June 21-30, 2010 questions you asked Aqualand

We don't ship critters or live fish.
When writing us, include your location.
LA_Aqualand@msn.com

Victoria Murphy, June 21, 2010
Hello, I stumbled on your web page. I read the info about bettas and while it did have some true information on it, it sort of left a lot out. I'd like to point out a few things that I think you could add to your page, and a few things that need corrected/clarified.
1. The minimum tank size for a betta is 1 US gallon, and that should be cleaned out 100% every 3-4 days. It's much more convenient to keep them in at least a 2.5gal, since that only needs to be changed 100% once a week and is easier to heat. I realize you point out that their water should be cleaned often, but you never specify what often is.
2. Water is going to be cooler than the air around it, so keeping your room at 75F is not going to keep your fish tank at 75F, just thought I'd point that out.
3. I agree that keeping bettas in small spaces is fine temporarily, the way they are shipped and the way they're kept in stores is FINE so long as the water is changed accordingly and it's a temporary situation. Pet stores never keep animals in containers that they should be in for the rest of their lives. Number one, that would be impractical, and number two it's only temporary. But I would also like to point out that bettas are not scared of large spaces, that is a myth
Usually when people have issues with putting bettas in larger tanks has something to do with the other fish in the tank. They take the betta from the bowl to, say, a 20gal with tiger barbs. Then the betta cowers in a corner and tries to escape being attacked by the barbs. This behavior is seen as being scared of a larger tank. Another common problem is not cycling the tank before the fish goes in. Thus stressing the fish and quite possible making him/her lethargic. There is no real logic behind a betta being afraid or stressed out by a larger aquarium. In the wild, bettas have territories spanning 1 square yard or so. Yes, this water is shallow but there is a lot of horizontal space.
4. Wild Betta splendens aren't half as aggressive as domestic bettas. When they were first bred, they were made for fighting. Then they were bred for looks, but the aggression was never bred out of them. It is possible to keep wild Betta splendens together, but 99.9% of the time it's going to end up with you having dead fish if you try it with domestic bettas. It almost always goes wrong in the long run. Just thought that was an interesting factoid that you could add.
5. Bettas do have a labyrinth organ, and yes they can tolerate low oxygen environments. But that is an adaptation to deal with life threatening conditions. Not something you want to re-create in your aquarium. They do not, however, have any adaptation that helps them deal with high ammonia levels. Which is what you really have to worry about in small tanks.
6. Bubble nesting is not a sign of happiness or health, it is an instinct. Breeding is also not a sign of being healthy, look at puppy mills. Those dogs breed even when they're sick/starving.
So, that's just a few suggestions of stuff you could put on your page/alter on your page. Bettas are my passion and I really like letting people know the truth about their cage, so when I saw your page I couldn't help myself. lol.

A: Lots of good info here, so I'm adding it to my betta housing page. Couple of comments.
2. Water is usually 2 degrees F cooler than room temperature due to evaporation.
4. Wild bettas are naturally aggressive. They weren't bred to fight. They want to fight.
6. Sick and starving critters usually won't breed. That's why we "condition" them -- also known as pamper them. LA

Mike Lee, Richmond,Vancouver, BC, June 21, 2010
Hi there~ Today I was just searching for any facts about Angelfish....then I just happened to see your website where I saw much information about angelfish.
I personally have 3 angelfish (one I just bought today), 1 golden algae eater (not sure about the name), 2 Kuhli Loaches, and 1 kribensis (also bought today) in a 5 gallon tank (I know it's kind of small...)
Nevertheless, here's my question.....How do I repair/recover angelfish fins? It hurts me when I see their long fins turn into short fins...
It's a lot of photos...I apologize for that.
The one with quite-perfect and "extra long" tail is the new fish and that kribensis is also quite lazy (I mean it's not swimming around). Maybe it's my tank?
ALL the angelfish I have are bought from the same store...
I used to try just keeping the tank clear and clean..It worked, for a bit and I think a bigger tank might help too.....
Oh and....I normally keep the temperature at 22 C (72 F) ~ 26 C (79 F). Also pH is at 5~6 (I'm currently out of the pH test...but I think 5~6 is about it)
Thank you again, for your time~!!

A: Angelfish really need more room. They'd prefer a 29 to grow their fins perfectly. However, a 10 will work sort of. I'd get rid of the algae eater if it's a Chinese algae eater. They're well known hicky-izers. Leave the krib in your 5 when you move your angels to their new home. LA
PS Your angels and tank look pretty good.
PPS Look for a new series of angelfish spawning photos by Kathie Potts -- coming soon to a computer near you.

