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Brandon, September 11, 2010
Hi, I am looking to restock a tank and am wondering if you could help me? I am looking for a species of small fish that I can school and that are highly aggressive like pirañas, wolf fish, vampire tetras, but smaller. I would like a couple different options so I can do further research on them. I have a 20 gallon tank that I could upgrade to a bigger one in the future. Thanks. Tour site is a great help to me.

LA
Four-inch Exodon paradoxus -- very bitey tetra mixable with African cichlids.

LA
Two-inch Buenos Aeries tetra. Most are sold at the under 2-inch size.

A: On average, 20 gallon tanks are too small for aggressive fish. You can expect the herd to pick on the least aggressive member and eventually kill it. Both of these will school but not with each other. Exodons will whup on pirañas. You really need a bigger tank for aggressive fish. LA

Thomas, Sepember 11, Arkansas
Do you know someone near Arkansas who sells paradise fish? I’m looking to buy 2 or 3.

A: No, but you should have no problem finding them in any local fish store. They range in price from $4 to $9 depending upon the variety. LA

Rudy de Jonge, Indianola, IA, September 12, 2010
Hello LA, Thank you for your very informative website which I visit quite often and I like to visit the store now and then as well. Good luck with redoing the store, any idea when you guys are done?
My aquarium story: I have had a 75 gallon freshwater tank since October 2009. Since that date I have added plants, fish and snails to that tank. Since I have had tanks before, I am not a real beginner but I am also not a very experienced freshwater tank keeper either. My ideal tank would be one with a lot of living plants with some fish and snails moving around.
Due to merging multiple tanks into the one I have now, I am pretty sure I ended up with too many fish in one tank. Also the plants did not seem to grow very well (maybe just because of that?). Some plants grew, others did not. Even the 'easy' plants I was not very successful with. My fish (before the crises): I had 5 Hatchets, 3 Pearl Gouramis, 1 Three Spot Gourami, 10 Neons, 9 Rosy Tetras, 4 Kuhli Loaches, 3 Otocinclus, 2 Flying Foxes, five white fin Tetras. I am guessing that is too many fish for a 75 gallon tank?
Anyways, about 5 weeks ago I started to have black Algae in my tank and tried to fight that with some medicine like 'Algae Destroyer'. I did some water changes, something I did not do very often before. I am kind of wary about using that kind of medicine because it might have a bad effect on the growth on other plants. It seemed to be going fine although I never got really rid of the algae. However, last week Monday Ick occurred in the tank. I tried to treat it again with anti-Ick medicine and also took the carbon filter out. The medicine did not help a lot as far as I could see. At the moment I have only the 3 Pearl Gouramis, the Blue Gourami, Otocinclus, one Kuhli Loach left over. Plus the snails don't seem to be affected at all by all of this. I cleaned the tank, vacuumed the gravel I did frequent water changes and now I hope for the best.
Could you give me some advice how to better deal with black algae and Ick or better still how to avoid both. Maybe it is an idea to post a 'crisis' or 'how to...if...' corner on your website? Thank you!

A1: Your 75 gallon tank was not overcrowded. However, Algae Destroyer pretty much kills anything green. They use it to clear farm ponds of weeds. Algae Fix works much better in an aquarium. You usually need more light in a 75 due to the depth of the water. You need an additional light strip or a brighter bulb than the standard aquarium bulb. Get a timer and set it for 10 to 12 hours per day.
A2: Ich usually starts as the result of a chill or other stress factor. Most of the ich remedies work fine. If you warm your tank up 5 degrees, ich cures work even better.
A3: Black algae is quite persistent. Add a dozen or so nerite snails (at $2 a head) to control it, They prefer to eat it off the glass so you may never get rid if it entirely. LA

Rudy de Jonge, Indianola, IA, September 14, 2010
Larry, thank you for your quick reaction. I was looking for a brighter bulb already, they appear to be hard to find for 48". I believe I have now a 30 watt bulb in it. Timer is already in place and set for 12 hours. A second strip is a great idea, I will probably go that route. I have noticed my five Mystery snails also like to snack on the black algae. I will look for mentioned nerite snail, never heard of them before.

