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Latest Animal Stories on Animal-World (21121)

Sharon - 2013-06-04
I have an Oscar 10' long in a tank in hard water. I was told the hardness didn't matter but it does. I think that's what is making him lethargic and he hasn't eaten in two weeks. That tends to mess up how his body deals with fluids. How do I soften the water??? The nitrates were high too but after several attempts I fixed that with Nitra-zorb. I've tried Barley and Peat on the hardness and it seemed to help a little but not enough. It's still in the danger zone. Please help me save my friend. He's usually like a playful puppy.

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Clarice Brough - 2013-06-05
The term 'water hardness' is a determination of the amount of dissolved mineral salts contained in the water, which includes carbonates, bicarbonates, chlorides and sulphates. There are several softening methods (ways of removing these salts), each with their own strengths and drawbacks. These methods include using natural additives, using purified water, and using ion exchange resins. Here's the pro's and cons of each:

Natural additive methods include the peat and barley one you used. The challenge wth these is that they absorbs calcium ions, but at the same time releases organics including tannic and humic acids, which will lower your pH. Driftwood and duckweed are two other natural materials, but the driftwood acts similar to the peat, releasing tannins, and although the duckweed uses some of the carbonates, it is rather minimal.

Purified water methods include running the water through a reverse osmosis filter (R.O. water) which produces pure water without the salts. However R.O units are rather expensive and you will need to add some aquarium salt back in to provide the necessary electrolytes. YOu can also collect rainwater, though there may be a risk of atmostpheric pollutants and collecting can be a bit of a challenge.

Ion exchange resins are basically water softening pillows, available from aquarium supply manufacturers like Aquarium Pharmaceuticals and Kent Marine. They remove calcium/magnesium ions by absorbing them and some will even remove toxic metals, but they will become exhausted and then need to be re-placed, or can be re-charged with the use of strong acids.

Nathan - 2013-06-03
I bought 4 glow lights for my 7 gallon tank yesterday and they are so happy. I noticed two of them doing a mating dance for a little bit but there were no signes of eggs. it was wierd. I love feeding them because they dart through the water to get the food and it is so cute. I have one other guppy in the tank and she seems ok with them. she tried to nip them at first but has really calmed down now and has accepted them. Glo light tetra's are by far the best fish i ever got

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Clarice Brough - 2013-06-05
They do sound so cute! I love these little tetras too:)

Betta lover - 2013-06-05
I have a pretty crown tail betta in a 1.5 gal bowl ,I bought him 1 month ago.it is blue , red and purple.it is 3months old when I bought it.. during his 3rd day in my house he got ammonia poisoning disease.. I browsed internet for solutions and finally I decided to change 100% water everyday and adding aquarium salt every time..miracle it really worked.my fish is extremely happy..his colours are vibrant and glowing.his fins are really growing in good pace. I feed him with pellets and egg yolk. its very nutritious and good for its health.pls everyone try this. I used to place a mirror for its exercise just for 15mins. I feed him about 2minutes how much he likes to and 3times a day. pls everyone follow there and make ur fish happy forever. pls do water changes regularly and remove any un eaten food or waste in the aquarium. all the best. any doubts pls comment here.

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Clarice Brough - 2013-06-05
So glad to hear you were able to catch the water problem before you lost your beautiful Betta. Now you have a wonderful... and beautiful pet, and will have for a long time I bet:)

Mani60C - 2010-02-21
I'm Emmanuel, I have 3 siamese fighting fish. One that is blue red and black, I called him Swish because his colors are sorta smooth and mixed. I have a pink one, my mum called it sweetness but I call it sweet. I have a purple and white one called Rage because he fought with sweet 7 hours straight. He was tired the next morning lol. Swish is ready to breed, his bubble nest is huge. I'm purchasing a female soon so he can breed.

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YUKESH - 2010-09-25
I have yellow red and blue mixed siamese fighting fish i call it as blue buji because it is so bulky.
kye turnbull - 2013-03-25
i love the names! they will breed like crazy!!!!!! although sometimes females never want to bred, its annoying when they do that.
Betta lover - 2013-06-05
Is it necessary to breed a Betta when it is grown. I thinking of not to breed my Betta as it requires more care..pls reply me..

JB - 2013-06-05
What fish can live with my clown triggerfish in a 300 gallon tank or is it best to have the tank all by himself?

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Clarice Brough - 2013-06-05
These fish get big and are predatory so look at smaller companions as possible food. But they are also known to be very aggressive and desire to own their tank as they mature, so there's no guarantee that any other fish will work. Still fish of similar size and dispostiton may work, especially if they are all introduced as youngsters and grow up together.

Some types of fish you could try would be larger aggressive angels like a Passer or Maculosus Angelfish, possibly a Sohol Tang (they too can get really aggressive) or another aggressive trigger, fast swimming and aggressive wrasses might work, and maybe an eel from the moray group. It is usually suggested that fish be introduced in order of aggressivenes, introduce the more passive fish first and most aggressive last, making sure each is comfortable before adding the next fish.

Taylor - 2013-02-27
i have had a EBJD for around 5 months now and it is no more then 1 and a half inches in length, do that sound right to you or is it growing slow?

