned shark	2/3/2009
Q: has one cloudy eye and appears to have scales missing. all other fish in tank look finel A: Cloudy eye is usually environmentally related. It can be a bacterial infection but I would ...
catfish	2/2/2009
Q: three sharks,koi,zebras,angels and others. my question is the catfish is not eating and we've had ... A: What species of catfish is he? Perhaps a pleco? Or suckermouth catfish? If so, these fellas often ...
Koi fish	2/2/2009
Q: We have 20 gallon fresh water acquarium with 3 koi fish of 3 inch, we did 50% of water change after ... A: That is difficult to say because I'm not sure what routine you went through with your water change ...
my fish are dying ..	2/2/2009
Q: I bought 4 new cory cats a week ago. Last night I added them in. 2 of them died within a few hours. ... A: I'm sorry to hear the bad news. Cycling means establishing special beneficial bacteria in your ...
Starting up a new tank	2/1/2009
Q: I'm buying a 301818 aquarium and this is my stocking scheme Red phantom tetra x7 Black phantom ... A: It might not be good to push the fish numbers too far depending upon how well you monitor your ...
my fish are dying ..	2/1/2009
Q: I bought 4 new cory cats a week ago. Last night I added them in. 2 of them died within a few hours. ... A: One thing I think I failed to mention was when cleaning your tank, try not to do a 100% complete ...
my fish are dying ..	2/1/2009
Q: I bought 4 new cory cats a week ago. Last night I added them in. 2 of them died within a few hours. ... A: No, it is not weird to be crying over the loss of your fish. They do become beloved pets just like ...
Newbie Goldfish Issues	1/31/2009
Q: Ok, so this question is actually several questions so forgive me for that. Also, I know that we (my ... A: You have a lot of trouble with your tank but fortunately there are solutions to each problem and ...
Starting up a new tank	1/31/2009
Q: I'm buying a 301818 aquarium and this is my stocking scheme Red phantom tetra x7 Black phantom ... A: I don't think you are overstocked at all and I'm impressed at your selection of species, their ...
cobwebs in new tank	1/31/2009
Q: I have a 6 gal eclipse tank with filter and biowheel, light and heater. Our first three guppies ... A: Hmm...Sounds like something I've encountered a few times before in my aquariums. It is likely a ...
best food for cichild	1/30/2009
Q: whats the best food to feed all cichlids A: That is difficult to specifically determine because there are thousands of cichlid species and some ...
Golden snails	1/30/2009
Q: I have recently placed some Golden snails in my fish pond and have noticed some unusaul clumps of ... A: They definitely sound like snail eggs! Here is a picture- ...
sand/aeration	1/30/2009
Q: Is an air wand recommended for use under sand substrate or should we use an air stone above the ... A: It's not necessary to have to use a bubbling device under the sand as long as you keep the sand ...
fish stock	1/29/2009
Q: 4 black widow tetras 4 balloon mollies 1 rainbow fish 1 bristlenose pleco and how would you get ... A: I think your current fish stocking list is just fine for your 60 litre tank. As for the pH, don't ...
Stressed Fish?	1/29/2009
Q: We have a 55 gal fish tank, the fish are: one kulhi loach (no problems, never see him) 3 black skirt ... A: Unfortunately, gouramis often become aggressive, especially towards their own kind or other species ...
angelfish refusing all foods	1/29/2009
Q: I have a 37 gal tall biowheel tank set up 6 months ago with an African butterfly fish and 5 corys. ... A: How is the angel's appearance? Does he had good color and fully spread fins? Does he behave in a ...
Black Moor Goldfish Disease	1/28/2009
Q: I have had my Black Moor for about a month now. He is in a tank with three other goldfish, but he ... A: You're right it doesn't sound like swim bladder disease. More like a skin/fin condition. It's ...
Dwarf gourami	1/28/2009
Q: I have a 10 gal tank that is 1.5 yrs old. My oldes fish is a dwarf gourami. in addition, my tank ... A: Oh I'm sorry, it sounds like your gourami has dropsy. A condition where the body swells with fluid ...
Ick treatments	1/27/2009
Q: I have to thank you in advance as you have helped me with a few questions in the past and I always ... A: It's probably best if you did treat at half strength for your tetras. I looked up the medication and ...
Sick fish?	1/27/2009
Q: While doing a 50 % water change I noticed some of my fish have discoloration and appear to have ... A: Hey Graeme, I suspect its possible they might be sickly from deteriorating water quality (too high ...
fish compatability	1/27/2009
Q: I am looking to add new fishes to my collection. I currently have a 30 gallon with 4 female betta ... A: No your aquarium doesn't seem overcrowded at all. Your female bettas and cories are compatible with ...
paradise fish	1/25/2009
Q: 2 Odessa barbs, 2 neon rainbow fish, 3 gold barbs, 2 gold marble balloon Mollies and a bristle nose ... A: No problem... Sounds good! A quarantine tank is never a bad idea and can be a real relief when you ...
help	1/25/2009
Q: akhil A: The mollies were just scared or sleeping when you switched the light on. Breeding behavior usually ...
swordtail and guppy fry	1/24/2009
Q: well i have swordtail and guppy fry and they are 18 days old and my swordtail fry are 14 days old ... A: Well, it depends on the amount of fry you have and the size of the tank. And it depends on the ...
paradise fish	1/24/2009
Q: 2 Odessa barbs, 2 neon rainbow fish, 3 gold barbs, 2 gold marble balloon Mollies and a bristle nose ... A: Well, I'm not sure what size tank you have at the moment... But if its at least 15-20 gallon a ...
cycling goldfish tank	1/24/2009
Q: I have two baby ryukins (about 2.5 inches each) in my 20 gallon tank. I have had this tank running ... A: Ammonia at any level is never good for any fish as you know. The best thing you can do is pretty ...
goldfish care	1/23/2009
Q: Three days ago, i found transparent white egg-like things in my goldfish tank. i put them in a ... A: Sounds like you have goldfish eggs for sure! It's possible that the lifeless fish are young fry that ...
trouble regulating water temp.	1/23/2009
Q: I am having trouble keeping my tank at the right temp. I have a 100w rena cal top light heater in a ... A: Sounds like you have a powerful heater. Or maybe just an unreliable one. I've run into many of those ...
Catfish eggs??	1/22/2009
Q: Ok so my roommate and I bought 2 catfish from Wal-mart this past Saturday night. We set up the tank ... A: It sounds like you have Pictus Catfish. Unfortunately there haven't been any instances of pictus ...
Algae keeps dying in freshwater tank!!	1/22/2009
Q: My husband and I recently started a community tank, we used to have goldfish in the tank but they ... A: I'm sorry to hear that. Plecos in general, are quite hardy fish. But one must keep in mind that ...
my black moore	1/22/2009
Q: Do the female moores have two differnt holes one for the eggs and one for the waste, and will the ... A: There is only one exit for waste and eggs. Likely, if courtship has begin between a male and female, ...
Platy Fry	1/21/2009
Q: my platy just gave babies and I would like to know what to do next, i.e. what to feed them, where to ... A: Congrats on the platy fry! You are on the right track with them so far. Crushed/powdered flake ...
Barbs Fighting	1/21/2009
Q: D I've recently bought 12 barbs (2 normal tiger barbs, 8 albino tiger barbs and 2 tinfoil barbs) ... A: Wow! What a school of barbs you have there. The behavior you are seeing within your mixed group is ...
Angel fish	1/20/2009
Q: I would just like to ask, i have 2 angelfish, they young, but im having a problem, they seem to be ... A: If they are new, the angels may need more time to adjust to the tank. And being that they are young, ...
Maybe moving too fast?	1/20/2009
Q: I am new to this website and the aquarium hobby. I got a 10 gallon starter kit from a local pet ... A: Ok, Sorry. I wasn't sure whether or not you were familiar with that. Cycling just means ...
mexican walkingfish	1/20/2009
Q: my betta fish is blue, but just recently the skin and fin at the dorsal area has lost its colour. ... A: You're welcome! Does your Mexican Walking fish (axolotl) have lice right now? I've personally never ...
keeping my tank clean	1/19/2009
Q: I was hoping you might be able to tell me if I have a 30 gallon tank and one African Cichlid and I ... A: The amount of maintenance you do to sand somewhat depends upon the depth of sand. Logically, of ...
Used aquarium set up	1/19/2009
Q: I have a 30 gallon tank that was given to me. I brought it home and cleaned it inside and out. ... A: Sounds like you the ever too common ammonia issue almost guaranteed with all new setups. I can ...
caeruleus cichlids breeding	1/18/2009
Q: We have noticed today that two of our cichlids have paired up and are preparing a "cave" by removing ... A: Typically brooding time is about 20 days or so, give or take. Sometimes it is a bit longer, just ...
angelfish	1/18/2009
Q: i have 4 angel fish,the oldest is about 3 inches and has been laying on the bottom for a couple ... A: Does he appear to have trouble when he tries to swim? Like he struggles to get up and if he stops ...
BETTA FISH IS SICK	1/17/2009
Q: I have a male betta fish and he has been sick for about 1 week. He will not eat and he stays at the ... A: Sounds like he has swim bladder disorder. The swim bladder is a special organ that controls the ...
betta fish	1/17/2009
Q: my betta fish is blue, but just recently the skin and fin at the dorsal area has lost its colour. ... A: Good deal on starting the treatment. The tiny grayish heaps -might- be dust particles mixed with ...
Maybe moving too fast?	1/17/2009
Q: I am new to this website and the aquarium hobby. I got a 10 gallon starter kit from a local pet ... A: You probably are OK where you are at now. Just monitor your neons and guppies behavior for any ...
Sick Dutch Ram	1/16/2009
Q: I have had a pair of Dutch Rams for around a week and they have been fine until a partial water ... A: Its possible the new water may have had a different pH level than your aquarium's...Especially if ...
Freshwater aquarium-catfish	1/16/2009
Q: I have had a catfish for quite a long time and it has been a nice brown color, I noticed today that ... A: Interesting catfish! I don't know what species he is so I can't really say what is normal for him ...
MY BETTA HAS STOPPED EATING	1/16/2009
Q: We have had a blue Male Betta for 3 months now, and he has been a hoot up to about two days ago. He ... A: Sometimes its difficult to diagnose fish that stop eating. But there definitely must be some ...
my tropical fish	1/15/2009
Q: n added fish prob 2 weeks ago,a variety of tropical fish.i lost one the first day or two n the rest ... A: Sorry for the delayed reply. My internet completely went out for days and I just got it back today ...
betta fish	1/15/2009
Q: my betta fish is blue, but just recently the skin and fin at the dorsal area has lost its colour. ... A: Bettafix tends to not be the best treatment for suspected infections. It is more effective as a fin ...
rocks in a fresk water tank	1/15/2009
Q: I just set up my fresh water tank. I want to put some rocks in it that I got out of Puget Sound, ... A: Boiling, rinsing and scrubbing should be pretty effective to remove residues from the rocks. I've ...
my tropical fish	1/14/2009
Q: n added fish prob 2 weeks ago,a variety of tropical fish.i lost one the first day or two n the rest ... A: I'm doing great thank you! Hope you are the same... I think your problem here is the most common ...
goldfish and breeding	1/14/2009
Q: I bought 2- 25 cent orange goldfish five years ago for my daughter on her birthday. they are now ... A: Wow, It is incredible how easy your goldfish are breeding. And its a wonder why the goldfish don't ...
plecos	1/14/2009
Q: Will fungus clear hurt the plecos the platies keep scratching on the plastic plants. no spots but i ... A: This is off-subject really of your main question but truthfully you shouldn't medicate your fish ...
Veil Tail Betta-Gray Patches?	1/13/2009
Q: My betta (Remy-Veil tail betta), is about 4 inches long and I got him from LFS about 6 months ago. ... A: Its possible he may be getting on there in his age. In otherwords, he might -be- past his prime ...
Firemouth Cichlids	1/13/2009
Q: My two Firemouths both males were doing fine the first 3 weeks i got them. But now the larger one ... A: The food you are feeding might be too tough (pellets) for them or they may just not like it. Have ...
my oscar	1/13/2009
Q: i just got a brand new oscar his name is pack man and i just got him small about 3-4 inches or ... A: Pack man is exhibiting typical Oscar behavior which is typically of these creatures when they are ...
eye infection / injury	1/10/2009
Q: I just got a Coral Beauty a few days ago to add to our saltwater tank. It's a 2 gallon tank and I ... A: I hate to say this. But I don't have any experience with saltwater aquaria. I can say that puffed ...
angelfish compatibility	1/9/2009
Q: I have a 80gallon tank with 25" depth. I bought 6 angelfish for it. Can you suggest other fish that ... A: You can add a rainbow shark. But I would be leery of adding more than one shark per tank because ...
Pink Gourami	1/9/2009
Q: My pink gourami, which I've had since May 1988, is just sitting and hiding in corners of the tank, ... A: Wow, Twenty years. That is honestly just mind blowing. That gourami had an awesome owner and its ...
white discoloration under skin in a guppie	1/9/2009
Q: Is this dangerous for my system? I took the fish out immediately . I observed the guppy for a ... A: Its very difficult to determine or diagnose what might be wrong with your guppy since I can't see ...
my pleck	1/8/2009
Q: where his tail meets his body it is white and going into hole as all the skin/scales are coming off, ... A: Please send that photo if at all possible! That would definitely help. It's possible your poor ...
Cycle	1/8/2009
Q: I have had my aqaurium for 12 weeks now and still having trouble with ammonia Levels. I have been ... A: It's possible there may be something wrong with your biofilter (beneficial bacteria) but honestly ...
frogs and goldfish	1/8/2009
Q: Wondering how big an how long it takes an african albino clawed frog gets when it is full grown. ... A: African Clawed frogs typically grow to about 4-6 inches and most are full grown within a year or so ...
neon tetra tail rot	1/7/2009
Q: one of my tetras has discolored tail. The tail is a fleshy white color with black spots on the lower ... A: Unfortunately, this sounds like neon tetra disease. A condition which causes multiple symptoms ...
Biowheel question	1/7/2009
Q: My tank is a new set-up, about 6 weeks. I moved my mollies (2 adults, 12 fry) from a 30Hex to a 30L. ... A: Sounds like your new tank needs some time to get established. Yes, If the biowheels dried out then ...
Pink Gourami	1/7/2009
Q: My pink gourami, which I've had since May 1988, is just sitting and hiding in corners of the tank, ... A: Oh the poor fella! He probably is slowing down a lot from old age. What a wonderful owner you must ...
RO DI system not helping to reduce PH	1/6/2009
Q: I’ve a discus tank and few days ago I bought a brand New RO+DI system. It works perfectly in ... A: I've never used a RO + DI system so I don't feel like the best person here to advise you on that. ...
water temp and light bub	1/6/2009
Q: I recently purchased a crowntail betta about three days ago for my sister. One of the primary ... A: I've never used Halogen light bulbs but I can say that since they are a very focused "spot-light" ...
guppies EMERGENCY	1/6/2009
Q: "Hi I have two female guppies and two males Both Females look pregnant and one is a little bigger ... A: I'm sorry to have gotten back so late. But I don't think this is a case of emergency, so don't ...
ammonia?	1/3/2009
Q: I have a 120 Litre tropical tank which I have had running successfully for about 3 years. At present ... A: Hmm... I think probably the best thing for you to do is test your water. Or have it tested for ...
white fungus/ich	1/3/2009
Q: I lost a gourami yesterday and looks like i might loose another soon to this stuff... it starts out ... A: Unless the tubifex worms were live then I don't think they could be the problem. Sounds like you ...
Goldfish fin bent	1/2/2009
Q: like 2 months ago i bought a ryukin goldfish really small, it was perfect but when i got home and i ... A: I think you will just have to wait and see what happens with his fin because there is really nothing ...
Sick Betta	1/2/2009
Q: My betta fish is not able so swim to the top of his tank. He is also always on the bottom of his ... A: Sounds like he definitely has swim bladder disorder. The swim bladder is an organ that controls the ...
Betta going to the top for air very frequently	1/1/2009
Q: My 6mo old betta who has been in a 1 gal mini-bow since I got him, is going to the top of the tank ... A: I'm not entirely sure of what causes this behavior of excessive air gulping in bettas. It most ...
Cichlids?	1/1/2009
Q: stock: 2 female 1 male kenyi 1 female is beat up such all missing fins and scales 1 yellow lab 2 ... A: Seems like you have the typical cichlid tank scenario of beat up fish and chaos! I'll go ahead and ...
Red tail sharks	1/1/2009
Q: It doesn't move much. It stays near it's cave and moves its fins and tail. Recently I put it in ... A: Red-tailed Sharks are territorial fish and I think they tend to simply become relatively inactive ...
plecos	12/31/2008
Q: i just got a tank and we have a pleco that is always hiding, what are some common ways that we can ... A: Well, its normal for plecos to hide quite a bit, especially when recently added to a new ...
Goldfish!	12/31/2008
Q: I'm going to buy goldfish on my 13th B-Day in 10 months so I have a lot of time to research and I ... A: What a great b.day gift! Exciting! Answer to question number 1. Goldfish do enjoy most all types ...
my bettas	12/31/2008
Q: i have two male bettas despite what everyone says they get along neither has attacked or hurt each ... A: I think I would separate your males. Sooner or later they will fight if they haven't tried to ...
Why is my goldfish dying within minutes...	12/30/2008
Q: I bought a goldfish about a year and a half ago... and he survived in the bowl for that long... I ... A: There are many things that could be happening to your goldfish and it all revolves around the ...
heat???	12/30/2008
Q: I know this is not your expertise, but do you know anything about ponds? I have a 50 gallon pond ... A: I've never had to heat my pond which I've had for many years now and I'm curious what species you ...
algae problem	12/30/2008
Q: they are semi aggerive fish, and one more thing what should my pH, gH, and kH be? A: There are many types of algae such as brown algae, red algae, green algae, and many forms that algae ...
goldfish (kamakaze)	12/29/2008
Q: i have a tank with 3 "goldfish" in it, about 1-2 weeks ago one of my fish managed to jump out of the ... A: Wow, what a adventure your goldfish had! Lucky you found him in time! Sounds like he could have a ...
Beta, turned white over 95%,listless	12/29/2008
Q: New fish owner. Just noticed formerly red Beta fish is now 95% covered in white slightly fuzzy ... A: Sorry to hear about that. Sounds like your betta definitely has fungus such as a Columnaris ...
Can mulitple Bala sharks work in a 55 gallon?	12/29/2008
Q: I am a beginner who just got a 55 gallon aquarium setup for Christmas. I'm really excited as I've ... A: Congrats on the new aquarium!! And cheers for doing research too! You are doing a great deed by ...
Ich	12/23/2008
Q: Ok so i have a 10 gallon tank set up for 2 years and had no problems with so many fish, 12 to be ... A: Sounds like you are doing the right thing, just some things I'd like to point out. *Try to make ...
Tropical Freshwater Tank	12/22/2008
Q: I have a few questions. I just got a fish tank recently, it's a fourteen gallon tank. I had it ... A: It is true that many new tanks become cloudy when fish are first added. This is due to the tank ...
Mean Crawfish	12/22/2008
Q: We have a newly set up aquarium and we have 2 koi, an oscar, and a few crawfish. The biggest ... A: It is very likely your Crawfish are being territorial and are also seizing any opportunity to snag a ...
why fish go upside down	12/22/2008
Q: Sir, One of fish in my auarium found ( kissinggour ) is floating a side , when we touch that it ... A: What you are seeing with the first fish is a very common condition called Swim bladder disorder. ...
in4	12/19/2008
Q: Q1 can u please tell me what things are really necessary for an aquarium and which are un necessary ... A: Keeping an aquarium is not always cheap unfortunately. The very basic needs of most tropical fish ...
fish acting strange	12/19/2008
Q: my mollie has been sitting at the bottom of the tank now for about a week or more. i'm amazed he's ... A: Hmm..that's a bit difficult to diagnose the problem. It sounds like he might be stressed or even ...
popeye and melafix	12/19/2008
Q: I have a 20 gallon aquarium with fake and live plants with 6 Corys, 4 guppies, 10 harlequin ... A: Popeye is often triggered by poor environmental triggers like poor water conditions. It can often be ...
BOTTOM	12/18/2008
Q: WHAT ELSE CAN I USE FOR AQUARIUM BOTTOM INSTEAD OF GRAVEL IS THERE ANY OTHER OPTION. ESPECIALLY FOR ... A: You can use sand. There are many types of sands available in most cases. You might even could go to ...
guidance	12/18/2008
Q: hy,my i am from mumbai,i'm very fond of keeping goldfish but the problem is they don't live much ... A: Sorry to hear about the trouble you have been having. I think the problem here is just a simple ...