Do you think it will be safe to introduce new fish to my tank yet or better wait a few weeks? Thanks again!

LA
Go to Snail, Nerite for more info.

A: We usually have the nerites in stock. Call first to find out. You can find brighter bulbs in our saltwater section. It's always a good idea to add fish conservatively. LA

Matt & Amy Garringer, September 14, 2010
Can't find an answer from anywhere, Larry. Will you please help! These bugs are around the trim of the tank, on the inside where there is no water.

MAG

A: Cool bug pix. Can't give you a specific name, but they look like plant-sucking bugs that feed on floating plants. You can stab them with an ice pick, of course, but it's easier to squish them with your finger. Usually you can drown them by filling your tank up to the rim. LA

Matt & Amy Garringer, September 15, 2010
Here is the kicker Larry, I don't have plants. Only in one tank and I just got those about 3 weeks ago and I've had the bugs for about 1 1/2 years. Any reason why they would be there if I had no plants?

A: Squish the little varmints. No mercy. LA

Brina H, Lethbridge, Alberta, September 14, 2010
Hi. I came across your site today while searching for some info on my new fish.

I recently purchased a Dragon Goby and Black Knife Ghost. They are so cool but I find that they are continually fighting even though I have cave structures on both ends of my tank (they always end up in the same corner together and fight over it). I was wondering if they will ever stop picking on each other and keep to their separate corners?

Also, I have 9 mollies... well had 9 anyway. 1 has recently gone missing and I'm thinking it was eaten. Is it possible that the black knife or goby ate it? It was a smaller molly so...

And lastly, for now anyway, I noticed that you say the goby likes brackish water... will my other fish survive in a brackish tank? I currently have 8 mollies, 1 black knife, 1 goby, 2 scissor tail rasboras, 1 rosy barb, 3 other tetras and barbs (I think that's what they are anyway -- a friend gave them to us to start our tank as we bought the tank from him and that is what he said they were -- maybe I can send you pictures to help me identify them?)3 algae eaters, 2 red tail sharks, 1 angelfish and a few snails. I think that's all of them.

Thanks so much for your help!

A: Your two squabblers will eventually stop fighting as soon as they decide who's the boss. Your black ghost probably ate your smaller molly. Your mollies also prefer brackish water. No prob. One teaspoon of aquarium salt per gallon will suffice. If you send pictures, I can usually ID them. LA

Bob Wright, Virginia, September 14, 2010
Hi, Our local paper has a good article about snakeheads today. http://hamptonroads.com/2010/09/snakeheads-are-here-stay-and-getting-closer#rfq

A: Thanks. Excellent article. Most of the public's info comes from the documentary above. LA

PS: Here's something in the same category. Watch for the documentary on PBS.

Attorney General Mike Cox announced that his office delivered the new "Asian Carp Czar" the names of more than 90,000 concerned people from a web petition. They're calling for a separation of the Mississippi River basin from the Great Lakes. They say this is in effort to stop the on-coming flood of Asian Carp into Lake Michigan and beyond.

John Goss was appointed last week as Asian Carp Director for the White House. Cox sent the petitions to Goss during his visit to Michigan today as a clear message that citizens want separation.

Meanwhile, Cox's lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to close the locks, and force a permanent separation of the waters continues in the U.S. District Court in Northern Illinois.

From WLNS Your News Leader.

andrei teo, September 15, 2010
hi , i have a betta , it seems to have the pine cone disease . i have added salt hoping it would like recover , and it did . it looks much more alive than yesterday. another website says that a betta can recover on its own from a mild pine cone. i have attached photos , so can you tell me if this pine cone is mild or those serious ones. thank you.

A: I've never heard it called "pine cone disease." I've always known it as dropsy -- not really a treatable disease. Dropsy could come from an internal parasite, bacteria, virus, an obstruction or from failing organs. I have no idea how to treat it, but bettas often recover spontaneously. LA

Lucinda Petersen, Concord, NC, September 15, 2010,

Hello, I just read all your posts about dumpy frogs. I have had mine for only a week and have to say. They love to be held. When I got mine he was a dark brown almost black, he was in a tank with a plastic container holding a pacman frog. He was bought from a huge pet store. Well he stayed in his tank overnight and the next day I started holding him at first for only a few minutes in the day. Then I started holding him at night (he likes to sit by my neck and my hair covers him) no products in my hair. Anyway he turns a bright green so he must be happy. I have not seen him turn brown again. I do have to say I wash my hands before and after holding him. I enjoy him and now want to get another one so he can have a friend. Thank you for this site. You have been a big help.

