Recent content by Essayons89

White, stringy feces can also be associated with Dropsy, Malawi Bloat and constipation but the usual suspects are internal parasites as was already stated. With internal parasites the fish may or may not go off of their food but it will continue to lose weight regardless of how much food is...

Sorry for the delay in responding. One tablespoon per five gallons of water is fine to use. Bryan

There won't be a warning for fish on the box but some fish like tetras and scaleless fish like loaches and some catfish aren't very tolerant of salt. Epsom salt on the other hand isn't salt- it's magnesium sulfate and is safe to use when treating a fish with constipation because it will not...

Nope, that won't work. You can't keep all of those fish in a 55 gallon. The Geophagus brasiliensis can reach a length of 11" and isn't a good choice for a tank if this size. A pair of Keyhole cichlids would be fine in a 55 gallon. They are pretty peaceful cichlids and be a bit shy at times...

Zags are you referring to aquarium salt or to the Epsom salt? I agree with you about not using salt with the loaches since they can be sensitive to it. Thanks, Bryan

There are a few things that you can try if a fish is constipated. The first would be to feed the fish thawed frozen peas. You can mush them or split the skin it make it easier for the fish to eat the soft inside of the pea. The peas act as a laxative to help clear the fish out. Other options for...

The white spots on the glass could be Hydra. I had a problem with them a few years ago and cut back on the amount of food being fed. They started to dwindle in number and eventually disappeared. If this is Hydra, it's harmeless to adult fish but they can capture and eat small fry if they wander...

Injured/sick fish should be kept isolated in a quarantine/hospital tank to lower the stress placed on them and to facilitate easier treatment. The fins will heal in time. If the entire gill plate was ripped off then it probably won't grow back. If only the skin is missing off the gill plate...

The best things that you can do for the fish to allow him to heal would be to provide a good foods and plenty of fresh, clean water by doing daily water changes. The water changes will lessen the chance of a possible infection from setting in. Bryan

Not sure how long it would take the chlorine to dissipate but a quality water conditioner would do the trick. One that neutralizes chlorine and chloramines would be fine. Bryan

You're referring to the Malawi Blue Dolphin (Cyrtocara moorii)? They are midly aggressive but they are territorial and will get to about 9 inches. I would think that one male with three to four females should be fine in a 90 gallon without having to worry about them outgrowing the tank. Any...

Personally, I wouldn't put two convicts in this size tank unless they were an established breeding pair and even then this tank would be a bit on the small side for them. A 20 gallon long or 30 gallon long would be a better choice of tank for an actual pair. Bryan

I agree with RoK. If I'm not mistaken the only loach to have spawned in an aquarium is the Kuhli loach. I heard that Clown loaches have been induced to spawn in captivity in Asia by using hormone injections...not sure if this is true. Has anyone else heard of this? Bryan

A concave belly may also be a sign of a more serious problem. Has there been a darkening of color with these fish? Are they skittish and do they hide a lot? What does their feces look like? Is it white and stringy? Bryan

My Tanganyikans get a regular diet of African cichlid and Spirulina flakes along with HBH soft pellets and frozen foods. The Discus, Severum, "rock kribs" and Bloivian rams get a steady diet of flakes, pellets and frozen foods (bloodworms, mysis shrimp, omega 3 and spirukina enhanced brine...