Eggs Found In My Tank. Which Of My Tank Tenants Do They Belong To?

[Maxine-R]

Ok thankyou for the advice regarding snail eggs.
I have managed to separate any leaves or gravel etc with eggs on and have put them breeding trap to see what happens.
Because I have been told that snails can become a bit of a problem due to their number I felt it best to seperate them so that I can see how many (if any) of the eggs hatch as there is quite a few and I don't want too many.

Again I do understand that people are here to help and thier comments are ment as advice and not criticism.
I just thought I would answer all those comments in the most honest way.

I have obviously made the error of taking advice from shops (but at the time would have had no knowledge of this) but I now need to keep going with what I have. I feel as though I can not fix one fish's problem without affecting another fish which is why my decisions so far has been to no add salt. Not add more fish etc because I do not want to upset the balance of my tank any further. Aside from getting rid of certain fish (which I would feel bad about doing and so would rather not do) I don't see what more I can do.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

I just thought I would answer all those comments in the most honest way.

 
That's always the best way.

 

[Maxine-R]

I have obviously made the error of taking advice from shops (but at the time would have had no knowledge of this) but I now need to keep going with what I have. I feel as though I can not fix one fish's problem without affecting another fish which is why my decisions so far has been to no add salt. Not add more fish etc because I do not want to upset the balance of my tank any further. Aside from getting rid of certain fish (which I would feel bad about doing and so would rather not do as I took them on to look after) I don't see what more I can do

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"We do not mean to crititise you or your fishkeeping methods or knowledge, we are trying to help you with your fish tank stocking's health and wellbeing."
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I don't beleive that I have been doing this long enough to claim that I have any methods or knowledge. The only information I had to go on (before joining the site) is that of the shop's. Which is what has left me in the predicament I am currently in. I am not saying that I am blameless in all this. If I had looked online. Joined this site first all this could have been avoided. But I had no idea that the info the shop's were giving me would lead to all my current stocking problems.

 

[Byron]

Stores may or may not have knowledgeable staff, so until you find a fish store owned and (or at least) staffed by hobbyists who have the knowledge, it is best to question any advice.  By this I do not mean question the store, I mean research.  The one true advantage of a forum is that any advice given by one member is seen by other members and can be questioned/confirmed/refuted.  Sort of like "peer review" in science.
 
My main area of interest and research in this hobby, which has been my prime activity for more than 20 years, is the habitat and behaviours of fish.  I will always point out what I see, in the hopes of helping the aquarist to provide the healthiest and best environment for the fish.  It is not always easy to see when fish are in trouble; stress occurs from so many sources, and may only becomes obvious to us when it becomes severe, and by then the internal damage is usually permanent.  When fish just "die for no reason" as one frequently reads, it can very often be linked back to the environment.  And by environment I mean the tank size, water parameters, decor, numbers and other fish species.  Fish are forced into whatever environment we decide to give them, and they often cannot "tell us" they are having trouble.
 
I cannot offer much on the present situation as it has serious issues that several have pointed out.
 
Byron.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Hi Maxine-
 
First off, at some time, every single one of us on this site was in the same position as you are. So do not let any of this bother you. Next, the internet is full of "information" a lot of which is just plain wrong. This is especially true when it come to fish keeping. In order to learn, we need to have accurate information we can trust. This means the first step is to learn where the good information is. And that is one are in which a site such as this can help.
 
It took me a few years before i began to know where to go for information. I, as well as others here, are willing to share this info. What folks are trying to do is share what they know.
 
To this end let me offer you three sites where you can almost always find reliable information about various fw fish:
Seriouslyfish.com, Mongabay.com and Badmanstropicalfish.com. Usually, the easiest way to get needed info from any of these sites is to Google "the latin name of the fish + seriously or Mongabay or Badman's"
 
Next, you can find good articles on sites like wetwebmedia, which has this re mollies which may help you. You might want to read the section To salt, or not to salt, that is the question!" http/www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/mollies.htm
 
When it comes to information, know the source and you will be OK more often than not.

