Terrie Lee

Ooooh so pretty. You must be proud and happy.

29 gallon 7 swordtails (5 females 1 males) 8 platies (7 female 1 Male) 3 bronze corycats 1 mato grosso pleco (Thurber) 1 BN pleco (William) 1 gold nugget pleco 2 spotted snails Various baby snails The gold nugget pleco is only temporarily housed in this tank. I have a new 60g that he will live in. I know that they get too large for a 29g.

I have a whole bunch of Super Ick Cure in my house right now, should I use it and if I do are the plecos sensitive to the cure? Is the invisible ich worse? I have had it before. Lost some fish, very traumatic. :cry:

There was not salt in there before I had forgotten to add it after several major water changes. I brought the level of salt up to 5Tbs. Darn it, I should never have stopped adding salt.

Hello. My fish seem to be acting strange. They are swimming in place, sluggish and rubbing themselves occasionally on the gravel upside down. (flashing?) There are no white spots on them at all. Water parameters are normal. Nitrate 5ppm or less. Nitrite 0ppm and Ammonia 0ppm. Temperature is high. 81 F. Turned heater down in case it was the temp being too high. Temp is usually 78 F. Added 5tsp pickling salt to water. Tank is "29g" but I think will decor and gravel it is closer to 25g.

I do work on Saturdays usually but I may be able to leave work early. What time?

That's so cool. You're a published author now.

Do you mean Pantodon buchholzi or Chaetodon lineolatus? They are bolth called butterfly fish but one is freshwater and one is saltwater. Fun fact: the name "cichlids" refers to 1600 different species found all over the world. Perhaps mentioning a particular species or group of cichlids would help people answer your question.

Thanks for the offer. I will keep it in mind. I have to still buy the tank and the rocks and the gravel. Basically I am talking about stuff I don't have yet. I just don't want to make plans for something that is impossible and I know so little. That's why I plan far in advance, so I can come on here and pick the brains of the experienced fish keepers on AA! That way I can know if my plans & dreams are possible. By the way thank you everyone. I really appreciate what everyone here has done for me so far. I have gotten great advice, great deals, and met some wonderful people. I think I may also consider moving the contents of my 29g to the 55g and getting some convicts for the 29g. I have been told that a pair of convicts can live in as small as a 10g. I think convicts may survive my ineptness better than the salousi. I want to be cautious here. I also want some dwarf gourami from nature's corner.

Husband has expressed interest in the gold nugget plecos from nature's Corner Store. I have been told they do not get as big as a common pleco. Would one of those be suitable for the tank? (The 55g I am buying TODAY!) I was thinking I would start with 2 boys and 10 girls then see where I wanted to go from there. I think the Pseudotropheus Salousi are so pretty. P.S. I say 2 boys and 10 girls because several websites told me this is the ratio they need. If anyone has experience to the gross contrary or can explain why they say this please let me know. If it comes down to the health/happiness of my fish I would rather wait and be able to buy the correct ratio rather than save money now.

Paul, please do note that table salt will not do. It has addtives in it that will kill your fish. Kosher or pickling salt is what you are looking for. Do NOT put table salt in your tank.

Which book?

Since I moved them back to the 29g they are sprightly as ever. I think they just did not like the confined space. They also like hanging out with their boyfriend who "motivates" them to move around. I think they are mature, but not quite old. I will look for changes in behavior as they age even further. Don't fish also lose color as they age?

What would indicate that my swordtails are near the end of their life-cycle?

Doesn't Pseudotropheus Salousi only get to 4 inches?

Okay, how many in a 55g?

The problem is I'm capped at 3 tanks so who will go where? My question is how many Pseudotropheus Salousi can I fit in a 29 gallon tank. I plan to have a lot of rocks in there to make them comfortable and happy. Any input will be welcomed.

I can come help. No experience, but I don't need a lot of beer. I am very strong for a woman though. I live in the south end right by the University Hospital.

I had a super-aggressive betta that kept killing my snails. He would strike at them every time they came out of their shells. They eventually starved to death. Dead snails stink really bad.

What about Strong Women?

Great pics. I like that you like to take pictures. I can't have a fish room because I live in a one-bedroom apartment. I get to live vicariously through those who post their pics here. Thanks!

Some people try to treat with antibiotics, with very few fish responding to treatment. The problem is "dropsy" just means bloated belly and can be any one of many infections, parasites and diseases. Usually by the time dropsy is noticed it is too late for the fish. I must tell you do not let her die in the tank with other fish. Apparently when dropsy victims die they release the bacteria or parasite into the water where it will find a new host. It could also be cancerous tumors or a virus. I looked on google and here are some links with stories of what others have tried. http://badmanstropicalfish.com/articles/article24.html http://www.marquette.edu/courses/phys/buxt...ase/dropsy.html I have only lost the one betta to this and he did not receive treatment for it. I am very glad his death was swift. I miss little Sid. :cry:

Those are some nice looking fish. Love those pineapple swords! They remind me of my beautiful trio.

That looks like dropsy. Not that I am saying I am any big expert, but my betta looked like that just before he died. If you look really close you can see her scales look raised. Try looking at her from the top. If her scales seem to stick out in a pinecone-like way remove her from a tank with other fish. Dropsy is awful and deadly. I do hope I am wrong though. :cry:

One of the reasons I stuck around was the friendly atmosphere around here. I think a rating system could damage that. I know there are people who would get upset at getting an 8 out of 10. I know I would wonder what I could have done to make that person happier.