Vincent Liew, Malaysia, June 21, 2010
Hi Larry, I just moved all the little convicts to a 5 gallon tank. How often should I change the water? Should I add salt?

A: I'd do a 90% change with aged water once a week. The salt is immaterial. Adding a snail will help keep the water clean. LA

Daniel Gomez, June 22, 2010
Hello, I was trying to do some research online to try and figure out what my fry cichlids would look like. Because I cannot come up with any answers I wanted to ask for your oppinion. I have A female Bllod Red Parrot and a Male Red Devil who had fry about a month and a half ago. I was wondering what you think they'd look like when they get bigger(as in body shape or appearance) and how big do cichlid fry have to be to begin getting their color? If you can please get back to me I would Highly Appreciate it. Thank you.

A: When little, all baby cichlids look alike -- two-eyed eggs with wiggling tails. As they grow larger, they look like bait. I've never crossed a red parrot with a red devil, so I can't tell you exactly what they'll eventually look like or provide a time table. They'll look like convicts at first. They'll start coloring up within half a year. Each will be on its own schedule. You'll get lots of variations in the group. LA

Daniel Gomez, June 22, 2010
Thank you so much I appreciate it a lot.
I had another question. Have you ever successfully bred two Red Parrots?

A: I have not. You can see some of my attempts at Red Parrots Spawn and Red Parrot Spawn II. LA

Daniel Balick, June 22, 2010
LA - I just got a black ghost knife and have been reading your webpage for advice. It's amazingly helpful, so thank you for all of the effort. He is about 3 inches right now. I am keeping him in a 37 gal tank with 2 small/medium angels, a black molly, a 3 inch common pleco, 2 small yoyo loaches, and a pearl gourami -- all black and white fish which makes for awesome night viewing with my blue LEDs! I told the guy at my LFS all of this and he suggested getting another BGK because they grow slowly. Is that an option, or do you think it would be too much? What other tank mates do you think would be good for it? I gave him a rainbow rock tube and he went straight for it, claiming it as his own. So far he has just hung out inside without really poking out. I tried feeding granules and brine shrimp during the day, and then tried frozen blood worms after I turned out the lights and put on the LEDs. He hasn't touched any of the food. I will try getting some feeder danios or neons tomorrow and see what he does with them. Do you have any general advice on making him eat? Also, when that does happen, how do you train him to eat out of your hand?

Anyway, thanks for reading this and hopefully replying. Your site is very useful, so thanks for that too! Cheers.

PS Can you think of any cool black and/or white fish to add to the tank?

A: I'd hold off on new fish until you get him eating. The frozen foods sound best. BGKs are picky eaters at first. Lots of Barbs fall into the black and white category. LA

Note: There will be a circa five day hiatus on the web site. LA

Whoops. Make it 13 days later. Seems that open heart surgery takes a little longer to recover from than I originally guesstimated. It will take a few ~~days~~ weeks to clean up the backlog -- maybe longer. Sorry about the delay. Right now I have to go back and make a new home page. LA

July 7, 2010. TaDa. Back at work (if you can call this work).

Joe Gill, Cardiff, July 22, 2010
I was scrolling through the frog pages when I came to your pacman page. I noticed that you use gravel as a substrate and I just wanted to warn you that this isn't a good choice for three reasons:

1) Its easily ingested - My pacman always takes a mouthful of substrate when he eats, and a mouthful of gravel could result in impaction which, as you know, is normally fatal.

2) It isn't good for their delicate skin, as it's easily harmed.

3) It doesn't really allow them to dig down, as these particular animals like to.

Just thought I'd give you a few pointers, I don't mean to sound stuck up or anything.

A: Thanks for your input, Joe. I've read all those factoids before. You don't sound stuck up, just concerned about the little critters.
1: They easily de-swallow gravel or pick it out with their feeble little arms. You can avoid substrate ingestion by hand feeding them. They learn to eat out of your fingers very quickly.
2: Never saw this as a problem.
3: They can squinch down into the gravel quite easily.
Ditto for the pacmans, pyxies, and Budgett's frogs. LA

