Feeding Frenzies

[-ED]

I'm one to feed fish knowing the feel of hunger. The tankmates I have
gleem the aquarium from top to bottom and all points in-between. I feed
them twice a day and they seem to be starving. My concerns are obvious.
Am I being conservative towards the amount of food I'm giving them? My
setup includes a 55gal tank..2 bettas, 10 Zebra danios, & a red-tailed
black shark. As Frank mentioned earlier, I should consider some cories
for clean-up crews..but to see the danios, bettas, and shark all combing
over every cm of surface, I'm beginning to question my husbandry.

Curiously Panic Stricken....thanks for the help.....-ED

--
Pre-scanned via BitDefender Nine

[Frank]

-ED - wrote,
> I feed them twice a day and they seem to be starving.
>My concerns are obvious. Am I being conservative
> towards the amount of food I'm giving them?.....

I know the feeling - I feed 5 and 6 times a day - enough to leave them
still wanting for more when I stop. I know some food gets to the
bottom, so I keep a school of albino corys in each tank. The albino's
seem to be a lot more active than the other corys - mabe just because
they are easyer to see(?) I also feed enough for the corys, and do a
quick surface gravel vac before lights out every night, to get any
uneaten foods. Remove mabe 5 gals. from each (two) 90 gal. tanks - each
tank takes 4 or 5 mins................ Frank

[Beano]

eeek! You clean every night! I try to keep my hands out of the tank
water. Worried about catching rat lung worm or something...

[Dick]

On Mon, 08 May 2006 04:44:36 GMT, -ED > wrote:

>I'm one to feed fish knowing the feel of hunger. The tankmates I have
>gleem the aquarium from top to bottom and all points in-between. I feed
>them twice a day and they seem to be starving. My concerns are obvious.
>Am I being conservative towards the amount of food I'm giving them? My
>setup includes a 55gal tank..2 bettas, 10 Zebra danios, & a red-tailed
>black shark. As Frank mentioned earlier, I should consider some cories
>for clean-up crews..but to see the danios, bettas, and shark all combing
>over every cm of surface, I'm beginning to question my husbandry.
>
>Curiously Panic Stricken....thanks for the help.....-ED


I worry about giving too much food. I guess we all find our own
"worries."

My fish are always ready to eat more. I saw a tank with only 2 fish
in it and a giant plant growing out of the tank. The clerk had
inherited the tank from a teacher before summer break. The clerk had
never fed the fish, she had no food nor interest. I saw them 4 months
into "no food." I have an Angelfish that quit eating for a month,
then started eating again. She is spoiled and waits at the opposite
side from where I feed for a special drop of flakes just for her.
Talk about "worry." That was a long 4 weeks!

dick

[Mister Gardener]

On 7 May 2006 23:12:14 -0700, "Frank" > wrote:

>-ED - wrote,
>> I feed them twice a day and they seem to be starving.
>>My concerns are obvious. Am I being conservative
>> towards the amount of food I'm giving them?.....
>
>I know the feeling - I feed 5 and 6 times a day - enough to leave them
>still wanting for more when I stop. I know some food gets to the
>bottom, so I keep a school of albino corys in each tank. The albino's
>seem to be a lot more active than the other corys - mabe just because
>they are easyer to see(?) I also feed enough for the corys, and do a
>quick surface gravel vac before lights out every night, to get any
>uneaten foods. Remove mabe 5 gals. from each (two) 90 gal. tanks - each
>tank takes 4 or 5 mins................ Frank

I've found that what the pet shops call "green corys" are also very
active all day, frequently swimming and dashing about in the middle of
the water column, not just the bottom, and not just shooting to the
top for a gulp of air. I have a few in my big 55. The adults get to be
a good size, much bigger than the albinos. I would recommend these for
your tank, Ed - cheap and hardy and fun to watch. My smaller all cory
tank is albinos, and yes, they are very active during the day, at all
levels of the tank.

-- Mister Gardener
-- Pull the WEED to email me

[Frank]

Beano wrote:
> eeek! You clean every night!

Bred, and raised fish in the basement for over 35 years, starting back
when the tanks were filtered with those intank air driven box filters
and sponge filters. To keep up the water quality one had to siphon the
uneaten food and fish waste from the tanks daily. Between 5 and 10% of
the water in each tank was changed daily. Now that I'm down to two 90s
and one 5 gal. (cardinal tank for the grand kids), I miss messing with
the tanks!

>I try to keep my hands out of the tank
> water. Worried about catching rat lung worm or something....

Over 40 years in the hobby and was only infected with Mycobateriosis
(fish handler's disease) once, which was enough. Now I keep Neosporia
cream around and apply it on any open wounds/sores before my hands go
into the tanks - no worries....................
Frank

[-ED]

On Mon, 08 May 2006 08:48:51 -0500, Frank > wrote:

>
> Beano wrote:
>> eeek! You clean every night!
>
> Bred, and raised fish in the basement for over 35 years, starting back
> when the tanks were filtered with those intank air driven box filters
> and sponge filters. To keep up the water quality one had to siphon the
> uneaten food and fish waste from the tanks daily. Between 5 and 10% of
> the water in each tank was changed daily. Now that I'm down to two 90s
> and one 5 gal. (cardinal tank for the grand kids), I miss messing with
> the tanks!
>
>> I try to keep my hands out of the tank
>> water. Worried about catching rat lung worm or something....
>
> Over 40 years in the hobby and was only infected with Mycobateriosis
> (fish handler's disease) once, which was enough. Now I keep Neosporia
> cream around and apply it on any open wounds/sores before my hands go
> into the tanks - no worries....................
> Frank
>


I have to admit to keeping my hands in or around the tank on a daily
basis. I'm always checking something, or wiping something down, or
trimming this and that...My theory is that the fish will acclimate to my
presence. And it's always paid off. In the past, my fishies would nibble
at my arm hairs and follow my every move. I'm a clean-freak and I have to
tell ya that my tank is cleaner than my own damn house (=0
--
Using Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/mail/

[ClownPleco]

I have a Lake Tang cichlid tank and for the most part, I feed my fish
once per day, on the average, they get 5-6 meals per week. Believe me,
none of the fish look skinny!

[Nikki]

"Frank" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>

> Over 40 years in the hobby and was only infected with Mycobateriosis
> (fish handler's disease) once, which was enough. Now I keep Neosporia
> cream around and apply it on any open wounds/sores before my hands go
> into the tanks - no worries....................
> Frank
>

Frank, does that help to not to get any *disease* from the water, using
Neosporin? I am asking because I have an extreme allergy to something we are
having a hard time figuring out what, but it leaves my hands dry & cracked I
get water bubbles which look just like a rash but if you look close they are
bubbles, using any dish soap or cleaning product make it worse (husband
always jokes that's my excuse to not have to do dishes or clean). But I have
been just washing my hand good and using that antibacterial hand stuff after
having to put my hands in the tank, but it scares me because of having skin
open that it wont be enough.
Nik

[Gill Passman]

Nikki wrote:
> "Frank" > wrote in message
> oups.com...
>
>
>>Over 40 years in the hobby and was only infected with Mycobateriosis
>>(fish handler's disease) once, which was enough. Now I keep Neosporia
>>cream around and apply it on any open wounds/sores before my hands go
>>into the tanks - no worries....................
>>Frank
>>
>
>
> Frank, does that help to not to get any *disease* from the water, using
> Neosporin? I am asking because I have an extreme allergy to something we are
> having a hard time figuring out what, but it leaves my hands dry & cracked I
> get water bubbles which look just like a rash but if you look close they are
> bubbles, using any dish soap or cleaning product make it worse (husband
> always jokes that's my excuse to not have to do dishes or clean). But I have
> been just washing my hand good and using that antibacterial hand stuff after
> having to put my hands in the tank, but it scares me because of having skin
> open that it wont be enough.
> Nik
>
>

I'm glad to know I'm not paranoid....I'm just doing the water changes on
the larger tanks trying to avoid getting my right hand wet as I have a
cut on it from gardening....takes a bit longer but sounds as if it is
worth it...

Gill

[Altum]

-ED wrote:
> I'm one to feed fish knowing the feel of hunger. The tankmates I have
> gleem the aquarium from top to bottom and all points in-between. I feed
> them twice a day and they seem to be starving. My concerns are obvious.
> Am I being conservative towards the amount of food I'm giving them? My
> setup includes a 55gal tank..2 bettas, 10 Zebra danios, & a red-tailed
> black shark. As Frank mentioned earlier, I should consider some cories
> for clean-up crews..but to see the danios, bettas, and shark all combing
> over every cm of surface, I'm beginning to question my husbandry.
>
> Curiously Panic Stricken....thanks for the help.....-ED

I disagree with Frank. If your fish are already combing the bottom for
food, there is no _need_ to have a niche fish for the bottom.
Red-tailed sharks have barbels and are pretty good at "cleaning up". If
you want corydoras then get some- they would do fine in your community.

Healthy fish are hungry fish. Food must be scarce in natural habitats
because it seems like even well-fed fish are "programmed" to keep
looking. (What else would they do with their time? Weave baskets?) I
very much doubt that you are managing to underfeed 13 small fish if you
are feeding twice a day. Bettas in particular will aggressively strike
at every morsel of food offered, even if their bellies are distended
from the size of the meal.

You can tell if a fish isn't getting enough food because after a few
weeks it will start to look thin. Juvenile fish will fail to grow and
adult fish will not show breeding behaviors. Underfed fish have their
spines clearly visible from the side as a raised ridge. From above,
they look knife-like rather than rounded. Underfed plecos and other
loracarids develop sunken bellies.

