Pet Forum / Aquaria / Freshwater / September 2006

I recently lost my light hood due to an electrical short - a small fire
quickly put out. I had two T-8 fluorescents. Since I have this
opportunity to start from scratch, I'm considering going with compact
fluorescents instead of the old T-8s. Is there any advantage in CFL?

My question is: If a male guppy and a female guppy have different color,
would they breed? For example if the male guppy is red and female is black
is it possible to have babies. The same question goes for platies and other
live bearer.

does anyone know what causes a fish to swim in circles with it's nose to the
bottom?  obviously it's in distress, in fact I'm sure it's dying, but is
there any danger to my other fish?  Is this contagious?  Help--this is my
first tank.

Questions:
A) I have 2 metal file cabinets and I would like to know if they are
suitable as stands for a 55 gallon tank.
Their dimensions are 2ft (L) x 2ft (W) x 3ft (H).

The world lost a great man September 4th.
Steve Irwin, aka The Crocodile Hunter, died from a freak accident.
He was pierced in the heart by a Sting Ray.
Not everyone liked him because of his crazy ways, but the man was like

I have a 5 gallon aquarium with about 1 inch of gravel and 6 tropical fishes
(1Guppy, 1platy and 4 small neon), and only have plastic plants. I have a
filter that hangs ou side the aquarium, with carbon and sponge in it. I do
weekly 20% water change. I want to know is it ...

I bought some new food for the inmates today, Spirulina wafers, Algae wafers
and sinking wafers. They've had the sinking wafers before and they were a
hit. But the Spirulina wafers don't seem so successful, especially with the
SAEs. I'll have to try them in the office tank.

I havent been into the hobby for a while and I'm considering getting another
tank and have some questions, but water changes would be the biggest problem
with our small apartment at the moment...
Are there any guidelines by how much (50%, 100%?) of the tanks water you

My AquaClear 500 was sounding a little noisy, so I decided to give it a
thorough cleaning. I took the motor off for the first time in five years.
(Manual says clean every three months. LOL.) But now it sounds worse than
ever. The impeller looks fine, although the metal shaft ...

I purchased a banana yellow male betta a week ago for my youngest
son's tank, along with some females..I brought the fishes home, only
to realize that the other tank didn't have a heater in it.  I grabbed
the thermometer and read the tank at 70*.  I considered controlling

Thank You Mr. Gardener of TFA  for putting Irwin's vanity straight
into the real light...  His lack of respect and total disregard for
wild life, not to mention the toddler's safety will be his legacy.
Period.

A week ago I got a pleco and on his side fins he now looks to have a  couple
poofy white spots, almost like mini cotton balls.  What is this? and what
can I do about it? and will it spread to my other fish?

Does anyone really know:
Can Ich survive in an aquarium with no fish, no living animals?
I've have a 40 gal tank that my kids use.
Two months ago they bought some fish, loaches, tetras, etc.

I recently acquired a new 20 gal aquarium and transferred three small
goldfish and 1 male betta.
I know some of you will curse me for this combination, but I wanted to
get these fish out of their cramped old quarters and into a more

    I'm a newbie to the pastime, so please, bear with me.
Setup:
Jewel 120L tank. (28G?)
Standard Filter. particulate filter cleaned/replaced every week. Others