Continued...

Question
QUESTION: Hello again. (I just pester you all day don't I?) The filter is the aqua tech 10 gallon filter that came with the 10 gallon set up kit. It is the 5-15 gallon filter I think. I did a massive water change in the baby tank this morning and put my little busy mystery snail vacumes back. (I took them out because they went after the little guy's veggies!) I don't get to feed the babies as much as I used to because I work so much, but they're growing just fine. even now some of them are still clear! I'm pretty sure now that my rubber lipped pleco is female, which is good because I've been calling her Jynx after a pokemon we all enjoyed as children, haha. She does seem to be doing a lot better now, spazzing out like usual when she thinks I'm looking at her. For the trips here and back to college I plan on buying a 5 gallon tank and getting a divider to seperate the fish from the two tanks during the ride. That will mean I have yet another tank to hold the fishes in case something happens to the bigger ones. My family thinks I'm crazy at this point but I'll do what I have to. The filters seem to be doing a very good job along with the loaches and snails keeping the tanks clean. I've been thinking about getting loaches for the baby tank when they get a bit older because I just love those things! Mine are nice and fat from spare food and shrimp pellets, and they are cute as can be. The store I got the little guys from doesnt have any left though :( I put some ferns in the baby tank and got special bulbs for them to grow, and plant stuff. I plan on getting good driftwood come thursday, even though it is pretty expensive at petsmart. There is no where else to go and ordering it offline costs just as much when you add shipping. Any imput on preparing driftwood would be nice. THANKS

ANSWER: Hi Kelley,

You're doing a great job with your fish-keeping. Keep it up!

Aqua-Tech filters are not too good. They are the ones that come in the kits (usually from Wal-Mart). You rarely find them sold separately, and I think Wal-Mart is the only store that sells them. They don't provide enough biological filtration. It would be great if you could get another filter to supplement or replace that one. If you replace it, you could always use the Aqua-Tech on a smaller fry tank, etc.

The AquaClear 20, Penguin 100, and Tetra Ex20 would all be better choices for your tank, and cost about $25-40. You will also find that they are much more quieter than your current one, which is a added bonus.

So, if you're going to get another filter to either replace it or operate together, cut a piece of the Aqua-Tech's filter floss out and put it into the cartridge or foam of the new filter to 'seed' it with new beneficial bacteria. This will help the new filter's biological filtration develop faster. also, a benefit of having an additional filter is that if you have a sick fish, you can take a filter to use in a quarantine tank (and it will already be fully cycled!)

Driftwood Easy as 1-2-3!

Step one: Soak it in a laarge bowl of water for anywhere between 1 to 2 weeks. It's best to keep it submerged. This will leach out most of the tannins that occur naturally in driftwood. Tannins will discolor the water a light yellow. The wood may also lower the pH slightly, soaking it longer will prevent this.

Step two: Brush and scrub the driftwood using an old toothbrush or shoe brush (make sure there is no shoe polish!). This will remove any physical marks or dirt.

Step Three: Boil the driftwood in a large pot. This can be done for 20 mins to an hour. This will sanitize the driftwood and remove any undesirable organisms living within it.

Then, you can put the driftwood into the aquarium. driftwood-sticking plants such as Java Fern can be initially rooted with rubber bands.

I hope this helps, and Happy Fishkeeping!

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QUESTION: Hello again. I tried the veggies and algae wafers, but there still isnt any more of that terrible stringy pleco poo. The little one pooed up a storm when I first got him, but now he doesnt. I've been doing just veggies for the past several days so I'm going to put some wafers in there tonight and I hope they eat. What else should I do?
And I do plan on getting all new filters when I get paid. MY heaters are great and I also need another hood, but I can afford it later. I'm really worried about my little plecos though. Help!

ANSWER: Hi Kelley,

Try putting some gravel or rocks into a small bowl of water, and setting it in the sunlight. In a few days, natural algae will grow, and you can place the algae-rocks in the tank. If you keep doing this, you will have a never-ending supply.

Make sure you don't overfeed, as decomposing food will turn into ammonia, the last thing you want.

Good Luck, and Happy Fishkeeping!

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hello yet again. My adorable little male pleco really had at that mini cucumber last night, but this morning I noticed that weird jelly stuff waving off the cucumber in the adult tank and the back of the cucumber in the baby tank. Could this make my little boy pleco sick? I mean it wasnt there when he was demolishing the insides of that cucumber, but could he get sick anyway? Do I need to treat the water or something? And I still cant get my rubber lipped pleco to eat. I'm going to try your rocks in the sun idea, but that will take time. Do you think all of this will change when I get the driftwood in? And when I'm soaking the driftwood, do I change the water if it gets nasty? I must say now though, my adult tank has never been clearer, and it is kind of weird because it looks like the fish are flying, it is THAT clear. The baby tank is nice too, but it has more shadows. I know my loaches and my rubber lipped pleco in my adult tank are going to be pissed when I have to redo the insides to make room for the driftwood, but it is really that important isnt it?

Answer
Hi Kelley,

The jelly stuff is just the cucumber fragments decomposing. At this time, it's best if you remove and dispose of the cucumber. They should only be left in there for 24 hours or so. It will not affect your Pleco, but if you leave it in there for too long, it will contribute to the ammonia and nitrite levels, which is obviously unwanted. You do not need to treat the water with anything.

Plecos will naturally ingest a tiny portion of the driftwood as part of their natural diet, so yes, it will provide a minor source of food, especially the algae that will grow on it.

Change the water when it turns a brownish color. This is a sign of the tannins leaching out. Tannins will discolor the water.

It doesn't matter to the fish if you are going to be renovating the outlook and ornaments within the tank.

Good Luck, and Happy Fishkeeping!