dumotel

Consider it a deal!! I'll write you very soon! Thanx lots Annie. U rock! :>

Nice to see u here too! :) Lol, you're right... I do have a life.. a *fish* life :lol Btw, my folks have a beach house at Rye... I'd love to see your fishies sometime :> Du

the other day I rang up an animal clinic for a question, and the receptionist literally knew more than the vet. The vet was *clueless*. She was even kind enough to offer assistance any way she could. Obviously she was a fish-keeper Yeppers, greater majority of vets are in the sux dept fishwise. I know it's frustrating, and funnily enough I called the vet's with a med query too. They are *so* not in the know about fish. Anyways, I agree with Cat though. Forums, especially friendly ones like this, and fish clubs help out way more than an ignorant vet would ever be capable of. Du

*THANK YOU* so much Cat!! I don't mean to sound mushy and stuff, but when people sit down and write that much for the benefit of a complete stranger, well I just think it's wonderful. I will try your method! Sounds like you've got it down pat :> Thanx again, and I hope lots of newcomers to the subject (and experienced folk) stumble on your post because it is terrific! Du

Hi again guys, Delta that was a cool post btw! Yesterday I fed him live baby brine shrimp for the first time. He went nuts over it. I tried feeding one at a time to make sure there wouldn't be a gazillion of these little guys swimming around and eventually dying off in there..but in the end I gave up counting... He didn't leave a trace. I kept feeding him for about 2 mins and he gobbled it all. I also feed him betta micro pellets from Wardley as well as frozen blood worms. Speaking of brine shrimp though, may I enquire as to how you guys feed them to your fishies? For example, how many would *you* give to one betta? The only thing Im not really keen on about the shrimps, (aside from feeling sorry for the poor buggers but also worried they might be disease carriers) is that it is a wasteful menu if you're only feeding very few fish. By this I mean that at least wherever I've been, they pack the shrimps in bags with way more than can be consumed before they die off in 2-3 days, even 4 days say. I wish they sold like smaller rations. I guess I should ask next time. Soz Im full of queries about this type of food.. Do you guys do anything particular to keep the BBS alive longer? (no, not talking about respirators :pp ) I read that they survive longer in salted water, but again how salty? Finally, how do you actually give the shrimp to your fish? Do you pick out victims ( :\ ) using any special utensil? I strained some into a sieve, rinsed them with tank water to get rid of the bag water they were in and used a syringe to place them in the tank. I'm sure you guys would employ an easier method so do tell Thankies once more, DuMotel

Sorry you've had such a bad run. I was practically inconsolable when I lost a little goldfish a short while back, but u know, even though it majorly sux they die that way, at least we learn something from it so the next fish has it better. I wish you well with the crew you have now. Du

Howdy leeves Um, that's a lot of salt! What water volume are you dosing? I certainly don't mean to alarm you, just curious. I think I read it's a 5ft, but that doesn't really tell me much because volume would vary depending on depth and width. What dosage advice did you follow? In anycase, depending on the strength of the solution, I'd be inclined to increase salinity over a period of days rather than hours. Just don't forget that whatever salt you put in will stay in. It doesn't evaporate out, so unless you do a water change, you're constantly increasing salinity. Perhaps you could consider giving your suspect fish quick salt dips in a separate container (obviously one that's not been exposed to detergents etc). Btw, you don't have to buy another fish tank as such in order to have a hospital tank. Maybe you could get a large tub like storage container, u know, those that look like gynormous lunch boxes? That's actually what I'm temporarily housing my fish in till I move house mid-year. It holds 70L which equates to around 17G(U.S). They are way way cheaper than a real tank. Granted, the optical treat isn't so great, but you would be using it as a quarantine/hospital tank not as a show case. Actually, in emergencies, even big clean buckets can be used as temporary housing... though I wouldn't be so inclined for hospital usage. That's only because it's difficult to monitor the fish in something non-transparent Anyways, I hope things are better for you and your finned friends! DuMotel

Hiya Caryl Yeps, he swims in and out of it. He took a liking to it from the first day. He does laze around just floating around sometimes, but for the most part, I guess I ended up with an active betta compared to most I just hope that's cuz he's happy and such. DuMotel