Fugu Pufferfish	12/17/2008
Q: i just bought my beautiful Fugu this afternoon,i dripped acclimated him for about 45 minutes, as ... A: What a interesting tank you have. But unfortunately I don't have much experience in saltwater tanks ...
Angel Fish	12/16/2008
Q: Recently set up a tank with a few starter fish and Angels of various sizes. I noticed my heater had ... A: It may not be the temperature drop but more likely a combination of both too low temperature -and- ...
switching tanks	12/16/2008
Q: My granddaughter has a 24 gallon aquapod saltwater aquarium and she is having a really hard time ... A: Sorry to hear the trouble. You can definitely convert the saltwater tank into a freshwater. ...
Guppies	12/16/2008
Q: Well, I bought two female guppies at the pet store just a few days ago and then I looked up online ... A: I'm sure you will be having fry very soon! Female guppies are almost always pregnant! It takes them ...
55 Gallon tank filter	12/15/2008
Q: I am getting a 55 gallon tank setup... Right now i have a 10 gallon and the fish are starting to ... A: In my experience, the best filters tend to be those of the hang on the back type box filters. These ...
Turtles	12/15/2008
Q: I want to ask that I have a Turtle(not a terrestial one)In my aquarium and I have arranged a ... A: That's difficult to determine. Do you know the species of your aquatic turtle? Perhaps it has a ...
Filtration	12/15/2008
Q: I was just wondering i have a 325 Litre tank which is not setup just yet. Im thinking about ... A: You're welcome! The frequency of changing the filter media varies. It depends upon your bio-load ...
Can you identify my fish?	12/14/2008
Q: I took in a fish from a child at my daughter's school. The fish was no longer desired by the ... A: It's a Pink Kissing gourami. See here- ...
Filtration	12/14/2008
Q: I was just wondering i have a 325 Litre tank which is not setup just yet. Im thinking about ... A: That sounds like excellent filtration for your tank and eventual two oscars. Either one would work ...
blackfin sharks	12/14/2008
Q: i have recently bought my boyfriend 3 blackfin sharks we live in alaska and havent found any one ... A: these shark catfish are in fact a species that thrives best in salty or "brackish water" which is a ...
platy	12/13/2008
Q: hi well my platie is pregnant but I'm worried will she have babies soon she is super huge like it ... A: While its very possible that she is pregnant. Its sadly possible that she may also be sick. A kidney ...
Fish Compatibility	12/13/2008
Q: I have a 75 gallon tank and I have a loose plan of what to put in it. I was planning on a large ... A: That sounds like a great idea and it'd be a beautiful display with those large schools of fish. All ...
Sick Shubunkin	12/13/2008
Q: I've had three shubunkins for quite a while now, but today I noticed that one of them had what ... A: Poor KJ, I hope he gets well soon. With the water change trouble you had. It may have been due to ...
Fungus in my goldfish	12/12/2008
Q: I am have the following fishes in my acqaurium 1. 2 pairs of gold ( 2 small one , 2 big one) 2. 1 ... A: Fungus can often take a while to treat. To be successful you should be doing these things- ...
Sick Shubunkin	12/12/2008
Q: I've had three shubunkins for quite a while now, but today I noticed that one of them had what ... A: If the picture doesn't look the same as your fish. A red clump/blotch rather than streaks its always ...
Sick Shubunkin	12/12/2008
Q: I've had three shubunkins for quite a while now, but today I noticed that one of them had what ... A: I'm pretty sure your Shubunkin has Septicemia. Follow this link which has info and pictures to make ...
Sick Platy...help!	12/11/2008
Q: We are homeschoolers who just got a new 10 gal aquarium. We took this very seriously and learned how ... A: Nice to hear from you and your fish adventures again! I'll try my best to help. The flaky skin is ...
green worms and flies in fish tank	12/11/2008
Q: I have a 46 gal. freshwater tank. I have had the tank for about 1.5 years and recently moved to ... A: I've honestly never encountered such a thing. I'm not sure exactly what kind of insect they are but ...
Compatibility issue	12/11/2008
Q: I have 45 gallon tank with following species. Silver Dollar - 4 Silver Shark (Bala Shark) - 4 Rosy ... A: My personal experience with beautiful Tinfoil barbs after having kept them for years myself I have ...
Pink Kissers Gourami	12/10/2008
Q: I was given a pair of pink kissers and I have them in a separate 20 gl tank until they simmer down, ... A: Pink kissing gouramis do have a tendency to be fearful and since they are in a new environment this ...
betta breeding trouble	12/9/2008
Q: so question to you is how do i know if the male bettas bubblenest if as big as it needs to be it ... A: Bubblenest sizes can vary of course. But a good estimate would be as long as the nest itself is ...
Starting a tank	12/9/2008
Q: We would like to start up a 20 to 50 gal. fish tank and would like to know what type of filtration ... A: A Canister filter would be perfectly fine. Just the work that is involved to clean the filter is a ...
Sick gourami?	12/9/2008
Q: I have a 10 gal tank. 4 rasboras, 1 large goldfish, 2 male gouramis, 2 rasboras, 2 female guppies ... A: The behavior you described is one I have definitely seen before in gouramis, particularly in blues. ...
Round 'bugs' in my gravel	12/6/2008
Q: I have a 10 gallon with plastic plants, 2 platies, 3 zebra danio and a chinese algae eater. I do ... A: They sound like Copepodes. There are many types of pests that can get into your aquarium fortunately ...
Starting a tank	12/5/2008
Q: We would like to start up a 20 to 50 gal. fish tank and would like to know what type of filtration ... A: I use and believe that hang on the back type power filters are one of the best filtration methods ...
Freshwater 55 Gallon Corner Tank	12/5/2008
Q: I have read that the wet dry filtration is one of the best, aside from some nitrate build up, which ... A: Honestly, I've always used large hang-on-the-back type power filters for all my aquariums. All the ...
injured fantail guppy	12/4/2008
Q: one of my fantail guppies appears to have some of its tail missing. He is now hovering right at the ... A: Sounds like he is indeed injured and stressed. I would do a 30-50% water change and make sure the ...
tank stocking	12/4/2008
Q: what is the maximum number of sa cichlids i can put in either a 100 or 125 gal tank.ie;oscars,jack ... A: The problem here is it might be best if you decided on the species. For example, if you wanted Jack ...
Plants with goldfish	12/4/2008
Q: I have a 5gal. tank with a oranda and lionhead in it. I heard that they like to have plants in their ... A: Goldfish do mind fake plants. But they really enjoy live plants. They love to nibble on them (but ...
freshwater tank	12/3/2008
Q: What do you think of this arrangement for a 30 gallon tank: 2x angelfish 6x tetras 1x ram cichlid ... A: Honestly that stocking scheme sounds really good. I think it will work out very well. A few more ...
Patch on angelfish	12/3/2008
Q: My Angelfish had ich and is almost okay now after treatment. There may be 1 or 2 spots left on it. ... A: You're welcome! Good to hear your angel is doing better! Angels typically aren't the most ...
Over crowding?	12/3/2008
Q: While speaking to several "Fish experts" at local store's, I have been led to believe that my ... A: While your tank honestly -is- a bit overstocked. As long as the water is kept clean and there are no ...
New freshwater fish mommy	12/2/2008
Q: This is my first freshwater aquarium. I have always had gold fish. I have had my tropical fish for ... A: Your tank is going through its "cycling" phase where it must establish beneficial bacteria on the ...
sexing blue rams	12/2/2008
Q: I have asked this before...to store keepers and on another site...each answer is different...Karen, ... A: Well, according to my book references it can be a bit tricky because individual fish vary from brood ...
Oranda Goldfish question	12/2/2008
Q: I have a quick question about my oranda goldfish. "Zippy" is a 2 year old male (as best I can tell) ... A: you're welcome! Oh, I didn't know about the septicemia. That's really common with goldfish. Their ...
Ropefish diseases	12/1/2008
Q: We have had a ropefish in our 55 gal aquarium for only a week now. I am not sure it is even eating ... A: I'm sorry to hear that. It seems common for Ropefish to get sores and other skin conditions in the ...
goldfish and oscars are DYING!	12/1/2008
Q: i have a 50 gallon fresh water tank. I have two goldfish and two Oscars. I have had them as long as ... A: Well its difficult to say exactly what happened because I'm not sure how knowledgeable your ...
Poor Ryukin!	11/30/2008
Q: I found an ad in the local classifieds for a free fancy goldfish. Having an empty tank, I went to ... A: What an unusual story and a sad one though... A goldfish in a 1 gallon bowl! :( I'm glad you were ...
bala shark	11/30/2008
Q: my bala shark has a small round rock stuck in his mouth. how can i get it out? A: Hope I hadn't gotten to you too late. My computer has had terrible internet issues. While it ...
Fish and turtle	11/30/2008
Q: I currently have an aquarium with just a couple of mollies in it. I was thinking of buying 2 turtles ... A: While its possible to keep turtles and fish together. Know that there is always that chance that the ...
Oranda Goldfish question	11/30/2008
Q: I have a quick question about my oranda goldfish. "Zippy" is a 2 year old male (as best I can tell) ... A: Sounds like you are doing a great job with Zippy and his other buddies but I do wonder about his ...
Anglefish	11/29/2008
Q: I have recently bought four angle fish. They are from our local produce store which does not usually ... A: Unfortunately there is lots to learn to keep even a simple tank of fish. Fishkeeping is often ...
Frayed Betta Fins	11/29/2008
Q: Karen, I have a 12 Gallon Eclipse system with 1 male Betta fish. The tank has been going though a ... A: I'm sorry to have gotten back so late. I've had terrible internet connection and a couple of viruses ...
Patch on angelfish	11/29/2008
Q: My Angelfish had ich and is almost okay now after treatment. There may be 1 or 2 spots left on it. ... A: I must say I am very sorry to have gotten back so late. I can explain though, I've had terrible ...
How to care and feed platy fry while away.	11/26/2008
Q: I have very urgent question. I have 7 sunset platy fry. They are about 1 and half month old. The ... A: Actually, the babies would probably be "OK" for four days without food. Since they are 1 month and a ...
Black Moor possible injury/scab?	11/26/2008
Q: I have a googly-eyed Black Moor named Sirius living alone in a 10-gallon freshwater tank with a ... A: Sounds like your black moor is just showing injuries from being trapped in the cave. Their ...
betta breeding	11/26/2008
Q: " iv been trying to mate my bettas he did it one time but it barely counted because he just took one ... A: It takes some trial and error with betta breeding. When they encounter problems when trying to ...
severum	11/25/2008
Q: 1-i have a male and female of severum about 1.5 months but they haventgot couple.what is the ... A: Sometimes Severums can be difficult to pair up at first and they need plenty of time and good care ...
Beta Size vs Tank Size	11/25/2008
Q: My beta has grown to approx 4 inches, head to tail fin (if laid flat). This, of course, is an ... A: A 5 gallon is a perfect sized tank for a betta, since it can accomodate a heater and filter! What ...
angelfish	11/25/2008
Q: I was wondering if I could get anymore fish. I was thinking about getting angelfish. Could you tell ... A: A 46 gallon is a great size for angelfish. I would recommend about 4-5 angelfish for your tank. When ...
cichlids	11/24/2008
Q: i have an electric yellow, peacock, oscar, plecostomus all in my 55 gallon and i came home recently ... A: I can't be sure if the eggs are fertile or not unfortunately. As you know Electric yellows are ...
Archer Fish	11/24/2008
Q: My Archer fish seems to be floating upside down in the middle of the tank sometimes. And it is not ... A: Poor fella. He may have internal disorders. It does indeed sound like a swim bladder problem though ...
pleco won't eat after algea treatment	11/24/2008
Q: I have a 30 gallon freshwater that just got devastated by an alga bloom treatment. It was one my ... A: Sorry to hear that. Algae bloom treatments are a risk you take with your fish. While it is somewhat ...
freshwater snails	11/24/2008
Q: I purchased 4 snails 2 blue and 2 black.I bought them on wednesday.Now they appear to be ... A: Please know they may not be dead but only in a "hibernating" state as that is the best way to ...
Fish Tank Alkalinity	11/23/2008
Q: I changed my fish tank's water yesterday and now one of my three angel fish died and another is not ... A: These type of fish deaths are tricky to immediately pinpoint because of the fact of there are many ...
Beta Size vs Tank Size	11/23/2008
Q: My beta has grown to approx 4 inches, head to tail fin (if laid flat). This, of course, is an ... A: Sounds like your betta is just slowing down from old age. The best thing you can do is give him the ...
discus death	11/23/2008
Q: I had 8 body discus(about nickle size body) in a 10 gal tank. I do a small water change every night ... A: Were you certain the water was as it should be for discus? Ammonia-0 nitrites-0 Nitrates- as low as ...
aqua tech filter	11/23/2008
Q: I have an aqua tech 3-60 tank filter. I'm trying to locate new filters. They are the black ones that ... A: Surprisingly, other people have encountered the same problem with locating the replacement for the ...
Algae?	11/22/2008
Q: I have recently discovered a light brown or rust colored substance in my small community tank. My ... A: Sounds like brown algae. It can be a sign of too many dissolved nutrients in your water and brown ...
White fuzz on fin	11/22/2008
Q: I have a new comet fish in a 20 gal. aquarium with another comet I've had in the tank for a few ... A: The petstore is correct that ich is usually never ever fuzzy and the white blob would suggest ...
Is to many bubbles in tank	11/22/2008
Q: I was wondering if you can have too many bubbles from bubblers and a underground filter system that ... A: As far as I know. The only two possible "bad things" that could occur from too many bubbling devices ...
re common pleco	11/22/2008
Q: I have got a common pleco had it for 2 weeks, couple of days ago i got another one a little smaller ... A: So you still have the original pleco and the new one has disappeared? Its very unlikely that the ...
weird bubbles...	11/21/2008
Q: hey karen~ i am taking care of my first betta fish, which i inherited about 6 months ago. i've ... A: Doesn't sound like a bubblenest to me either. I believe it is a film covering the water due to dust ...
sick goldfish, shaking, hiding, white poop	11/21/2008
Q: I have been trying to get my goldfish well. She is a 4.5" fantail in a 10 gallon tank by herself. I ... A: White poop is concerning. It can either be a sign of internal parasites but more often stress. ...
neon tetras shoaling	11/21/2008
Q: I have about 25 neons in a 4 feet tank. I no that neons will stop shoaling once they feel secure . ... A: Wow, that would be a beautiful tank. I'm sure it is incredible already with just the 25 in there. ...
Betta Fish Won't Eat	11/21/2008
Q: I recently bought a betta and I'm finding that he's not eating very much. I feed him once daily and ... A: Bettas have tiny stomachs and really do best with tiny meals about two or three times a day. I ...
tank set-up	11/20/2008
Q: I am a novice. I have a 10gal tank, which is getting too small (2 gouramies, 3 angels, 1 tetra, and ... A: Your new aquarium will need a while to get settled of course. A really good idea to help jumpstart ...
Black-Finned Shark Tank Maintenance.	11/20/2008
Q: I'm new to fishkeeping and recently bout a Betta and a black-finned shark. I was informed by the ... A: I'm sorry to say this but with the black finned shark you have been badly informed by the petstore. ...
Fish deaths	11/20/2008
Q: I am pretty new the fish-keeping business. I have a cycled 30g tank setup with 4 balloon mollies ... A: Sorry to hear that... I know you said you tested your water. Did you make sure the ammonia and ...
Paradise Fish seems unhappy	11/19/2008
Q: I have recently bought myself a small (30 Litre) biorb aquarium and have put just 2 paradise fish in ... A: Sounds like your two little fish just won't get along well. Aggression among paradise fish is ...
Re: pop eye in my oscar	11/19/2008
Q: I have an oscar that has popeye. I cant find this Maracyn or maracyn 2 that I need in time to help ... A: Not sure of you are aware of this but sometimes Popeye can correct itself if measures are taken to ...
First time fish owner and is moving	11/19/2008
Q: Sorry, I know this is long. I just want to show you where I am coming from. I just recently got a ... A: You have done a wonderful job with your betta. I'm very impressed! I think the best way for you to ...
mold	11/19/2008
Q: temperature affecting how much food will mold, can u explain this to me. A: As far as I know. Temperature tends to not be so much an important factor in how much food will ...
angelfish tank compatibility	11/18/2008
Q: I have an empty fish tank. Its water dimension is 120W x 53H x 60D cm with plants and decorations ... A: While its up to you ultimately, I can give you suggestions of course! You already have a nice ...
green water	11/18/2008
Q: My daughter has two floating turtles in an aquarium. After about a week or so the water starts to ... A: The green tint is either caused by the foods being fed or likely an algae bloom...which is common in ...
Swim Bladder	11/17/2008
Q: I think my betta fish has a swim bladder disease? I was reading some of the other questions on your ... A: Swim bladder disease/disorder is common with bettas. And it is usually due to diet problems. Such as ...
carbon dioxide in aquarium`	11/17/2008
Q: I had the hair brush algae and got rid of it with a clorox (diluted 10-1) I have nothing but ... A: Fish don't need CO2. All you really need to do is focus on maintaining good water quality ...
HELP!!!!	11/17/2008
Q: My black molly has a small brown spot on his side and is being very aggresive to a sword tail and a ... A: The brown spot sounds like natural coloration to me. If it doesn't form a bump or any odd appearance ...
Cycling an aquarium	11/17/2008
Q: I bought my 95litre aquarium about 3 weeks ago and added the Cycle chemical and left the tank settle ... A: The general rule is to do a large water change (around 30-50%) whenever your ammonia level starts to ...
More Platy Perplexing Questions!	11/15/2008
Q: Glad to hear you were homeschooled too! No wonder you are so knowledgeable! Here is where I am at. ... A: and thanks for your compliments! ;-) It may help to add more platies. You say you have two males ...
black algae?	11/14/2008
Q: I heard that the black stuff on my plants-both live and plastic- was the start of hair algae. Is ... A: Sounds like you have black hair/brush algae. Does it look similar to this? ...
GOLDFISH SICK	11/14/2008
Q: MY GOLD FISH HAS A BIG BLACK BULDGE COMING OFF HIS STOMACH. WHAT COULD THIS BE AND WHAT CAN I DO TO ... A: It's very difficult to be able to diagnose a fish with only a small description of symptoms. A ...
Infestation in tank	11/14/2008
Q: I was wondering if you could help me, by telling me how to remove a waterlilly afid infestation in ... A: Wow I've never heard of Waterlilly Aphids before. I did a little research and found that the aphids ...
White Fungi stuff on rocks in tank	11/14/2008
Q: I was searching about this white cottony stuff that suddenly appeared in the bottom of one of my ... A: The white fungus matter that will develop on rocks and other decor is most common in aquariums that ...
tropical fish	11/13/2008
Q: i hope you can help me, im currently doing a pet care course and have been asked to find out what ... A: I'll try my best! The ideal fish for an average aquarium is pretty simple. The fish should ideally ...
fish	11/13/2008
Q: 1 clown loach, 3 gourami, and bottom feeder that doesn't get that big. i have lots of fake plants, ... A: I'm not really sure what to say about the lighting since it is intended for marine setups. But it ...
sick pearlscale	11/13/2008
Q: The last week or so my pearlscale has been sluggish. I dont see any visible signs of ich or anything ... A: Poor little guy... The first thing I'd do is a 50% water change. I know you said you just did a ...
parrott and gold fish	11/13/2008
Q: are parrot fish and goldfish compatible A: While they might could live together, I'm not sure if either fish would truly thrive. Either the ...
baby neons	11/12/2008
Q: I have only two neon tetras left from my original 8, and because of my location can only be flown in ... A: Wow, that is quite an unintended accomplishment! Wow! Most aquarists never get to breed neons ...
guppy and gourami compatibilty	11/12/2008
Q: just wondering what kind of gourami woudl be suitable with guppies? i have a 40 gallon tank and ... A: Well, a dwarf gourami would be ideal. They stay small of course, are hardy and very pretty. They get ...
oscars	11/12/2008
Q: I've had these Oscars for several years now and none have ever lad eggs, now one of my oscars are ... A: This is quite sad for me to see and have to say but honestly I just went through the exact same ...
