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Try an otocinclus algae eater to keep that tank clean! Regards, Artuk

Could you keep a portion of the old gravel in a nylong stocking or some such and leave it in the new tank for a while until the new gravel has a good bacteria poulation? It would be ugly.. but might make transition easier if it would work. Regards, Artuk

I have found water level has a big impact on penguin splasing and noise. If I keep the water level of the tank close to the lip of the filter it is relatively quiet and doest splash. Regards, Artuk

I use a little dixie cup and defrost the cube in warm water making a sort of shrimp stew. I then pour in a little at a time in waves. That way it doesnt all sink and the slower fish get a chance to realize whats going on. Once I see the fish starting to let stuff hit bottom I stop. Because I...

We just recently got the "Mardel Master Test Kit 50 Tests" test strips. We like these a lot. They are easier to read, very comprehensive, quick, and safe. With kids in the house the chemicals used in the liquid tests are a concern and was the original motivating factor in making the switch from...

Mine have not been aggressive toward the other fish that we have ever seen, at least not yet. Regards, Artuk

Mine will hit the flakes, but spit them out. What does work for us is frozen brine shrimp. I slice up the cubes of it with a razor blade to make smaller pieces and defrost it in a small cup with warm water. I then pour in a little of the "soup" at a time. The pieces move around in the filter...

I have one oto and he has done a great job keeping my 10g clean. He does have spots he wont do. Certain plants and decorations he just wont clean, while others and the tank sides he cleans aggresively. From what I have read, making sure they have enough to eat can be a problem if you have too...

Hi, All the fish in my tank listed below have done well together. I usually have 2 cory cats, one recently got an infection and died. We will be replacing him as soon as we are sure we got rid of the problem. More smaller fish are more fun in a 10g then fewer larger fish, IMHO. I am relatively...

We have had a couple of bumblebees for a while now. We experimented with different foods, but found that while they would hit the flakes and pellets, they would spit it out. What ended up working very nicely for all the fish in the tank is frozen brine shrimp. My fish are all small, including...

There was a thread on this here just a few days ago http://fish.orbust.net/forums/index.php?sh...showtopic=36457 I like using test strips vs liquid tests. They are safer, quicker, and easier, especially in a household with kids. However, the liquid tests are cheaper. We use the Mardel strips...

Besides the trance like quality of fish watching, I mostly did this to have a hobby I could share with my girlfriend. We have a lot of fun working on it together, and gives her a focus for her during the gardening off-season. We are hooked now, and plan to get a larger tank in the fall when the...

My girlfriend felt that if I missed a piece of carbon it might be enough to ruin the effect of the medicine. It became something of an issue, so I let it go and we are doing without a filter. I will test the water daily in the meantime. All those are excellent ideas. I have been thinking about...

We had been using Aquarium Pharmaceuticals liquid tests. We found that the colors were hard to compare to the kits, and the dangerous chemicals were a concern with kids in the household. We just recently got the "Mardel Master Test Kit 50 Tests" test strips. We like these a lot. They are easier...

Thanks. Taking the carbon out was something I was thinking of doing. My girlfriend called the 1-800 number on the meds and they said the fish would be ok without filtration during the time we had them on the meds, we just needed to watch ammonia levels. Personally, I am dubious, I would prefer...

Hi, I have added some parasite medicine to the tank. The directions say to remove the carbon while I am using it. I have a penguin mini-filter so my filter is a cartridge with both carbon and foam. How long can my fish do without filtration? The tank is still cycling water and getting aerated...

We have just been leaving the water out over night which has two benefits to our frigid well water: 1) Brings it up to about 70-75 degrees depending on ambient temp in the house 2) Gives that underground water time to breathe Having said that we dont always follow that procedure. A few...

Thanks. The other Cory really didnt seem well, but since they are social fish we decided to take a change and get another one. As soon as we added the second one to the tank he perked right up. It was really pretty dramatic. I guess he was just lonely. Anyhow.. still no idea what happened to...

Hi, The other day we lost our cory catfish. It had a large discolored lumpy area on one side. There was some sort of red infected area visible inside him. His symptoms seemed to match those of Dropsy, although we could see no visible reason. He was showing a lot less activity then usual. He...