--
Put the word aquaria in the subject to email me.
Did you read the FAQ? http://faq.thekrib.com

[-ED]

"Altum" > wrote in message
. com...
> -ED wrote:
> > I'm one to feed fish knowing the feel of hunger. The tankmates I have
> > gleem the aquarium from top to bottom and all points in-between. I feed
> > them twice a day and they seem to be starving. My concerns are obvious.
> > Am I being conservative towards the amount of food I'm giving them? My
> > setup includes a 55gal tank..2 bettas, 10 Zebra danios, & a red-tailed
> > black shark. As Frank mentioned earlier, I should consider some cories
> > for clean-up crews..but to see the danios, bettas, and shark all combing
> > over every cm of surface, I'm beginning to question my husbandry.
> >
> > Curiously Panic Stricken....thanks for the help.....-ED
>
> I disagree with Frank. If your fish are already combing the bottom for
> food, there is no _need_ to have a niche fish for the bottom.
> Red-tailed sharks have barbels and are pretty good at "cleaning up". If
> you want corydoras then get some- they would do fine in your community.
>
> Healthy fish are hungry fish. Food must be scarce in natural habitats
> because it seems like even well-fed fish are "programmed" to keep
> looking. (What else would they do with their time? Weave baskets?) I
> very much doubt that you are managing to underfeed 13 small fish if you
> are feeding twice a day. Bettas in particular will aggressively strike
> at every morsel of food offered, even if their bellies are distended
> from the size of the meal.
>
> You can tell if a fish isn't getting enough food because after a few
> weeks it will start to look thin. Juvenile fish will fail to grow and
> adult fish will not show breeding behaviors. Underfed fish have their
> spines clearly visible from the side as a raised ridge. From above,
> they look knife-like rather than rounded. Underfed plecos and other
> loracarids develop sunken bellies.
>
> --
Kinda like the way I'm looking these days =\ lol...

[Koi-Lo]

"Frank" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Over 40 years in the hobby and was only infected with Mycobateriosis
> (fish handler's disease) once, which was enough. Now I keep Neosporia
> cream around and apply it on any open wounds/sores before my hands go
> into the tanks - no worries....................
> Frank
======================
So far I never caught anything from any of my aquariums or ponds. Years ago
when my son was small we also had newts, lizards and slider turtles. We
never got anything from them either. I've been fortunate (or have an
excellent immune system).
--
Koi-Lo....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
Aquariums since 1952.
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
~~~~ }<((((*> ~~~ }<{{{{(ö> ~~~~ }<((((({*>

[Koi-Lo]

"-ED" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Altum" > wrote in message
Underfed plecos and other
>> loracarids develop sunken bellies.
>>
>> --
> Kinda like the way I'm looking these days =\ lol...
===================
Doesn't Domino Pizza deliver where you reside? ;-)
--
Koi-Lo....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
Aquariums since 1952.
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
~~~~ }<((((*> ~~~ }<{{{{(ö> ~~~~ }<((((({*>

[-ED]

"Koi-Lo" > wrote in message
...
>
> "-ED" > wrote in message
> ...
> >
> > "Altum" > wrote in message
> Underfed plecos and other
> >> loracarids develop sunken bellies.
> >>
> >> --
> > Kinda like the way I'm looking these days =\ lol...
> ===================
> Doesn't Domino Pizza deliver where you reside? ;-)
> --
Not a chance....I'm in the boonies...literally...no traffic lights..one
cop..no buses..no taxies....zip..notta !!

[Frank]

Altum wrote,
>I disagree with Frank. If your fish are already combing the bottom for
>food, there is no _need_ to have a niche fish for the bottom....

Great to have someone disagree (once in a while) ;-) ... The reason I
think Ed needs the corys is so he can feed a little more without having
a lot of uneaten food on the bottom. Whenever someone has 10 zebra
danios eating off the bottom, they are eather feeding the wrong kind of
food, or not feeding enough.

>Red-tailed sharks have barbels and are pretty good at "cleaning up"...

It's a 55 gal. tank - way to much foot print for the 'barbels' of one
small fish to keep up with. Rule of thumb for corys is one per 5 gals.
- ie; 2 for a 10 gal. tank, 3 for a 15, 4 for a 20, etc. I beleave Ed
should get another RTBS for a playmate to the one he has, but even two
wouldn't be enough to keep the bottom of a 55 gal. tank food
free............. Frank

[Frank]

Nikki wrote,
>does that help to not to get any *disease*
>from the water, using Neosporin? .....

It stops any germs from getting into an open cut/sore.

>but it leaves my hands dry & cracked I get water bubbles
>which look just like a rash but if you look close they are bubbles,
>using any dish soap or cleaning product make it worse ......

Doesn't sound like Mycobateriosis to me, but you might want to tell
your doc. that you keep fish and have your hands in the tanks at daily
bases. I had a small cut - opening through the skin which turned red
around the cut. The redness turned to purple after a couple of days and
started to increase in diameter. It itched and burned by the 5th day
(friday). By monday it was twice the size that it was friday, swelled
and had real bad stiffness in my elbow (by the way, the cut was on the
elbow) so I went to the hospital. Their treatment was to scrub the
wound with sope and water 3 or 4 times a day, rubbing neosporia cream
into the area after each cleaning. I also had to take 250mg of Cipro
(oral antibiotic) twice a day for 5 days and two Tylenols every 4
hours................ Frank

[-ED]

"Frank" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> Nikki wrote,
> >does that help to not to get any *disease*
> >from the water, using Neosporin? .....
>
> It stops any germs from getting into an open cut/sore.
>
> >but it leaves my hands dry & cracked I get water bubbles
> >which look just like a rash but if you look close they are bubbles,
> >using any dish soap or cleaning product make it worse ......
>
> Doesn't sound like Mycobateriosis to me, but you might want to tell
> your doc. that you keep fish and have your hands in the tanks at daily
> bases. I had a small cut - opening through the skin which turned red
> around the cut. The redness turned to purple after a couple of days and
> started to increase in diameter. It itched and burned by the 5th day
> (friday). By monday it was twice the size that it was friday, swelled
> and had real bad stiffness in my elbow (by the way, the cut was on the
> elbow) so I went to the hospital. Their treatment was to scrub the
> wound with sope and water 3 or 4 times a day, rubbing neosporia cream
> into the area after each cleaning. I also had to take 250mg of Cipro
> (oral antibiotic) twice a day for 5 days and two Tylenols every 4
> hours................ Frank
>
Keep Hydrogen Peroxide around the house....'darn stuff's good for what's
ailin' ya..Cuts, burns.Oral Hygiene..Fish sores I've heard..and I think I
caught something about adding some to tanks awhile back...gotta google the
H2O2 again and see where it took me.
That Cipro some top notch stuff...must've been serious if they prescribed
that.
Off subject...anyone know where clove oil can be purchased?..Can't say I've
seen it in the grocery isles lately...-ED

[-ED]

"Frank" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Altum wrote,
> >I disagree with Frank. If your fish are already combing the bottom for
> >food, there is no _need_ to have a niche fish for the bottom....
>
> Great to have someone disagree (once in a while) ;-) ... The reason I
> think Ed needs the corys is so he can feed a little more without having
> a lot of uneaten food on the bottom. Whenever someone has 10 zebra
> danios eating off the bottom, they are eather feeding the wrong kind of
> food, or not feeding enough.
>
> >Red-tailed sharks have barbels and are pretty good at "cleaning up"...
>
> It's a 55 gal. tank - way to much foot print for the 'barbels' of one
> small fish to keep up with. Rule of thumb for corys is one per 5 gals.
> - ie; 2 for a 10 gal. tank, 3 for a 15, 4 for a 20, etc. I beleave Ed
> should get another RTBS for a playmate to the one he has, but even two
> wouldn't be enough to keep the bottom of a 55 gal. tank food
> free............. Frank
>
I'm considering just that...while the internet tells us to shy away from
placing 2 RTBS together..the underlying rule still comes into play where
"..as long as they have lots of cover and are in a large enough tank..." I
have the tank book-ended with towering philadendrum..ressembles a Hilton
Rainforrest...so I'm gonna pickup a couple of albinos and another
shark(unless someone here heads me off on the xtra RTBS)...I've dropped the
temp to about 78*F, lets see how my buddies will respond to it. I remember,
a time back, when you wanted your tropical tanks around 75*-78*...and
raising temperatures raised the fishes metabolism..hence appetite.
Thanks to all the Crew......-ED

[-ED]

"-ED" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Frank" > wrote in message
> oups.com...
> > Altum wrote,
> > >I disagree with Frank. If your fish are already combing the bottom for
> > >food, there is no _need_ to have a niche fish for the bottom....
> >
> > Great to have someone disagree (once in a while) ;-) ... The reason I
> > think Ed needs the corys is so he can feed a little more without having
> > a lot of uneaten food on the bottom. Whenever someone has 10 zebra
> > danios eating off the bottom, they are eather feeding the wrong kind of
> > food, or not feeding enough.
> >
> > >Red-tailed sharks have barbels and are pretty good at "cleaning up"...
> >
> > It's a 55 gal. tank - way to much foot print for the 'barbels' of one
> > small fish to keep up with. Rule of thumb for corys is one per 5 gals.
> > - ie; 2 for a 10 gal. tank, 3 for a 15, 4 for a 20, etc. I beleave Ed
> > should get another RTBS for a playmate to the one he has, but even two
> > wouldn't be enough to keep the bottom of a 55 gal. tank food
> > free............. Frank
> >
> I'm considering just that...while the internet tells us to shy away from
> placing 2 RTBS together..the underlying rule still comes into play where
> "..as long as they have lots of cover and are in a large enough tank..." I
> have the tank book-ended with towering philadendrum..ressembles a Hilton
> Rainforrest...so I'm gonna pickup a couple of albinos and another
> shark(unless someone here heads me off on the xtra RTBS)...I've dropped
the
> temp to about 78*F, lets see how my buddies will respond to it. I
remember,
> a time back, when you wanted your tropical tanks around 75*-78*...and
> raising temperatures raised the fishes metabolism..hence appetite.
> Thanks to all the Crew......-ED
>
>
PS..Waiting for NetMax to hammer an opinion here...MG too....Fire away..I'm
under the driftwood at the moment!

[Frank]

-ED - wrote,
>Keep Hydrogen Peroxide around the house...
>and I think I caught something about adding
>some to tanks awhile back......