Sick Betta.. Fuzzie stuff on it	11/12/2008
Q: I just got this betta Sunday 11/9. Today he's at the botton on the rocks, with fuzzie stuff on him ... A: Poor fella. Likely it is nothing you did at all but something he already had in the developing ...
brownish water	11/11/2008
Q: I have a 55 gallon tank i have some driftwood that i have placed in the tank and the water has ... A: An easy way to get rid of the amber/brownish water that occurs from driftwood is to do extra water ...
Aquarium sand	11/11/2008
Q: I am wondering about using play sand as a substrate. I know it takes a lot of cleaning to work. I ... A: You can definitely use Play sand in your aquarium. All that's needed is to just rinse, rinse, rinse, ...
catfish	11/11/2008
Q: I am changing the scenery in my 36 gallon tank. The only fish I have left (we stupidly took in ... A: It depends on what kind of catfish this is. If it is a cory or a pleco it will probably be OK. They ...
Angelfish	11/11/2008
Q: I have a 29-30 gallon with 6 neon tetras, 3 guppies, 1 small red tail black shark, 1 Chinese algae ... A: Actually, Angelfish can thrive in a big range of pH levels and even spawn in higher pH levels. ...
serverum won't eat	11/10/2008
Q: I have a 30 gallon tank with 3 silver dollars, some tetra's and one serverum which I've had since it ... A: While some cichlids mysteriously go on a "fasting period" and sooner or later they will snap back to ...
Body slime & eye cloud	11/10/2008
Q: I asked you a question recently about my moderately unidentifiable fish, thank you for the answer on ... A: Hey Jeremy, I do agree with you on that your mystery fish does greatly resemble a dwarf cichlid, or ...
Cycling and levels	11/10/2008
Q: Hey Karen I have started a Cichlid tank i currently have 7. My question regards tank cycling, I ... A: You are doing a great job with your tank already. But I probably wouldn't use ammo chips in your ...
Angelfish	11/10/2008
Q: I have a 29-30 gallon with 6 neon tetras, 3 guppies, 1 small red tail black shark, 1 Chinese algae ... A: I think your filter is fine. Angels tend to be more docile and dislike a lot of current in their ...
fish	11/9/2008
Q: 1 clown loach, 3 gourami, and bottom feeder that doesn't get that big. i have lots of fake plants, ... A: Honestly I probably wouldn't use that water conditioner. I really don't like conditioners that ...
clown fish	11/9/2008
Q: I have a five(5) gallon aquarium and I was wondering if I could keep one single clown fish in it. No ... A: I would assume you mean a saltwater clown fish like these fellas? ...
Sick guppy	11/9/2008
Q: We got them 6 weeks ago, in perfect health. I do weekly water changes 25%, check amonnia and ph and ... A: All you can do is try your best to curb some of the aggression by providing refuges and breaking up ...
Brown algae (I think)	11/9/2008
Q: I contacted you roughly two months ago to make sure my new aquarium-- a new venture for me-- was ... A: Brown algae is a common occurrence. Sometimes we can't be sure why it appears but it does tend to ...
2nd tank set up	11/8/2008
Q: ive just bought a bigger 240ltr second tank as i realised after only a few weeks that my 1st tank is ... A: You could definitely add some of the gravel, rocks, decor into the tank to help seed it with ...
my Betta Fish!	11/8/2008
Q: I have a Beta fish named bubbles. he has been acting up for about two weeks and i don't know what ... A: Could be either swim bladder disorder which can typically characterize itself in two ways, either ...
Gill Disese?	11/8/2008
Q: I'm wondering if you could help me. I have 4 small goldfish. I noticed this morning that they all ... A: Sorry to hear that. The blood red patch could be from skin irritation or poor water quality. What I ...
Swim Bladder Disorder Question Followup	11/7/2008
Q: Karen - I have an approximately three-year old betta who appears to have a swim bladder disorder. ... A: Usually epsom salt is effective after a couple of days treatment. Unless your fish shows signs of ...
Ich	11/7/2008
Q: HELP I have a relatively new tank...just over 2 months and the sunburst platy I got had babies(now ... A: The guppies definitely brought in the ich. Which is a prime example why really all new fish should ...
Multiple diseases in betta fish?	11/7/2008
Q: I have a short-finned male betta fish, a little less than a year old. He once was an active little ... A: The swollen belly+floating sideways may be Swim-bladder disorder induced by Constipation. The white ...
Fish tank issues	11/7/2008
Q: I have a couple of questions regarding my freshwater tank set-up. 1) I have a 160L(42 gallons) ... A: The ammonia may show up still on your tests but it may not 'really' be there. I'm not sure what test ...
Sick bett fish	11/6/2008
Q: My beta fish has a dried blood worm diet only. He won't accept the pellots anymore once he had a ... A: Poor little guy. Sounds like he may have dropsy, which is a term used to describe abdomen swelling ...
scared goldfish	11/6/2008
Q: our goldfish have recently become very timid and frightened. in our tank we have 6 snails, 4 comets ... A: I'm not sure why fish behave in such odd ways. Who knows what's going on in their little brains when ...
Stay in the corner	11/6/2008
Q: Im not sure what breed the goldfish i have in the office are. But they are white and gold in color ... A: Its possible they may be sick or stressed. Most likely stressed. I would try to test their water for ...
everlasting algea bloom	11/6/2008
Q: Karen, I have been reading soooo much about the reasons and treatment of algae bloom. I can't find a ... A: I understand your frustration! I've dealt with green water many times before and very stubborn ...
My tank mates	11/6/2008
Q: I have a few questions but let me tell you a little bit about why i have the tank i have now. I am ... A: It's really a shame that petstores can never ever give the proper advice and it results in fish ...
Black molly died, fish acting strangely.	11/6/2008
Q: We have two pearl gouramis, one chinese algae eater, two red finned sharks, one goldfish, five ... A: I know you said you tested your water. But what you described all points towards a pollution ...
wild caught mollies?	11/6/2008
Q: Hey Karen, I have a quick question for you...I recently purchased 3 female chocolate mollies, they ... A: Very interesting. While most mollies are bred in fish farms I do know of a type of molly I kept a ...
Fish tank issues	11/6/2008
Q: I have a couple of questions regarding my freshwater tank set-up. 1) I have a 160L(42 gallons) ... A: While it sounds like you are doing a wonderful job with your fish already. It would be very ...
starter fish	11/5/2008
Q: I have just set up my tank and am looking for fish. How many can I start with for a 30 gallon tank. ... A: Make certain that you are aware of the importance and facts about cycling your tank and gradual ...
dwarf guarami	11/5/2008
Q: i have a dwarf guarami,which i think in my opinion is a male,he is very bloated near his upper ... A: Most likely your dwarf gourami is a male. Females are rarely sold in stores. The bloated belly ...
white water	11/5/2008
Q: 3 months ago I set up a 75l freshwater tank with aquatic soil & sand substrate heavily planted. A ... A: What kind of food is it? Pellets and some foods can fog up the water pretty bad sometimes and you ...
electric yellow sick	11/5/2008
Q: greg A: It's very difficult to diagnose any fish ailment without seeing the fish myself and a good detail on ...
swimbladder with my betta	11/5/2008
Q: i just bought one from a pet store because he was on his side in the little cup i thought he was ... A: That's so great of you to rescue that little girl. ;-) I've rescued bettas many times in the past... ...
Bloated female guppy	11/5/2008
Q: My name is Tiffany, and I have a female guppy whose stomach looks terribly wrong! It is abnormally ... A: Unfortunately aquarium salt will not have to same effects as Epsom salt. You should be able to find ...
black moore	11/5/2008
Q: my black moore, the past 2 days have been sitting at the bottom of the tank and dont move very ... A: Either the little fish is stressed by water quality/illness factors or his "bottom-sitting" is due ...
co-existing	11/2/2008
Q: Can a green spotted puffer fish and a fresh water angelfish live together in a ten gallon tank? A: I'm sorry to say they just can't. Puffers can be very nippy fish and often can't live peacefully ...
Betta Swim Bladder Disorder Question	11/2/2008
Q: Karen - I have an approximately three-year old betta who appears to have a swim bladder disorder. ... A: Since your betta is quite old, he will have a harder time recovering from illnesses and disorders. ...
why are our fish changing color????	11/2/2008
Q: that has a pleco, emerald cory cat fish, & a rainbow shark that seem to always change color on us. ... A: Its quite normal for fish to change color when the lights are out. Many fish species do this. I'm ...
oscar eating pleco's food	11/2/2008
Q: hello i have a common plecostomus and an albino oscar and more cichlids but my problem is that the ... A: I know how determined oscars can be! :) Probably the best thing for your pleco is for you to feed ...
Angelfish Courting/Fighting	11/2/2008
Q: Karen, I have a pair of golden angelfish that I have had roughly a year and a half and were ... A: Sad but true, sometimes a long-term angelfish pair will turn on one another. I'm not sure for the ...
baby snails (unknown species)	11/2/2008
Q: I have a 10 gallon aquarium with 4 platties,3 guppies,10 baby black mollies,4 neon tetras,2 snails ... A: The most common snails to get into your aquarium are Ramshorn and Trumpet snails. Do some searches ...
Blue gouramis	11/1/2008
Q: I have two blue gouramis in a tank w/ a spotted catfish and a pocustomis. Last night the smaller ... A: Could either be the spotted catfish (surprisingly enough some catfish will nip fins) or it could be ...
Several Problems	11/1/2008
Q: I have two beautiful tanks running right now. One is a 10 gallon tank with 5 Tiger Barbs, 1 Chinese ... A: The best solution to your problem is more frequent water changes, and cutting back on the amount of ...
Cloudy water in my freshwater aquarium	11/1/2008
Q: I have a 29 gallon freshwater aquarium that has been active for about 9 months. Our water has gotten ... A: Cloudy water problems are usually bacterial blooms from too much nutrients in the water. Persistent ...
Platies-first time fish owner with worried kids!	11/1/2008
Q: We are homeschoolers who just got a new 10 gal aquarium. We took this very seriously and learned how ... A: How cool is that? I was homeschooled too! You have observed some very common behavior associated ...
Tropical Fish Tank	11/1/2008
Q: I have read some of your answers to other people questions and was impressed by the amount of ... A: What you need to get is a gravel vacuum. You can find these almost anywhere there is pet supplies. ...
Freshwater fish - ghost fish	11/1/2008
Q: I have a black ghost fish. It vanished in my 40gal tank for almost a year. My 20 gal tank had some ... A: So you discovered a baby ghost knifefish? I don't mean to be a downer but that really seems ...
betta and goldfish	11/1/2008
Q: Can we put a male betta fish and goldfish in the same aquarium? thank you...lillie A: Unfortunately those two would not go together very well at all. Bettas need quiet and peaceful ...
Goldfish	10/31/2008
Q: I have been searching online for an Aquatic care center..or some kind of fish veterinarian for 2 ... A: Its difficult to diagnose any fish's condition without seeing the fish myself (any pics?) but I will ...
ill reed fish	10/31/2008
Q: I have a reed fish (8.5") he has been completely happy and healthy, until his tank mate dies. He ... A: I'm sorry to hear that. :( Perhaps the best thing to do is check your water quality first. And also ...
Trumpet snails	10/31/2008
Q: Please can you advise on how we can control Malaysian trumpet snails. My son and I have a 60 liter ... A: There are a few species of fish that can keep snails under control. Most well-known of these are ...
lethargic platies	10/31/2008
Q: I'm concerned about the two platies in my otherwise healthy, happy 20 g tank. These platies were ... A: L, The behavior you described is often called "Shimmying" and it is a behavior livebearers commonly ...
Betta Fish	10/31/2008
Q: I have a Betta fish 20 months old and when he is making a lot of bubbles he eats less. But this ... A: It's hard to know what to say about the betta's belly getting big. It could be that he was fat or it ...
Black spots	10/31/2008
Q: My Golden Dojo Loach is getting large dark brown spots on Him at first i though it might be just a ... A: As long as he is acting normal still I wouldn't bother with quarantining him. The dark brown spots ...
New additions dirtying the tank	10/31/2008
Q: I have a six week old tank, with 7 Hengli Rasboras and 4 Panda Corys. We test our water weekly and ... A: Platies can be quite the polluters.I understand what you mean you about that! Since your tank is ...
Koi	10/30/2008
Q: I just noticed that after a couple days of heavy rain that the water in my koi pond is now yellow. ... A: Hmm... Very strange. I have noticed yellow water from rain before. Usually yellow tinted water means ...
blue jack dempsey	10/30/2008
Q: i have a roma 125l tank and have 2 upside down catfish, a south american puffer, 4 tiger barbs, 3 ... A: Most likely yes. But allow for the fact that as he gets older, he 'might' want to dominate the ...
figure 8 puffer fish	10/30/2008
Q: I have a 10 gallon freshwater aquarium with live plants and an abundance of pond snails. I am ... A: Figure-eight puffers are great candidates for a "wet pet" or a species tank. If you decide to keep ...
Stocking	10/30/2008
Q: I have an 88 litre tank, planted, two filters-fluval 1 and 2. Weekly water change of 25% I ... A: More than likely your tank will be fine with the extra fish. I think you can easily and humanely get ...
fish floating upward	10/30/2008
Q: Hi we just changed our goldfishes water and one of them seems to be floating upward from tail up it ... A: Sounds like Swim bladder disorder. You can read about it here- ...
African Cichlids fish disease	10/30/2008
Q: I have 4 African cichlids in a 25 gallon tank. Recently I noticed one of them hanging around the ... A: Poor fish. The sad thing is its very hard to diagnose any fish without getting a good look at it and ...
Betta Fish	10/30/2008
Q: I have a Betta fish 20 months old and when he is making a lot of bubbles he eats less. But this ... A: This can be a hard thing to try to figure out. It's difficult to diagnose why fish behave a certain ...
Diseased catfish	10/29/2008
Q: These are wild catfish between 1 & 2 inches long and growing. I do not know the species. Their ... A: I definitely think the dark/black patches are due to ammonia burn as well as the ratty fins too. If ...
Guppy Mother	10/29/2008
Q: I recently purchased a pregnant guppy from a local aquarium store. I noticed that from the moment ... A: Many female guppies will behave "off" when they have recently given birth to babies. It may take her ...
beta and guppys	10/29/2008
Q: i have a beta can i put him in with the guppies in a 10 gallon tank i also have a 30 gal tank with ... A: Keeping guppies with a betta is "iffy" because of the male guppies' big bright colorful fins. They ...
oranda	10/29/2008
Q: We bought a small oranda for our son. It is not looking so good now. The tips of all the fins are ... A: Sounds like Ammonia burn. This is a serious situation and I'm sure your aquarium hasn't been setup ...
Dead fish	10/29/2008
Q: I fed the fish as usual last night, nothing different. We woke up this morning and 99% of our ... A: Wow I'm very sorry to hear that. I can't really think of a reasonable explanation as this is very ...
Betta care - fin rot	10/29/2008
Q: Karen! I've written before about my betta - water temperature, torn fins. You've been so helpful. ... A: Hey, Amquel+ is a great water conditioner in my opinion and it is really good for fully conditioning ...
Betta Breeding	10/29/2008
Q: I am Very new to Betta breeding!! I'm just wondering my male betta isnt blowing a net yet I know he ... A: I understand your worry being a first time breeder! I know how it feels! The little white thing is ...
temp for goldfish and tetras	10/29/2008
Q: My son won a goldfish at the fall carnival, the next day we went to the pet store and purchased a ... A: Sorry to hear about your trouble and I wish the petstore would have informed you better. All I ever ...
fish dieing one by one	10/28/2008
Q: i have a new 55 gal set up with a floval 204. it has been set up for about 4 weeks. i stocked it ... A: Sorry to hear about that.... I have a feeling it has something to do with your water quality. Poor ...
Tank water is cloudy and smells	10/28/2008
Q: A mate has leant me his old fish tank. The tank is hexangnul and is 30cm diametre and 45cm in height ... A: Definitely a water pollution problem here! Quite obvious! This is because the tank hasn't had a ...
Keeping my goldfish tank safe?	10/28/2008
Q: I inherited a 20 gallon tank from a friend with two goldfish (1 ryukin, 1 comet), and then I ... A: Well its great you upgraded and your goldfish will do fine in your 37 gallon for quite a good while. ...
Platy Behavior	10/28/2008
Q: Background: 10 gal tank heat at 76 2 diamond tetras 2 sunset platies (one now) 3 neon tetras 2 apple ... A: Sorry to hear about the dead platy. :( The behavior you described it typically of courtship or even ...
Betta care - fin rot, Part II	10/28/2008
Q: Karen! I just read one of your past responses regarding fin rot and checked out fishjunkies.com and ... A: Oh I don't know about the salt dip. It can be too stressful for fish and I've never tried it myself ...
Cloudy water/Platys	10/28/2008
Q: I seem to have a little cloudy water in my tank and was wondering what I should do about it and what ... A: Cloudy water is common especially in somewhat new tanks. Its usually due to bacterial bloom due to ...
Betta care - fin rot	10/28/2008
Q: Karen! I've written before about my betta - water temperature, torn fins. You've been so helpful. ... A: Sorry to hear about your betta. Are you certain its fin rot? Do the edges look discolored such as ...
Betta Fish	10/28/2008
Q: I have a Betta fish 20 months old and when he is making a lot of bubbles he eats less. But this ... A: There are strict rules for breeding bettas successfully. They typically cannot be kept together as a ...
white scale	10/24/2008
Q: I have a 55 gallon aquarium with 5 Cichlids. Lately I've noticed these little white places that look ... A: Perhaps the best thing to do is test your water just as a precaution first just so you'll know all ...
Tank Setups	10/24/2008
Q: Little background information on what I have. My "A" tank is a 10gal with Water Wisteria planted ... A: Please be warned, while a baby oscar -can- live in a 10 gallon. He has the potential to almost grow ...
Baby mollies	10/24/2008
Q: I purchased a dalmatian molly and two platys on a Saturday and Wednesday I noticed 3 babies.I ... A: Baby fish are so great but they sure are trouble when they get out of hand as livebearers often do. ...
Bala sharks	10/24/2008
Q: First off, allow me to thank you for lending your invaluable expertise for all of us fish lovers. ... A: Hey Jeremy, Hmm... While I know what the lady said about the pH being too high. She is honestly ...
Red parrot	10/24/2008
Q: I have a pair of red parrot fish, 4times it had layed eggs i dont know what happens thier eggs, then ... A: The unfortunate thing is Parrot fish tend to be infertile and their eggs usually never hatch. Only ...
Is my catfish pregnant?	10/24/2008
Q: I've never had fish before and we decided to buy 6 a couple of months ago, including 2 sucking ... A: Sorry to hear about the catfish you lost.... The other big-bellied one could indeed have eggs, we ...
bala shark parasite	10/24/2008
Q: I have 4 bala sharks and recently noticed that one of them had a problem with its gill and 2 of the ... A: Aww, the poor sickly bala shark. Sometimes these things happen and we can't control them and can't ...
Fresh water fish tank	10/23/2008
Q: I have both fresh water tanks and salt. I noticed all of a sudden the water on my fresh water tank ... A: Usually bubbles on the top of the water surface are caused by an excess of dissolved organics in the ...
silver dollar barb	10/23/2008
Q: My silver dollar barb that was about a year old, all of a sudden developed an enlarged,distended ... A: Sounds like an injury. If your fish is what I think he is... A Tinfoil Barb- ...
New Filter - cloudy water	10/23/2008
Q: I have my betta fish in a 2.5 gallon tank. I recently decided to add a small appropriate sized ... A: Very odd. How long has the tank been setup? If its only been a few days or a week or so then the ...
bala shark parasite	10/23/2008
Q: I have 4 bala sharks and recently noticed that one of them had a problem with its gill and 2 of the ... A: Wow, this seems like a case where the fish may not be able to fully recover. I'm sorry to have to ...
foggy water	10/23/2008
Q: I just set up my tank on Saturday night. The water turned foggy on Sunday. Is there anything I can ... A: This is a very common problem with newly setup tanks. It is either due to gravel dust which will ...
Bala sharks	10/23/2008
Q: First off, allow me to thank you for lending your invaluable expertise for all of us fish lovers. ... A: I really appreciate it. It seems like you know your fish and care for them very well! Doing a water ...
Angels/Loaches	10/23/2008
Q: I recently upgraded to a 20 gallon from a 10. I moved my 3 clown loaches, 3 neon tetras, a golden ... A: Ah, the rosy barb could indeed at least helped out with the angel fin mutilations. Rosy barbs can ...
