FishChannel Forums / Freshwater Forums / General Freshwater

Glofish

dory — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 22:19:22 GMT

out of curiosity, does anyone know what Glofish are crosses of?

Lowering pH

FattFishy — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 13:33:48 GMT

How do I reduce the pH of the water without using chemical products like pH Down?

Bogwood, rocks, what other easy-to-do solutions are there? I want to keep other fish than livebearers like honey gouramis.

What filter should I buy for my 75 gallon tank???

JoshTS — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:46:24 GMT

I have a brand new 75 gallon tank and i am looking to buy a filter but there are so many choices that i don't know what to buy. Could you give me some suggestions of a filter set up big enough for a 75 gallon tank, 6 to 10 medium African cichlids, about 4 to 7 plants, and within a budget of 60$.and i do have room for a canister filter but i cant find one in the size i need or 60$ Thanks

Chameleon Fish

FastFoward5k — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 20:30:23 GMT

Today my friend and I started a 10 gallon freshwater community tank. We put in a Small Pleco and a Golden Wonder Killifish. They are already active and fun to watch. We are going to add in another Golden Wonder and some Tetras, but what amazes me is the Golden Wonder Killifish (Shamu) that we have right now. At our LFS we were looking at them and when the worker there scooped out the fish he had a little white dot on the top of his head (we didn't notice it while he was in his tank because they stay at the top of the tank and he had his head up). When we got back and put him in the tank with Butler, our Pleco, his dot on his head was now black! We observed him from above for a minute and his colour changed from black to white again, and back to black! I have looked at articles about them, but there was nothing about Shamu's strange trait. I was wondering if this was a normal thing, or if it was strange or rare.

sick of saltwater

jberta1030 — Tue, 06 May 2008 15:28:25 GMT

i'm tired of saltwater and want to change my tank to freshwater. a suggestion was made to me to switch to african cichlids and i like the idea the more i think about it. has anybody done this? i've kept africans in the past in a 20 gallon tank, this tank is a 100 gallon, sand bottom. what are some concerns, considerations, problems?

water parameters

lighting

filtration

will they eat each other like they did in the smaller tank?

stocking levels

anything else i havent thought about?

Foggy water

Maraqua — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 21:08:22 GMT

My 20 gallon with goldie is looking hazy not green water or anything just kind of foggy. I moved some things around and there was some debris loosened I've been cleaning the filter mesh the last two days. I'm hoping it's just debris and after a few daily maintanance on the floss it'll clear up. It is in the front window but the shades are always closed. Do you know what might be causing this? And is it bad for my fish?

Stocking suggestion after rehoming

Maraqua — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:11:29 GMT

So I now have a 10 gallon with 2 emerald cory's and 2 ADF's. Just wondering what would make an interesting tank with these fish. I thought of guppies but the ADF's would eat the fry so don't want to try them. Just curious as to what you would pick, any ideas welcome

Frustration

FattFishy — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 18:53:26 GMT

I have given up a few times because my goldfish died. Figures, like every little 5 year old, I kept them in a bowl/small tank.

Breeding zebra danios

kommander15 — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:47:45 GMT

I have 3 zebra danios i know that 2 are females and that one is a male, just judging by the plumpness of each fish. I have read that they randomly drop their eggs when water conditions change. i have a 10 gallon tank with all the essentials. I have read that i should cover the bottom with marbles or a very coarse gravel so that the eggs can fall through but so the parents can't get to them. Has anyone else bred them?????

Favourite

FastFoward5k — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:14:24 GMT

What is your favourite freshwater fish?

Mine is the Golden Wonder Killifish!

What filter should I buy for my 75 gallon tank???

JoshTS — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:43:01 GMT

Rehomed my betta.

Maraqua — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 20:52:40 GMT

So I found out my Betta Blueberry was harassing my poor cories. It was just an ego thing for dominance, but my corie's fins had tears in them. I didn't notice it because he didn't do it until recently like 3-4 weeks. Anyway I put him in my 2.5 gallon with a sponge filter and he looks happy.

