Pegasus

Last time I had anything to do with these fish was in my shop many years back, but I do remember they needed "live" foods.. and also were a very shy fish that required their own kind for company as they fret very easily.. so the "clicking" you hear is much like the Dolphins, and a means of communication.. but being moved from the tank you bought it from stopped all those communications.. so this is "possibly" why your fish died, which is such a shame, as they really are nice fish when you have a few of them. It's a hard expensive lesson, but one that should be emphasised here.. Know your fish "before" purchasing.

They say the ponds at Western Springs are good in the warmer months. Bill.

Never known such a drama over hatching a few brineshrimp. To hatch BS you need: Water at the correct salinity.. (already covered) 1/2 a teaspoon of Baking Soda.. (some don't use it.. but I do) Heat... (approx 28C) A Coke bottle or suitable container.. (already covered) An air supply (already covered) A supply of reliable eggs.. (suspect) 12 to 48hrs Mix 2.1/2 tablesoons of Sea Salt (Supermarket).. in two ltrs of water. Add the Baking Soda. Set the air running to thoroughly mix. Add 1/4 teaspoon of BS eggs. Suspend in tank or in a warm place. Harvest when hatched. HARVESTING. Stop the air and allow to settle for ten mins. Place a light near the base of the container. The shrimps are easy to see and form a pinky brown mass. Get a suitable container with a hanky or very fine mesh over the top. Disconnect the air line from the pump and lower below the level of the bottle. Allow the shrimps to flow into the sieve through gravity. Feed to the fish. Some suggest rinsing.. but I never do. A few shells won't harm. If you can't see the live shrimp after forty eight hours using the above... then dump the BS eggs and get some decent ones fromk one of the members. Alternative food for fry.. Microworms. BTW: The shrimp will quickly die without air if you leave them in the coke bottle.

Hi Darryl, Welcome to the NZ Fishroom and hope you find lots of interest here. "Paradise"... Great looking fish .. especially when they start spawning.. but can be a bit boisterous at times. Take care now

Real sorry to hear about your losses Liam... but truth be known... this "REALLY" shouldn't have happened, as moving fish (even over many hours travel).. is a piece of cake if done right. You say: Perhaps the addition of a few drops of Stress Coat would have helped, but from what you say... the fish must have been in a real state to have inflamed gills and such. Despite being on tank water now... I would get the water quality checked at the LFS (or the Lab up at Leigh might be able to test it for you if you have any contacts) As Alan says... Bags are a better option if you don't have huge fish numbers. Good luck in your new home Bill.

Interesting visual description of the changes that your tank goes through during the early stages of being set up. http://www.bestfish.com/newtank3.html Make a copy and keep it handy Bill.

Quarantine. One of the hardest things to accept in keeping tropical fish is Quarantine. We look at the fish we buy and think "Well, they look healthy enough" and in most cases pop them straight into our lovely established tank without further thought, but in the world of the aquarist it is the things you can't see that you should be concerned about. We then wonder why suddenly we have sick and dying fish in the following days or weeks. Almost all water, apart from distilled water, contains masses of living organisms, some good, and some bad, and in aquarium water these organisms amount into the millions, many of which you can't see without a microscope. A single drop of water can contain enough of these bad organisms to bring your tank from a wonderful picture of perfection, to a tank full of sick and dying fish, and this can happen overnight. It's hard to spend money on another tank just for the purpose of quarantine, but this extra tank can have many uses such as a fry rearing tank, a breeding tank, a place to grow extra plants, a place for that odd sick fish and so forth, but it should be kept available and ready to use so that you can use it immediately if the situation arises. So What Are The Dangers? Any fish, plant, snail, rock, gravel or any implement taken from another tank and put into your established tank can be a source of disease. Even your wet hands can transmit disease from one tank to another. All new fish should be placed in separate quarters (Quarantine) for at least ten days, and longer if possible. While these fish are in Quarantine you would be wise to add a couple of your regular healthy fish from your regular established tank. Doing this it allows you to watch not only the new arrivals but also your regular fish to see if any ill effects are noticed over the ten days or so. Invariably if any fish do become sick then you will have to treat the whole tank and all its occupants, but this depends on what the fish are suffering from. You must at this time be extremely careful that you don't use any implement such as nets or filters from the quarantine tank and use them in your established tank. As mentioned above, even wet hands that have been in your quarantine tank can transmit any disease that might be lurking there and affect your main fish supplies in your established tank, or tanks. If possible make your quarantine tank "Out Of Bounds" to everyone except yourself, this includes all children that love to flick their fingers in the water. Other Precautions. There are sterilizing solutions that you can buy for nets and equipment, but for the cost of these you would be wise to purchase a spare net and the bits that you may need. Be sensible and think before you act, as a moment of neglect can cause you great heartaches when your fish begin to die.

