AL008

Any other (smaller) fish that eat it? All help much appreciated

Further investigation reveals it's duckweed. Perhaps a fish that eats it would be good? any suggestions?

Hi All I've got some kind of infestation in my tank. It's a small clover like plant that only floats on the surface and it's taken over. I'm pretty sure it's hijacked on one of my other plants. It's forming a carpet on the top of the tank. I've done my best to remove it with a tea strainer but there's no way I can get all of it. What is this nasty and how do I kill it? I've got loaches (amongst others) and my tank has val and tiger lotus in it. Ideas so far: Turn off the lights? Dismantle the whole tank (not the best option) remove everything and douse in something that will kill it. The worst part is, its a planted tank, so it's quite high in nutrients etc, so this stuff is growing like topsy. Help me kill my nasty floaters! Thanks in Advance Al

Both Jansens and Hollywood stock these. They are wild caught, and I understand that there has been little success in breding them in captivity - still, might be a good challenge!

How would you catch that? The ponds huge!

Good luck! I hope your lovely gouramis recover! AL

piperazine is the active ingredient in most 'party pills'

Thank you for such a positive answer! He really is lovely and if he stopped moving for more than 20 seconds, I would post a photo! I guess I have to keep an eye out for a blue lady (my girls are red with a blue sheen) otherwise I'll get all red bubbas, right?

Quoted from www.bettatalk.com - "Well, I hate to break the news to you, but unless you have quality breeding stock to start with, you will NEVER produce any quality bettas. Considering the fact that it takes the same amount of time, space, money and work to raise a crop of crappy bettas or one of splendid specimens, it seems obvious (well, at least to ME LOL) that breeding quality stock is wiser. It is also easier to give away, trade, sell quality bettas than it is to unload bettas that look like Quasimodo (you know, the Hunchback of Notre Dame) on a bad day ." I'm not disagreeing - but I've got this lovely bitzer-betta - he's a light blue with a green shimmer on top, he's VT, but he's also got little crowns (especially on his top fin, and on the back of the bottom veil) and to top it all off, he's got a double tail, although the bottom half is longer than the top part. He's super keen to breed. Super keen. I'm going to have to put him in his own tank anyway as he thinks my cherry barb ladies are, well, keen. My questions (finally): Is it a waste of time and energy to breed him, even if he's not perfect and it a bit of a mutt? What sort of result will there be? Is it likely all of his offspring will be very similar to him, or is he likely to throw out all kinds of madness? Thanks in advance AL

So generally the lighting isn't sufficient? Mine's about 2/3 planted. I went to bunnings to get new bulbs yesterday but now they don't sell 3ft anymore! SOG next time, I guess

I've got an AR980, so about 220L give or take, and it's got 2 x3 ft bulbs from the LFS (they're those standard gro ones and one's better than the other, it's got a red tint) and a smaller odd-sized one, perhaps 2 1/2 feet (?). It got the original bulb in it (I got the tank second hand. I've fertilised today, so fingers crossed that helps some. Thanks L

So it's not the lighting then - how can I tell if my lights need changing or are not strong enough? Thanks in advance

Sorry to hear that, brishe. I hope your other two do better. I think I already mentioned antibiotics as the best treatment for parasites? Your LFS will probably have something, if not, the vet. Go back and have a look at the link to the diagnostic I put in the other thread, it has treatments on it as well. Cheers (and good luck) L

I could probably make a CO2 unit, although laziness is a factor!!

That's great, thanks. Any recommendations for fertilizer?

Hi All, I've come across a curious problem. My hygro is going yellow and dropping more leaves than normal. On the other hand, my Twisted Val and Tiger Lotus are growing really well, lots of new shoots and leaves. Which leaves me a little stumped... Hygro's supposed to be pretty hardy - I've normally had to cull it to stop it taking over the tank. I've put substrate in with me gravel to give my plants some life, but I don't have CO2 or fertilizer in there (not wanting to get too expensive). I've got the lights on just over 12 hours per day. Tank parameters are perfect, except the pH is a little high, but consistently so. I did have a wee algae infestation a while ago, but that has resolved thanks to a new GBA. Could the algae have killed off the leaves it was previously on? Any ideas? Help much appreciated Cheers L

Welcome!

