A:  I'm confused.  Saltwater has a specfic gravity of 1.022

A:  I understand that much.  It's your number(s), e.g., .03 that have me confused.  Freshwater has a specific gravity of 1.0000.  What do you mean by .03 SG?  LA

A:  Okay.  I suspected as much, but wasn't sure.  Let'e say 1.003 and 1.008.  You can't always depend on what you read and hear.  You sometimes have to go with the results you see in real life.  If his color looks good and his fins stay erect, I'd keep him in the 1.008 water.  LA     

A:  At last, someone has ordered something we can mail and expect it to survive.  I'll send you enough to cover three 10-gallon tanks for $7.  LA

A:  We've got a dozen or so three-toed turtles right now, but we don't ship critters.  Sorry.  LA

A:  Giant African land snails are illegal in the United States.  And I already have plenty of the land hermit crabs.  Thanks.  LA

A:  Any of our native American fishes would work.  But they're all hard to see in a pond except the albino channel catfish.
Box turtles cannot eat fish because US box turtles float.  They cannot dive under water.  If you put the fish in the box turtle's food bowl, he will eat the fish.  LA
PS  Asian box turtles can capture and eat fish. 

A:  We sell mostly minis of various parentage.  We rarely get papered breeds or dwarfs.  They usually range from $20 to $30.  You'll have to call 515 283-0300 to know what's in stock on a specific day.  LA

A:  Sure.  We prefer to buy our hamsters from local sources.  Give us a call at 283-0300.  I can guarantee you that you will not get rich.  LA

A:  Sorry for the late reply -- about five days later.  Email is only fast if I am sitting in front of my computer.  Usually I'm not.  I'm more likely to be out of town.  We don't buy used cages because we have stacks of them.  You really should communicate by phone.  LA

A:  Trix are for kids.  Fish are for wise, discerning, discriminating people and nutritionists.  LA

LA

A:  Your best bet is to check with your local fish store (if any are still in the biz in MA).  They may be able to order one for you.  But I haven't seen any available in our neck of the woods for over a year.  LA

A:  Careless crustaceans often lose limbs.  Most gradually grow them back during their next few molts.  In the meantime, you can feed him one of the hermit crab "meal" foods.  LA

LA
Good looking sissies.

A:  Most aggressive cichlids will clean a green terror's clock.  They are terrors in name only.  You can mix them with firemouths, angels, acaras, curviceps, keyholes, and other aequidens, kribs, severums, festivums, most catfish under six inches, most barbs, nearly all the so-called sharks, and gouramis.  LA 

LA
Male pleco munching a green bean.

A:  Close your window blinds during the day.  Quit feeding food that your bristlenose would rather eat than algae.  Add another bristlenose pleco.  Operate your tank lights half the time you're running them now.  Wipe your aquarium front and sides with an algae removing pad every four days.  Add AlgaeFix weekly.  LA
PS  Bristlenosers are normally excellent algae eaters.
PPS  Male BN bristles fork at the ends.  Female bristles do not.

A:  Congrats on researching first instead of after your first frogs died.  Your dumpy will hang at the top.  Your tomato will usually stay on the bottom.  MAke sure they're about the same size.  Big frogs eat little frogs.  Lots of dumpies look blue.  The second part of their "Latin" name translates as blue.  LA

A:  Sorry.  We rarely ship any critters,  Plus, we haven't seen Colombian ramshorn snails on our wholesale lists foir a very long time.  LA

A:  Moon crabs are tough little varmints.  I've seen them "shipped"
#!:  In a dry soap dish with a rubberband wrapped around it.
#2:  In a plastic bag with a splash of water in it.
I sure would not go to the trouble of toting him around in a 10-gallon tank.  Keep it simple.  LA

LA

A:  Ah so, grasshopper.  You assume too much too suddenly.  Go to my Table of Contents page.  On the right hand side you'll find an "in the works" article on these sissy fish.  LA

Nile perch photo from Wikipedia.

A:  Many of the shell dwellers top out under two inches, while the Nile perch grows much larger.  For your purposes, I'd recommend four kribensis in a 10-gallon tank.  LA

A:  Thanks.  I'll add your breeding info to my boa page.  LA

A:  I don't think another catfish will affect him much one way or the other.  Most predator catfish prefer to lurk or even hide during the day.  They usually become more active at night or when their lights are off.  They also become more active when hungry.  If you deliver his food to him every day, he has little motivation to move.  LA

A:  Convicts are excellent parents.  They often move their newly hatched fry around to protect them from snoops that may be potential predators, in this case, you.  You'll probably see the pair herding a school of gnat-size fry around by this weekend.  LA

A:  It happens occasionally.  Expect to see them breed again in three to four weeks.  If he repeats his egg-eating performance, remove him after they spawn.  LA

LA
Here's a three-footer at our Iowa State Fair.

A:  Once you turn the lights off, your channel cat has all the adantages.  Iowa's state record channel cat is 38 pounds, two ounces.  He's only going to  get worse.  It's time to thin your herd and get rid of your channel cat.  LA                  

A:  I assume you'd turn down the filet and fry method also.  This is one fish (and the time of year) that you could release in the wild.  If you lived in Iowa, I'd take him.  LA

A:  Probably.  Just make sure the temperature is close.  Your lakes up there are really cold -- at least the ones I've stuck my hand in. LA

LA
Adult male salvini

A:  Can't say I've ever stumbled across a salvini website.  The best way to learn about them is to buy six young ones and raise them up.  Young ones are not expensive.  They'll probably mix with your two bigger cichlids because they'll be so much smaller.  They may also lessen the territorial squablles between your two larger cichlids.  LA