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Freshwater Aquarium/Questions Answered by Expert michael mccorry
| Subject | Date Asked |
| Killing pests | 2/2/2012 |
| Q: I've just set-up my tank for two months and I'm facing several pests problems. Firstly, there are ... A: Arron, the worms are there due to excessive organics and as you mentioned prob came in on the ... | |
| Aquarium fleas | 12/20/2011 |
| Q: My tank has had these flea like creatures at the top of the water line for years. They jump and ... A: Kathy, they may well be daphnia (water flea)without seeing a pic of one that would be my ... | |
| Parrot Fish | 12/15/2011 |
| Q: I have 4 parrot fish, I separated them into 2 tanks. One tank is 75 gallons and the other is a 50 ... A: Dee, I need more info in order to assist you.. temp of tank how long set up filtration PH nitrates I ... | |
| hair algae on sponge! | 12/15/2011 |
| Q: I have an established 10 gallon FW tank. Peram. stay pretty even at AM-0 Nitrite-0 Nitrate-trace, ... A: Diane, Ok on the water...is there a natural spring near you? I have used lake water, brook water, ... | |
| hair algae on sponge! | 12/15/2011 |
| Q: I have an established 10 gallon FW tank. Peram. stay pretty even at AM-0 Nitrite-0 Nitrate-trace, ... A: Diane, I will attemt to answer this in order...or something close anyway... Instead of changing ... | |
| tire track eels | 12/10/2011 |
| Q: we recently sold our fish and are keeping our tire track eels.instead of us keeping them in the 55 ... A: Sasha, your aquarium will exchange O2 at the surface without any airbubbles. how many tire ... | |
| water ph | 7/10/2011 |
| Q: I have a 29gal tank with currently 2 angelfish and a cory cat, tank is done cycling and my ph is ... A: Angel, cut the water change percentage to 10-15% as 40% is a bit too much. Ph is not a constant it ... | |
| crayfish | 5/10/2011 |
| Q: "crayfish will kill discus? crayfish size 2 inch and discus size 1 inch and other fishes in my tank ... A: Rahul, crayfish will eat/kill just about anything they can get there claws on. You may want to ... | |
| Can I put a heater in my tank? | 4/10/2011 |
| Q: I have two hexagon shaped aqariums and i really would like to put a heater in both of them mainly ... A: Blake, yes you can get heaters for tanks your size. check with your local shop, independent if you ... | |
| fish question | 3/10/2011 |
| Q: We have a black moor in a 55 gallon tank with other goldfish who rests upside down? Is he sick or is ... A: Erica, sounds like a swim bladder issue. Feed the GF some baby peas, spinach etc.. Remember goldfish ... | |
| breeding of mollies | 3/10/2011 |
| Q: I have seven female and three male mollies[one of them is balloon mollie] . the three male mollies ... A: John, have you added any salt to the tank as mollies are actually brackish water fish and do very ... | |
| Water PH | 3/9/2011 |
| Q: I had a couple of questions about PH and Kh with Aaron. I am still very confused and as Aaron is ... A: Jim, I am assuming that the PH is 7.3.. the fact of the matter is that PH fluctuates. Also, over ... | |
| Freshwater tank setup | 2/7/2011 |
| Q: I bought a used 125 gallon acrylic aquarium and I've got a few questions. The aquarium has two ... A: what you have is essentially a saltwater set up. that said, you can for sure us it for fresh. since ... | |
| fish disease? | 1/6/2011 |
| Q: I have a 20 gallon tank that I've had for quite a while. In the tank i have 3 glo fish and a striped ... A: Glofish are a geneticly altered danio, I believe they took a gene from a jellyfish and spliced it ... | |
| Cory Catfish possibe problem | 1/6/2011 |
| Q: I thought it was their age as they are over 10 years old but now one of my youngsters that I bred ... A: Penny, without actually seeing the fish in real time its difficult to diagnose the issue. Have you ... | |
| 29gl community | 1/6/2011 |
| Q: I have a 29gl tank and i have 3 dwarf gourami, 5 black neon tetras, 6 cherry barbs, and 3 redeyed ... A: Dave, from what you describe you are within the limits of your tank. Depending on your filtration, ... | |
| Injured Goldfish | 12/4/2010 |
| Q: I feel awfully guilty because I made a basic mistake of not removing my fish from the aquarium while ... A: the injuries from what you tell me seem quite severe. I don;t think the fish will make a complete ... | |
| Have a few questions, please | 12/2/2010 |
| Q: I'm glad there's no stupid questions! First 1: I am not a novice at keeping aquariums, yet I went ... A: Sorry for the delay, I did not see your question. the frogs are not dependent on the water quality ... | |
| water changes | 12/1/2010 |
| Q: We have an 80 gallon freshwater tank with 2 Bala Sharks, a clown loach and a Pictus Catfish. This is ... A: 1st-no need to remove the fish...change only 10-15% of the water...buckets are fine...you don;t need ... | |
| wooden log | 10/1/2010 |
| Q: i have a 55 gallon tank and i am a beginner just 2 months old. i have 5 koi(5 inches), 4 gold fish(2 ... A: real wood will release tannins into the water acidifying it. If I were you I would get some fake ... | |
| 180 gallon Freshwater tank | 8/31/2010 |
| Q: We are experiencing a greenish hue to the water that was very bad a few days ago. We performed a ... A: Green water is due to algae, single cell...cut the light source back.. save money, skip the nitrate ... | |
| Cloudy Water | 5/5/2010 |
| Q: The pH in my fish tank is about 6.8 but the water is really cloudy. I changed about 30% of the water ... A: Hallie, ph is fine , this is new tank syndrome and changing that much water added to the problem. ... | |
| Adding salt to a freshwater cycle change | 4/5/2010 |
| Q: I've had a new 75 gallon tank within the last week or so and with 15 tropical community fish ... A: Bob, nothing to fear with the salt addition... best place is behind the filter pads..or a plastic ... | |
| 29 gallon filter and moving! | 4/5/2010 |
| Q: My question is actually two. First, I have a 29 gallon, planted aquarium. I do partial water ... A: Jenn, cannister would work great, a HOT Magnum standard by Marineland ...there are other choice as ... | |
| Plecos | 3/5/2010 |
| Q: will a pleco be a problem with live plants? will they eat or dig up? A: Ryan, the short answer is yes, they will rasp plants. depending on the variety of plants some like ... | |
| shubunkin is sick or what? | 2/5/2010 |
| Q: i have 2 pair or shubunkin. on of my shubunkin is sitting down in the tank since morning and dont ... A: arslan, could be simple stress that has effected one of your fish more than others. some are just ... | |
| water PH levels | 2/5/2010 |
| Q: The water in our 10 gallon tank has a PH level around 6 - 6.2. I have tried PH increase to try to ... A: Shane, there may be alot of debis built up in the gravel bed that can cause this to happen. filters ... | |
| silver angelfish | 1/5/2010 |
| Q: my 12 month old male(have had since feb 2009) have not had any problems with him or female, until 2 ... A: betsy, seems there is some sort of bladder issue without actually seeing the fish. you could add ... | |
| fish tank repair | 1/5/2010 |
| Q: we have a 100 gallon freshwater tank and my son accidently shot a bb gun off it hit the glass now ... A: kerri, alot of the repair will be dependent on the way the bb hit. I would be a bit leary of a 100 ... | |
| african cichlids | 1/5/2010 |
| Q: I'm just starting a 55 gallon aquarium.I've bought several assorted african cichlids(mbunas). I was ... A: Larry, alot depends on what cichlids you go with,some being much larger than others. I like to set ... | |
| Mini cycle in aquarium? | 12/6/2009 |
| Q: I previously had a 30 gallon tank running. I had to get rid of it very quickly unfortunately due to ... A: James,\ tank is doing fine, that is low ammonia for a new tank. tank should totally cycle when the ... | |
| dwarf puffer and khuli loach | 12/6/2009 |
| Q: I have been researching for a while the question "Can dwarf puffers and Khuli Loachs live in the ... A: not recommended to put dwarf puffers and loaches together, their water requirements are totally ... | |
| Sick Platy | 12/6/2009 |
| Q: Michael- I have a 10 gallon freshwater aquarium with 2 pandas, 2 cardinal tetras, 2 white cloud ... A: Heather, the pandas and whiteclouds and platys can handle this ph. the cardinals cant. do a partial ... | |
| peacock eel | 12/5/2009 |
| Q: i have bought a 33 gallon tall style aquarium, its about 2 feet in length and i wanted to get a ... A: \ your eels should be fine in a "neutral" tank, ph 6.8-7.4, temp 78. they like to jump sometimes so ... | |
| salt | 11/6/2009 |
| Q: We have a 36 gal. tank it has 2 giant gold fish. The nitrites have been really high since we set it ... A: cathy, right now I would change 25% of the water, stirr the gravel up really well and siphon from ... | |
| cold water fish tank | 11/5/2009 |
| Q: I have had my fish tank set up for 3 to 4 weeks it is a 2ft fish tank but the water is cloudy and ... A: jennifer, take a magnet cleaner or the like and break up the bubbles, nothing to worry about. keep ... | |
| help please?? | 11/5/2009 |
