Pegasus

Melanie said: Two possible reasons.. Fear from something in the tank... Lethargic and run down due to an oncoming illness.. or stress. If he/she is a Sooty Molly, then look carefully at the scales. They should give the appearance of Black Velvet.. but if it has a slightly grey/bluey look about it, then the fish is stressing out and it is losing its coating of mucus. A progressive salt bath might help Mollies love the addition of some salt. Two teaspoons of Sea Salt (Supermarket).. in a couple of litres of water would be fine to start. Regards, Bill.

Good to know that "someone" has bred them Eric.. (Not a Kiwi by chance is he) Obviously his fish have been acclimatized to FW over an extended period. The thing I did wrong at the time was to get these fish from a brackish setup and put them into a FW one without converting them gradually... which should have been done. Bill.

I went through all this back in my early days of fishkeeping when I instantly fell in love with the Mono, Scats and Archers. I too was under the impession that they "might" be fine in FW.. but although they survived, they never did "really" well and constantly looked like they were covered in a very fine dull slime. On advise from a good friend I converted the tank to slightly brackish, and shortly after there was a vast inprovement in activity, appearance, and feeding. The Scats almost looked like different fish, as their colours were far superior, and the Monos regained that silvery sheen that looks so great. Live foods were high on the menu, with white worm and (in those days) live tubifex. Mollies will also go brackish, and will add a bit of variation. Great fish.. if you can cater for their needs. Bill.

May be a bit late Lee... but if it is some form of blockage, a mild salt bath might help. Cut the side off a plastic milk bottle (2ltr) to make a container you can float in the tank. Wash it thoroughly. Thoroughly mix a couple of teaspoons of sea salt (blue bag from super market) into about 1.5ltrs of water that you added to the container. Drop the fish in and as long as it is not stressing out, you can leave it in there for a while. If it shows heavy signs of stress.. then take it out. If it's an internal organ failure, then there's not much hope. Danios are known for dashing madly about the tank.. especially if startled, so this may be the cause. Hope it goes well. Regards, Bill.

Great stuff Lee. Just as well you have the extra tanks on hand Of all your fishkeeping moments, you will remember that one. Bill.

Hi BG.. Good to see you back again. (Note from Bill) Don't flog the tanks off.. you'll soon find you need them again Take care now. Bill.

Really enjoy reading posts about Guppies Penejane, but your signature has become so distracting it is hard to read more than a few lines before the eyes start to ache. Nice looking fish you have there BTW The female can go for six drops without re-fertilization, but possibly the drop count will dwindle on the latter drops. Some say that if the female is fertilized within 24hrs after dropping, that the new males sperm may override other inseminations. No proof of this.. it just came up in some of my reading . Bill.

Hi Hene, First off... it is NEVER a good idea to tell people on an open forum that you are going away for anytime. Second... Invest in a timer for your lights. Cheap as from Bunnings or the Warehouse. Your fish and plants will appreciate the regular routine.. and as a bonus, it might keep the burgulars at bay. All the best for your trip. Take care now. Bill.

Looking great Shae, and good to see all the pink stuff going in the walls. Bill.

Caserole said: This is by far the best way to treat fish that are susceptible to medications, (the natural non med way) and you can even go a bit higher in the temp with safety. WS can't survive at high temps, and 90F will kill them. What the heat does is.. It speeds up the cycle of the WS and because of the heat it will quickly drop from the fish. Once you see the spots are going, you should siphon the bottom every day to remove as many cysts as possible, as once they split and open up they are then ready to find another host. Ensure the water you replace is at the right temp. Because of the temp you must increase the air input to the tank, and as Stu says.. you "must" bring the temp back down very gradually over a few days. Needless to say... Be VERY careful with wet hands and implements that might transfer the disease to other tanks. Bill.

I too would give it a few days to see what happens. You say: Is there a chance she is aborting some of the young that were undeveloped from the last drop.. or discharging some of the left over undeveloped embroys..? Hard to say.. but I would give her a while. Bill.

Freshwest asked: Have a look here.. it pretty much explains things. The difference with growing a few in a bucket and growing on a large scale is two different things. http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/man ... hrimp.html Bill.

Hi Sean, Welcome to the NZ Fishroom. I see you have joined the Poecilia Club. If you contact either Wok or Ballistic they will send you the Guppy Express Newsletter that just went out at the beginning of the month. Lots of interest here to keep your mind busy Bill.

