Recent content by Richie Hell

I'm interested in any dwarf cichlid, but I've heard mixed reports about which species would be suitable for my water. I'm also interested in fish like Convicts, or anything of a similiar size or smaller, but again I hear wildly different accounts of what tank size would be suitable.

Hi, I have a 30" x 12" x 18" tank. I was wondering what smaller cichlids would be suitable for it? I'm open to anything, with or without tankmates,but I would prefer something that is not too sensitive or requiring specific water conditions. My tap water is very hard and reasonably high in...

I put the appropriate amount of dechlorinator in the tank, and then pump cold water straight in through a hose pipe from an outside tap. I've been doing 20-25% a week on a 450 litre tank, and never had any problems.

Mine eat flake food. They come out and take it as it drifts down from the surface. Though not every day. I've also seen them take flake food from the substrate and the surface.

Could it not be a different species of Black Ghost Knifefish? I saw this a couple of days ago on PFK website: "Several members of the complex are believed to have been sold in the aquarium trade" - maybe it's something close related to A. Albifrons?

There's a taxi firm round here called "Betta cabs".

Yep, Bettas love eggs! Mine takes only a few seconds to devour the eggs everytime my Corys lay any.

Can't see anything inside them. They look extensions of the skin, kind of like as if they were filled with fluid as you said.

Tonight I've noticed several strange 'blobs' on a Corydoras Davidsandsi. It's definitely something that's developed very recently. Water quality is fine (ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 20ppm, pH about 7, but very hard water), and there are no other signs of disease/illness in the tank, except...

Yeah, I was hoping that was a good sign. I've seen it down in several places, and from what I've been told on other forums, I'm probably going to give it a try, except not put them straight in cooler water, but acclimatise them gradually.

Cool. I gave mine sand recently, and changed all the decor round, added bogwood and a live plant. They love it, and come out in the open much more now.

I've seen on a number of sites that this fish can be kept at temperatures of 20 degrees C (68 farenheit). Is this true? Does anyone have any experience of this?

All my tanks and water changes are overdosed on de-chlorinater. It because I'm paranoid, and despite 1 pipette of King British Safe Guard treating 9 litres, I always think my bucket is more than 9 litres (it's probably nearer 4 litres), or that my pipette isn't quite full.

Hope it works. If you want to control the snail population rather than control it, you can buy humane snail traps. Be careful though as fish can get stuck in it, as I found out when I had to free my Betta from one. To make the entrance narrow enough to stop fish getting in, it had be to wide...

They key to remember is that eeach type of COry is a different species. They're not just the same fish in different colours and patterns. Once you get that it's a breeze. They have slightly differnet temperaments, and as far as care goes, as already mentioned, their needs differ slightly...