A:  Well, I've never seen this before either.  He doesn't look "sick."  If he is sick, you need to decide if it's from a virus, bacteria, or parasite.  If it's a virus, not much you can do other than thin the herd.  If it's bacteria, use a wide-spectrum antibiotic.  If it's a parasite, give him a brief saltwater or potassium permanganate bath -- long enough to zap the parasite but short enough to keep your festivum alive.  Your other choice is just to quarantine him and look for any changes.  It could get worse.  It could get better.  It could stay the same.  As mentioned earlier, he doesn't look sick.  No frayed or droopy fins.  No cloudy eyes.  I'd opt for isolation.  LA

A:  Yes.  LA

A:  We always say "wash your hands after handling reptiles."  We probably should also say "wash your hands after handling anything squirmy that pukes on you."  Pet store crews also wash their hands before using the rest room.  BTW, thanks for the sex tip.  LA
PS  We haven't been able to get the black millipedes for years.

A:  I added your info to my scorpion page.  LA

A:  I'm sorry.  I'm unfamiliar with any lizard mongers in the UK.  LA

A:  Nearly all catfish of any type will nibble on a deceased tank mate.  Usually pistus ignore other fish that are at least half their size.  LA

A:  Thanks for the info young dude.  I'll try to remember it.  I'll add it to my red devil page.  I'm losing ground on the awesome, tho.  I'm down to every other day.  LA

LA
Young red-belly, Serrasalmus nattereri -- a little over an inch long

A:  They'll eat live food from the day they become free swimming.  They grow faster and with fewer complications on cichlid pellets.  LA

A:  Feed them little cichlid pellets.  LA

A:  Sorry, Sparkles.  Tell Logan I said thanks for the vote of confidence, but your question is way beyond my scope of expertise.  LA

A:  At first I debated about working convicts and your country's origins into my answer, but I'm passing on that particular train of thought upon advice from my lawyers.  It's nice to have a large tank to work with.  You should be fine.  Just keep your ghost well fed.  Your moonlights, bala sharks, and various goldfish will all grow large.  About a year from now, you'll want another (larger) aquarium.  LA

A:  I've always found it non-productive to pick on any of the assorted Aussies and Afrikaners.  Glad I could help.  LA

A:  My initial reaction to possible disease in a group is to isolate the suspected disease carrier and observe him.  Since he sounds healthy enough in your tank, just keep an eye on him.  If he starts deteriorating, quarantine him.  LA

A1:  I'll send you some Java moss when it warms up.  It's 11^O F in Des Moines this morning.  Probably the same in PA.  Send me your address when it's expected to stay at 40 or above for at least four days.
A2:  I used to keep the fighting bantams.  They will jump on your kids' heads and chase them all around the backyard.  They sleep in the trees and wake all the neighbors when the sun comes up.  Then they like to crow maybe on the hour.  Their tiny eggs are too cute to eat -- maybe three dozen to make an omellette.  I originally got them to eat any bugs in the garden.  Seems they liked the garden even better.
A3:  I don't know what bamboo palms are.  LA    

A:  This is my day off, so I can't give you a definitive answer.  Yesterday we had one juvenile under four inches.  We've had him for at least three months because he insists on hiding.  He's under $35.  Call me at 283-0300 for the exact details (whether he's still there).  He's in a 10 right now.  You'd never see him in a 75.  LA

A:  Hmm.  Usually males get along fairly well when kept without females in the herd.  But, there are always exceptions to any "usual" maxim.  And you could have a female in your trio.  You'll often get flying fur when that happens.  As for humping in general, it's their need to continue the species.  Sounds like it could make a good springboard into having "the talk" with your son.  LA

A:  If they're going to start tearing out fur, you need to separate them.  LA

LA
The larger the clown loach, the larger the knives.