Danny Park, June 22, 2010
Since it's hard to express anything with emails without it sounding mean or rude (I'm not trying to be), but some people have a hard time identifying Siamese Algae Eaters, and on the fact sheet for them on your page, the first picture is actually of a Flying Fox, unless the camera is at some crazy angle where the yellow top turned black.
If you want to add this, identifying Siamese Algae Eaters, look for clear fins, a black stripe that goes through to the tail, a zigzagish boundary to the black stripe, and a pointier nose.
You'll have to ask the author for picture permissions, but this page gives a good idea
http://www.fishlore.com/aquariummagazine/may08/siamese-algae-eater-id.htm

A: Thanks, dude. I'll add your comments below my picture. They are hard to tell apart. I've had at least four different species come in as SAEs. One supplier even lists them under catfish. LA

George Dominic, Tambunan Town, Sabah, Malaysia, June 22, 2010
Dear Admin of AQUALAND PETS PLUS
I searched the internet and got into your web...I found that your website got some important and useful information.
I'm asking your permission to use some of your information and photos especially about pets such as Tokay Gecko. This is because I'm planning to build a blog about this pet.
I maybe will use your information and photos and I will translate it into my local language.

A: Sounds like a plan. Feel free to use any of the stuff. Just credit it to aqualandpetsplus.com. Then send me a small excerpt of your project to add to my web page. Thanks. LA

Andre Teo, Malaysia, June 22, 2010
Hi , I have a 6 gallon tank. I keep pearl gouramis, guppy, zebra danio, cherry barb, swordtail, rasbora. Can I introduce a kribensis? Will the fishes pester the krib? Or will the krib pester them? And how do I make the tank's water soft? Thank you

A: Your tank is full. Best not to add more fish. You don't need to make your water soft. LA

Howard Quach, Los Angeles, CA, June 24, 2010
Do you guys know where I can buy some target fishes? Therapon jarbua? I live in Los Angeles California. Thanks.

A: They're not common. We only get them a couple times per year. And they are a bit nasty sometimes. Sorry that I can't give you a Los Angeles source. LA

Alex Gueco, The Valley, TX, June 24, 2010
Hey Larry, I've looked over your Bearded Dragon page several times already (awesome by the way) but you don't seem to say anything about pellet foods for them so I'm not sure whether or not you guys feed them this over there at Aqualand, but I've recently tried incorporating it into my juvenile lizard's diet but he doesn't seem to even notice them. He's eaten just a few sticks only when I hand feed it to him.........so on to my question: Do these commercial diets even work for them and how do I get him to eat them?? Thanks in advance!!!

LA
Easy to get calcium into their system when you mix it with applesauce.

A: The commercial pellets are great. Mix them with some applesauce and your juvie will greedily eat them. I'll add your question to my page. LA

Kathy Welsher, Des Moines, IA, June 25, 2010
I thought you'd like this. I took it at the shop:

A: Looks like the joint is going to the frogs. I'm strong enough to punch the keys now. I added your pic to our home page. (answered July 7, 2010) LA

Mike Kalski, Maryland, June 26, 2010
Hi, I have a question about flourishing dwarf lily plant, and your site was the only one with any information on these plants. I noticed there are what look like multiple plants on the single bulb, and I would like to separate these. Would this damage the plant or the bulb? Thanks,

A: I've tried it both ways. If the plant is about three inches tall, you can pull it off. I'd leave the little sprouts attached. LA

Dime Scott, SoCalBetta, CA, June 27, 2010
Hello, I was looking at your info on Anacharis and I was wondering how do I cut a piece off and start off another bunch of it? I would really like to add some of this to my spawning tanks for my betta fry. Right now I just have a piece that I have in my snail tank with java moss and duckweed. My snails love to lay eggs all over it so I want to keep a couple pieces in there for them.
Also one more question, my girl friend has a freshwater fish tank and it's starting to build up brown algae and I was wondering if MTS or Pond snails would kinda control it. Also can she use Anacharis? She has 4 females pla kats (had them for over a year now, did have more but the other 2 died. They are doing great with each other. We had them since 3 months old). The only thing is I worried if they will try to eat the pond snails. Not sure if the will bother with big MTS. We are just looking for a natural way to get rid of the algae. We are trying to stay away from chemicals. Thanks for the help.

A1: Anacharis grows like a weed -- even in a bowl if it gets enough light. It is an excellent eater of fish wastes. To make smaller pieces, just pull it apart. Six or so inch pieces work best.

A2: The best snails for algae control are the nerite snails. The rest don't do much. Bettas try to eat snails all the time. No harm done. LA

Tanner Nall, Lineville, IA, June 27, 2010
Hello Again, The convicts that I purchased from you have had long white stringy feces that doesn't fall off. At first they were a little timid, but now they act perfectly healthy and are eating normally, still with whitish droppings that seem to come and go. I've tried PemaFix with not really any luck, and I do weekly tank changes.