| Q: Can you tell me what order i should be setting up my filter? I have a top filter setup with ... A: darren, you can "sandwich" the media between two layers of wool actually, will make things easier. ... | |
| cloudy tank and fish loss | 10/2/2009 |
| Q: Help! My tank is cloudy and I'm losing fish. I have a 2o extra high tank with only 10 fish. 1 ... A: Heather, sounds like you have enough trouble with this tank, frankly I would start the whole tank ... | |
| goldfish sickness | 10/2/2009 |
| Q: .thanks for taking the time to read this. I have a red cap oranda that i've had for 6 months. He's ... A: nikki, the bump may be a cystic issue of some sort if there is only one. could be a parasite as well ... | |
| question about bala shark | 10/1/2009 |
| Q: We have a 55 gallon tank and have a bala shark that is acting wierd. It twitches and swims on his ... A: jamiemae, the tank is plenty big enough at this point for the bala shark. it is difficult to say ... | |
| why are the running from me | 10/1/2009 |
| Q: i have 5 african cichlids. up until two days ago whenever i came close to the tank they "ran" to ... A: new-be seems the africans have established their own territories and they run to them when they feel ... | |
| My sick comet Lazy Jack | 10/1/2009 |
| Q: My comet lazy jack is currently lieing on his left side on the bottom of my aquarium and is ... A: lots of variables here Ben, could have a bladder issue, could be parasitic. if this is a new tank, ... | |
| Tank Odor | 8/31/2009 |
| Q: My tank is 3 days old, it smells very fishy. The whole bedroom smells fishy. It is 10 gallons with ... A: Season, at this point it may be best to do a 50% water change, change or rinse the filter carts. ... | |
| Tank Mate | 8/31/2009 |
| Q: I have a male betta in a 10 gallon tank and would like to add some others. I have read A LOT of ... A: Caitrin, betafish can co-exist with several other varietes of fish. swordtails,gouramies, neons,any ... | |
| Peacock Eel vacation | 7/1/2009 |
| Q: I found an article on this site about how to feed your peacock eel over a vacation, but it says that ... A: Briggs.. the eel may nibble on the plant but will not "chow them down". You could use a vacation ... | |
| tank setup | 7/1/2009 |
| Q: I have a 100 gal sea clear sys 2 tank it has the built in filtration sys it has a 350 gph pump but ... A: John, UGF filters are not my favorite system, they clog, they are not as efficient due to dead ... | |
| Cloudy biorb aquarium | 5/31/2009 |
| Q: My son has a baby biorb aquarium with two goldfish in it. We have had it trouble free for 5 months. ... A: Helen, the water change disrupted the bio cycle of the tank, and the large water changes are doing ... | |
| aeration and gravel cleaning | 5/31/2009 |
| Q: I have a 20 gallon tank in it's second weed of processing with plants. The plants are just stem ... A: Marie, well lets see where we are and whats what. first, you can add fish right away, I would put ... | |
| Water Conditions | 3/31/2009 |
| Q: I have a 54 gallon freshwater tank. PH 7.8, which I know is high and due to some coral sand ... A: Wanny, the short answer to the tests is no. you need a mater freshwater test kit, ammonia, ph, ... | |
| red oscar has ick | 3/31/2009 |
| Q: How can I get rid of my red oscar's ick? I have a 55 gallon tank with a red oscar, jack dempsey and ... A: felicia, temp in the tank is fine. do a 10gal waterchange, but before you do that, put the carbon ... | |
| nitite | 3/31/2009 |
| Q: I JUST GOT INTO FISH KEEPING A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO AND HAVE 2 COMMET GOLD FISH IN A 30 GAL TANK, I ... A: david, you are doing nothing wrong, whats happening is the nitrogen cycle. just let it run its ... | |
| Piranha's dying | 3/2/2009 |
| Q: We bought these red bellied pirahna's two years ago as babies and they have always been very healthy ... A: Christina, you are in a bad situation as you are aware. I wish I could offer better options, but , ... | |
| Help! | 2/2/2009 |
| Q: I've recently run into some problems regarding my 55-galon aquarium. I've had it set up for approx. ... A: Katie, first off, find annother store to shop at or at least find annother fish specialist. ... | |
| Fish Issues | 2/2/2009 |
| Q: I have had my 29 gallon tank for about two years now. I have not had any big problems but this past ... A: Jess, at this point for lack of a better term you have nuclear tank syndrome going on. A series of ... | |
| 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: SEB, there could be a problem with the unit itself, it is supposed to drop the ph and GH as well as ... | |
| 90 Gallon Aquarium | 12/2/2008 |
| Q: So I just bought this new 90 gallon aquarium.......I am upgrading from a 55 gallon.......This new 90 ... A: Josh, alot depends on how many plants you are going to use. google a "dutch style" aquarium and you ... | |
| tank location | 11/14/2008 |
| Q: I have a small fish bowl-about 2 gallons. I was told at store bag with fish shouldn't be passed ... A: Mary, I don;t think the scanner or the Tv is the cause of your trouble. Stay with betas or goldfish. ... | |
| Water change | 9/22/2008 |
| Q: I have a 150 gallons tank fresh water and 11 fishes middle size inside,six silver dollars, one geo, ... A: Andrea, water changes dilute the pollutants in the water and replace minerals etc. in a tank your ... | |
| How long does it take a tank to cycle | 9/8/2008 |
| Q: Set up a new aquarium 5 weeks ago - still very cloudy - I do water changes each week (approx 30 %) ... A: Cindy, there are a few variables here like population, tank size and feeding but all things being ... | |
| Is my Guppy is dying? | 8/21/2008 |
| Q: So basically, I bought four guppies yesterday-two females and two males. I set up the tank as ... A: Yael, yes the fish is dying. look close at the guppies as well as the sick one. If you see a white ... | |
| aquarium | 8/21/2008 |
| Q: can i add cooking salt that contains iodine to my fresh water 47 gallon aquarium and how it helps in ... A: amit, no, use non iodized salt. Let me offer you a piece of advice. If you don;t want answers dont ... | |
| canister as bio filter? | 8/14/2008 |
| Q: I would like to set up my aquarium with two canister filters, ( magnums 330 and 350 )The new 350 ... A: Bob, you can use one of the mags for a biofilter. leave out the carbon, put the exterior foam ring ... | |
| Fish selection for 2 tanks | 8/13/2008 |
| Q: Tank 1: 10 Gal., AquaClear 5—20 filter, Stealth 50W heater, 40% water changes/wk. Medium density of ... A: Sandy, lets start first with cleaning these tanks up. you have multiple meds going on and as one ... | |
| hellloooo | 8/13/2008 |
| Q: i use the conditioner the ammonia drops and clean 30% of water ever 1-2 weeks wats wrong with my ... A: James, molly could have the shimmys. also, could be just old. may be an internal problem that we ... | |
| 30 gallon tall tank with tiger barbs | 7/23/2008 |
| Q: I purchased 4 tiger barbs to add too my 30 gallon tall tank after the clerk said they were good ... A: Well, if you get annother tigerbarb as they seem to do better in odd numbered schools...no reason ... | |
| beta illness | 7/9/2008 |
| Q: I have a female Beta. have a big vertical white spot, around the spot is dark. she is eating ... A: Norma, Melafix takes a while to work as its a weaker treatment than an antibiotic treatment. If you ... | |
| UNWANTED GROWTH | 6/23/2008 |
| Q: I HAVE HAD MY 50 GALLON TANK WITH A DOZEN FRESH WATER FISH WITH REAL PLANTS FOR ABOUT 5 MONTHS.. ... A: Fern, seems to me this is a algae due to some unwanted light gettting into the aquarium If you can ... | |
| sick beta | 6/23/2008 |
| Q: My beta is at least 1 1/2 yrs old. I keep his tank clean and have never fed him live food. He began ... A: Tracie, the beta could simply be old...in the wild their life span is no where near the time you ... | |
| Issue with my freshwater 10gal tank, plz help | 6/15/2008 |
| Q: We've had our freshwater 10gal tank up and running for about 2-3 months, we origionally had about ... A: Dave, firstly, stop adding all sorts of magic cure alls to the tank. The cycle is a natural process ... | |
| freshwater red worms or fungus? | 6/5/2008 |
| Q: I have a 20 gallon freshwater aquarium, that had goldfish, red clawed crabs, 2 african dwarf frogs, ... A: todd, not sure without a visual, however it sounds like some sort of plenaria worm, sorta like a ... | |
| fungus treatment & snails | 6/5/2008 |
| Q: recently my pond snails (i'm guessing) have reproduced and now there are a bundle of baby snails in ... A: justin, you can treat the fungus with any fungal agent, read the directions, it will tell you if its ... | |
| Peculiar Aquarium Odor | 6/4/2008 |
| Q: first, for making your expertise and time available to the public. I have had a 10-gallon aquarium ... A: Karen I would check the eclipse well as there may be food build up trapped somewhere. I would also ... | |
| going on vacation | 6/4/2008 |
| Q: We are planning a 4 day vacation then 2 days home then another 4 day vacation and I've been doing a ... A: kim, go to your local shop and purchase a bunch of anachris(elodea) feed the fish as you normally ... | |
