Search results

a couple of mine have the same thing, and it doesn't seem to present any problems to them. Usually clears up on it's own, provided the water quality is good. Ian.

Hi. Unfortunately I don't really know anything about the other fish you mention. I keep Cockatoo Cichlids, so I know a little about them. ;) I would suggest being careful mixing types of cichlids though, as you can find yourself with a whole tank of agression. I believe Rams can be quite a...

Hi Chooklet. I'm afraid patience is the name of the game here. It should take about 10 days from eggs to free swimming, but even then you might not see them for several more days. When he starts coming back out to feed, then is the time to be on the lookout. There is no need to feed anything...

The 'dwarf cockatoo' will grow to somewhere between 5 and 9 ish cm. Varies from one fish to another. Some stay smaller, some bigger. Just like people. :D Ian.

Oh, and the correct species name is Cacatuoides (cack-a-toy-dees). Of course Cockatoo is just fine. :D Ian.

What sort of stuff do you want to know? They live happily in almost any type of water, hard or soft, ph anywhere between 6 and 7.5, possibly more. The size of your tank will determine the number of females you can get. Each female will require roughly one square foot of territory, and one or...

Apistogramma is I think the Genus. The species would be, for instance, Cacatuoides. Very easy to breed, but you will need somewhere to grow the fry out. Personally I wouldn't keep more than a pair in a tank that size. The male will not try and kill the female. It is more likely to happen the...

Ken, I'm really sorry to tell you this, but you shouldn't of removed the blue plastic. I installed my own last weekend, and my instructions stated that you must not do that, as it's part of te membrane. Maybe worth getting in touch with the supplier and explaining the situation, because you...

If they are white, they are unfertilized, and will most likely be eaten. They should be orange if they are fertile.

That sounds just fine to me. The only differnece between that and what I do (I have half a dozen coconut caves) is I don't boil, and I let them dry after soaking. HTH. Ian.

My Balas chase one another often, but there is never any harm, especially not to other fish. As The really sensible option, is that if you can't afford the money or space for them, don't get them. Nobody gets a Great Dane dog and suggests that a small flat is suitable for it. Why should fish...

And adult silver sharks require acres of space. The more enclosed their quarters, the more prone they are to skitish behaviour. IMHO, adult silver sharks need upwards of 10 feet in tank length!!!!!!

Having kept Bala's for a number of years, I would say you should add another two. They are a schooling fish, and do very well with company. They become much less skittish, and a lot calmer when they have company of their own kind. HOWEVER, one Bala or three Balas, you are gonna have to upgrade...

What temp is your tank? Mine breed constantly at about 25-26 degrees C, but anything above that seems to put them off. Also, do you have somewhere they can nest? The male usually makes the nest under a piece of bogwood, or in some sort of cave. A small plantpot on it's side is often good, or a...

Apistos would be ok at that temp (although some species like it a bit cooler than that), but they are not scavengers, and need to be fed properly and carefully. Much the same as your Discus as far as I can tell. They are very fussy about their food, and some of mine won;t even touch flake. If...

Does it look like any of these? If so, then they are Apistogramma Inca50. If they look similar, but without the very high dorsal fin, then they are likely Apistogramma Panduro. If you can get or find pictures, then I'm sure I can help. Ian.

That is a gorgeous tank. Well done on that one. I inject co2 into both of my Apisto tanks, and there are no problems at all. That said though, I do keep these tanks very sparsely populated, but I know of plenty of Apisto keepers who inject co2. Cheers. Ian.

Cal. If you add a male, you can almost guarantee that there will be baby bistlenoses before too long. You need to be sure you can deal with that correctly before adding a male. Chooklet, Hang in there. You have added your male to a female with an existing territory. Mine took a while to get...

Lovely looking fish Sue, and good photos too. Esp like the Apisto (of course) :D Ian.

That all sounds fine to me. Balas are really quite sensitive to nitrAte, but I don't think 20ppm is too much for them. Mine stays below 5 these days. If I was you, I'd leave it two weeks, and keep a watch on it daily. You should start to see it improve. My rescue fish is showing improvement...