Freshwater Aquaruim	10/22/2008
Q: I have a 35 gallon tank that previously had 3 fairly large Tinfoil Barbs in it. The fish were being ... A: So you are using bottled water? Can you just use your tap water? Seems like it'd be such a hassle to ...
Angels/Loaches	10/22/2008
Q: I recently upgraded to a 20 gallon from a 10. I moved my 3 clown loaches, 3 neon tetras, a golden ... A: Angelfish for the most part, are quite peaceful calm fish, but they can be aggressive when they want ...
Schooling fish	10/22/2008
Q: im soon to be upgrading to a bigger tank, 300L(75g), and ive just recently come to the decision that ... A: Well, lets see- Bala sharks are a good one as you know Silver dollars Barbs Larger tetras ...
New Fish Tank	10/22/2008
Q: My son has a new fish tank (3 weeks old) and it has been cloudy most of the time. I can't seem to ... A: Definitely sounds like your aquarium needs more time to get established or "cycle".... the presence ...
Rock structure in tank	10/22/2008
Q: I recently upgraded to a 45 gallon tank. I didn't place egg create underneath the gravel because I ... A: I can bet that your unknown catfish are likely a synodontis species. ;) I think this website and ...
distended abdomen on male betta	10/22/2008
Q: I have 2 male bettas & 2 female bettas. All are kept separately, in regular goldfish bowls, with ... A: Bloating in fish, especially bettas is very common but its difficult to diagnose and treat. It could ...
HELP!! mywater is turning green	10/22/2008
Q: I have 25tall tank, usually havent had to clean for 6 months then I did just last week. Then i did ... A: The green water is due to algae growth... Or an algae bloom as it is known. An excess of nutrients ...
bala shark parasite	10/21/2008
Q: I have 4 bala sharks and recently noticed that one of them had a problem with its gill and 2 of the ... A: When black spots appear on aquarium fish, its very rare that it is due to parasites. Because these ...
Sinking Betta "Spot"	10/21/2008
Q: Found your site last Wed. Cleaned his water, stopped feeding - 3 pellets a day. Tried a pea after ... A: Oh I'm sorry to hear that. The pea feeding may not be the key here now, since its obvious its not ...
milky water	10/21/2008
Q: i have had my new tank set up for about a week now and the water is very milky, is there any thing i ... A: This is very common in recently setup aquariums. While water changes will help-- your tank will need ...
pengasius	10/21/2008
Q: My pengasius is about 45cm long. We are currently shopping for a 2.5m tank. My question is why does ... A: Frozen foods will sink (if completely thawed) and I highly recommend you try some mysis shrimp, ...
Platies harassing Betta	10/21/2008
Q: Good evening, I have a 10 gallon tank which housed my betta. He was a healthy fish but seemed ... A: The situation here I believe is the male platies are indeed harassing the betta. Male platies have a ...
pufferfish	10/20/2008
Q: I recently purchased a 10 gallon tank. Only experience I have is with a 55 gallon of African ... A: Puffers are quite cool little fish... However, I don't have much experience with puffers. I can ...
pengasius	10/20/2008
Q: My pengasius is about 45cm long. We are currently shopping for a 2.5m tank. My question is why does ... A: Jolinda, Interesting! Usually Pangasius are shy and nervous fish...its unusual yours is interacting ...
Platy changing shape	10/20/2008
Q: I have had many platys over a few years, and this is a re-occuring problem I have. One starts to ... A: I've experienced this before with platies and other livebearers as well. While I'm not certain of ...
Tropical Beginner	10/20/2008
Q: I am interested in starting a tropical setup using a 30L biOrb and was hoping to include some ... A: I've never known danios to bully tetras and I've always kept these two species together perfectly ...
Crayfish tankmates	10/20/2008
Q: i have a small crayfish <2inches and i am wondering if i can place it in a tank that has 5 danios ... A: Your crayfish is so little though that I think he wouldn't be able to catch anything but maybe an ...
someone beat up my angelfish and she's almost dead	10/20/2008
Q: I have a 60 gallon tank with different types of fish. New at this, learning fast, just went through ... A: Oh my gosh poor Angelfish! There's not much you can do for her besides keep her comfortable and ...
Severum Breeding Pair	10/20/2008
Q: I have a green and gold severum in a 29 gallon tank, they used to be in my 75 but were killing off ... A: The behavior you described is very similar to what I've experienced with Angelfish parents w/ their ...
Catfish	10/19/2008
Q: I have a baby catfish (not sure what kind) that I caught dip netting at a lake in the Poconos this ... A: Interesting fish you have! Seems he does notice the lighting difference and it may take him some ...
treating ich	10/19/2008
Q: I have a 55 gallon tank. my tank has a 3" tiger oscar, a 2" albino Oscar, 3 2" jack dempsey's , a ... A: You have done a good job in treating the ick problem already. But I would recommend you to change ...
Aggressive Firemouth	10/19/2008
Q: I have recently bought a second hand tropical fish tank and all its inhabitants. Amongst them there ... A: You did the right thing with removing the aggressive firemouth. I'm afraid there is probably nothing ...
Very shy cardinal tetras and water questions	10/19/2008
Q: it's been a month that I am keeping 20 cardinal tetras on my 10g tank , but havent realize until ... A: Something must be out of balance for your tank to be a month old and still have nitrite and high ...
newborn jewel cichlids	10/19/2008
Q: I was just feeding my jewels and realised there was a whole lot of babies being protected by mummy & ... A: Congrats on the babies! From what I know I've heard that you should never remove -all- the fry from ...
Bloated female guppy	10/19/2008
Q: My name is Tiffany, and I have a female guppy whose stomach looks terribly wrong! It is abnormally ... A: Unfortunately I've personally seen female guppies get this way and I too don't think its related to ...
Crayfish tankmates	10/18/2008
Q: i have a small crayfish <2inches and i am wondering if i can place it in a tank that has 5 danios ... A: I've kept crayfish with fish plenty of times before with no trouble. Some people say they will eat ...
bettas and frogs	10/18/2008
Q: I have a 2.5 gallon tank without a filter but with a heater. I just recently moved my betta from my ... A: I've divided bettas before in a 2.5 gallon with pretty good results, just be careful no fish has any ...
Betta Fish Water Problem	10/18/2008
Q: Karen. I am very upset. I buried my betta last night. He was a beautiful blue when I brought him ... A: I'm so sorry to hear that. And I can relate to how you feel completely. But you should rest assured ...
bettas and frogs	10/18/2008
Q: I have a 2.5 gallon tank without a filter but with a heater. I just recently moved my betta from my ... A: Some bettas will go into a "depression" mode which sometimes we just can't figure out. First though, ...
gold fish problems	10/18/2008
Q: my gold fish is fat, discoloured,has a dark orange spot on it, stays upside down, un co-ordinated, ... A: Definitely sounds like Swim bladder disorder. The swim bladder is a special organ that most fish ...
Glass Shrimp Questions	10/18/2008
Q: I'm going to be starting a 10 gallon aquarium. In my previous experience with glass shrimp they ... A: I am a bit unsure how to answer this because there are many shrimp that go under the name glass ...
red tail black shark	10/17/2008
Q: I am just starting out in the aquarium hobby and have already done a ton of research. My question ... A: Cheers for doing research! Yes, the Red-tail shark should do great in the 20 gal with some tiger ...
55 gallon semi-aggressive stock	10/17/2008
Q: A few weeks ago I upgraded from a 10gal to a 55gal (big jump, I know!) I kept all of the gravel and ... A: Interesting stock indeed! Lets see, I think our main concerns are the Eclipse catfish which -can- ...
Very shy cardinal tetras and water questions	10/17/2008
Q: it's been a month that I am keeping 20 cardinal tetras on my 10g tank , but havent realize until ... A: What a beautiful tank! However I can see some of the brown algae you are talking about. This algae ...
I Need Some Help Please and Thank you!	10/17/2008
Q: I just got a female betta fish just last saturday and i am really enjoying her. Everyone that sees ... A: I wouldn't think that her bum up and head down behavior is a cause for concern. I see bettas do this ...
missing mollyes	10/17/2008
Q: first off we have a 45 or 55 gal high tank. we used to have 2 parrot fish in the tank. they were old ... A: Oh no!!! The parrot chasing the firemouth is likely a territorial issue going on. You see, once ...
Cory schooling	10/17/2008
Q: I was wondering if it made a difference in if the "Cory cats" I had were all of the same breed or ... A: Cories do seem to recognize their own "species" from the others. But I've seen both cases where two ...
missing mollyes	10/17/2008
Q: first off we have a 45 or 55 gal high tank. we used to have 2 parrot fish in the tank. they were old ... A: Wow, I'm sorry to hear about the pleco. Are you sure your fish is a parrot fish? I'm starting to ...
Alkalinity in my tank	10/17/2008
Q: I have a 10 gallon freshwater tank.I've had it since 4/08 Everything was fine until we lost power ... A: That's odd. Actually I can't think of a reason Alkalinity would spike. Do you perhaps mean "Ammonia" ...
my 5 gal tank	10/16/2008
Q: My husband and I recently got a 5 gallon tank for our 3 year old to start learning how to care for ... A: Sorry to hear about your fish trouble. Its very true tiger barbs must be in groups and that is hard ...
Fish interview	10/16/2008
Q: I'm from KLMS, and I need to interview someone on my science project about the effect of fish on ... A: Hayden, I'm so sorry. I know I must be horrifically late with these answers. My email has had ...
dying fish	10/16/2008
Q: I hate to say, but we got a bit lazy and let our tank go too long. But then we did a good cleaning, ... A: So did you have fish before you got some new ones? How much of a cleaning did you do? If you took ...
filter intake	10/16/2008
Q: I recently bought a new power filter with an intake extension and an adjustable mid level intake. I ... A: I can't imagine the current being too much for your mid-level and cory catfish. I've never had that ...
Fish Dying	10/16/2008
Q: I have a 32 Gallon tank with community fish. I had 7 neon tetras, 4 yellow guppies, 3 broad finned ... A: Sorry to hear of all your fish trouble. The best thing to do to help solve fish loss problems like ...
I Need Some Help Please and Thank you!	10/16/2008
Q: I just got a female betta fish just last saturday and i am really enjoying her. Everyone that sees ... A: Cheers for doing research about bettas! You're right about them really doing better in bigger living ...
goldfish	10/15/2008
Q: In the morning I didn't notice the bump on the mouth of the fish.However, when I returned from ... A: Bumps on fish are always difficult to diagnose. They could be an injury site which will heal with ...
Bristle nose catfish	10/15/2008
Q: My bristle nose catfish looks like he has got a hernia. Is there anything that we can do. Some ... A: Poor thing. I'm not sure what to tell you about this one. But just keep an eye on him and continue ...
Discus Keeping	10/15/2008
Q: I had a few questions in regards to Discus keeping. I am planning for an aquarium that would be 60' ... A: Discus tanks are among the most beautiful freshwater setups for sure and they certainly -can- ...
Water problem.	10/15/2008
Q: Had withe flakes in the tank (looked like cotton) which killed all my 10 gold fish just in a few ... A: sounds like then that there was a bunch of leftover food hiding around the tank that caused all the ...
my blue betta	10/15/2008
Q: I have a blue betta who's began to lose his color. I just got him 2 weeks ago and this problem has ... A: Bettas can undergo amazing color changes as they get older. I don't really think it is an illness or ...
competition	10/15/2008
Q: hi i live in stony plain alberta i have a 200g chiclid aquarium and i would like to enter a ... A: Wow your tank sounds amazing! Unfortunately I'm sorry to say that I am not aware of any ...
Air Stone?	10/15/2008
Q: I just recently set up an Eclipse Hex 5 aquarium with a bio-wheel filter and added three danios on ... A: Hey and you're welcome! Airstones can be put pretty much anywhere in your tank. They look best if ...
My dalmation balloon belly mollie female dying tonite	10/14/2008
Q: She is large, has had 4 babies in the past 8 months, and has a orange mate. One odd thing I have ... A: I'm really sorry to hear about that... :( I know the little fish is probably lost by now but please ...
Sick betta fish	10/14/2008
Q: six days ago I noticed my betta (who lives in a one gallon bowl)was not acting right. I have had ... A: This is a difficult situation. Because its very difficult to diagnose bloated fish. His swimming ...
Water problem.	10/14/2008
Q: Had withe flakes in the tank (looked like cotton) which killed all my 10 gold fish just in a few ... A: I don't think it would be the well water. The white flakes are unusual. You say they look like ...
PLEASE HELP!!!	10/14/2008
Q: .. I have a 75 gallon established freshwater tank. Things have been going very well up until a few ... A: Sorry to hear about your trouble... :( While bacteria may have infected the one platy's gills. I'd ...
hi (about my flower horn fish)	10/14/2008
Q: Shes been sick for 2 weeks or more,i notice that she cant swim in balance before and have a dark ... A: That poor flowerhorn! She looks so sad! I hope we can help her. The rolling over problem makes me ...
missing mollyes	10/14/2008
Q: first off we have a 45 or 55 gal high tank. we used to have 2 parrot fish in the tank. they were old ... A: My parrot fish has eaten fish quite easily before. And usually there will be no signs and it'll be a ...
swordtails	10/14/2008
Q: I have a 60 gallon community tank...and i do partial water changes every week. I noticed one of my ... A: Hey there, Female swordtails can be get pretty bashed up if there are males in the tank or very ...
swordtails	10/13/2008
Q: I have a 60 gallon community tank...and i do partial water changes every week. I noticed one of my ... A: If the swordtail's skin doesn't look fuzzy or stringy its not a fungus hopefully. Scale-loss is ...
ROPE FISH	10/13/2008
Q: we have a 75 gal set up with about 18 fish, mollies, guppies, a spotted catfish ,two ropes and a red ... A: Sounds like either a bite from another fish such as in a territorial or cave conflict. Or it could ...
Air Stone?	10/13/2008
Q: I just recently set up an Eclipse Hex 5 aquarium with a bio-wheel filter and added three danios on ... A: Airstones are great for good water circulation and aeration. Especially for overstocked aquariums or ...
Help!	10/13/2008
Q: I have a 3ft tropical fish tank which used to contain around 14 fish but it wasn't to overcrouded. ... A: The main cause of the most fish deaths is poor water quality (high ammonia in an unestablished tank ...
Snail overpopulation and green/brown algae everywhere	10/13/2008
Q: I have two somewhat unrelated problems. The first one is snails. They appeared out of nowhere and ... A: The most common snails to get into our aquariums are Red/brown Ramshorn snails which are ...
pelco	10/13/2008
Q: i have a pelco for about 2 years and is in a 120 gallon tank with a couple of other small fish ... A: Sounds like a type of fin irritation, fin rot, or Septicemia which is basically a bacterial ...
betta aquarium	10/13/2008
Q: It has been a pleasure to read your suggestions and solutions to fish caretaking. I have 2 bettas ( ... A: I'm very sorry to hear about the female betta... I don't know why fish must jump out of their ...
Panda Cory question	10/13/2008
Q: I am in the process of cycling a new 10 gallon fish tank. I've never gone below a 20 gallon before ... A: I am worried the cories might not be around for 6 weeks. :( Since they are so tiny (didn't know they ...
Freshwater Flounder	10/12/2008
Q: I just obtained a Freshwater Flounder from a friend who couldn't keep it anymore, he had it in ... A: Freshwater flounders are so interesting. They do in fact prefer brackish water which is only genuine ...
gouramis	10/12/2008
Q: I think i would like to put some gouramis into my 11 gallon tank, but i'm not on: How many? Which ... A: Let it be known that sometimes larger gouramis are not so tolerant of dwarf gouramis. You may have a ...
Panda Cory question	10/12/2008
Q: I am in the process of cycling a new 10 gallon fish tank. I've never gone below a 20 gallon before ... A: Panda Cories are too adorable. But unfortunately they aren't hardy enough to be cycling fish. The ...
catfish	10/11/2008
Q: I was wondering if I could get anymore fish. I was thinking about getting a type of catfish like a ... A: I would go with the pictus. Silver tip sharks are more a brackish water fish (which means a ...
Beta can't chew food pellets	10/11/2008
Q: I've had 2 beta fish for about 6 weeks. I use the large, clear vases as their bowl. I change the ... A: Its very possible the pellets are just too much for him or he may have a sore throat/mouth that ...
how to humanely euthanize large oscar	10/11/2008
Q: I have a large Oscar about 12inches long. He has these large knots on his side and they have been ... A: Wow, I just had to go through what you got to do about a month or two ago. I had a large Oscar of 12 ...
Sunfire Platy	10/11/2008
Q: I have a 10 gallon tank/starter kit with the whisper filter system that I bought about a week ago. I ... A: Sounds like a bad water quality issue. Most likely an ammonia problem common with all new setups as ...
gouramis	10/11/2008
Q: I think i would like to put some gouramis into my 11 gallon tank, but i'm not on: How many? Which ... A: The most common gouramis available are- Three-spot gouramis (and the color variants of this ...
skinned fish! HELP ASAP!!	10/11/2008
Q: I have a pearl scale goldfish and she has been acting normal and good up to tonight. When I got home ... A: She surely has swim bladder disorder. The skin problem may be due to skin being exposed to air due ...
fish deaths	10/11/2008
Q: I've been running a 120 litre tank for 3-4 years now with very few problems. A few weeks ago the ... A: Ok, that helps clear things up! Sounds like you are doing a wonderful job and i'm glad the plecos ...
skinned fish! HELP ASAP!!	10/11/2008
Q: I have a pearl scale goldfish and she has been acting normal and good up to tonight. When I got home ... A: How long have you had this fish and is this a new tank? She may have be having a terrible response ...
Tiger barbs	10/10/2008
Q: most of my fish died in my tank so i would like a few more. I was thinking about a school of tiger ... A: Sorry to hear your fish died. :( Tiger barbs are neat fish. But they do have a reputation as ...
aquarium parasites	10/10/2008
Q: I have 10 tanks ranging in size from 1-20 gallons. I do not generally lose fish and therefore have ... A: (Thank you for your wonderful compliments!) The long white string is most likely waste from the ...
fish deaths	10/10/2008
Q: I've been running a 120 litre tank for 3-4 years now with very few problems. A few weeks ago the ... A: Its always possible the fly spray may have somehow gotten into your tank through the air or even ...
Queen angel fish	10/10/2008
Q: Hey karen, Im currently trying to finish my marine studies assignment on bony fish and i was just ... A: Queen Angelfish are a beautiful species! But since they are marine, I don't have much experience ...
Betta Fish feeding	10/10/2008
Q: , I have had a Betta fish for 20 months. He has always eaten good, except when he is in his ... A: Lets hope its nothing dangerous like an illness and your betta is only chubby from eating too much. ...
We have Angel Fish Eggs	10/10/2008
Q: we are very new to this. We have a 45 gallon fish tank, with tiger barbs, silver dollar, rosy barb ... A: How exciting! I remember when I discovered my first batch of angelfish eggs. But you must either ...
My fish is eating rocks	10/10/2008
Q: Hey, ever since I got my redbellied pacu,she has been eating rocks.Every body says im under feeding ... A: Since Pacus are fast growers and put on a lot of bulk, your little pacu needs more to eat. Pacus ...
Help with dying fish	10/9/2008
Q: About 5 weeks ago I replaced my 55 gallon freshwater aquarium with an Aqueon 125 gallon overflow. I ... A: I've found that even when transferring water and the filters into your new aquarium from the old you ...
goldfish	10/9/2008
Q: I have to 60 liter bio orb aquariums, one has the normal goldfish with the straight fins, 2 which ... A: Dealing with reoccurring cloudy water is tricky and takes some investigating, as there are several ...
African Cichlid swimming erratically	10/9/2008
Q: We have a 29 gal tank with 10 young African cichlids. It has been set up for approx. 2 months. The ... A: While usually this would be a cause for concern. If you water tests turn out good with ZERO for ...
driftwood	10/9/2008
Q: I recently found a piece of driftwood at a local lake. I have a 55 gallon tank, and mostly guppies ... A: Yes, its safe in most cases. I've done this plenty of times. Just try to soak the driftwood in a ...
my kissing fish wont move!	10/9/2008
Q: well i have to kissing fish ones a girl and the other a boy! the girl[alie] will not move my mom ... A: She definitely sounds scared/stressed. When fish hide behind something like a filter and won't eat ...