Thanks Philz Hi Billaney, Info here... Email me if you want some screen shots or more details. Present model is set up for up to ten tanks, but can be expanded as needed, plus it can be converted for other breeding activities such as Cats, Dogs, .. or any animal http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/viewtopic.php?t=7095 Bill.

A total misconception I have grown BS to over half an inch long. and at this stage they were producing their own young, so it all really depends on "what" you feed them regarding the "nutritional value". Bill.

Great action shots Philz.. they seem to be doing a fantastic job I recon they are ready for the BBS now by the look of them http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/bre ... ngels.html Bill.

I see what you mean.... Didn't realise you had dug up an old thread No need to start another.. the info here will help others. Bill.

Check the driftwood you have in there... It may be leaching a whitish residue. Bill.

Philz asked: You ask.. "Are you just dreaming..?" If the "original" parents were nothing like what you are hoping to achieve... then yes.. you may be dreaming As the article in the Guppy Express outlined.. You need the "basic" ingredients (genes).. in the fish to "start" with.. otherwise you could be trying for years to get "any" results that come near to your expectations. The father of the brood you have will give you a good indication of what genes he holds.. and so will the mother to some extent.. but even then there is no guarantee of the outcome unless you know (without doubt).. what bloodline the parents came from... and she could be carrying genes from several matings.. or from "her" original parents.. or grandparents. Look at the MALES of the brood you have. If you have say six or more that look identcal... then chances are they are going to be good future breeding stock.. and the same applies to the females... if you have several that are "identical".. (not just grey or what have you.. but identical in some distinct feature)... then provided they are at least three or four months old and of good size and quality.. and kept in a virgin state.. then they too could be your future breeding stock.. but this all depends on if the fish have the looks you are seeking. Regards, Bill.

Fantastic series of pics Billaney.. Well done Bit concerned about the styrene pad.. as the fry will need to reach the surface quickly once hatched. It is normal to drop the water level to around 3-4" just prior to them hatching. This gives them a better chance of reaching the surface. Bill.

Great stuff Philz.. good to see it has worked out good. They seem to be sticking to the routine Watch for when they have consumed the egg sac... "before feeding" them.. then Newly hatch brine shrimp is the best first food. Bill.

Gunstack said: For "Standard Four footers .. yes... but Aqua said: A tank "this" deep would need to be more than 6mm. Bill

Is it amphibious..? Looks like it's laying on a pebble beach getting a suntan. Great Pic Beachy,, nice 'n' clear. Bill.

Suphew said: I suppose it's the age old question.. "What came first... the chicken or the egg..?" Questions being... "Was the fish sick to start with..?" .. or "Has the fish become sick because it was sucked into the filter...?" Caper said: If you use the right mesh it won't. It's all part and parcel of "catering for your fish".. and sometimes we have to do little things to avoid disasters Caper asked: Nitrite at high levels is toxic to fish because it prevents the fish's ability to use the dissolved oxygen in the water. High levels of nitrites indicate that the breakdown of organic materials isn't complete and that the aquarium does not have adequate biological filtration, or in simple terms, your filtration is not coping with your fish load and nitrites. So any sign of Nitrites or Ammonia means that something is not quite as it should be. Readings of Nitrates in small amounts will be a decent indication that things are starting to work, and the nitrobacter bacteria in your system is is in suffiicient numbers to keep the Nitrite and Ammonia levels at a level of safety. These should be at Zero.. BTW. HTH Bill.

Great stuff Philz.. (I should sell those as Bill's Magic Pipes) :) Certainly did the trick, and just goes to show that if you give them something they can use.. then they will. Beauty about the pipe thing is that "if" you have a bad pair that eats the eggs, you can quickly remove the pipe to hatch them in another tank... but having said that, I would "definitely" give your pair time to see what they do with this first batch. They seem to know if it's a bad lot, and might eat them... or the may eat them if they feel insecure... but either way.. give them a couple of goes before you write them off as being bad parents. If you see any turn white... just leave them.. as they will get rid of them, and try not to disturb them in any way if you can. They may even move the clutch if they find another suitable possie. Watching them with hundreds of fry is still an amazing sight to me, and I've seen it countless times Looks to be about 400 to 500 eggs there,, real nice clutch. Hope you are taking notes Great pics BTW... Bill.