Aqualand Q&As August 11-20, 2008

 
Amphibians
Axolotls
Caecilian Worm
Chaco Toad
Mud Puppies

Newts General
Newts Eastern
Newts Golden

Newts Mandarin
Salamanders
Suriname Toad
Tadpoles
Terrarium I
Terrarium II
USA Toads
Water Dogs
Misc. Toads

Frogs
Bull
Clawed
Dumpy
Dwarf
Fire-Belly
Floating
Green Tree
Leopard
Pac Man
Pipa pipa
Pyxie
Red-Eyed Tree
Tomato
Misc Frogs 
Misc Frogs II
Misc Frogs III
Misc Frogs IV

Misc Frogs V

Animals
Bunnies
Bunnies II 
Chinchillas
Degus
Ferrets
Ferrets by BOB
Gerbils
Ground Squirrels
Guinea Pig
Hamsters I
Hamsters II
Hamsters III
Hamsters IV
Hamsters V
Hedgehogs
Kittens
Kids & Kittens
Mice
Mice Pets II
Parasites
Rats I
Rats II
Rats III
Rats, Hairless
S-T Opossums
Siberian Chipmunks
Sugar Gliders
Sugar Gliders II
Water Bottles

Bugs
Crabby 500
Crab 04 Results
Centipedes
Cray/Lobsters
Crayfish II
Crayfish III
Cray, Yucatan
Fiddler Crabs
Shrimp, Algae
Shrimp, Aqua
Shrimp, Red
Shrimp, Flower

Shrimp, Ghost
Shrimp, Rudolph
Hermit Crabs
Hermit Crabs II
Madagas Roach
Mantids
Mini-Clams
Mini-Crabs
Patriot Crabs
Giant Millipedes
Red Claw Crabs
Reiman Butterfly
Snail, Apple
Snail, Colombian
Snail, Land
Snail, Malaysian

Snail, Mystery
Snail, Trapdoor 
Scorpions
Tarantulas
Tarantulas II
Tarantula Night 2006
TarantulaWeen VII
TarantulaWeen 9
Misc. Bugs
Misc Bugs II  

Birds
Breeding Tips

Button Quail
Canaries

Cockatiels
Dove, Diamond
Dove, Ringneck
Finches
Love Birds
Parakeets
Pelleted Foods
Quaker Parrots

Parrot Pictures
Parrot Pix II

Parrot Pix III
Dave's Parrots


Lizards
Alligators
Anoles
Bearded Dragon

Beardies II
Calotes
Chamel, Jackson
Chamel, Panther
Chamel, Veiled
Crested Geckos
Gecko, Golden

Gecko, House
Gecko, Leopard
Gecko, Tokay
Horned "Toads"
Iguana New
Iguana Dragons
Iguana Q&A I
Iguana Q&A II
Iguana Training
Iguana Update
Cool Iguana Pics
Knight Anoles
Monitors, Nile

Monitors, Savana
Monitors, Water

Salmonella
Skinks
Skinks Blue-Tongue
Tegus
Uromastyx maliensis
Water Dragon
Misc Lizards
Misc Lizards 2
Misc Lizards 3
Misc Lizards 4
Misc Lizards 5

Misc Lizards 6
Misc Lizards 7
Misc Lizards 8
Misc Lizards 9


Snakes
Anacondas
Boa, Rosy

Boa, Red-Tail
Corn Snake
Garter Snake
Green Snake
Kids/Corn Snakes
Kids/Red-Tail Boas

Kids at Pet Expo 1

Kids at Pet Expo 2

Kids at Pet Expo 3

Kids at Pet Expo 4

Kids at Pet Expo 5
King & Milk
Python, Ball
Python, Burmese

Snakes Alive
Snakesgiving
Snakesgiving II

Misc Snake Pix
Misc Snakes II

Misc Snakes III  

Turtles/Tortoises
Box, Asian
Box, USA
Races
Snapping

Sulcata
Water

Western Painted

Live Foods
Blackworms
Blood Worms
Br Shrimp I
Br
Shrimp II
Crayfish 1
Crayfish 2
Crayfish 3 
Crickets
Daphnia
Earthworms
Feeder Goldfish
Fruit Flies
Ghost Shrimp

Glass Worms

Grindal Worms
Infusoria
Mealworms
Microworms
Rosy Reds

Super Worms

Wax Worms
White Clouds

 

