fairdeal

I only use AQUARIUM salt when I'm treating for injuries as a rule. Fin nips ,etc. It speeds up the healing process. It also assists in helping to prevent secondary infections. I put in 1 tablespoon per 10 G of aquarium water and raise the temperature to 84F. I do this daily for 2 days then do a 40-50% water change and repeat at least once more. I have read that some people use AQUARIUM salt as a regular course of tank maintenance but I'm from the school that believes if you use treatments like salt all the time when you do need to use it it won't work as effectively. If you have live plants most won't tolerate much salt so check that out as well.

One thing I have found over the years is that many fish are attracted to the trailers of other fish and will keep nipping them until they are completely gone. If you want to maintain the awesome trailers on the geos stay away from the fin nippers.These are usually smaller fish like mbunas and some tetras so I find it best to keep geos with larger fish.

As a rule I don't have hybrids but if I suspect they may be I cull them all when they are large enough to identify positively. When you are breeding you will also run into the occasional fry that are deformed in some way - not all peas in a pod. My 30" achara cat, two 14" red pikes and three 18" black arowanas make short work of any culls - quick and painless. If you are into serious breeding another way to help ensure you have genetically pure lines is to purchase only wild caught, F1, or F2 stock from a known reputable supplier. Here you have to be very cautious as some sellers will advertise these fish as being the ones they are selling but they are only calling them these generations as they know that is what breeders want. What you may end up with is not what you thought you were buying but after a few batches of fry you realize they are not wild caught, etc. Wild caught have a unique look to them and a trained eye can tell if they are truly wild caught but it can be done. Some breeders actually prefer to buy F1 or F2 generation as they are calmer, slightly less expensive and the fry often display better colors as adults - cyps, paracyps, etc. I had someone come to my house years ago and bought some peacocks and then told me he was on his way to see someone else on the other side of the city to buy a trio of wild caught German reds. I asked him how much the person was selling them for and was told $100 each. I then explained to him that these fish are line bred and that there was no such thing as a wild caught German red. He googled it right in front of me and then thanked me for telling him and saving him $300. He actually thought he was buying extremely rare fish. Now that the Belo Monte dam is in full operation in Brazil some people are very nervous about whether wild caught fish in the lower regions of the river below the spillways will even be around in a few years or whether they can adapt to the new river levels for breeding. This affects hundreds of pleco species and others and only through hobbyists breeding these fish will we continue to enjoy them. It will be a sad world indeed if no more wild caught L046, L024, L025, L014, etc are available in the future. Even sadder if only a few will be willing to breed them or attempt to breed as some have not ever been bred.

In my humble opinion there is a clear distinction between buying fish for breeding and buying for simply pleasure. As mentioned there are some hybrids that do actually appear nice but to breed them and sell the fry without identifying them as hybrids is not only fraudulent but is a major problem in the hobby for the people that take measures to ensure the blood lines are clean. I'll just relate to the breeding end of things from here. There are several things to look for when buying fish from someone you don't know. 1st thing is to be familiar with body shape and length, fin size and colors, etc. If the fish just doesn't look right then don't buy. Sometimes these variations are subtle and it takes morethan just a passing glance to make absolutely sure you are getting the real thing. Take for example an albino eyebiter - looks like the real deal, has the body shape and fins of an eyebiter but if you look very closely you will notice they don't have the classic "bump" on the chin. I have not seen a true albino eyebiter yet. They have been hybridized. Ask where the seller got his stock - Asian fish farms are notorious for hybrid fish. Some will go to extremes to come up with the next "new" fish and you may be getting failed experiments for all you know. Why would they cull these fish when they can sell them. Definitely do not buy "assorted cichlids" or unidentified fish. I was in a petstore several years ago and saw "assorted" electric yellow males being cleared out at $40 each and they were 6-7" long and had the body shapes of a football and dark black barring. These were not your typical electric yellows. If you are breeding fish like peacocks it is absolutely imperative to keep the different species of breeders seperated from each other as it is just not a possibility they will cross breed but a certainty. Since the females all look very similar to a male that is close enough. Lastly check out the colors relative to the size of the fish. A 2" peacock fully colored up is likely all hormoned up. There are some really outstanding males that may color up at that size but those are exceptions. So if you see a tank with all the males displaying vivid colors at 2" be very suspicious.

Sorry - never seen those listed.

I'll put you on the request list.

Sorry Ken - hit the wrong reply. LOL I'll check the suppliers list when I get it in about 2 weeks.

Ken: I checked with my supplier and he can't get the sunfish. I kinda thought he would say that - Florida has the same type of rules and regulations we do about capturing live fish from their native waters and keeping them in captivity.

The gudgeon and pikehead I wouldn't be able to source. The Florida pygmy sunfish I'll email my supplier and find out if he can get me any.

