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VISITOR'S QUESTIONSA page of questions that have been sent to me by visitors to my web site...1 I've had an aquarium bought me as a present, it's measurements are: 24 x 15 x 12 inches Can you tell me how to work
out how much water it holds? 2 In a couple of month’s
time I will be moving house. What is the best way to transport the fish/tank
to my new home without causing more stress to them? 3 I transferred three fish from a fifteen-gallon tank to an eighty-gallon tank. The eighty-gallon tank was cycled using feeder fish, which survived the cycling process. After I transferred the three fishes, within twenty-four hours, every fish in the tank was dead. We removed the gravel, cleaned everything and bought more feeder fish. They didn’t survive twelve hours. pH is 7.2, no ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate. At one point we had living plants, but the fish ate, and made a mess of them, so we removed the plants. Is there a test for Hydrogen sulphide? Plant debris is still present, and sticking to the intake valve, even though we’ve repeatedly cleaned them off, and net the floating debris. We did not replace the water when the other fish died. I’m wondering if that’s our only choice. Is there a fish disease that is so deadly it would
survive in an empty aquarium for several days, only to kill the newcomers
within hours? The tank water is cloudy, it actually looks muddy, but
I was told that was due to the use of Proper pH . Any Light you might
be able to shed on this would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for
your web site, it’s the first time I’ve seen anything about Hydrogen
sulphide. Now I’m grasping at straws, trying to figure out what killed
our fish, after they survived the cycling process. 4 I have recently bought
a fairly large tank that is now well established and purchased some
sunset Platies. After a recent water change my daughter came up to me
and said dad there is something swimming around in the toilet, as this
was where I had poured the water. Well it transpired that one of the
females had unbeknown to me give birth. Could you please tell me how
to spot a pregnant platy to enable me to avoid doing this again? 5 I have owned tropical
fish for about two years and I really want to start to breed some of
my fish. To be more specific I want to breed my cherry barbs. Can you
please give me some tips, advice or info on how I can accomplish my
goal. 6 I am inquiring something
about your webpage that I have read about. I am having a fungus attack
in my cichlid tank and would like to try your method of curing it .
Phenoxethol . Now my question is, where can you purchase this? I have
looked everywhere, stores and internet and I can 't seem to locate a
person that is selling this. 7 I am one of the newbies
and was interested in knowing the value of real plants versus artificial
ones? Also, what are the negative aspects of artificial plants and real
plants in a aquarium? 8 I read your article on adjusting pH in freshwater aquariums on your website. I have a 30 gallon tank with beautiful live plants that are thriving, but the pH is around 8.0 and I am wanting to lower it because I have several species of Tetras that require a pH of 6.5. I bought Proper pH (before reading your article) and
I am in the process of softening the water before adding this product;
HOWEVER, I read in the instructions not to use Proper pH if you have
live plants. Any suggestions to how to lower the pH without harming
the plants? Any advise would be greatly appreciated! 9 I am a teacher with
an aquarium at school. I have a zebra danio that has a HUGE belly. The
kids want to know when it's going to lay eggs. The fishes belly started
to get noticeably bigger in June and it just keeps getting bigger and
bigger. Is it loaded with eggs or a tumour? 10 Thanks for the wonderful
article on water quality and its problems. It's a lot to absorb and
probably requires reading over and over to get it; especially if one
didn't take chemistry in school. I'm trying to understand the nitrogen cycle, have the test kits and test regularly. My aquarium has been up and running now going into its second week, I've done two 20% water changes, conditioning the water, etc. I'm not sure when to expect the nitrogen cycle to be completed, will it take 4-6 weeks? In the meantime I do have one male betta and cory catfish. They seem to be doing well, at least from my perspective, anxious to eat, and seem content in their environment. I have tried really keeping the eating under control as I know that can be a problem for us "new folks". I've noticed the ammonia level starting to rise to levels that I assume is stressful for the fish. Am I to expect these levels will climb and then start to fall and that nitrites, I think be converted from the ammonia to nitrates (I might have these backwards). I do have to say that my pH tends to be 7.6 and I believe I read that it may have to do with one's tap water and that to truly test tap water, one should let it set for a couple of hours and then test the pH . Does it sound like the nitrogen cycle is beginning to happen? The reason I ask this is because my daughter has a 20 gallon tank started one week before mine and her ammonia levels are nearly non- existent and she has four fish. I guess I'm wondering if there's a time limit that I should look for these ammonia levels to be rising and then falling. I also assume it won't be like overnight or 1-2 days but maybe longer? Also, am I to begin cleaning the substrate or gravel, won't that remove the bacteria? Or is the good bacteria growing in the filter and I need not worry too much about removing the good bacteria by cleaning the gravel. How often would one clean the sides for algae and debris? My last question, though I'll probably have more for you, if I hadn't put any fish in the aquarium, would it have gone through this nitrogen cycle, quicker, at the same rate, or slower or would it have done this at all? If you could kindly pass along any information you
have would be much appreciated and if you know of any good books especially
one that covers "everything" for the beginner aquarist, I'd be very
appreciative. 11 I set up a 90 gal
freshwater aquarium and have had cloudy water since the first week.