A pic of Blueberrys new tank I just finished painting it and setting it up. He matches his coral lol. He's black purple bodied then pink and then turquoise and blue, he's really unique. I named him Blueberry because he has a lot of berry colors.

Sucker Fish

fredburger999 — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 03:41:51 GMT

I honestly couldn't care less about keeping them at the moment; this question is about how they breathe. When they cling to the glass, how do they make a suction and breathe, or do they breathe through another organ?

pots for tanks

ogum — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:02:12 GMT

Hi everyone,

I'm planning to put a half broken pot into my tank for my kribs to utilize when breeding, but just wanted to make sure what kind of pot. I have heard it's a terra cotta pot that is ok, in general what should I look for (and where) when purchasing pots for tanks.

thanks

Green spotted puffer

scottneth06 — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 21:55:04 GMT

I am thinking of geting a Green spotted puffer and putting him in a 15 gallon tank i was wondering if anyone knew what would be good tank mates for them? I have been doing alot of research on the little guys and i know they need slightly brackish water as they get older so i was thinking about 2 or 3 mollies I was wondering if this would be a good Idea. Thanks

Freshwater Stocking Guide: A Reference for Beginners

math-only aquarium — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 11:31:04 GMT

Hello,

Most people in this forum call me MOA and I'm an advanced math and physical science major from southern Idaho. Over the past few years I have been working a set of equations that are designed to give new aquarists (and even experienced ones) a good idea of what is going on in their aquariums. The method I have come up with isn't foolproof, but it is much more accurate than the general guidelines that are out there. Thus, it is with great pleasure that I present you with the MOA (math-only aquarium) spreedsheet and analysis.

You may have heard general rules of thumb like the "inch per gallon rule" or the "12 sq. in. per inch" rule and the sad truth is that neither works very well because they account for the length of the fish you keep, but not their biomass. Additionally, such general rules do not take your filter size into account or how fish interact with one another. Because of this, many new aquarists are fooled into thinking that an aquarium system will work just because it has the correct number of inches of fish length in it. Sometimes the general rules work, but many times they do not.

Nonetheless, I must warn you that just because my calculations account for many of the factors that the general rules do not isn't a guarantee that your aquarium is destined for success. Ultimately, the success of your aquarium will depend on how much research you put into it. Even the best formulas in the world cannot superseed common sense. Thus, I put forth this spreadsheet as a guideline for new aquarists. Basically, if the spreadsheet says a particular setup won't work, then it probably won't. On the other hand, if the spreadsheet says that a setup would be OK, then the success of that aquarium system is contingent upon you taking the proper steps to maintain it properly.

How It Works

The attached spreadsheets iare based on the premise that if you know all the basic parameters of aquarium, you can predict how it will operate even before it is set up or even purchased. Subsequently, there are a few things that you're going to have to know before using it.

