Judy Yang, August 11, 2011
Hi, the comet goldfish page is great, so i wanted to add something.back then everytime i bought 10 feeders for 1 dollar only one survived and then when i buy 10 again later on that day only one of the new feeders survived.but what weird is my small orange comet was bought the same day as my white feeder goldfish and only my small orange comet grew.he was 2 inches when i got him and he grew to 1 feet  long in 4 weeks

A:  I can guarantee you that your goldfish did not grow another ten inches in length in four weeks.  LA

Judy Yang, August 11, 2011
what kind of catfish is this i bought?
 

A:  I don't know but I would like to have one.  LA

BOB, Vitginia Beach, VA, August 13, 2011
Hi larry, I edited the photo that Judy Yang sent you. I wanted to bring out the colors of that fish.

 

Before
 
 After

That really is a pretty fish. I'd love to have one of those too!

A:  Looks good.  Did you use Picasa?  LA
 

Haris Ashraf Farid, Malaysia, August 23, 2011
Isn't that catfish a Pseudoplatysoma tigrinum? Or at the very least a Pseudoplatysoma sp.?

A:  I think you're right.  I know it's not a P. tigrinum because I had one of those a couple of years ago.  But it is most likely a Psuedoplatysoma.  LA
PS  You get an A minus on that ID.
 

Judy Yang, August 23, 2011
what do u mean a minus on the id

A:  I gave the A- grade to Haris because he was very close to the right ID.  I sent the info to you because you wanted the ID.  You are flirting with a C-.  LA

 

LA

A:  I don't always use simple English.  I like to bend it a little when necessary.  And sometimes I work in a bit 'o jargon, e.g., where I said mystery snails were "monoecious."  That's why you did not parlez vous that every snail contains both male and female working parts.  Some people call this "hermaphroditic."  Anyway, give their eggs three weeks before you give up on them.  LA

LA
Here's a pile of 165 trapdoor snails.

A:  Trapdoors look a great deal like mystery snails.  Trapdoors do come in males and females.  Most people don't misinform you on purpose, they just tell you what they think they know.  LA

LA

A:  Yep.  And I sure like them better than the nasty little gambusia commonly sold as "mosquito fish."  LA

LA

A:  We really rarely ship any critters.  Also, axolotls need cooler water and they are pricy.  With this in mind, here's the email address of someone who can fix you up:  Michael Shrom <shrommj@ptd.net>  LA

A:  Their eyes open at 10 days.  You can clean their cage at any time (although you don't need to).  You can take them away from their mother at six weeks.  Any earlier and you increase the threat of "wet tail."  LA

A:  First just let me say that I bought a dozen used HOB filters from Wal-Mart about 15 years ago -- Regent brand ($5 each).  They work fine.  They are made by Marineland.
Second, your filter cartridge is removing your medication even as you read this.  If the green color persists, your carbon is used up.  Remove your carbon when medicating your tank.
Third, get rid of the pictus and festivum.  They will die no matter what.
Stress-causing occupants in your tank include:
Your three Buenos Aeries tetras
Your convict cichlid
Your ctenopoma (depending upon size)
Your paradise fish
I'd put them in a differnt tank.
Then, start making 25% water changes daily.
And, I'd take out the goldfish.  LA
PS  Use a gravel vacuum filter when making your water changes.  This will reduce the organics in your water which probably triggered your problem.

A:  Nox-ich is malachite green and salt based.  Ich cures that also contain formalin work better.  Malachite green can kill tetras, young fish, and scaleless fish.  Malachite green decreases the oxygen level as does warming the water to accelerate the ich parasites' life cycle.  Only the tomites (baby ichs) are susceptible to medication.  Just cool t for now.  LA
PS  Very few fish get wedged in and die.  They die and then become wedged in. 

A:  Growth rate of red-ear sliders depends upon how much they eat and temperature.  Your res probably doesn't want to eat from your fingers because he's full or because you look like a big monster to him -- or a combinstion of both.  Don't feed him for a day and he'll come around.  LA

LA

A:  Thanks.  Looks like it won their "Reptile of the Day" award.  I'll let them know where it came from.  Maybe they'll send me a plaque?  LA

Steven Becke, August 15, 2011
Hi, I've had this catfish for a few years now, about 4.5 inches long. I bought him as a pimeloda pictus, but reading on ur site, I'm not entirely sure if it's a fake or not. Could you please verify it for me?

BS

P.S. you could use any of the pictures I send you on your website.

A:  Not really a fake.  Just a different Pimelodus.  Lots of similar catfish get the pictus label put on them.  LA

A:  Hard to believe, but no, I cannot.  LA

A:  At least 20 years ago.  LA

A:  Heck, I don't know.  I do know we have several young beardies ordered (as well as several other herps).  But my computer is here at home and what you are talking about is at the shop.  You can find out faster by calling 515 283-0300 tomorrow morning and asking for Kellie.  She's our official rat man.  LA

A:  Hybridizing different genera rarely works.  Usually you would get what's referred to as a sterile mule, e.g., crossing a donkey with a horse.  Your first link yielded only weird codes. 
Your second link went to Heterandria formosa one of the American livebearers.  Not too many livebearers (other than swords, guppies, mollies, platies) make the commercial cut.  The ones listed were bred into more colorful variants of the wild fish.  There's (or were) eight other Heterandria species.  If you really want to get into livebearers, look into the American Livebearer Association.  LA

A:  Sure.  Send them in.  LA

LA

A:  Looks like a sleeper goby to me.  LA

A:  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.  There are a couple dozen species of sleeper gobies.  Google "dormitator" to explore further.  LA

A:  I don't know that I've ever seen a scarlet king snake.  Give us a call tomorrow morning @ 283-0300 and we'll see if we can find one.  LA

A:  Yes, he was not hungry.  Also, flowerhorns seem to enjoy killing other fish.  I'd feed him cichlid pellets.  LA

A:  I've never tried using a malachite green/formalin product to treat a turtle.  Are you sure it has a fungus?  First try wiping his shell clean.  He may not be harboring fungus at all.  One thing for sure:  you will have a definitely green dyed turtle.  LA

LA

A:  Give her lots of room (29 or above), keep her warm (75 to 80 F), feed her at least three different fish foods, give her a 25% water change every week or two, and keep most cichlids out of her tank.  LA

A:  Egg survival of any livebearer is unlikely.  Normally the eggs hatch inside the female and she gives birth to live babies.  Pregnant livebearer females are subject to premature birth when moved right before they have their babies,  Mollies are the most susceptible.  LA

A:  They should survive (except the one with the yolk sac).  They'll do fine on flake foods.  Just grind it to powder between your fingers.  LA

LA

A:  You'll be glad to know that we haven't sold a hermit crab in a painted shell for probably a couple years -- even though we have people that ask for them.  However, you will still be horrified to learn that I still pick rats up by the tail and have done so for decades.  LA

LA
Not sure what this guy is other than 4-inches.

A:  Correctomundo.  LA