I have the same on two of my tanks, and I have been informed it is a form of blue green algae. It feeds on excess protein in the water. The only way I was able to get rid of it in an older tank, was to use a bubblestone to unsure the surface tension was broken up. The algae is not harmful to...

I've just added another Bala to my tank, who has the same problem. He's a rescue fish. I've seen it before, and it usually seems to clear up on it's own. Normally when I've seen it it's due to water quality problems. What are your Ammonia/nitrIte/nitrAte readings. Ian.

Plants will also consume Ammonia, and in some cases nitrItes as well, meaning there is not so much for the bacteria to consume, and turn into nitrAte. However, you need correct lighting, and fertilisation for this to be effective. Any amount of plants will help in some small way, though I...

Pretty cool? That's over 25 C. That's a good summer temp here in Blighty. I keep my house at no more than 70, usually more like 65. Your tank water probably won't drop below the temperature of the room, unless you do something to cool it. Your tank will cool to 'room temp' and stay there. And...

I don't think the size thing will be an issue. He will get to be bigger than her eventually anyway. You will need to provide somewhere for them to spawn in the form of a cave of some sort. That can be a piece of plastic pipe, a piece of hollow bogwood, or anything like that. After the female...

Tell me about it !!!! I spent a weeks holiday and God alone knows how much money digging and building a pond for my goldfish when they got too big for their tank. I even got Tennis Elbow (a form of RSI) for my trouble. And what happens, a bloody heron eats all of the fish before I have chance...

If you have a look through this section, you should find the answers to all your questions. :P Ian.

Yes, Bristlenoses will get to around 6 inches or so. As for the breeding, they will not eat their own eggs, and are very good parents. Well to be acurate, the father is a very good parent, the mother lays the eggs and abandons them. The father then looks after the eggs, and raises the young...

My Balas always have scraps, and scales missing. Doesn't seem to do them any harm. Just keep the water clean, and she should be fine. Ian.

Itty Bitty Betta. Without wishing to come across as being patronising.... I wish everyone would put this much effort into finding out if they can keep the fish they want or not. And you seem to be listening as well, and taking on board peoples comments. Nicely done. :thumbs: Ian.

How long? I've just had to buy a five foot tank to keep mine in growing and swimming space. Thats 60 inches. And that will need upgrading in 18 months or so as well!!

Having recently set up a similar tank, I will say South American Dwarf Cichlids, specifically Apistogramma. A species such as Cacatuoides is reasonably robust, and if the water is kept in first rate condition, they will spawn and spawn and spawn....... Of course you could only keep a max of...

If by 'naturally high PH' you mean above 7, then this is not suitable water for South American Cichlids. THey come from acidic water with a oh of less than 7, and in some cases as low as 4.5! IIRC some types of African Cichlids would do well in high ph water. Ian.

Is that 80 inches long? As in six and a half feet? If so, have you thought about clown loaches? I know they are not what everyone might think of as shoaling, but they will swim together all the time. My five are almost never apart, and since they got over their new habitat, they never stop...

Congrats. Basically they need to be big enough not to fit in the mouth of the largest fish in there. The Father will take very good care of them though. Keep watching, and when they are big enough, he will take them out and chaperone them around the tank. Really cool to watch. Ian.

I've never had a problem with the size of different clowns. Usually the larger one will act like some sort of chaperone, or father figure. Aggression in that situation is rare as far as I am aware. Watch out for Ich though. Ian. Edit - It's a splendid idea if you have space for them. As many...

Count me in..... :beer: :drink: I'll go anywhere for a few drinks. And I have friends all up an down the country so I should be able to find some where to stay. So when and where then? :D Ian.

I think a very short memory would be a really poor survival trait, and would of lead to either no fish at all, or all fish would be poisonous or something. (IMHO). Any fish that survives an experience with a predator will have no desire to repeat it, and so shy away from the predator in future...

I've read that they will live to be 10 years as well. I'm pretty sure that in 10 years I still won't know how many I have either. :D

I actually think a tank looks better with the yellow tinge, than it does completely clear. Just don't think clear looks right somehow. Ian.