| Betta | 6/2/2008 |
| Q: I have a betta and have had him for well over a year now. My betta has always been healthy but I ... A: mori, it may well be the begining of the end...however, it could simply be a cyst as well. I would ... | |
| Im new to the underworld!!!!!! | 5/21/2008 |
| Q: 65 gallon tank (10 litres). it has a filter,a weed and rocks. i am getting 5 white cloud fish and a ... A: Alisha, you will need to clean the tank when it is dirty, and a good idea is to set up a schedule, ... | |
| Angelfish concerns... | 5/21/2008 |
| Q: We recently discovered our breeding pair was ready to lay eggs (they were chasing eveyone away from ... A: Sam, at this point I would forgo the breeding and clean up the tanks. Methelene blue is a good ... | |
| ich on my freshwater tank | 5/21/2008 |
| Q: i have a freshwater 46 bow front tank, i have 5 angelfish,2 gouramis, 2 platis, had 5 neons 2 died ... A: Samina, you do have ick... however thats not the end of the world here... do the water change not to ... | |
| Urgent advice needed please. | 5/8/2008 |
| Q: 60 litre tank, occupied by 5 danios and a pair of ancistrus ~ all very happy and healthy until I ... A: Nancy, sounds to me like the guppies were infected before you put them into the tank. Always look ... | |
| Freshwater fish in saltwater... | 5/7/2008 |
| Q: Okay, my question is that if a freshwater fish is introduced into saltwater then back into ... A: Chris, it is common practice to dip fresh water fish in saltwater and vice versa to kill parasites, ... | |
| Guppy Fry | 5/7/2008 |
| Q: 10g tank not planted but have plants, fake & real. All water perimeters are in order. My 1st f guppy ... A: Kim, As the shrimp are for the most part algae eaters and nonagressive I would "road test" a couple ... | |
| fish sick ? | 4/24/2008 |
| Q: I have 3 tiger barbs. 2 new just bought within last 48 hrs. I also have a pictus catfish. in a 2-3 ... A: Scott, the quick answer here is there could be a ammonia surge and the partial water change may ... | |
| black moor goldfish | 4/16/2008 |
| Q: While putting the fish in the tank the top part of the tank slipped and hit the fish in the eye. ... A: Pamela, there is not much you can do here. all things being equal, if the fish is alright in other ... | |
| Poly--filter | 4/15/2008 |
| Q: Michael I wanted to ask you if you know anything about Poly-Bio-Filters? made by Poly Bio Marine ... A: driftwood can cause some of the trouble, wild rocks can cause some, and large oscars can cause ... | |
| Poly--filter | 4/15/2008 |
| Q: Michael I wanted to ask you if you know anything about Poly-Bio-Filters? made by Poly Bio Marine ... A: Fran, frankly I am not familiar with this filter, I am however familiar with the concept. Anything ... | |
| african cichlid fry | 4/8/2008 |
| Q: i have 2 breeding sets of african cichlids.. one pair is albino and one is "ahli" or zebras. should ... A: Amber, some africans are mouth breeders so it becomes difficult to seperate the babies..however the ... | |
| LOW ph | 4/2/2008 |
| Q: I'm a newbie to aquariums...but rapidly getting hooked ;) Set up my first tank about a month ago - ... A: David, Ph is too low for livebearers like swordfish and guppies, platies etc. PH should be in the ... | |
| fish! | 3/8/2008 |
| Q: i have a fifty gallon tank. Will an angel and cherry barbs and zebra danios get along? How many ... A: Jade, you could easily put a dozen cherry barbs in that tank. yes danios will get along with them. ... | |
| Blisters | 3/7/2008 |
| Q: I have an angel fish that has developed blisters on it's uper lip. I change the water ever 8 days ... A: Matt, could be a parasite under the skin, or a fungal infection. hard to tell without looking at it. ... | |
| water change or no water change? | 3/6/2008 |
| Q: ok, since my water is cloudy and my water has a bit of foul oder, i have to do a 10 to 20% water ... A: William, why are you using aquarium salt? oscars are south american cichlids that live in soft ... | |
| aquarium | 3/6/2008 |
| Q: i got a aquarium and i dont know what size it is. It is about 29 inches LONG and the width is 12 ... A: the capacity of this tank with the measurements that you provided is approx 28 gals...if as you say ... | |
| cycling | 3/6/2008 |
| Q: I have a few questions. Well, I have 3 oscars, 2 fourlines and 1 pleco. right now, my tank is ... A: william, cut back on the feeding and the amount, you should not have food lying on the bottom of the ... | |
| sand affecting ammonia? | 3/1/2008 |
| Q: i have about a 3 inch sand bed in my fresh water aquarium i do not currently have any bottom dweller ... A: nikki, I don;t think the sand has anything to do with it, however I don;t recomend marine sand or ... | |
| Lava rock/ glass media | 3/1/2008 |
| Q: Last time you told me that I can use glass media and lava rock instead of carbon in my filter. Where ... A: Anna, glass media can be bought at any petshop, its the nodules that are used in canniser filters, ... | |
| new 180 litre tropical tank | 2/29/2008 |
| Q: Currently we have 3 adult platies and about 5 tiny babies in the tank. When should we be safe to ... A: lucy, you can add more fish in at any time. I would add 6 or so depending on size, if they are all ... | |
| Carbon | 2/29/2008 |
| Q: I have a question about carbon used for filtration in aquariums. I have two tetra whisper filters ... A: Anna, carbon is a remover, it will remove stains, colors, medications etc. it will not remove ... | |
| tank cycling tanking FOREVER!! | 2/23/2008 |
| Q: have been cycling my freshwater aquarium since december and i do not understand why. i did get a new ... A: Nikki, the tank is cycled but is not stable at this point. Stop the water changes, don;t add any ... | |
| MY GOLDFISH IS DYING??!!!!!!! | 2/22/2008 |
| Q: My goldfish is laying on his side in the bottom of my 30 gallon tank. I have only had him about ... A: Donna, PH is way to low, thats Discus PH. GF like slightly Alkaline water, PH 7.0-7.8 Add some ... | |
| MY GOLDFISH IS DYING??!!!!!!! | 2/22/2008 |
| Q: My goldfish is laying on his side in the bottom of my 30 gallon tank. I have only had him about ... A: Donna, It would not hurt to do a partial water change, say 5gals/ Also check the tank levels ie, PH, ... | |
| Drilled freshwater aquarium | 2/21/2008 |
| Q: I would like to set up a new freshwater aquarium in a 120 gallon tank and was wondering if a sump ... A: Sandy, the sump increases the carry capacity of the tank as you are adding in additional water ... | |
| hardness | 2/21/2008 |
| Q: i wanted to add crushed coral to my freshwater aquarium to raise the hardness. Right now i have a 40 ... A: Chris, there are several factors that contribute to the hardness/alk/calcium they are all tied ... | |
| Where are my fishing? | 2/16/2008 |
| Q: I have a 55 gal freshwater tank. Recently I added a couple of powder blue gouramis and some ... A: deb, keeping the temp low has nothing to do with the nitrates. Raise it. Second, Mr.K is a mouth ... | |
| New tank w/ filter problem | 2/14/2008 |
| Q: My boyfriend has a new table aquarium. It functions as a table and sits on the floor. The filter ... A: Brandy, without the brand name of the filter system I am sort of helpless here. I will assume that ... | |
| My Dorthy | 2/14/2008 |
| Q: My poor angel fish lies on the filter and also underneath, somtimes I mistake her for being dead. It ... A: Crystal, Some of the trouble can be attributed to a new tank, question is how new is it? How big and ... | |
| aggressive gourami, soft water | 2/8/2008 |
| Q: I have a 55 gal freshwater aquarium with 2 pearl gouramis(3 or 4 inch), 3 pineapple swordtails, a ... A: Christine, you can buffer the PH to a degree with any calcium based rock, or shells. You could add ... | |
| goldfish, stress and tank sizes | 2/7/2008 |
| Q: I have two gold fish (4 yr old is about a ft. long, 2 year old is about half that size) and a 4 in. ... A: Alli, you could use a bigger tank, the flopped fin can be a sign of water condition problems. you ... | |
| aggressive gourami, soft water | 2/7/2008 |
| Q: I have a 55 gal freshwater aquarium with 2 pearl gouramis(3 or 4 inch), 3 pineapple swordtails, a ... A: Christine, You can minimize aggression sometimes by rearrangeing the real estate in the tank, mix up ... | |
| cloud_a_rama@yahoo.com | 2/7/2008 |
| Q: Hey there, here are the specifics I have a 20 gallon long tank, eclipse hood with dual fluorescent ... A: Matt, what is the output of the lights and what spectrum are you running>? that will dicate what ... | |
| Panacur Dosage | 2/1/2008 |
| Q: I have a breakout of Callamanus in my 20 litre tank, and have some Panacur to treat it with. The ... A: this is about as comprehensive explanation as I can round up. I believe that underdosing has some ... | |
| Australlian Knife Fish? | 1/31/2008 |
| Q: I have a knife fish, not sure, but I think it's Australlian. I have done a lot of research on this ... A: Dawn, knife fish are nocturnal and during the day they prefer to hide. They also navigate by ... | |