I do have some F1 blacks but no whites. They are 1 1/2 - 2". PM or call me at (403) 254-9402 if you are interested. Thanks, Harold

Same here - got many tanks older than my youngest son who just turned 32. My oldest tanks - a 55 and a 120G - were purchased in 1972 and still water tight. Having said that however I have had the misfortune of coming downstairs twice over the years to find a 90 and a 25G had sprung leaks overnight and water all over the place. No prior indications of a problem so I would have to say I've been fortunate to have 28 tanks and only 2 leaks in over 40 years of fish keeping. From my experience if you are purchasing a tank from a private party make sure it has not been housing reptiles and that it has had water in it and not kept dry for longer than a few months. Otherwise chances are the silicone is not going to hold water for as long as it was intended and should be replaced before setting it up. If the tank is fairly new it may be fine but if the tank has some age on it the silicone may dry out much faster. It should be pliable and soft to the touch with no signs of drying out or cracking. I always fill new tanks right to the top for a few weeks to ensure they will indeed hold water before actually setting them up with sand, etc.

I don't know about cyclopseeze specifically but I used to bring in large quantities of NLS pellets and flake food all the time from Kensfish and never had a problem. Then CBSA changed the rules. I remember someone on this site mentioning some time ago that the limit is now 10 or 20 lbs. I believe it was for these types of products. You should be able to find something on the CBSA website to be on the safe side. If you are flying and they pick up the can on the x-ray they will very likely want to see it and then it's too late to find out if it's alright or not.

Thanks Neil. Good info to have.

I always assumed that if your water treatment chemicals reduce or eliminate chlorine products that they did the same with flourides.

Bruno I have plenty of larger size petricolas. Give me a call at 254-9402.

Bruno: What type of synodontis are you looking for and what size? I don't have either of the other 2 you are looking for.

1st thing I would suggest is to get a few more females - ratio you have puts a lot of undue pressure on a lone female. That's likely why she is getting beat up so badly. I have about 12 comprised of 2 different groups and have never once witnessed any of them getting harassed by any of the others. I have however noticed that when the cichlid hosts begin breeding it is not uncommon for 3 or 4 of the cuckoos to kick into action. That is a sight to behold believe me.

Thanks Jason.

I couldn't find anything on the upcoming Edmonton fish auction. Anyone know when it will be held?

From information I've picked up I think personally that the female cuckoos would be better off with cichlids in the tank. When the cichlids are breeding they release phermones and the cuckoos pick up the scent which triggers them into action. To condition your multis feed them meaty products and after the tank lights have been off for at least 1/2 hour so the cichlids are settled in for the night. The cats are nocturnal by nature so they will get the bulk of the feeding.

I have 2M/1F F2 descendants from Kyle's original wild caughts. The last of the F1's passed away just a few months ago - had him for about 8 years or so. I have 25 fry growing out right now.

I have never found my cuckoos willing to breed like petricolas but I suppose anything is possible. I couldn't find anything online either but mind you that was at least 7 or 8 years ago when I did the search. I can tell you that using fish with larger mouth capacities are best - sand divers, borleyi, etc. Another thing I've found - the females you use as hosts will soon tire of laying eggs and having them eaten by the multis so you have to change the hosts frequently.

Most fish are very sensitive to rapid changes in pH. They can adapt to slow regular changes however so if tank water hasn't been changed for say 6 months I would never do a huge change all at once. I would likely do 10-15% every 2nd day for at least a week while keeping a very close eye on the fish as the changes are done. Their reaction to the changes will tell you everything you need to know. Knowing what your particular fish will tolerate is the key. Discus love 90% changes while Tang fry do best with 10-15%.

Weekly water changes are mandatory, not optional. The only exception I can think of would be if the tank(s) are very sparsely populated and then you might be able to push it to 2 weeks.. As mentioned already some fish and particularly Tangs do not like large changes and I never do more than 20-25% for them but do 2 changes per week instead of 1 if I can. Small Tang fry like calvus and compressiceps I restrict to 10% at a time.Normal changes for everything else are 30-40%. Aquarium fish live in a closed environment unlike the wild ones that can move around the lake when water parameters are not to their liking in one area so they are 100% completely dependant on us to make their living quarters as hospitable as possible. As important as water changes are regular filter cleanings. Our fish's very lives are in our hands. Healthy disease free fish make for happy fish. Here is something I learned the hard and very expensive way - Calgary throws extra chemicals in the water treatment process every spring. To compensate I double the Prime and/or Safe for at least a month and haven't had a problem in the past 4 years. Water changes during this same period are limited to 20% maximum and I do them twice weekly. I have found the extra time and effort well worth it and fortunately my costly experience has not been repeated.

Okotoks sorry no apistos. NLaferriere I tried to get the ruby greens but they were shorted.