Know Your Aquarium's Size in Gallons: this is the first bit of data that the spreadsheet asks for. If you are unsure of your aquarium's capacity, you can use this formula to calculate its gallon capacity: (length x width x height) / 231 = gallons. Note: measurements must be in inches.
Know the Height of Your Aquarium in Inches: This is asked for after you input the stats on your fish. The reason why the spreadsheet asks for the height of your tank is that the amount of surface area your aquarium has is proportional to your tank height and has an influence on how much oxygen will be available for your fish to breathe.
Know the Your Filter's Gallon-per-Hour (GPH) Rating: The GPH of your filter, or filters, is required after you input the aquarium's height. The GPH of your filter allows the spreadsheet to estimate how many fish you can keep based on your aquarium's filtration capacity (something the general guidelines completely omit). If you use an air pump to power your filter, the GPH rating is 15 gph per column of bubbles. As an example, if you have an udergravel filter that has two uplift tubes powered by air columns, then you would put "30" into the appropriate field (2 columns x 15 gph per column = 30 gph total). Also, if you use multiple filters, use the fields designated for additional filters.
Know Whether or Not Your Filter Uses Activated Carbon: This entry comes after the GPH of your filter. Activated carbon increases your filtration capacity a bit and is thus is worth considering. The spreadsheet assumes that you change your activated carbon every two weeks and that you use the amount recommended by your filter manufacturer. If you change your carbon less frequently or use less than the recommended amount, do not enter that you use activated carbon in the spreadsheet.
Know How Many Live Plants You Have and Their Approximate Average Height: This comes after the activated carbon entry. Live plants absorb dangerous nitrogen compounds and thus increase how many fish you can keep in the average aquarium.
Know How Often You Do Water Changes and The Percetage of Water You Remove per Water Change: After the plant entry. Since your filter can only take care of certain toxic compounds, the rest need to be removed by regular water changes. If you don't change your water, these toxic substances will build up to levels that can kill your fish. Additionally, the spreadsheet will ask you how clean you want your aquarium to be on a scale from to 4. This entry will affect how much you need clean your aquarium (personally, I suggest you enter "2" to be on the safe side). Lastly, the percentage you remove is equal to the number of gallons you remove per water change divided by the gallon size of the aquarium multiplied by 100. For example, if you have a 20-gallon tank and remove 5 gallons per water change, the percentage you remove is 25 (percent, of course) (5 / 20 = 0.25; 0.25 x 100 = 25).
Know What Fish You Want And Their Adult Sizes: This is the most important part of the spreadsheet and is the middle field. The spreadsheet lists 52 general freshwater fish types by family and can calculate info for up to three specific species of each general type, but it will only provide accurate results if you give accurate initial information. The spreadsheet will ask for both how many fish of a species you plan on keeping and the adult size of that species, so be prepared. Furthermore, in case you were wondering, enter the values for any algae eaters or plecos you plan on keeping in the "Catfish, Herbivores" fields.

Exceptions

If you do not use an independent filter in your aquarium, this spreadsheet is useless because it doesn't understand alternative filtration techniques. Subsequently, if you use live plants, a bio-bed, plenum, or residual flow setup as your primary filter system, then do not use this spreadsheet. Additionally, if you do not use a filter at all and rely solely on water changes for cleanliness, then do not use this spreadsheet.
Do not use this spreadsheet if you think it will replace common sense and research on your part--nothing can do that. This spreadsheet is a tool only, not some sort of magic wand.

Last of all, this spreadsheet is not a guarantee, but it will get you closer than any of the general rules.

HAVE FUN!!!!

Cyclng New Tanks

David Lass — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 05:29:53 GMT

A while ago we had a lively thread on different ways to get the Nitrogen Cycle established in a new fish tank, and I said that I had writen an article for FAMA. Well, the artcle is in the current issue (August 2008) of FAMA. Please take a look, and let me know your opinions. Thanks.

WILDCAUGHT FISH

FastFoward5k — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 19:03:53 GMT

Me and my two friends just caught a TON of stuff in a pond. We have set up a 10 gallon aquarium. You can see it. It's theme is The Clan. We just set it up. Hope you enjoy.

Mosquitofish Question

MtnFishBoy — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 05:56:46 GMT

How often do mosquito fish give birth? I have one female, and she has had a gravid spot for a few weeks now. Will she give birth to her babies all at once, or drop a few every day? Also, how long is their gestation period?

Driftwood and current questions

FattFishy — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 09:31:37 GMT

I am planning a tank for denison barbs (roseline sharks, red torpedo barb, etc) and they like a strong current and driftwood to play around.

Well, I have wood from a pine tree, after putting it in boiling water for some time (to kill the bacteria), will it affect the hardness or pH? What other kind of wood is good for tank that wouldn't change any parameters?