Decorating
Bubbles
Driftwood
Gravel
Plastic Plants
Rocks
Slow Growing Plants

Miscellaneous
Bob's Acclimation

How to Start
How to Add New Fish
How to Keep Healthy
Which Fish Get Along?
10 Questions to Ask
What is Ich?
Under Gravel Filters

Sponge Filters
Cloudy Water

Cool Water Tanks
Gravel Vacuums
Preventing Disease
Feeding to the Max
Frozen Foods
Green Water
Nasty Chemicals
Overfeeding
Power Filters
Rift Lake Salts
Quarantine Tank
Mini-Tank
2nd Av Bait

Pet World Visit
Dandelions

Aquatic Plants
Amazon Swords
More Swords
Sword Plants III

Anubias
Aponogetons
A. boivinianus
A. fenestralis
A. ulvaceous
Aquarium/Bog
Banana Plant
Bolbitis
Bunch
Bunch Plants II
Cryptocorynes
Crystalwort
Dwarf Lily
Grassy
Grassy II
Hornwort
Hygrophila
Lace
Java Lance Fern
Java Moss
Moss Balls
Onion
Vermiculite

Watersprite

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

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David Chau, Canada, August 11, 2008
Hi Larry, First, I would like to thank you for helping me understand Discus and the care required to keep them healthy.  Below are the pictures of my discus. They are nearly three years old from the date I brought them home, and are around 8 inches in diameter.  I was told that the first one  is called Royal Red, and the other one is called Red Melon.

IMG_0233.JPGDC
Royal red.

IMG_0225.JPGDC
Red melon.
 

Also, I have had six Rosy Barbs for about half a year.  Just two weeks ago, one of the barbs lost all of its color and has become totally light pink.  Besides its color change, he is in excellent health in every way.  Any idea what happened, Larry? Thank You,

A:  First off, don't blame me for your success with discus.  They're all your fault (and your evident work with them).  Very cool.
Second, I wouldn't keep those barbs with your discus.  Barbs usually do better maybe 10 to 15 degrees cooler than discus.  That may solve your color change problem.  Whatever you've fed your discus appears to agree with your rosy barbs.  LA

Alena Prosise, August 11, 2008
I was looking at your website, and it shows a link to the proboard forum involving breeding and raising crested geckos. However, I could not find this information, and the link did not work. Has the site moved, or am I just missing the information? Any information I could gather will be greatly appreciated; apparently my female, while I was gone on vacation, had a couple of eggs... Highly unexpected, as she has not been around a male, but now highly interesting. Just want information on what to do and how to deal with this new development. Thank you in advance for any help you are willing to pass on!

A:  Apparently they no longer exist.  Here's an excellent site:: pangeareptile.com
By the way, your first step is to acquire a male.  LA

Nick Bachman, August 11, 2008
RE: axolotls, water dogs, salamanders?
I know I just emailed about this a month ago, but I'm going to be in Des Moines this weekend and was wondering about the availability of all of them again. Thanks!

A:  As of today (August 12), we have one salamander and two albino axolotls.  LA

Ward Wester, August 11, 2008
Larry, I purchased a group of Cynotilapia afra at your store this past week and no one seemed to know what locale they were from. And I was wondering if you would happen to know?  They were in the lowest left tank on the cichlid wall of your store.  They look like 'Jalo Reef' to me, but was wondering if you knew for sure. Thanks!

A:  We bought a bucket of 93 African cichlids from a customer who brought them in for his mother two or three months ago.  He had no clue what they were.  There were different species in the bucket.  They were all plain blue when they came in.  Your guess is probably right.  As for their original locale, if your guess is correct, I'd have to say the Jalo Reef of Lake Malawi.  LA

Dean Boyd, August 12, 2008
wat the hell you dye fish u think that hith is not a bad disease u keep your water and glass filthy u call ur self fish lovers ur a discraes u peices of (expletive deleted) you are the ones that should be in that tank half dead not beeing feed properly ,u dont feed oscars gold fish on a reagular basis do u even no how to look after fish u (expletive deleted) (expletive deleted) for brain peices of crap
(expletive deleted) U, U (expletive deleted) (expletive deleted)!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A:  Does your mom know you talk like that?  LA
PS:  I took you off my Christmas card list.