 

[Maxine-R]

I have read the article.

I can now see that the salt is beneficial but isn't a definite requirement with mollies.

Although the idea of adding salt is appealing .... I can't do it can I?
The Tetras can't tolarate it can they? And what about Pleco and snail?

Also I don't recall seeing anything about space requirements for Mollies. Or have I missed it?

The article mentions that Mollies like more vegi type diets. It mensions corgette as a good treat for them. Do you know of anything else i.e. cucumber lettuce etc that would be good for them?

 

[guppiegirlie]

My platys love cucumber! I put it in for my snails but the platys and neons went mad for it!

Also my father keeps mollys in his tank and they thrive, its a normal tropical set up no salt not brackish and they do just fine

 

[Maxine-R]

If cucumber is good for platys does that mean that it would serve as a good source of food for mollies?

How do I put the cucumber in? Just in slices so it floats or in chunks?

How big is your father's tank and how many Mollies does he have? Does he have just Mollies or does he have others in with them too?

 

[Maxine-R]

My platys love cucumber! I put it in for my snails but the platys and neons went mad for it!

Also my father keeps mollys in his tank and they thrive, its a normal tropical set up no salt not brackish and they do just fine

 

[eaglesaquarium]

If cucumber is good for platys does that mean that it would serve as a good source of food for mollies?

How do I put the cucumber in? Just in slices so it floats or in chunks?

How big is your father's tank and how many Mollies does he have? Does he have just Mollies or does he have others in with them too?

 
Mollies are grazers and need more vegetative matter than meaty food.  Tiny chunks would be best.

 

[Maxine-R]

Ok. Do I just chop them up and put them straight in or do I need to boil them or something first?

Would the cucumber serve as a good vegi supply for the mollies? If so how often should I feed it to them?

 

[guppiegirlie]

I just pop a slice in with a weight to weigh it down but don't leave it in any longer than a day or so, it starts to break down and can get a bit gooey, but I'm sure your mollies would appreciate it

My father's tank is a big one, it's 300l, hw has four mollies, two lyre tail, two dalmatian, he also has 10 glo lights, 12red eye tetras, 4bolivian rams, 2 dwarf gourami, black bar endlers, I can't tell you how many as they breed like mad! 10 hatchet fish, a young bristle nose plec, 8 corydoras and 3 humongous apple snails!

I tend to agree yours could do with a bigger tank but just keep doing as you're doing, they should be just fine

 

[Maxine-R]

Also what about lettuce?

Would that be good to use too?

Wow your dad's tank sounds cool ... and massive

I hope my Mollies will be ok. I know they could do with more space but its just not possible for me to give them that at the moment. I only have two Mollies. I love them dearly and they are my favourites in the tank (i know I shouldn have favourites but I do ) so i m hoping that if i keep my water quality good and feed them correctly that they will be ok.

 

[guppiegirlie]

I don't boil it its nice and soft so can go in as it is, I also pop a mushed, shelled pea in every now and again (from a pea pod or a defrosted frozen one) as, I've read, it can help with their digestion

I also pop carrot ans spinach in sometimes, again just as it is washed obviously, as they like to nibble at that too, its also handy if you get a bit overrun with snails as they will all gather on it and, sounds awful but just throw them away, as too many can be a bit of a nuance

Also what about lettuce?

Would that be good to use too?

I've never tried lettuce, but I've heard people popping it in their tanks, it's kind of trial and error.

You will soon find out what your fish like and what they don't really bother with
Lol I have my favourites too, I've not long ago added four beautiful german blue rams they're just gorgeous!

And dad's tank is cool and very big lol I'd love one so big if only I had the space (and the funds, it certainly wasn't cheap!!)

Good luck with your little lovelies, you will have to keep us updated on how you get on with their veggie treats

 

[Maxine-R]

I will.

If your dad has any advice on things I can do to keep my Mollies happy I'd be glad to hear about it. I just have to be mindful of my other tank tenants.