A: Forget the PemaFix. Forget any medications. Your convicts are not sick. Just change their diet. LA

Tanner Nall, Lineville, IA, July 7, 2010
Thank you, I have changed to a complete cichlid diet and algae wafers and they are doing fine. However I think that one of them is actually a Honduran red point, which I am kind of excited about :) Thanks much,

A: If it is a Honduran red point, you owe me 20 bucks. LA

Denny, New Bedford, MA, June 27, 2010
Hi, I've been doing bird rescue since 1999 and we have a web site I designed and built Happy Featherz Bird Sanctuary - Home , What I'd like is for you to check it out and then let me know if I can ad a link to your page on Doves , Finches and some of the other birds so people looking for information can get to your site from mine .

A: Link away with my blessings. Sounds like good work. LA

Aftab Lokhandwala, Pune City, India, June 27, 2010
Recently we gave away our cichlids in order to get more interesting fish that eat less and litter the tank less. But the three sucker fish (plecos) in our tank had to be moved, so we put them in our flowerhorn tank. There were three, of which one I found bleeding. next day, another one had its fins ripped into ribbons. I rescued both and put them in the discus tank. I know my fish are all disease free and I keep them at a warm temperature.
But my main concern is why the flowerhorn is attacking the plecos. I have seen several flowerhorns co-existing peacefully with plecos. Could it be because our flowerhorn was alone and without a pleco for a long time? Should I leave the third one or remove him too? Thanking you, and waiting for your reply. Yours,

A: Namaste agan, Aftab. Floerhorns are usually 50% red devil and 50% trimaculatus. Neither of these cichlids appreciates newcomers to his or her territory. Both do best one per tank. They hate newcomers. They'll get along with others IF they are raised together at the same tme. It also helps if they live in very large aquaria. I saw an adult flowerhorn living with an adult discus in a Laotian restaurant. I sure wouldn't recommend that mix. If your third pleco is still okay, your flowerhorn has graciously decided he could live (for now). Good luck. LA

Page Collins, June 28, 2010
Hi, I've just visited your website aqualandpetsplus.com and I was wondering if you'd be interested in exchanging links with my website. I can offer you a HOME PAGE link back from 3 of my Fashion websites which are:
http://nicodance.info/ with page rank 4
http://tihwr.com/ with page rank 2
http://clubkwan.com/ with page rank 1
If you are interested, please send me the following information of your
website and kindly let me know when it's ready, I´ll send you my
website details after you´ve checked your link on my sites:
I hope you have a nice day and thank you for your time. Best regards;

A: Your sites aren't really pet related, so I'm deciding not to link formally. I've added the links i your letter just because I like the way your sites look. Hope this helps. LA

Matt Shigo, June 28, 2010
I have been looking through your site for the answer to this question but I just can't find it. My friend has a 6 inch bullhead catfish that he caught about 6 months ago up at his mountain house. He can no longer take care of it so I told him that I may be able to take it. My pond is more than big enough, about the size of two swimming pools, to take him in but, I don't know if it will attack and kill the many koi that live in our pond. With the 30+ koi ranging from 5-15 inches. We already have 3 catfish in our pond but we bought from a local pet store that said they would be fine with the koi. My question is, will the wild bullhead attack and kill the koi living in my pond already or will it be fine as a new addition to the pond? Thanks,

A: His "wild" bullhead is less of a threat than the catfish (probably channel catfish) you bought. Neither will bother your adult koi. Both will eat their spawn and fry. They will stabilize your pond's population. Probably a good result. LA

Mark Haydon, West Des Moines, IA, June 28, 2010
Greetings, I am still on a quest to get some endlers. I would take 3-6 pairs. Please let me know if you get any. Thanks,

A: Endlers become avilable maybe four times a year. They are fairly expensive. Our last ones were $6. They don't come in pairs. They are males only. Confidentially, they look just like feeder guppies. Check in every so often as to their availability. Endlers are the one exception to "you get what you pay for." LA

Ntvper, June 29, 2010
Okay I'm lost. I looked all over your website about blind cave fish. I didn’t see anything on them. I'm very curious to see that fish and to see if I can get any for my collection. Please send me any info or direct me to where I can get the info. Thank you. Love your site

LA
Blind cave tetras can't bully your fish, but they do taste them when they bump into them.