Debbi Chapman, August 12, 2008
Hello there, I was looking for some info on my iridescent shark Blu. We have just moved him from a 42 to a 70 gallon, and he hasn't eaten since. Do you have any ideas? I saw that a lady by the name of Lori Clarke sent an email about the same problem after moving her Blue to a pond. I wondered if you could forward my email to her to request permission to exchange addresses as I would like to talk to another "big fish owner." She may be able to help us out with this. No offense taken if she chooses not to. Thank you for your time,

A:  I looked back thru my Feb and March, 2007 emails and could not find her email address.  If she reads your note here, she may write and we'll get it worked out.  Her "shark' eventually started eating again.  Try feeding floating food sticks.  LA

George Sobhy, Egypt, August 12, 2008
Mr. Larry I am George. I am trying to breed the cory catfish. I already put ice cubes 2 times. They are a group of 8 in a 60 x 30 x 40 tank. But so far nothing happened. I am reading your site and others. Is there any missing step in mine ?? Please help me

A:  Your cory cats may not be mature enough to reproduce.  If you think they are, put your males in one tank and your females in another.  If you cannot sex them, put each one in its own individual tank.  Condition them on five light meals per day.  Give them flakes, pellets, bloodworms, and brine shrimp -- different food at each meal.  Continue for three weeks.  Then reunite them in a tank with 10 inches of strongly filtered water.  They should spawn the next morning.  LA

Kiran Prasad, Mangalore, Karnataka, India, August 13, 2008
Hi, I am writing to you from Mangalore which is a small town on the coast of Karnataka state in India. I am a fish keeper for 12 years now and have kept with me many varieties of fish over the years. I was looking for information regarding Jewel Cichlids on the net as I wanted to own one which was available for the first time with my fish dealer since I started fish keeping 12 years back. So I was searching for information regarding the fish before owning it. In this search for information I came across your website. It’s a great website for fish hobbyist to get information regarding fish and other pets. You’re really doing a very commendable job. Personally I would like to see more information regarding the fish, not that you have done a bad job but I would like to see individual pages dedicated to complete information regarding a particular fish.
As I was browsing your web site, I came across the page on Iridescent Sharks. At first I didn't recognize the fish, as it is called by a different name in our place. In our place the Iridescent Shark is known as Tiger Shark probably because of the lines on its body. When I read that Iridescent Sharks grow max 12’’ I was surprised because I own an Iridescent Shark which is 20 inches long. I read the experiences of other Iridescent Shark owners also who have owned their fish from a very long time. But I have owned my fish from only 6 years compared to other fish owner who have owned it for twice the time I have owned my fish. My fish has grown to the size of 20 inches in 6 years time. I had bought him as a 4 inch baby. I am only able to feed it baby pellets as it’s difficult to get a variety of fish foods in our place. But he seems to like baby pellets and need lots of them every day. I agree with Lori Clarke of Ontario, Canada that these fish have their own personalities. My fish does not like clean water. He likes his tank dark and muddy so that he can remain invisible. When I clean his tank and fill with fresh water, he does not like it. He will not eat food until the water turns green. I think he likes his privacy. I am sending with this email a couple of photographs of my fish which are not excellent in quality as they were taken from my mobile cam. He is presently in a 54’’×24’’×18’’ tank and very quickly outgrowing it.

KP

KP

 

A:  Namaste, fellow fish keeper.  Glad you like the site.  Shukriya for your interest.  What I try to put on each page is what I or someone I know has learned taking care of them over time.  I especially like finding new fish I've never seen or haven't seen for years.  Fish rank at the top of my Favorites List, but I like other critters also.  LA
PS  I'll add your comments and pictures to my shark page.  Your photos are pretty good.  Most people cram their sharks into much smaller tanks.

Katie Biehl, Dover AFB, DE, August 13, 2008
Hi, I just wanted to let you know how much I LOVE your tree frog info page. All of the other pages I went to went on and on at what not to do and never got to what to do.
Your page convinced me that my kids and I can handle these frogs in our home and not kill them like we were told on all of the other pages that we surely would if we put a toe out of line.
Thank you for the great service you provide. I only wish we were close enough to your great store to shop there... Then I could get your expertise anytime I needed it!
Just one quick question. I can't find out what to use to clean the tank.,.. just water? Or is there something I can use to clean it out? I saw something  in the green tree frog page about the slime trails and you said you use something called an alge pad or something like that. What are they? And why are they safe and how do they work? And do they work with WTFs too? Thanks again so very much for your Wonderful page!



