Fluffypants

We have just added some blue danios to our tank but I haven't been able to find much info on them on the web. Are they a hybrid of zebra and pearl danio as I have found them called both danio kerri and danio rerio as scientific name? Ours have long fins and one has stripes on the anal fins which makes me think they are from zebra danios. I've tried to take a photo of one but they are so damn active. Can anyone enlighten me? Thanks

I originally posted this under the Catfish forum but haven't had any response there, so I've moved it here...... We have had 2 GBAs for about 7 weeks now. Initially they were both exactly the same size and colour but now appear quite different. One is particularly pale compared to the other and does not seem to be growing at the same rate. Last night we thought it had died as it was lying on a 45 degree angle from its back but just as I got out the net to scoop it, it rolled over and took off. It is still grooming the tank and they get 1/2 a pleco pellet morning and night. Last week I dropped in a shelled pea and they both loved it. I'm worried that the pale one is not growing at the same rate and doesn't seem to feed from the pellets as much as the other. The other one is definitely more dominant and will see off any other fish that have a go at it's food or territory. Is different colour and growth rate normal?

We have had 2 GBAs for about 7 weeks now. Initially they were both exactly the same size and colour but now appear quite different. One is particularly pale compared to the other and does not seem to be growing at the same rate. Last night we thought it had died as it was lying on a 45 degree angle from its back but just as I got out the net to scoop it, it rolled over and took off. It is still grooming the tank and they get 1/2 a pleco pellet morning and night. Last week I dropped in a shelled pea and they both loved it. I'm worried that the pale one is not growing at the same rate and doesn't seem to feed from the pellets as much as the other. The other one is definitely more dominant and will see off any other fish that have a go at it's food or territory. Is different colour and growth rate normal?

This site is invaluable I agree, but sometimes I enjoy reading a book.

Can anyone recommend good books for beginners? You know the kind of one that you constantly refer to for advice on species, diseases, water chemistry etc. We got some good ones from the library are now looking at investing in a good reference source.

Do I need to clean our UGF and if so, how do I do it? The tank has been going for about 6 weeks and everytime I do a WC I wonder if I am supposed to clean the filter somehow. The top of it is a bit discoloured and maybe a bit of crud in the upright but otherwise it looks okay.

Welcome.

Welcome. You will really enjoy the support and info on this site.

Welcome, I'm new to keeping fish as well and have found this site fantastic for good advice. It would be great to get all of us newbies involved in Totally Tanked.

We plan on coming on Sat, that's me, husband and 2 kids. Apart from something to put on the barby, can we bring anything else?

So far so good! All the other tetras (including replacement) seem to be doing okay and are starting to get a little more daring. Initally they spent most of the time darting around the back of the plants but now they come out the front when we sit and wait patiently. I had to be extra careful when cleaning out the tank as they lurked around the syphon with no fear at all. I had visions of them disappearing up the tube. Then they had a ball swimming through the fresh water as it was poured in. It's so great to be able to share these funny little moments with fellow fish keepers. My work colleagues don't seem to share my enthusiasm :oops:

The tank has only been going 4 weeks but the water tests have all been okay so we were given the go ahead to add more fish. I have noticed some sort of algae like thin cob web strands starting to float from the plants. Should I be concerned? The GBAs don't seem to eat it, so I remove it manually.

Watties Tee shirt or jersey

Couldn't see any obvious signs of damage on the fish. They have been hiding out in the plants most of the time but haven't noticed any aggression when they come out to feed.

We bought 10 cardinal tetras on Sunday and found one dead yesterday morning. We have been testing the water regularly and the levels were okay so that's why we got the new fish. Our 2 GBAs are fine and so far (fingers crossed) the remaining tetras are looking okay. Is it just bad luck and something we should get used to, or should we be looking for a cause?

Thanks, I had missed part of the link. :oops: Try again.

I have had our 65L tank going for just over 2 and a half weeks with only 2 GBAs in it at the moment. The new growth on a couple of plants appears to be quite different to the main part of the plant, long and narrow leaves as opposed to the original round leaves. I think the plants are called Rotalia Rotunda and Babies Tears. All the plants seem to be growing but I'm wondering if something is wrong. Too much light (10 hours a day), not enough fertiliser (Ferropol when set up)??? All of the tall plants seem to be fast growing but 'straggly'. Any suggestions?

Thank you very much for the links. Very informative and great pictures.

I am very new to the fish world and am sitting at the very bottom of the learning curve so apologies to anyone who may be offended by my ignorance. We have just purchased 2 golden black-eyed plecos - that's what was written on the tank. But here lies the confusion.....do these fish go by other names? As I have been trying to research information on the internet and in books I have become muddled with the names. Are these fish also known as Golden Brislenose Ancistrus? Can someone please explain how catfish, pleco and ancistrus all relate? I am starting an aquarium log and want to have correct information including the correct name and related info (I'm very anally retentive) I've attempted to load a photo of them. (fingers crossed)

I won't use fly spray at all as I just don't like the stuff. We use the fly gun which is great fun. It doesn't squish the flies, only stuns them and when you get really good, you can shoot them in mid air. As a back up, we use the good old electric fly zapper (shaped like a tennis racquet). It gives a great sense of satisfaction when they go zap, crackle and pop!!!

Yay, our tank now has occupants. The kids have been so desperate to have fish that they had started to name the leaves that were floating in the tank. Our new family members are 2 golden plecos (Flo and Joe) and they have been flat out whizzing around the bottom and sides of the tank giving it a good going over since we introduced them. I have tried to get a photo of them but I am surprised at how fast they can move. Now we just have to wait patiently until our next adoption :bounce:

Thank you everyone for the welcomes and good advice. We are going to Organism (have to be careful how I say/type that name) tomorrow to get some fish and will probably go for the danios. Good to know about the prolific breeding habits of the guppies and platies. My daughter is keen on breeding but there is no way we are equipped for that kind of stuff yet. We had been planning on introducing the next species a fortnight later but will now wait at least a month? Alan - I have been known to wear a bunny suit before but not the sort you would see in a certain magazine :oops: Loopy - saw the notice re the meeting on Saturday. Sorry, but we won't be able to make it as we already have something on. We would love to come to the March meeting though. Thanks again for the help.

Hi, we just bought our aquarium on Saturday for our daughter's 14th birthday. It's an Aquastart 500 50w x 34d x 50h - 65 litres. The tank has been set up with live plants, and we have put in some Ferropol fertilizer, Stress Zyme and Aqua One water conditioner. The tank is now running at 25.9 C (thermostat 23.5) after our initial 'cooking' of the plants with 28C when the stat was set at 25 (and we now have an internal temp probe). Better to learn that the stat setting is unreliable before we put the fish in! I have been reading a few books (and this forum) and now have information overload. My head has started to spin when calculating the final size of the fish and the tank quantity. I just do not compute!!! We want a good variety but are worried that we might cramp the tank. Our plan was to have: 10 neon tetras 6 platies 6 zebra danios 2 dwarf gouramis 6 guppies 1 siamese fighter Is this amount too much? Are the numbers of each type correct? And should we introduce the neons or the platies first? (I read something about neons getting white spot in a new tank.) We don't know what sort of algae eaters to get and have been put off by some of the big fish (?plecos) that we've seen in the petshops. This brings me to the next question. Where to buy from? Animates seem expensive compared to the other stores. Should I always buy from the same store to minimize the risk of introducing infections? Some shops seem to have really dirty tanks especially when compared to Organism (where we bought some plants from yesterday). Lots of questions but I'm hoping I've come to the right place for advice. Thanks.