Adding Hydrogen Peroxide to your tank would burn the fishs gills! I
use it on a Q-tip to clean open wounds on fish, before treating the
wound with panalog or neosporia cream, or a 10 to 1 dilution can be
used for a 10 second dip to kill Dactylogyrus (gill flukes), but never
added to the tank! ............... Frank

[Gill Passman]

-ED wrote:
> "-ED" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>"Frank" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>>
>>>Altum wrote,
>>>
>>>>I disagree with Frank. If your fish are already combing the bottom for
>>>>food, there is no _need_ to have a niche fish for the bottom....
>>>
>>>Great to have someone disagree (once in a while) ;-) ... The reason I
>>>think Ed needs the corys is so he can feed a little more without having
>>>a lot of uneaten food on the bottom. Whenever someone has 10 zebra
>>>danios eating off the bottom, they are eather feeding the wrong kind of
>>>food, or not feeding enough.
>>>
>>>
>>>>Red-tailed sharks have barbels and are pretty good at "cleaning up"...
>>>
>>>It's a 55 gal. tank - way to much foot print for the 'barbels' of one
>>>small fish to keep up with. Rule of thumb for corys is one per 5 gals.
>>>- ie; 2 for a 10 gal. tank, 3 for a 15, 4 for a 20, etc. I beleave Ed
>>>should get another RTBS for a playmate to the one he has, but even two
>>>wouldn't be enough to keep the bottom of a 55 gal. tank food
>>>free............. Frank
>>>
>>
>>I'm considering just that...while the internet tells us to shy away from
>>placing 2 RTBS together..the underlying rule still comes into play where
>>"..as long as they have lots of cover and are in a large enough tank..." I
>>have the tank book-ended with towering philadendrum..ressembles a Hilton
>>Rainforrest...so I'm gonna pickup a couple of albinos and another
>>shark(unless someone here heads me off on the xtra RTBS)...I've dropped
>
> the
>
>>temp to about 78*F, lets see how my buddies will respond to it. I
>
> remember,
>
>>a time back, when you wanted your tropical tanks around 75*-78*...and
>>raising temperatures raised the fishes metabolism..hence appetite.
>>Thanks to all the Crew......-ED
>>
>>
>
> PS..Waiting for NetMax to hammer an opinion here...MG too....Fire away..I'm
> under the driftwood at the moment!
>
>
If you are going for the Cories get more than two - they are very
sociable...The minimum I have in one tank is 4 - they love to hang out
with eachother.....apparently the various species of cory also mix well
together (haven't tried mixing them yet but am going to - I have Juliis
and Pandas)....You will also get more pleasure out of watching a larger
number - I love it when they all group together as if they are at a
political rally :-)

Gill

[Dick]

On Mon, 08 May 2006 23:58:08 GMT, "-ED" > wrote:

>
>"Koi-Lo" > wrote in message
...
>>
>> "-ED" > wrote in message
>> ...
>> >
>> > "Altum" > wrote in message
>> Underfed plecos and other
>> >> loracarids develop sunken bellies.
>> >>
>> >> --
>> > Kinda like the way I'm looking these days =\ lol...
>> ===================
>> Doesn't Domino Pizza deliver where you reside? ;-)
>> --
>Not a chance....I'm in the boonies...literally...no traffic lights..one
>cop..no buses..no taxies....zip..notta !!
>
I didn't know I was not in the boonies, but we have 2 cops and a home
grown pizza shop (no deliveries).

dick

[Dick]

On Tue, 09 May 2006 08:41:44 +0100, Gill Passman
> wrote:

>-ED wrote:
>> "-ED" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>
>>>"Frank" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>>>
>>>>Altum wrote,
>>>>
>>>>>I disagree with Frank. If your fish are already combing the bottom for
>>>>>food, there is no _need_ to have a niche fish for the bottom....
>>>>
>>>>Great to have someone disagree (once in a while) ;-) ... The reason I
>>>>think Ed needs the corys is so he can feed a little more without having
>>>>a lot of uneaten food on the bottom. Whenever someone has 10 zebra
>>>>danios eating off the bottom, they are eather feeding the wrong kind of
>>>>food, or not feeding enough.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>Red-tailed sharks have barbels and are pretty good at "cleaning up"...
>>>>
>>>>It's a 55 gal. tank - way to much foot print for the 'barbels' of one
>>>>small fish to keep up with. Rule of thumb for corys is one per 5 gals.
>>>>- ie; 2 for a 10 gal. tank, 3 for a 15, 4 for a 20, etc. I beleave Ed
>>>>should get another RTBS for a playmate to the one he has, but even two
>>>>wouldn't be enough to keep the bottom of a 55 gal. tank food
>>>>free............. Frank
>>>>
>>>
>>>I'm considering just that...while the internet tells us to shy away from
>>>placing 2 RTBS together..the underlying rule still comes into play where
>>>"..as long as they have lots of cover and are in a large enough tank..." I
>>>have the tank book-ended with towering philadendrum..ressembles a Hilton
>>>Rainforrest...so I'm gonna pickup a couple of albinos and another
>>>shark(unless someone here heads me off on the xtra RTBS)...I've dropped
>>
>> the
>>
>>>temp to about 78*F, lets see how my buddies will respond to it. I
>>
>> remember,
>>
>>>a time back, when you wanted your tropical tanks around 75*-78*...and
>>>raising temperatures raised the fishes metabolism..hence appetite.
>>>Thanks to all the Crew......-ED
>>>
>>>
>>
>> PS..Waiting for NetMax to hammer an opinion here...MG too....Fire away..I'm
>> under the driftwood at the moment!
>>
>>
>If you are going for the Cories get more than two - they are very
>sociable...The minimum I have in one tank is 4 - they love to hang out
>with eachother.....apparently the various species of cory also mix well
>together (haven't tried mixing them yet but am going to - I have Juliis
>and Pandas)....You will also get more pleasure out of watching a larger
>number - I love it when they all group together as if they are at a
>political rally :-)
>
>Gill

I am constantly amazed at how different our experience is (not just
with Gill <g>) I have Cories is 3 of my 5 tanks. I like to look at
them, they, like Plecos, like -- well like all the fish, look so
unique. However, I cannot say I ever see my Cories together. I have
4 in my 75 gallon tank and have to search very long and hard to see
them at all, let alone in a cluster. I can more easily see The pair
of Cories in the two 10 gallon tanks, but they also are loners.

I have "worry" about bottom feeders. I have lots of them. I worry
that not enough food will reach the bottom. Even my Plecos have been
known to skim the flakes at the water surface, but the Cories seem to
only work the bottom. But, I also worry about the Bleeding Hearts
that stay away from the frenzie and patiently wait for a flake to
drift their way. Top feeders I don't worry about, thank heaven.

dick

[Pete Becker]

Gill Passman wrote:

> If you are going for the Cories get more than two - they are very
> sociable...The minimum I have in one tank is 4 - they love to hang out
> with eachother.....apparently the various species of cory also mix well
> together (haven't tried mixing them yet but am going to - I have Juliis
> and Pandas)....You will also get more pleasure out of watching a larger
> number - I love it when they all group together as if they are at a
> political rally :-)
>

They're like teenage girls at the mall.

--

Pete Becker
Roundhouse Consulting, Ltd.

[Mister Gardener]

On Tue, 09 May 2006 01:33:41 GMT, "-ED" > wrote:

>
>"-ED" > wrote in message
...
>>
>> "Frank" > wrote in message
>> oups.com...
>> > Altum wrote,
>> > >I disagree with Frank. If your fish are already combing the bottom for
>> > >food, there is no _need_ to have a niche fish for the bottom....
>> >
>> > Great to have someone disagree (once in a while) ;-) ... The reason I
>> > think Ed needs the corys is so he can feed a little more without having
>> > a lot of uneaten food on the bottom. Whenever someone has 10 zebra
>> > danios eating off the bottom, they are eather feeding the wrong kind of
>> > food, or not feeding enough.
>> >
>> > >Red-tailed sharks have barbels and are pretty good at "cleaning up"...
>> >
>> > It's a 55 gal. tank - way to much foot print for the 'barbels' of one
>> > small fish to keep up with. Rule of thumb for corys is one per 5 gals.
>> > - ie; 2 for a 10 gal. tank, 3 for a 15, 4 for a 20, etc. I beleave Ed
>> > should get another RTBS for a playmate to the one he has, but even two
>> > wouldn't be enough to keep the bottom of a 55 gal. tank food
>> > free............. Frank
>> >
>> I'm considering just that...while the internet tells us to shy away from
>> placing 2 RTBS together..the underlying rule still comes into play where
>> "..as long as they have lots of cover and are in a large enough tank..." I
>> have the tank book-ended with towering philadendrum..ressembles a Hilton
>> Rainforrest...so I'm gonna pickup a couple of albinos and another
>> shark(unless someone here heads me off on the xtra RTBS)...I've dropped
>the
>> temp to about 78*F, lets see how my buddies will respond to it. I
>remember,
>> a time back, when you wanted your tropical tanks around 75*-78*...and
>> raising temperatures raised the fishes metabolism..hence appetite.
>> Thanks to all the Crew......-ED
>>
>>
>PS..Waiting for NetMax to hammer an opinion here...MG too....Fire away..I'm
>under the driftwood at the moment!
>
It's early yet. YAWWNNN. My openly expressed opinion.

-- Mister Gardener
-- Pull the WEED to email me

[Mister Gardener]

On Tue, 09 May 2006 01:33:41 GMT, "-ED" > wrote:

>
>"-ED" > wrote in message
...
>>
>> "Frank" > wrote in message
>> oups.com...
>> > Altum wrote,
>> > >I disagree with Frank. If your fish are already combing the bottom for
>> > >food, there is no _need_ to have a niche fish for the bottom....
>> >
>> > Great to have someone disagree (once in a while) ;-) ... The reason I
>> > think Ed needs the corys is so he can feed a little more without having
>> > a lot of uneaten food on the bottom. Whenever someone has 10 zebra
>> > danios eating off the bottom, they are eather feeding the wrong kind of
>> > food, or not feeding enough.
>> >
>> > >Red-tailed sharks have barbels and are pretty good at "cleaning up"...
>> >
>> > It's a 55 gal. tank - way to much foot print for the 'barbels' of one
>> > small fish to keep up with. Rule of thumb for corys is one per 5 gals.
>> > - ie; 2 for a 10 gal. tank, 3 for a 15, 4 for a 20, etc. I beleave Ed
>> > should get another RTBS for a playmate to the one he has, but even two
>> > wouldn't be enough to keep the bottom of a 55 gal. tank food
>> > free............. Frank
>> >
>> I'm considering just that...while the internet tells us to shy away from
>> placing 2 RTBS together..the underlying rule still comes into play where
>> "..as long as they have lots of cover and are in a large enough tank..." I
>> have the tank book-ended with towering philadendrum..ressembles a Hilton
>> Rainforrest...so I'm gonna pickup a couple of albinos and another
>> shark(unless someone here heads me off on the xtra RTBS)...I've dropped
>the
>> temp to about 78*F, lets see how my buddies will respond to it. I
>remember,
>> a time back, when you wanted your tropical tanks around 75*-78*...and
>> raising temperatures raised the fishes metabolism..hence appetite.
>> Thanks to all the Crew......-ED
>>
>>
>PS..Waiting for NetMax to hammer an opinion here...MG too....Fire away..I'm
>under the driftwood at the moment!
>
BOOM! Coffee buzz and nicotine hit - - - many fish are described by
pet store people as algae eaters, when, in fact, they are fishes that
happen to eat algae. Black mollies eat algae, suckermouth cats eat
algae. Both are algae eaters, I suppose. Ooops, we weren't talking
about algae eaters . . . half a dozen corys, or more, but 6 is a good
beginning, for your tank . . . didn't we just talk about this?
Something about green cories, get to a good size, low cost . . . maybe
another cup of coffee. Here's to Floger's. And Prince Albert.

