Pegasus

Good to have you along Rebecca.. Looks like you will have lots to talk about with all those tanks. Bill.

Can you be a little more specific here.. like "How many times has this occured".. ? If the present fish are all females.. it could be that the addition of a male is creating a lot of pressure on the male by the females wanting the males attention.. and that (to put it bluntly).. he just can't cope with the harem of ladies he has been offered and is being harrassed to death. If the situation were reversed.. eg:..One female to several males.. then chances are that the female would soon pass on from the over-attention of the males. The other things to consider are.. What is actually happening when your friend introduces the new fish to the tank..? What are the conditions of the tank they bought them from..and is the new tank similar.. ? Are all these fish that passed on from the same shop.. or supply..? Is the fish being aclimatetised correctly before being placed in the new tank to avoid shock..? Bill.

That is one major size of tank by any standards. You will need some "really" long arms in order to service it The tank you mention is more suited to a pretty large community of fish, rather than being wasted as a breeding tank... however.. you ask: The problems that occur with breeding most fish is getting food into their mouths at the earliest stages of development. Sure... they will breedin there.. as would most fish, but once they have consumed their egg sacs they will have a "real" hard time finding food in such a vast body of water. Fish like the WCMM are great little fish to spawn.. but they also have very tiny mouths that can only consume Infusoria or emulsified foods in the early stages.. and most would recomend spawning them in a tub outdoors.. or perhaps a 600X300X300 .. so that their food is always there without exhausting themselves while looking for it. Bill.

Hi there Vicky, Great to have you join us Looks as though you are already well and truly addicted like the rest of us, so feel free to post a few pics if you have them and tell us all about your Kindy Zoo in the Off Topics.. plus a few pics if you have them Been reading your Seahorse thread. Hope things come right. Bill.

Hi Aaron, Welcome to the fishroom If you are just doing partial water changes.. (without major cleanups).. then find a piece of clear hose (7mm bore is good).. and then make up a small block of sponge around 50mm long by 25mm wide. Poke a hole into the sponge down its length (but not through the full length).. and insert the hose. This next bit is a little bit tricky... but when you want to start siphoning the water out, you will need to fill the hose by submersing it underwater till it stops bubbling, then nip off the "open" end with your thumb and place the end in a bucket below the water line. The hose will start to siphon the water... but not the fry.. which you can see are "very" tiny. Infusoria can be found in vases that have held flowers. The water is usually quite murky, and often green.. which is all beneficial to the fry. How about a post in the Welcome section to tell us about yourself. Bill.

The "Tees" I mention are just the plastic parts shaped like this ........... Air Out ____.___l Air in ___l___ Air Out They allow you to branch off the main line to allow you to put additional items into the system... like an air stone.. or an additional air driven filter.. like the box type, or sponge filter. If you have too much air "now".. then possibly the double outlet (which has two diaphrams inside).. will have even more air.. so you will be increasing the problem... not solving it. Bill.

Ok... Coming from your pump you have an air line.. with possibly several outlets that are attached to "Tees" and valves. Add an extra "Tee".. plus a "Valve".. but on this valve don't attach an appliance.. just use the valve to bleed a small amount of air off so that your pump is running sweet without backpressure. Bill.

The "main" purpose of such products is to remove a little bit more money from the pockets of the mis-informed hobbyist Bill.

Hi Caper, Restricting the air from your pump will indeed put back pressure on the diaphrams, and could cause their failure, or ease them off their seats. Most modern pumps have a flow control that you can adjust for less flow... but the REAL answer is, that you need another tank for the surplus air :) You can of course "bleed" a small amount off through a slightly open valve... with nothing attached... this may help. Bill.

Good reading Reef.. but I recon the good doctor might have been reading some of the posts here in the Freshwater section.. as 95% of the causes he has outlined have been discussed many times there The two versions of WS may vary from Marine to Freshwater.. but the cause and the outcome is basically the same, and that almost all cases of whitespot are caused by stress brought on by the suppliers or purchasers, and as above.. it is something that can be avoided with a bit of forthought. Bill.

Thanks for clearing that up guys.. I did say "Underwater" Not recomended.. but around two years back my daughter bought a four footer that my wife inherited and it finished up in our lounge. It stood there full of wonderful fish and plants for around a month or so.. then one night as they were watching TV we heard the sudden dripping of water. On close inspection the whole of the left hand front side was giving way.. and only the top cross brace was holding that end in position. The family were in a panic.. but I just grabbed some heavy packing tape and got them to wrap it arond the tank while I pushed the front back into position. Once I saw the tape was holding I just ran a ScotchBrite pad over the inside seam to remove the slight algae growth.. then (using my finger).. I applied (by gentle force).. a thin smear of silicone to the inside seam, while at the same time allowing a slight bit to pass under the old silicone. Following day we removed the tapes with no leaks. Tank stood there for a further two years with not a weep Bill.

Just as well you spotted it before heading off to the school Peanuts.. Good Timing Small leaks can be sealed while the tank is full. Just apply a blob of good quality silicone to your finger and force it into the leaking area.. "Underwater". It will harden as normal.. and the small amount will not harm your fish. There could be varied opinions on this... but having done it several times I know it is a quick easy solution that in most cases.. (provided the whole seam is not tearing away).. that works... and is safe. Makes no difference if you have a single ten gallon.. or a hundred four footers... we are "all" fishkeepers here that love what we do.. Hope the change over goes well. Bill.