Sorry to hear that. Good luck with your next ones! L

If you have 2 males to one female guppy, you will find that the female may get hassled by the boys. Best to get a couple more females to take the heat off your pregnant one - that is if you are alright to deal with more fish and more babies!! The best ratio is 1 male to 3 ladies, but you could get by with less if you have plants and hiding places in the tank. Cheers L

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Home-living/Pe ... 953183.htm Barley straw on TM Cheers L

Oh! and take the carbon out of your filter if you are treating with antibiotics. This may be helpful: http://www.animal-world.com/encyclo/fre ... Diagnostic

Hi Again My two cents (and someone may know better): Check they are not constipated (ie have a line of poo hanging off their backsides) (if they are, try them with shell off, mushed peas) Add tonic salt (if you have loaches be careful). You could dose with antibiotics (you can get these from you lfs). Check all the parameters in your tank and make sure your filter etc are all working (sounds idiotic, I know, but you might just find you heater is broken or something like that). Your pH shouldn't have gone up unless you've added something to the tank (like shells, grit, something from the beach). You could try peat moss to get it down lower (don't bother with chemicals like pH up), but as it's only just gone up, I would wait and see. pH on 'new' water can go down after 24 or so hours) Having said that, if you have a high ammonia level, a pH like that will make it pretty harsh on your fish.

Also, you might find this helpful: http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?s=d ... pic=153493 Has the following information: Dwarf gouramis are one of the two most widely sold gouramis (the other being the three-spot gourami), and virtually every aquarium shop will sell them. They are generally peaceful, accept flake food readily, and are not fussy about water chemistry (though soft, acid water is best). However, despite being widely sold and seemingly easy to keep, they are in fact not easy fish at all. As with any pet animal, it pays to do your research first. Latin name Currently, the Latin name for these fish is Colisa lalia. You will see other names though, such as Polyacanthus lalius and Trichogaster lalius. Identifying dwarf gouramis In their normal form, males are characterised by oblique red and blue stripes, while females are plain silver. There are a variety of artificial forms as well, including some that may be hybrids with other gourami species. These varieties include all-blue forms (sometimes called neon, blue, or powder blue dwarf gouramis) and ones with a red body instead of the stripes (sometimes called flame, red, or sunset dwarf gouramis). Females of all these artificial varieties are more or less plain silver and similar to the wild-type fish. So what's the problem with dwarf gouramis? Put simply, these fish are astonishingly prone to mysterious bacterial infections. Once the fish begin to get sick, death is more or less inevitable. The symptoms are typically: 1 - Lethargy 2 - Loss of appetite 3 - Appearance of bloody patches (sores) on the skin 4 - Death Is this the same as Fish TB? Though the external symptoms are similar to Fish TB, the problem with dwarf gouramis is caused by a completely different bacterium. Fish TB being primarily an issue with marine fish, not freshwater ones. Fish TB is known to infect humans (albeit very rarely), but the dwarf gourami sickness, whatever it is, poses no known risk to humans. However, it is a good idea to wash your hands after handling sick fish, or for that matter anytime after you have worked in your aquarium. But I thought gouramis were hardy? In the wild state, they are. But dwarf gouramis are bred on farms, where antibiotics have been used freely to minimise losses. Once shipped to the retailer, the dwarf gouramis no longer receive antibiotic medication, and the internal bacteria can then start to cause problems. Inbreeding for colour varieties has probably lowered their intrinsic hardiness as well. What can I do? Above all observe two rules: only buy fish from tanks containing healthy specimens, Never, ever buy a dwarf gourami from a tank where there are sick, lethargic, or otherwise unhealthy-looking fish. Secondly, quarantine your fish rigourously. Dwarf gouramis should be quarantined before being added to the community tank, and any new gouramis (of any species) should be quarantined before being added to a tank with dwarf gouramis in it. Anything else? The bacteria seem to be opportunistic, so improving conditions generally helps prevent problems. Specifically, keep the water clean, and don't overstock the tank. Feed the fish on a varied diet, and use a good quality flake food as a staple. Dwarf gouramis like the water warm (25-28C, 77-82F); cooler conditions depress its immune system. Ideally, use soft, acid water, but whatever the water chemistry, perform frequent water changes. Do not combine with tankmates liable to stress the fish, such as tiger barbs, territorial cichlids, and so on. The less stressed the gouramis are, the healthier they are going to be. Social behaviour Like other gouramis, males can be aggressive towards females. Ideally, keep multiple females to every one male so that any aggression is spread out. However, since these fish are normally sold as pairs, you may not have that option. In this case, keep the tank thickly planted and provide lots of caves for the female to hide in. Do not keep a pair in a tank less than 60 cm in length (approx. 20 US gal.). Thanks to Fillet 'O' Fish for this.

They are shy fish, but they should be hiding at the top or middle of your tank in plants (or something similar). They prefer slightly dimmer light too. Is the skinny one just skinny or is it a bit sunken in looking? If they are sunken in looking, they could have parasites. Are they on the bottom near the heater, or just generally on the bottom? If they are near the heater that is definitely a sign they are sick. If your nitrite is up, you should do a water change to get it down a bit (say 20%), which should take that stress of the fish - if their behavior changes after that you might not need to worry. Good Luck L

Hi All, I know a year or so back Hollywood stopped stocking these Gourami (they may stock them again now) because they couldn't keep them alive. Apparently the imported ones were heavily affected by parasites. Is this info any help? I know they are now selling them again in AKL (various places) so perhaps the problem was solved.. Cheers L