LA
You both become attached to each other.

A:  White's tree frogs are fun.  The algae pads are a non-abrasive mesh (made by several companies) that you rub on the glass to scrape off algae.  They also scrape off frog excrements.  They work with just plain old water to remove unsightly goo.  LA

Jesse Plourde, August 13, 2008
This is for dojo loaches. A way to breed them is by first telling their gender. Males have triangle fins and the females are round. Second, drop the temperature down for about a week, then raise it back up to normal. Then add Java  moss to the bottom of the tank for the eggs to stay there if they spawn.
PS You may want to have 1 male with 3 to 5 females.

LA

A:  Thanks for the breeding info.  I added it to the bottom of my weather loach page.  LA

Ryan Krum, August 13, 2008
Hi, I was reading your milksnake care/factsheet and you stated that it "Averages 30 to 50 inches when full grown". Black Milk Snakes, Lampropeltis triangulum gaigeae, can grow anywhere from 5-7 feet depending on the stock. You also stated that they (milks and kings) originate from the US and Mexico. Milk snake habitat actually extends from south eastern Canada through the US and into Northern South America. Thanks for your time!

A:  Thanks for the info.  I'll add it to my page.  LA

Chris Stephenson, Palm Beach, August 16, 2008
Hey Larry....I want to get some angels but I remember having angels years ago and after a while their dorsal fins became limp. Have you come across that?

LA

A:  Back in the olde days when I used to get around the southeast states a lot more, I would see bent over dorsals on a lot of dark angels. Their dorsals were  wider than typical veil angels.  They were not "limp," they were born that way or raised in very shallow aquaria.  Since most dark angels today come from Asian (coincidentally still the southeast) fish farms, I hardly ever see those droopy dorsals these days.  LA
 

Daniel Gustafson, Las Vegas, NV, August 16, 2008
Is there any way you could ship to Las Vegas, Nevada 2-day priority????
Thanks

A:  Probably, but we don't.  LA

Jack Dannels. Kansas, August 16, 2008
Some shots from yesterday.
 
JD

A:  Are those albino red ear sliders?  If not, what are they?  LA

Jack Dannels. Kansas, August 21, 2008
Hi Larry, Hope things are good in IA.  Hoping to see you next month with the Cichlid meeting and all if I can make it up there.  My kid is having a kid so it is in question for me.
To answer your question, yes, those are indeed albino red ear sliders.  I bought two and they turned out to both be males, so much for temp. sexing. So I took a chance and bought a third and darn it if it wasn't finally my little girl.  Hoping some day I might have some babies but not counting those chickens just yet.  They are all young.
Thanks for the note.
Don't have any geophagus sp. red head Tapajo in house?  Know a guy looking for some.  I am still looking for a red tailed giant gourami that I can afford. Have a good evening.

LA
Under 2-inch red-head Geophagus pellegrini (just the regulars).

A:  Hope you make it up for the MCA EXPO.  Bring your extra male slider for trade purposes.  I still have the young red-tail osphronemus.  Hint, hint.  I'll put your cichlid photos on my miscellaneous cichlid page in a week or so, unless you tell me otherwise (with credits, of course).  Is that a gold flowerhorn behind the red parrot?  I'm just guessing.  LA     

Jacob Chandler, New Zealand, August 17, 2008
RE Apple snails and plants
Hi, I keep my snail well fed:
   ●   flake
   ●   apple
   ●   pea
   ●   lettuce
I recently decided to get some aquarium plants. Some are uncommon, and I do not want them getting eaten.
Will they be ok?
Otherwise what should I do with my snail? Can I keep him in an unused guppy breeding/isolation tank that floats inside the tank and lets water flow through or would this be cruel?
Thanks a lot.

A:  Your plants will not be ok.  They will be eaten 24/7.  Your guppy tank will work fine.  As far as I know, there is no Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Snails.  Although, I'm sure I'll soon hear differently.  LA

Harvey Lu, Cotabato City, Philippines, August 17, 2008
Hello again, Mr. LA. I wanted to ask you about something weird happening in my tank. There's like thousands of tiny, shorter than 2-3 millimeter worms. They are white and very tiny as I have said, so I can't send a photo. I am worried they might be ich parasites because there's a lot. And if there is some way I can get rid of them, please tell me. Thankz!

