nmonks
A stroke of the brush does not guarantee art from
That probably wasn't wise. When a filter is switched off, water flow obviously stops, but so does the movement of oxygen through the biological media. The "good" bacteria die within an hour or so, depending on how far they are from oxygenated water (or air). So you need to keep filters running no matter what! Switch them off only for maintenance, and if you do need to switch them off for longer (like through a power cut) remove the biological media, place in a large shallow bowl or basin (a bit tupperware is ideal) and barely cover with water, so the sponges and ceramic noodles are wet but not far from the air. That should keep them alive indefinitely.
Some would debate whether Melafix helps at all, but shouldn't do any harm either.
There's no simple answer to this, but I recommend "a little but often" being the best approach. Offer two or three meals per day, but only tiny amounts. Per meal, a flake the size of its eye should be enough for most small fish. All food should be gone within 30 seconds, certainly a minute, and the fish should still be looking for more food. (Just the same as with us, if you leave the table feeling full, you've probably eaten too much to be healthy.) A well fed fish will not have a "knife edge" appearance when the fish is viewed from the front; the sides of the belly from that angle should be gently rounded outwards rather than inwards, so it looks curved like bowl rather than a knife. For things like mollies and other livebearers, you can easily avoid feeding problems by leaning on plant foods that the fish can nibble should it be hungry; Indian fern for example is ideal, and livebearer happily peck away at it, or algae that encrusts it, between meals.
Most cichlids don't want brackish water! Some do, to be sure, but most don't! So please check which species they have before you start adding salt. Indeed, salt can cause Malawi Bloat in African Rift Valley cichlids in particular if used constantly. My Brackish FAQ lists the main brackish water cichlids, so check that if you want (or just ask around here at TFF, there's special cichlid sections).
Good luck with your job hunting! Working at a pet store can be a lot of fun.pss: i might get a job at a local pet store since im unemployed since im finding a great interest in fish and helping people take care of em... thanks again man!
Cheers, Neale