An interesting (unsigned).. article, and one that will obviously convince every Guppy owner that has a bad spate of fish deaths that they are bound to have fish aids... which of course is not the case. It seems that the Americans "attached" the word "Aids" to anything that they had no logical answer for, and the first time I saw it mentioned was around two years back on an American Angel site... although this article refers to it's possible origin in the Far East. As the author of that article clearly points out.. they "don't" really have a clue what the problem is, and as they "also" clearly point out... good water conditions and management are the first steps to ANY disease prevention. I noticed they were advocates of the "Salt Treatments" Columnaris has been around the hobby as long as I can remember.. so this is nothing new, and we all know how deadly that can be... so it may be a new form of this which is highly resistant to treatments. It should also make everyone that reads that article to carefully consider the risks they are taking when they introduce new fish into their established setups. What is the price of a spare two footer and heater compared to the loss of your entire stocks...? For your next tank... THINK QUARANTINE.... Bill.

Hi Radu, Scales will grow back.. no prob. The thing you "need" to know if "How did it lose the scales"? Was it bullied, or did it lose them on something sharp like rocks and such..? Just watch out that the area doesn't fungus, and if you see any signs, then treat with a proprietary cure.. or.. (my choice).. a salt bath using one tablespoon of Sea Salt (blue bag... supermarket).. per four litres of water. Disolve the salt thoroughly before adding the fish (use separate container).. Leave in here for half an hour or so then return to tank. Repeat each day and you will see some results in around a week. Use a fresh mix each time. Bill.

Hope you are indeed joking here Snownan: Would certainly be an easy way to transmit any disease . Bill.

Marbles have to be the absolute worst way to protect eggs from the scatterers. There are much better methods. Bill.

DeeJay said: This level would be heading towards being a Brackish Tank. As a tonic.. (if required).. just use around a tablespoon to every couple of gallons (imp).. (9 to 10ltrs) Bill.

Snowman's case is a bit more than just the odd few deaths due to something that has been passed on through breeding, and more likely to be something in the current setup than anything else, although it does seem that Guppy losses are a common factor in a lot of countries at the moment. Perhaps there "is" something out there that is being passed on through the new strains that have been bred for looks rather than resilience. The Hardiness, Vigour and Resilience are in the genes, just like all the other traits, so perhaps these were pushed aside at the expense of better looking fish. Point is... will we ever know Bill.

Gonna make keeping fish a pretty expensive hobby if you have to ship water in As far as I understand.. only water that has been static in copper pipes for a prolonged period, "may" have slight traces of unwanted elements... but even then I can't say I have ever heard of "copper poisoning" in fresh water fish due to household pipes. All the pipes were Lead and Copper in years past.. but we managed, and even now.. (despite being on tank water).. all my tanks are filled from the hot water cylinder.. which is copper.. and I don't have a prob. I think you are "looking under the wrong rocks" for the reason to your problems Bill.

Hi Candy, Welcome to the Fishroom Other things you should look out for besides the above are: New tank setup... Normally the water takes a while to get real clear. Overfeeding... Decomposing food or plant matter. Dead fish lurking under rocks etc. Ornaments or substrate breaking down.. Try the Vinegar test. Place a bit of rock/ornament/gravel into a bit of vinegar.. if it fizzles.. regect it. Too many fish.. The filtration of the tank can't cope with the waste being produced, so the bacteria builds up causing cloudy water. Try a bit of carbon in your filter.. but don't "clean" the filter medium too well, as this destroys the bacteria (the good ones).. that are living there. Keep up the water changes.. say 15% twice a week should do it. We really need to know how many fish in there and how long the tank has been set up..? All the best. Bill.

Hi Garry, Welcome to the NZ Fishroom, Sound like you got a good buy there. How long have you been keeping fish, and what tanks have you got ? Might catch you in the Chatroom some night Bill.

Don't really know Caper... but if you get eight, will you have an Ottopus Sorry... couldn't resist. Bill.

Don't know why there's all the fuss... you pay for quality, and that was quality alright. You would make that back many times over on the first decent spawn. Bill.

Come on guys... we have a new member here that has asked... Any more "fish help" in the offing...?

Welcome to the Fishroom Dan Breeding traps are like Solitary Confinment for your fish, and can cause lots of stress in many cases. Having your tank well planted with fine leaved plants is a better option, as it is survival of the fittest fry.. and those that "do" survive are usually strong healthy fish.. Bill,

Hi there Eileen, Real pleased you decided to join us, and hope you find lots of new online friends and interest here Bill.

Hi Helena, Nice chatting to you in the chat room, and welcome to the Fishroom. As mentioned, I think your powerhead is a bit severe for the size tank you have, and you might be better off with a small box type corner filter that has some established filter medium in it to give your tank a bit of a kick start. All the best, Bill.

Glad you found us and deciced to register Fishgirl. Looks like you have a real collection of fish there, and lots to tell us about, or even show us some pics in the right areas. Sure you will find heaps of interest here and friendly members. Bill.

For the cost of a few mils of Loctite 104 you could possible buy a new sheet of glass to replace the one in question. Loctite is fine... in a "no gap" situation, (Laser cut edges etc).. and would possibly work, although I would question its ability to withstand constant submersion for extended periods. Why take the risk for a few bucks. Many of us have "been there done that".. so the answers are here... less the pitfalls Bill.

Hi Warren, Not a marine keeper myself, but we all wish you a very warm welcome and hope you enjoy your visits here. Bill.