A:  Don't try to kill them.  They are not ich parasites.  They are tiny, helpful worms that normally live in your gravel and eat the excess fish food that falls to the bottom.  They help keep your water clean.  If you want them to disappear, cut your feedings in half.  LA

Andreas Jeppsson, Sweden, August 17, 2008
I am very interested in getting a rare species of a lizard but it is not possible to get this in Sweden, do you have any idea who I can contact or any companies you know that sell:
Cordylus cataphratus (The real Armadillo lizard). It's not that hard to get a Cordylus of some other species BUT the one I want is the cataphratucs which is not that common. So I wonder if you know anyone that can help me to find a female and male of this species?
And while I'm writing to you anyway, I am also thinking of taking care of a Frilled Lizard (Chlamydosaurus kingii). Do you have any information about this lizard, the length and so on of the terrarium and also how much it eats? Someone told me it was about 30 crickets per day which I find very strange. Best Regards

LA
This is the only armadillo lizard I've ever had.

LA
Little frilled dragons eat crickets.

LA
And pinkie mice.

LA
Adults will eat mice.  An adult will easily eat 30 crickets.

A:  I've never found an armadillo that grabbed its tail to protect its belly.  They do not show up on any lizard lists I've found.  Go with the frilled dragon.  Treat it just like you would a bearded dragon -- although they're not nearly as calm as beardies.  They grow to the same size and need the same stuff as the beardies.  LA
PS 
Did you ever finish that terrarium you were building?

Andreas Jeppsson, Sweden, August 20, 2008
Hi, okay then I have to continue trying to find that armadillo. But a beardie doesn't eat 30 crickets per day. I own one of the biggest beardies in Sweden and it is 66 cm long. They should only reach a length of 50-55 cm. But from what I know, a frilled one can reach a length of 80-90 cm. So the only thing then is. How much should I feed a frilled lizard and how often? And how big a terrarium is needed ?.
The big terrarium I'm building is not finished yet, since it became so big that it didn't fit into the room. I will finish it as soon as I move to a new place which I hope will be soon.
I have a few other terrariums at the moment that I have put together but they're not as nice as the big one. The big one has a new setup also prepared. There will be 3 water falls in the background. One will reach the pond and two will go into smaller cracks or ponds in the background, sort of a drinking area. Then I will have a rain system in the roof, with a choice of mist/fog and rain. So I hope I will get to continue on this one soon.
The other ones are just some setups I made for my Crested Gecko, built in mahogany plywood and then the interior is foam that I covered with some special mix of cement and that I painted over. The foam is cut so that it looks like roots and stones.
The other one is a taller terrarium with a dirt background that I think I will keep 3 Japalura splendida in, not really sure yet.
Best Regards.

A:  The large one will be cool.  You could put more than one frilled dragon in it.  However, they sure won't need that much humidity.  Keep me informed.  LA

Deirdre Willoby, California, August 17, 2008
I've caught 3 mantids in the last 2 weeks. All are eating well and have been keeping me busy hunting bugs.  Your site was the only one that said anything about how to tell the difference in the sexes (I know my pics aren't as clear as I'd like, so it may be hard to tell). Where do you start counting the segments? And when do they breed? Does color have anything to do with telling the sex ? The 2 brown ones are much larger than the one green one, and I saw another mantis @ my college that was half the size of my green one (maybe just younger?). Is there a way to tell when a female is ready to breed?
Ok, that's all I've got for the moment. If I think of anything else, I hope it's ok to keep in contact with you. Have a wonderful day!! Thanks for your help!!

LA

A:  You must be taking art courses.  Your mantis would look good on a China teapot or one of those bamboo screens.  Females have the six pack.  Males have an eight pack.  Females get wider when full of eggs.  As to when they will lay their eggs, the great Jewish comedian, Sigmund whatisname, asked the Zen question:  "What do women really want?"  LA

Chris Stephenson, Palm Beach, August 18, 2008
Hey Larry, I have a heavily planted 30 long and I want to get 3 angels because of the thousands of snails. I don't want them to breed nor fight so I was wondering if I should get all females, all males, or if it doesn't matter. Also would any fertilizer do for plants? How about http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2754007#prodTab1? Thanks!