Livebearers population control	10/9/2008
Q: Good evening, I would love to start a community tank of some livebearers, perhaps platys, guppies, ... A: I agree with you. Awful as it seems, sometimes you have to use your other fish to keep your ...
biggest fish?	10/8/2008
Q: I have an 11 gallon tank, i think it would look really nice if i put in just one big fish, but i'm ... A: Well... its difficult to say since the majority of fish that might fit in your 11 gallon may not be ...
random fish death	10/8/2008
Q: I have had a fish tank for a few mounths now. I had a problem at first with new tank syndrome. A few ... A: That is always possible. Water companies are almost constantly changing the amount of chlorine and ...
help?	10/8/2008
Q: i have a 29 gallon freshwater tank set up with two 5-15 filters. will this work out well for ... A: I think the two filters will work fine and likely just as well as a one big filter rated for a ...
going green- tank cleaning	10/8/2008
Q: First off, I want to say this site is priceless. I have never posted a Q/A to it but I use it almost ... A: I'm with you on not wanting to waste all that water down the drain. So that's why I use an extra ...
asian community fish	10/8/2008
Q: I have got a 30 gal rectangle tank and am wondering if I can stock with (3)Pearl Gouramis (1 male, 2 ... A: Have you made sure that the tank will be cycled before you start stocking it? The fish that are on ...
Betta care - regulating water temperature	10/8/2008
Q: I am having some trouble regulating the temperature in my 5.5. gal tank. I was using an Elite 25 ... A: Actually yes those two heaters are very similar. The stealth is actually a bit better, it is ...
Betta care - regulating water temperature	10/8/2008
Q: I am having some trouble regulating the temperature in my 5.5. gal tank. I was using an Elite 25 ... A: You're welcome! While I haven't ever used the Via Aqua submersible heater you are considering, it ...
asian community fish	10/7/2008
Q: I have got a 30 gal rectangle tank and am wondering if I can stock with (3)Pearl Gouramis (1 male, 2 ... A: Oh that sounds like a wonderful combination and I think it will work out great. I think you have ...
random fish death	10/7/2008
Q: I have had a fish tank for a few mounths now. I had a problem at first with new tank syndrome. A few ... A: Most likely something in the water is killing them. Think very hard and do some investigating. Check ...
Betta care - regulating water temperature	10/7/2008
Q: I am having some trouble regulating the temperature in my 5.5. gal tank. I was using an Elite 25 ... A: Very unusual... Visitherm brand heaters usually never fail. I've had the best of luck with that ...
Oranda Goldfish	10/7/2008
Q: I have an oranda goldfish which is just over 2 years old. She (I think!) lives in a 55 gallon ... A: What a doll she is! Its sad to see her sickly :( Its very unusual that she has a bubble-growth ...
Black Molly losing color?	10/4/2008
Q: I have a 10 gallon tank with 2 molly juveniles, and 6 juvenile platies. Since I have so many fish ... A: Very strange, it could be a response to some water quality issue. If you are having ammonia trouble ...
wound on left side towards rear	10/3/2008
Q: I have a 60 gallon tank containing three iredescent shark fish, one tricolor shark fish, and one ... A: I'm sorry to hear that. Likely either the other fish did that to the ID shark or he self inflicted ...
Is Fred stressed?	10/3/2008
Q: For over a year, Fred, which is actually Fredetta, has lived in a bowl in my office. He lived ... A: It's so good you got fred into an actual aquarium rather than a bowl. He sounds a little uneasy or ...
ill Siamese fighter	10/2/2008
Q: I have a male Siamese fighter who has not looked well over the past week. He is always resting ... A: Try to check your ammonia and nitrite levels. With the white spot treatment, its possible the ...
Starting a tank, Catfish,Sand	10/1/2008
Q: I am planning on starting a 20 gallon tank with a sand bottom. I really enjoy the Pictus Catfish and ... A: Yes, as far as I know, Playsand is common sand used in aquariums and should work very well. Just ...
Starting a tank, Catfish,Sand	10/1/2008
Q: I am planning on starting a 20 gallon tank with a sand bottom. I really enjoy the Pictus Catfish and ... A: Its amazing how long some catfish can live. Their life spans are usually quite long. Pictus ...
Needlefish?!?!	9/30/2008
Q: My husband and I have a 55 gallon fish aquarium with African Cichlids. His friend recently saw our ... A: As you have found out, Needlefish are very much carnivorous and will take anything they think will ...
fiddler crabs	9/29/2008
Q: where can i buy a fiddler crab in nc? i was looking for a purchase under $10.00 A: They should be at your local petstore. If not, ask the petstore if they might be able to order some ...
Bettas and Dwarf Frogs tank buddies	9/28/2008
Q: Hey, I have questions about tank buddies. I have an male betta and an Dwarf African frog in a 10g. ... A: You can certainly add a sucker fish. Just be careful of the species. Common plecostomus grow too ...
cory cat	9/27/2008
Q: I have had my albino cory cat for about 5 months with a emerald cory cat, 3 neon tetras, and 3 red ... A: That's odd. I would say the Red Minor tetras could be responsible since they have been reported as ...
Flower Horn Fish.	9/26/2008
Q: MY NAME IS KETAN. I'M LIVING IN MUMBAI, INDIA. I HAVE 2 FT. LONG & 15" HEIGHT TAN. I PURCHASED A ... A: Your Flowerhorn may be stressed. That's probably why he went off his food. Its hard to say if he is ...
Betta behavior	9/26/2008
Q: I've had my betta for about 2 years and he has been perfectly happy and healthy up until now. ... A: Sadly, one thing that may be causing him to behave sickly is his old age, bettas often start slowing ...
red tail shark	9/25/2008
Q: I have a red tail shark and he seem to scratch himself against rock on its side. I noticed this for ... A: If you could make sure your ammonia and nitrites are 0 and your nitrates or below 20, ideally below ...
brackish water conditions	9/25/2008
Q: I have a dragonfish; well two. I have them in freshwater right now with about 80 degree temp. I know ... A: It's great that you are converting them to brackish water. They will be so much healthier for it! ...
New Aquarium	9/24/2008
Q: I was just wondering about a few things regarding a new tank I'm believing to get. I've been ... A: :) Wow, a new bowfront! very cool! Well, I suppose before we get into the detailed fishstocking ...
algae indentification	9/23/2008
Q: I have aplanted tank for about 2 years and its very healthy tank with four discus and 1 algae eater. ... A: Wow, I'm not really sure. Could you get a picture? If so, I could send it to other people that might ...
Goldfish has mouth rot	9/23/2008
Q: I am new to goldfish. I have a fish with a bad case of mouth rot. I had my water tested and it ... A: I might continue treating for as long as your goldy seems to have an infection in her mouth (redness ...
Water change	9/22/2008
Q: I have a 150 gallons tank and 10 fishes middle size inside. I would like to know how often I should ... A: There really is no general rule but only guidelines. The best thing to do is to go off your nitrate ...
eggbound female betta	9/20/2008
Q: I recently placed a pair of bettas together for breeding. I use a 10 gallon tank, with reasonable ... A: I'm so sorry to hear that. Eggbound bettas are difficult to treat. Some people advise ...
150 SeaClone protien skimmer	9/20/2008
Q: I have 150 galleon tank on June 11th I filled it up and put 15 medium fish. Water is clear.I put in ... A: This is a freshwater tank with a protein skimmer? Freshwater aquariums generally don't need protein ...
Could you help identify my fish?	9/19/2008
Q: I 'inherited' this fish unexpectedly. I am in South Korea and was given this fish by someone ... A: What an interesting fish you have there! It looks like an African cichlid but I'm not an expert on ...
Goldfish has mouth rot	9/19/2008
Q: I am new to goldfish. I have a fish with a bad case of mouth rot. I had my water tested and it ... A: Definitely due to ammonia levels. You are doing a good job already by doing a large water change and ...
Tetras	9/18/2008
Q: My tank is 30"x12"x15" I have at the moment 2 neons 1 black neon 5 glowlights 4 cories ... A: Sounds like you have a nicely stocked tank already. You could easily add more neons, some lemons and ...
fish	9/18/2008
Q: red parrot, gold fish in a same tank my tank is about to a 4 feet A: While the three fish might get along. The Arowana may eat the goldfish eventually and he will ...
Parasites?	9/17/2008
Q: I am hoping you can help me with a question regarding my 48 gal fresh water tank. I have four Large ... A: No worries, I believe for certain they are what's called "Planaria" and these creatures are very ...
Will these get along?	9/16/2008
Q: i have recently bough a red devil and put it in my 30 gallon tank....i was wondering if it was ... A: Red Devils grow quite large, a foot long or so isn't uncommon and males can grow bigger. I worry ...
fish mates	9/15/2008
Q: ok.i have balla sharks,tiger barbs,catfish,rainbow sharks in my fish tank i want to know if i can ... A: All your fish sound like good tank-mates for each-other except that the red-tail sharks will likely ...
Goldfish Tankmates	9/14/2008
Q: I have a couple of small fancy goldfish in a 10 gallon tank, who are doing quite well. As they ... A: Snails are great. They can be good cleaners but do produce their fair share of waste too. Which ...
ammonium levels in freah water tank	9/14/2008
Q: Help please we have a 55 gallon tank. the ammonia levels seen to stay up no matter how often we ... A: Make sure the water conditioner you are using isn't causing false readings on your ammonia tests. ...
cichlid setup	9/13/2008
Q: I am setting up a 75 gallon tank real soon. I know all about the cycling and things like that. My ... A: I've written an article about cycling. I hope this helps you out! CYCLING made simple It is ...
breeding fish	9/12/2008
Q: i'm hoping that you can help me with my question as all my research has brought me to dead ends. I ... A: Interesting! What a cross. So the mother fish is a female convict of the regular type (stripes). ...
suddenly everyone seems sick	9/12/2008
Q: I have a ten gallon of 6 platys that has been set up since late July. Water levels have been good ... A: Oh I'm sorry... Were they covered in the white fungus before they died? Or after? If after, then ...
suddenly everyone seems sick	9/11/2008
Q: I have a ten gallon of 6 platys that has been set up since late July. Water levels have been good ... A: I'd definitely do a water change. Poor water quality is definitely one of the first things to ...
Goldfish	9/10/2008
Q: I have two tiny itty bitty fancy goldfish, the cheaper ones. They were about $2.50. Okay they are in ... A: Wonderful you are cycling a big tank for them! For now, the most important thing is to change the ...
large consolidated blister area on the head	9/10/2008
Q: I was gone for a few days only to return today and see that my Pachoo(sp)? has developed a large ... A: I'm not certain what it might be. It could be cysts or some kind of other odd skin growth that might ...
New Freshwater Tank	9/9/2008
Q: I've been learning a lot from reading your responses to others. This summer I kept a small comet ... A: I think you are very well-educated on this whole fish matter. I don't think your tank is in ...
Make Betta with enlarged abdomen	9/9/2008
Q: I am a novice beta keeper and I have had (what i have known to be)a male beta for about 2 years ... A: There are several reasons for bettas to become bloated. 1.) Overfeeding (yes, too much food can ...
Sick Mollie	9/8/2008
Q: I have an 8 gallon tank that was recently home to a platie that died of Dropsy. I guess you could ... A: Popeye can be a symptom of several causes. The most common is poor water quality and dropsy is often ...
Betta Care - torn fins	9/8/2008
Q: Karen! I just acquired my first Betta from my son before he headed off to college. I really ... A: You have a wonderful setup for your betta. 5 gallon tanks are great for them! The ragged fins could ...
My poor betta companion	9/7/2008
Q: I bought a betta fish sometime in January, and i have become EXTREMELY attached. His name is bobby, ... A: I'm really sorry to hear that. I really hate to say this, but I don't think there is much you can ...
Tetra's mouth and gills moving very fast	9/7/2008
Q: I have a 55 gallon freshwater tank that has been up for almost 2 years now. Currently it is ... A: I think the fish are just under stress from the immense nitrate level, and then suddenly a reduction ...
Peas as a remedy?	9/6/2008
Q: I just want to start out by saying that I have got one chubby angelfish. I think I have narrowed ... A: Definitely try the pea method. Its very effective in most cases. It might take a little while but ...
Sick Gourami	9/6/2008
Q: I rescued a pair of opalene gouramis about a year ago. Over the past few months their health has ... A: Sorry to hear that. Your little gouramis have gone through a lot. Definitely just use tap water ...
swordtails	9/5/2008
Q: I just was wondering, how do you know if a platy is pregnant and how long for? Cheers Courtney ... A: Guppies, like a lot of livebearers, will "square up" in their belly region before giving birth. When ...
Which fish to add in 55gl?	9/5/2008
Q: I have had fish tanks for many, many years, but have never developed a "species" tank or, really, ... A: You have some excellent ideas of fish in mind. However, I just thought I'd warn you that I haven't ...
More on sinking bettas	9/4/2008
Q: I recently moved to a new area and noticed within a week that my betta was stuck at the bottom of ... A: I'm sorry this couldn't have gotten to you sooner. Maybe your betta's regular diet is the ...
Re: Pregnant Mollie	9/4/2008
Q: I was wondering how you can tell when your Mollie is about to give birth. And how long tell she ... A: It can be difficult to tell because every fish is somewhat individual in their behaviors just before ...
Neon Tetras	9/4/2008
Q: I bought 6 neon tetras 4 days ago, but when I got home one of them was having trouble swimming ... A: Sorry to hear that. Likely the problem is related to poor water quality. Since your tank has just ...
Sick Goldfish	9/3/2008
Q: I have a large pet goldfish, Maggie. I believe it's a female and she's about 4 inches long without ... A: There are several reasons for goldfish to become bloated. The most common are due to constipation, ...
best way to take care of balloon ram	9/3/2008
Q: i bought 2 baby balloon rams 3 days ago frm my LFS, they were in terrible conditions and thir ... A: I'm really sorry but I don't have experience with Balloon rams. They are lovely fish though! I have ...
swordtails	9/3/2008
Q: I just was wondering, how do you know if a platy is pregnant and how long for? Cheers Courtney ... A: Are they both males? If so, you do have a potential for a continuing problem here. Male sword-tails ...
I have a sick fish	9/2/2008
Q: I have a rainbow that is swimming vertically and seems to be dying. He seems to have a bit of a ... A: Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. It sounds like he may be too far gone but there is a chance he may ...
Koi Aquarium	9/2/2008
Q: I have recently become interested in establishing a Koi pond next spring, and want to start by ... A: I'm sorry but I don't have much experience with Koi. But I can answer it to the best of my ...
bleeding heart tetras with ich?	9/2/2008
Q: I have a 55 gal freshwater tank that has been cycled for about 5 months now. 1 rainbow shark, 5 ... A: Aw I'm sorry to hear about all your fish troubles. (I know how it can be!) It certainly does sound ...
15 gallon	8/29/2008
Q: i have a 15 gallon aquarium and was planning on getting one simise algae eater one honey gourami and ... A: Well, again I am disappointed the petstore again never gives accurate advice... The Siamese Algae ...
oscars and severums	8/29/2008
Q: hi there i was wondering if i get some oscars and severums at the same time and small will they get ... A: Because of each fish's individual personality. It can be very difficult to predict what will happen. ...
betta fry	8/29/2008
Q: I cant really culture micro worms or other live foods so i was wondering if I could use Liquidfly 1 ... A: I think its probably good to have some live food on hand as well as egg yolk in case the fry don't ...
cichlids hiding up by filters	8/28/2008
Q: Everyday I find a few of my cichlids at the top of the tank hiding behind my bio wheel filters. I ... A: First I would check the water quality. Perhaps they are stressed by ammonia levels. Check your ...
Sick Bettas	8/28/2008
Q: I keep 3 bettas at a time, each in their own one-gallon tank. I change their water twice a week, ... A: I usually use a small aquarium siphon to do water changes even on small tanks like this. But it is a ...
Cichlids Died Suddenly	8/28/2008
Q: I had a Tropheus Moorii, a Chalinochromis Brichardi and a Five-Bar Cichlid in a 30 gallon tank. I ... A: I'm very sorry to hear this. Sounds like when you disturbed the filth from under the rocks it ...
Pregnant Violet Goby	8/28/2008
Q: I think I have a pregnant violet goby, I just recently changed their water to find that one of my ... A: Wow, I'm not sure about this one. Violet gobies are very difficult to get to breed in captivity. ...
fish chasing	8/28/2008
Q: wondering if you can help? i recently got a new orange platy, and i have put it in my tank, and my ... A: This is likely related to a breeding drive. Mollies, like many livebearers have a very high "mating" ...
Fancy Goldfish	8/28/2008
Q: I would like to set up a 55 gallon tank for fancy goldfish. Must they have live plants? I am ... A: Fancy goldfish do not have to have live plants. They do like them of course, all fish do. But ...
betta fry	8/28/2008
Q: I cant really culture micro worms or other live foods so i was wondering if I could use Liquidfly 1 ... A: You can most certainly try Liquidfry food. I can't guarantee it will work but its worth a try. Using ...
Beta Fish	8/28/2008
Q: I know nothing about fish. My daughter wanted a fish and I heard betas are easiest to care for. I ... A: Sounds like you are doing a wonderful job now and I must say you are a wonderful owner for being ...
Mysterious 'Things'	8/27/2008
Q: I'm writing on behalf of my mum who has the freshwater aquarium, as she dose not have internet ... A: Wow, interesting! There are many kinds of scavengers in your aquarium that can get in in one way or ...
fish tank	8/27/2008
Q: i cleaned my tank of 7 fish and a alge eater and my NO3 and NO2 are high what can i do to rectify ... A: How did you clean your tank? Did you wash anything or overly scrub it? If so, then you destroyed the ...
dying tropical fish	8/27/2008
Q: I wonder if you could help steer me in the right direction. I have had my tank up and running for a ... A: Its really almost impossible to underfeed fish. If they are cleaning up everything that you feed ...
Red Bellied Piranhas	8/27/2008
Q: i have two Red Bellied Piranhas, they are about an inch and a half big, and i also have a pleck in ... A: Grey slime often is usually a type of fungus that often develops in aquariums. It can attach to ...
Blue Acara's not eating	8/27/2008
Q: I bought a pair of blue acara's about a month ago thye just dont eat as good as they used to I have ... A: Perhaps they are shy because of the other fish intimidating them as feeding times. You can try ...
sick flower horn fish	8/27/2008
Q: Our flower fish I think has intestine hangin out of its bottom. It will come out an inch then after ... A: Wow, I'm sorry to hear about that... I honestly can't say the exact right thing to do but I can ...
severums spawning	8/26/2008
Q: i have a 550 litre tank ammonia 0 nitrite 0 nitrate 30 ph 7.6 temp 29 deg c in the tank i have 3 ... A: Well, most likely not. Is there any way you could move the pair to their own spawning tank of ...
dying tropical fish	8/26/2008
Q: I wonder if you could help steer me in the right direction. I have had my tank up and running for a ... A: Are you sure your water parameters are safe? Sometimes people will say that low levels of ammonia or ...
Buenos Aires Tetra	8/26/2008
Q: I have a shoal of 7 buenos aires tetra in their own 20 gallon aquarium. The shoal contains 6 males ... A: Very likely the males nipped her as you suspected. It would be better if there were more females ...
severums spawning	8/26/2008
Q: i have a 550 litre tank ammonia 0 nitrite 0 nitrate 30 ph 7.6 temp 29 deg c in the tank i have 3 ... A: Severums are my favorite cichlids! Its a well known fact that a pair of Severums may take a good up ...
sick fish?	8/22/2008
Q: I recently bought a new tank but I previously had a smaller tank that was about 10-15L that had 3 ... A: If you made sure to use water conditioner with the tank water I'd definitely blame the ammonia being ...
Fish tank filter not pumping water	8/22/2008
Q: I just replaced the filter in the fish tank filter pump. I turned it back on and the motor seems to ... A: Check all the parts of the filter. The impeller often gets clogged or the intake tubes often become ...
plecostomus	8/21/2008
Q: we have a large plecostomus in a tank with what looks to have a small lesion on his back,in the ... A: Sounds like a fungus infection. I have had the best luck using Jungle Brand's Fungus clear to ...
Sick Oscar fish?	8/21/2008
Q: I have an oscar fish that was black when i bought him at the store then after a couple of days he ... A: That looks like a great fish you have there. The white mark might be scarring or it could be an ...
using gravel vacuum	8/21/2008
Q: hey i just bought a gravel vacuum yesterday, and i read the instructions and it said to jerk it up ... A: Excess yawning can be concerning. An occasional 'yawn' should be of no concern, but if the fish does ...
