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I don't know of any sure way to tell 100%. many theories abound like females have a slightly rounder dorsal, females are bigger and fatter and I've heard that females have lighter bellies. IMO, other than the dorsal, the other 2 are subjective to our (fishkeepers) feeding habit and color of...

IMO, after a year, one Oscar should be kept in a minimum of 75g tank with at least twice weekly wc's of 15-25%, possibly more depending on what foods/how much is fed. Oscars are definitely a great personality fish. You should try one out if you ever get the chance, you won't regret it. :)

What a great post, imo. I never thought of that before but after seeing your post it made me think about it and you're exactly right. The way you said it is the best example I've heard and I've tried to explain it to so many people but couldn't express it so perfectly like you did here. RTBS...

If you have a rtbs and a 4ft tank you have many options. barbs and tetras would be fine. Just stay away from anything that is dark and torpedo shaped like the rtbs. IME with rtbs, they hate fin nippers and once they get nipped they chase them mercilessly so with barbs etc get at least 6 so...

They are great fish. VERY aggressive and one of, if not THE, toughest Mbuna there is from the Mbuna I've had and what I've heard from others. I've always used them as "policemen" to calm the tank down. 99% of the time it's always worked. I would have a rowdy tank with everyone trying to keep...

NP at all Ferris. I have a ton of respect for your knowledge. :) and thank you caboose_122. I never look in profiles so that didn't even occur to me. lol BTW, I noticed above the mention of crabro. I've had both chipokae and crabro before but never in the same tank. IME, crabros are pretty...

Bacteria bloom from a mini-cycle. .025 Nitrites is huge, they should be 0. I would do a 10-15% wc every day until you have 0ppm Ammonia (which in this case you won't/shouldn't ever see any ammonia) and Nitrites.

Oh wow, I couldn't even begin to name just 3 as my favs but my top ones in no particular order are... S. rhombeus S. sanchezi S. elongatus P. ternetzi A. labiatus A. citrinellum M. chipokae E. paradoxus Flowerhorn Not the full list of my favs by any means but something to go by at least.

Like most people that know their stuff, Ferris won't tell you how much he knows and won't show it with every post he/she makes. HE/SHE won't say it but I will for him/her... I've been in the SA/CA business for 30 years and piranha biz for 20. I've had MANY tanks for personal use (up to 40-50...

If going by that rule, I've been overstocked for the last 20 years. :blink:

Those things are definitely silly creatures, that's for sure. I love 'em and think everyone should try them at least once.

ALL heaters shouldn't EVER be trusted. I'm the resident Tropical Fish Forums ahole when it comes to heaters because I'm the only poster here that knows that a heating element and thermostat cannot and should not be trusted. One day, I'm sure I'll be banned for going against the grain and 20...

Basic minimum for all Pygos is 3. Whether it be one species or a mixture of species. I know you know your stuff and will rebutt but 3 is definitely the minimum, not 4.

martyn21k and rsands, aren't you guys being a tad bit harsh? :o Yazan stated, perhaps too curt but it's the internet, we all all short sometimes when we don't mean to be, that he/she didn't want to spend the money for a Python. I don't see a problem as long as it's getting done anyways and by...

Me too. At least 50% once a week but most of the time 2-3 times a week.

I wasn't sure which way you meant so I wanted to fully explain it. :) I wouldn't chance it, personally.

Your mollies and platies have a more of a chance of being eaten than the crayfish.

Exactly what Wilder said. Except I use 2 nets, with the one I "scoot" the fish along with being very small for agility and the other net as big as possible. The trick is to not move the large net or as little as possible and move the smaller net and have them keep their eye on that one. I...

What brand filter is it? Like mentioned, after time the impeller can go out and that's happened to me before but I've also had some last many many years without that happening. Try gently moving the down tube (the part that is in the water) towards you/away etc just a hair. Not far and you...

That would be a good idea but I'm sure redbelly piranhas have already been done and I don't really see amarket on here for any other piranhas. Maybe if the day comes people start asking questions about rhoms, sanchezi's, Wild Reds, ternetzi's, elongatus etc I'll do it tho. :)

I would get at least a 75g tank and then add a 3rd rbp within an inch of the largest rbp. Nothing is guaranteed but it's worth a try. 50g is just too small tho and you will most likely end up with 1 rbp in time. How old are they and have they always been with other fish other than these 4...