A: I may have mentioned it before, but dumpies are my favorite frogs hands down. LA

Note to Hadley: Sorry I lost your email with the question on angelfish eggs. It arrived in my Junk mail file and I deleted it accidentally. If you see this, read our angelfish pages and write back if you have other questions.
Yesterday was a Junk Mail super day I won 16 lottos or cash transfers totaling $231.1 million plus some cheap ass $450,000 (which I don't even bother with transfers less than a mill'). Plus someone offered to loan me $5 mill. (Chump change.) I got five "freezes" on my various financial accounts, letters in five different languages, and one letter from my state rep who buys crickets at Aqualand. Plus three requests for link swaps. I have to read each one because my filters don't know real emails from junkers. I'm sorry for your loss. LA, September 19, 2010

Bob Wright, Virginia, September 19, 2010
Hi Larry, Back in the late 1950's to the early 1960's I carried a book around nearly every day during the summer when I would explore the marshes and woods in pursuit of any reptile or amphibian that I could find.

This is the book I carried around. It helped keep me safe in the woods by teaching me which snake was venomous and which one was ok to catch. I cherished this book when I was a young kid.

Please let me know if you know of anyone that has a copy of this book in good condition who is willing to sell it to me. It was a small paperback book that probably isn't in print anymore. I don't know who published the book. I would love to have a copy of this very much. I wore my copy out when I was a kid and it was read and studied more than any book that I have ever owned.

Thanks for any help you can give me on this. I hope you are doing ok.

A: Here you go. Amazon has 11 copies left. The postage will probably cost you more than the book. I used to read that book, too.

The Completely Illustrated Atlas of Reptiles and Amphibians for the Terrarium [Hardcover]

Fritz Jurgen Obst (Author), Klaus Richter (Author), Udo Jacob (Author), V.E. Friese (Translator)

5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)

1 new from £132.00 2 used from £96.00

Here's one I keep on my top shelf. TFH put out the English version back in '88. I like this one even better. It would be harder to carry through the woods. Large books should be shelved lying flat -- not in the upright position. The binding started giving out about 10 years ago, but it's still a good book and not as xenophobic as the American Guide. I'd give it five stars also (except for the portability). LA
PS Thanks for all your computer help. I'm doing "okay."

aquastonedragon, September 19, 2010
Howdy LA, The discus passed away a while ago. So I put some angels in there now and it seems their fins are getting bitten off. What could cause this? I have the rope which has attacked some bigger fish but not eaten them, a couple corys, 3 sun cats, 3 spotted raphaels, a clown loach, a clown pleco, a normal pleco, and a hoplo and porthole.

A: Your three sun catfish. Think of them as Indian bullheads. LA

aquastonedragon, September 19, 2010
So should I get rid of them or what? Because my angels cost more than them.

A: Your sun catfish will chew on and kll your angels and half your other fish. They're not good mixers with fish under six inches. Supposedly they grow to a foot and a half. I've never seen one grow that large, but... LA

Hah! They're back. I messed up my email sorter on the 16th while looking for movies in Des Moines. I'll stick the newly discovered Qs here in their original order. LA September 20. 2010

Boonchai, Tofe Co., Ltd., Bangkok, Thailand, September 16, 2010
Dear Sirs, Let’s introduce ourselves:
we are the breeder of Betta(siamese fighter fish) and Oscar fish. all our fish are feed with black mosquito larvae because we are hatching the black mosquito larvae in our farms too. We are able to supply weekly 8,000-10,000 pcs. for betta and Oscar 15,000-20,000pcs.
If u need more details and some pictures or want to visit our farms, are welcomed. B.rgds.

