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That is funny... How old is your brother? :)

That's what I decided to do about the problems I was having too. I just did regular water changes (1 to 1 & 1/2 gal of the 5 gal tank) every other day [or sometiems every day]. Eventually things settled down. Also, I have no idea where that 8.4 pH came from - it has never been that high since...

Hate to break it to you, but buying the Bettas you see being mistreated in stores like Wal-Mart, etc. only encourages the retailer to buy more of them & mistreat those as well. If the fish don't sell, then the retailer will quit carrying them. BTW, if you're really interested in/concerned...

How about adding the acronyms MYOB = Mind Your Own Business & NSS = No S*** Sherlock? :)

There are a few "light" tetras, the Glowlight Tetra (Hemigrammus erythrozonus), the Head & Tail Light Tetra (Hemigrammus Ocellifer) & the Tail Light Tetra (Bryconops melanurus), but I couldn't find a Headlight tetra. Am I forgetting any others? :)

I've read the same thing Roland said in a couple different books; that they are minnows, originated in the White Cloud Mountains of China & that story about the boy Tan. :)

Thanks! :D

4/21/02 Update: I think my tank is getting close to being cycled. It's been up & running for 30 full days now & the nitrite levels are tapering off (finally). Anyway, I just read in a book that cycling is a "fixed 36-day process" (The tropical Freshwater Aquarium Problem Solver, by Gina...

Hi all, Just adding another newbie's 2 cents... There's an awful lot of bogus advice out there in the world in general, not just concerning fish. IMHO it is the responsibility of the person with the question to analyze the advice & see if only one person is giving it, or if others agree...

Only if they don't guarantee the fish or the fish die outside of the guarantee. If the fish die within the guarantee, reputable places replace them for free & that ends up costing them money. And if the fish I bought from somewhere kept dieing off, I'd probably quit buying them there after...

Hi all, Mot of you probably already know this, but it depends on the person you talk to at the LFS, especially the larger chain ones. Of the 3 fish/pet stores I've been to here in town, the best info I've gotten actually comes from a manager at PetsMart. His advice runs along the lines of...

Thanks! Tap pH after dechlorination & sitting 24+ hours = 7.4. Bottled water pH = 7.8 (different brand from previous one, which was 7.4). The only table salt I have is iodized, is that ok for the fish? Or should I get some aquarium salt to put in the tank? I'll also get a fake...

In the picture his fins look clamped down. I'd check your water for ammonia, nitrites & nitrates. Aside from that, bettas normally spend a great deal of time at the water surface blowing bubbles, etc. Whatever you do, though, try to avoid using medications unless you are 100% sure of what is...

My red male betta survived (& seemed to thrive) a year & a half in a bowl in my apartment. He grew really long, beautiful fins (which he subsequently ripped to shreds after I put him in a 5 gal tank w/ a tree stump decoration) & got kinda fat b/c I was unknowingly feeding him too much (I fed...

Thanks for the advice! BTW - how big is a Nitrite "spike"? I tested my water again last night & found this: pH: 8.4 (???) - I tested it 3 times - twice w/ a test strip & once with liquid. Ammonia: <0.25 ppm (yay!) Nitrite: 5.0 ppm (yikes!!!) Nitrate: 20 ppm (yikes again) What could...

Just adding my 2 cents worth... I'm still very much a beginner at the whole aquarium thing, but my male betta did a good job of holding his own when I put some neon tetras in with him. He chased them around some at first, but now gets along with them rather peacefully, with only the...

Thanks for the suggestion about checking the local water supply. Duh! I should have thought of that... & sure enough, the ammonia reading from "dechlorinated" tap water that had been sitting for at least 24 hours was 0.25 ppm - the same as my tank. Makes sense now that I think about it...

I like the one titled "Aquariums for Dummies" - mostly b/c I'm a big "... For Dummies" fan, but this one is also a good general beginnig-level book & includes lists of common mistakes & how to avoid them and opinions on bad beginner fish (as well as good ones). Being a beginner myself, I...

Nope... :rolleyes: I killed a Betta doing that. Only he was in a bowl, not a tank, so fortunately, I didn't kill any other fish. Poor betta. I still feel guilty about it...

Hi again... I did another water change today (1 & 3/4 gal) b/c the measurements were up: pH: 7.4 (down from yesterday's 7.6) Ammonia: 0.25 ppm Nitrite: 1.0 ppm Nitrate: 20 ppm & then remeasured the "3 Ns" right after the change to see what effect it had on the measurements. They were...