Also, the very strong current needed for the barbs would not be favorable by many fish. Will koi swordtails do well in a heavily planted, strong current tank?

walmart fish

MoorishIdol — Wed, 21 May 2008 09:25:34 GMT

i cant believe that walmart can sell fish. they keep them in extrememly poor condition. they shouldnt be allowed to sell them. i went there the other day and went over to the fish section and i saw a whole bunch of fish dead in the tanks. a lot of them were all crammed in without enough oxygen. they had about 20 fish in a five gallon tankl. it sooooo wrong! i would never buy a fish from them because it would probably die a day after i got it!

Escaping Newts!!!

gouramis n catfish — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 10:36:09 GMT

I just started up a new terrarium, with my new little juvenile newts. Oh boy do they love to crawl and climb. My cat found one yesterday when it made it to the hallway (don't worry, all she does is sit and watch). So now I'm heading in to get one of those Zilla terrariums with the locking lid, but it says no water. Will these tanks hold about five inches of water safely? Should I invest in some aquarium sealant to strengthen it? All I have is the water, about two or three pounds of gravel, and a couple decorations (like the platform for the newts to lay on).

Tiretrack Eel Tankmates

Bugman — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 12:04:52 GMT

I am interested in buying a tiretrack eel but don't know what other fish to put in with it. I would like some small to medium sized fish, but not something that it would eat.

HELP ME!!!

plecodiscus — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 05:20:35 GMT

Okay, 3 days ago i woke up to see my red tailed shark with tons of fin rot and fungus. I gave her melafix. she looked better when i went to bed that night. the next morning she looked even worse than she had the previous worning, so i kept on with the melafix. she died while i was at summer camp (im a counselor there). the next night, i saw that my pictus cat had cloudy eyes. i started with the melafix again and kept on with it. he died this morning. so, right before i removed the dead catfish, i noticed that my royal pleco had minute red tufts on his sides and now he seems very weak: he keeps sliding down the tank wall. please tell me what to give my royal pleco to stop this wipe out! by the way, there is a clown loach in the tank and i dont have a quarantine tank, so thats why im nervous about giving any medication other than melafix

South American biotope?

plecodiscus — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 17:54:17 GMT

For some time, I have wanted to make a South American biotope. Now that my tank has had a huge fish wipeout, i can make one. My tanks and setups usually consist of a medium size fish (anywhere from 6-8 in.) and many smaller fish, as well as a loricariid catfish that is really small or skinny, like a farlowella catfish or clown pleco. It will be a moderately to densely planted 38 gallon (36x12x20)with some medium to large pieces of driftwood and an aquaclear 110 filter. So here's what i was planning:

large fish- either an annostomus or 3 silver dollars, but please give me any suggestions on what would work.

school- 3-5 diamond or bleeding heart tetras, but please give me any suggestions you might have.

loricariid- clown pleco, bristlenose pleco, whiptail catfish, or twig/farlowella catfish, but please give me any suggestions you might have.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Specializing

MtnFishBoy — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 08:26:24 GMT

I am thinking about starting to specialize in anabantoids. I would give all of my other fish to my LFS, and start focusing on gouramis and bettas. Has anyone else done something like this? I would like to get some input before I go and do something I might regret later.

I'm going to Discovery Cove !

CephalopodLover — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 17:50:41 GMT

In october I'm going to Discovery Cove to swim with Dolphins , Rays and Fish ! I can't wait! If I take pics I'll post them.

Heres the list of fish they have.