| cloudy water | 1/31/2008 |
| Q: I have a 75 gallon tank that I can not get cleared up! I have one pleco, one spotted cory cat, 2 ... A: Leah, anything organic can add to the cloud. Too large of a water change can also cause it to bloom ... | |
| Sick Snow King | 1/30/2008 |
| Q: I've had my Plecostomus possible snow king for a couple of years i got him when he was about 3" he ... A: krystina, check the PH and nitrate levels. look for ulcers and open wounds he may have injured ... | |
| aquarium salt | 1/30/2008 |
| Q: I've read that putting aquarium salt in a freshwater tank helps fish. I was wondering, what exactly ... A: Clyde, salt is and has been used as a general cure for a very long time. It is still used today as ... | |
| Sick Tiger Barb? | 1/29/2008 |
| Q: I have a 20 gallon tank that I've had set up for close to two years. I have six tiger barbs and five ... A: Elizabeth, could be dropsy as well. in which case there is not much you can do. it usually has ... | |
| Fish Tank Problems | 1/29/2008 |
| Q: I have a 29 gallon tank that I had a lot of problems with in early November where something killed ... A: Matt, could be the water parameters were off between the original tank and the new one, that can ... | |
| Co2 and lighting | 1/28/2008 |
| Q: I have been in the hobby of keeping fish for a very long time, but never ever dabbled with live ... A: There are plenty of sights that will give you the "specs" for use of Co2 in your size system. I ... | |
| parasites | 1/28/2008 |
| Q: they seam to have a worm shaped shell around them and a small worm comes out of it almost like a ... A: Joe, could be some sort of planaria worm, espicially since it seems to not be attacking or hurting ... | |
| Fish Death | 1/28/2008 |
| Q: I am absolutely baffled at what I witnessed in my tank. I had a Spotted Pleco that I just moved into ... A: Matt, could be a parameter change that the pleco could not adjust to. COuld be parsites, could be ... | |
| Co2 and lighting | 1/27/2008 |
| Q: I have been in the hobby of keeping fish for a very long time, but never ever dabbled with live ... A: Adrian, how big is this tank, depth? water temp, type of fish in the tank etc.. We need to make sure ... | |
| baby fry and risk of pregnancy AGAIN. | 1/26/2008 |
| Q: I just got 2 fish (a sunrise fire platy and a red wag platy) 3 days ago. This is my first fishtank ... A: Katie, You could put some plant material, like anacharis, elodea. that would make them feel secure, ... | |
| new tank | 1/26/2008 |
| Q: My husband and I recently bought a 20 gal tank, and I would like help selecting fish. We are ... A: Kelli, All things being equal you should be able to handle 6 2-2.5" gold fish. I would add them in ... | |
| Ich aftermath | 1/25/2008 |
| Q: My fish all died of ich last week. I want to get new fish, but I don't want them to get ich and die ... A: Leah, make it easy on you, turn the heat up to mid 80's, providing that you don;t have any live ... | |
| fish diseases and cloudy water | 1/19/2008 |
| Q: i have African cichlides , were all bought small sized. I have 50 gal, tank with old 305 fluval ... A: David, you can up the salt content to equal your original level, ie 1tbls per gal. temp is good, ph ... | |
| Mysterious Corydora Death | 1/18/2008 |
| Q: I hope you can help, Just to get the facts of my tank out of the way first. I have a 5 gallon tank ... A: Meredith, time to pick up a test kit so we can determine whats going on in your tank. you want one ... | |
| External Filter | 1/18/2008 |
| Q: I have the chance to fit a second user Fluval 304 external filter to my 30 gallon tank, which ... A: Craige, no prob with the fluval, you will have great water quality and unless I am mistaken you can ... | |
| Sick Fish | 1/17/2008 |
| Q: I have a 55 gallon, that is rather new so we are still cycling. When we set it up a couple weeks ... A: April, I have seen this alot on domestic black moors, its a quality issue with the fish. If you want ... | |
| article | 1/17/2008 |
| Q: I signed up as an expert for freshwater aquariums. Little did i know how many questions I'd get. I'm ... A: Wayne, I don;t know how to post questions here, I am sorta new here as well. Alot of questions are ... | |
| fish diseases and cloudy water | 1/16/2008 |
| Q: i have African cichlides , were all bought small sized. I have 50 gal, tank with old 305 fluval ... A: David, You could be drawing pollutants in thru the air pumps. Also, how many water changes are you ... | |
| Cycling Period | 1/16/2008 |
| Q: I have read a lot about the cloudiness and the cycling period, but I have also tested the Nitrate ... A: Gabe, yes, add some fish the tank needs a bioload to engage the biofilter. In a tank that size you ... | |
| Panacur Dosage | 1/16/2008 |
| Q: I have a breakout of Callamanus in my 20 litre tank, and have some Panacur to treat it with. The ... A: Bryony, I don;t think there would be any serious side effects on the plants from the medication. ... | |
| water chemistry is all off | 1/15/2008 |
| Q: ok I have a 29 gal tank. In the tank is 1 large lava rock that I've had for 6 years, 1 piece of ... A: It is very possible that all the water changes have caused her to fill with eggs. She will lay them ... | |
| water chemistry is all off | 1/15/2008 |
| Q: ok I have a 29 gal tank. In the tank is 1 large lava rock that I've had for 6 years, 1 piece of ... A: Michelle, actually a PH of 7.2 is not acidic. Continue the water changes and the levels will drop. ... | |
| substrate/CO2 system | 1/15/2008 |
| Q: My first question is how to clean sand before you place it in the tank? it is play sand that i ... A: lance, easy way to clean the sand is to fill a bucket half full, then add water, swirl it around and ... | |
| New Baby BiOrb | 1/14/2008 |
| Q: I've had my baby biorb set up since Christmas, and even after changing 30% of the water every other ... A: Mary, Don;t change any more water you are not giving the tank enough time to cycle by changing that ... | |
| getting some new fish | 1/14/2008 |
| Q: I just bought a 10 gallon, warm water,freshwater tank. Sorry but i don't really know the Ph levels ... A: Bob, first you should get a couple of tests...PH, Ammonia or actually a freshwater master test kit ... | |
| Diseased Kuhli Loach? | 1/13/2008 |
| Q: I just noticed that 1 of my Kuhli Loaches was floating and trying to swim at the same time, I've ... A: Garrett, could very well be the swim bladder thing, in which case there is no cure. Sometimes heat ... | |
| my fish tank | 1/13/2008 |
| Q: i have a 55 gallon fish tank and i have lost three fish in the past three days and i dont no why i ... A: Roger, there may not be anything wrong with your water, it could be the fish. The quality of angels ... | |
| Aquarium Plants | 1/12/2008 |
| Q: I'm starting a new 10 gallon community tank which will have some variety of a female beta, platies, ... A: you certainly can do that, and as you plant the tank just remove the fake when you plant a real one. ... | |
| The tank is a mess! | 1/12/2008 |
| Q: For the past two months, my ten gallon tank has been in turmoil- it contains one angelfish and three ... A: Heather, algacide will not kill the fur, actually it is difficult to get rid of under the best of ... | |
| Aquarium Plants | 1/11/2008 |
| Q: I'm starting a new 10 gallon community tank which will have some variety of a female beta, platies, ... A: Tiffany, good plants to start out with would be pygmy swords, crispus, hygrophylla and the like. You ... | |
| low Ph | 1/11/2008 |
| Q: We lost all of our fish around Thanksgiving. Have had the tank for 20 years. We took the water to ... A: hmnnn,this is a sticky one. what exactyly is the pH.? how low does it test, do you have driftwood in ... | |
| amazon sword | 1/11/2008 |
| Q: Michael - I have three amazon swords that now have very thin leaves and some have been apparently ... A: Scott, the reason the leaves may look very thin is the pleco is rasping them, essentially eating the ... | |
| Betta in 2gallon tank, want to add filter | 1/10/2008 |
| Q: .. i just bought my first fish yesterday, a beautiful male Betta. After fighting with the guy that ... A: Megs, yes, the filter is a good idea. don;t worry about the cycle too much with the beta as if the ... | |
| Help! | 1/10/2008 |
| Q: I have had my freshwater aquarium for over a year and have yet to put any fish in it because ... A: Kevin, the simple answer here is to break down the tank, disenfect with bleach all surfaces ... | |
| tank size | 1/9/2008 |
| Q: I have limited space for a fresh water aquarium. Should I go with a standard size or tall that has ... A: Mac, personal taste as far as the tank goes. However, laterlly compressed fish such as angels and ... | |
| Broken frame | 1/9/2008 |
| Q: I was trying to clean a 90g 48x18x24 or 24x18. the tank was on two saw horses, while trying to empty ... A: Gerald, short answer is yes you can. I have given the procedure and it is in the answered questions ... | |
| 60 gallon tank ick treatment | 1/9/2008 |