Hi Visionspring, Would be great if you could add your location to your profile to avoid a lot of questions. We also have a Welcome section if you care to tell us a bit about yourself Thanks, Bill.

Kookie said: Thanks Kookie.. but ... Sorry... I "didn't" say anything about a "FULL" water change, as the purpose of removing the water via a siphon is to remove the cysts that have dropped from the fish. Additional aeration should be used if the temp is increased, as the additional heat means there will be less disolved oxygen in the water. Bill.

Hi Kittk, What you do over the next week or ten days will determine whether you have erradicated the White Spot or not. White Spot has several stages that it must go through, and there is only "one" stage that the parasite is vunerable to medication, which is between the "Tomite" stage and the "Tetrahymina" stage. The First stage the fish gets infected. Second stage the cyst drops from the fish. Stage three the cyst gets ready to multiply. (Tomite Stage) Stage four, becomes free swimming and looks for a new host to re-infect. (Tetrahymina Stage) You say: It is "very" important that you watch for the SECOND stage... the point where they start to drop from the fish. Depending on the temp of your tank, this could take a day or so.. so keep watch and once you see that all the White Spots are gone from the fish, siphon the bottom carefully to remove as many of the cysts (spots).. that have dropped from the fish. Just because you can't see any more spots does "not mean" that the parasite is gone.. as it is laying on the bottom of your tank waiting to burst open and spread millions more parasites.. if it gets the chance.. but here is where the meds come in... so it is also important to follow the instructions regarding the doses you need to apply. Repeat the siphoning before you re-dose and top up the tank. Make sure the top up water is the same temp. Clown Loach are "very" subseptical to white spot, so avoid stress... draughts.. rapid temp changes.. or anything that will stress them out unduly. Hope they come right. Take care now Bill.

Welcome to the NZ Fishroom Banaro, Lots of variations in the Cichlids.. and most of them have been talked about here, so you should find a great deal of reading on the subject. Lots of members from your area also, so you may be able to pick a tank... along with siome fish, up locally. Look forward to your posts. Bill.

Hi Silverblade, Welcome to the NZ Fishroom. Would be of great help if you included your location in your profile, as this avoids a lot of questions. Bill.

Caper asked: Might be a good time to start a new topic in the Off Topics, as with Alan's non-bridled collection of not so common terms, this could go on for some time and is way off topic Bill.

Hi Alex, Sounds like you have lost some fish. Something that was never asked was.. "What conditions were they in when you had them in the house..?" "Were they in a heated tank..?" Often fish that are housed indoors most of the year become acclimatized to the conditions.. and when they are due to be moved outdoors the temp is adjusted over a period to the lower conditions to avoid shock and such. Taking them from a reasonably warm home to the outdoors might have been too sudden a change all at once. Being outside they "may" be getting food in the way of flying insects.. mainly mozzies Bill.

We "are" a friendly place Marinegirl.. but we get the odd member that likes to make comments on posts without any "actual" useful input. Your post is a little vauge.. as you are from Australia.. so we don't really know if you want the requested items for setting up a room over here.. or on the Gold Coast. Bill.

A warm welcome to you Trinity. Not a Marine keeper myself.. but some of the tanks here really get you drooling Look forward to your posts. Bill.

Can you describe this "bloom"...? If it's green.. then it is indeed algae.. (commonly called green water) If it is foggy.. like a whitish cloud.. then it is a "Bacteria" bloom.. but as above.. both will require quite a few partial water changes. How hot is the tank..? Some fish linger on the bottom because it is cooler.. so check your temp. Bill.

It's fine here Kookie, and this thread could grow considerably with the progress once you start adding things to it.. So what are the plans... What's going in there ? Bill.

Well.. you might have the wrong person to ask on this point.. as "Cycling" is something that doesn't exist in my methods of fishkeeping.. and never has. The only "test" item I own is a pH test.. which I think I used around three years back.. and the only Meds I own is perhaps some Methelene Blue which I bought for egg protection some years back. The last time I did a full test on a tank (for myself that is).. would have been over forty years ago he he. My "Cycle".. (if you can call it that. ) is three days maximum.. and this is just to get the temp and things settled.. but other than that my fishkeeping is based around Observation.. Instinct.. and Experience.. and a lot of Common Sense.. Regarding your question.. Nobody can give you an answer.. as the factors are too great. You are aiming for a Zero Ammonia Level... but this can change overnight by the addition of "anything".. from food to fish.. plus if your filtration system is not handling the job correctly it could also delay the final outcome. I often sit and smile about all these additives and such that people pour into their tanks.. and how they can put a "time frame" on the amount of time a tank will take to become established.. but as we always point out here.. "It's what works for the individual".. and for me, it is the simple.. no fuss, natural methods that have seen me through the years with very few probs Bill.

Welcome back Chakuna Great to see the young folks getting into the hobby. Lots for you to read and learn here. Happy Birthday to you, and we hope you will be around the forums for many years to come. Bill.