Reef Fishes
Squirrelfish	Longspined squirrelfish	Black bar soldierfish
Achilles Tang	Ocean Surgeon	Doctorfish
Atlantic Blue Tang	Gold-rimmed Tang	White-faced surgeon
Powder-blue tang	Clown Tang	Orange Shouldered Tang
Convict Tang	Hepatus Tang	Naso Tang
Unicorn Tang	Vlaming's Unicornfish	Sailfin Tang
Yellow Tang	Pacific Sailfin Tang	Purple Sailfin Tang
Pajama Cardinal	Lookdown	Teardrop Butterfly
Whitefaced Butterfly	Auriga Butterfly	Foureye Butterfly
Red-tail Butterfly	Saddled Butterfly	Red Sea Racoon Butterfly
Merten's Butterfly	Spotfin Butterfly	Reef Butterfly
Redlined Butterfly	Banded Butterfly	Redspotted Hawkfish
Atlantic Spadefish	Yellowfin Mojarra	Neon Goby
Yellow Striped Goby	Hybrid Cleaner Goby	Atlantic Porkfish
Chocolate Surgeonfish	Tomtate	Caesar Grunt
Smallmouth Grunt	French Grunt	Spanish Grunt
Sailor's Choice	White Grunt	Bluestriped Grunt
Bermuda Chub	Cuban Hogfish	Broomtail Wrasse
Slingjaw Wrasse	Common Hogfish	Ocre-Striped Cardinal
Silver Mono	Striped Mullet	White Mullet
Bangaii Cardinal	Asfur Angel	Rusty Angel
Atlantic Blue Angel	Queen Angel	Passer (King) Angel
Rock Beauty	Gray Angel	Emperor Angel
Crescent Moon Angel	French Angel	Canary Blenny
Cortez Angel	Sergeant Major	Two-banded Anemonefish
Clark's Anemonefish	Domino Damsel	Bowtie Damsel
Dusky Damsel	Cocoa Damsel	Midnight Parrotfish
Striped Parrotfish	Rainbow Parrotfish	Princess Parrotfish
Queen Parrotfish	Stoplight Parrotfish	Highhat
Graysby	Blue Hamlet	Indigo Hamlet
Barred Hamlet	Butter Hamlet	Fang Blenny
Black-Lined Blenny	Archer Fish	Moorish Idol
Scrawled Filefish	Whitespotted Filefish	Striped Burrfish
Balloonfish	Redheaded Goby	Royal Gramma
Lyretail Hogfish	Axillaris Hogfish	Spanish Hogfish
Harlequin Tuskfish	Bird wrasse	Yellowhead Wrasse
Rainbow Wrasse	Bluehead Wrasse	Moon Wrasse
Golden Pufferfish	Finger Fish	Yellowtail Angel
Bicolor Angel	Lemonpeel Angel	Blue Ringed Angel
Koran Angel	Cortez Angel	False Skunk-Striped Anemonefish
Blue Chromis	Green Chromis	Humbug Damsel
Yellowstripe Anthias	Jeweled Damsel	Maroon Clownfish
Lyretail Anthias	Blue Parrotfish	Redband Parrotfish
Redtail Parrotfish	Purple Queen Anthias	Pink Squared Anthias
Neon Dottyback	Sunrise Dottyback	Orchid Dottyback
Striped Dottyback	Springer's Dottyback	Cinnamon Clownfish
False Percula Clownfish	Saddleback Clownfish	Brown Chromis
Green Chromis	Blue Devil	Black-axil Damsel
Black-marginatated Damsel	Bicolor Damsel	Giant Clams
Pumping Xenia	Pacific Turbo Snails	Slate Pencil Urchins
Sea Mat

Barracuda	Sharks	Stingray
Great Barracuda	Blacktip Reef Shark	Southern Stingray
Redlip Blenny	Whitetip Reef Shark	Bluntnosed Stingray
Neon Goby	Double Saddled Butterfly	Spotted Eagle Ray
Yellowlined Goby	Nurse Shark	Cownose Ray
Cinnamon Clownfish	Copperbanded Butterfly	Roughtail Stingray
Chocolate-chip Seastar	Japanese Wobbegong shark
Falcula Butterfly	Crevalle Jack
Indo-Pacific Butterfly	Longnose Butterfly
Spotbanded Butterfly	Bue Devil Damsel
Pacific Turbo Snail	Queensland Grouper
	Pyramid Butterfly
	Longfin Butterfly
	Masked Bannerfish
	Goldline Goby
	Sharknose Goby