Biocube aquarium filter	8/21/2008
Q: I have an 8 gallon Biocube. I have 1 molly in there right now who has ich. I need to treat with an ... A: Don't feel stupid. ;-) I'm not familiar with the biocube tanks and filters. Is there a cartridge in ...
sick fish?	8/21/2008
Q: I recently bought a new tank but I previously had a smaller tank that was about 10-15L that had 3 ... A: I think you are right about it being the cycling process. Likely there is an ammonia problem going ...
fungus or ick?	8/21/2008
Q: I have a 14 gallon and a 20 gallon freshwater tank. In my 14 gallon tank I have a small female ... A: Sounds like fungus. Ick typically shows up as white spots all over as if the fish had been sprinkled ...
i have 2 question about 2 tanks	8/21/2008
Q: My name is Kim we have a 10 gallon tank that has been up and running for about 6 months or more. We ... A: Sounds like a bacterial bloom due to a sudden overabundance of nutrients. This is common in high ...
quantity of fish	8/21/2008
Q: I currently have a 20 gallon long tank. The biological cycle should be a little over half way ... A: Sounds like you are doing a good job with your aquarium. But maybe you should not try to adjust the ...
Can gill flukes & other parasites be harmful to human?	8/20/2008
Q: I had asked Dave a question and the answer he gave me contrasted with the guy at my LFS. I'm ... A: To my best knowledge, flukes and other fish illnesses (besides Tuberculosis) are not harmful to ...
Angelfish	8/20/2008
Q: I recently obtained an aquarium from my neighbors when they moved, that hadn't been cleaned in two ... A: Sorry to hear that... I definitely would not mess with the pH at all. It would only put more stress ...
tank without filter	8/20/2008
Q: could you tell me how long you can go without a filter. mine broke down tonight. Its an external ... A: You'll be fine without a filter for a day or two. This is especially true if the tank isn't ...
Sick betta	8/20/2008
Q: I have had my betta for about nine months. He lives in the 4 gallon biorb with the undergravel ... A: You might just want to use the Jungle Product just to avoid unnecessary stress on the bettas part ...
Black Mollies ..breeding	8/20/2008
Q: I have a 29Gal tanK with only goldfish for feeding our Oscars (3). At any given time, there are ... A: Your concern is right. The goldfish will very likely eat the molly fry. I probably wouldn't keep any ...
Moving aquarium	8/20/2008
Q: I have a goldfish and a small pleco in a 10 gal tank (I know, 10 gal is too small...I'm working on ... A: I'd use a moderate sized ice chest (will hold the temperature quite well) and a battery-powered ...
Sick Bettas	8/20/2008
Q: I keep 3 bettas at a time, each in their own one-gallon tank. I change their water twice a week, ... A: Cheers for trying to help the bettas!! I use to rescue bettas too! It sounds like the one sick ...
underwater gravel filters	8/20/2008
Q: Karen, Would you share your thoughts on UWG filters. After keeping over 300 gallons of fish some 15 ... A: You've already discovered the answers I have about Undergravel filters. The risk of anerobic ...
Orange Chiclid	8/20/2008
Q: I have a 75 gallon fish tank. I have a bright orange fish that looks like it might have eggs in its ... A: Well, cichlids generally take care of their babies perfectly well themselves so I can't really ...
10 gallon aquarium	8/17/2008
Q: I recently set up a 10 gallon freshwater aquarium. To be exact it has been set up for one week give ... A: Good deal!! As far as the "kissing motions" -- is this against objects in the tank? Or the glass ...
Sick betta	8/17/2008
Q: I have had my betta for about nine months. He lives in the 4 gallon biorb with the undergravel ... A: The red spots could be irritation from water pollution (even decaying material underneath the ...
aerator	8/16/2008
Q: I have two tanks, one at home and one at my office. For some reason neither aerator is working. I ... A: Very odd... Make sure there is no kink in the airline tubing. I would simply try replacing the ...
Patriot Crabs	8/16/2008
Q: I recently purchased a patriot crab...is that the same as a moon crab, or a rainbow crab? When this ... A: How interesting, Patriot crabs. We don't see those around here. This is a very informative article ...
Goldfish scale loss	8/16/2008
Q: I have an outdoor pond with 5 goldfish of 3 years establishment. This year they bred twice so I ... A: I'm sorry to hear that!! Unfortunately this is something I've never dealt with before. The scale ...
what looks like tiny worms	8/16/2008
Q: I have a 30 gal. angelfish tank. Recently I bought a new angelfish to replace one that died. After ... A: Congrats on the eggs!! The presence of worms (known as planaria) are generally a sign that the ...
Sick Guppy	8/16/2008
Q: 1 of my guppy's is floating at the top of the tank & gasping. I have a airater so its not from lack ... A: It sounds like the fish is really stressed and may be at his end. I'm sorry to have to say this but ...
Stocking/Bio filtration	8/16/2008
Q: I am currently running a 70 gallon freshwater aquarium. It is fully cycled and been running for over ... A: Fortunately I don' think your aquarium is crowded at all, even with eventual adult sizes. Its really ...
cloudy water	8/16/2008
Q: I just bought a new tank yesterday and set it up according to instructions. I put two baby oscars in ... A: Your aquarium is going through the typical "new tank syndrome" and the problem will be even worse ...
Fresh Water Fish	8/16/2008
Q: I would like to know - when you buy a new fish and put in the tank, how long does it take for the ... A: The four sucker fish will be Ok in the 150 gallon and I don't feel its too many. If there are no ...
10 gallon aquarium	8/16/2008
Q: I recently set up a 10 gallon freshwater aquarium. To be exact it has been set up for one week give ... A: You are right about stocking the tank too soon can be a risky thing for a new tank, especially a ...
tropical fish compatiblity	8/15/2008
Q: Help me please new to this aquarium thing . What fish are compatible with kissing fish and parrot ... A: Wow, quite a combination there! In logical terms, Kissing fish, Parrot fish and Oscars generally ...
pleco	8/15/2008
Q: I have had a 75 gal aquarium for 4 years. My pleco has been here since the beginning. He is now ... A: Sounds like your pleco is a true giant! I love it when plecos grow so big! When I judge if a pleco ...
my tank smells	8/15/2008
Q: we have had it a week now almost 2. it is a 10 gallon i got one male betta 2 white clouds (betta ate ... A: Sounds like your tank hasn't been "cycled" yet or Established the good beneficial bacteria that are ...
beta fishbwl conditioner	8/15/2008
Q: is beta fishbowl conditioner hazardous to children? my two year old got a hold of it and we think ... A: Usually the bottle will say if there are hazards to children or pets if somebody ingests it. So be ...
Betta Tank	8/15/2008
Q: I was told I don't need a heater while at the pet store. My worry is the temperature fluctuation of ... A: Bettas definitely don't do well at temps in the low 60's and this could make him sick sooner or ...
my fish	8/15/2008
Q: I just was wondering, how do you know if a platy is pregnant and how long for? Cheers Courtney A: If your platy has been around a male for even a short time period its very likely that she is ...
using gravel vacuum	8/15/2008
Q: hey i just bought a gravel vacuum yesterday, and i read the instructions and it said to jerk it up ... A: Sounds like your tank must not be cycled yet. If you aren't sure what that is, you can read about it ...
Fish!	8/14/2008
Q: I have 3 neon tetras, 4 glowdanios, 2 dalmatian lyretail mollies, 1 yellow algae eater, 1 yellow ... A: Its possible that the rosy barbs and Silver dollars may chase the little neons and glowdanios but it ...
New fish?	8/14/2008
Q: I just started a new 55 gallon tank and moved my old fish into it with the intent on adding more ... A: The smell may be ammonia and I'd definitely wait until you can get the water quality better and then ...
weird bug like insect thingin my tank	8/14/2008
Q: once i had settled them in i was just watching and this really strange insect was swimming round at ... A: There are lots of critters that can fit that description, obviously it must be an insect with six ...
using gravel vacuum	8/14/2008
Q: hey i just bought a gravel vacuum yesterday, and i read the instructions and it said to jerk it up ... A: The best way to start a siphon is to tilt it while it's completely submerged underwater, then lift ...
betta bloat	8/14/2008
Q: I own a betta and have it in with a few other goldfish. I have heard that putting a tbs of salt in ... A: Well, bettas do have different diet requirements than goldfish, and if he is eating a lot of the ...
Betta Fish Fins	8/14/2008
Q: I've had my Betta Fish for 9 months now and his tails have gotten a little fringed since then but it ... A: Tattered fins can be from poor water quality or the fish himself may be nipping them. Male bettas ...
GoldFish	8/14/2008
Q: I have a wonderful Shubumkin goldfish (I think thats how you spell it!). I have had him for about 2 ... A: ! Shubunkins (I don't mind misspellings!) are great fish, normally tough and hardy and very pretty. ...
Goldfish closed mouth	8/14/2008
Q: I have had my goldfish for nearly a year now, and he has always been a hearty eater. I noticed the ... A: Sounds like this will be a trial and error situation. It could be an injury causing a swelling where ...
2 canisters in a 60 gal aquarium	8/14/2008
Q: I would like to set up my aquarium with two canister filters, ( magnums 330 and 350 )The new 350 ... A: I believe the foam exterior ring might function as a way to trap debris so it won't collect in your ...
uaru problem	8/13/2008
Q: I have 150l tank with a variety of fish.Last few days my large uaru is in a upright position (head ... A: Definitely sounds like a Swim bladder issue. You should read this article which will explain all the ...
Platys	8/13/2008
Q: I recently purchased 8 platys, Ive added them to my established tank that had just 2 neon tetras. ... A: It may have just been 'bad' fish in otherwords, those that were weak or stressed anyway from being ...
dark skin on head of fish	8/13/2008
Q: His having trouble with swmming as if he can't be bothered his not eating, and his losing his ... A: Well, I'm sorry I'm not sure what it might be exactly. Dark coloration can be stress related. But ...
bugs in fish tank	8/12/2008
Q: I have a 30gl freshwater tank with 3 african cichlids in it. last week 2 of them died. then i ... A: There are many of types of crustaceans and insects that can get into your aquarium. They are almost ...
ulcers on angelfish	8/12/2008
Q: The issue in question is currently isolated to my 29 gallon tank. The tank is about 19 months old ... A: Sorry to hear that... Sounds like the white patches may be Columnaris which forms white patches on ...
bubble nest?	8/12/2008
Q: i have a male a female beta fish and they've already tried to start spawning, but the male hasn't ... A: Sometimes bettas will do this way and I'm not sure why. Maybe the male is just too excited about the ...
Our Water readings in our tropical fish tank HELP!!	8/12/2008
Q: I hope you can help!! Me and my boyfriend purchased a fish tank 2 weeks ago we set it all up i.e. ... A: What's happening with your tank is its going through the usual ammonia, nitrite buildup that all new ...
ANGEL FISH	8/12/2008
Q: i have 2 angel fish living in one tank , recently one of them have developed a huge bulge on her ... A: Sounds like the Angel may have an internal infection which would explain the bulge on her side and ...
betta vase mates?!?!	8/9/2008
Q: I recently got a betta vase that i put a pothos plant in. I have been feeding the fish once a day ... A: You're right about the problem with bettas in vases being mostly due to irresponsibility and I must ...
unstable tank	8/8/2008
Q: hey karen so remember that subject that we were talking about about the unstable nitrite level in my ... A: That is a good question and something I wish I had thought of. Your source water might indeed have ...
Freshwater mollie	8/8/2008
Q: I Hae a big bellied white mollie that has developed large black spots on his body and fins( tail has ... A: Sounds like a color change that is very common with fish that are growing and developing. He sounds ...
goldfish & algae eaters	8/8/2008
Q: Can you tell me what kind of algae eater I can have in my aquarium in the house. I have a 70 gal ... A: Probably the best candidate for your tank is a Plecostomus. They are both hardy and usually don't ...
bubbles/cloudiness in water	8/8/2008
Q: i have bubbles on top of my water, there is an odor, and the water is cloudy. my tank is ten gallon ... A: This is due to the aquarium not being cycling and established yet. Which basically means that ...
small flea - like bugs	8/8/2008
Q: I noticed the other day when i was feeding my 9 inch Oscar that there were millions of small flea ... A: They must be some kind of aquatic critters that often get into aquariums one way or another. There ...
Figure 8 Puffer looking very fat	8/8/2008
Q: I've had my figure 8 now for almost a year and he has never had any problems eating. A few months ... A: Sounds like he has fluid retention. I've seen this type of condition in Oscars (including the anal ...
Bottom Feeders For Bettas	8/8/2008
Q: I was wondering what type of bottom feeder would be ok to put in with my betta fish? I just want ... A: Some of the top choices for betta tank bottom feeders are- Corydoras Ghost shrimp *Mystery Snails ...
constant cloudy fish tank	8/8/2008
Q: I bought a 30gal fish tank about 2 months ago and change about 1/2 the tank at least once a week and ... A: I'd remove your undergravel filters, they can harbor lots of decaying organic matter which can leech ...
african cichlids	8/7/2008
Q: hello my name is marie and i have a 55 gal tank that was given to me and along with the tank i took ... A: Actually the best tankmates would be other African Cichlids. These fish are usually too aggressive ...
Bloated Belly in Betta	8/7/2008
Q: I've had my betta for a year and 2 months ago he developed a swollen belly. Sometimes I see brown ... A: Sounds he could be constipated with the trailing poo. Sometimes too much pellets and not enough ...
flame gourami	8/7/2008
Q: My gourami is having a hard time breath(rapid), no other signs of problems but he is not eating. I ... A: Its possible there may be a water quality issue going on. If the ammonia and nitrites have risen at ...
fish	8/7/2008
Q: I was wondering, what kind of Fish can be put in with a Rope Eel? Could a redfin, tiger barbs, and ... A: The key to Rope Eel tankmates are fish that they cannot swallow but are also peaceful enough not to ...
My tank keeps going cloudy i have no fish	8/7/2008
Q: I left this thinking it might clear up but a week later it was still cloudy so i thought i might not ... A: It may be dust particles from the gravel, sometimes you'll still get particles even after rinsing. ...
My fish are dying and some are showing sickness symptoms!	8/7/2008
Q: I've been doing research around this site and came to the conclusion that you're probably the best ... A: Well, first off, cheers for doing research!! The main problem I suspect is simply the fact that the ...
newer fish	8/7/2008
Q: i'm wondering what could have gon wrong. the ph says normal as does the temp. do they dye when the ... A: you're welcome! So you are planning on reducing the platies to just four along with three otos? ...
constant cloudy fish tank	8/6/2008
Q: I bought a 30gal fish tank about 2 months ago and change about 1/2 the tank at least once a week and ... A: Do you have any driftwood in your tank? If so that is releasing tannins into the water which ...
My Texas Cichlid eyes are bugging out.	8/6/2008
Q: I just noticed that my Texas Cichlid's eyes are bulging out very strangely. I've had her for over 7 ... A: Unfortunately it is not normal. I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news. Bulging eyes is usually ...
Dying Rainbow Crabs	8/6/2008
Q: I have been having big problems with my aquarium. I set up the aquarium using 20 litres of tap water ... A: Although I've never kept Rainbow crabs and my experience only goes as far as Fiddler ...
unstable parameters	8/6/2008
Q: recently i have probably finished cycling the tanks water and its been over 1 month, but now in the ... A: That is unusual. Kinda baffling at that. Is this a continuously occurring thing? Maybe by the ...
Aqua Clear Filter not working properly	8/6/2008
Q: My filter is not pushing the water at full capacity, looking at the intake tube and inside the ... A: This will have to be a trial and error situation. Make sure you fill it completely up with water ...
newer fish	8/6/2008
Q: i'm wondering what could have gon wrong. the ph says normal as does the temp. do they dye when the ... A: you're welcome! Good to hear no more fish are lost. I love Ottos or "Ottocinclus" catfish, but they ...
Angelica catfish	8/6/2008
Q: I'm back into freshwater fish after a long absence. Local pet shop told me an Angelica catfish (2" ... A: Catfish often are notorious for having large mouths that can swallow smaller fish. So I'm certain ...
ammonia level	8/5/2008
Q: we have 5 gouramis, 1 barbs, 2 catfish and 1 bala shark in a 30 gallon tank. When we started we ran ... A: Don't give up! We've all been through this... You doing good with changing the water and that is ...
cloudy water	8/5/2008
Q: i got a fish tank from my uncle who never used it.i set the tank up yesterday and the water was ... A: Sounds like a bacterial bloom from the tank being newly setup. The good bacteria have not settled ...
Plant Snails	8/5/2008
Q: I don't know if you'll be able to answer this, but how do those little black snails form when you ... A: What happens is the snails hitchhike as eggs or tiny newborn hatchlings on live plants. They go ...
Setting up a freshwater aquarium	8/5/2008
Q: One of my friends has sold me his 55 gal. tank. It has been in use, but I want to start from the ... A: Sure you can use aquarium salt plus some hot water to help clean your aquarium. Just make sure to ...
White Skirt Tetra	8/5/2008
Q: I have five white skirt tetra's in a 70 gallon aquarium with Mollies, platy's, neon tetra's, cleaner ... A: I've never bred Skirt tetras before but this short article from Aquatic-hobbyist.com explaining some ...
angel fish fin eaten away	8/5/2008
Q: I have a 7 year old angel fish who seems not be doing too well. Its swimming upwards with nose ... A: I would isolate the angel and give him/her tons of water changes. Like Everyday about 30-50% to help ...
platies	8/5/2008
Q: i'm wondering what could have gon wrong. the ph says normal as does the temp. do they dye when the ... A: When you cleaned your tank. Was there any chance of chemicals like soap or other contaminates ...
freshwater sand	8/5/2008
Q: freshwater stingray tank, im wanting to use sand in there, i was told i can use silica sand i love ... A: Unfortunately I don't have much advice on Stringrays besides what I've read. The best I can tell you ...
my cichlids are shaking?!?	8/2/2008
Q: I have 4 south american. 2 African in a 56 gal tank after setting my tank up with new fish all was ... A: I'm not sure about the "mold" spots. That's something I've never seen before. Black spots can be ...
Filter	8/1/2008
Q: ok so i just bought an australian rainbow fish, a dwarf gourami and 2 black skirted tetras they all ... A: Sounds like a bacterial bloom which can be caused by an imbalance of good bacteria and too many ...
is my fish poorly	8/1/2008
Q: im sure he is not being bullied and the water has recently been tested and was fine there are no ... A: The frayed fins are a cause for concern. Might be either he is being picked on by other fish or they ...
stuck sucker fish	8/1/2008
Q: My sucker fish is stuck in rock like structure in my tank. I tried to gently pull him out but I was ... A: I had a similar case. It was a dragon fish which is a elongated snake-like fish that got trapped ...
betta peeling	8/1/2008
Q: I was wondering if u got an answer to that. my betta just started to peel on the fins. its almost ... A: Hmm... Is there any way you could send me a picture of your betta condition. You can send picture(s) ...
Small bugs	8/1/2008
Q: I have tiny brown insects living in the collected moisture on the underside of my aquarium, they ... A: They might be Springtails. The best way to get rid of them is to consistently clean up the areas ...
basic fish	8/1/2008
Q: hey im kenny ad i have a question, which is what kind of freshwater fish can i keep that can be kept ... A: While the choices of fish in a 2 gallon are quite limited. There is one fish... Bettas are my top ...
fat belly on black skirt tetra	7/31/2008
Q: I have 2 black skirts one alot larger then the other.The large one tonight seems to have a fat ... A: Good to hear she is doing better! Salt can sometimes stress tetras in high concentrations. I believe ...
White spots on tail fin	7/31/2008
Q: I have three swordtail's, one catfish, and five neon tetras in my aquarium. Recently one of the ... A: Well, it might be an injury or it could be ICK. Hopefully not. But here's a link with an article ...
ammonia in water for freshwater tropical fish	7/31/2008
Q: After looking at so many websites I was so relieved to have just read your reply to David and found ... A: While undergravel filters are usually still used very commonly. I don't really like to use them in ...
Angel fish fungus	7/31/2008
Q: Upon returning from vacation I noticed a small wound on one of my 3 angel fish. Within days fungus ... A: The best treatment I've ever done for fungus is to use Jungle Brand's "Fungus Clear" and follow this ...
Baby Malawi Cichlids	7/31/2008
Q: we have had our tank set up with 7 large Malawi Cichlids for about 6 months. we noticed last ... A: If it was my tank. I'd probably let the babies grow up in the main tank. They have survived this far ...
yellow cichilid	7/30/2008
Q: my yellow cichlid has a cluster of bumps on the belly. What could this be? A: Hard to say without seeing the fish. Are the bumps white? They might be clusters of ick. Here's a ...