-- Mister Gardener
-- Pull the WEED to email me

[Mister Gardener]

On Tue, 09 May 2006 08:41:44 +0100, Gill Passman
> wrote:

>-ED wrote:
>> "-ED" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>
>>>"Frank" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>>>
>>>>Altum wrote,
>>>>
>>>>>I disagree with Frank. If your fish are already combing the bottom for
>>>>>food, there is no _need_ to have a niche fish for the bottom....
>>>>
>>>>Great to have someone disagree (once in a while) ;-) ... The reason I
>>>>think Ed needs the corys is so he can feed a little more without having
>>>>a lot of uneaten food on the bottom. Whenever someone has 10 zebra
>>>>danios eating off the bottom, they are eather feeding the wrong kind of
>>>>food, or not feeding enough.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>Red-tailed sharks have barbels and are pretty good at "cleaning up"...
>>>>
>>>>It's a 55 gal. tank - way to much foot print for the 'barbels' of one
>>>>small fish to keep up with. Rule of thumb for corys is one per 5 gals.
>>>>- ie; 2 for a 10 gal. tank, 3 for a 15, 4 for a 20, etc. I beleave Ed
>>>>should get another RTBS for a playmate to the one he has, but even two
>>>>wouldn't be enough to keep the bottom of a 55 gal. tank food
>>>>free............. Frank
>>>>
>>>
>>>I'm considering just that...while the internet tells us to shy away from
>>>placing 2 RTBS together..the underlying rule still comes into play where
>>>"..as long as they have lots of cover and are in a large enough tank..." I
>>>have the tank book-ended with towering philadendrum..ressembles a Hilton
>>>Rainforrest...so I'm gonna pickup a couple of albinos and another
>>>shark(unless someone here heads me off on the xtra RTBS)...I've dropped
>>
>> the
>>
>>>temp to about 78*F, lets see how my buddies will respond to it. I
>>
>> remember,
>>
>>>a time back, when you wanted your tropical tanks around 75*-78*...and
>>>raising temperatures raised the fishes metabolism..hence appetite.
>>>Thanks to all the Crew......-ED
>>>
>>>
>>
>> PS..Waiting for NetMax to hammer an opinion here...MG too....Fire away..I'm
>> under the driftwood at the moment!
>>
>>
>If you are going for the Cories get more than two - they are very
>sociable...The minimum I have in one tank is 4 - they love to hang out
>with eachother.....apparently the various species of cory also mix well
>together (haven't tried mixing them yet but am going to - I have Juliis
>and Pandas)....You will also get more pleasure out of watching a larger
>number - I love it when they all group together as if they are at a
>political rally :-)
>
>Gill
Sometimes mine will line up in a follow the leader fashion and wind
all through the tank, reminding me of a folk dance that really gets
the audience involved.

-- Mister Gardener
-- Pull the WEED to email me

[Nikki]

"Frank" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> Nikki wrote,
>>does that help to not to get any *disease*
>>from the water, using Neosporin? .....
>
> It stops any germs from getting into an open cut/sore.
>
>>but it leaves my hands dry & cracked I get water bubbles
>>which look just like a rash but if you look close they are bubbles,
>>using any dish soap or cleaning product make it worse ......
>
> Doesn't sound like Mycobateriosis to me, but you might want to tell
> your doc. that you keep fish and have your hands in the tanks at daily
> bases. I had a small cut - opening through the skin which turned red
> around the cut. The redness turned to purple after a couple of days and
> started to increase in diameter. It itched and burned by the 5th day
> (friday). By monday it was twice the size that it was friday, swelled
> and had real bad stiffness in my elbow (by the way, the cut was on the
> elbow) so I went to the hospital. Their treatment was to scrub the
> wound with sope and water 3 or 4 times a day, rubbing neosporia cream
> into the area after each cleaning. I also had to take 250mg of Cipro
> (oral antibiotic) twice a day for 5 days and two Tylenols every 4
> hours................ Frank
>

I dont think what i have on my hands is from the fish tank water, but i am
worried being i have open cuts/bubles i could end up with it...i always have
neosporia being i have kids so i will start using it before putting my hands
in the water, if nothing else just to stay on the safe side.
thanks frank
Nik

[Mister Gardener]

On Tue, 09 May 2006 08:41:44 +0100, Gill Passman
> wrote:

>-ED wrote:
>> "-ED" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>
>>>"Frank" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>>>
>>>>Altum wrote,
>>>>
>>>>>I disagree with Frank. If your fish are already combing the bottom for
>>>>>food, there is no _need_ to have a niche fish for the bottom....
>>>>
>>>>Great to have someone disagree (once in a while) ;-) ... The reason I
>>>>think Ed needs the corys is so he can feed a little more without having
>>>>a lot of uneaten food on the bottom. Whenever someone has 10 zebra
>>>>danios eating off the bottom, they are eather feeding the wrong kind of
>>>>food, or not feeding enough.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>Red-tailed sharks have barbels and are pretty good at "cleaning up"...
>>>>
>>>>It's a 55 gal. tank - way to much foot print for the 'barbels' of one
>>>>small fish to keep up with. Rule of thumb for corys is one per 5 gals.
>>>>- ie; 2 for a 10 gal. tank, 3 for a 15, 4 for a 20, etc. I beleave Ed
>>>>should get another RTBS for a playmate to the one he has, but even two
>>>>wouldn't be enough to keep the bottom of a 55 gal. tank food
>>>>free............. Frank
>>>>
>>>
>>>I'm considering just that...while the internet tells us to shy away from
>>>placing 2 RTBS together..the underlying rule still comes into play where
>>>"..as long as they have lots of cover and are in a large enough tank..." I
>>>have the tank book-ended with towering philadendrum..ressembles a Hilton
>>>Rainforrest...so I'm gonna pickup a couple of albinos and another
>>>shark(unless someone here heads me off on the xtra RTBS)...I've dropped
>>
>> the
>>
>>>temp to about 78*F, lets see how my buddies will respond to it. I
>>
>> remember,
>>
>>>a time back, when you wanted your tropical tanks around 75*-78*...and
>>>raising temperatures raised the fishes metabolism..hence appetite.
>>>Thanks to all the Crew......-ED
>>>
>>>
>>
>> PS..Waiting for NetMax to hammer an opinion here...MG too....Fire away..I'm
>> under the driftwood at the moment!
>>
>>
>If you are going for the Cories get more than two - they are very
>sociable...The minimum I have in one tank is 4 - they love to hang out
>with eachother.....apparently the various species of cory also mix well
>together (haven't tried mixing them yet but am going to - I have Juliis
>and Pandas)....You will also get more pleasure out of watching a larger
>number - I love it when they all group together as if they are at a
>political rally :-)
>
>Gill
They don't seem to care about size, either, my cories range from half
inch young albinos to nearly 3 inch greens, and they all join together
in the school. As for the next question: Angel fish are not
discriminatory about color and will breed happily with whoever
(whomever?) catches their fancy. Cories, as far as I know, prefer to
stick with their own kind when it comes to bedroom activities.

-- Mister Gardener
-- Pull the WEED to email me

[Mister Gardener]

On Tue, 09 May 2006 05:20:05 -0500, Dick >
wrote:

>On Tue, 09 May 2006 08:41:44 +0100, Gill Passman
> wrote:
>
>>-ED wrote:
>>> "-ED" > wrote in message
>>> ...
>>>
>>>>"Frank" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>>>>
>>>>>Altum wrote,
>>>>>
>>>>>>I disagree with Frank. If your fish are already combing the bottom for
>>>>>>food, there is no _need_ to have a niche fish for the bottom....
>>>>>
>>>>>Great to have someone disagree (once in a while) ;-) ... The reason I
>>>>>think Ed needs the corys is so he can feed a little more without having
>>>>>a lot of uneaten food on the bottom. Whenever someone has 10 zebra
>>>>>danios eating off the bottom, they are eather feeding the wrong kind of
>>>>>food, or not feeding enough.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>Red-tailed sharks have barbels and are pretty good at "cleaning up"...
>>>>>
>>>>>It's a 55 gal. tank - way to much foot print for the 'barbels' of one
>>>>>small fish to keep up with. Rule of thumb for corys is one per 5 gals.
>>>>>- ie; 2 for a 10 gal. tank, 3 for a 15, 4 for a 20, etc. I beleave Ed
>>>>>should get another RTBS for a playmate to the one he has, but even two
>>>>>wouldn't be enough to keep the bottom of a 55 gal. tank food
>>>>>free............. Frank
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>I'm considering just that...while the internet tells us to shy away from
>>>>placing 2 RTBS together..the underlying rule still comes into play where
>>>>"..as long as they have lots of cover and are in a large enough tank..." I
>>>>have the tank book-ended with towering philadendrum..ressembles a Hilton
>>>>Rainforrest...so I'm gonna pickup a couple of albinos and another
>>>>shark(unless someone here heads me off on the xtra RTBS)...I've dropped
>>>
>>> the
>>>
>>>>temp to about 78*F, lets see how my buddies will respond to it. I
>>>
>>> remember,
>>>
>>>>a time back, when you wanted your tropical tanks around 75*-78*...and
>>>>raising temperatures raised the fishes metabolism..hence appetite.
>>>>Thanks to all the Crew......-ED
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>> PS..Waiting for NetMax to hammer an opinion here...MG too....Fire away..I'm
>>> under the driftwood at the moment!
>>>
>>>
>>If you are going for the Cories get more than two - they are very
>>sociable...The minimum I have in one tank is 4 - they love to hang out
>>with eachother.....apparently the various species of cory also mix well
>>together (haven't tried mixing them yet but am going to - I have Juliis
>>and Pandas)....You will also get more pleasure out of watching a larger
>>number - I love it when they all group together as if they are at a
>>political rally :-)
>>
>>Gill
>
>I am constantly amazed at how different our experience is (not just
>with Gill <g>) I have Cories is 3 of my 5 tanks. I like to look at
>them, they, like Plecos, like -- well like all the fish, look so
>unique. However, I cannot say I ever see my Cories together. I have
>4 in my 75 gallon tank and have to search very long and hard to see
>them at all, let alone in a cluster. I can more easily see The pair
>of Cories in the two 10 gallon tanks, but they also are loners.
>
>I have "worry" about bottom feeders. I have lots of them. I worry
>that not enough food will reach the bottom. Even my Plecos have been
>known to skim the flakes at the water surface, but the Cories seem to
>only work the bottom. But, I also worry about the Bleeding Hearts
>that stay away from the frenzie and patiently wait for a flake to
>drift their way. Top feeders I don't worry about, thank heaven.
>
>dick
4 cories in a 75 may be part of the problem. Double their number and
they might remember their schooling instinct. Another possibility,
corys like shady spots, they don't like to spend a lot of time under
the bright lights. I keep floating plants covering part of their water
surface, the big floating leaves of banana plants are a favorite, as
well as, of course, water sprite. Since I recently provided a pile of
rocks for my cory tank, they spend some of their time resting in the
caves and shadows. As far as your tank with 2 corys, their behavior is
not unusual, 2 corys will often not pick up the schooling thing,
acting instead like two lonely corys. As far as bottom feeders, I drop
algae wafers and sometimes sinking cichlid or catfish (when I can find
them) pellets into my tanks with bottom dwellers each evening shortly
after the lights go out. When I check in the morning, the food I leave
is always gone. I am currently increasing the amount each night, to
see if there is a point where I am overfeeding them Regarding
nocturnal and day-urnal fish, I find that my catfish, cories and
suckermouths, set their own schedules and seldom follow the rules that
Dr Axelrod set down for them.

-- Mister Gardener
-- Pull the WEED to email me

[Mister Gardener]

On Tue, 09 May 2006 07:23:23 -0400, Pete Becker >
wrote:

>Gill Passman wrote:
>
>> If you are going for the Cories get more than two - they are very
>> sociable...The minimum I have in one tank is 4 - they love to hang out
>> with eachother.....apparently the various species of cory also mix well
>> together (haven't tried mixing them yet but am going to - I have Juliis
>> and Pandas)....You will also get more pleasure out of watching a larger
>> number - I love it when they all group together as if they are at a
>> political rally :-)
>>
>
>They're like teenage girls at the mall.
Or teenage boys at . . . at . . . . just about anywhere there are
teenage girls. Been there, done that.

-- Mister Gardener
-- Pull the WEED to email me

[Altum]

-ED wrote:

> Keep Hydrogen Peroxide around the house....'darn stuff's good for what's
> ailin' ya..Cuts, burns.Oral Hygiene..Fish sores I've heard..and I think I
> caught something about adding some to tanks awhile back...gotta google the
> H2O2 again and see where it took me.
> That Cipro some top notch stuff...must've been serious if they prescribed
> that.
> Off subject...anyone know where clove oil can be purchased?..Can't say I've
> seen it in the grocery isles lately...-ED

Aromatherapy section of a health food store. eBay.

--
Put the word aquaria in the subject to email me.
Did you read the FAQ? http://faq.thekrib.com

[Altum]

Frank wrote:
> Altum wrote,
>> I disagree with Frank. If your fish are already combing the bottom for
>> food, there is no _need_ to have a niche fish for the bottom....
>
> Great to have someone disagree (once in a while) ;-) ... The reason I
> think Ed needs the corys is so he can feed a little more without having
> a lot of uneaten food on the bottom. Whenever someone has 10 zebra
> danios eating off the bottom, they are eather feeding the wrong kind of
> food, or not feeding enough.
>
>> Red-tailed sharks have barbels and are pretty good at "cleaning up"...
>
> It's a 55 gal. tank - way to much foot print for the 'barbels' of one
> small fish to keep up with. Rule of thumb for corys is one per 5 gals.
> - ie; 2 for a 10 gal. tank, 3 for a 15, 4 for a 20, etc. I beleave Ed
> should get another RTBS for a playmate to the one he has, but even two
> wouldn't be enough to keep the bottom of a 55 gal. tank food
> free............. Frank

I guess it really depends on the fish mix and feeding style. As I think
about it, I always put malaysian trumpet snails in the gravel in my
tanks to turn the substrate. They're efficient scavengers so I don't
have to worry about bottom feeding fish much. I usually have cichlids,
which will find just about anything edible. Cyprinids and livebearers
are the same - nothing went uneaten in my guppy tank.

If you're going to make a blanket recommendation for cories in tanks
with only surface feeding fish, one per 5 gallons still seems high.
That means it takes 11 cories to eat the food missed by Ed's 10 zebra
danios and 2 bettas??? Ed's got to more than double his fish load to do
that. What's the impact on water quality from eleven cories vs.
whatever small scraps of food the red-tailed shark misses as he combs
the substrate with his fairly sensitive barbels?

If I had Ed's tank and wanted to keep the tank clean and the fish load
light, I'd add a couple of mystery snails and a bag of ghost shrimp.

--
Put the word aquaria in the subject to email me.
Did you read the FAQ? http://faq.thekrib.com

[Altum]

Mister Gardener wrote:

> They don't seem to care about size, either, my cories range from half
> inch young albinos to nearly 3 inch greens, and they all join together
> in the school. As for the next question: Angel fish are not
> discriminatory about color and will breed happily with whoever
> (whomever?) catches their fancy. Cories, as far as I know, prefer to
> stick with their own kind when it comes to bedroom activities.

That's the very definition of species. Fancy angels are all P. scalare.
All the different looking cories are separate species. Some may be
able to hybridize, but most odd pairs of cories probably wouldn't
produce fertile offspring even if they tried.

--
Put the word aquaria in the subject to email me.
Did you read the FAQ? http://faq.thekrib.com

[Dick]

On Tue, 09 May 2006 08:49:28 -0400, Mister Gardener
> wrote:

>On Tue, 09 May 2006 05:20:05 -0500, Dick >
>wrote:
>
>>On Tue, 09 May 2006 08:41:44 +0100, Gill Passman
> wrote:
>>
>>>-ED wrote:
>>>> "-ED" > wrote in message
>>>> ...
>>>>
>>>>>"Frank" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>>>>>
>>>>>>Altum wrote,
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>I disagree with Frank. If your fish are already combing the bottom for
>>>>>>>food, there is no _need_ to have a niche fish for the bottom....
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Great to have someone disagree (once in a while) ;-) ... The reason I
>>>>>>think Ed needs the corys is so he can feed a little more without having
>>>>>>a lot of uneaten food on the bottom. Whenever someone has 10 zebra
>>>>>>danios eating off the bottom, they are eather feeding the wrong kind of
>>>>>>food, or not feeding enough.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Red-tailed sharks have barbels and are pretty good at "cleaning up"...
>>>>>>
>>>>>>It's a 55 gal. tank - way to much foot print for the 'barbels' of one
>>>>>>small fish to keep up with. Rule of thumb for corys is one per 5 gals.
>>>>>>- ie; 2 for a 10 gal. tank, 3 for a 15, 4 for a 20, etc. I beleave Ed
>>>>>>should get another RTBS for a playmate to the one he has, but even two
>>>>>>wouldn't be enough to keep the bottom of a 55 gal. tank food
>>>>>>free............. Frank
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>I'm considering just that...while the internet tells us to shy away from
>>>>>placing 2 RTBS together..the underlying rule still comes into play where
>>>>>"..as long as they have lots of cover and are in a large enough tank..." I
>>>>>have the tank book-ended with towering philadendrum..ressembles a Hilton
>>>>>Rainforrest...so I'm gonna pickup a couple of albinos and another
>>>>>shark(unless someone here heads me off on the xtra RTBS)...I've dropped
>>>>
>>>> the
>>>>
>>>>>temp to about 78*F, lets see how my buddies will respond to it. I
>>>>
>>>> remember,
>>>>
>>>>>a time back, when you wanted your tropical tanks around 75*-78*...and
>>>>>raising temperatures raised the fishes metabolism..hence appetite.
>>>>>Thanks to all the Crew......-ED
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> PS..Waiting for NetMax to hammer an opinion here...MG too....Fire away..I'm
>>>> under the driftwood at the moment!
>>>>
>>>>
>>>If you are going for the Cories get more than two - they are very
>>>sociable...The minimum I have in one tank is 4 - they love to hang out
>>>with eachother.....apparently the various species of cory also mix well
>>>together (haven't tried mixing them yet but am going to - I have Juliis
>>>and Pandas)....You will also get more pleasure out of watching a larger
>>>number - I love it when they all group together as if they are at a
>>>political rally :-)
>>>
>>>Gill
>>
>>I am constantly amazed at how different our experience is (not just
>>with Gill <g>) I have Cories is 3 of my 5 tanks. I like to look at
>>them, they, like Plecos, like -- well like all the fish, look so
>>unique. However, I cannot say I ever see my Cories together. I have
>>4 in my 75 gallon tank and have to search very long and hard to see
>>them at all, let alone in a cluster. I can more easily see The pair
>>of Cories in the two 10 gallon tanks, but they also are loners.
>>
>>I have "worry" about bottom feeders. I have lots of them. I worry
>>that not enough food will reach the bottom. Even my Plecos have been
>>known to skim the flakes at the water surface, but the Cories seem to
>>only work the bottom. But, I also worry about the Bleeding Hearts
>>that stay away from the frenzie and patiently wait for a flake to
>>drift their way. Top feeders I don't worry about, thank heaven.
>>
>>dick
>4 cories in a 75 may be part of the problem. Double their number and
>they might remember their schooling instinct. Another possibility,
>corys like shady spots, they don't like to spend a lot of time under
>the bright lights. I keep floating plants covering part of their water
>surface, the big floating leaves of banana plants are a favorite, as
>well as, of course, water sprite. Since I recently provided a pile of
>rocks for my cory tank, they spend some of their time resting in the
>caves and shadows. As far as your tank with 2 corys, their behavior is
>not unusual, 2 corys will often not pick up the schooling thing,
>acting instead like two lonely corys. As far as bottom feeders, I drop
>algae wafers and sometimes sinking cichlid or catfish (when I can find
>them) pellets into my tanks with bottom dwellers each evening shortly
>after the lights go out. When I check in the morning, the food I leave
>is always gone. I am currently increasing the amount each night, to
>see if there is a point where I am overfeeding them Regarding
>nocturnal and day-urnal fish, I find that my catfish, cories and
>suckermouths, set their own schedules and seldom follow the rules that
>Dr Axelrod set down for them.
>
>-- Mister Gardener
>-- Pull the WEED to email me

