Funkytown

Thanks for that. They've only just moved in. They're my first Cichlids, so I hadn't seen them at work before. Ta, Brian

Hey guys, Already a done deal, but got a couple of Bolivian (Chinese) Rams for my little AquaOne 380, under the impression they would be fine, and I'm finding one being relegated to the corner while the other does as he/she wishes. Whenever the meek one comes out for a look-see, the other puts it back in its place. I've got 10 Neons, and couple corys and a BN in there too. Is it a sex issue (don't know how to sex 'em), or is this just the way they are? Sold in pairs. From HFF, told they'd be sweet community fish for my wee tank. I'm an empathetic fellah, always cheering for the under-ram. Should I worry about it? Ta, Brian

Hey guys, I've got a dwarf gourami that's looking a little off-colour. As I said in another post, he no longer swims around as a dwarf gourami should, but "faces" up all the time, meandering around with just his "side" fins, and not getting his tail into it. It doesn't look good, and I assumed he was on a downward spiral to doom, but it's been a few days and he hasn't really deteriorated to my eye. He manages to pick him self up off the ground at feeding time, but doesn't eat much. He's been in the tank about a month, and survived the tail end of the cycling process fine. He was looking good! Then I added some platties and a bristlenose, and after a few days of getting a bit of his food eaten from in front of him by the energetic platties, he started looking not-so-hot. He was the only mid-upper level fish in the tank before this, so he pretty much had the place to himself, and now he has to share the space, but I haven't seen any conflicts... It was suggested that he might be depressed, and a like-species tankmate might be what he needs. It IS a small tank, but I haven't exactly packed it out, and there might be space for a Mrs Gourami, but I want to make sure that this IS in fact the problem. So... Do fish get depressed? As he doesn't have a scruffy beard and remain in his bathrobe all day, how can I tell if he's really depressed? Is it more likely that he's sick with something? What should I do? Thanks, Brian

Thanks Bill, It's been in the tank about a month, and it was looking GOOD a week ago. It doesn't look like it's able/willing to swim properly now, and can't stay horizontal, and "faces" up all the time now. It used to sleep in the top corner of the tank, now it's sleeping on the ground. In fact, that's where it's spending most of it's time now, as it gets some assitance staying upright by resting its tail on the substrate... I'm no expert, but it *looks* sick to me. It did swim up to get some food this morning. Does anyone else think it might just be lonely? Are you suggesting I get a female? It IS still kickin' though, and doesn't seem to have deteriorated further. Maybe you're right. Anyone else have any ideas? Thanks, Brian

Thanks Caryl, No, no breeding net. He was one of the more dominant ones from the tank when I bought him, and he's pretty good at keeping away those that get too close, and none of the other fish in the tank pay him much mind. I don't think he's being harrassed... I did a big water change just in case it was something in the water, and he "seemed" to perk up a bit. I'll just see how he goes. Any other thoughts...? Brian

Hi Guys. I was doing so well. The tank cycled fine, ammonia and Nitrites returned to 0, I was doing partial water changes every week. pH has been around 7. Temps have been a bit hot at around 28-29, but I haven't worried too much about it... I added a bristlenose and a few platties to my Aquaone 380 last week, as the last batch of fish, joining their 3 corys and one dwarf gourami tank mates, and I noticed that the dwarf gourami didn't seem to be eating as much. I figured the platties were just beating him to it, and I overfed them before anyway, so I didn't worry too much. That said, he hasn't looked as happy having to share his space with the boisterous platties. Yesterday I decided to add some zuchini (sp?) to the mix, to compensate for any food the the Gourami was missing out on. I read that they like it, and I figured that a wee chunk would give him some sustanence that he could nibble on at his liesure. I washed it and cut the skin off. There was limited interest, but some. This morning I went to feed them, and noticed he was "facing" up. He's still swimming around and giving it a go, but he doesn't spend much of his time in the normal horizontal fashion. He does all his swimming with his "side" fins (can't remember what they're called) and doesn't get his tail into it at all. His back looks a little crooked... I don't have a quarantene tank. Any thoughts? What should I do? Do these fish recover from stuff like this, or is it best to pull the plug on him? Also, a couple weeks ago I noticed a grey-silver patch on one side of his "cheeks". It looked like a bruise/burn of some kind, but he looked otherwise fine, so I didn't sweat it. It's faded somewhat now, but is still there. Thanks, Brian

My goodness! Looks like she's about to burst!

