A:  I'm not familiar with any diseases that make turtles float.  Sounds like he's lost control of his air bladder.  As long as he can get deep enough to eat, then he should be fine.  LA

A:  No.  We do not ship animals.  LA

LA

A:  I've only had less than a dozen of these fairly new to the hobby  dempsey variants.  They come in as inch-long very shy fish.  This guy above does well in a tank of rainbowfish.  He eats whatever they get that day -- mostly flakes, pellets, and occasional blackworms.  I have not grown any to adulthood.  They have been on the market for a while under various names.  They are currently called "electric blue dempseys" and you'll have better results researching them under that name.  Use the quote marks.  Their genetics are complicated and account for their continued high price.  LA

A:  He's trying to molt -- shed his skin.  He needs enough damp sand to bury his entire back end.  If he's very big, it may take quite a while for him to shed.  LA

A:  WooHoo to you, too.  Actually Amano-san covers the planted aquaria in spades in his Nature Aquarium series printed by TFH.  You can still find it on Amazon.  I do cover individual plant species, but my hat's off to Amano-san for his skill in designing planted aquaria.  LA

A:  I now know they come running for some people.  Thanks.  LA

A:  Yes, unless you add fish.  Your chances go way down if you live far enough north that your pond freezes over.  LA

A:  Golden geckos would most likely eat any small lizard that will fit into their mouths.  LA

LA
Four-inch port cichlid.  Not often seen these days.

LA Pic
You don't see the porties very often.  Most cichlid people consider them too easy.

A:  Your links you sent were a bit blurry.  The three pics above were on my website.  You can find many more "hits" by googling Aequidens portalegrensis.   These fish were much more popular three or four decades ago.  They've been supplanted by hundreds of more colorful cichlids.  Your chances of selecting a pair at 1.5 inches are 50/50.  Your chances go way up if you start with six juveniles.  LA

A:  Sorry, John.  We don't ship critters.  You have to come to Des Moines to pick up your iguana.  LA

A:  I haven't had a white lobster for a couple years, so I cannot remember.  But the price is moot, since we do not ship lobsters.  LA

A:  Check the temperature.  Ponds are hard to heat.  I'm forwarding your request to Cindee.  I hope you can find the solution.  LA

A1:  Iridescent sharks are not real sharks.  They are freshwater catfish.  One teaspoon of salt per gallon works fine.
A2:  Your tank is a little crowded.  As soon as he adjusts to your tank, he'll start thinning out your guppies.
A3:  He will eat regular fish food.  Make sure it's fresh.
A4:  My last suggestion would be to read Pangassius Catfish.   

A:  I just checked out the Walstad article and it seems similar to how we used to plant tanks back in the pre-Beatles era.  The Europeans and Asians have us so out-paced at plant growing (other than corn), that we will never catch up.  I also scanned the goldfish "flip-over disease" article.  If you ever experience that problem, a golf-ball dollop of duckweed cures it faster than a snake-waving faith healer.  Thanks for the thanks.  LA
PS  55s are always better (and easier) than 10s. 

LA Pic
Wittmer Pond as it used to look before the City "fixed" it.

LA Pic
Wittmer Pond during late fall.

LA Pic
Same pond in July at height of the duckweed and cattail season.

A:  Wittmer Pond used to yield 10 to 12 foot-long goldfish on a nice afternoon.  It's on 34th Street near Drake U (one of my Alma Maters).  However, since it was re-engineered, three-foot long channel cats have pretty much eliminated the goldfish.  You can still catch two-foot carp and 3-inch sunfish.  The invasive cattails have pretty much limited access to the water.  I'd now recommend Greenwood Park (near the Art Center) or Glendale Cemetery if you are not afraid of being pecked to death by geese.  Be sure to flatten the barb on your hook.  You can get carp bait at one of the day-old bread stores.  LA

A:  You're probably right about not being permitted to fish there.  LA
PS  When you stop at the day-old bread store, ask for "duck bread."  You get about 15 loaves for $1.

A:  Let them adjust and get "conditioned."  Fatten them up on frozen brine shrimp, frozen bloodworms, and live California blackworms.  Give them these treats after they eat their flakes and/or pellets.  LA

A:  Add non-aggressive fish too large to swallow -- angelfish, barbs, corydoras,  livebearers, the larger tetras, and rainbowfish.  LA   

 

DH

A:  They look like Geophagus brasiliensis to me.  They're a well mannered cichlid that loves to dig.  The foods you're feeding them are perfect.  LA
PS  They'll also like those ghost shrimp.  I'd get rid of those koi before they take over your tank.

LA
This is what most people call the lace catfish.

A:  Since I'm not sure what is known as a "lace catfish" in Creedmore, I can't answer your question definitively.  However, if the above pic is your lace cat, you can probably move him into the 55.  Refer to Synodontis nigrita to make sure.  Give him a cave.  LA

A:  I notice the same thing when I visit using Google/FireFox.  I'll forward this to my web server and see what can be done about it.  Thanks.  LA
 

Mike Parks, captainjackcommunications, March 7, 2007
Larry, The problem seems to be the mso-elements you have set on the table. This has to do with the long standing browser wars. Firefox does not recognize the mso-elements and on the same turn IE does not recognize moz-elements.
The best way to keep the site cross-browser compatible is to write in CSS2 compliant styles.

Since I have no idea what many of those words mean, I guess the site will still look screwy if you come in on FireFox.  LA

Michael, IA, March 7, 2007
Dear Larry, I was in your store a couple of times before, and I was thinking...One of your employees said that we email you and ask if you would let us know when  bearded dragons come in. Could you please email me when the bearded dragons are in? Thank you. 