| Q: .i just treated it with mardel coppersafe with the dose it said on the bottle..but what they didnt ... A: Jeff, first thing you need to do is get rid of the copper. You have scaleless fish and the copper ... | |
| cloudy aquarium | 1/8/2008 |
| Q: i have a 28gallon top fin aquarium that i have had for three months. I have one goldfish that i've ... A: Debbie, the reason of the cloud is a bacteria bloom , pretty much you are in NTS new tank syndrome ... | |
| Too much Nitrite and Nitrate in tank | 1/8/2008 |
| Q: I have a fairly new 28 gallon freshwater tank. It has been doing fine until about 3 weeks ago. The ... A: Kim, in the situation that you are in you almost have to continue on the water change your way thru ... | |
| dying needlefish? | 1/7/2008 |
| Q: My daughter (17) is trying to start a new hobby, having fish. For her birthday (2 days ago) a friend ... A: Amy, odds are the dempsy had something to do with this condition. If there are no visible marks, I ... | |
| Cleaning a tank after fungus problem | 1/7/2008 |
| Q: I have a fresh water tank that used to have fishes that die after suffer from some type of fungus; ... A: Raquel, short answer is to clean the tank with a solution of bleach and water, rinse the tank, add ... | |
| baby mollies | 1/6/2008 |
| Q: I have got a tank with some baby mollies in it, they are about 6 mounths old and they dont seem to ... A: john, could be the babies are not getting enough food. In a larger tank it may disperse too fast, do ... | |
| New 5 Gallon Tank Setup | 1/6/2008 |
| Q: I have a new 5 gallon tank that has had the filtration system running for about 24 hours now. I am ... A: Rachel, I would look at the tetra family, there are hundreds to choose from, and most are compatable ... | |
| New Tank, New Fish | 1/5/2008 |
| Q: Hey Michael it is tie again. i am going to get a 20 gallon tank for my birthday and i am going to ... A: Tie, there are saltwater angelfish, but what we are talking about are freshwater angelfish from the ... | |
| Ammonia Readings | 1/4/2008 |
| Q: I have two tanks and have posted on my 55 gallon tank, but now am having an issue on my 20 gallon. ... A: Maryann, it is possible to change more than the volume of the tank and still have high readings, ... | |
| Heated tank for sharks | 1/4/2008 |
| Q: I recently received an aquarium with sharks as a gift. It has 3 different types of sharks. Bala, ... A: Short answer is you need a heater, the 65 is too cold. The temp should be in the 76-80 range. I ... | |
| Cloudy/milky water. | 1/3/2008 |
| Q: I have set up a tropical aquarium (68l) 2 days ago. It is well filtered and airated and heavily ... A: Chris, what you have is NTS, or New Tank Syndrome. It will clear by itself as long as you don;t ... | |
| Tetra and plecos | 1/2/2008 |
| Q: Earlier I asked you about my red eye tetra with brown blisters on it. Now here's a link to the ... A: Anna, the pic is a bit general but I think if you wanted you could add a general antibiotic as a ... | |
| water softener | 1/2/2008 |
| Q: I have a freshwater tank with a variety of fish inhabitants. The water here is very hard so we just ... A: as a matter of fact Christina, you should be able to get one from your shop, in lieu of that a local ... | |
| Tetra Illness | 1/1/2008 |
| Q: I have a red eye tetra in my Quarantine 10 gallon tank, and I've noticed that he seems to have some ... A: Anna, can;t see the pic so I am not sure of what you are describing. However, make sure it is not an ... | |
| stubborn algae ? | 1/1/2008 |
| Q: i know algae is normal but is light green algae i have a 12 inch pleco but it is in the nooks and ... A: The algae is normal, nothing to worry about. you should not have to change your gravel if you do the ... | |
| My "sleepy" goldfish | 12/31/2007 |
| Q: I am new to keeping goldfish. I just got 2 baby goldfish few days a go, 2 days after I got them I ... A: May, the 75% water change may have caused the eratic behaviour. about all that you can do is to ... | |
| my flowerhorn has some problems with eye fungal and ick | 12/30/2007 |
| Q: so i just got a 10 gal tank around 2 weeks ago. and just 2-3 days ago i spoted a very small white ... A: Do a 20% water change, add the correct amount of ich cure to maintain a full strenght dose. A broad ... | |
| My New Dalmation Mollies | 12/30/2007 |
| Q: Ummm, Hi!!! I'm Karalyn, and I have recently purchased two new fish. Both happen to be Dalmation ... A: Karalyn, Depends on what is in the tank with the mollies Mollies are fish that require salt in the ... | |
| Goldfish problems | 12/29/2007 |
| Q: I have one goldfish in a 30 gallon tank. He's not too big and I keep the tank relatively clean. I ... A: Sarah, I wish I could offer you something better than just watching but I don;t want to make things ... | |
| Goldfish problems | 12/29/2007 |
| Q: I have one goldfish in a 30 gallon tank. He's not too big and I keep the tank relatively clean. I ... A: Sarah, I am amazed the fish has survived at all. I would test the water in the tank, make sure all ... | |
| hydrogen peroxide in aquarium | 12/19/2007 |
| Q: i have been a water keeper (didn't get round to choosing the type of life to keep in my freshwater ... A: martin, part of the problem with H2O2 as as algae destroyer or tank sterilizer is that it is hard ... | |
| fancy goldfish | 12/19/2007 |
| Q: My wife succumbed to our children and made an impulse buy....at walmart of all places, of 2 fancy ... A: robert, lets start at the begining. first, you could purchase the tank now, a 29gal would be plenty ... | |
| Mystery Death | 12/18/2007 |
| Q: I own a 30 gal tropical fish tank. I have 3 irridescent sharks, one gold fish, 3 sword tails, 2 ... A: hmmm, temp good, ph good is it difficult to get your water to soap up? if not, then your water is ... | |
| Gas Bubble Disease | 12/18/2007 |
| Q: I have a Tiger which seems to be struggling with Gas Bubble Disease. I have transferred him to my ... A: Darren, this is a tuff one, as it is not seen all that often if it is actually GBD. Gas Bubble ... | |
| parasites in fresh water aquarium | 12/17/2007 |
| Q: i read a persons question about parasites in her aquarium. it seems i have something similar going ... A: Debra, dont fret if you have these, they will go away as you improve water conditions. Change 25% ... | |
| Mystery Death | 12/17/2007 |
| Q: I own a 30 gal tropical fish tank. I have 3 irridescent sharks, one gold fish, 3 sword tails, 2 ... A: Vamsi, you may be doing too much water changing and not letting the tank settle in correctly. do 25% ... | |
| Bushy nosed plecos | 12/17/2007 |
| Q: I had a question about bushy nosed plecostomus. I have one already in my 35 gallon tank, and I want ... A: Anna, sorry your fish did not make it. On the pleco's, usually they get along well with no trouble. ... | |
| silicone strength | 12/16/2007 |
| Q: I have a 30 gal. tall aqaurium and the black plastic trim that goes around the bottom of the glass ... A: Brandon, the short answer is that the bottom piece you can do without, the top is annother matter. ... | |
| Betta with some damage | 12/16/2007 |
| Q: I am having sort of a fish emergency because I had been keeping my betta and my chinese algae eater ... A: Anna F, algae eaters are known for rasping the scales off fish, that is what they do unfortunatly, ... | |
| Cloudy Tanks and an Un-enthusiastic Golfdfish. | 12/15/2007 |
| Q: I only received my goldfish yesterday and I'm already a little worried but I'm unsure what to do. I ... A: Erin, emergency situations call for emergency actions, if you do not do anything you will run the ... | |
| water condition for bettas | 12/14/2007 |
| Q: Can the water conditioner tablets be added while the fish is in the water? Thank you, Caroline A: Sebastian, really no need to use water conditioners with a betta unless you have really bad water. ... | |
| Water Change Gone Wrong? | 12/14/2007 |
| Q: I have a 33 gallon fish tank with the following: 4 Zebra Danios 2 Glo Fish Danios 1 Angel Fish 1 ... A: Christa, Well looks like there are no issues there. I would take a quick check of the PH and make ... | |
| Water Change Gone Wrong? | 12/14/2007 |
| Q: I have a 33 gallon fish tank with the following: 4 Zebra Danios 2 Glo Fish Danios 1 Angel Fish 1 ... A: Christa, the cat litter won't hurt anything. I would be more concerned with what you used to kill ... | |
| setting up tank and it's stinky and cloudy | 12/13/2007 |
| Q: I bought a used 20 gallon tank and washed it all out and put the water and put the water conditioner ... A: Debbie, the tank will make its own bacteria for cycling automaticly all you have to do is not ... | |
| Are they sick | 12/13/2007 |
| Q: I have a pink gourami and a tiger barb and a needle fish and some small cat fish, and two of the ... A: April, there has to be a cause somewhere, are you on a well? is there a water softener in your ... | |
| setting up tank and it's stinky and cloudy | 12/12/2007 |
| Q: I bought a used 20 gallon tank and washed it all out and put the water and put the water conditioner ... A: Debbie, first off what are art plants and decorative rocks ? what are they made of? what did you use ... | |
| Are they sick | 12/12/2007 |