My tank contents is listed below, everyone in my little tank gets along great with the five danios. Regards, Artuk

We have a single Otocinclus in a 10g tank and he keeps it spotless. There have been a few things he wont clean, and we removed those things, and now everything is good. We only need to clean the very top of the tank where there isn't water that he can't get to. Very peaceful with our other...

I have a pair of bumblebees the gf brought hom.. they will eat frozen stuff, especially brine shrimp although they have trouble choking down the big pieces. I have seen them hit the flakes, but they always spit it out. I have seen them eat some of the pellet food.. but not reliably. I dont feed...

I was planning on mixing the salt & water in a bucket marked off in gallons for that purpose when I do partial water changes. I suppose to keep salinity correct one would need to top off after evaporation, THEN do the water change. Really, I am just getting info on what costs would be beyond...

Hi, I have some sea shells in our 10g for decoration. How does it raise the water hardness? We hadnt thought they would be an issue after being completely washed. Regards, Artuk

Hi, When I suggested we try salt water for our next tank, my gf pointed out how much the salt costs at the pet store and how much we would need to spend monthly on just that (presuming a 55-75 gal tank). Are there less expensive sources then what looks like will be a $20-$30 /mo salt cost at...

Thanks for the info! Regards, Artuk

Hi, Currently, my tank is at my gf house. This is great, we share the hobby, but leaves me feeling like I am missing out when I am at my home where I work. I was thinking it would be very very cool to get a very small three gallon eclipse tank and try putting in some plants, some snails, and a...

Hi, I have well water which is very cold and, I worry, perhaps not as rich in oxygen as it could be. So, the day before a change, I leave the water in a bucket with a loose cover over night that I have just for that purpose. This brings the water to room temperature and helps to expose it to...

Thanks for the responses. I have to admit, as I modified my sig to incorporate our latest additions, I realize we do have quite a lot of fish now, and was having second thoughts. I have to keep in mind that the small guppies and gobies wont be that small forever. The Danios all seem to have...

Hi, We are pretty happy with the tank as we have it stocked below, but we feel that our set-up can handle one more fish since we have chosen small fish. We would like to get something a little larger and a little more colorful then what we have, but not something that will disrupt what has been...

We really like our Zebras, so active and playful. They are especially fun for children who may get tired of "pretty" but never get tired of "fun". It definitely seemed like the happy level in the tank increased when we went from 2 to 5 Danios. We had two to cycle.. although I think I was...

This is something I have been considering, less because I want to remove the gravel as I want to deepen it. We just didnt start with enough gravel. We have a bed of what seems to be fairly largish blue aquarium gravel. I would like to put sand over it to provide a softer bottom my Otocinclus...

I definitely used that for my "bigger tank agenda". Although I want a very large salt water for myself, I think maybe a mid sized 30-40 freshwater could be in the near future. The info in that link was interesting, I had no idea they ate plants. I definitely want to have lots of live plants in...

Thanks for the info.. its exactly because of the kid that I am going to go to the test strips. Regards, Artuk

Thanks! Regards, Artuk

Hi, My girlfriend wants to get a pair of kissing gouramis for our 10g community tank which has some zebra danios, neon tetras, and occo.. err.. small catfish thing. I think she is nuts. Is she? Everything I read says "bad idea" but figured I would run it by here before I tell her no which is...

I got the liquid test kits but discovered that my girlfriend had a serious aversion to the chemicals involved.. and it has become cumbersome to find some way I can do this without getting in trouble. I plan to go out and get some test strips just because, while less accuarate, I can use them...

This has become a popular activity for me and the girlfriend. We sit in her son's room watching the fish while he plays as bed-time nears. It has worked out great for all of us. Artuk

We added Long Tailed Zebra Danios to a new 10g tank. Not as colorful as some, but they seem hardy and they are very very active. After watching them a while I have come to appreciate their own special beauty. This has made them ideal for being in my girlfriend's son's room. We all enjoy watching...

I added three neon tetras to a small tank where I previously just had Zebra Danios for cycling and two died over the course of the first week. I put them in because of the desire of my gf to see some fish she had as a girl. I think I just put too much load into a new tank which hadnt really...