Cichlids are the only fish I've ever had that can distinguish different people. I've had many cichlids that would only come up to the front of the tank for me and me only. If anyone else came up they would get an agreesion rush of slamming the glass or hiding but I could come up and they would...

Piranhas by far are the hardiest fish there are. I've seen some with their innards literally hanging out and half their body gone but fully recover in 3 or 4 weeks. I've seen another that had his stomach opened up from a bite from another piranha and whenever he ate, most of the food would...

Not sure. I can probably answer any question you may have on most species of piranha, at least the most popular 10 of them, but I'm not going to write a book for any of them in posts without anyone asking for it in advance. I've kept cichlids for almost 30 years and piranhas for almost 20 now...

In an emergency situation you can add ice inside freezer bags etc. to the tank and let them float on top. For a more long term situation, like mentioned, fans work good. just make sure you don't have any fish that are jumpers before you leave your top open for long periods.

It all depends. There is really no set in stone answer. IMO, it's not a good idea to have just 2 rbp's as the dominant will always kill the sub-dominant, ime. There's another poster in here that has had luck with 2 but not 3. (I think maybe it was because it was a breeding pair tho and they...

It's totally up to you what piranha you want, I'm just trying to throw ideas out there so you know what is available to you. Personally, I love S. sanchezi. They are usually very outgoing and you can keep him in a 29g tank for life. The others I suggested will eventually have to be upgraded...

Lucky..and probably your rtbs is very afraid of you so he does nothing but hide when you're around. :good: RTBS, are extremely aggressive to other fish but most are shy to people and hide when we are around. They also can't really do much damage to other fish other than the stress factor...

I'm not saying you're wrong because it's your experience and your opinion so that matters as much as mine or anyone elses, so you can't be wrong if you've done it, but I've never had good luck with just 2rbp's. The larger always killed the subdominate in time. 3 is the least I would try for.

Not much info at that site, to be honest. Why not ask specific questions instead. :) For example...do you want an aggressive fish, solitary, able to live for life in your 29g or are you upgrading, if so when? Of the fish above, do you like the looks of all and would like one? How much are you...

NP at all. :) It's late right now but do a google search for serrasalmus sanchezi. same with elongatus and rhombeus. A quick help for you... sanchezi's can be kept in a 29g for life. rhombeus will need a 120g minimum when fully grown but that will take years and years, and you can get by...

I replied in your other thread but you didn't mention this in there. That's only because they are young right now and stay together for security. In probably 3 weeks they will feel more secure in their surroundings and each stake a territory. RBP's absolutely HATE each other. All pygo's do...

That's normal for red belly piranhas. They are extremely skittish fish. Usually, at 1" they are just coming into their skittish stage after being more brave in large groups when smaller. Sometimes they will get less shy when over 6" but not always and not usually, in fact. If you bought...

umm, I've never once said not to buy a heater or not to use one. Where did I say that? I said not to rely on them..meaning check them often and just because they have a thermostat that they DO fail, unlike people here that thikn it can't happen and tell people that, which could also cause deaths...

Exactly why I hate heaters and tried telling people in a thread last week not to rely on them "but they have a thermostat" I was told over and over... I've heard too many people losing fish over bad thermostats. Best case scenario is to get 2 heaters, both rated for HALF of your tank size. That...

To add...Yes, Tiger barbs do indeed sleep with their heads down.

Most native fish like cooler water than cichlids. Over time 80F can get to be hard on them but as far as compatability alone goes, it can work. It also depends on what cichlids, also. I've found bluegills and sunfish to be extremely aggresive in aquariums, which was a complete shock to me as...

Get some mesh or screen.

I buy almost exclusively online and have never had a problem. Just buy from a reputable dealer but you'd want to do that at a brick and mortar store also.

:lol: Yep, exactly the same here. My wife wouldn't have a clue on what to do and she won't stick her hand in the water so she wouldn't be worth training.