A: Khorb koon. Sorry, I no longer import bettas directly from Thailand. The minimum quantities are more than I can conveniently handle. My Chicago supplier keeps me stocked on a weekly basis. LA

Mike Lee, September 16, 2010
This is my second time asking for help~~~ hope you don't mind....
As you can see from the picture, My angel fish have me a lot of eggs. But I have no idea what should i do next. ( i believe the egg is still fresh, I mean mostly 1 day old) Can you help me~!! Thank you for your time!

A: Sorry for the delay. I lost your email for four days. First, congratulations. The spawn means you've been taking good care of your angelfish. You don't know for sure the other one is a male. It usually takes them about three spawns to figure out how to do it right. Remove your other fish -- especially that Chinese algae eater. They will eat any eggs that die. If not successful, they will breed every three to six weeks. They will aerate and protect their eggs. They will move them when they hatch. After the fry become free-swimming, feed them newly hatched brine shrimp. Hatch the shrimp eggs daily. Feed the fry twice a day. Give them a 50% aged water change every week.

This picture by Kathy Potts shows the newly swimming fry just beginning to eat. They will not eat non-living food. Feed them newly hatched brine shrimp or microworms or they will die. LA

jacob hadley, September 16, 2010
Ive got some 3 fancy guppies in a 1 gallon tank, it look like they got
ick wit white spots all over, ive cleaned the ranks and changed the
water and they stayd healthy for about to days now the ick is back.
what can i do to stop it? another thing i see little worms wiggling
around the same tank, ther real thin but i can still see them, what
are they?

A: First the easy Q. They are probably some type of annelid worm (which narrows it down to about a 100 species). They are part of the clean up crew in your tank. They usually cavort around under your gravel until the dissolved oxygen level drops. They are harmless but the fact that you see them means you are feeding way too much. Now the hard part. Guppies prefer 77 F. They need a heater. Also, each gup really needs at least a gallon to thrive. Yours are way crowded. Get some plastic shoe boxes or gallon jars from a local restaurant. LA

jacob hadley, September 16, 2010
thinks, i just got a heater for my ten gallon tank and its on 79F.
that helps a lot and now im breeding my three guppies and waiting on
the first batch any day now. it is awkward that so far they are 3 days
from the 28 day due date.

A: 79 is mighty fine. Now for the bad news. You need at least ten gallons for each female guppy. Few people realize that a normal female guppy will produce 30 to 50 fry per litter. Large females can crank out 100. They will also eat their fry. With three females in there, you'l be lucky to save 10. LA

jacob hadley, September 22, 2010
i got a 3 way breeder box in a bare 10 gal aquarium and they are
seperated in it so when they have there babys i can put the females
back in the tank and leave the babys in the bare one, ive got some
buddies who want some for there tanks,

A: Go for it. LA

Dave Dawson, Coventry, RI, September 19, 2010
I have a 1,000 gallon fish pond outside.
I am looking ahead to next spring and want to grow my own Water
Hyacinths from seeds or purchase small starter plants in bulk.
As everyones knows, by late summer a few Water Hyacinths dropped in a
fish pond in the spring will eventually fill the pond.
The problem is that buying enough Water Hyacinths in the spring to
control Algae is costly, so I'd like to get an early start by growing my own.
How can I "save" some of my existing ones or extract the seeds so I can
re-grow/re-use them in the Spring?
Any help will be appreciated. Thanks,

A: I've only been able to over winter hyacinths when I keep them in an Aqualand front window where they get full sun for half a day. LA

Caleb Ott, September 20, 2010
hello LA, you say you don't know much about breeding cherries. its simple, get about 5, put them in a tank with java moss and a sponge filter, feed tiny amounts of flake once per day and wait. basically any small not-too-aggressive fish are good tank mates in my opinion. i have neon tetras and plecos with mine and i have plenty of babies, hope i could help,

A: Well, I put 20 locally-bred cherries in a well planted 10 and just sort of watched their population dwindle. I'll keep trying. LA