Mollies	7/30/2008
Q: I recently got a fish tank from my cousin and they said that its a 20g here are the dimensions 30 ... A: Mollies are very easy to breed, but they can be sensitive to poor water quality and if the tank ...
Black Skirted Tetras	7/30/2008
Q: ok so i just bought an australian rainbow fish, a dwarf gourami and 2 black skirted tetras they all ... A: Unless it might have been a mix-up at the pet store and its actually a different species of tetra, ...
Calico Oranda on side, lethargic, not swimming...	7/30/2008
Q: 'Fin' as this fish is called had a problem within 2 weeks of arriving in the tank back at the ... A: While swim bladder is usually caused by food-related issues I would also be leery of the Hair algae ...
Stimulating my Romeo	7/30/2008
Q: So I have a betta. I have him housed in a 2 gal aquarium that I purchased a Petco. It came with the ... A: Well, its hard to know what's wrong. The fact that he's eating is a good sign and if he doesn't show ...
Cichlids in a 3 Gal	7/30/2008
Q: Hey Karen, I have a 3 Gal tank (12.1L) and im really new in the Aquarium area so anyways i was ... A: I hate to be the bearer of bad news but that's an awfully small tank that really severely limits ...
fat belly on black skirt tetra	7/30/2008
Q: I have 2 black skirts one alot larger then the other.The large one tonight seems to have a fat ... A: I don't think the salt could have caused the fat belly on the black skirt. There are several common ...
Can fish die because of aggression?	7/30/2008
Q: One of my mollies died today :( It had its gills swollen and body thinned out. But I dont think it ... A: Sorry to hear that. It's always possible fish could die of too much stress. But it could have also ...
possible body fungus	7/30/2008
Q: I currently have a 20G tank with a clown pleco, a peppered cory, two dwarf gouramis, and one (the ... A: The best book I have found about aquarium fish is called "The simple guide to Freshwater aquariums" ...
Sick Platy?	7/29/2008
Q: I have recently noticed that one of my platies has a few scales that are white and are lifted up off ... A: I'm can't be sure. I have a few guesses though. The fish doesn't look bloated in the belly does she? ...
SWIM BLADDER HELP !	7/29/2008
Q: i have bought swim bladder treatment (interpet) i am bit confused to how often i use the treatment ... A: Sorry to hear that. I've never used medication to treat swim bladder disorder before because it is ...
Angel Fish with Body Fungus	7/29/2008
Q: I have a sick angel fish with sudden body fungus eroding her back and back fin. White cottony ... A: The best most effective medication I've used for fungus (even stubborn fungus) is Jungle Brand's ...
pregnant mollie	7/28/2008
Q: I have a pregnant mollie again. The last time we noticed she wqas getting bigger and bigger and one ... A: I wonder if the fighter might be keeping the molly intimidated into hiding? Its possible the molly ...
cichlid	7/28/2008
Q: I have a 46 gallon tank. I have 1 Chinese algae eater, 3 giant danios, 2 long finned rosy barbs, 3 ... A: The problem with African cichlids is they can be -very- aggressive and territorial. They usually ...
my pleco-too big?	7/28/2008
Q: tank and he is about 5" from nose to tail...but my son says he's just fine. I worry! I fear his ... A: Your pleco probably isn't too big for your 20 gallon -yet- but it depends on what other fish are ...
Disappearing Fish	7/27/2008
Q: I have had a community aquarium since January and have recently added some new fish to it but since ... A: This is difficult to say. There are several possible culprits.... Tiger barbs can be quite ...
What is a good scavenger fish for a guppy tank?	7/27/2008
Q: Currently, I have 3 small tanks (2x 5.5gal, 1x 1gal). The small tank and one large one have guppies ... A: Corydoras catfish (cories) remain as my favorite no-trouble scavengers for almost any community ...
fish not feeding.	7/27/2008
Q: ive just bought a biorb 30L tropical and have put 2 harliquin fish in it,theyve been in there 3 days ... A: It could be just cause they are new fish to the tank and they need some time to adjust. They may ...
I think my Plecostmus is sick, please help.	7/27/2008
Q: Our plescostmus is approximately 3 years old. We have him in a 30 gallon fresh water aquarium. A few ... A: You're very welcome! I'm so glad to hear your pleco is doing better. That's such a relief to hear. ...
Molly fry never grew up	7/27/2008
Q: I got an aquarium back in January this year and 3 days after I added fish my Balloon Molly gave ... A: Sometimes livebearer fry can become stunted by crowding, ect.. or their genetics may be responsible ...
my cichlids are shaking?!?	7/27/2008
Q: I have 4 south american. 2 African in a 56 gal tank after setting my tank up with new fish all was ... A: Sounds like a water quality issue going on (like polluted water). I'd do an immediate 30-50% water ...
Stocking my 56 gallon tank	7/26/2008
Q: Karen, Thank you for taking your time to answer all of these questions that everyone has!!! I have ... A: I wish petstores would get their information up to date! ;-) I'm glad you did the research, cheers ...
How to remove ich in cycling tank?	7/26/2008
Q: I'm pretty new to the tropical fish hobby. I have a 10 gal aquarium- 1 dwarf gourami, 1 lyretail ... A: Sorry to hear that. I would definitely try to move the little frog somewhere else. His delicate ...
Hurt Fish	7/26/2008
Q: I have got a Red Dwarf Gourami and looks like it is pregnant but I am more concerned about its fin ... A: Sorry to hear about that. Sometimes gouramis can be pregnant or "full" of eggs. But sometimes big ...
Cloud Fish	7/26/2008
Q: About 4 years ago I bought a small (I think about 2 gallons) tank and 6 Cloud Fish. I am now left ... A: Hmm... Well, White clouds can do great in groups of three but they'd love to be in larger groups and ...
cichlid	7/26/2008
Q: I have a 46 gallon tank. I have 1 Chinese algae eater, 3 giant danios, 2 long finned rosy barbs, 3 ... A: Sounds like you have quite a community in your 46-gallon! While a cichlid would make it all the more ...
high nitrite	7/26/2008
Q: I bought a 10 gal aquarium about 3 weeks ago. I treated the water (tap water) and waited 48 hours ... A: Hey, Using distilled water 100% is not the best for fish. Because it actually lacks the minerals ...
issue with fry getting sucked up in filter	7/26/2008
Q: My female swordtail just had about thirty fry that I was able to save. I put the fry in a ... A: Depending upon what type of filter, I have been able to prevent this from happening by taking plain ...
my sons catfish help!!	7/25/2008
Q: my sons just bought in a catfish that his friends given him.Idnt knw how to lok after these what ... A: The two most important things to remember with keeping fish is to keep their water clean. Change 30% ...
high nitrite	7/25/2008
Q: I bought a 10 gal aquarium about 3 weeks ago. I treated the water (tap water) and waited 48 hours ... A: Well, it sounds like you are doing a good job with the nitrite treatment. But one thing I'd do if ...
My Goldfish recently died...	7/25/2008
Q: My goldfish, fluffy died a few days ago. I'm not sure why. My other fish, a Pink Gourami, kept ... A: One of the first most important things to do is to test your water if possible for ammonia, nitrite ...
Low PH	7/25/2008
Q: I have a 47 gallon freshwater aquarium stocked with North American Native species. 2 dollar sunfish, ... A: I love Dragon gobies. Since these amazing fish are often wild caught and near starvation, they tend ...
Molly Babies	7/25/2008
Q: Do you know anything about the care of newborn molly babies? If so, could you give me all the ... A: Its all quite simple. Feed the babies finely crushed high quality flakes with several small meals a ...
Dying fish	7/25/2008
Q: I recently lost a few fish around 2 or 3, i put it down to the age of the fish as they were about 2 ... A: The best thing I can recommend is to continue changing the water at about 30% everyday until ...
Sick Oscar	7/24/2008
Q: My ex boyfriend brought an Oscar about 5 months ago, and he has left the Oscar in my care. I have ... A: Sorry to hear that. Well you certainly mean well by changing his water and feeding all that good ...
Dying fish	7/24/2008
Q: I recently lost a few fish around 2 or 3, i put it down to the age of the fish as they were about 2 ... A: Sorry to hear that. I know you said you checked your water but what you described with all your ...
overstocked	7/24/2008
Q: Well i have a 15 gallon tank with 4 wcmm 1 betta 2 albino corys 6 zebra danios and 3 khuli ... A: ;-) Well, you may be surprised to hear this but I don't think your tank is overstocked. The inch ...
Fish feeding	7/24/2008
Q: I have a 75 gal freshwater driftwood and artificial plants for hiding places. 2 jack dempseys ... A: Jack Dempseys are quite the characters aren't they? ;-) While it may still be a little difficult ...
Would these work?	7/24/2008
Q: I own 2 black kuhlii loaches, 2 african dwarf frogs, 2 albino corys, and a rubberlip sucker in a 10 ... A: Well, your current fish of Kuhlii Loaches, cories, frogs and rubberlip sucker along with the ...
Beta fish sinking....	7/24/2008
Q: I got Lucky in in February 2007 as a birthday gift. He has always been very active, building bubble ... A: Yes Swim bladder can definitely have the both effects on bettas. There is a type called "floaters" ...
Low PH	7/24/2008
Q: I have a 47 gallon freshwater aquarium stocked with North American Native species. 2 dollar sunfish, ... A: First thing I'd do is make sure that the aquarium is not suffering from pH drop due to too much ...
Newts	7/23/2008
Q: i've had these 2 firebelly newts for 2 days, and at the pet store i bought "newt & salamander bites" ... A: A lot of critters like newts tend to not like what "they are suppose to eat" like the pellets and ...
Beta fish sinking....	7/23/2008
Q: I got Lucky in in February 2007 as a birthday gift. He has always been very active, building bubble ... A: Poor Lucky, I'll try my best to help. Identifying lumps and bumps is very difficult with fish ...
parrot cichlids	7/23/2008
Q: but i have just got a 42 gallon tank and I'm thinking on putting 2 parrot cichlids in there but i ... A: Hey Jared, I've kept Parrot fish for years with tetras like black skirts, bloodfins, lemon tetras ...
redbellied pacu	7/23/2008
Q: I have a 10 gallon tank and a redbelly pacu by itself and im wanting to know about how long will it ... A: Red-belly Pacus are beautiful fish. If given good care, which includes good balanced meals, and ...
goldfish	7/23/2008
Q: I have a pond outside in my backyard with goldfish in it and for some reason the fish are dying, ... A: Hey Emily, I'm glad you rescued them! Yes, its -VERY- difficult to keep from messing up the plants ...
baby fish	7/23/2008
Q: my platties recently had some babies, i have got them in a separate breeding tank but i'm not sure ... A: Congrats on the babies! How cool! The best time to put the babies back with the other fish is when ...
Silvertip Shark	7/23/2008
Q: I just bought a silvertip shark the other day and his tank had been running for about a day with the ... A: Sure sounds to me like Popeye. Which is a condition where fluid builds up behind the eye of the fish ...
bettas die one by one	7/22/2008
Q: ve a sixteen gallon tank which started off having 5 female bettas in it. They were doing fine and ... A: I'm sorry to hear about that. Even if the water tests out good (ammonia-0 Nitrite-0 Nitrate-20 or ...
Bettas and goldfish	7/22/2008
Q: I have a pond outside in my backyard with goldfish in it and for some reason the fish are dying, ... A: Wow, I'm having the same problem. I have a healthy pond with lots of aquatic plants, lillies ect... ...
Bent fish!!	7/22/2008
Q: I got 2 fancy gold fish they kept breeding so i have then in seperate tanks to keep them comany i ... A: I've seen Zebra Danios do this a lot. Sometimes it seems to happen overnight, or if they eat too ...
Starting new 30 gallon Aquarium	7/18/2008
Q: I’m in the process of starting a new 30 gallon octagon freshwater aquarium and have a question on ... A: With all the other tanks you have you could easily start up your 30 gallon with few problems by ...
Betta + water lettuce = fish happiness?	7/18/2008
Q: I've finally caved and am going to bring our tortured office betta home from the despicable vase ... A: Congrats on rescuing the betta from the vase! How nice of you! ;-) I'll answer your questions in ...
red jewel & firemouth cichlids	7/18/2008
Q: I've had 2 red jewels and 2 firemouths for 3 years now. The red jewels just had babies for the ... A: What a surprise! Two spawns at such short notice! ;-) Can't you just leave the parents with the ...
Swordtails & Tank Size	7/18/2008
Q: I went to petco yesterday to originally buy a male betta. Well i ended up leaving with 3 swordtails ... A: Well, your setup would make it OK, though not ideal. (Swordtails do better in a larger tank) The ...
Bettas And Bala Sharks.	7/18/2008
Q: I'm a regular Betas Breeder and so I have a few tanks around my house with betas. My friend got me a ... A: Most likely the Bala shark could live with a betta temporarily. Though keep an eye out for ...
water paremeters	7/18/2008
Q: Hy Karen sorry i omitted the water is soft acidic ph 6.5 and i have had no luck with small apistos ... A: I don't know if you already had these fish or have already tried them. But how about German Blue ...
lines on oscar fish gills?	7/18/2008
Q: i woke up this morning to see that my two oscar fish have lines on the outside of their gills on ... A: That tends to sound like just a natural coloration change. Oscars are quite the color change artists ...
My Angelfish doesnt eat..!	7/18/2008
Q: Hey, I just got 3 angelfish, they are about the size of barely half a fist. They are pretty small. I ... A: This happens a lot with smaller angels. Sometimes they are just runts that have no enthusiasm for ...
Bump on Head & Tail Light	7/17/2008
Q: There is a bump on the bottom side of my Head & Tail Light. I think he is one of my fairly new ... A: Poor thing, it does sound awfully like either a cyst or a tumor. And unfortunately there is not much ...
Angelfish....	7/17/2008
Q: I recently gave away my long kept goldfish to acquire a species I have come to love... Angelfish. ... A: Most likely it was just something defective with the angels. Unfortunately its the sad truth that ...
sick armoured catfish	7/17/2008
Q: my 4.5 inch armored catfish has been very lethargic for the past few days. He normally tries to eat ... A: I would do 30-50% water changes everyday to see if that will help make him feel better. Poor water ...
Tank parasites -white, threadlike worms	7/17/2008
Q: recently I have noticed white threadlike worms crawling on the side of my tank or floating/swimming ... A: Hey Sheena, The best thing to do to avoid future Planaria overpopulations is to prevent what fuels ...
Angel Fish sits in air bubbles and goes upside down	7/17/2008
Q: I have a 150 imp gallon tank, being new to this, I had a problem with the Nitrate,Nitrite ect.. ... A: It does indeed sound like a swim bladder problem. And this article explains it in easy to understand ...
sick	7/17/2008
Q: she jus stays in the corner and isn't her normal self ne more. I just saw today she has a white spot ... A: Its hard to diagnose something like this right way. It probably isn't ick like you said. It could be ...
API fungus cure	7/17/2008
Q: I have 2 angels, 4 tetras, 2 bottom feeders and one catfish. One my angels got mouth fungus (it ... A: Poor fish. I'm very very sorry to hear that. Probably what happened is the disease was too hard on ...
Bettas Fry	7/17/2008
Q: if i put my betta fry in my backyard pond with my goldfish will the goldfish eat the betta fry? ... A: Well, when they are just fry you can keep them together in an inexpensive 10-gallon from walmart. ...
Red thread hanging from fish	7/17/2008
Q: i have a 20 litre tank and 3 red swordtails and they have red thingys hanging from them , i assumed ... A: Hmm... Well at least the rejection email explained why so. I wouldn't give up. Keep trying, explain ...
Goldfish	7/16/2008
Q: I have three common gold fish that are living in my 5 gallon hex5 tank. I have never had trouble ... A: Sounds like they are not use to the new light at all. What I'd do is float a fluffy plastic plant or ...
Bettas and goldfish	7/16/2008
Q: if i put my betta fry in my backyard pond with my goldfish will the goldfish eat the betta fry? ... A: Sorry to say this, but I'm quite certain the goldfish will eat the betta fry. But that's a really ...
Fish poop	7/16/2008
Q: The fish in my tank seem to poop beyond excess. I have a 10 gallon tank. I have two painted platies, ... A: Well, the only way to explain this is that your pleco and platy have had an awfully good meal at one ...
Bullying guppy	7/16/2008
Q: Im quite new to tropical fish (I used to have goldfish which got to over 8 years old) and have ... A: Sorry to hear that. Guppy aggression like that is very common. You wouldn't think a little pretty ...
Gourami acting strangely	7/16/2008
Q: I have a ten gallon tank with 2 red dwarf gouramis and one small algae eater. Levels of nitrate, ... A: (You're welcome!) I'm sorry to hear about the gourami. Maybe something internal was wrong that ...
DYING FISH	7/16/2008
Q: Bouht a 95 litre tank in March set up and waite a week - got 6 harlequins - waited 2 weeks got 6 ... A: I think its very very unusual that since your tank hasn't been setup for too long, that it has no ...
Tank parasites -white, threadlike worms	7/16/2008
Q: recently I have noticed white threadlike worms crawling on the side of my tank or floating/swimming ... A: Those worms are called "Planaria" and they are harmless scavengers that tend to inhabit tanks with ...
API fungus cure	7/16/2008
Q: I have 2 angels, 4 tetras, 2 bottom feeders and one catfish. One my angels got mouth fungus (it ... A: Poor things. I would keep trying with the medication. But I would also change 50% of the water every ...
My Angelfish	7/15/2008
Q: I got an angelfish from a pet store, about a month ago. I was watching it one day and it will go ... A: This is a very interesting subject because I've witnessed this too with striped angels. Angelfish, ...
Rainbow Sharks	7/15/2008
Q: But about a week ago I purchased a black rainbow shark and a albino 1. and as soon as i put them in ... A: I'm glad to hear about your angel's recovery! Unfortunately the chasing will likely continue with ...
U big bully	7/15/2008
Q: A few days ago i added a few new friends to my fish family.I purchased two fancy type guppies, two ... A: I've seen guppies behave as you described with other fish. If these are males we're dealing with it ...
?	7/15/2008
Q: would be able to put Spotted Green Puffer fish in with the African chichlids A: Green spotted puffers are very cute and amazing fish. But they often don't do well with other fish ...
Gourami acting strangely	7/15/2008
Q: I have a ten gallon tank with 2 red dwarf gouramis and one small algae eater. Levels of nitrate, ... A: I wonder if the test kits are accurate. Sometimes strips don't give a very accurate reading or will ...
cichlids	7/15/2008
Q: I have a large tank with 5 cichlids in it, I have just taken one out as it is hardly moving, upside ... A: Sounds like your cichlid is VERY stressed by the pH and possibly other water quality issues. The ...
beta trouble	7/14/2008
Q: I found one of my sunburst platies dead at the bottom of my tank with my female beta swimming next ... A: The betta probably wasn't responsible but one thing I would check is the water quality. The biggest ...
Snails	7/14/2008
Q: I have a 150 G tank and I have 4 clown Loachs, 2 small angels, among other happy friends, However, I ... A: Well, the only option you have now is to be careful about feeding and start trapping the snails at ...
Betta Fry feeding	7/14/2008
Q: When my betta fry hatch can i put some of my pond water from my pond in the backyard into the tank ... A: You can try that, they'll likely find something to eat in the pond water most definitely. But ...
Hatchet snail overload	7/14/2008
Q: I bought a bucket of rocks on sale , at a pet store that they assured me cleaned , but I found Loads ... A: well, that's hard to say for certain. You don't want your entire gravel bed moving as if alive from ...
Discus	7/14/2008
Q: I brought two discus, because i really wanted to try keep them, however there are some problems: ... A: What you are experiencing is normal with discus and many other cichlids for that matter. When new to ...
compatability	7/14/2008
Q: We have two large angel fish in a freshwater tank, 200 litre, they are about 7cm in size. We have ... A: I'm hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Monos (although beautiful fish) really don't belong in a ...
Red thread hanging from fish	7/13/2008
Q: i have a 20 litre tank and 3 red swordtails and they have red thingys hanging from them , i assumed ... A: For some reason, livebearers like Swordtails but also guppies, platies, and mollies have that ...
Foam on top of water	7/13/2008
Q: I have a 56 gallon tank that I just recently cleaned due to constant cloudy water. I completely tore ... A: Sounds like your tank is just new and needs time to get established. The foam on the top is due to ...