I can't remember how my Cories behaved when I first got them, but I am
aware that most of fish would schoal by species. Sometime in the
last 2 years I have noticed that there is little if any, schoaling.
The SAEs will still "slide the glass," but when they do a few Clowns
and even other community fish will join in. Bleeding Hearts, White
Clouds, Red Rasporas, they just don't seem to care who they swim with,
if anyone. Lots of single movement or the mass frenzy at feeding
time. I miss the shoaling, but am happy they have become family.

dick

[-ED]

Frank wrote:
> Altum wrote,
>
>> If you're going to make a blanket recommendation
>> for cories in tanks ..........
>>
>
> Not just corys - anything that would eat their food from between the
> gravel would work. Although for a community tank, corys are hard to
> beat. Best scavengers I have in one of my tanks is a pair of elephant
> noses!
>
>
>> That means it takes 11 cories to eat the food missed by Ed's 10 zebra
>> danios and 2 bettas???
>>
>
> I suspect Ed, like most of the rest of us would fully stock his tank.
> If so then yes, he would need 11 corys, or scavengers of cory size to
> keep the bottom cleaned of uneaten foods. I have a small school of
> corys in my 90 gal. tank, but like you, I also keep a few trumpets,
> along with a few red ramshorns snails.
>
>
>> Ed's got to more than double his fish load to do
>> that...
>>
>
> Yes, he just got the tank - given time, he'll do that, and more. If it
> were mine, I would be adding a few cool water fish. A scavenger such as
> a couple of hillstream loaches could take the place of 4 of those
> corys, and mabe a small school of white cloud mountain minnows. If the
> tank ever gets a little to warm and the dissolved oxygen levels start
> to get low, those cool water fish will show respiratory distress long
> before the warm water tropical fish. Like ringing a bell - they tell
> you something is going wrong and still look good in a community
> tank....................... Frank
>
>
Well, I'm gonna have to get a tank built...what a helluva reason to get
one going with my budget as it is. I'll need some input on construction
sealants. My main question is the actual seal that I'll be using
between the plywoods. Assuming that I would cut a race-way (like a
tongue and groove) for the walls and bottom...would I use an epoxy, or a
wood glue or a silicon seal (gonna use galvanized screws, I figured 3/4"
plywood would be sufficient)..I'll surf around and see what I can find.
I'm leaning towards something about 7feet long, no more than 20 inches
high and around 14 inches wide(from the back to the front) 3 paned
viewing. We're under tornado watch all day today, so there's a good
chance of power outage 'round here! Ya'll have a good day ! ........-ED

[Mister Gardener]

On Wed, 10 May 2006 11:48:36 GMT, -ED > wrote:

>Frank wrote:
>> Altum wrote,
>>
>>> If you're going to make a blanket recommendation
>>> for cories in tanks ..........
>>>
>>
>> Not just corys - anything that would eat their food from between the
>> gravel would work. Although for a community tank, corys are hard to
>> beat. Best scavengers I have in one of my tanks is a pair of elephant
>> noses!
>>
>>
>>> That means it takes 11 cories to eat the food missed by Ed's 10 zebra
>>> danios and 2 bettas???
>>>
>>
>> I suspect Ed, like most of the rest of us would fully stock his tank.
>> If so then yes, he would need 11 corys, or scavengers of cory size to
>> keep the bottom cleaned of uneaten foods. I have a small school of
>> corys in my 90 gal. tank, but like you, I also keep a few trumpets,
>> along with a few red ramshorns snails.
>>
>>
>>> Ed's got to more than double his fish load to do
>>> that...
>>>
>>
>> Yes, he just got the tank - given time, he'll do that, and more. If it
>> were mine, I would be adding a few cool water fish. A scavenger such as
>> a couple of hillstream loaches could take the place of 4 of those
>> corys, and mabe a small school of white cloud mountain minnows. If the
>> tank ever gets a little to warm and the dissolved oxygen levels start
>> to get low, those cool water fish will show respiratory distress long
>> before the warm water tropical fish. Like ringing a bell - they tell
>> you something is going wrong and still look good in a community
>> tank....................... Frank
>>
>>
>Well, I'm gonna have to get a tank built...what a helluva reason to get
>one going with my budget as it is. I'll need some input on construction
>sealants. My main question is the actual seal that I'll be using
>between the plywoods. Assuming that I would cut a race-way (like a
>tongue and groove) for the walls and bottom...would I use an epoxy, or a
>wood glue or a silicon seal (gonna use galvanized screws, I figured 3/4"
>plywood would be sufficient)..I'll surf around and see what I can find.
>I'm leaning towards something about 7feet long, no more than 20 inches
>high and around 14 inches wide(from the back to the front) 3 paned
>viewing. We're under tornado watch all day today, so there's a good
>chance of power outage 'round here! Ya'll have a good day ! ........-ED

Plywood may have another advantage that I just thought about - wood is
a much better insulator that glass. It is much, much slower to
transfer temperature differences between the room air and the water.
Are plywood tanks usually made with only the back panel of wood, or
are the sides wood as well. Maybe I'll just be quiet and watch this
thread and learn something.

-- Mister Gardener
-- Pull the WEED to email me

[-ED]

Mister Gardener wrote:
> Plywood may have another advantage that I just thought about - wood is
> a much better insulator that glass. It is much, much slower to
> transfer temperature differences between the room air and the water.
> Are plywood tanks usually made with only the back panel of wood, or
> are the sides wood as well. Maybe I'll just be quiet and watch this
> thread and learn something.
>
Well, you've seen or heard of the old console TV sets that were
converted into tanks. Same principle here, really.
A wood back, bottom and the sides, with the front panel matching the
back panel and cutting out the main viewing area. If carefully done, a
window is cut on the sides. Add some braces up top (that you're so fond
of :-D ) , a lid, then some trimming to finish it off, and really that's
about it. Reinforcing areas where the wood sections join each other,
lots of galvanized wood screws, construction grade adhesive, lots of
polyeurathane to seal the wood..silicone to hold the glass in place and
the perimeter seams...then paint or stain the outside...whoala..that's
about it. If you have a circular hand saw, you can make a table saw
(important to keep your cutting true to square. Grab the hand drill (or
the neighbor's), hit the hardware store for the screws silicone and
sealant...and you're off to the races. The project slows down while
you're waiting for the poly-eurothane coatings to cure completely
(dry)...hand-sand the outside surfaces lightly as a prep for the stain
or paint.. While you're waiting for things to dry, you can head down to
the glass outlet and have them cut your order (ask to finish the
edges...makes handling so much easier !!).

When you're satisfied with the basic box structure, lay the tank on its
front side, draw your silicone bead around the perimeter of the viewing
recess, then position the front window pane atop that, put some books
(lots of books, magazines) to present a load on the glass while it
cures. Then silicone 'that' perimeter, let it cure again...flip 'er
over and check for leaks... If you're content, then its time to paint.
I'd prime the surface to fill in the irregular grooves typical of
plywood, light sand that..then whatever paint you figure would go with
your decor (in the house).

I'm planning on a stork white box with matching trim or contrasting
trim..haven't fingered that one yet.
This is a rudamentary layout, but the gifted carpenter/craftsman has no
limits on design flow and function. Let's not forget all the little
cool plumbing ideas that will be sure to cross your mind during the
assembly. The skies (and the wallet) are your only limits. Figure in
the access portals you want and how they operate, via hinges or slides
or something tricked out...maybe tapping the back side for pvc plumbing
to your filter systems, etc...

Then back to the lumber yard for wood to make your stand...cut, paint,
stain..personally I'd use the cycle period as a window to test the unit
for leaks before you jump in (literally) with the decor and
inhabitants....Geez..I'm rambling at this point......Holler Back.........-ED

[Mister Gardener]

On Wed, 10 May 2006 14:47:43 GMT, -ED > wrote:

>Mister Gardener wrote:
>> Plywood may have another advantage that I just thought about - wood is
>> a much better insulator that glass. It is much, much slower to
>> transfer temperature differences between the room air and the water.
>> Are plywood tanks usually made with only the back panel of wood, or
>> are the sides wood as well. Maybe I'll just be quiet and watch this
>> thread and learn something.
>>
>Well, you've seen or heard of the old console TV sets that were
>converted into tanks. Same principle here, really.
>A wood back, bottom and the sides, with the front panel matching the
>back panel and cutting out the main viewing area. If carefully done, a
>window is cut on the sides. Add some braces up top (that you're so fond
>of :-D ) , a lid, then some trimming to finish it off, and really that's
>about it. Reinforcing areas where the wood sections join each other,
>lots of galvanized wood screws, construction grade adhesive, lots of
>polyeurathane to seal the wood..silicone to hold the glass in place and
>the perimeter seams...then paint or stain the outside...whoala..that's
>about it. If you have a circular hand saw, you can make a table saw
>(important to keep your cutting true to square. Grab the hand drill (or
>the neighbor's), hit the hardware store for the screws silicone and
>sealant...and you're off to the races. The project slows down while
>you're waiting for the poly-eurothane coatings to cure completely
>(dry)...hand-sand the outside surfaces lightly as a prep for the stain
>or paint.. While you're waiting for things to dry, you can head down to
>the glass outlet and have them cut your order (ask to finish the
>edges...makes handling so much easier !!).
>
>When you're satisfied with the basic box structure, lay the tank on its
>front side, draw your silicone bead around the perimeter of the viewing
>recess, then position the front window pane atop that, put some books
>(lots of books, magazines) to present a load on the glass while it
>cures. Then silicone 'that' perimeter, let it cure again...flip 'er
>over and check for leaks... If you're content, then its time to paint.
>I'd prime the surface to fill in the irregular grooves typical of
>plywood, light sand that..then whatever paint you figure would go with
>your decor (in the house).
>
>I'm planning on a stork white box with matching trim or contrasting
>trim..haven't fingered that one yet.
>This is a rudamentary layout, but the gifted carpenter/craftsman has no
>limits on design flow and function. Let's not forget all the little
>cool plumbing ideas that will be sure to cross your mind during the
>assembly. The skies (and the wallet) are your only limits. Figure in
>the access portals you want and how they operate, via hinges or slides
>or something tricked out...maybe tapping the back side for pvc plumbing
>to your filter systems, etc...
>
>Then back to the lumber yard for wood to make your stand...cut, paint,
>stain..personally I'd use the cycle period as a window to test the unit
>for leaks before you jump in (literally) with the decor and
>inhabitants....Geez..I'm rambling at this point......Holler Back.........-ED

You make it sound so easy. It ain't.