First Fish

MtnFishBoy — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:54:13 GMT

I'll go ahead and start this poll of by saying that my first fish were some goldfish. I started out a little over 2 years ago with 6 goldfish in a ten gallon, along with about 100 tadpoles. I don't have any of the original 6, but a few days later, I went and picked out a brown goldfish, and he is still alive and doing well.

TANK PROBLEMS

LuvMyAngelz90 — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 21:17:56 GMT

I have a 20 gal tank with 2 angels and 1 catfish. My whole fliter broke and i had to replace it but now all the gunk is on the bottom and we tryed to syphon it and got a good amount out but its still alot in there it seems so hard to do because i have a tall 20g not a wide 1 does any 1 have any good ideas to help me get my tank back running before i wipe everything out? should i take the whole tank down or what

Pond snails!!!......I think???

Maraqua — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 22:10:45 GMT

Sorry I forgot about the new "Invertebrate's" section. You can move it if you like

I had a few hitchhikers on some plants. I think I have 5-6 that I can see. They are very small and round and dark grayish to black. I was wondering if they are hermaphrodites if that's the right term to use (don't need a mate to reproduce). Also what's their main diet, just wondering because I have algae/diatom's I was hoping they'll eat it

German Rams vs. Brichardis

kommander15 — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 10:04:30 GMT

I have been kind of bored with my 20 gallon long tank. I want to keep rams. How many could i keep with 3 little baby platies and 3 zebra danios? i have also gotten the suggestion for brichardis. How many of these could go in there and how do i sex them? I want to get one of these 2 species, but money is a little tight with gas here being 4.20 a gallon. My lfs has both of these fish in stock. If you guys could give me some background info on food and aquarium decor and such that would be a really big help.

Can Shrimp be kept with an Angelfish?

cmpteki — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 18:52:18 GMT

Hey All -

Yeah...I know...answer seems obvious...but thought I would ask...

I am hoping to add one or two larger (~2") shrimp to my 60gal tank for some additional variety...but am concerned my Angel may see these as gourmet meals...

I wanted to see if anyone has ever tried to keep them together.

Yay / Nay?

Thanks in Advance!

fish turning black

Goldwing — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 08:13:17 GMT

Please help!

We got two tanks for my daughters. the first a 5 gallon with 3 comet goldfish about 2" each. They have been eating well but now one has one side of his gill turning black and the fin on the same side is also turning black and he no longer eats.

The other tank is only a 1 gallon and has (had) 5 Tetra's and 2 Ghost shrimp. Yesterday we notice two of them are turning darker and last night with much tears one died.

We have tried changing 1/2 the water even buying bottled water and are using AquaSafe in the water. (hopefully the correct amount as it's hard to know as their instructions are for BIG tanks.

Please Help us if you can.

Sheldon

sievert4@gmail.com

Stock for a tropical tank

Nep2Ns PlumR — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 10:23:46 GMT

Hey freshwater folks. Just cruisin' over from the salty side in search of some of your collective expertise. I have a friend that has inherrited a 50g tank he would like to set up, in his office at work, for tropical fish. He has never kept an aquarium before and has come to me seeking advice. I've done enough freshwater to be able to help him with set-up and maintenance, but I'm very limited as to the types of fish I've kept.

So here's the deal. He would like to keep a community tank, nonagressive fishes and minimal upkeep (since it will be at his place of business).

