Frequent Aquarium Questions

• I have a 6 inch red tail giant gourami that has lost one of its feeler things. I'm pretty sure another fish bit it off. Will it grow back?
  
  
• I noticed a strange white object in my tank. One half is fuzzy looking and the other appears to have a gelly egg like look to it. My first thought was that my iridecent sharks may have paired up but I'm not sure what their eggs look like. Any idea what this could be.
  
  
• I have a community aquarium with 3 clown loaches, 3 black stripe barbs, 10 rainbow tetra, 2 royal red gouramis, 2 black mollies and some smaller fish as well as 2 crabs. In recent weeks a silver molly and a tetra have both disappeared, and a barb had his tail bitten off and had to be euthanised. How do I know who is doing it?
  
  
• We have noticed that when we turn the aquarium light off our angel fish and the neon tetras lose their colors, and look very lethargic. Our other fish do not seem to do this. Should we be concerned, or is this normal.
  
  
• One of my cichlids is moving all the gravel off my undergravel filter plate on one side of the aquarium. Should I move it back, or does this serve some sort of purpose, such as breeding?
  
  
• I just bought a red tail shark about 3 days ago, and it has lost the color in its tail. What should I do to make its tail red again?
  
  
• I have a 10 gallon freshwater tank with five different types of Gourami and a couple of algae eaters. What are suitable tank mates for the Gouramis.
  
  
• I recently got a 10 gallon tank and put in 3 cardinal tetras, 3 black neon tetras, and a gold algae eater. What other types of freshwater fish could I put in with them?
  
  
• May I put a dwarf frog in a tank with goldfish/koi that are about 6 to 8 inches long?
  
  
• What are the best fish to be kept in the same tank as a Betta?
  
  

• I have a 6 inch red tail giant gourami that has lost one of its feeler things. I'm pretty sure another fish bit it off. Will it grow back?
  
  The "feelers" on gouramis are actually its pelvic fins. As long as none of the other fish try to bite it off again, it should grow back in about a week or so.
  
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• I noticed a strange white object in my tank. One half is fuzzy looking and the other appears to have a gelly egg like look to it. My first thought was that my iridecent sharks may have paired up but I'm not sure what their eggs look like. Any idea what this could be.
  
  No this is not an egg. This is something that has been decaying in your aquarium, and has started growing a fungus (which is the white, cottony material you have seen). More than likely, this was once an uneaten piece of food that had been lodged somewhere, and floated to the surface when it was disturbed by something.
  
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• I have a community aquarium with 3 clown loaches, 3 black stripe barbs, 10 rainbow tetra, 2 royal red gouramis, 2 black mollies and some smaller fish as well as 2 crabs. In recent weeks a silver molly and a tetra have both disappeared, and a barb had his tail bitten off and had to be euthanised. How do I know who is doing it?
  
  There is a very good chance that your crabs are to blame. While not typically aggressive, most of the crabs sold for freshwater aquariums are very opportunistic, and will kill and eat small fish if they manage to catch them. More often than not, this occurs at night when the crabs have a better chance of suprising the fish. Your best bet is to remove the crabs.
  
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• We have noticed that when we turn the aquarium light off our angel fish and the neon tetras lose their colors, and look very lethargic. Our other fish do not seem to do this. Should we be concerned, or is this normal.
  
  This is normal. Many fish adopt a nocturnal coloration pattern during the night, which is exactly what you are seeing. Many of these same fish will become far less active at night, while some do in fact go to sleep.
  
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• One of my cichlids is moving all the gravel off my undergravel filter plate on one side of the aquarium. Should I move it back, or does this serve some sort of purpose, such as breeding?
  
  Many cichlids like to dig up your gravel and rearrange your tank decor for a variety of reasons, but few of them do this as a precursor to spawning. You may push the gravel back if you wish, but it will most likely end up back in a pile before long. You should consider removing the undergravel filter and switching to another style of filtration, as this digging behavior will prevent the undergravel from functioning effectively.
  
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• I just bought a red tail shark about 3 days ago, and it has lost the color in its tail. What should I do to make its tail red again?
  
  Just give it time. Your fish is probably still settling into your aquarium. Once it is comfortable, its tail should turn back to red.
  
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• I have a 10 gallon freshwater tank with five different types of Gourami and a couple of algae eaters. What are suitable tank mates for the Gouramis.
  
  Most peaceful community fish such as larger Tetras, Platys, Swordtails, Loaches, Corydoras, etc. make good tank mates for Gouramis. However, your tank is FULL!
  
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• I recently got a 10 gallon tank and put in 3 cardinal tetras, 3 black neon tetras, and a gold algae eater. What other types of freshwater fish could I put in with them?
  
  Any other smaller peaceful community fish will work. You should get a good book and do some reading. Be careful not to overcrowd the tank. Black Neon and Cardinal Tetras do not usually work well as the first fish ion a new tank, so watch them carefully and be prepared to do some small water changes if they stop eating or act abnormally.
  
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• May I put a dwarf frog in a tank with goldfish/koi that are about 6 to 8 inches long?
  
  Only if the dwarf frog is too big to fit into the fishes mouths.
  
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• What are the best fish to be kept in the same tank as a Betta?
  
  Most small to mid-sized peaceful community fish will work fine, such as many Rasboras, Danios, Tetras and livebearers. Avoid Gouramis and Paradise fish and fish that are known to be fin-nippers, such as Red Minor Tetras and Tiger Barbs.
  
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