"nuchumYussel" wrote in message
om...
I have a bunch of questions, so here we go:


What should I feed them, I have heard they sccept flakes then I hear
only live food then i hear they will eat bth. What should I be feeding
them?

I never found them to be very demanding. Flake food will do it. They
have small mouths. I'm sure they would ingest anything else which fit
(bottom-feeder tablets, brine shrimp etc).

I am afraid that during a water change they will getsucked up by the
siphon and I will unknowigly throw them out with the bad tank water.
How could I avoid this?

They get pretty big, 3", and very fat when filled with eggs. Your not
likely going to suck them up as adults. They don't like bright light, so
don't gravel-vac in the dark ;~) Babies is another story, but that's
life. They don't tend to hang out in the front where you would be gravel
vacuuming. They like lots of plant cover, and you would not be gravel
vacuuming under plants so much, so use lots of plants.

How can I prevent them from entering the filter?

It's only when they are small enough to get through the strainer, or hop
up the powerfilter waterfall. Use a canister filter, keep your siphon
off the substrate, and if they are really small (or spawning), use a
sponge pre-filter.

Do they have any unique needs?

Dim light, lots of cover. Give them a substrate they can tunnel in and
you might never see them again (good or bad, you decide). Give them a
small dark cave (top of a coconut shell with a hole drilled in it).
They are very susceptable to hot water (dying at 95F) and should be kept
well below 80F (ie: 74-75F).

Do I need to put sand in the tank or will they be fine with gravel
(not circular or round gravel)?

Don't use sharp gravel, otherwise experiment. I liked Jessica's idea of
a sand pocket in the gravel, but I never found that they upset anything
in the tank. you could take 2 pots. Fill one with sand and bury it in
the gravel. Take the other and turn it upside down over the first (cave
shelter and sand to burrow in). Maybe drill a little hole in the side.
--
www.NetMax.tk


Those are my questions for now, I will be grateful if anyone answers
even one.

Thanks for looking,
Evan Davis