| Q: I have a pink gourami and a tiger barb and a needle fish and some small cat fish, and two of the ... A: April,\ seems like you essentially restarted your tank and have to go thru the entire cycle again. ... | |
| tall or long tank? | 12/12/2007 |
| Q: I have kept cichlids for about the lst 10 years. I am thinking of purchasing a tank with the ... A: Jason, you can keep more fish in the standard 125. more surface area, more free swimming room. ... | |
| violet goby and friends with green water | 12/11/2007 |
| Q: Your question was I was given a 3+ year old 15" violet goby, a 12" pleco, and a 15" pleco that had ... A: Becky,\ first if the fish are healthy, then continue what you have been doing, never mind what ... | |
| green water | 12/11/2007 |
| Q: i have a 55 gallon fish tank and my water is green and is getting worse by the day. i have tried ... A: John, algae is like fire, it has to have certain things to get going. The key to removal is to ... | |
| exploding heater | 12/10/2007 |
| Q: I just set up my new equarium and had it running for a few days. I just added a few fish and a snail ... A: I would guess one of two things, first water seeped into the barrel of the heater, was vaporized and ... | |
| How many differant colors do Mollys come in? | 12/10/2007 |
| Q: Your last reply was very helpful thank you. I'm wondering if there are any other colors for Mollys, ... A: Rich, tuff ? to answer.. there are lots of variations Silver Green Marigold Red Gold Yellow ... | |
| weight of tank | 12/10/2007 |
| Q: I am in the process of buying a 55 gallon, fish only saltwater tank. My father thinks that it will ... A: Alonzetta, ballpark figure would be around 550lbs. it is not the weight of the tank that is the ... | |
| Oscar; black fungus and opaque eyes. | 12/9/2007 |
| Q: This morning, I went to feed my fish like normal and they all ate well. I cleaned the leftovers out ... A: Sorry that things did not work out, however now would be the time to tune up the tank and make sure ... | |
| Oscar; black fungus and opaque eyes. | 12/8/2007 |
| Q: This morning, I went to feed my fish like normal and they all ate well. I cleaned the leftovers out ... A: Aristes, get him into a quarrentine tank, keep the temp around 85f and use some Clout which you can ... | |
| New tank for cichlids | 12/7/2007 |
| Q: I wanted to ask you a question regarding the best setup tank for cichlids? I all ready have a 40g ... A: Eric, I would need to know what type of cichlids you want to keep as there are different ... | |
| picky eaters | 12/7/2007 |
| Q: I have a 30 gallon tank with 6 Jack Dempseys' all between half an inch to a inch long with one ... A: rell, first thing is to get em hungry...cut back on the foods that you are feeding, do a partial ... | |
| pleco | 12/7/2007 |
| Q: I have a pleco who is seven years old, recently he has a white mark on his belly and on his head it ... A: ronald, no this is not normal, however it could be an age thing. Do you know off hand the PH of your ... | |
| Camallanus Worms | 12/6/2007 |
| Q: I have a 10g tanks that is currently the home to 3 guppies and one platy as well as about 30 baby ... A: Jenn, these are nasty parasites indeed. this is what I found that will work if you can get it. ... | |
| fish | 12/5/2007 |
| Q: Help, my fish has been laying on the bottom of the tank all day for the past week and a half. I ... A: Danielle, I am not sure what is wrong, obviously there is an infection/infestation of some sort ... | |
| frames | 12/4/2007 |
| Q: i have a 55 gallon tank the top frame middle support is craked and coming apart, when filling up ... A: Easy enough. remove the old frame, be careful not to crack or chip the glass. You can break it off ... | |
| snails | 12/4/2007 |
| Q: Do you know what kind of snail this is? ... A: Ryan, upon further examination I think this could be a apple snail, rather than a ramshorn. They are ... | |
| snails | 12/3/2007 |
| Q: Do you know what kind of snail this is? ... A: Ryan, it appears to be a type of ramshorn snail. The short answer is that the brackish water may not ... | |
| Long Fin Black Skirted Tetra problem | 12/2/2007 |
| Q: Got a 12 gallon tank (Eclipse 12) and we need advice. My son picked a long fin black skirted tetra ... A: TQ, It will not hurt to add more tetra;s. I would try to keep them in odd #'s. 3-5-9 etc. For some ... | |
| Damsel Question | 12/1/2007 |
| Q: Is is possible to transplant a 3-striped Damsel (who is quite aggressive) into a freshwater tank? ... A: Clare, the short answer is no, you can acclimate them to a low salinity but they will not survive ... | |
| tank frame repair | 12/1/2007 |
| Q: I have a 125gal and was removing the bottom frame to reseal the bottom and broke the frame how can I ... A: Jeremy, the frame really does not "hold" the tank together, you could epoxy it which will make the ... | |
| new tank | 11/30/2007 |
| Q: I just got a new 20 gallon tank, just to fit the space it's in better. I have 5 year old various ... A: Gloria, anytime you make major changes like a move the fish get stressed. I would add some stress ... | |
| Danio Lost a Fin | 11/30/2007 |
| Q: I was shocked this evening to discover that my long finned golden danio had the upper part of its ... A: Anna, I would guess that the culprit is the Chinese algae eater. They are sneaky and aggressive as ... | |
| water smells | 11/30/2007 |
| Q: I have a 210gal freshwater tank and have been working with freshwater fish now for about 6 years ... A: Mark, have you done a gravel cleaning? also, in the cannisters are you running any carbon? If you ... | |
| Ammonia | 11/29/2007 |
| Q: I've lost a lot of fish lately - when I tested the ammonia level it had gone off the scale. I did a ... A: Shelia, first off, lets get some high grade carbon in the filter to remove any residual medications. ... | |
| water smells | 11/29/2007 |
| Q: I have a 210gal freshwater tank and have been working with freshwater fish now for about 6 years ... A: Mark,\ I would need to know what you are running for filters, what kind of fish, what you feed. ... | |
| Ich | 11/29/2007 |
| Q: Firstly, thanks for all your answers regarding my previous Ich problem. It appears that the Ich is ... A: Anna, You should find a local shop, get to know the folks there and find someone that you can trust. ... | |
| my fish are dying | 11/28/2007 |
| Q: I have a 55 gallon fresh water aquarium that has been set up for 4-5 years. Everyone tells me ... A: Ann, to be on the safe side split your water changes to two 5gal changes a week rather than 10gals ... | |
| platy may be sick | 11/27/2007 |
| Q: I have a Michey Mouse Platy that has been giving birth since last Suday and still going at it. This ... A: Toni, I would let her rest for a while as this really saps out their stamina, make sure you are ... | |
| platy may be sick | 11/27/2007 |
| Q: I have a Michey Mouse Platy that has been giving birth since last Suday and still going at it. This ... A: Toni, At this point you can raise the temp to 80-82, thats about it. There is not much to do but ... | |
| Water Temperature | 11/27/2007 |
| Q: When I came home from work today, all of the fish in the aquarium were at the top and some had died. ... A: Rita, If the water temp feels warm to you then it is over 98 degrees. Anything less would feel ... | |
| goldfish growth | 11/26/2007 |
| Q: 1) What are the key factors that influence growth of goldfish. 2)I would also like to know if the ... A: Anthony, yes the size of the container restricts the growth up to a point. The main influence of ... | |
| Wierd Growth | 11/25/2007 |
| Q: I have what may be heavy duty algae growth in my tank. It is a very small (5 Gal)set up with 4 dwarf ... A: Replacing the gravel is definatly an option. The plant and lighthouse will be fine. You can do what ... | |
| aggressive fish | 11/25/2007 |
| Q: what can i do about my fish? the bigger one is frequently chasing and trying to bite the smaller ... A: Brittany, you could add annother glofish, the problem with hiding places is that is what will ... | |
| new tank | 11/25/2007 |
| Q: I'm a new fish owner. My bf bought 5 baby pirannas in august. they quickly outgrew the tank and we ... A: Laura, I am going to assume that these are red bellies. to do these fish correctly you should start ... | |
| platy may be sick | 11/24/2007 |
| Q: I have a Michey Mouse Platy that has been giving birth since last Suday and still going at it. This ... A: Toni, could be a bacterial film if it looks sort of "cloudy". under normal conditions I would swab ... | |
| Wierd Growth | 11/24/2007 |
| Q: I have what may be heavy duty algae growth in my tank. It is a very small (5 Gal)set up with 4 dwarf ... A: Terri, From where I sit, I would move the fish to a new tank, container or whatever you have. I ... | |
| brown algae,also corydoras | 11/23/2007 |
| Q: . we have a 5 gallon hexagon tank (about 1 1/4 feet deep)... my thought is the filter is ... A: Mary, you can take the ghost to your local shop and perhaps trade him in for an otto cat. Or you can ... | |
| how to fix my tank | 11/23/2007 |