I was concerned about this when deciding to keep dwarf gouramis, and it was suggested to me to only keep one dwarf gourami, or 4+. The idea being that instead of one dominant male beating up on the other fish, you have one dominant male beating up on 3+ other fish, and each fish gets a bit of a break, and the agression is spread out more thinly. HFF gets away with heaps to a tank because there are heaps to a tank, and no one fish is getting harrassed continually. The other side is order of introduction to the tank. The agro gouramis had time to settle in and stake claim to their territory, while the poor friendly harlequins moved in, looking for a home, had to deal with the bullies on the block. Next time, agro-est fish go in last...(so I'm told). I hadn't heard of the male/female ratio thing, but I'm a noob, and Caryl can pull rank on this one. This might be difficult though, as I haven't seen too many females for sale. HFF had a batch about a month ago tho. Fixes? I'm no expert, but with my limited knowledge, I might re-arrange the tank to up-root all my occupants from their favorite spots, and if I had space for more fish, I'd put them in at the same time. If dwarf vs dwarf agression is alright now, and it's more dwarf vs other fish, and you've got the space, give the gourami more targets to shoot at, and each one might get less hits. Stock the tank as you want to have it, and see how it's going. Otherwise, I'll do you a favour and find a home for your agro gouramis... Brian [Edit]

-steps on soap box- I'd recommend saving for your tank, as opposed to utilizing credit. People want to know how to be rich, and it's very simple (if not easy). Plan, save, invest, compound...do this with 10% of your income and you'll retire early and rich. Be very wary of taking on consumer debt. It's the inverse of investing, as you have high interest working against you instead of for you.... I realize I can't change minds just like that, but I'm very passionate about helping people achieve financial freedom. Please think about it before you pay 10-30% too much for your tank, compounding... If you start now, you will retire a millionaire. If you don't, you won't. -steps off soap box- Brian

Hello. So my tank should be fully cycled now. Nitrites have dropped right back, and I've notice my fish behaving differently. They seem more "relaxed", or maybe it's just that I'm more relaxed knowing my tank is cycled... I recently noticed some discolouration on my cobalt blue dwarf gourami's "cheek" the other day. I don't think it was there before. The fish seems fine otherwise, so I'm not stressing, but I thought I'd pose it to you guys. There are two patches, both a sort of darker silvery grey colour than the rest of the fish (bright cobalt blue). It looks to my eye like a bruise or a "burn" of some kind, as it seems to be on the raised area of the cheek and behind the eye (ie the parts that would touch the glass first). It's only on one side. I hope that makes sense... :roll: I've noticed my pH drops slightly over the course of the week, probably due to the wood in the tank, but my small weekly water changes keep it around 7. As I say, nitrites have only recently dropped back after cycling, but this discolouration seems to have occured AFTER the nitrite peak started subsiding. My hunch is that it is related to the stress of the nitrite spike, and just manifested itself a little later. Tankmates include; 3 peppered corys and a fast spiraling population of snails... :-? Thoughts? Ta, Brian

My mouth's watering just thinking about it...

Funny you should say that, because I heard this story from a guy that knew a guy that read something about this boy that... :lol: (good one spooky) :lol: Brian

Thanks for that mate! That second link was quite useful. Looks like I'm right on track! This is a point for discussion. Firstly, I'm keeping a small tank mainly because it was a gift. If I had bought one it'd likely be larger. Still, I'm not complaining. My girlfriend done good, and measured up a good place for it and bought the tank accordingly (fantastic surprise, best gift ever!). I'm sure a bigger tank is on the cards in the future... Hollywood FF reckons I can keep up to 30(!) fish in this size tank, so long as I'm good about water changes, etc. This sounded like a heck of a lot to me (anyone would think that they SELL fish or something ), and my reading had indicated a far smaller number, along the lines of what you suggest. As I've mentioned in other posts, my eyes are notoriously bigger than my tank, and I'd love to have schools of yellowfin tuna if I thought my tank could accomodate, but instead I'm settling (in concept) for around 10-15, modifying numbers to suit as I see how full the tank is looking. I was thinking... -2-3 dwarf gourami -5-6 tetras -3-4 corys -1 bristlenose This is well open to change, as I've only got 3 corys and 1 dwarf gourami at this stage. I welcome other suggestions and ideas. I'm just feeling my way through at this stage, with everyone's help!

