A:  I added your LOST poster to our home page.  I hope it helps.  LA

A:  Sorry for the slow reply.  I was in Kansas City.  Check your water parameters or do a 50% water change with aged water of the same temperature.  Warm your tank up five degrees.  Add one teaspoon of salt per gallon.  Remove any carbon in your filter.  Then treat with a product that kills protozoans -- probably Clout.  LA

A:  They'd all get along at first.  The needlenose would be the first to go.  The black ghost knife would work as long as it was twice as big as your cichlids.  Your cichlids would also intimidate your fire eel.  We do not ship fish or other critters.  LA

Bad Brine Shrimp News:  Expect brine shrimp egg prices to jump.  Total poundage Great Salt Lake poundage reported as of November 16 is 8.36 million pounds (wet weight) compared with 17.4 million pounds this time last year. LA

A:  Thanks for the pics.  My camera leans toward the green when I snap dempseys.  No idea why.  LA

A:  Sorry.  We do not ship fish.  LA

A:  Sure.  Iowa Aquarium Association, Midwest Cichlid Association, Eastern Iowa Aquarium Association, Central Iowa Water Garden Association.  LA

A:  You can raise your beardie on veggies and commercial dragon food.  No prob.  But if you want to keep crickets on his plate, you live in a part of the country where they sell crickets in bait stores.  Anglers use them to catch bream (which we call sunfish up north).  LA

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

A:  I can't tell you how many pellets he'll eat.  You can get him started by mixing them with applesauce.  By the way, one of the largest cricket suppliers in the country (Armstrong) resides in your srate.  LA
PS:  Try my beardie page again.  I dinked around with its design.  It should be up later today.

A:  Males have much more color.  They are mouthbrooders.  She is probably holding eggs.  LA

Pic borrowed from bellaonline.com

A:  Skunks are illegal in Des Moines, so we have never had them.  Ruby Fur Farm in New Sharon, IA breeds them and supplies pet stores.  I'd recommend a ferret instead.  LA

Chris Lee, November 28, 2011
What kind of African is this???
 

 

I saved him from a man at petco trying to give him away in a ziploc bag w/ green water & tons of poop in it. He is about 5-6 inches long & is in his own tank.
 

 

This is yesterday, the pic above is today. Is he a M. Kenyi???

LA

A:  I'd guess he's a Pseudotropheus socolofi.  Do not wager any large sums on this ID.  LA

LA

A:  In former years, our three-toed box turtles laid several eggs.  We have no three toes at this time and therefore no eggs.  LA

A:  Sounds like "new tank syndrome" -- a very common problem for new fish keepers.  Since your tank has not "cycled," you have no beneficial bacteria converting your fish wastes to harmless compounds.  Have your local fish store test your water.  It is likely high in ammonia and nitrite.  If these are the problem, SeaChem makes a product called Prime which will neutralize both.  If you can score a gallon of water siphoned from an "aged" under gravel filter, it will instantly age your tank and keep this problem from recurring.  LA

A:  Unfortunately it takes six to eight weeks to cycle a tank the old fashioned way.  Test your water.  I'd still recommend adding the gallon of very used water from a functioning UG filter.  Your Fluval filter will only tale out ammonia if it contains zeolite or other ammonia-absorbing compound.  LA

A:  In general, the younger the arowana, the harder it is to keep.  The silvers are the easiest (and cheapest).  I'd recommend starting with a well started silver with no egg sac and gradually moving up to the harder to keep species.  I googled "Massachusetts arowana" and got several hits -- even some of the illegal arowanas.  LA

A:  Actually, I found out how to fix those weird lining up pages.  So keep letting me know about them.  I just fixed the guppy page.  It should be up this afternoon.  I like your solution, too.  It was better than my "go to the library and use their computer."  LA