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Jeremy Roche - 2013-02-27
Not a bad thing. There are a lot of things that control growth. Tank size, temps, feeding, but you are in no way doing anything wrong based on growth.
Taylor - 2013-02-28
ok thank you for the info, at the moment i have it in a 125L tank with about 12 small community but will be moving it 2 my 240L tank with my 2 oscars when it is big enough. the temp is 25/26
David Brough - 2013-02-28
It sounds about right to me.
Max miller - 2013-03-09
I have 20 3 inch cory catfish with 1 electric blue jack deamsy she is 2 inches big they are In a 45 then I will move them all to a new them into a 80 will they all be ok in that tank
Jeremy Roche - 2013-03-10
Should be fine. They will enjoy the increased room!
Max miller - 2013-03-10
So the eletric blue jack demsy will not eat the cory catfish and can add 1 ram if so what kind? Finally this is the last question can I add my convicts with them they are the same size but the male? Thanks a lot :D :P
Max miller - 2013-03-10
So the eletric blue jack demsy will not eat the cory catfish and can i add 1 ram if so what kind? Finaly this is the last qestion can i add my convicts with them they are the same size but the male? Thanks a lot :D :P
riz - 2013-06-05
As a rule of thumb, fishes tend to increase in length 1 inch/month, depending upon how big aquarium is.

Kelly Curtis Spangler - 2013-05-21
I adopted a 5 yr old Turkish Angora. She is white with one blue and one gold eye. They say on here (the video) that they don't need much grooming, however, my Lilly sheds like crazy leaving the chair she claimed as her 'throne' white. Also I find balls of fur everywhere lol. Well I also have two black British Bombay cats and one Black and White long hair cat and they shed a lot less. Other than that, she is the best kitty ever. She licks you and hugs you and she loves to what I call 'Happy Paw' for confort. She def. took charge over the other cats as the Alpha cat. LOVE this breed, just wish the fur would stop flying. ahhahah!

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Clarice Brough - 2013-05-21
She sounds adorable, but then... I'm partial to long-haired gorgeous cats too:)
Kelly Curtis Spangler - 2013-06-05
She is !! :)

Johnny Jojnson - 2007-02-25
I really love Amphilophus (Cichlasoma) octofasciatum commonly know as the Jack Dempsey. My aquatic hobbyist activities usually focus on Angelfish breeding which can become tedious at times. Many years ago a friend gave me a few Jacks he had raised from fry in his tanks as a diversion from the frustrations of breeding Angelfish.

Wow, these fish are as rewarding and easy to breed fish as Guppies. They have fantastic coloration that changes with their mood. They are large enough to enjoy visually from a across the room or directly in front of the tank. I wish Angelfish had as much coloration. They do tend to lazily hide in the background or other hiding places such as caves but put on a heck of a show at feeding time.

It is important to provide caves if you want to breed them but they are not nearly as fussy about water quality as Angelfish. They do their own tank arranging. They tend to create depressions in the substrate all the way to the bottom of the tank and for this reason I suggest avoiding under gravel filtration. The only down side to keeping Jacks is they are not very live plant friendly and only get along well with a limited number of tank mates.

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Pamela - 2013-06-02
Angelfish is ugly. Buy a flowerhorn, it is the prettiest tropical fish as well as most valuable fish in market. Every one of them has a different pattern and males have a bigger hump, female flowerhorn has a samall or totally no hump. They are very active and fun fish to keep. You can feed it as much as it eats, this fish cannot be over fed. Flowerhorns are very hardy and aggressive fish that can only be kept alone, since you are thinking of buying one fish, i would suggest you to get flowerhorn.

Soroush J Jozani - 2012-11-30
Hi guys, I have been breeding goldfish for about two years and I have to say that it`s fairly easy. I just wanted to say a few things that may not be available in most goldfish websites: When choosing your fish, the ones with slender, cone shaped heads-compared to the others of the same kind- are always males. the females have rounder heads with their eyes more far apart (females are more beautiful, body-wise). On the other hand, males have more vibrant colors than females (for example: a white male is more pinkish and shinier than the female, an orange male will be much closer to a scarlet red in color). When your females get slow, swim close to the surface, and their colors pale, it`s because they`re gravid (full of eggs); Give them the right conditions and plenty of males and they will breed easily. When they say 'goldfish breed once a year', it`s a myth! If your female goldfish is healthy and large, she will breed several times, with 3 weeks resting periods in between. after breeding, her colors turn back to normal and she will swim normally.

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Marcella - 2013-06-02
Goldfish can not live in bowls. They can survive in them for a short preiod of time. Maybe 2 or 3 years. A goldfish should live 20-40 years. If they die before that it's your fault. Just because they cost $2.99 doesn't make them less alive.A Black Moor is one of the most delicate types of goldfish. He will not last long in a bowl, probably 6 mos. 1 year if you are lucky. Goldfish need at least ten gallons per fish with a filter made for at least twice that size tank. My suggestion is to get a twenty long and get your baby a friend. Invest some money into making the tank beautiful. Buy an interesting piece of driftwood, lots of silk water plants maybe put a bubble wall in the back. If you put 2 goldies in there and do bi-weekly 1/3 water changes then they will be 5-6 inches in a year. They will fill the tank nicely.If you don't have room for a tank then get a betta instead of a Goldfish.Good Luck!!!

laura dropps - 2004-01-04
I got my Black Moor Goldfish a few months ago and I absoloutly love him (as do my cats, who watch him like most watch T.V.). I named him Othello which I thought was only fitting... He has alot of the gold metallic colouring and looks as though he was only glazed in black- very handsome. My friend has several goldfish which are HUGE, and I did not realize he would get that big too! Thanks for the info on your site, I am getting a much bigger tank and hopefully a bigger, happier fishy.

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tasia - 2013-06-03
(your fish sounds very handsome) but make sure when you get a bigger tank you have to take on full responsibility and make sure what your doing.

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