We don't ship critters or live fish (other than koi).  LA

George Sobhy, Egypt, December 20, 2006
Hi, I am George. About the tank attached, can we make tanks like that and put them as parts of our home ?? Because, as we see, the tank is almost closed except 2 small openings in the 2 sides. Will it be normal to the fish as there will be no access of air which may cause troubles.  I hope that our future tanks will be like that and could be a part of our homes everywhere, as the fish are a very beautiful sight to view and make relaxation. I hope so.
George, fish lover.

Elizabeth Yang, Pella, IA, December 20, 2006
Hello, I'm sorry to bother you at this moment, but I was wondering if you guys take in animals like guinea pigs? If so I have about 13 guinea pigs and 3 on the way. I could probably bring them up to your store on the weekend. I'm not sure about their gender, but I could check and send you another email. If you don't have enough room for them. Do you know anywhere else I could try? Thank you for your time.

A:  We usually have them.  Call 283-0300 to see what we have in stock.  Of course, you didn't say where "locally" is.  LA

A:  He probably will sell to you if you buy 1,000 leaves at a time.  LA

LA
Desert king snake (also wiggly).

A:  Maybe someone else out there in web land can tell us the correct I.D?  I'll leave it as is until I hear a specific name.  Maybe it's just a king snake someone caught in the desert.  LA

Desert king photos from Zoological Imports 2000, Inc

A:  Nooks and crannies are crevices, caves, and hidey holes that lizards and other small creatures employ to escape, hide, hunker down and relax away from the stresses and frustrations of everyday life as well as hungry predators.  Yes, by some strange coincidence, we do sell pets.  LA

rdv, jr., December 22, 2006
That's too bad you don't ship. Where is your store located? Do you sell lots of geckos and bearded dragons?

Brian Duerr, December 22, 2006
WHILE SURFING THE NET FOR INFO REGARDING MY CHAMELEON, I CAME ACROSS A MESSAGE ON YOUR WEBSITE WRITTEN BY SOMEONE NAMED MICHELLE. YOU CAN SEE IT HERE-
http://www.aqualandpetsplus.com/Lizard,%20Chameleon%20Panther.htm
I AM REFERING TO THE MESSAGE IN BLUE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE IN WHICH SHE THREATENS TO CALL THE ASPCA AND SO ON. I FOUND IT INTERESTING THAT SOMEONE WHO SEEMS TO BE SO BOLD AND KNOWLEDGABLE WOULD GO AND PUBLISH SOMETHING AS WRONG AS HER STATEMENT ABOUT JACKSONS CHAMELEONS AND THEIR ORIGIN. THEY DO ORIGINATE IN AFRICA AND WERE BROUGHT TO HAWAII. DO THE RESEARCH. I HOPE YOU FIND THIS MESSAGE TO BE AS DISTURBING AS I DO, AND MAYBE TAKE THE PROPER MEASURES TO CORRECT IT AND FUTURE MESSAGES VIEWABLE BY THE EASILY MISGUIDED PUBLIC. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.

Tony Greenlee, December 23, 2006
Hi ... I've been looking at your site for a few days & I was wondering if you sell & ship fish? I love your gold severums that I've seen. Anyway, if you could send an e-mail to me, I'd appreciate it very much.

Aric Peterson, Stockton, CA, December 23, 2006
I noticed your jewel section. I have a pair of  jewels that are 10 times redder than any of your photos that you got posted.  They spawned at least 100 or more babies the first time. I'm getting together some photos so that people can get in contact and purchase some. So when the photos are ready, I'll try to post them up and get in contact with you guys. Not boasting, just commenting. I'm located in Stockton, CA. So e-mail back if you're interested.

rdv, jr., December 23, 2006
Well, when you start shipping animals for sale let me know. I'll most likely get some from you. Also, if it's not any trouble, can you give me the sex differences between male and female geckos? I think I have it down but just want to make sure. For example, there's one house gecko I have where from the top of it looks like there's two bumps so I'm thinking that it's either a male, or it's pregnant. Or its tail is shorter than the rest of the geckos in the tank, so I'm thinking  also its a regenerated tail. We'll thanks a lot. Hope to hear from you soon.

