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Hi all, Despite swearing never to introduce fish without quarantine, I bought some BN's a week ago. On top of that we had a 5 hour power outage a few days later which resulted in a bit of filter die off and a small ammonia spike. We've also had a few colder than average nights, nothing that would worry them on a normal basis but on top of everything probably didn't help (heater wasn't on but I turned it one when the tank was risking dipping below 21) End result STRESS = outcome for the fish WHITE SPOT! I have some wonder cure but also know about turning temp up to 30 and adding aeration to try to break the life cycle. Question is will what will the fry handle best? They're about a month old (leopardfish). How about the young BN's? (I've never has any catfish before and don't know if they're sensitive to meds or high temps) I don't have a spare tank to treat them separately and its been too cold here to be successful without a heater lately so treating them in a plastic bin as I've done in the past doesn't seem a good option. What do you recommend?? Will start by turning the temp up by a degree or 2 before bed I guess, it's at 22 now which suits my group fine (wcmm, jordanellas, leopardfish and the new BNs). but will be a start towards getting to 30 if that's what you guys recommend. Hope to hear from you soon!!!!

phew! I can only imagine how relieved you are! Good call!!

Picture of adult female: http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/im ... ge_id=1315

What about something like ammo-lock? would that buy you some time and spare the fish a little? I know it screws with your test results but if it means the fish would be less stressed could it be an option? Is there a type of filter media that helps bind ammonia?

Do they need a bigger tank? How long has it gone on?

I doubt many beginners start with Aros though !! :lol: :lol:

too wierd! Fish can get tapeworms though? Do keep us posted.. so has she shrunk back to normal size then?

I wasn't keen on bristlenoses either...but the borneo suckers REALLY need to have a fast current to be happy. They also have very high oxygen requirements which might be hard to achieve on tanks with slower water flow. I intended to put my borneos in my bigger tank (less flow)... but then reading more about them I decided they wouldn't be happy. In less suitable tanks they spend alot of time hanging around the inlet apparently to get some current. And you end up never seeing them. So I bought the bristlenose just last weekend. They'll probably grow on me.. you know...kind of like 'they're so ugly is't cute??!! I asked about ottocinclus (that's what Caper has) and I was told by forum members that they aren't really hardy...and they still need 21'ish degrees to be safe. So.. if they're just meant to be housekeepers.. and you want an easy care fish .. maybe you can forgive the bristlenoses their looks (the gold ones are even worse I reckon!!) :roll: I bought 2 regular ones (very little ones) so I can't sex them but deep down I hope they're female so they don't develop so much nose gear !! Maybe you can buy one old enough to sex and make sure its female? Also the Borneo suckers don't techincally eat algae.. they do.. but they don't ...they're after the goodies that live in it.. so they end up cleaning it up.. but once you run out of algae, they need something other than algae tabs to feed them. Folks here recommended I feed them JBL Tabis...it's expensive and was another factor in not putting them in my bigger tank! Whoa - to think that all my regular fish would be dining on food that cost about the price of GOLD!!! No way! The bristlenoses can happily be fed pleco chips and algae discs etc and need some wood fibre either from driftwood, or formulated into their food (ie: pleco tabs have wood in them). Give in Resistance is futile :lol:

IHBR , I'd say given that yo've only been lurking - why don't you contribute in cases where you think thre's a possibility that something may be misleading to an unsuspecting newbie? :-? That's what we're all here for.. to learn and hopefully prevent future mistakes based on the experiences of others!!

Has the mysterious appendage gone??

Ok.. I'll do it... Happy Valentine's Day Hope you all treated your other half, husband/wife, girlfiends/boyfriends etc etc so well that you got showered with smooches and gifts :bounce: :bounce:

I bought borneo suckers and recently some bristlenose for my 'cold' tanks (different tanks) and because I know my house gets cold over winter I will have heaters in them to make sure they don't drop below 20-21. I suspect most coldwater fish will be pretty content at 20 and it just keeps it safe for the algae eaters. I was adamant when I started that I wouldn't bother with heaters but it just keeps my options open. The heater with the lowest temp range I could find was the new jaeger heaters (bought mine from petplanet.co.nz). I also have a juwel heater but that one I can't really get below 23 in a small tank so I'll have to move it to the bigger tank to compensate. But I feel comfortable that I won't have to worry about very cold nights...the heaters will only turn on when they need to so if yo uheat your house enough.. then they'll last you a very long time as they won't be running much at all The alternative is wait one winter and keep a close eye on how cold your tank gets and decide what to do then. I watched mine last winter (with no algae eaters only true coldwater fish) and the tank was at 12!!