Fresh Water Fish	7/13/2008
Q: I would like to know - when you buy a new fish and put in the tank, how long does it take for the ... A: Well, the typical 'quarantine' time is about 2 weeks on average. Everyone has their own opinion. But ...
ammonia	7/13/2008
Q: my tank is a 110 gal. tall tank, it is about four weeks old I have it stocked with Afican cichlids. ... A: Your tank must not be cycled or has experienced a biological filter crash (due to overcleaning of ...
flowerhorn	7/13/2008
Q: Karen, Please give an advise. I have 10" FH I fed him 3x a day with a combination of pellets and ... A: Maybe the flowerhorn has just learned that he prefers to let the food sink before he eats it. Maybe ...
ammonia	7/13/2008
Q: how can i get out ammonia out fish tank thanks A: The easiest way is to do a partial water change. Anything from 30-50% is the best amount to really ...
BIG lump on Betta	7/12/2008
Q: Our betta is about 1 year old. He has a lump about half-way down his body, a little bit past the ... A: I'm sorry I couldn't have gotten to you sooner. Sounds like either a cyst or a tumor. It is very ...
bettas & guppies	7/12/2008
Q: I just got my mom a fish for her birthday and right now he lives in the kitchen alone in a 1 gallon ... A: I understand your good intention but its really not necessary for bettas to have a companion. They ...
Goldfish and Molly	7/12/2008
Q: Karen, I have three tanks. All have a ph around 7.8 and are seasoned tanks. Main tank is 55 ... A: I can understand and relate to your confusion completely. Sometimes the best way to get a reliable ...
eye cloud in male beta	7/12/2008
Q: my beta starting with tail rot which i cured with melafix. Then I noticed his one eye became cloudy. ... A: The best thing to do is to change the water everyday which helps get rid of the bacteria and poor ...
Black widow tetra	7/12/2008
Q: I recently purchased two black widow fish from the pet shop and was informed that they were cold ... A: Its not the species of fish you have. Black widows are incredibly hardy and easy to care for. But ...
Betta fish in a 5.5 gallon	7/12/2008
Q: I recently purchased a 5.5 gallon aquarium to take to college with me next year. My new tank is ... A: It's really good you have done your research!! cheers for that! As far as the filter current issue, ...
temperature	7/11/2008
Q: Greetings. I live in central Florida and wish to keep a 10 gallon aquarium in my screen porch. ... A: While most tropical species can tolerate the 90 degree water if this is a continuous temperature it ...
Fish	7/11/2008
Q: I have lots of questions for you and her goes one of them would my silver tipped shark thrive better ... A: ;-) The simple answer to that is Silver tip sharks do best if they are kept in brackish water when ...
Breeding my platies	7/11/2008
Q: Hey, a few years back,my guppies bred but the fry didn't survive and most of my fish died and I left ... A: Its really no problem at all to get platies to breed, they are quite as easy as any livebearer. Just ...
My goldfish is being bullied!!!	7/11/2008
Q: Please help, in work we have two goldfish is a bowl shaped fish tank. Everything was fine until one ... A: I'm sorry to hear that. I'm not sure why goldfish behave this way. Males sometimes do this if they ...
pH issues with my 55 gal tank	7/11/2008
Q: I just set up my 55 gal tank last Friday the fourth. We still do not have any fish in the tank and ... A: I'd be more willing to trust the Vial Liquid test kit, they are always more accurate. I don't think ...
Silver tipped sharks	7/11/2008
Q: ANSWER: Hi Keith, I don't think the salt will negatively affect the ID shark or the Pacu if its at ... A: Hey Keith, Brackish water is pretty easy to create -- you just need some marine salt like "Instant ...
Silver tipped sharks	7/11/2008
Q: Hi I have a silver tipped shark i have had him for about 5 days and i have been adding salt and i ... A: I don't think the salt will negatively affect the ID shark or the Pacu if its at low concentrations ...
many spotted catfish / synodontis multipuctatus	7/11/2008
Q: My many spotted catfish (cuckoo catfish, synodontis multipuctatus)has a bloated stomach and has been ... A: Poor catfish. Sounds like Swim bladder disorder. It can be cured and is rarely fatal unless a ...
betta breeding	7/10/2008
Q: Help.Both my newly bought beautiful crowntail bettas won't spawn and they also won't even blow a ... A: Have you tried letting the male see the female or giving him a few minutes of mirror time? Make sure ...
bottom feeders	7/10/2008
Q: I have sand on the bottom of my tank and would like to know what is the best alga eater to use in my ... A: While there are lots of good bottom feeders- One thing I can say is you can't go wrong with ...
betta plant	7/10/2008
Q: my betta Tazo is in a classic 1 gallon glass bowl. I got him an artificial plant that is about 5 ... A: The best way to determine this is to observe your betta and see if he is having trouble moving ...
I think my betta has gill disease?!!?!?!!??	7/10/2008
Q: and first off thank you for taking time out of your day to read my question and try to help me and ... A: I hope Ethan is faring. I know waiting for my answer must be distressing and I feel bad I can't get ...
Sick Yoyo Loach	7/10/2008
Q: I have 2 Yoyo Loaches and 1 clown loach amongst an array of other fish mates, and yesterday morning ... A: Poor Yoyo loach. When fish get swollen bellies it can be several things. Overeating, Constipation, ...
Planted tank pH and CO2 injection	7/9/2008
Q: I'd like to get an additional opinion regarding a possible conversion for my new planted tank (now ... A: I'm really sorry to turn this question down and not give the response you wanted. But I don't have ...
New Freshwater tank but 4 fish died	7/9/2008
Q: I have been following your answers and this website, first of all thanks for the awesome information ... A: I'm sorry to hear about your fish dilemma. But this is a very common problem and I don't blame you ...
Help! Discolored Platy	7/9/2008
Q: I recently went to petsmart and bought a dalamation platy, they looked wellfed and healthy, but once ... A: I've noticed that Dalmation platies do have an tendency to have little speckles of orangy/brown over ...
Aquariam Setup Cleaning	7/9/2008
Q: I am setting up a 46 gal. tank and would like to know what I can clean the inside of the tank with ... A: Yes, bleach is used a lot when cleaning out and sterilizing aquariums of course it must be rinsed ...
Guppy fry siamses twins	7/8/2008
Q: I have more of a curiosity than a question. I have kept tropical fish for years. But never guppies. ... A: Hey Michelle, Well, its very difficult to know the answer to this situation. Since you can get quite ...
My comet fish	7/8/2008
Q: I have a comet fish that has been in my family for quite sometime now, and my husband and I noticed ... A: Poor thing. I can only imagine how bad the goldfish looks and feels. My very first thought is if ...
Guppy fry siamses twins	7/7/2008
Q: I have more of a curiosity than a question. I have kept tropical fish for years. But never guppies. ... A: Sounds like a freak accident to me. Or maybe inbreeding. More likely a rare deformity. The fish ...
Treating Ich with newborns in tank	7/7/2008
Q: Our three tetras died yesterday. We don't know why but noticed ich on two of them. Removed ... A: Fortunately ICK is easy to treat and you are doing a good job so far. Just keep up with daily water ...
suddenly cloudy water in 55 gal tank	7/6/2008
Q: We have a 55 gallon tropical community tank with 6 neon tetras, 6 zebra danios, 1 dwarf gourami, 2 ... A: Sorry to hear that. I think what may have happened is the overcleaning of the filters and the water ...
betta splenda	7/6/2008
Q: I have several bettas, and yesterday noticed that one of my blue+red females(?/short finned male) ... A: We can't be really sure what the small-bubble thing is on the fin but it may be a cyst or a injury ...
Bettas and frogs	7/5/2008
Q: ..I recently bought another beta and a new tank that separates the two. They are much more ... A: The little African dwarf frogs you buy from your petstore are totally aquatic animals that have no ...
Aquarium set up for Oscar and compatible fishes	7/5/2008
Q: I have started the hobby of fish aquarium only two months ago. I have two aquariums (100 L and 130 ... A: With the fish you currently have the Albino Oscar and Red Devil and the third fish, the Black Tiger ...
Dwarf gourami	7/5/2008
Q: I have a blue dwarf gourami in with a couple of tetras and another specie of dwarf gourami. This ... A: Sorry to hear about your gourami. It might be stress due to disease or poor water quality, or it may ...
goldfish tank to tropical	7/4/2008
Q: I had a loved goldfish for a long time in a 10 gallon tank(I don't know which:/). I finally decided ... A: Sorry to hear you lost your goldfish. Maybe it was a sickness or something just went wrong ...
pangasius catfish	7/4/2008
Q: I have a 46 gallon tank. I have 1 Chinese algae eater, 3 giant danios, 3 long finned rosy barbs, 3 ... A: They may be sick, scared, getting picked on by other fish when they do swim, or just trying to ...
betta - gills	7/4/2008
Q: I have had a betta for about 3 weeks and when I approach his tank, he swims to the top to seemingly ... A: This is how bettas normally behave which is very good because it means he is happy and in good ...
dead and the dieing ={	7/3/2008
Q: i have an african cichlid tank and the nitrite got a little out of hand (happens about once every ... A: I'm wondering why the nitrite is even occurring. If the tank has been long-established then it ...
FISH DYING RAPIDLY!!	7/2/2008
Q: I had a platy in my tank, who I think was sick when I got her. She was at the bottom of the tank ... A: I'm sorry to hear about that. Its very important to check your water quality whenever your fish ...
Fantail Goldfish has a Rip in it's Tail	7/2/2008
Q: My husband and I just got a fantail and a comet. The comet was aggressive and would chase the ... A: Sounds just like physical damage from the comet. As long as there is no discoloration at the edge of ...
Black goldfish turning white	7/2/2008
Q: We have a black goldfish and up until today was acting fine but tonight, after a warm day, we ... A: Please let me apologize for not getting back to you. I feel so bad. But lets get right to it. Since ...
sick cichlid	6/4/2008
Q: I have a 55 gallon tank with 10 african cichlids. We had 10 for a little over a month and then ... A: Oh I am afraid for your fish. :( Please read this article about "Malawi Bloat" ...
Discuss fish died	6/4/2008
Q: since i bought more discus so i moved all of gold fishes to another acquarium , next day two discus ... A: Goldfish really are not the best tankmates for discus. They can bother the discus a lot and eat all ...
New aquarium setup for one Betta, have I done everything right?	6/3/2008
Q: I purchased a Baby Biorb (15 litres) 5 days ago and set it up the same evening, setting the pump ... A: It sounds like you've done about everything right. The cloudiness is normal and occurs because the ...
Discuss fish died	6/3/2008
Q: since i bought more discus so i moved all of gold fishes to another acquarium , next day two discus ... A: Easy Balance isn't really that necessary. Its just a product to add to try not to do so many water ...
Guppies	6/3/2008
Q: Well yesterday we bought 3 guppies to help with our tank cycle and i think one of them is pregnant ... A: Most likely your guppy is pregnant. Guppies are almost always pregnant all the time. There's no ...
Discuss fish died	6/2/2008
Q: since i bought more discus so i moved all of gold fishes to another acquarium , next day two discus ... A: The best thing you can do is test your water. Use a simple at home test kit (bought from your ...
Tank Location	6/2/2008
Q: I teach middle school and every year I bring my tank and fish home over the summer. I have moved ... A: Well this is difficult. Because both places could be very uncomfortable areas for fish. The loud ...
Overstocked or not?	5/20/2008
Q: I am currently running a 29 gallon tank (30"x12"x18"). It is filtered by an Aquatech 60 (made for up ... A: Well, it seems your tank is Ok except for a few of the fish that have the potential to grow very ...
female mickey mouse platy acting strange	5/20/2008
Q: I have a female sunburst mickey mouse platy who is staying on the bottom of the aquarium and not ... A: Its always possible for platies to have small 'litters' and in turn have a small belly but the ...
My Oscar Pair	5/19/2008
Q: Hey there! I actually have a brown Oscar for about one year . his/her companion had died months ago ... A: The trick to look for is if the pair start cleaning off a stone by fanning with their fins and ...
Needle Fish Stopped eating	5/19/2008
Q: My needle fish has stopped eating. He still appears healthy, although I fear the lack of food will ... A: We can't be exactly sure. Have you tried worms like Bloodworms, earthworms, or Mysis Shrimp ect. You ...
koi sickness	5/19/2008
Q: .. I have 2 1 foot long, 25 year old koi in a 55 gallon aquarium. Recently one of the has been ... A: Wow, a 25 year old Koi? That's amazing. If the water tests out good in terms of ZERO ammonia and ...
betta	5/18/2008
Q: do you have to put the female's jar in the tank or is it better to put it in? A: Its usually easiest to use a Hurricane Lantern to keep the female in the same tank as the male and ...
Bloated Gold Fish	5/18/2008
Q: I have two elderly goldfish, found them in a near empty slime pond in a rental house about 7 years ... A: It could be old age getting to them. Though goldfish can live up to 10 years, Their lifespan does in ...
goldfish eye injury	5/17/2008
Q: I have a black oranda goldfish that has what seems to be an injury to one of his eyes. Two days ago ... A: Its likely she injured it. If you like, you could send a picture to nature_girl2u@hotmail.com You ...
Platy with unusual spot	5/17/2008
Q: I have a Red Wag Platy that went a little quiet for a while - very tired then developed a white ... A: Could be an injury or it could be one of the many kinds of bumps fish commonly get. Here's a pasted ...
my sad empty tank	5/17/2008
Q: i had a beta for about 2 1/2 years then he got sick and died. now i have an empty (1 gallon i think) ... A: Sorry to hear about your betta. Unfortunately 1 gallon aquariums aren't suitable for any fish ...
African brown knife fish	5/16/2008
Q: I was wondering if you knew any sicknesses for an african brown knife fish. My fish (zippy) has a ... A: Well it could be cloudy eye but I'm not 100% sure. Here's some pictures of fish with cloudy eye so ...
beta in community tank, tail chewed off....	5/16/2008
Q: we got a new beta a few weeks ago (Lemon Pepper)then had to replace our tank so hubby got a 15 gal ... A: You're welcome, I'm sorry to hear about Lemonpepper. Poor thing. You tried your best! I wonder if ...
beta in community tank, tail chewed off....	5/15/2008
Q: we got a new beta a few weeks ago (Lemon Pepper)then had to replace our tank so hubby got a 15 gal ... A: Hey Heidi, I love that betta's name! ;-) Although bettas can often live in commununity tanks just ...
New African Tank	5/15/2008
Q: I have a 90g Tank with lots of hiding spots (Plants, Caves, Rocks Wood Coral, and crushed Gravel. My ... A: Seems like your tank hasn't cycled yet. Water changes are definitely the answer to your water ...
betta mating	5/14/2008
Q: My male betta fish seemed to be very listless and seemed sick or something, so I was told to get him ... A: Bettas have a special breeding ritual they go through which involves the male betta building a ...
34 stingrays die at Calgary zoo... wondering if you could think of an explanation?	5/14/2008
Q: im very saddened to hear the sudden death of 34 cownose stingrays at Calgary zoo while 9 are still ... A: Wow, what an interesting story. That's quite a tragedy though. Although I'm not a vet and am not ...
ph level	5/13/2008
Q: My level is 5.0 how do I raise the level.. A: First make sure the pH isn't being kept too low by dissolved organics in the water. When these ...
New African Tank	5/13/2008
Q: I have a 90g Tank with lots of hiding spots (Plants, Caves, Rocks Wood Coral, and crushed Gravel. My ... A: That's quite a lot of fish for a cycling tank. They are probably flashing due to ammonia or nitrite ...
Sick Cories	5/12/2008
Q: Karen, I have a 55 gallon, fully cycled tank that I have had for about 7 months. Temp 78, pH 7.4, ... A: Aw, poor babies. I'd do a 50 water change right away and add an ammonia dechlorinator if possible. ...
Oscar sick	5/12/2008
Q: My Oscar is about one year old and in a 30-gallon tank. I feed him mainly flakes and baby scrimp a ... A: Oscars are very polluting fish and they dirty their water very quick. To put it quite bluntly, your ...
moving - take fish or not	5/12/2008
Q: I am planning to move from Georgia to Illinois in a few months. I currently have 5 fish tanks with ... A: This does depend on your method of travel. If you are taking a plane then I'm not sure if the ...
Fish!	5/11/2008
Q: i have a fifty gallon, and its a comunity tank. I was wondering how many male gouramis could be put ... A: The 55-gallon should be large enough for four male dwarfs to coexist reasonably well. Trial and ...
Compatibility	5/11/2008
Q: I will soon have a 29 gallon fish tank which I will be transfering all my fish to from a 10 gallon. ... A: Any of the tetra species commonly available at your petstore would be really great. These include ...
egg laying fish keep dying	5/11/2008
Q: we are having trouble getting our egg laying fish to live.we have tested the water many, many ... A: Sorry to hear that. :( Could you please test the water and let me know the readings of ammonia, ...
disease I thought was ich, maybe not?	5/10/2008
Q: I asked a question of another expert yesterday about what I thought was ich on my platy, but she ... A: The white patches remind me of fungus. Or a Columnaris infection more likely. Here is a good article ...
black velvet angel fish.	5/10/2008
Q: I have noticed over the last 2 months a white thread like coming from the side of his body also he ... A: Sorry to hear about your angel. So he has a white thread coming from the side of his body? That ...
angel goldfish	5/10/2008
Q: Hey i have a Angel Gold fish i have had it for almost 2 yrs , and my mother picked up some elgie ... A: Poor angel. Water changes are the perfect medicine for helping to heal wounded fins. I would do a ...
what other fish can i add?	5/9/2008
Q: i have a mature tropical tank that I've had for about 4 years now, i would like to add some more ... A: Hey Ann-Mari! One thing that you failed to mention is the size of your tank. Please let me know ...
Tankmates and snails	5/9/2008
Q: I'm starting a new aquarium and I bought a couple of live plants for it. I set my 10 gallon tank up ... A: My favorite algae eater for small tanks like yours is the cute little Otocinclus catfish. They only ...
Please Help Me and my Black Moor	5/9/2008
Q: I have 2 Black Moors and one got ick. We have treated at half dosage 2 times in a row per the pet ... A: Sorry to hear about your Black moor. The trick to treating Ick is you have to continue treating for ...
Red Eye Pregnant or Dropsy	5/8/2008
Q: I have kept a 40g tank for 6 months with no casualties, it is stocked with 8 Red eye tetras, 6 ... A: As long as the tetra doesn't behave sick which from what you described, I don't think she is. Most ...
Treturous molly torturing my little green spotted puffer	5/8/2008
Q: again... my little green spotted puffer who is sick, like darkened skin, and he twitches when he ... A: Sorry to hear that. I would take that molly to a petstore. Most petstores take unwanted fish. Try ...
angelfish	5/7/2008
Q: was sexing angelfish may also be done by seeing the difference with their dorsal fin? i have seen ... A: Sexing Angelfish is quite difficult. Its much easier when they are older. The males often have a ...
Siamese FIghting Fish	5/7/2008
Q: I have recently had to restock my son's tank and we got two female siamese fighting fish, a bulldog, ... A: It may be that your aquarium hasn't been cycled. If you need help on this please read this article. ...
Tropical Eels	5/7/2008
Q: We have a sucker fish, siamese fighting fish, guppies and zebras, can you keep a tropical eel in the ... A: The Eel might be OK with the sucker fish and siamese fish. But if the eel is large enough, he will ...
3 small puffers, 50g?	5/6/2008
Q: I just bought 3 small green spotted puffers who are currently residing in a 20L. Everything they ... A: What an interesting collection! The 50gallon will be plenty big enough for 3 mature green spotted ...
powder blue gourami breeding	5/6/2008
Q: I have two male powder blue Gourami's, one of them has built a bubble nest, the other male ... A: To my knowledge I don't believe that Dwarf gouramis can change sex. I know that Swordtails can ...
salvini	5/6/2008
Q: I just noticed that my salvini's mouth seems to be swollen. it doesnt look like he can close his ... A: Sorry to hear about your Salvini. Swollen mouths can be the result of fighting and lip-locking with ...
Behavior/Disease of Betta Splendens	5/5/2008
Q: I have noticed since two days ago that my Betta is unable to stay and swim at the bottom of his ... A: Your betta has the classic symptoms of swim bladder disorder. This is common occurrence with bettas ...
Sick beta fish	5/5/2008
Q: My beta had swim bladder disorder, but he seems weaker. Sometimes he swims rapidly before sinking to ... A: Have you been giving him peas? Does he still appear constipated? (Symptoms like bloated belly, not ...
Biting tiger barbs	5/5/2008