Ben le Noble-Quee, December 24, 2006
Hi guys. I own a betta and I keep it in a medium sized bowl. I threw in some Java but it crowds the bowl a little. Does this matter?

A:  Those are as big as I've ever seen clown loaches.  If I had permission I'd include the photos.  Looks like clown loaches get much less attractive as they mature.  LA
 

A:  Yes, the millipedes come with the cleaner mites.  They evidently are symbiotic with the millipedes.  They won't bother your hermit crabs.  They won't infest your house.  And, best of all, they won't crawl up your arm like happens when you pick up a wild bird.  LA

A:  Fine on the yellow-belly same species toad.  However, the European toad will not like the wet/frog-like habitat.  LA

A1:  Your clown knives will grow too large for your 20 gallon tank.  They will also eat every one one of your fishes.  The black ghosts will work out much better.
A2:  Algae eaters turn into hickey-sucking bullies as they grow.
A3:  Golden mystery snails will only nibble at your plants.  Golden apple snails will gnaw them down to their roots.  Neither species reproduces that easily.  LA
 

A:  Yes.  LA
 

A:  Sun cats come from India, where they were named after India's most well known ichthyologist (the "hora" part of their name anyway).  They are great eaters and are hardy enough to get along with predators twice their size.  They prefer clean water but will put up with second class conditions.  Think of them as India's version of our bullheads.  See Sun Catfish  for more information.  LA
 

Jake Holmes, QLD, Australia, December 28, 2006
Sorry for all the messages in the 1 month' but I need help. I have a Power Filter which is almost as high as my 29's water level. Just recently I found my 3" sailfin male molly behind there as well as a 2" pleco and a 3" spotty female molly. As I tried to get them out by bending the suction cups off from the glass, I used my finger to try and push them out. Although it worked, my sailfin molly seems to have eyes 2x or more the size of what they should be. I think maybe his fish bladder thing that regulates how he floats is damaged because he will just float to the bottom. I put him in a large plastic breeder and gave him some flakes. He seems very distressed but I can't see how they would have fit in such a very small space between the glass and the filter. ( It's probably a gap just wider than that of a neon tetra.) The other 2 are safe and sound, but I'm still worried about the male. As I'm typing this, he seems alright but can you give me any tips on how to give him a full recovery? Thanks.

A:  No tips.  He may not make it.  You might want to put some sort of shim in that space to open it up and prevent future wedgies.  LA

Sam Saeteurn, December 28, 2006
These little, white, worm like creatures appeared  in my tank. Should I
be worried about them? Where'd they come from? What are they?

A:  What are they?  Lots of choices.  Perhaps planarians.  They exist most of the time in small numbers in your substrate.  When your oxygen level drops (increased temp, decreased air or water flow, excess food, over population of fish), the animalcules in your substrate come up looking for air.  Most likely you are overfeeding, but check for those other problems also.  The "worms" are a symptom rather than a disease.  LA
 

Sam Saeteurn, December 29, 2006
There are tons of them all over the tank. The temp is set at 78. I only
have two fish. I feed them the same amount. I have an air pump. Any
other suggestions?

A:  You are overfeeding.  They are cleaning up the excess food.  Feed them less.  If you cut back on the food, your "worms" will starve.  You can remove them manually with a Gravel Vacuum Cleaner.   However, if you keep overfeeding, your fish could suffer.  At the very least, your "worms" will come back.  Quit feeding your "worms."  LA
PS  Cut back on the food.  Feed smaller amounts.  Less is better.