A:  If you want to get rid of snails, add a brace of clown loaches.  If you're adding young angels, they are tough to sex.  Don't worry about fighting or breeding.  They're cichlids and like to do both.  Your PETsMART link didn't work for me.  Evidently my computer rejected it on general principles?  Most of the fertilizers work fine.  LA
PS  Since you have so many snails (thousands?), they are probably Malaysian trumpet snails which are not very damaging to plants (and very hard to kill).  They are so numerous because you are overfeeding.  Cut back on the food and they will eventually disappear. 

Jim Wooten, Harper, TX, August 18, 2008
Dear Sir, My wife and I have a foster group home and are currently caring for 9 children ages 4 months to 11 years.  I, personally, have wanted to have a home aquarium since I was a child.  I am now 44 years old and each time we would take a trip to Wal-Mart or a pet store, we would spend time looking at the fish.  My wife has had experience with aquariums and I finally got her to agree to an aquarium "for the kids."   :) :)   
Anyway, I purchased a 23 gallon aquarium (which I mathematically computed to actually be a 20 gallon).  We went to the only pet store we have in town, Pet Supplies Plus, to get some fish after we did our initial conditioning of the tank.  The gentlemen that helped us seemed to be very knowledgeable about the fish.  In fact, his information matched exactly what I got from the internet after I came home and researched the fish I bought.
The fish I purchased for the aquarium were as follows:
   ●   1  six to seven inch rope fish
   ●   2 male opaline gouramis -- 1" and 2"
   ●   2 rainbow shark -- 1.5" and 2"
   ●   4 neon tetras -- 3/4" to 2"
Here's the problem:  Today we arrived home to find one of our new neon tetras (3/4") up-side-down in one of the plastic plants.  (It had already been given a name).  It looked a little battered so I began to closely watch the fish.  The 2" gourami (in mating color) was aggressively chasing the smaller male gourami (also in mating color) all over the tank.  Every so often, the smaller gourami would pass one of the smaller fish and the larger gourami would then go after the smaller fish.  I am sure he probably hit the small tetra very hard.  (I have since separated and isolated him).  Since I have small foster children who are often times very sensitive to 'beating up' stuff, I would very much prefer that the fish died of old age or illness rather than being 'beat up!'  On the compatibility chart and based on what the salesperson told me, these fish would work together.  They aren't.  Can you please recommend an assorted group of colorful, interesting, and fun fish that will get along very well?  Also, what do I do with the larger gourami and any other fish that don't belong?  I would greatly appreciate your advice!  Thank you so much for your response! Very Sincerely,

A:  My rope fish like to eat neons.  And rainbow sharks tend to get "pushy" as they mature.  Colorful, always peaceful, and hardy fishes I'd recommend include:
   ●   Your neons
   ●   Moons/platies -- 20 colors to choose from
   ●   White clouds -- including the golds
   ●   Guppies -- lotsa varieties
   ●   Most tetras
   ●   Kuhli loaches
Lots of others will work, but this list will more than fill your tank.  LA

Brendon Huynh, August 19, 2008
Hi, I want to get a small zig zag eel but don't know where to get them. Does PetsMart or Petco have this kind of eel?  Do you know where to get them for a hobbyist? Can these eels be kept with 2"+ fish? Thanks:)

LA
Zig-zags -- probably the smallest spiny eels.


A:
 You can keep zig-zags with small fish.  We sell them at Aqualand. They're in stock about 80% of the time.   This may come as a big surprise, but I hardly ever check what fish those two chains you mentioned carry.  Check with your local fish store.  Most will order fish for you if they are available.  LA

Eric McGowan, Philadelphia, PA, August 19, 2008
Hey, I'll start by telling you that you've got a great site and when I'm  talking to fellow fish keepers and they ask me for advice, I first tell them what I know, then I recommend this site. I want to keep Geophagus in my tank but I hear that they need soft water with a sand substrate. However the water in my neighborhood is hard and alkaline. I was wondering if these conditions were an absolute need in order to keep these fish. Also, would they be able to mix with a 6 inch tinfoil barb and two silver dollars (one red hook) in a 55 gallon tank. Thanks a lot,

A:  There are absolutely no absolutes in fishkeeping.  You can keep most of the Geophagus species where you would keep angelfish.  They love to dig and eat most prepared foods.  LA

