Let's start off with a subject about which I have no clue:
 

Walking Stick photo from Wickapedia.

A:  I've always wanted a walking stick but I've never seen one in real life.  So I really know diddly about them.  However, I'm a pretty good researcher and the internet makes research so easy.  Do a Google search for "walking stick" + insect.  I got 157,000 hits on that search.  It seems that the Indian walking stick is the easiest one to start with.  If you lived in Des Moines, I'd give you a few dozen of the mulberry trees the birds have planted in my backyard (and tried unsuccessfully to plant on my car).  LA

A:  You got it.  LA

A:  Yellow labs and blue ahlis are both sissy fish that make good community tank mixers -- not with show guppies, of course.  I don't know about the borleyis.  But since they're smaller, I'd go for the mix.  LA
PS  I assume you were on your lunch hour when you were increasing your data base.

A:  I'm sorry, but we do not ship.  I'm also sure our goofy government would require us to buy an export license to ship overseas.  So we cannot comply with your request.  LA

G

 

Gordon, Holland, February 2, 2007
Hello, I saw on your website you haven't seen these in a couple of decades. In Holland you can still buy these beautiful fish....(a little bit far for  you but...)
Just so you know they are still around Greetings from Holland.

A:  First off, stop buying new filters.  Any of those power filters will work fine and last for years.  If you look on the bottom of your AquaTech, you'll see it's made by the same company that made your BioWheel filter.
Second, be patient until your nitrite drops.  It takes 6 to 8 weeks unless you add bacteria.  If you add a gallon of water siphoned from the UGF of a crowded cichlid tank, it will cycle almost instantly.
Third, use an 8 or 10-inch net to capture your speedy danios.  LA
PS  You are working way too hard at what is supposed to be a relaxing hobby.  Lean back and enjoy your aquarium.

A:  Not every fish fits the mold.  Most do.  Yours certainly doesn't.  You may want to give him one more shot by mixing him with four to five-inch American cichlids.  I'm including your report on my black ghost knife fish page.  LA

A:  Let your new tank water age for a couple days.  Then use your "aged" filter materials in your new tank.  Do not rinse your cartridges.  This will instantly age your formerly new tank.
Your cichlid lineup should work long term for you.  LA

A:  I tried both those methods plus some others.  What worked best?  Just leaving them alone.  Make sure your tank is covered to maintain a high humidity.  When they hatch, they will eat flakes or pellets.  I like to remove the parents to keep them from eating the kids.  This also keeps the kids from crawling inside their parents' shells.  LA

A:  Obviously accidents can happen on running wheels -- especially if you keep several hamsters in the same cage.  I've never seen it happen (which proves nothing one way or the other).  If you are concerned, use one of the solid plastic wheels.  LA

A:  This will be fairly easy unless you still have your arowana.  In any event, these are probably hopping insects rather than flying insects.  They suck the juice from floating plants like watersprite and bounce around on the surface tension of the water for entertainment.  Get rid of your floating plants, then drown your bugs.  Place a large net on top of them and submerge them.  Squish them underwater if you want to speed up the process.  Make sure you kill everyone of them or they will return.  LA.

A:  There's no quick way to tell them apart if by "trap door" you mean the live-bearing snails.  I've found our live-bearing snails (the ones that grow wild in our local ponds) pretty much ignore salt.  LA

A:  Those osphronemus can be very bitey, even when small.  They enjoy chewing on cichlids.  Gouramis (other than osphronemus), barbs, and rainbowfish all make good community residents.  "Cool" is in the apperception of the beholder.  LA