A:  Oscars grow about ten times faster than a clown loach.  Your oscar will likely eat your clown loach unless your loach teaches him early on to respect the switchblades in front of his eyeballs.  Oscars love to eat any fish that will fit (or almost fit) into their mouths.  LA

A:  I've never had enough elephant nose knife fish to figure out any specialized rules to follow.  Therefore, I'd have to go with what you already figured out on your own:  "their care the same as a black ghost knife fish."  Good job.  LA

LA
Here's a chironomid midge (bloodworm) captured from the wilds of Iowa.

A:  Your worm looks like a regular earthworm.  Some of them will survive for weeks under water.  Bloodworms max out at around an inch.  LA

A:  Okay, then.  I don't know what it was.  LA

A:  Sorry.  I don't even ship to West Des Moines.  LA

A:  I'm sorry.  We don't sell stuff on the web.  We're a retail store in Des Moines, Iowa.  LA

Ava, January 26, 2010
Hi, My name is Ava and I'm the blog moderator for TheReefTank.com, a web-site devoted to providing saltwater aquarists all they need to know about their hobby.  We are proud to host over 250,000 saltwater aquarists each month!

I am approaching you because a few of our members have been raving about your site as one of the leading fish resources on the Web and suggested we award you our "Recommended Reading" medal (see below) and list you on our site's "Recommended Readings" page. You display such a variety! We are quite impressed. 
To put the "Recommended Reading" medal up on your site, all you need to do is copy and paste the link on this page.  A preview picture of the medal is found below.

Also, I'd like to suggest you fill in this form  so that we add your site to our "Recommended Readings" page.  And one nice thing is that your readers will be able to click on the "Vote for us" link that appears below your medal and this way bump your site up on our "Recommended Readings" page.

I think you should be proud of the work you've done... The fact that our members have suggested we award you this medal says a lot about your site.
Let me know what you think.  Thanks and please let me know if I can help in any way,

 

A:  Okay.  I visited your site and give you two (make it three) thumbs up for not using Arial narrow in white on top of black.  (You had one missing word in the first paragraph but who hasn't done that?)  I also like your constantly changing home page and the very wide variety of topics covered and the fact that you're not from Nigeria promising me cash beyond Obama's skill in spending.  I'm not sure how to follow all your instructions, but I'll cipher it out directly -- sometime today I hope.  LA
PS  Last month we had 401,502 (but who's counting?) visitors, so the links should bump us both up -- sort of a mixed blessing.  Some of them must have been my employees (sorry, I meant co-workers) because they were all clamoring about updating our Employee Pages.  I 'spect I'll have to do that sometime this month also.  Maybe I'll add a Factoid Table on each of them.
PPS  If you get mailings from Adobe Systems Incorporated, they just sent out an announcememnt about something.  Who knows?  Big companies aren't always smart.  LA

Their topic was Produce brilliant work for retail even faster.

Here's a couple dozen lines of "small print" at the bottom.

Now there's a sales letter for you.

This was just a note so you'll know that Aqualand Pets Plus is not all fun and games and water changes.  These guys are re-doing our 100+ year-old-building and basically ripping out the Aqualand portion.  No big deal to them.  LA

A:  I'm happy to report they are both right.  Knife fish vary in their personalities -- size makes a big difference, as does your feeding schedule.  I've got a four incher in a tank of neons, but I wouldn't recommend it.  One of my co-workers put it in there on my day off.  I was more concerned with the little cherry red shrimp in the tank when I found the knife hiding behind the sponge filter a week later.  The neons and the smaller shrimp were all unharmed (I think).  Just buy a small one.  LA
PS  Congratulations on trying to research your potential tank resident before just plunking down the cash.

LA
8-inch water cow.

LA
Same guy or gal.

A:  Water cows are large gobies.  Don't mix with community fish.  They're likely to eat any fish less than half their size.  LA

A:  To condition them, just feed and water them.  It gets a little more complicated because you need to separate the males and females when you're not breeding them.  LA

A:  Your electric blue ram certainly caught my eye.  Your angel not so much.  I couldn't see the difference between it and a regular angelfish.  The ram is definitely different.  I haven't had one yet but your picture inspires me to add some to my private collection.  Meanwhile, your ram is in our Q&A section.  Thanks.  LA.