Hey all, So the tank has been running for a couple of weeks now with no losses (knock on wood), and I was getting ready to add "batch of fish #3", and thought I'd try out all my testing kits before I did a water change and went to the lfs. I'd been keeping an eye on ammonia, but I ignored nitrite because I tend to hear more about ammonia than nitrites. :roll: Anyway, when I decided to christen my nitrite testing kit, it rewarded me with a vibrant crimsony-maroony-purply colour, very pretty, until I checked it on the card. Off the charts. So I did a 25% water change using the gravel cleaner syphon, rinsed out the filter (for the first time), and tested again; a very slightly lighter shade of the same colour. I added a couple big squirts of Stress-Zyme, and decided against going to the lfs. Bristlenose will have to wait. Is this a normal part of cycling? Ammonia has never really cropped up too much at all, and I thought I was going slow, (waiting a week, adding two fish) I thought I was doing well.... It IS just a small tank at only 34 liters (AquaOne 380). I probably am overfeeding still. Is this just how it goes? Am I seeing a normal nitrite spike at about the right time, or do I need to do something different? Thanks, Brian

Depends on the plants and the tank you have, and how seriously you take it. Some people only fertilize with fish pooh, and still seem to get reasonable growth. If it were me, I might see how my plants were doing without any fertilizer, and only add if I saw signs of a deficiency. Mind you, I'm more interested in keeping fish than plants, but I do like a "heavily planted" look. I'd take the same tack with CO2. Word on the street is plant food should be phosphate-free, and contain chelated(?) iron, magnesium and other important trace elements. Brian

Getting way off topic now... I'll confess that in a pinch I'm likely to find myself on "the bus" as you put it. There's some primitive idea in my mind along the lines of "logging = bad", but I'm smart enough to know that I know nothing about it, and I'll happily bow down to anyone with a greater understanding than me (such as yourself). Our knowledge about ecology and the environment is ever-expanding, and nobody knows everything, and we'll never be able to act "perfectly", but so long as there are people (like you) striving to do the best thing with the knowledge that's out there, I'm a happy camper! Keep it up, and good luck with the new tank! Brian

I was determined not to name my fish, but after I got my first pair of corys, my mom asked what their names were. I explained that they didn't have names, but she persisted. To satisfy her, I told her one was "Cory" and the other was "Dora". :roll: Now they all get names. 3rd cory = Whisker (missing a whisker) Dwarf Gourami = Gomez

Hey BK! Can't comment on the stocking-rate question I'm afraid, nor the mixing of Discus with other fish, but I wanted to extend a welcome and give you "mad props" for your environmental concern and focus.

Just in case you hadn't seen it, there's a good post re: breeding gouramis either here or in the anabantoids section. I was having a good read through and hit it a couple days ago. I didn't try to find it again for you, but I'm sure the "Subject" line of the post would be good enough to find it pretty quick. [Edit] http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/viewtopic.php?t=4907 As to your specific q's....Anybody else? Brian

Thanks for that! Next time I'm in Boarders I'll sneak a peek! Props to you for lookin' out for us newbs!

You obviously haven't seen me in person. Let's just say I save big bucks on shampoo... He seems to be doing alright, he's just not so easy on the eyes as the others...

My new cory must've cut himself shaving before I got him from the lfs, and one side of his face sports a moustache, and one is clean shaven. I was just wondering if anyone knows if they grow back, or is this little guy likely to be lop-sided for the rest of his life? Brian

Of course, the names were changed to incriminate the innocent...

Reminds me of a joke, modified to suit the situation... Chimera and his boss were walking along the banks of a river with a couple of buckets full of live trout, when a Fisheries Officer comes out of nowhere. The officer takes one look in the buckets and says "Those trout look a little small don't they guys? And do you have a fishing license?". Chimera quickly responds, "What, these? Naw mate, these here are our PET fish. Every week or so we bring them out to the river here for a swim. When it's time to go home, we just wistle and they swim back to the bucket and we go.". "Sure, mate that's a new one." The officer says, reaching for his ticketbook. "No really." says Chimera. "Watch." And he takes the buckets down to the bank and pours the trout out into the river. The fish prompty dart away. The fisheries officer exclaims "I've gotta see this. Alright mate, wistle and lets see those fish come back." "What fish?"

Someone suggested to me to concentrate on finding cheap plants that suit my tank conditions, as opposed to trying to find the right food to feed plants that don't really like it in there, as plants are often cheaper than plant food. This might be the most cost-effective way to go. I'm amazed at the amount of growth I'm getting out of some of my cheapy plants in a newish tank with no suplemental food or CO2! In about 10 days I've got well over an inch (2,3!?) of growth on all the "branches" of a couple of my plants! Maybe the plants are burning up reserves in an effort to reach new food sources (I don't know plant biology), but I'm impressed nonetheless. Maybe it's because I sing to them... :roll: Brian [Edit]