-- Mister Gardener
-- Pull the WEED to email me

[-ED]

Mister Gardener wrote:
> On Wed, 10 May 2006 14:47:43 GMT, -ED > wrote:
>
>
>> Mister Gardener wrote:
>>
>>> Plywood may have another advantage that I just thought about - wood is
>>> a much better insulator that glass. It is much, much slower to
>>> transfer temperature differences between the room air and the water.
>>> Are plywood tanks usually made with only the back panel of wood, or
>>> are the sides wood as well. Maybe I'll just be quiet and watch this
>>> thread and learn something.
>>>
>>>
>> Well, you've seen or heard of the old console TV sets that were
>> converted into tanks. Same principle here, really.
>> A wood back, bottom and the sides, with the front panel matching the
>> back panel and cutting out the main viewing area. If carefully done, a
>> window is cut on the sides. Add some braces up top (that you're so fond
>> of :-D ) , a lid, then some trimming to finish it off, and really that's
>> about it. Reinforcing areas where the wood sections join each other,
>> lots of galvanized wood screws, construction grade adhesive, lots of
>> polyeurathane to seal the wood..silicone to hold the glass in place and
>> the perimeter seams...then paint or stain the outside...whoala..that's
>> about it. If you have a circular hand saw, you can make a table saw
>> (important to keep your cutting true to square. Grab the hand drill (or
>> the neighbor's), hit the hardware store for the screws silicone and
>> sealant...and you're off to the races. The project slows down while
>> you're waiting for the poly-eurothane coatings to cure completely
>> (dry)...hand-sand the outside surfaces lightly as a prep for the stain
>> or paint.. While you're waiting for things to dry, you can head down to
>> the glass outlet and have them cut your order (ask to finish the
>> edges...makes handling so much easier !!).
>>
>> When you're satisfied with the basic box structure, lay the tank on its
>> front side, draw your silicone bead around the perimeter of the viewing
>> recess, then position the front window pane atop that, put some books
>> (lots of books, magazines) to present a load on the glass while it
>> cures. Then silicone 'that' perimeter, let it cure again...flip 'er
>> over and check for leaks... If you're content, then its time to paint.
>> I'd prime the surface to fill in the irregular grooves typical of
>> plywood, light sand that..then whatever paint you figure would go with
>> your decor (in the house).
>>
>> I'm planning on a stork white box with matching trim or contrasting
>> trim..haven't fingered that one yet.
>> This is a rudamentary layout, but the gifted carpenter/craftsman has no
>> limits on design flow and function. Let's not forget all the little
>> cool plumbing ideas that will be sure to cross your mind during the
>> assembly. The skies (and the wallet) are your only limits. Figure in
>> the access portals you want and how they operate, via hinges or slides
>> or something tricked out...maybe tapping the back side for pvc plumbing
>> to your filter systems, etc...
>>
>> Then back to the lumber yard for wood to make your stand...cut, paint,
>> stain..personally I'd use the cycle period as a window to test the unit
>> for leaks before you jump in (literally) with the decor and
>> inhabitants....Geez..I'm rambling at this point......Holler Back.........-ED
>>
>
> You make it sound so easy. It ain't.
>
> Today's secret password is:..................rudamentary!
>

[-ED]

"-ED" > wrote in message ...
Mister Gardener wrote:
Mister Gardener wrote:
Plywood may have another advantage that I just thought about - wood is
a much better insulator that glass. It is much, much slower to
transfer temperature differences between the room air and the water.
Are plywood tanks usually made with only the back panel of wood, or
are the sides wood as well. Maybe I'll just be quiet and watch this
thread and learn something.


Today's secret password is:..................rudamentary ;)!P.S.---Just crossed my feeble mind...I'm surprised we don't see kits of this very nature. You can buy a deskset with hutch..not assembled..cam-screws and all.After the lumber markets settles down from Katrina (if it ever does!)..It would be easy..just not fast.

[-ED]

On Tue, 09 May 2006 07:27:16 -0500, Mister Gardener
> wrote:

> On Tue, 09 May 2006 01:33:41 GMT, "-ED" > wrote:
>
>>
>> "-ED" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>>
>>> "Frank" > wrote in message
>>> oups.com...
>>> > Altum wrote,
>>> > >I disagree with Frank. If your fish are already combing the bottom
>>> for
>>> > >food, there is no _need_ to have a niche fish for the bottom....
>>> >
>>> > Great to have someone disagree (once in a while) ;-) ... The reason I
>>> > think Ed needs the corys is so he can feed a little more without
>>> having
>>> > a lot of uneaten food on the bottom. Whenever someone has 10 zebra
>>> > danios eating off the bottom, they are eather feeding the wrong kind
>>> of
>>> > food, or not feeding enough.
>>> >
>>> > >Red-tailed sharks have barbels and are pretty good at "cleaning
>>> up"...
>>> >
>>> > It's a 55 gal. tank - way to much foot print for the 'barbels' of one
>>> > small fish to keep up with. Rule of thumb for corys is one per 5
>>> gals.
>>> > - ie; 2 for a 10 gal. tank, 3 for a 15, 4 for a 20, etc. I beleave Ed
>>> > should get another RTBS for a playmate to the one he has, but even
>>> two
>>> > wouldn't be enough to keep the bottom of a 55 gal. tank food
>>> > free............. Frank
>>> >
>>> I'm considering just that...while the internet tells us to shy away
>>> from
>>> placing 2 RTBS together..the underlying rule still comes into play
>>> where
>>> "..as long as they have lots of cover and are in a large enough
>>> tank..." I
>>> have the tank book-ended with towering philadendrum..ressembles a
>>> Hilton
>>> Rainforrest...so I'm gonna pickup a couple of albinos and another
>>> shark(unless someone here heads me off on the xtra RTBS)...I've dropped
>> the
>>> temp to about 78*F, lets see how my buddies will respond to it. I
>> remember,
>>> a time back, when you wanted your tropical tanks around 75*-78*...and
>>> raising temperatures raised the fishes metabolism..hence appetite.
>>> Thanks to all the Crew......-ED
>>>
>>>
>> PS..Waiting for NetMax to hammer an opinion here...MG too....Fire
>> away..I'm
>> under the driftwood at the moment!
>>
> BOOM! Coffee buzz and nicotine hit - - - many fish are described by
> pet store people as algae eaters, when, in fact, they are fishes that
> happen to eat algae. Black mollies eat algae, suckermouth cats eat
> algae. Both are algae eaters, I suppose. Ooops, we weren't talking
> about algae eaters . . . half a dozen corys, or more, but 6 is a good
> beginning, for your tank . . . didn't we just talk about this?
> Something about green cories, get to a good size, low cost . . . maybe
> another cup of coffee. Here's to Floger's. And Prince Albert.
>
A Day late, and out of coffee....Hot Tea will stand 'till I can get to
the...we smokers must stick together.



--
-ED

[Gill Passman]

-ED wrote:
> On Tue, 09 May 2006 07:27:16 -0500, Mister Gardener
> > wrote:
>
>> On Tue, 09 May 2006 01:33:41 GMT, "-ED" > wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> "-ED" > wrote in message
>>> ...
>>>
>>>>
>>>> "Frank" > wrote in message
>>>> oups.com...
>>>> > Altum wrote,
>>>> > >I disagree with Frank. If your fish are already combing the
>>>> bottom for
>>>> > >food, there is no _need_ to have a niche fish for the bottom....
>>>> >
>>>> > Great to have someone disagree (once in a while) ;-) ... The reason I
>>>> > think Ed needs the corys is so he can feed a little more without
>>>> having
>>>> > a lot of uneaten food on the bottom. Whenever someone has 10 zebra
>>>> > danios eating off the bottom, they are eather feeding the wrong
>>>> kind of
>>>> > food, or not feeding enough.
>>>> >
>>>> > >Red-tailed sharks have barbels and are pretty good at "cleaning
>>>> up"...
>>>> >
>>>> > It's a 55 gal. tank - way to much foot print for the 'barbels' of one
>>>> > small fish to keep up with. Rule of thumb for corys is one per 5
>>>> gals.
>>>> > - ie; 2 for a 10 gal. tank, 3 for a 15, 4 for a 20, etc. I beleave Ed
>>>> > should get another RTBS for a playmate to the one he has, but
>>>> even two
>>>> > wouldn't be enough to keep the bottom of a 55 gal. tank food
>>>> > free............. Frank
>>>> >
>>>> I'm considering just that...while the internet tells us to shy away
>>>> from
>>>> placing 2 RTBS together..the underlying rule still comes into play
>>>> where
>>>> "..as long as they have lots of cover and are in a large enough
>>>> tank..." I
>>>> have the tank book-ended with towering philadendrum..ressembles a
>>>> Hilton
>>>> Rainforrest...so I'm gonna pickup a couple of albinos and another
>>>> shark(unless someone here heads me off on the xtra RTBS)...I've dropped
>>>
>>> the

>> BOOM! Coffee buzz and nicotine hit - - - many fish are described by
>> pet store people as algae eaters, when, in fact, they are fishes that
>> happen to eat algae. Black mollies eat algae, suckermouth cats eat
>> algae. Both are algae eaters, I suppose. Ooops, we weren't talking
>> about algae eaters . . . half a dozen corys, or more, but 6 is a good
>> beginning, for your tank . . . didn't we just talk about this?
>> Something about green cories, get to a good size, low cost . . . maybe
>> another cup of coffee. Here's to Floger's. And Prince Albert.
>>
> A Day late, and out of coffee....Hot Tea will stand 'till I can get to
> the...we smokers must stick together.
>
>
>

Well, us smokers are a dying breed......