What would you guys suggest. What types of fishes and in what quantities would make a good community for him? Any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

2 ?'s

MtnFishBoy — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:40:38 GMT

I recently got a new tank that I set up for my bettas. They used to live in a 15 gallon, and now it is a 15 gallon. I noticed that there are bubbles all over the surface of the water. What could cause this? The only new thing is the tank itself. I kept the same filters, gravel, and decorations. I even put some of the fish from their tank in my outside one, so the bioload decreased. I think it may just be where the bettas come up for air, but I would rather be safe than sorry.

Another question I have is how big should a tank for a dojo loach be. I have one at the moment (hopefully getting a new one within the next few days). He is in my outside tank right now.

Reading the responses reminded me to say that I recently took the male out of the tank b/c of the agressive female picking on him. Sorry I forgot to mention it. Could the females be trying to build a bubblenest? I heard that some females do, but I never notice them trying.

Why ADF died?

Maraqua — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 12:23:11 GMT

My african dwarf frog was found dead today. I'm just wondering why he died??? He did look quite fat the last few days. I only fed bloodworms every other 2 days or so. Did he over eat or was he bloated/constipated?? I was proud because he grew bigger and I thought they were supposed to have round bellies. Anyway I still have another dwarf frog who's much younger and still skinny looking. I just want to make sure this doesn't happen to him too

Oh btw 0 ammonia 0 nitrite and didn't test nitrate. Not a water issue though I don't think.

EDIT: Okay so I just took pictures of poor Sebastian Thought it would help.

***********WARNING DEAD FROG PICTURES BELOW *************

I took in two different flash modes didn't know which one would be better.

Tank Stocks

FattFishy — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 17:04:25 GMT

Will 4 denison barbs (roseline sharks), 4 otocinclus catfish, and 2 koi swordtails work?

I've given up on angelfish and think that these barbs will do well. They are peaceful and sometimes show aggression (the denison barbs). I'm trying to see if the bioload isn't too much and there is enough room.

I know the requirements for these fish are soft, acidic water with a pH of 6.5-7.2. The tank will be 3 ft in width for the denison barbs. (I don't know of the length and height but the recommended height and length would be appreciated.)

Unexpected Guppy Babies

ForMyCats — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 12:32:09 GMT

Just restocked my tank Saturday afternoon, on Monday morning found three babies in my floating plants. Ran back to the pet store, picked up a breading tank and moved the mother & babies.

My questions are:

How long does it take the mother to deliver her young? (She was still having them late last night; she did eat this morning, but looks as if she is laboring again however have not seen any more)

Is it common for some of the babies to be born dead? (See several of them on the bottom of the breading tank not moving)

Thanks for any help that can be provided.

10 Gal Cycled!

Squid — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 10:15:20 GMT

So I think I have successfully cycled my tank. I hadn't tested the nitrites in a while since they were off the charts but now it reads 0 - 0.1! I believe it is time for fish now? I've just been trying to keep the ammonia at 1 or 2 but may have over done it once. Anyway... I need fish now and I am wondering what fish suit my water conditions:

pH: 7.9 GH: Soft ( about 3.30gH) kH: 70mg/L may be a little lower
and ammonia: 0 nitrite: 0

It is a 10 gal tank with small pebble gravel, a bunch of rocks for hiding spots, moss balls, driftwood and a fake plant. So it's not heavily planted but has good cover. Also, I have painted the background of the tank black.

I like the look of barbs even though I know most of them won't do well in a 10, tetras, fancy guppies, khuli loaches are cool. I'm not a fan of the cory cat.

Any suggestions would be great, with which fish work with what I have got here. What fish should I add first, and how many at a time? How long will my tank stay cycled for? I would like to go get fish today!

mystery guppies

dreamscape — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:38:51 GMT

My girlfriends daughter had a tank full of guppies for about five months,most were fed to my girlfriends oscars,until their was only one left.It was in a community tank for about a month,then we noticed a little guppie baby at the top of the tank,so we moved them both to a 10 gallon,the both were in there for about a month,and we just noticed that there are 6 new babies.what i wan to know is,"how is this happening?","and what do i do?".