racing6pack

Well, it seems I'm just gonna have a fight on my hands with the algae! They say "beauty is painful", so I guess that goes for keeping a beautiful fish tank too! :lol:

Thanks again. About the brown algae... what can/should I do? I can't find much info on the web and I'd like to get it under control. Is it true that frequent water changes could be causing this? I only have a Millenium 3000 and a heater on my 55 gallon Oscar tank, so filtration is not wonderful and that's why I do water changes AT LEAST once a week (to vacuum the bottom mainly). Is there something you can add (non-chemical) to the filtration system or water that will combat the brown algae? Snails won't help, if I understand correctly. Also, what can I do to keep the ammonia and/or nitrites from spiking in the 46 gallon? It was not completely cycled when I added the Dwarf Puffers and (there being 10 of them) I'm afraid now the cycle will be adversly affected by them. Would ammo chips and carbon be the best choice here? I apologize for asking so many questions, but I haven't cycled a tank in over 8 years AND I've never had to add the fish before I was sure the tank had stabalized!

Thanks for all the help. Latest update... I did go get some Stress Coat. Ethel is swimming around a lot and her color is back. No clamped fins and the white "film" seems to be diminishing. I'm thinking she was just fed up with having to share her tank, as it was very cramped for her! Since I've increased the salt to twice what I usually use, I plan on doing a 50% water change tomorrow and again on Friday to deplete it. I've also got new carbon filter material to place in there when I'm sure she's over this. (I don't want to rob the water of oxygen, as I have the temp at 82F right now.) The puffers seem to be doing fine too. It's to early to tell if the uncycled tank is affecting them, but they're acting fine. In fact, they're back to normal and are so much funnier to watch in their new environment. (It is much more colorful and "cavey" than their shared quarters!) You can see new photos online at http://photos.yahoo.com/thinner1sb if you'd like! Let me know what you think! Thanks for all the help!

Here's what I've done so far: I did a 50% water change in the 46 gallon. I'm currently floating the 10 Dwarf Puffers in a ziploc baggie. (Dang them little buggers were hard to catch!) I'm doing a 50% water change in the 55 gallon. I've treated the water with 1 more TBS aquarium salt per 10 gallons of water. (This actually makes the ratio 1 TBS/5 gallons at this point.) My hope is that this will help strip the slime coat and make medications more effective, as well as kill any parasites. I will go to the lfs to see if they have anything for this "velvet looking fungus". Ethel is already looking 'happier', having the entire 55 gallon tank back all to herself. I'm sure this will aide in her healing, because she will be less stressed out in that rite. Any other suggestions? I'm sooooo stressed out about this! I haven't gotten a bit of work done today worrrying about poor Ethel and the babies!

To answer your questions: The pH is 7.2 and our water is very soft. The water temp is the same all over the tank and is now at 80F. Ethel has stopped scratching, but she's hanging around the top of the tank, fins still clenched. She has very dark coloration and won't eat. I do water changes AT LEAST weekly (more often than not, 2 x weekly) I have never had a problem with brown algae, but it'a all of a sudden "bloomed" in the tank. I believe this could be due to our tap water having too many nutrients for it to feed off (as we have well-water). I'm very concerned, because I've had this tank for 8 years, with no problems. Upon doing further research, I believe Ethel may have velvet fungus, but I'm still unsure about this. I don't like treating with chemicals and antibiotics unless absolutely necessary. It's about 2:00pm here now, so I have about 5 hours before the lfs closes, in case I should have to get them. I will hang around to see if there are any more suggestions on this topic, but will definitely have to start the guessing and dosing game soon. Thanks for the help.

55 gallon. 1 11" Oscar, 1 14" common pl*co ( in 2/3 of the tank) & 10 dwarf puffers (in 1/3 of the tank... awaiting a 46 gallon to complete its cycle). I keep 1 TBS/10 Gal aquarium salt in my tanks. I do 20-25% water change weekly. When I remove water, I add salt accordingly. I keep the temp at 78-80F and have warmed it up a bit today, because I woke up this morning and Ethel has a white film all over. Looks like her slime coat is coming off. She's got her "sad" mood colors on and her fins tucked in tight. Also, she's rubbing on everything, but no white "spots"... ich (ick)? Currently the tank params are: ph 7.2 ammonia 0 nitrite 0 nitrate 40ppm I'm thinking of adding more 1 TBS MORE salt per gallon and raising the temp to 85F for the next week. Is this good treatment? Problem this may cause: Stress to the 10 Baby Dwarf Puffers. Should I go ahead and move them to their 46 gallon tank, even though it's not completely cycled? The current params in the 46 gallon tank that they will eventually be moved to are: ph 7.2 ammonia 0 nitrite 1.0ppm nitrate 5.0ppm I'm afraid of adding the little puffs to their new tank too soon, and before its cycle is complete, but I'm also afraid of killing them with a disease and/or its treatment where they're at. Also, I think Ethel would be under much less stress if her tank weren't divided and shared with 10 little "mosquitos". (She sits on her side of the divider and just stares at them for hours and trys to tear down the divider by bumping it several times. I have to secure it off an on during the day.) Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. (Oh, and don't forget to address the brown algae too!) Thanks in advance.

Thank you AND... You're Welcome!

Have you tried these: http://www.deltaguppies.com/ http://www.showguppies.com/

Hey. I've researched everywhere I can think of to find info on Dwarf/Malabar/Bumblebee/etc Puffers. I have run into a quite controversial question and I wondered if anyone knew where I might find the answer. Are dwarf puffers freshwater or brackish water? I've read FW, I've read FW when babies and then BW, I've read BW will kill them after a while, I've read slightly BW... seems no one really knows! From what I've read, the one thing everyone agrees on is that they're found naturally in India (which is the main source of the dp's you see in lfs) and would indicate they're truly freshwater only. So, please give me your thoughts, experiences, or websites so I can try to find out more before I set up these little guys' home permanently. PS-My puffs are in FW now b/c they're babies, but they will have their own tank, which can be set-up either way. I'm thinking BW, because that's what I've read more often than not.