Hi Ki-saber... Do you know what cycling is? Have you been told about ammonia and nitrites while the tank establishes? If so then it's all good. If not please ask and people will clue you in.. it's extremely important to know whats going on in the fist 6 weeks and how to deal with it if yo uwant your fish to stay healthy. Tell us how many fish you have and what size your tank is so we can make sure it's all good for your new pets

But the chinese algae eaters can be quite aggressive right?

oh yuck.. yes thanks for the pictures for some reason.. dropsy really really REALLY grosses me out. I think it has something to do with having a very large goldfish with dropsy in a pond and not having a net.. so I caught it with my hands to get it out and make sure it didn't die in there... I'll never forget it unfortunately (and never do it again!! it was a disgusting sensation) But I thought the scales on the BN looked too well defined but I guess that's normal for them? I'll work it out eventually anyway.. I just bought 2 teeny ones for my tank on sunday but they're too small to see how defined their scales are for now.

Did that look like dropsy to anyone but me? Looked like the scales were standing up some? (But then I'm not all that familiar with BN's yet)

So what do you do if you've bought some for the aquarium market (ie: permitted ones) .. and don't want them anymore? Should they come with some cerfiticate of license when yo ubuy them to show they were obtained for tha aquarium trade and as such can legally be on-sold as such?

Thanks Anthony, My existing fish will pick at the substrate a little and don't let too much food get past them but I'm definitely hoping for something to do more cleaning rather than just 'picking up'. (Sounds a bit like my house...we never seem to manage doing both the cleaning AND the picking up at the same time!!) So.. I'm happy to do the picking up in the tank if the new fish can do most of the cleaning in the nooks and crannys! I'm happy to put some wood in my tank eventually. I have a few pieces that are sunk in a tub outside waiting for the right moment but might start with only a small bit for it to munch on but not big enough to hide in. I will start by adding rocks for hiding places until they've settled and I know they are well, call me a control freak but if I get a new fish I insist on being able to see it for the first few weeks to make sure that its not sick or dying. Rocks will make that easier I think The number of stories I've read here about disappearing plecs etc. I'd probably be out buying replacements before I managed to spot them! Thanks again guys.. now to do some shopping

So ancistrus right? ok.. I'll have a look Thanks. Do all catfish require wood in their diet?

I'm considering buying something to put in my 80L tank to help keep the glass and plants clean. My borneo suckers are too happy in the smaller tank which has a better flow for them anyway. What would handle temps around 20 and not get too big. I was thinking otocinclus but I'm unfamiliar with the different types of plecos so figured I'd ask to see what else might be good. I've poked around on planetcatfish but since I can't do a temperature based search I keep finding the species who like it on the warmer side I don't want anything big and I don't really like the bristlenoses either :oops: The tank would be shared with wcmm, leopard fish and american flag fish (jordanella fl.) Oh.. and the cheaper the better so something that I could buy 1 of would be good.. although I realise the otos would prefer a group (would 2 do or would it have to be 3?)

Thanks everyone. I'm glad to hear they don't have to worry but will let them know where they can buy some oxygen weed. I can source some duckweed but I'm concerned we might never get rid of it once its introduced there.. what do you all reckon?

Hi all, tenants are going away for 2 weeks. There's a pond there with fish that normally get fed every other day. I'm recluctant to have them use those pond feeder blocks.. will they be ok for that long? Or would someone need to pop in at the end of week 1 and feed them? (or are the pond feeder blocks not as bad as the indoor versions?)

Are your nitrates low? Sounds pretty odd.. how long had you had him?

I have a few big old one-eyed comets. They're just fine, just not runway model quality I have a blind one as well so I make sure I put food in a large clump so he can get a decent mouthful when he smells it and comes up. Flakes work better for him than stuff that floats away easily that he'd have to hunt for.. also some flakes will sink and he can then go poke around the bottom to find more later. Also once he does come up and start eating I'll drop more right by where he's feeding to make sure he's getting enough.

Your cleaners need to rectify the situation somehow. As everyone else has said.. you asked because you had a requirement that no chemicals be used. They definitely misled you and I'm sure these people will have dealings with other folks that have ponds. Take them to task and make them realise the error of their ways.. you certainly shouldn't have to pay the bill AND pay to replace the fish.. either or I'd say but not both. most respectable companies will have insurance to cover such mishaps anyway..