Lol, what are they? I have a Betta too, I think he totally rocks. I thought they don't like surface disturbance, but this guy seems to like messing around the bubbles his filter gives out. Alpha is in a 3.3G cycled tank all on his own. I put a ramshorn in there with him for a bit. He commenced playing soccer with it for a few mins then left it alone. I ended up taking the little snail out though. Popular view to keep Bettas on their own, since their fins are tempting targets for many, or the Betta in turn might be the aggressor given the particular tank-mate. I'm not sure what to do here. I want to give him company, but with such a small tank, not sure it would be so good. That, plus I'm not really sure what to put there with him. White clouds are peaceful enough, but they are pretty much a schooling fish from what I've read... so that limits how many can go in there. Also, they are so little that they might just become live food for Alpha. I also don't want to put anything in there that will race around the tank too much and drive him nuts. I don't know you guys, ppl reckon they are just fine on their own, but I can't see what's so great about being in a completely closed environment, albeit small, with nothing to do other than wait to be fed and swim around in circles.... It has to be boring for them. I have this (completely snag proof) old plastic shoe ornament in there which he swims in and out of, as well as a silk plant he can mess around in, but I think livening things up a tad wouldn't be bad. I just don't want to liven them up too much and kill him from stress. Sure they live in horrible pitiful amounts of water in the wild, is this by choice though? What do you guys reckon? Thankies, DuMotel

Thanks for the welcome! Intended to go to work today, as one does, but things happen... Lol can't say not going upset me any I took the opportunity to visit a cabinet maker. Next week sometime they will have a quote for me on a cabinet and hood for a tank with these dimensions : L 48" H 18" and 2 Width quotes, one based on 16" and one 14". They already build reptile enclosures for pet shops, so they might even be able to do the tank too. We'll see. I just find aquarium cabinets/hoods so expensive.. but at the same time one obviously needs a proper structure to support such tank weight. These cabinet makers know my dad, so with some luck this might work in my favour (lol or against hehe ) Anyways, I have till mid-year before I get the tank, so it doesn't hurt any to use the time to do a bit of shopping around. I just can't believe how much prices vary from store to store. It's like some just slap on whatever price they want. I found an air pump at this place for $45, they gave it to me for $40 (guess I smile great hehe ) and then at the next place I went to, the exact same pump was $53. Then there's stuff like test kits... I just can't believe how much prices vary from place to place. It seems I'll end up buying kits and such from one place, and other stuff from another. Then there's shops that completely and utterly trash a particular product, and others who swear by it. Each to his own I know, but it doesn't help the a beginner like me out much. What one places preaches as gospel, another denounces as downright Hades material. Oh well.. I'll just keep cross-referencing until I go nuts and then proceed to do my own thing too lol. Cheers for now :> DuMotel

These minnows are so cool! Went and got another today alas... I thought his eye looked a little different from the others when I saw him swimming around at the LFS, but he didn't look otherwise diseased. Anyways, took a stroll around the place and then went back to that particular tank with the attendant. Don't know where my brain was at the time but I just told him to pick me a smaller one which he promptly did. It ended up being the one with the problematic eye, something I discovered once I got home. His other eye is fine. The pupil looks much smaller than normal, almost like it's been divided in 2. Difficult to describe as usual unless u see it. Anyways, he sems to be doing well. I've been observing him for the past 4.5 hours that he's been with me. I'm not sure what to do though. Should I take him back to the store? The area surrounding the eye is not inflamed or anything, nor does the actual eye seem cloudy. It is definitely a deformity though. I guess it can serve to differentiate him from the other one since they are a spitting image of each other in colouration and size. If it is mechanical damage, then I will just keep him. I will try to nurse whatever is treatable. What I am concerned about is if he is diseased. I don't think I could cope with a fatality right now. There's no good timing for such things, but it would be especially rotten for me now. Bleh, decisions... DuMotel DuMotel

U must have clicked submit same time as I did on my previous post!! Ur right, this is a great place :> DuMotel

Thanks for the welcome! The fires got within 35kms if my calculations are correct... that's near enough for me. On one particular day, driving visibility was less than a kilometre. The air (or lack of) was bordering on asphyxiating I'd say. Yeah, snorkel only to visitors I like. Lol, would that make my feline friends instant catfish? DuMotel

Howdy everyone! Thought I'd do the right thing for once and post in here first before I start with other forums on the bbs... Anyways, I'm pretty new to the hobby but it's taken me by storm. I'm considering silicone-sealing the house and filling it with water. B.Y.O snorkel notice for visitors and such I only have 2 tanks for now, 1 x 3.3G with a handsome betta in it (Alpha), and a 17G temporary set-up housing 2 goldies not bigger than 2", 2 pearl danios, 2 zebras, 2 leopards, and 2 spotted minnows. They will all have a new home in the way of a 55-60G tank in a few months time. U know the way it goes.. funds are low and debts are high... Started off with 2 goldies in the 3.3G however a little research soon saw me shift them into the biggest temporary set-up I could get my hands on. Don't want to get a glass tank for now even if I could afford the one I want, as it will be a nightmare moving it in a few months time. Anyways, both tanks are cycled and doing pretty well. Alpha's tank cycled in less than 2 weeks thanks to seeding it well enough from the main tank. When I first started at Christmas, I thought I'd never see the ammonia/nitrite parameters hit zero once they peaked. Patience is a virtue I'm learning with this hobby Anyways, cheers for now. I'm off to read the board! DuMotel