As for algae eaters I like to keep a good mix of "clean up" fish - I
hate calling them that because it makes them sound like some type of
utility.....best mix that I have are loaches, SAEs, Pleco and Otos and
of course an awful lot of plants....barely any sight of algae in the
tank....the loaches of course don't eat the algae but do clean up the
gravel of any waste food that add to the nutrients for the algae...

Worse tank is lightly planted, contains Malawi cichlids (messy eaters)
and just one Plec....absolute nightmare to keep algae free.....

Gill

BTW I just love Hannibal....I've read so much on these newsgroups about
Oscars that I am a little envious....although I won't buy one
myself.....border line right now on getting some Angels although I have
resisted for some time - I blame MG for this.....

[-ED]

"Gill Passman" > wrote in message
...
> -ED wrote:
> > On Tue, 09 May 2006 07:27:16 -0500, Mister Gardener
> > > wrote:
> >
> >> On Tue, 09 May 2006 01:33:41 GMT, "-ED" > wrote:
> >>
> >>>
> >>> "-ED" > wrote in message
> >>> ...
> >>>
> >>>>
> >>>> "Frank" > wrote in message
> >>>> oups.com...
>>
> As for algae eaters I like to keep a good mix of "clean up" fish - I
> hate calling them that because it makes them sound like some type of
> utility.....best mix that I have are loaches, SAEs, Pleco and Otos and
> of course an awful lot of plants....barely any sight of algae in the
> tank....the loaches of course don't eat the algae but do clean up the
> gravel of any waste food that add to the nutrients for the algae...
>
> Worse tank is lightly planted, contains Malawi cichlids (messy eaters)
> and just one Plec....absolute nightmare to keep algae free.....
>
> Gill
>
> BTW I just love Hannibal....I've read so much on these newsgroups about
> Oscars that I am a little envious....although I won't buy one
> myself.....border line right now on getting some Angels although I have
> resisted for some time - I blame MG for this.....
He says he'll never buy another oscar 3 times, taps his foot and all is well
with the world ...He cracked me up this AM.
Then I think I over-simplified the DIY tank...my caffeine had just kicked
in......-ED

[Mister Gardener]

On Wed, 10 May 2006 23:58:49 +0100, Gill Passman
> wrote:


>Well, us smokers are a dying breed......

I am discovering smoking all over again since I switched from nasty
cigarettes last summer. If I'm going to grow bizarre tumors on my
face, I might as well enjoy the process.

>
>BTW I just love Hannibal....I've read so much on these newsgroups about
>Oscars that I am a little envious....although I won't buy one
>myself.....border line right now on getting some Angels although I have
>resisted for some time - I blame MG for this.....

Where else to begin than at one of the premiere sites:
http://www.angelsplus.com/
-- Mister Gardener
-- Pull the WEED to email me

[Nikki]

"-ED" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Gill Passman" > wrote in message
> ...
>> -ED wrote:
>> > On Tue, 09 May 2006 07:27:16 -0500, Mister Gardener
>> > > wrote:
>> >
>> >> On Tue, 09 May 2006 01:33:41 GMT, "-ED" > wrote:
>> >>
>> >>>
>> >>> "-ED" > wrote in message
>> >>> ...
>> >>>
>> >>>>
>> >>>> "Frank" > wrote in message
>> >>>> oups.com...
>>>
>> As for algae eaters I like to keep a good mix of "clean up" fish - I
>> hate calling them that because it makes them sound like some type of
>> utility.....best mix that I have are loaches, SAEs, Pleco and Otos and
>> of course an awful lot of plants....barely any sight of algae in the
>> tank....the loaches of course don't eat the algae but do clean up the
>> gravel of any waste food that add to the nutrients for the algae...
>>
>> Worse tank is lightly planted, contains Malawi cichlids (messy eaters)
>> and just one Plec....absolute nightmare to keep algae free.....
>>
>> Gill
>>
>> BTW I just love Hannibal....I've read so much on these newsgroups about
>> Oscars that I am a little envious....although I won't buy one
>> myself.....border line right now on getting some Angels although I have
>> resisted for some time - I blame MG for this.....
> He says he'll never buy another oscar 3 times, taps his foot and all is
> well
> with the world ...He cracked me up this AM.
> Then I think I over-simplified the DIY tank...my caffeine had just kicked
> in......-ED
>
>
I got angels now because of Mr. G, so be careful ed, for what its worth they
are so neat to have and watch
Nik

[-ED]

On Thu, 11 May 2006 08:25:36 -0500, Nikki >
wrote:

>
> "-ED" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>> "Gill Passman" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> -ED wrote:
>>> > On Tue, 09 May 2006 07:27:16 -0500, Mister Gardener
>>> > > wrote:
>>> >
>>> >> On Tue, 09 May 2006 01:33:41 GMT, "-ED" >
>>> wrote:
>>> >>
>>> >>>
>>> >>> "-ED" > wrote in message
>>> >>> ...
>>> >>>
>>> >>>>
>>> >>>> "Frank" > wrote in message
>>> >>>> oups.com...
>>>>
>>> As for algae eaters I like to keep a good mix of "clean up" fish - I
>>> hate calling them that because it makes them sound like some type of
>>> utility.....best mix that I have are loaches, SAEs, Pleco and Otos and
>>> of course an awful lot of plants....barely any sight of algae in the
>>> tank....the loaches of course don't eat the algae but do clean up the
>>> gravel of any waste food that add to the nutrients for the algae...
>>>
>>> Worse tank is lightly planted, contains Malawi cichlids (messy eaters)
>>> and just one Plec....absolute nightmare to keep algae free.....
>>>
>>> Gill
>>>
>>> BTW I just love Hannibal....I've read so much on these newsgroups about
>>> Oscars that I am a little envious....although I won't buy one
>>> myself.....border line right now on getting some Angels although I have
>>> resisted for some time - I blame MG for this.....
>> He says he'll never buy another oscar 3 times, taps his foot and all is
>> well
>> with the world ...He cracked me up this AM.
>> Then I think I over-simplified the DIY tank...my caffeine had just
>> kicked
>> in......-ED
>>
>>
> I got angels now because of Mr. G, so be careful ed, for what its worth
> they
> are so neat to have and watch
> Nik
>
>
I wanted black angels, not the lace..just black angels..I wanted them very
much. My lfs was leary of ordering them due to the press they have
regarding certain ailments. I assumed this was regarding the imports
coming into Florida. I had originally planned on a discus environment, but
money being the way it is, my next choice were the angels. When I had
trouble ordering black angels, I decided to stock the tank with some small
fish, since it would be easier maintenance (per say). Well, now, You see
my situation. And above all, my neighbor has a pair of breeding
Silver/Black-striped angels and they're spawning now. It's been an
interesting turn of events setting up this tank as far as my wish-list
goes. But..we're into the third day, and Hannibal(3" oscar)isn't
bothering the tankmates yet. I'm trying to keep his appetite satisfied. He
appears, thus far, to be content. He's found the tank boundaries, judged
all the foliage, and literally is the centerpiece of the tank. Smack dab
in the center. He feeds side-by-side with the danios, which I thought
sure was going to turn into a train wreck.


--
Thanks-ED

[Nikki]

"-ED" > wrote in message
...
On Thu, 11 May 2006 08:25:36 -0500, Nikki >

>
I wanted black angels, not the lace..just black angels..I wanted them very
much. My lfs was leary of ordering them due to the press they have
regarding certain ailments. I assumed this was regarding the imports
coming into Florida. I had originally planned on a discus environment, but
money being the way it is, my next choice were the angels. When I had
trouble ordering black angels, I decided to stock the tank with some small
fish, since it would be easier maintenance (per say). Well, now, You see
my situation. And above all, my neighbor has a pair of breeding
Silver/Black-striped angels and they're spawning now. It's been an
interesting turn of events setting up this tank as far as my wish-list
goes. But..we're into the third day, and Hannibal(3" oscar)isn't
bothering the tankmates yet. I'm trying to keep his appetite satisfied. He
appears, thus far, to be content. He's found the tank boundaries, judged
all the foliage, and literally is the centerpiece of the tank. Smack dab
in the center. He feeds side-by-side with the danios, which I thought
sure was going to turn into a train wreck.

--
Thanks-ED

We fed our Oscars feeders a lot, so we could never put other fish in with
them unless they were the same size...I have always liked Oscars neat
personalities they have...I stopped keeping fish that get to big after
losing our oscars and pacu's, Funny thing is all those years of keeping big
fish i never dealt with illness, water issue's or any of these other things
we deal with now, i had said before getting "small" fish i never had stuff
for fungus, bacteria, or anything else.
Nik

[-ED]

On Thu, 11 May 2006 16:06:32 -0500, Nikki >
wrote:

>
> "-ED" > wrote in message
> ...
> On Thu, 11 May 2006 08:25:36 -0500, Nikki
> >
>
>>
> I wanted black angels, not the lace..just black angels..I wanted them
> very
> much. My lfs was leary of ordering them due to the press they have
> regarding certain ailments. I assumed this was regarding the imports
> coming into Florida. I had originally planned on a discus environment,
> but
> money being the way it is, my next choice were the angels. When I had
> trouble ordering black angels, I decided to stock the tank with some
> small
> fish, since it would be easier maintenance (per say). Well, now, You see
> my situation. And above all, my neighbor has a pair of breeding
> Silver/Black-striped angels and they're spawning now. It's been an
> interesting turn of events setting up this tank as far as my wish-list
> goes. But..we're into the third day, and Hannibal(3" oscar)isn't
> bothering the tankmates yet. I'm trying to keep his appetite satisfied..
> He
> appears, thus far, to be content. He's found the tank boundaries, judged
> all the foliage, and literally is the centerpiece of the tank. Smack dab
> in the center. He feeds side-by-side with the danios, which I thought
> sure was going to turn into a train wreck.
>
Really. I know what ya'mean. Its funny, the older we get, You'd think the
wiser. But OOOHHH NNOOOOoooo!!!


--
Thanks-ED