Shrikant Sawant, India, December 29, 2006
Hi, First and foremost, I would like to congratulate you for the detailed
and informative site -- this has become my favourite fishy reference
URL.
Wanted to check if you would be able to help me in positive
identification of a new fish which I have added to my 25G tank -- the
picture is attached with this email.
He was sold to me as a 2 inch Triangle cichlid -- with a warning about
aggressive nature. A little research on the Net showed that he is
definitely not a Triangle aka. Uaru. He has been kept with a foot
long arowana and a 2.5 inch oscar. Within 3-4 days, the oscar was torn
and bleeding due to the new fish attacks.
Checking on your site -- the closest match is with a small flowerhorn --
but there is no hump or red coloration visible yet. He likes pellets
and guppies -- is lightning fast when it comes to chasing down guppies.
Hoping for your aid in identification! Regards,

SS

A:  Definitely a flowerhorn.  He's easy to identify because of your excellent picture.  He will get the hump and red color as he matures.  Every one of them looks different at maturity.  Since most are 50% red devil, most (but not all) are very aggressive.  LA

Liz, Taylor, and Gabrielle Coltrain, Iowa, December 29, 2006
Hi everyone! We just wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed
TarantulaWeen9 with Charles Black. We'll be getting a Goliath Bird Eater
this spring from him. Are you planning another one anytime soon? Please let us know if there's going to be any tarantula or snake events in the future.
Thanks for the email.

A:  You're welcome.  We'll have more TarantulaWeens and Snakesgivings next year -- and probably some African Cichlid and Betta Seminar earlier next year.  Maybe even an American cichlid Seminar.  Our emails help us get the word out better.   LA

Nate Veith, Wisconsin, December 29, 2006
Hello,  I have a brackish water tank and was wondering if it was common to have a snail problem. I try to de-snail it as often as possible, but I cannot seem to get rid of them. What would you recommend to rid my tank of this problem?
Also, I was wondering if you would like some pictures of my tank? Just curious if  you'd want them posted on your website?
As always, Thanks for all the information you have given all of us on your website. I have recently referred my brother to the website.

A:  Before you start slaughtering them, realize that those snails are your friends.  They are eating all that extra food that falls to the bottom.  Cut your food rations in half and they will stop multiplying.
Still want to kill them?  You can murder snails very effectively with a rubber-handled screw driver.  Crush them with the handle.  If you kill small quantities at a time, your fish will eat their corpses.  LA
PS  Send me three photos.  Let's see your work.

A. J. Rodriguez, December 30, 2006
Will an oscar live in water with 2 teaspoons of salt per gallon in the water?
Thanks, by the way your site is very helpful and I use it all the time!

A:  Yes.  LA

Greg Iaviksfan, Cedar Rapids, IA, December 30, 2006
Hello, a local pet supply center in CR said we should not buy two parakeets because we won't be able to tame them. We have school aged children and we will be gone most of the day. 7:30am-4:00pm. Should we stick with one or get two of them. These would be our first. Thanks

A:  Keets prefer to bond with other keets.  They speak each others lingua.  If you want one that snuggles up to you, stick with one.  If you have no plans to finger train them, get two.  LA

A. J. Rodriguez, December 30, 2006
Ok thanks a lot. Oh, and one last question, would it be ok to mix a bull shark with an oscar, a pacu, and a pleco in a 75 gallon tank? Thanks

A:  Almost okay.  I'd leave out the bull shark and especially the pacu.  LA

Joe Rogers, December 31, 2006
What would be some good fish types that mix wall with oscars that grow to be about the same size? Thanks

A:  Which fish mix well with oscars depends upon the size of your tank, the size of your oscar, and the size of your oscar's attitude.  Regular plecos work best, then dempseys, and maybe silver dollars, tinfoils, and polypterids.  Other maybes (or temporaries) include other large South American cichlids.  LA
PS  Remember that all large fishes develop attitudes from time to time.

Stacey, December 31, 2006
My one sparkly orange koi called ''Sparky'' seems to have caught a strange disease. His barbel developed a large gray blob on it. What is this? He seems fine and is eating and actually seems a lot fatter than usual. 2 of my other koi seem to chase him constantly, and I am worried they may hurt him when I'm not there. What can cause this too?

P.S. I keep my koi indoors because some of them I am afraid for because my pond isn't deep enough yet.

A:  Your two "problems" are not related.  You can remove the "blob" on the barbel with your thumbnail or just ignore it.  But do it later -- not right now.  Sparky is not a "him."  She is fatter than usual because she's full of eggs.  The other two MALE koi are trying to spawn her.  Add some bushy plants -- like hornwort.  She will throw thousands of eggs.  You will probably have to change their water after they spawn.  Have fun.  LA