Posts by Avery

    I agree that any uneaten food could be marked as a sign of not eating, although the biggest sign would be any type of bloat problems with any fish, or they are growing rather larger in terms of width compared to overall size. I'd say to slowly drop in enough food so that you can watch each fish get a few pieces, since their stomachs are only the size of their eyeballs in many species (it is far easier to overfeed fish than it is to underfeed).

    I've seen them at many of my local fish stores, but I personally haven't ever kept them. The sad part is that many don't know that they need access to air directly, or that they do need some salt in their tank in order to molt correctly (they are not purely freshwater). As you even pointed out, sand is ideal since with gravel they can break their legs/claw which then makes them prone to infection or not being able to move when they need to.

    I agree - I believe it's honestly really about trying to feed the fish/fishes in your aquarium, with the correct diet, and to their feeding needs. Fish that don't have any stomachs (as you noted, like Goldfish) will need to be fed far more frequently compared to fish that do. Temperature and other conditions can also play a factor in feeding since many fish during colder temperatures, may not actually need any food (or very limited) as their metabolism slows down.

    It really depends on how much protein buildup that you have, along with how much waste and debris is collecting on the surface of the water. Ideally, you can try to find some types of specialty filters that have a skimmer build into them for marine tanks to avoid buying a standalone protein skimmer.

    Since there are so many options for having a top on your aquarium, having no top, or making a mixture of them per each tank and what it holds within - what is your go-to for your tanks in your household, and do you have just 1 type of top or do you have a variety?

    It really depends on their species as well, not all of them or even just fish should specifically eat just pellets (highly recommended to feed a balanced diet of 3-4 different types of food brands and food types in order to allow for them to get all the nutrients that they need).

    Do you know by chance what amphibians you are talking about?

    Do you know specifically what fish species you have and your specific substrate? Have you tested the water source that you are adding into the tank and see if it's that high? If so, you may want to look up RO water in your local area, and try to add in things like driftwood to lower the pH overall for the tank.

    As far as temperature, it sounds like you may need either a heater (if 36 degrees is noted to be Celsius) or a chiller (if 36 degrees is noted to be Fahrenheit).

    Lighting honestly really exists for two main reasons;

    1) It allows us to look inside the water and see the fish. This also helps the fish regulate their day/night cycle and hunt, find food, and avoid other fish in the tank that may be larger than them through sight.

    2) If you have any corals (for saltwater tanks) or plants, this will help them grow as without any light there aren't too many corals/plants that can thrive within the water column (at least, without having a pressurized tank for deeper depths).

    Do you know what you are feeding them? What is the water temperature that they are within?

    Additionally, do you notice any other signs that they may be showing? Staying in one area completely, hiding away, not so colorful/dull colors, or possibly are they not eating as much as they used to (or compared to other species of theirs in other tanks)?

    Can you expand out what you mean by tired by chance? Are they staying in the same spot? Fighting to stay in the same spot by chance? Or anything else?

    Is the water current blowing them around the tank? If so, you may need to reduce the flow/current your filters are outputting.

    It might sound odd, but normally any fish species would eat them off from each other or if they aren't attached yet to a fish. Additionally, you can manually take them off using tweezers if you can get the fish to stay still enough.

    If you have no sensitive species or invertebrates (including any snails), you could dose medicine that contains copper as it will kill them almost immediately, but this would be the last option if you weren't able to control them or don't want to do any huge manual efforts.

    I'm not too sure that there are any that can be kept within an aquarium (yet), although with the rise of GloFish I will be generally curious if they start to move these into common amphibian breeds such as African Dwarf Frogs, or even move them into invertebrates such as Ghost Shrimp or other species of Shrimp.

    I think it really depends on their diet, how often you feed beforehand, and what species specifically they are. I've left my fish after slightly overfeeding them for a week without any issues - however, if you are gone for that long it might be wise to buy those automatic feeders in order to keep them feed until it runs out (normally they can drop enough food for about a week or two).

    Exactly, that is the main driver to getting even the slowest growing aquatic plant inside of your aquarium. Additionally, they also provide a realistic aspect inside of the tank with their real look and natural sway in the water current (if any in the tank) that can’t be replicated correctly with silk or plastic plants.

    I personally pick live plants in order to provide a more natural look and feel to the tank, providing hiding to any fish species or fry, and then to also help with making sure that the water is differed through another means in case the cycle crashes for whatever reason.

    As far as marine plants, there are a few species that can live in saltwater, although most common are mangroves which grow their roots in the water but the actual trunk and leaves are out of the water completely.