LA
Blind cave tetras don't even have eye sockets.

A: Blind cave fish were in the small tetra section. They prefer to swim in schools. They will eat any food. They are not particular about water conditions. They are available at Aqualand probably 50% of the time. Don't mix them with long-finned, slow wimming fish. LA

Reginald Sudarta, June 29, 2010
Hi, Do you sell a Mexican red knee tarantula? Thanks,

A: Probably. I haven't been in for nearly three weeks, so I'm a little out of touch. Call 515 283-0300 for sizes and prices. Call Sunday morning and ask for Paul. He's our tarantula nut. LA

Nick Davis, June 29, 2010
Would cherry shrimp larvae work with mollies? If not, what other kinds of fish would work well? Thanks

A: Cherry red shrimp max out at 1 inch. Their larvae are tiny and tasty. They mix best with snails and plants. LA

Vince Liew, June 30, 2010
Hi Larry, thanks for the advice.. The little convicts are pretty healthy judging by the way they eat like little piggies.. hahaha... I notice that some of them are quite pale in colour. Does that mean that they are female?
My female convict laid eggs again just yesterday.. Can she really take it? I mean laying eggs all the time? What will happen to her health then? How long is she going to live with the breeding rate this fast?
One more question, I bought a clown knifefish 2 months back. It's grown from around 4 inches to 7 inches now. Do you think it will reach a foot long in another 3 months? By then, will it eat the convicts because I think its mouth is large enough by then (I keep them together in the same tank)?

A1: She will breed every six weeks or so and live about six months -- unless a male kills her first.
A2: It will take about three years for your ghost to attain 12 inches. More likely, your convicts will him before that. LA

Vince Liew, July 8, 2010
Hi Larry, my female convict will only live six months??? I'm shocked... if I keep this pair separated, will she live longer? How much longer?

A: Dang it. I meant six years. Glad you wrote back. LA

Vince Liew, July 9, 2010
Hi Larry, thanks for the reply... You almost give me a heart attack! Anyway you haven't answered my first question: Some of little fish are quite pale in colour. Does that mean that they are female?

A: Nope. Your females will develop a gold sheen on their bellies. LA

Victor-Alan Weeks, Atlanta, GA, June 30, 2010
Hello Mr. Arnold. I was reading your Green Sunfish Page and I decided to take the learning to a further extent. I went to a local stream and caught a 6" sunnie (which was one of the smallest I caught). I am going to keep him in my aquarium and then study him for a few weeks then release him. I will update you on any interesting behavior that I have found out.

A: Glad you like the sunnies. You'll find them very similar to cichlids. LA

Victor-Alan Weeks, Atlanta, GA, July 8, 2010
I've found that they work very well with convicts, not as much with algae eaters though.

A: No comment necessary. LA

Q&As Jan I 0109
Q&As Jan II 0109
Q&As Jan III 0109
Q&As Feb I 0209
Q&As Feb II 0209
Q&As Feb III 0209
Q&As Mar I 0309

Q&As Mar II 0309

Q&As Mar III 0309

Q&As Apr I 0409

Q&As Apr II 0409

Q&As Apr III 0409
Q&As May I 0509
Q&As May II 0509
Q&As May III 0509

Q&As Jun I 0609
Q&As Jun II 0609
Q&As Jun III 0609
Q&As Jul I 0709

Q&As Jul II 0709

Q&As Jul III 0709

Q&As Aug I 0809
Q&As Aug II 0809

Q&As Aug III 0809

Q&As Sept I 0909
Q&As Sept II 0909
Q&As Sept III 0909
Q&As Oct I 1009
Q&As Oct II 1009
Q&As Oct III 1009
Q&As Nov I 1109
Q&As Nov II 1109

Q&As Nov III 1109
Q&As Dec I 1209
Q&As Dec II 1209
Q&As Dec III 1209
Q&As Jan 1 0110
Q&As Jan II 0110

Q&As Jan III 0110

Q&As Feb I 0210

Q&As Feb I 0210

Q&As Feb III 0210
Q&As Mar I 0310
Q&As Mar II 0310
Q&As Mar III 0310

Q&As Apr 1 0410

Q&As Apr I1 0410

Q&As Apr II1 0410
Q&As May I 0510
Q&As May II 0510

Q&As May III 0510
Q&As Jun I 0610
Q&As Jun II 0610
Q&As Jun III 0610

Q&As Jul I 0710

Q&As Jul II 0710

Q&As Jul III 0710

LA_Aqualand@msn.com