| Q: fish tank I bought secondhand and when I began filling it I discovered a leak after draining the ... A: Naiomi, easy fix. make sure the glass is not cracked anywhere. take a razorblade and trim off the ... | |
| Immediate Nitrite spike in new 20 gal tank | 11/22/2007 |
| Q: Because of bad advice from Petco, we filled a 20 gal take, added Cycle, salt, and a declorinator, ... A: Ralph, you can simply wait, or you can add some more plants to assist. However plants add to the bio ... | |
| Fish Choices | 11/22/2007 |
| Q: I have a 28g tank and I need some help on what freshwater fish I should put in it. I have an 18g ... A: Erika, Since you have exp. already with guppies and platies, why not give some Sailfin Mollies a ... | |
| Ich..seems like an emergency! | 11/21/2007 |
| Q: This is my very first fish epidemic emergency. Today I just cranked up my temp in my 35 gallon tank ... A: You want the cycle sped up as the only time the medication is effective is when the parasites are ... | |
| Fresh h20 tank | 11/21/2007 |
| Q: When I clean my fish tank and put new water into it I see small white worm like things.. Just want ... A: melissa, sounds to me like some sort of planeria worm, not dangerous at all. They show up when there ... | |
| high nitrates | 11/20/2007 |
| Q: I have had a 20gal tank for 2 yrs. Since July of this year I have had a difficult time keeping any ... A: Cori, just continue to do partial water changes and the nitrates will come down. If you have a ... | |
| Bad water | 11/20/2007 |
| Q: One of my fish had white spot. I purchased some filter aid & something for the white spot. I also ... A: Lee, quick fix, take the wood out and boil it. do several partial water changes untill the cloud ... | |
| Ich..seems like an emergency! | 11/20/2007 |
| Q: This is my very first fish epidemic emergency. Today I just cranked up my temp in my 35 gallon tank ... A: Anna, you do not want to drop the temp, actually you want to kick it up to about 82-86 this will ... | |
| Aquarium Chemistry Products | 11/19/2007 |
| Q: I am new to keeping tropical fish, and I have done some basic research on how to keep their ... A: Anna, there are lots of things to address so lets start at the start. The fish will be ok in the ph ... | |
| fish | 11/19/2007 |
| Q: I have a 30 gallon freshwater long tank with 2 oscars 2 snails and 1 alge eater.I just set it up 2 ... A: Josh, first thing is to make sure the thermometer is correct, if you have more than one, take ... | |
| filtered betta tank vs. filter-less betta bowl | 11/18/2007 |
| Q: Hi! I'm writing you from Saudi Arabia. I hope you can shed light on my dilemma. I've always been a ... A: Alessandrew, The short answer here is that Betas in the wild live in such O2 deprived situations ... | |
| Clean tank | 11/18/2007 |
| Q: I just cleaned my 35-40 gallon tank today b/c it was really dirty with alge build up and waste. I ... A: Latoya, I would add a dechlorinator/conditioner and add the fish right in. Just be careful on the ... | |
| Substrate -Play Sand- | 11/17/2007 |
| Q: (Technical Info at the bottom) I recently setup a new tank for Goldfish, I decided it was time for ... A: Richard, I would have to know the make up of the play sand. I usually use beach sand for sand ... | |
| Nitrite levels too high | 11/17/2007 |
| Q: I am hoping you can help me. I am a novice and I made the mistake of not cycling my tank before ... A: Lisa, I am not saying that the products out there that are designed to cycle your tank are no good, ... | |
| green leopard puffer | 11/16/2007 |
| Q: i just bought a green leopard puffer today. i have a fancy goldfish a bottom feeder and also a new ... A: Alex, the addition of salt is a good idea as these fish do better in salted/brackish water. The ... | |
| Nitrite levels too high | 11/16/2007 |
| Q: I am hoping you can help me. I am a novice and I made the mistake of not cycling my tank before ... A: Lisa, start doing 10% water changes every day,over time that will drop the levels. Vacuum the gravel ... | |
| Coldwater Tank | 11/15/2007 |
| Q: My son has a coldwater tank with 2 shubumkins and 1 common goldfish, the water is constantly cloudy ... A: Nicola, first, do one more water change approx 75%, then leave it alone, no more water changes until ... | |
| Brownish areas showing up in areas of tank | 11/15/2007 |
| Q: My tank is 55gal. with 2 Eheim 2217's. FreshWater. I have community fish. No plants. My well water ... A: Jim you may want to draw off some tap water in a container and let it "settle" for a day, cover it ... | |
| Brownish areas showing up in areas of tank | 11/15/2007 |
| Q: My tank is 55gal. with 2 Eheim 2217's. FreshWater. I have community fish. No plants. My well water ... A: jim, sounds like a low light algae, usually brown or reddish. You could use an algae destroyer or ... | |
| school project | 11/14/2007 |
| Q: How do plants affect the water of a freshwater fish tank? I heard it takes the ammonia out. A: Kevin, the short answer here is that the plants absorb nutrients from the substrate and the water, ... | |
| heater. | 11/14/2007 |
| Q: My tank is still having some issues. I tried fixing the thermostat like you advised and it hasn't ... A: Shelby, they may not like it much but if you get someone other than the sales staff like a Mgr. and ... | |
| heater. | 11/14/2007 |
| Q: My tank is still having some issues. I tried fixing the thermostat like you advised and it hasn't ... A: Shelby, Is this a "set it and forget it" heater? Does it have a calibrated temp. scale? If so, the ... | |
| Help quick!! | 11/13/2007 |
| Q: and thanks for helping. I have a 100 gal tank (about 5 weeks old now) It has already completely ... A: well, first off check your water conditions, PH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate. If they are all fine ... | |
| betta fish and tanks | 11/13/2007 |
| Q: 1. I have a 5 gallon tank with 2 male bettas and 1 female and I would like to mate them. I am going ... A: Andrea, Start out with one male and 3 or more females, condition the fish with extra quality foods. ... | |
| heaters in cold weather. | 11/12/2007 |
| Q: .. I have your average 10-gallon tank filled with some livebearers and tetras, etc. I usually leave ... A: Shelby, sounds like the contact point in the heater is sticking closed, in other words, the ... | |
| breeding black mollies | 11/12/2007 |
| Q: My daughter's aquarium started with one black molly and one yellow molly. They have had ... A: Kathryn, The problem here is that in order to breed you have to find a true breeding pair. If the ... | |
| fish acting funny | 11/12/2007 |
| Q: I had 2 (high quality) goldfish in a tank together. Well one unexpectedly died and now the other is ... A: Emily, You could do a small water change and see if that helps. You could also add some stress coat. ... | |
| betta fish and tanks | 11/11/2007 |
| Q: 1. I have a 5 gallon tank with 2 male bettas and 1 female and I would like to mate them. I am going ... A: Andrea, you can use a air driven sponge filter, with very slow bubbles. Or you can use nothing at ... | |
| breeding guppies | 11/10/2007 |
| Q: recently we found a couple of baby guppies in the bottom of the tank and we placed them in a ... A: Satz, guppies can take different amounts of time to give birth based on the water temp, warmer ... | |
| High PH and phosphate levels | 11/10/2007 |
| Q: I have a ten gallon tank that has PH 7.6, ammonia .25, Nitrate 0, Nitrite .5, and the Phosphate ... A: Usually you can find RO at your local pet shop, one that does salt water. Sometimes I have seen it ... | |
| High PH and phosphate levels | 11/9/2007 |
| Q: I have a ten gallon tank that has PH 7.6, ammonia .25, Nitrate 0, Nitrite .5, and the Phosphate ... A: The easy way to level out the PH is to water change with water of a lower PH. This will drop the ph ... | |
| Relocating my Tank | 11/8/2007 |
| Q: I have a fully cycled 3 year old 55 gallon freshwater tank in which i have 5 small angelfish ... A: Chris, what I do is I get a cooler to put the fish and plants in, med size is good and a 30gal trash ... | |
| injured gourami | 11/8/2007 |
| Q: I have a powder blue dwarf gourami who got stuck in a submarine that was a hiding place for my ghost ... A: Katie, The thing to watch for here is infection in the wounds. Either furry growth or slime. Keep ... | |
| plants | 11/7/2007 |
| Q: I heard that plants do very well in dirt, and would like to provide that for my plants, however I ... A: Charlie, use rock wool or peat moss or just plain aquarium gravel. They all will work, I use clay ... | |
| Fish die out | 11/7/2007 |
| Q: My stickcatfish, harlequins, khuli loaches, balloon Mollies, golden loaches, black Mollies have all ... A: Peter, at that temp. which if I am correct translates to 89.42F is too hot for everything but the ... | |
| Infected tank? | 11/6/2007 |
| Q: My little spotted green puffer recently died and now his freshwater tank is empty. I'd like to put ... A: Sarah, Your green freshwater puffer is actually a brackish water/salt water fish and the reason he ... | |
| Fish Fish Fish | 11/6/2007 |
