Mike’s Fish Tank – Common Tank Questions

Fish tanks are very popular this time of year.  Here are some answers to popular questions.

I get asked a lot about algae eaters. Do not put algae eaters in tanks where their is no algae. This is just common sense.

Algae is green. Usually caused by too much light ,or too much organic matter in your tank. Organic matter being fish waste and too much uneaten food at the bottom of your tank. Keep your tank light on only during the evening hours. If you see green growth on your plants, glass or gravel, then it’s time to add an algae eater. Remember, algae eaters are tropical fish and like heated water. I never suggest putting them in with goldfish.

Goldfish like cold water and if it’s too cold your algae eater might not live too long. If you have a lot of algae in your goldfish tank, we have a product called algae fix. It’s a liquid that helps kill the algae in your cold water tank.

I get asked a lot about bottom feeders. There is no fish that is a bottom feeder. A lot of people think a bottom feeder is a fish that eats the crap off the bottom of the tank. No fish does this. Catfish do swim near the bottom of the tank. So in a sense, they are a bottom feeder and they will eat good food that the other fish miss. However once that food gets old, no fish is going to eat it. Also catfish will swim up to the top to eat.

Then they go down to the bottom to eat. But watch all your fish, they will all go down to the bottom to eat after they feed off the top.

Sharks are exceptionally good at finding and eating food that other fish miss.

Another question, do tropicals and goldfish mix. I have to say NO. Tropicals like warm water and goldfish like cold water. Some people mix the two and sometimes it works but as a rule, I would not recommend it.

Do bettas mix with other fish? This is hard to answer too. A lot of fish like to pick at the bettas tail. Bettas are usually only aggressive towards each other.

They are rarely mean to other fish. I always tell people to try it. If you see the bettas tail disappearing, just move him out. Bettas do great in bowls.

Remember, bettas live in puddles so they have adapted to living in small containers. You can even keep bettas in unique containers.

I’ve seen bettas in pitchers, vases, brandy snifters,etc. As long as the top is  wide enough to allow oxygen exchange, your betta should be fine.

Another common mistake is putting too many fish in a new tank. Fish are constantly urinating and no matter how many filters you have on your tank, that urine stays in the tank. It’s called ammonia. About 4 to 6 weeks after you put fish in your tank, a bacteria will grow. That bacteria is good and it will eat the urine your fish will produce. Too many fish and no good bacteria means your fish are swimming in their own urine. This is bad and will cause your tank to get cloudy. It also will burn your fishes gills and fins. So go easy, do not put too many fish in a newly setup tank. The slower you go, the better it will be for your fish.

A lot of people think that chemicals can cure a cloudy tank. If your tank is cloudy due to the fact that you have too many fish in a new tank, no chemical will fix that. If your tank is cloudy because your water has superfine particles floating in it, then the chemicals like accuclear or crystal clear might work.

Pets A Plenty is located in the Blockbuster Video Plaza, Rte 281 Cortland, 753-9213. Open 7 days a week. We now have a website. www.petsaplety.biz. check it out. I post care sheets, coupons, new animal arrivals, contests and more. Any questions, email me at friskyy@hotmail.com

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