LA
Chocolates are not rare but they are not common.

A:  These guys/gals below can give you a better idea than I can:

LA

A:  Congratulations.  Yours are the right size right now.  It often takes them a few tries to get it right.  Now start figuring out how to hatch small batches of brine shrimp eggs.  LA

A:  Brine shrimp eggs will not hatch in your freshwater aquarium.  Thus the name brine shrimp.  Read Brine Shrimp I.  If this link does not work, find the link under Live Foods on the left hand side of our website.  Your pleco will eat your angel eggs on the first night he finds them.  LA   

LA
Ramshorn snails brought in by one of our customers.

A:  Snails are one of the most beneficial critters living in your aquarium.  They eat excess food that falls to the bottom.  Their population explodes only when they have sufficient food.  The snails you removed were devouring the excess food.  If you changed your filter media at the same time, you exacerbated the problem of overfeeding.  You are experiencing the "new tank synfrome."  Use a gravel vacuum cleaner to pull any excess food out of your gravel.  Then add a product called Prime made by SeaChem.  LA
PS  You may want to add a few snails.

A:  Oscars mix quite well with many species when young.  But since they grow very fast compared to most other fish, they wind up dominating (and thus stressing) their tank mates.  Jack dempseys will work better than chocolate cichlids.  Channel cats and plecos make good long term companion catfish.  LA

A:  I wouldn't do it myself or recommend it.  However, they will work together temporarily.  LA

A:  Read Brackish I for a good explanation of brackish water and Mudskipper to cover mudskipper care.  If these links do not work for you, they're on the right side of our website.  LA

A:  Usually roundtail males rush out and try to bite and pester other bettas (male or female).  Sounds like you have a compatible pair.  Don't worry about him not eating.  Bettas don't eat much and he probably has other things on his mind right now.  Try warming them up five degrees.  There's no way to determine exactly when they will spawn.  LA

A:  Sorry.  We don't sell fish over the web.  LA

LA
Staghorn Java fern.

A:  Probably the same plant.  It's also called Java lance fern.  They just misspelled it.  It grows in nearly any light condition you keep it in.  Under too much light, algae may grow on its leaves.  Don't worry about the brown at the tips.  Sometimes the whole leaf will turn black.  These odd-looking leaves will usually start growing little plantlets all around the edges.  LA

A:  No critters that will remove the leaves.  You need a net cover during the fall and winter.  Then you need a long-handled pond net to skim the surface.  LA

A:  We have them.  We don't ship them.  LA

A:  I'm not familiar personally with any mail order facilities.  I don't know what part of Louisiana you live in, but B&B Pets (a real pet store) over in Mobile would be a good place to check.  They may be within driving distance.  LA

A1:  I have no idea why you're seeing several dempseys i\with disfigured tails.  I know of no cause or cure for the problem.  They will still breed true to species.
A2:  I'm surprised oscars survive in your area.  Channel catfish should survive just fine.
A3:  Mudbugs that reproduce parthogenetically are interesting but a little too pricey for me to buy sufficient organisms to work with.  When you breed them, you still wind up with crawdads.  LA

A:  Sure, I'd be interested in some of the baby marmokrebs when you can sort them.  Usually tropical fish released in the wild die at the first cold snap.  People around here release pacús all the time.  However, I'm sure that draining that pond would violate so many state and federal regulations that I would see you doing the perp walk on our local evening news.  LA

LA

A:  If you want to send them, now would be the best time.  Put them in a plastic bag with two wet paper towels.  Don't send more than ten.  If they come thru, I'll send you a half-dozen 1-inch chameleon shrimp.  LA

A:  Two oscars will usually grow up together just fine in a 55.  However, oscars are individuals, just like people (only smaller and easier to keep clean).  You can spew out all sorts of homilies outlining their average behavior and wind up with all sorts of variances.  What works for one oscar keeper does not always work for his twin brother.  That's one of the reasons oscar aficionados like oscars.  LA

A:  Start with a 20 to 30 gallon tank.  Add a substrate that will hold water and thus keep their humidity up.  Place a screen cover and fluorescent light on top plus a heat bulb at one end.  Add a water dish, a hide box, and something to climb on (wood, rocks, vines to taste).  Your chances for success will go up if you feed a variety of insects or other small prey.  Last items:  One male and one female.  And of course, patience.  LA

A:  Some people will use up to three females.  But when you add females you need more room.  Your choice.  LA

A:  Sorry, your attachment did not come thru.  Please send it again.  LA

A:  I'm going to take a stab at Aphyosemion eggersi for now.  It's a little hard to tell at that angle.  LA

LA
Crowd your African cichlids for best result.

A:  All the African cichlids are compatible when small.  They get along best when crowded.  In small groups they like to pick on the low dude on the totem pole and will kill him, then go to the next lowest victim.  LA

A:  To nearly instantly "cycle" a 75, I would not use any of those products.  I would fill that tank with water and let it percolate for two days.  Then I would gravel vacuum the under gravel filter of a healthy cichlid or goldfish tank.  Take out about a gallon of the particle-rich water and add it to your 75.  Wait one hour and Voila:  pretty close to instant "cycling."  LA
PS  We do not ship dirty water.

A:  Cute bugs.  I don't recognize them at all.  They're not fish parasites.  Probably sucking plant juices from floating plants.  LA

A:  I think we have four of them right now.  Feel free to check again in a couple weeks  Ask by phone @ 283-0300.  It's much more efficient.  LA

A:  You don't really need UVB for nocturnal lizards.  Most do like hot spots to ramp up their digestion.  No problem with feeding the fruit flies.  You just need lots.  If you don't want them to go on walkabouts, don't add them.  Since you have Repi-Bark, you can add extra water to keep the cage humid.  I don't remember ever misting a golden gecko.  I like screen covers to give them plenty of circulation. I'd also add a hide box to give their eyeballs a rest.  LA

A:  Yellow-tail aceis from Lake Malawi would kill your rams first, then your angels.  Your kribs might survive.  LA

A:  I can't tell them apart.  We sell them for $6.  LA