It has been running for almost 2 month now. No levels of ammonia or
nitrites are detected although I have to keep on Top of the pH levels.
We are being careful to not overfeed. I use an external fluval filter.
I am getting frustrated. Any suggestions at all at this time would be
most appreciated. 12 it seems to be the "algae bloom" you had thought it might not be and I had hoped not too as I don't seem to be able to do anything right. Is there a way of fixing this? I have added Green-x phosphate remover as the last medium in my fluval filter as the package instructed. I have also been changing about 1/2 the water every 4 days. I can almost see to the back of the tank. Should I been cleaning all of the filters? I don't
want to kill my good bacteria by cleaning these too much. So far the
ammonia and nitrites are still at bay, the only thing I have trouble
keeping up is the pH , seems to want to stay around 6.5. Please let
me know if you have any tips on my first ever algae bloom. I appreciate
your time. 13 Excellent site. The
information provided is fantastic. I do have a few questions can you
answer me? My Platies and Guppies died pregnant, I opened them up to
find that they were almost ready to deliver the fry, what could be the
reason. I have a tank 24" x 24" x 15". 14 Your advice has been very helpful. So I am coming back to you with a few more questions. Incidentally I have more than 250 Fry consisting of Red Sail Fin Mollies and Guppies. The problem or doubt I have now is that I have 2 Swordtails for delivery. I have isolated them from the main tank and kept them separately. They have enlarged bellies and the gravid spot is also
very clearly visible. They have been kept separately for more 10 days
now and still no sign of the fry. Is there a reason why these females
are not delivering the fry or is it normal for them to take so much
time. 15 Thank you for your
help. I would like your advice on another issue I am facing. My tank
water keeps getting dirty within a week. I have a underwater gravel
filter and also a normal filter. Also there is a air pump for oxygen
supply. Why do you think does the water get dirty so soon? I feed my
fish with pellets and blood worms (frozen) twice a day. 16 I have a 30 gallon tank that I am in the process of seasoning .The water was 7.0 pH by using the product "proper pH 7.0. After the water had cycled for over a week, I added 12 feeder fish. All fish are still living, water looks good, and we are on week no. 3. I was wanting to add a fish or two from the smaller tank (2yrs old, and a pH of 6.8) I Checked the pH of the new tank and it has gone up to above 7.0 maybe even 7.8. My question is this: What do I do to get the pH down
safely now that the feeder fish are in) and lock it in? The first week
I set up the water, I did the " pH down", by adding two drops to 1 gallon
and it never even registered close to 7.0. I finally got the proper
pH granules and it brought it down only to jump back up to the original
pH of close to 8. Any suggestions? 17 Could you help me
solve my problem. I have a guppy tank, with about 2 inches of plants
floating. 2 of my females that just gave birth cant swim right, they
are head up and tail down and wiggle, is this from the males being in
the same tank. 18 Your site is a blessing.
I am beginning to expand in fishkeeping from a 2-gallon beautifully
successful beta/others tank to setting up a 29-gallon cichlid tank.
I have been fond of these fish for a while. Do you have a "blueprint"
suggestion for my endeavour (powerheads vs. undergravel filters, etc.
- pro and con)? I am looking at a Stonehenge feel with beautiful, long
plants. Thanks! - Claudia Weier 19 I recently introduced
2 Hypostomus to my 15-gal tank--one died in a few days and now all my
fish are affected by what looks like white spot. (Yeah, I should have
quarantined the newcomers.) I purchased a product called Mardel (Maracide)
which was supposed to come w/literature but did not (noted this when
I got home). Active ingredients: malachite green, chitosan. I treated
the fish anyway--3 capfuls. The fish do not look good; don't have any
info on re-treatment, or if I should--and when. Do you have any info
on this product and any advice. Much appreciated, I've had these fish
for 12 years! Thanks 20 As the water in my
fish tank had become cloudy, I decided to change it. I refilled the
whole tank with tap water. after putting the fish back in fish tank
they began behaving abnormally and the next day four diamond angels
died. what caused it to happen? 21 Can a ceramic C0
2 atomizer be used with a DIY C0 2 system? If
it can't can I replace the ceramic plug with something else???? Please
let me know. 22 Your site is full
of very helpful information!! I'm trying to learn a little about the
behaviour of a pregnant "Dalmatian" molly. She's obviously VERY pregnant,
but she seems a little sluggish and isn't eating very much .is this
normal?? We have a small aquarium and have her in a breeder tank-do
you think maybe she's getting ready to deliver?? I have no way of knowing
how far along she is because she's a new fish. Any ideas?? 23 Can you keep tropical