A:  I have zero arowanas at present.  I probably mis-wrote on the jardinis.  Canadian koi, eh?  Are you obliquely referring to the way Asian dragons come into Canada and then get smuggled into the U.S.?  I do have flowerhorns and one gold datnioide almost too tiny to see.  By the way, congratulations on knowing how to spell datnioide.  LA

LA
1-inch gold tiger datnioide.

LA
8-inch flowerhorn.

A:  The blues are running between $600 and $800.  I was tempted to get one, but decided to get several hundred other fish instead.  I did order a Jardini.  He'll probably weigh in at about 2 inches.  No silvers available right now.  Still not cheap.  LA

A:  Oscars usually lie on their sides their first day in a new tank.  Ich probably aggravates the situation.  Once he starts eating (hopefully by today -- Jan 28), he should recover quickly.  Bump him to 80 F if you haven't already.  LA
PS  Don't buy a fish that has ich next time.

A:  Thanks for your input.  I'm adding it to my Raphael page.  LA

A:  Thanks.  LA

A:  We're a retailer here in the other Des Moines (the one in Iowa, not the one in Washington).  I know there are much closer plant wholesalers in your state, because I have purchased Hyacinths from your state before.  Shop local (as we say in Des Moines.)  LA

LA

A:  Those lost "bananas" are the storage roots of that dwarf lily.  If you plant it in shallow water in full sun in May, they may grow back -- but not likely.  LA

A:  If it were my tank, I'd add at least eight oscars.  I like a busy tank -- but that's just me.  LA
PS  I've been to Overland Park several times.  It's about time some of you KCers came up north.  Say Hi when you get here.

A:  The types you wind up with depends totally on what's available in your area.  I know you have at least two really good fish stores in your area.  They may be able to order the colors you want.  Don't pick the ones I like (because I like them all).  Pick the ones you like.  LA

A:  I pulled your 12 emails into a single batch to simplify the answers.  LA 
1.  No doviis but we do have loiselleis.  No jaguar cats but we do have achara cats.
2.  In parrots we have an African grey, an Indian ringneck, and an umbrella cockatoo.  Plus lots of little hookbills.
4.  Piranhas are illegal in Des Moines or I'd have a lot of them.
5.  I'll add your oscar comments to our oscar spawning info.   

LA

A:  Many koi keepers recommend 50 to 100 gallons per koi.  That's because they grow two to three feet long.  They won't eat your goldfish unless the goldfish will fit easily into their mouths.  Koi actually prefer vegetation but will pretty much eat whatever they run across.  Koi really belong in outdoor ponds.  Goldfish are a mini-version of the koi.  Many will grow to a foot long but not in a five gallon tank.  Yes, we do sell tanks and stands.  LA

LA

A:  Namaste, Siva.  Corys like to spawn in herds.  One or two females begin egg laying and this triggers the others to participate.  So, I would add more females and males and start your protocol all over again.  I'd do exactly what you did, but use more males and females.  LA
PS  Remove the snails.

LA
At least the sun is shining.

A:  Here's a pic I took on the way to work today, Jan 31.  We've had our snow since before Christmas.  We're supposed to get three more inches on Ground Hog Day.  Then it will be all clean again for about a day.  LA

A:  Shucks, now I'm blushing.  LA

A:  Start by warming her to 80^o F.  Then feed her some wax worms.  If your local pet store does not stock them, call your local bait store.  They stock them during the winter for ice fishing bait.  Plus, offer her some applesauce on a spoon.  Get more nutrition into her.  LA

LA

A:  I've seen these guys sold as comb-tail paradise fish and comb-tail gouramis, Belontia signata.  Fruitbat on aquariumadvice .com says they are also known as Ceylon Combtail, Red Combtail, Combtail, Comb-tail Paradise Fish, Comb-tail Gourami, Red Comb-tail Gourami.  Mine all proved to be nasty tank mates that enjoyed killing other fish.  Sounds like you have a mellow fellow.  LA