Caryl

I am not a fan of the "Inches of fish per gallon" theory as it is too full of variables (fish size and type, filtration, maintenance routine and shape of the tank for a start). If you want the metric version for tropicals, multiply length x breadth of the tank and divide the result by 25 to supposedly give you the maximum amount of fish in cm. example: a 60L x 30W tank = 1800 divide by 25 = 72cm total This is probably ok if you have a tank full of small to medium sized fish like the smaller barbs, rasboras and tetras etc, but 1 large 10cm full bodied fish (like an oscar or other cichlids) produces a lot more waste than 2 5cm fish. For those of you wanting the cold water stocking theory, multiply the length and breadth of the tank and divide the result by 75 to give you the amount of fish you can keep in cm. example 60L x 30W tank = 1800 divide by 76 = 23.6cm total of fish. You have to remember to bear in mind the final adult size of the fish, not the current size of your cute little young addition.

Perhaps they are too embarrassed to admit it :lol:

Welcome to the site Dave. Plenty of interest here and lots of help.

Hi Liam. You mean the tank is newly set up and you have added all those fish? Golden barbs are not what I would call particularly small Schools of rummy noses or harlequins always look good

Really hard to tell caper. May have been stressed being caught in the shop or on the trip home. If he wasn't as hardy as the others he just didn't cope. Hopefully the others will be fine. How far from home to shop? I would be asking about a refund (depending on their policy) as if the others are fine it is most likely a fault with the fish rather than the tank conditions.

I do the same as misnomer. Put them in a zipseal bag, tape it shut to be extra sure then put it in a bubble bag for a bit of extra protection then post.

I have hauled plants out of the local waterways too. Make sure the surrounding banks have not been recently sprayed with herbicide or anything else toxic. Wash the plants well when you get them home and perhaps a quick swish in a weak bleach solution wouldn't be a bad idea either. I must admit I have never bothered doing that myself. My plants were taken from a fast flowing stream so I didn't worry about pests growing in stagnant water.

Neons are schooling fish. With only 4 it is easy for one to become the runt and not grow. As the others get bigger they will start picking on it. As it deteriorates due to this, they will regard it as food. Ain't nature grand? I recommend a minimum of 6 when buying schooling fish.

What a pity it isn't the next weekend or we could have come too.

You would have to seriously not feed fish to underfeed them. Consider the size of their stomachs. They can also graze on the algae in the tank. If your fish are fed regularly they will not be underfed.

It is possible he has been attacked by another fish and had his fins nipped. If so, they should grow back. He will be at the top trying to stay out of the way. He isn't gasping is he? That would indicate a different problem.

Because of the shape of their mouth they can eat in any position they like

That's Alan's legs. He was trying to keep his gut sucked in so that wasn't in the pic too :lol: It also helps show what size the room is.

This is Erling Jensen's new fishroom. He gave me permission to post a pic

That's a lot of fish. I assume some will go into a larger tank as they grow? The plec and clowns will need larger accommodation. Red tail sharks are usually very peaceful until they get to a certain size then they get aggressive. How aggressive depends on the fish. Faded colour suggests stress but stress from water conditions or harrassment is hard to say at this point.

I have never had one look like this before and all the rest of them appear fine. They do not get too much protein, there is tons of wood and here's hoping she burps or farts it out! I am hoping she will recover. I must confess I forgot to check her before I left for work this morning :oops:

Hi and welcome Shannon

I seem to remember a couple of others saying they had a bloated female bristlenose. Well, here's mine. I am sure it is not just full of eggs. It looks like her scales are splitting in places...

More details are needed before being able to hazard a guess, like the answers to the questions snowman has asked.

They get eaten by platies too

In parts of the country for short periods yes. Usually only a few inches though. The middle of the North Island and bottom of the South Island mainly. Also on the mountains of course. We have the Southern Alps running right down the middle of our island.

Most of our roads don't require anything on them in winter as it doesn't get that cold but in some places they use gravel.

John Crouch is in Lyall Bay and he breeds quite a few. He belongs to the Wgnt Aq & Watergarden Soc which is not affiliated to the FNZAS but I am sure you can find him in the phone book.

Clown loaches are very susceptible to white spot if water conditions are not to their liking,or good quality. Have you checked your pH, ammonia, nitrites and nitrates? I suspect poor water quality. Are elephant noses one of the scaleless fish? If so, I don't think they cope with white spot meds.

Those alarmed thermostats do keep coming up in Dick Smith's occasionally as we have some of them. Work well and a lot less than $44.50.