fish in cold water? 24 I am having problems with by catfish, specifically albino cory's, which are the most common catfish sold in my local pet shops. I have a 12 gallon Eclipse tank. The temperature is 75 to 78 degrees F and the pH range is between 7.0 and 7.5. I do a partial water change at least every 7 to 8 days with a water conditioner; change the filter frequently and I use Cycle, to keep my biowheel in healthy condition. I test the water for ammonia frequently, and the gravel is kept very clean and free of rotting debris. I have occasionally had live plants in the tank, but keep them trimmed and free of rotting leaves, and I use an aeration system although it is usually not called for in the Eclipse system. I have a community tank of Tetras: Cardinals, Bleeding Hearts, White Ghosts, a Serpae. All are healthy except my cory's. I purchase the cory's as pairs. After anywhere from two to three months of what appears to be good health and great activity, one of them will appear to have problems staying put on the gravel. It gets pushed around by the currents and seems to float upward without control. After about a week of this behavior, it will usually hide under a plant to keep away from the currents. It continues to eat and move about from time to time
but the swimming slowly becomes uncoordinated. At the end, it can only
spiral upward or roll, with the current, along the bottom. The pattern
is always the same and although only one fish exhibits this behavior
first, the second succumbs to the same problem within weeks of the first
one’s death. I am a total loss as to what is happening with these particular
fish! And they are my favorites! 25 I set up a 50 gallon
aquarium using a combination of "store bought" gravel and small rocks
I picked up on our lake shores. I cleaned said rocks before placing
in the aquarium. Initially the water clarity was perfect but after cleaning
the gravel the first time -- my water is cloudy and will not clear up.
I have tried various commercial products to clear this problem & changed
25% of the water to no avail. Could these "river rocks" be causing the
problem ? They are not limestone or chalk type ---- just plain ole hard
rocks. 26 I have a new tank which is almost cycled. My tap water is 7.4-7.6 and a hardness of about 180ppm. I wanted to lower it to about 7.0 so I can keep as variety of fish. I had read that lowering the pH often doesn't work because of the buffering of the hardness. Soft I was sold a product called Tank Soft which indeed lowered the hardness and pH . Within hours the pH is back to 7.6 and then even increase to above 8.0 I have done this several times as I change my water and treat the replacement water. I even tried treating tap water and leaving it sit and then check it again. The pH also rises, so its not just due to something in the tank. How can the pH rise above the level it was when I put
it in the tank?? The product Tank Soft even claims to prevent pH rebound.
I have read some of the other comments on your site and seems I am not
alone in this problem. Should I just give up. Should I try a different
product, or could I use different water? Please help! 27 After having an illness
in our 29 gallon tank our local fish guy told us to do a total water
change replace rocks and plants. We did this .using bottled water with
perfect pH . Well the tank is cloudy. pH is high .ammonia is high. Have
used ammonia lock changed it a little bit. Did a partial water change
.did nothing. Used pH down .did nothing. Help me please. I don't know
what else to do. 28 I received a 55 gal
tank for my birthday, we set it up on sat may 4th it appeared cloudy
so I got some bright and clear. Nothing so I took a sample of water
to the pet store she said my pH was high, so she gave me a water softener
pillow, pH 7.0 and some salt the water cleared, but now I seem to have
a brownish tint. is that from the softener or pH stuff I put in ammonia
and nitrate is fine pH test is darker blue that 7.6..i did a high pH
test and it came out 7.4 it looks clear except for this tint is it safe
to put fish in any info would be great 29 I'm getting ready
to get back into the fresh water fish hobby and I was reading your helpful
tips on the website. I have one question though what's a condensation
tray ? 30 I need to know if
these thin, light in color leeches are dangerous to my koi and goldfish
and how to get rid of? I have been netting them when I see them and
throwing them out. I have quite a few. 31 I have a 10-gallon
tank with two females and 1 male guppy. My tank looks awful empty and
I would like to get some friends for my guppies, what sort of fish should
I get? 32 I have a 10 gals. fish tank with two tetras, two mollies (1 male, 1 female) one dwarf Gourami and one suckermouth. Although the female molly has gotten fat and looks like it's pregnant, she hasn't given birth now for more than 3 months. My questions are:
I am pretty sure she hasn't given birth, she got bigger,
but never smaller. 33 I have a smelly fish tank that has just had a 33% water change about 3 weeks ago and now the water has a strange smell to it . smell much like urine to me ??????. Can you help me please. Many thanks from 34 Can you please assist me with the next problems My name is Tania, My husband and I set up a tank (1.8m x 600 x 600) quite a big one about a week ago. The fishes are in and everything keeps going right. The only problem is that we don't know: 1) How much fish we can put in the tank. We have fish like 1x Arowana, 2x Parrots, 1x Hi-Fin Pangasius, 1x Shovel Nose, 2x Normal Albino Pangasius, 1x Silver Dollar, 1x Clown Knife, 1x Plecostomus (cant think of the rest, not a lot more) But any, Can you tell me what is wrong that don't mix, and how much we can still put in. |
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