Roger Fjord, Portage, IN (Near Chicago), August 20, 2008
Hello. I have a several questions. First, I have two fish tanks. One is 10 years old, the other one year old. My twenty gallon, the newer one, is well planted with Anubias, Java fern, aponegeton, and some other plant that I bought at a pet store unlabeled. It started as 1 stalk, then created branches that rooted at it's base, and it began creating horizontal stems across the gravel, which grew upright stalks, and now it has covered the whole left half of the tank. It has thin brown stems with long light green leaves and it drops leaves at the base as it grows, like a corn plant dracaena. I have included a picture at the bottom of this E-Mail. Can you ID it? Oh, and it seems nasty tasting to Plecos, as my 6 inch pleco has never touched it, or the other plants for that matter. And neither did an apple snail. I also found an inch long bluegill in the tank, apparently from a new plant. What should I do with it? It will probably be eaten by the firemouth or pictus cat, but If not, what should I do? They get too large for this tank to handle.
And also, can a black molly breed with a swordtail? The molly is constantly breeding with the swordtail, and now it looks as if she is pregnant. Anyway, love the site, keep it up. Oh, and when are you going to update Odd couples 2?

RF

A1:  Looks like a temple plant from here.  There are several types available.  I'm surprised your apple snail didn't eat it.  Maybe you had a mystery snail.  Apples grow as big as a baseball -- mysteries as big as a golf ball.
A2:  Most sunfish will stunt out to fit the tank.  Bluegills are among the most pugilistic.
A3:  He will look like he's mating, but his sperm will not work with her eggs.  Mollies often carry three or four litters after their last impregnation.
A4:  I don't know when I'll finish the Odd Couple spawn.  Some of these pages take longer than others.  I got distracted by a bunch of others.  LA

Roger Fjord, Portage, IN, August 21, 2008
Thanks. That seems to be it. I had thought it was a hygrophilla or something. And no, my snail WAS a honker sized apple snail as big as a tennis ball. It ate everything but this temple plant, java fern, the lily, and anubias. By now he was killed by an accidental overdose of aquarium salt in my other now slightly brackish tank. And also, the molly and swordtail were both raised from birth in my tank, and are the only members of their species in my tank, so stored sperm isn't a possibility. Could it have been the common guppies that impregnated her? She definitely has a gravid spot. Oh, and a correction for your (still awesome) website: You say mollies and swordtails both pick at goldfish as well as bail out of their tank. The tank they are in contains a shubunkin ( tank is unheated) in it AND is not covered in the back, and my fish ignore each other and stay in the tank. Just my two cents.
P.S. In the larger tank The bluegill disappeared overnight. I believe the pictus had him for dinner.
P.P.S. Great site. I check it every day, or at least once a week.
And, sorry if I asked too many questions.

A:  You were right when you thought your temple plant was one of the hygrophilas -- specfically Hygrophila corymbosaLA

Raymond Mondo, Indonesia, August 20, 2008
Hi, first off, I want to say nice web you got! ^_^
I'd like to know about my outdoor tropical pond setup, I live in tropical Indonesia :)
Fish:
   ●   red mickey mouse platy
   ●   zebra danio (I'm so against painted fish)
   ●   dwarf otocinclus
   ●   corydoras metae
Crustaceans:
   ●   ghost shrimp
   ●   flower shrimp
Plants:
   ●   water lily
   ●   arrowhead
   ●   water lettuce
   ●   hornwort
   ●   onion plant
   ●   cryptocoryne
   ●   sagittaria
   ●   echinodorus
   ●   anubias
   ●   moss
I'd like to know if there is anything wrong, and if there's any other species that you can suggest :)
I've made the pond deep and cozy for them all, with filters connected to a gentle waterfall (helps make current for the flower shrimp),
no direct hot sunlight, muddy substrate for the lily and sandy substrate for the other plants.
One more thing, is there any species of small fish that can eat snails? I had problems with these. They're invasive! Thanks so much for your help!

A:  Sounds good all over.  I prefer bigger fish in outdoor ponds, but since you prefer smaller guys how's about:
   ●   dwarf gouramies
   ●   kuhli loaces
   ●   glassfish (unpainted, obviously)
   ●   more cories
   ●   most of the tetras
   ●   the smaller barbs
and clown loaches to eat your snails.  LA


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