| Q: For my boyfriends birthday i have bought him an aquarium and he wants angle fish i was wondering ... A: Gregery, Angels can get quite large, body size of 3-4" not counting the finnage. Bigger than that in ... | |
| Fish die out | 11/6/2007 |
| Q: My stickcatfish, harlequins, khuli loaches, balloon Mollies, golden loaches, black Mollies have all ... A: Peter, If you could elaborate as to what type filtration you have, temp of the tank, how long you ... | |
| moldy driftwood | 11/5/2007 |
| Q: I have a piece of driftwood in my 55 gal tank for the past 5-6 months. Suddenly it looks moldy. It ... A: Stacey, sounds like some sort of algae, and yes a pleco would do well in your tank. Plecos should ... | |
| Help! | 11/5/2007 |
| Q: I have three fishes in my tank. There are Kissing Gourami, Blue Gourami, and a Asian upside down ... A: Ashley, Depends on how big your tank is. Are there any hiding places available? How big are these ... | |
| I don't know what to do anymore | 11/5/2007 |
| Q: I have 1 gallon, 5 gallon, 10 gallon and 25 gallon aquariums (1 of each). I can't seem to get a ... A: Well, lets see if we can make some progress here. First off, forget the PH for the moment. You can ... | |
| Stocking 55 gallon aquarium | 11/4/2007 |
| Q: I have a 55 gallon fish tank that I purchased about 2 weeks ago, the filter is a aqua-clear 70, and ... A: There is a pink variety that is a natural color, anything other than that are dyed. The dye fades ... | |
| Stocking 55 gallon aquarium | 11/4/2007 |
| Q: I have a 55 gallon fish tank that I purchased about 2 weeks ago, the filter is a aqua-clear 70, and ... A: Sally, the filter will be adequate if you do not overstock the tank or have large, messy fish. ... | |
| Stocking 55 gallon aquarium | 11/3/2007 |
| Q: I have a 55 gallon fish tank that I purchased about 2 weeks ago, the filter is a aqua-clear 70, and ... A: Sally, The heater is ok for the tank, I would however purchase another filter of some sort as the ... | |
| Crayfish is sick! | 11/3/2007 |
| Q: What a great service this is and hope you can help me. My eight year old daughter has a crayfish ... A: Randy, small wiggley worms, sound like planaria worms of some sort, they eat detritus and "slime" ... | |
| Low pH | 11/2/2007 |
| Q: I have a 10 gallon tank of goldfish. My pH and carbonate are low but my nitrates and nitrites are ... A: Andrea, I would guess that you have too much organic material in the system. This will cause the PH ... | |
| tank not cycling | 11/2/2007 |
| Q: I set up a 29g tank with heater, filter, air-head - added 'Jungle - Start Right' conditioner, API ... A: Amrita, seems the tank is cycling,although a bit slowly. nitrates take time to build up, it is not ... | |
| Yabbie Tanks | 11/2/2007 |
| Q: Hey, I know you've probably answered heaps of similar questions, but I was having a look through ... A: Chris, I am assuming you are referring to any of the species of crays that are common in Australia. ... | |
| Pregnant Platy | 11/1/2007 |
| Q: I am fairly new at this. It was 2 months ago that I set up my first tank. Now, I believe I have a ... A: Toni, sound like you have a pregnant fish on your hands here. Its a good idea to isolate the platy ... | |
| filtered water | 11/1/2007 |
| Q: I live in an area with very hard water, for this reason I have set my tank up using water filtered ... A: Pete, Yes, you are doing the right thing with the RO. If you had Africans it would not be an issue ... | |
| Plecostomus | 10/31/2007 |
| Q: are Plecostomus poisness, my friend told me that if one of my fish bite the Plecostomus that they ... A: Hannah, Pleco's have poison dorsals and pectorals, something like a bullhead. They can spine you and ... | |
| Heater for 3 Gallon Aquarium | 10/31/2007 |
| Q: Of course the pet store told me he'd be fine in cooler water but I just read that they like warm ... A: Brenda, there are heaters made for tanks that small, they are usually not adjustable and you buy ... | |
| Crayfish is sick! | 10/31/2007 |
| Q: What a great service this is and hope you can help me. My eight year old daughter has a crayfish ... A: Randy, lets deal with the snails first, you can crush them against the glass and the fish will eat ... | |
| AFRICAN CHICLIDS | 10/31/2007 |
| Q: i HAVE AFRICAN CHICLIDS AND THEY ALWAYS SEEM TO BE HUNGRY AND COMING TO TO TOP WHEN I PAST BY THE ... A: The are always hungry! or actually they will eat whenever the food is available. They know you are ... | |
| Filtration in a 29gal fresh water aquarium | 10/30/2007 |
| Q: I have a 29 gallon aquarium set up that has been unused for the last few months. I originally had ... A: Starr, lets answer the last first, to fishless cycle you can use filters from an existing stable ... | |
| bettas | 10/30/2007 |
| Q: I have a three month old betta in a 2.5 gallon aquarium,I have had him for three days and decided to ... A: Marjorie could have been due to decomposed food or extra fish slime as happens sometimes when fish ... | |
| Filters | 10/30/2007 |
| Q: What is the difference between filters that go on the back of the tank, cannister filters and bio ... A: The size of the tank will dictate the size of the filter. You would not run a whisper 30 on a 100 ... | |
| Filters | 10/29/2007 |
| Q: What is the difference between filters that go on the back of the tank, cannister filters and bio ... A: sean, the short answers are, hang on the back filters usually use a cartridge that is changeable ... | |
| Compatibilty | 10/29/2007 |
| Q: I have a 10 gallon tank and I was looking into getting Bloodfin and Diamond tetras.Would these fish ... A: You sure can do the variations that you wish, no problem. A good ratio is 2 females 1 male, that way ... | |
| squirming things in my fish tank | 10/29/2007 |
| Q: what are these squirming fisl-like things in my 40 gal fish tank, when i clean the sides, they seem ... A: Dottie, I would need a bit more information to really ID these things. to hazard a guess I would ... | |
| Filters | 10/28/2007 |
| Q: I`d like to know what you think of Fluval`s FX5 canister filter. I am thinking of getting one for my ... A: Jimmy, Firstly I really can;t endorse one brand over another, however I will say this. Hagen has ... | |
| Compatibilty | 10/27/2007 |
| Q: I have a 10 gallon tank and I was looking into getting Bloodfin and Diamond tetras.Would these fish ... A: The Bloodfins and Diamond tets are compatible as are most tetras. However, Swordtails and Mollies ... | |
| New beta! | 10/26/2007 |
| Q: Our old Beta just passed away, so we went and got another one. But this beta seems like he has no ... A: Carissa, Beta's are finicky fish when it comes to eating. I would ask what are you feeding the Beta, ... | |
| sick guppies | 10/17/2007 |
| Q: I was wondering if you could help me with 2 of my guppies. I have a 28 gallon tank with 7 guppies ... A: If there is a patch of "whitish" film on the back of the fish past the dorsal fin, it is not a good ... | |
Freshwater Aquarium
Answers by Expert:
michael mccorry
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I can answer questions concerning tanks, setup, display, maintence,filters, heaters, substrates, CO2 Systems, lighting, arrangements. Also water quality, chemical makeup and altering water parameters. I can advise on fish selection, how to arrange the tank to minimize aggression, water parameters for specific fish, breeding and raisning fry. Feeding and nutrition. Lighting both flourescent and metal halide and everything in between Plants, selection, lighting and feeding requirements, CO2 Systems, and substrate selection as well as what plants will work with what fish. Heating, and cooling the tank. Automating certain functions and what maintenence is necesssary to keep things looking good. Fish diseases their diagnosis and treatment. As well as other topics related to the hobby.
Experience
I have been involved in Tropical Fish for over 30 years having bred or kept most everything that was out there at one time or annother.
I have worked in several shops and managed several more, I have owned my own shop for over 12 years and currently maintain more than 3000gals of fresh water and saltwater fish, plants and invertabrates.
I service tanks and respond to emergency calls.
I advise on design, placement and impact of displays and custom design and install whatever the client wishes.
I had a business within a business servicing systems for Dr;s,Offices, Restaurants, Hospitals, and private individuals.
Publications
TFH
FAMA
American Cichlid Association
Education/Credentials
I attended Clinton Comm. College and then went to work for the State of New York.
I also recieved training in the unrelated field of Law Enforcement.
I am a certified fish specialist both fresh and saltwater having attended seminars at the Backer Trade Shows in Atlantic City sanctioned by PPAC.
Awards and Honors
I have won awards from the New York State Dept of Education and from the Govenors Office for Business of the Year in the Northern Tier.
I work as a consultant with the State assisting people who are starting a business.
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