Caper

Did he reappear Caryl, and if so, how's he doing?

True Billaney! Ahuh Zev...I knew you liked the duckies :lol: :lol:

Sorry no help here I was looking at barbs on the net one night, I was surprised that their shapes were different :-?

At some point last year, I did try, can't think of the name off hand & it is downstairs, anyway it was supposed to reduce the pH. But, I didn't see any difference & then after the comments here & doing that chart thingy I just left it alone. As I said, it doesn't fluctuate...from the best I can tell, hate the test on this one!

Oh my...oh my...OH MY..AMAZING :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

Used to use a product called "Start Right", couldn't get for awhile so started using one called "AquaSafe". I was going to go back to using the Start Right but I think AquaSafe is a little cheaper, must check that again

Congratulations :bounce: :bounce:

For the first time I disagree Caryl...they just need to....get ANOTHER tank :bounce: :bounce: I have 3 goldfish & 2 ottos in my 10 gallon but as soon as my finances allow...and nothing else happens...I want to get them at least a 29 gallon!

I didn't know that...but the roots must eventually go under the gravel do they?

Hi Sorry, I don't buy that because once you have been bitten by the bug MTS...you can't blame anyone :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: Did he warn you, there is no cure :-? :roll: Take care & have fun, Caper

29 gallon tank: Fish are still scratching (not just an occassional scratch) & my mickey mouse platy's fins are clamped and he is "resting" a lot! As I posted somewhere else here I've been trying to get the medication I used last year when I had this trouble with him. I have tried everywhere, even called WalMart to see if they could get it in for me since they do carry some of the "Jungle Lab" products, but they couldn't :evil: The stuff I used before was to treat internal & external parasites: active ingredients, in case any of you recognize them, were praziquantel; N-{{(4-Chlorophenyl)amino}carbon 1}2, 6-difluorobenzamide: metronidazole; acriflavine. As a last resort I went to see if there was anything else I could get, the only thing was by "Jungle Lab" called parasite guard for external parasites, active ingredients: sodium chloride, trichlorfon, diflubenzuron. This stuff is a powder, states to maintain strong aeration, & remove carbon. Hope I'm not going to end up doing more harm than good

Way back, the concensus was that my pH was ok for my fish. I also made a little chart & went to several different sites to see the recommended pH, temp & such for the fish I had, mind you I don't have the chart anymore but again pH & such were all within recommended limits. As I said, this was the first time I had missed my montly cleaning & hopefully my last!

Hi Welcome to this great site...you'll meat lots of great people who are always eager to help. Look forward to pics of your tank 8) Take care, Caper

Very pretty fishies

Great news Tillie...congrats :bounce: :bounce:

Okay just checked all 3 tanks: ammonia - 0 nitrites - 0 pH - oh I hate this one, depending on how you hold it, leans more towards the 7.6 but this never changes, if it does a fraction & again, could just be how I'm holding it. As I said, can't get nitrate test kit here sometime this summer I'll get to a pet store that has one & will get buy it. Oh Tillie, the smell was rank, soon as I lifted the ornament! I never thought of it till you mentioned it, but the water wouldn't be circulating under this thing so it would get stagnant! I don't want to remove it if I don't have too, do you think if I remove it with my weekly water changes and rinse it that would be enough???? Now, I wonder...hmmm, I have what looks like a hollow log that has 3 or 4 openings in it...I think I better move it more as well just in case! My fishies are still scratching and I don't what I can do. I'll keep trying to get the parasite clear, it worked like a charm last year for my platy.

Hmmm...did I miss a post with pics of this...hmmm....did I??? :lol:

I think it is meant as a guide. I agree, when I bought my mollies the first time & was told they would not be a problem whatsoever with my goldfish HAH, someone forgot to tell the mollies that :evil: Then when I bought my sailfin molly (not in with the goldies) the lady insisted that he would be aggressive. Never a problem at all! So I do believe same kind of fishes can exhibit different/opposite behavior. Not all kinds may do so but I do believe some do!

Yes, I was wondering that as well Luke, about the mercury that is :-? Okay, the thermometers I have are the small stick on inside of tank ones because that's all you get around here! But, is the temp in the entire tank going to be 100% consistent throughout and if it's not, does that mean the heater isn't efficient OR is the thermometer off????

I've noticed that last night and today/tonight they seem to "hang out" by the heater. Darn, tiny thermometer in this tank hard to see but it is in the 70's (find magnifying glass tom to see better). Anyway, I don't like this heater (came with the tank) the control knob has the numbers on the top so harder to tell. Might get the same kind that is in my other tank, I find it easier to tell where the temp is. Gee, hope I'm making sense here, it's 2:15 a.m. Anyway, is this "hanging out" by the heater an indicator or just the spot they pick & I notice that sometimes the do it with their noses pointed down a bit. I was nervous last night that perhaps the tank wasn't warm enough so I turned it up just a bit.

Thanks all This is what I normally do: weekly (once in a blue moon I may skip a week, but this is rare): 25% water change, vacuum gravel mostly just the top & don't move anything sometime within the month - when doing weekly water change, I go deeper with the vacuum (usually distrupting artificial plants!), rinse/replace filter depending on the "gunk" that is on it monthly - 25% water change, vacuum all the gravel (moving whatever is in my way!), give filter a good cleaning (the last bucket of water houses the bio filter) and replace new filter cartridge I will check my ph, nitrites & ammonia tomorrow in all my tanks (when I checked my new tank the other day it was reading 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites). Fishies were still scratching tonight, although the neons were scratching more tonight. Nothing visible on any of the fish, at least to the naked eye I will keep trying to get the parasite clear because that is what worked for my platty that time. Any other suggestions if I can't get it?

Thanks folks I did all my usual monthly maintenance today with the additional removing and rinsing of the ornaments. But I only changed 25% of the water, should I change more tomorrow? I have never missed my monthly cleaning before and I have never had that smell before either! BlueandKim I do have an airstone running in the tank. So, do you think this could have been what is causing my fish to scratch????

Yep, I've tried giving mine algae wafers when I first got them, they weren't interested. Now, I haven't noticed if they eat the peas when I give them to my goldfish, but then there's probably none left when they're finished! :oops: I don't have real plants :oops: I know many people wouldn't agree with only artificials, but I'm just tooooooo nervous to try real ones. I feel bad sometimes wondering if I'm depriving my fishies but I just don't know if I could handle trying to keep them alive and plants too. I am terrible with plants, I've managed to KILL everyone I ever had I doubt very much if I would have fishes at all if I only could have real plants with them. See the problem here is no variety in algae eaters, oh wait, I'm wrong they have brought some other kind in but I didn't even think to ask what they were, at least I think that's what they were :-?

Gee I didn't know that! Thanks

OH MY...he is adorable Snowman Not quite the same little baby that you have in your pic Sorry about your losses ...but glad that it seems things are improving :bounce: