Caryl

Welcome brishe. We are here to help. I love bristlenoses too

Blackadder can you give some to penguinleo since you live in the same city? I will take the other on the molly hunt. It is a bit heavy to post

Done We might have to bring a bigger car at the rate we are going. I am bringing all sorts of things for different people! :lol:

Just found some. How about a piece 152g, 60cm long and 4.5cm wide? I do have a number of shorter bits if you prefer.

I think I have a pile of it somewhere

If any of you get good pics of your flowersing aquatic plants, please send a copy to Cees, along with the name of the plant, then he can keep updating the plant survey.

If this is a behaviour they have started recently, I would be looking at water quality. If your nitrites are slightly up, what are the nitrates?

Good to hear John

Postpone the wedding until the fish are better. Bet that would go down well :lol:

Are you sure they are gouramis? What gourami has stripes? Do you have a pic? Gouramis do not sit on the bottom. What size is the tank and how long has it been set up?

I hate to say this but they are a bad choice for a newly set up tank They graze on minute algae and your new tank won't have any. The tank is not cycled either.

Mo, the Betta, says... When it comes to our homes, we aren't that picky either, but try to keep in mind that just because we can survive in just about any container, does not mean we will thrive. Of course we would LOVE to live in a nice large tank, we would even get along with most other fish if you kept us in one! But, most people purchasing us do so because we can be kept in small, itty-bitty, tiny bowls (*shivering at the thought*) To tell you the honest truth, those bowls are really too small. We can survive in them, and some of us may even like them ok but we really do enjoy swimming around. You will be amazed when you move us from those tiny bowl into even just a one gallon tank. We develop these WONDERFUL personalities, and do all sorts of silly things. I have even heard a pet store owner tell a customer once that we had to be kept in those small bowl because we couldn't swim around!! He said we would over exert ourselves!!! I had NEVER laughed so hard!!! I would say that anywhere from a 1/2 gallon container to any size up you could spare would be great for us. A nice live plant (fake if you don't have live ones) are really nice, too. I personally like to rest on mine. They also make great spots to build out nests. When it comes to putting us in a tank with other fish, keep these things in mind: We have long fins, so PLEASE don't stick us in with fin-nipping fish!! I personally get along fine with ottos, cory cats, neon tetras (although I have had a few cousins decide to make snacks of them), guppies, mollies, swordtails, & platys. It all depends on the betta you have, just try and see. There are many tanks and bowls on the market today. One thing to keep in mind is that we have a tendency to jump. It is not necessarily that we MEAN to commit suicide, we just get the urge, and jump!!! So a vented lid is a very good idea on our bowls. Otherwise you may come home to find an empty bowl! That came from http://www.siamsbestbettas.com/index.html

I can bring some Melafix with me at the weekend.

Have you considered using ear plugs?

Do you thoroughly siphon the gravel when you do your water changes? Mouth problems on bottom dwellers can be a result of something bad in the gravel, if it is not the gravel itself doing damage.

I use fly spray in the room, I just make sure I don't spray towards, or near, the tank. My tank also has a solid wooden lid covering it so it probably wouldn't matter if I did spray directly over it :roll:

The crooked picture was the first thing I noticed too! :lol: Tank is looking good. Can't wait to see it "live"

Fievels007 don't get clown loaches yet, your tank is still too new. Also make sure your bristlenoses and Siamese algae eaters have food to eat as there will be little for them in a tank only one month old. I suspect the BNs are so busy as they are desperate for food! Feed them bottom dweller pellets and cucumber. What size is your tank? Clown loaches need a big one as they grow very large.

Welcome Batz 8)

Never tried a weekend tab so don't know what it is (I know what you mean but don't know how they are made and of what) but I suspect they were the problem and, as said, the plecs got to them directly. For such a short time I would not have fed them anything. I regularly go away for a week at a time and do not feed the fish during that time. Never lost one yet, although they are pleased to see me :lol: My tank is very mature, heavily planted, and understocked. Not feeding for a week is not something I would suggest otherwise.

Much improved. Well done! :bounce:

Me, Grant, Afrikan (and Fishy-Lips I assume), Dave, Warren

With dropsy, if you look down from above, the fish will appear all puffed out and the scales will look like a pinecone. More likely to be constipated I think. If he is constipated his belly area only will be swollen and yes, the scales will stick out a bit on the swollen area. Try feeding him a cooked pea (pop it out of the shell first as it is a bit hard to digest). Peas are good for constipation in fish. Failing this you can use Epsom Salts but I am not sure of the doseage offhand.

Way to go Paul!!

Yes that isn't as bad as I was picturing. With a bit of luck it will recover.