Maureen Ogilvie, Monifieth near Dundee, Scotland, Sept 20, 2010
Hi, I just acquired this blue lobster , any that I have seen on your site didn't look near as big as mine, it is about 7" or more. could this be an unusual one, I have never seen one before now. I was told she/he was about 2 or 3 year old. would this be right,... since I got her I bought two others one very small about 2" and a dark green one about 4". Any advice would be much appreciated . thank you

A: Your first blue is probably just older. Most crayfish grow to about this size. Few attain the bright blue look (except when they first shed). The second one looks like a different species. The third one looks like an Australian yabbie -- most of which are on the quarrelsome side. In any event, it's usually unwise to mix crayfish of disparate sizes. Big crawdaddies eat little ones -- especially when the little guys molt. LA

John Tan, Singapore, September 20, 2010
Hi there, I'm interested into breeding superworms. I'm having trouble making them turn into pupae. I've browsed through many websites but I find that separating the worms one by one takes too much effort.
Is there any way, by means of chemical agent or even maybe singing lullaby, to have the worms to morph into pupae altogether?
Thanks. By the way, I'm from Singapore, it's easier to breed superworms in a tropical environment.

A: I tried Braham's Lullaby but not any others. I'm not sure what chemical will work. You just have to separate each one, otherwise the late pupaters eat the early helpless (and evidently tasty) pupae. I used a fishing tackle box. One of the hardware nail/screw sorters ought to work. Or build your own separating system. You really do need to keep them separate. Too much trouble? Convert to roaches. LA

John Tan, Singapore, September 20, 2010
i see. do you think adding charcoal helps? they will release some kind of pheromones when turning into pupa, so probably charcoal may help absorb the scent? in some way, it help prevent others from eating it?separating them one by one is really hard work.

A: I can tell you from personal experience that pheromones never kept me from eating anything. The larvae eat the pupae because they're hungry -- not because the pupae release pheromones. If you want to test your theory, use activated carbon, not charcoal. Your theory is an interesting concept. LA
PS The larvae will eat other larvae also.

John Miller, September 20, 2010
Hello, I recently got into Hermit crabs. This hobby has become an addiction. I started with a 20 gal tank and just bought a 90gal. I was wondering if I made a saltwater pond in my 90gal. because the hermit crabs need both salt & fresh if I could keep fiddler crabs in there as well? Thank you.

A: Probably. The fiddlers would live around the water's edge. The hermits would stay on the land. I'd put one teaspoon of aquarium salt per gallon as a compromise. LA

Joe Bowersox, Polk City, IA, September 20, 2010
Hello Larry, I bought your adult Red Bay Snooks and have sold some babies to you.

I have a bit of a problem. The four adults are great and healthy, however due to flood damage I will need to tear down my tanks, so I can recarpet. I would like to sell the adults, but I only want them to be sold to someone who has a tank of 150 or above. They like to swim. I was hoping you could help me find someone who would like to have them. They are absolutely beautiful.

I have tried the local Cichlid Association, but frankly I was very disappointed in the members. Insulting offers for beautiful fish. I don't want much for them maybe $30 each or something reasonable. They are a breeder's dream. In fact I have paid for the fish several times over. I could not believe how many responses I had of $2 offers. Why bother? Snook and cucumber sauce is good eating. Just kidding.

I also have a few misc. fish which I'm sure Mike will take into your inventory.

As for the baby Snooks, I have 4 or 5 three inchers. Would you like to buy those? If so, how much would you pay?

Larry my main concern is getting the adults into a home who can handle them. I have the space, but I need to move the tanks and I would like to do something different in my 180. I want to get into live plants with the 180.

Let me know if you have any ideas for these beautiful monsters. Thank you.

LA

A: The sauce is called tzatziki sauce, and the snooks would be tasty slathered in it. But let's get serious. Send me a picture of the pair plus your conditions and price. I'll make a poster and put it on our bulletin board. It might cost you five bucks or so from Office Depot. And you probably need to break them into two breeding pairs.
Give Mike a call on the little guys. I haven't been in lately. LA

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LA_Aqualand@msn.com

212 SPECIES IN FULL COLOR - REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS - A GUIDE TO FAMILIAR AMERICAN SPECIES [Paperback]

The Completely Illustrated Atlas of Reptiles and Amphibians for the Terrarium [Hardcover]