A:  Will do.  LA

LA

March 12.  This male just came in today.  LA

 

Greg Hall, March 7, 2007
I just stumbled onto your website, but you can bet it's book marked. On one of your pages you showed a picture of a brackish aquarium where you were showing the nice colors of mollies in brackish water. The tank was lavishly planted. Is it possible to get a list of the plants you have in the aquarium that either adjust to brackish water or at least tolerate it? I have an acrylic 40 gal that I am setting up brackish. I am in the process of planting it and will bring the salinity up after I have all the plants in it. A couple of other points of interest that I have yet to find any attention given to -- plant fertilization and amount of light in brackish aquariums. Any guidance on either subject would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for any information. 

A:  They weren't really brackish tanks.  Not all people keep their mollies in brackish water.  Mollies are more flexible than plants.  And some mollies are more flexible than other mollies.  Most of the slow growing plants are more tolerant of a bit of salt -- anubias, Java fern, bolbitis, and Brasilian swords.  Some fast growers like Java moss and watersprite will also survive for a while.  Plastic plants work best.  I've never fertilized a brackish tank or measured the light.  Algae grows very well in a brackish tank.  LA
 

Brittany Popa, Ohio, March 8, 2007
Hey, I have a 30 gallon fish tank. I have 1 fancy orange goldfish, 1 black moor (goldfish), 1 calico fancy goldfish, and 1 bubble eyed goldfish. Then I have a 5 in pleco, 2 peppered corys,  and 1 Gray Cory. When these fish pass away, what fish should I get? I have had my fish for about a year and I'm thinking about cichlids. I really want tropical fish. What do you think I can fit in it?

A:  Goldfish live about 10 years, so you're planning way ahead.  Before buying any more fish, maximize your contributions to your employer's 401(k) plan.  We're talking long range here.  Then start looking into the smaller cichlids if you want several cichlids.  Or look into a few of the larger American cichlids.  Think in terms of two or one.  Then pick the one(s) that appeal to you, not the ones that appeal to me.  However, my current favorites are the rainbowfish.  You can start mixing these with your goldfish, if you have a heater.  LA
PS  Look into some of the fancier goldfish before you get away from goldfish.

Nathan Veith, WI, March 8, 2007
I think it would be good if you put on the Scats page that they should not have live java ferns, seeing it is deadly for the scats if they happen to eat it, which they will.

A:  I've never heard that before (which doesn't really mean all that much).  Can you give me a source on that?  If it's just somebody that it happened to once, that is not a source.  LA

Nathan Veith, WI, March 9, 2007
Next time I am at the library I will get the books I found it in and send you the information quoted from the book. Might take a week but I will get it back to you. Thanks

LA
These guys love Java fern.

A:  Thanks.  A couple weeks ago, I had eight uarus consume a 29-gallon tank of Java Fern with no ill effects.  They loved it and continue to ignore the patch of cryptocorynes.  LA

Captainsumma4, NY, March 8, 2007
Hi, what's the availability of the dwarf blue Jack Dempseys -- or as we call them here in New York, electric blues? Just wondering, because mine was recently disemboweled by my other regular Jack Dempsey and I haven't seen any around.

A:  They're around, not common, and still expensive.  LA

Jon Mullane, Queens, NY, March 9, 2007
I have a pair of Piranhas and a Texas Cichlid all in the same 45 gallon bow front. I was wondering if you had ever heard of Piranhas befriending another fish before? Believe it or not, the three of them are even schooling together!  They are each about 4 inches long and very husky for fish. Is this normal  for them to get along?

A:  Piranhas do not befriend other fishes.  They just save them for later.  LA
PS  Hungry piranhas will also eat other piranhas.

Jon Mullane, Queens, NY, March 10, 2007
I heard the same thing. However it has been well over seven months that they have been housed together, and the funniest thing is, they let the Texas cichlid eat first when I put feeders in. You think they will eventually eat him?

LA:  Yup.  LA

Brittany Popa, Ohio, March 9, 2007
Hello, When I first got fish (goldfish) I didn't know anything about them. I just plopped them in the tank and thought they would be an easy pet......Well I have learned a lot now.. When I got my first 2 fish there was no chlorine remover in the water and 1 fish died .Now the fish that lived (calico fantail) is retarded or something. He's acting really weird. He pushes himself under the leaves of a plant and just sits there. When he swims, he does back flips and he can't really swim straight. He also has a big reddish orange color on his neck. I don't know if it's from the chlorine, but he wasn't like this when I got him. If you can help that would be great!

A:  First, try not to be so cute with your type face and colors.  I'm not going to try to read the next one.  Second, give your goldfish a tablespoon full of duckweed.  LA  

Robbie Dick, March 10, 2007
When I was about ten I purchased a Freshwater Moray Eel.  I did some
research and soon found out that there is no such thing as a freshwater
moray eel.  All the Eels you have pictured are called Common Dwarf Moray
eels, with the exception of the very first Eel, which is not a moray (no
nasal holes or heat pits on their detachable Jaw).  They are born in streams
of freshwater but soon must travel into the oceans to survive.  They can
survive in brackish water for extended periods of time but much prefer full
salinity.  With my Eel I can stimulate her reproductive cycle to lay eggs by
decreasing the salinity (simulating travel up into a stream). I have tried
twice to introduce a male to fertilize the eggs, but both times I have tried
the added eels turned out to be females and laid eggs of their own.  I think
if you were to inform people that these eels were meant to be in full
saltwater they would have a much better chance of them surviving.  Thank
you.

A:  Good info.  I'll add it to my page.  LA
 

Robbie Dick, March 11, 2007
It is amazing to see that you would actually put that up on your page.  I
appreciate it.  If you have any other questions about these morays, ask
away.  And I just picked up another moray and hopefully he is a male. 
Maybe I will get lucky.  Thanks again, Rob

A:  Weird, eh?  LA

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