Re: [GSAS-Member] Was Bulk chemicals - now Salts...and fin rotin guppies...

["Susan Welenofsky" <welenofsky@comcast.net>]

My guppies like to rest in the African fern at all different levels when
they sleep, like birds in a tree. I've never had a problem with fin rot or
bloat, and feed them only flakes and live Daphnia, which has a hard shell
(fiber?)

Susan W

-----Original Message-----
From: gsas-member-bounces@thekrib.com
[mailto:gsas-member-bounces@thekrib.com] On Behalf Of matt kaufman
Sent: Monday, July 28, 2008 9:50 AM
To: Greater Seattle Aquarium Society member chat
Subject: Re: [GSAS-Member] Was Bulk chemicals - now Salts...and fin rotin
guppies...

I was in a guppy-only club for a few years and picked up some hints from the
champion guppy breeders regarding care of guppies and breeding and raising
for show.
 
1) Guppy tails are very fragile. When the lights go out, many a guppy will
rest its tail on the bottom of the tank. The breeders there kept all
bare-bottom tanks that they kept *very* very clean'
2) They never fed bloodworms. Paste foods that they made up (with much
secrecy about the formulas). Problem with frozen bloodworms is the filth
they're harvested from. I personally haven't had problems with the 'hikari
bio-pure' brand but i use it sparingly with my fish
3) Nothing else was kept with guppies - other fish find those tails
irresistable, and being long-time inbred mutants like all fancy guppy
strains, the fish aren't very vigorous
4) 1 tsp salt/gallon is ok but the primary concern is water changes - daily.
Most of the better breeders had flow-through systems that ran daily or did a
lot of water changes.
5) Temp. 80-82. Sure, they'll live in other conditions, but they thrive at
warmer temps, again because the fish aren't very vigorous. Most weren't too
careful about their water conditions, i.e., soft water is fine, as long as
you keep it clean
6) Don't overcrowd. No more than a dozen fish in a 10 gallon tank.
7) Gentle filtration is best - again, don't want to strain that tail.
 
 
HTH. In my opinion, fancy guppies aren't a great community fish, they're
typically too fragile to compete with other fish. Breeders tend to keep 1
line in 8-10 10 gallon tanks and cull *a lot*. I kept a nice red delta
strain going for awhile but could never compete with the big boys; it was a
*lot* of work, way more than killies or cichlids.



> From: laurelthequeen@gmail.com> To: gsas-member@thekrib.com> Date: Mon, 28
Jul 2008 07:22:21 -0700> Subject: Re: [GSAS-Member] Was Bulk chemicals - now
Salts...and fin rot in guppies...> > I have tap water with a pH of 8.4 at
home in Mountlake Terrace. The > pH is very high, but the buffering capacity
is almost nil (2-3º KH), > so I buffer my water to ensure that I don't get
massive pH drops over > the week as waste builds up (nitric acid).> >
Increasing one's GH will help to mimic the natural habitat of your > fish.
Doing a google search for "water parameters XXfishXXX" will > help to
determine what your fish's specific needs are. Adding just > epsom salts to
a tank will increase GH, but not necessarily mimic > their natural habitat.
There are other minerals that are there in the > wild that the fish "need"
as well. That's why marine salt is > suggested in combination with epsom
salts, and as 1 of 3 parts in the > "rift lake buffer recipe" listed on
cichlid-forum.> > As far as I know, there are no natural algae-eaters that
thrive in > hard water conditions. That said, I've had 2 bristlenosed plecos
in > my Malawi tank with a pH of 8.0-8.2 and gh and kh sitting around >
12-17º. They do ok, but I'd prefer fish that are "happy" in harder > water.>
> I'm bad at diagnosing diseases/problems, but you my consider posting > in
the illness/nutrition forum at cichlid-forum.com. They're very > helpful,
quick, and don't deal solely in cichlids.> > Laurel> On Jul 27, 2008, at
10:41 PM, Connie Carlson wrote:> > > 8.2 tap water?? where do you live???>
>> > SO, lots of fish seem to GET salt in their tanks by their keepers, > >
but I still don't understand why. Does it mimic some specific > > condition
in the wild? Is it just a disease preventative?? If so, > > what is a
therapeutic level/dosage, and how do you know when you > > have it?> >> > I
am having a terrible time controlling fin rot in my guppy tank. > > In the
last month I have tried adding anywhere from 2 to 6 > > tablespoons of
aquarium salt for the 29 gallon tank, added post > > water changes; it does
not seem to help a bit. So then the > > medications got tried. I have
treated with a fungal cure; that > > seemed to get rid of the jagged edged
cases, only to have the > > melting tailfin type show up. Treated that with
a round of Maracyn; > > that seemed to help the juvenille and adult guppies,
but the fry > > that were fine before, now they have tail rot even after the
> > treatments! They look fine, and suddenly they don't; wasting away > >
from the tail forward. Moved the fry to a new tank.... a ten > > gallon one
with coral substrate; latest thing the guy at The Fish > > Store said to
try, and I added two tablespoons of salt but that was > > a blind guess. Am
now treating individual fry with a dose of > > methylene blue to each fish
that looks sick. Some survive that > > treatment some don't; too s!> > oon
to tell if it is curing the overall problem. Very > > frustrating.... and
time consuming... and disheartening to lose > > fish, even if they are
small. And for the record I do think it > > started after I fed the whole
group of them frozen bloodworms a few > > times; have long since stopped. I
don't know where else all these > > diseases could have come from.> >> > To
borrow one of the pet phrases of Tom Myers (an instructor of > > mine): The
more I learn about all of this, the more I think I am > > just reaching a
higher state of confusion!> > Connie> > ----- Original Message -----> >
From: Trish<mailto:snips36@yahoo.com>> > To: Greater Seattle Aquarium
Society member chat<mailto:gsas-member@thekrib.com > > >> > Sent: Sunday,
July 27, 2008 6:58 PM> > Subject: Re: [GSAS-Member] Bulk chemicals - help!>
>> >> > I used epsom salt on all my tanks.....I used to us "aquarium salt" >
> before, then, went through a faze and used cichlid salt for my > >
cichlids, then found epsom salt, and found it to be much cheaper. So > > now
I used it on all tanks, and all my fish. I use it on my 2 > > goldfish
tanks, which have goldies, dojos, and corys. Also on my > > Trophues tank,
with bristle nose pleco, and also on my Mbuna tank, > > with clown loaches,
and bristle nose plecos, without any problems on > > any of them. I have
used salt with guppies, mollies, angels, > > gouramies....and anything else
I have had in the past..just cant > > think of them right now....> >> > I
dont have to worry about ph, for its 8.2 out of the tap, so thats > > good
for the cichlids =}, the only fish which have had somewhat of a > > problem
it seems is the mollies....I never could keep them....not > > sure why...>
>> > Trish> >> >> > --- On Sun, 7/27/08, Connie Carlson
<nwconniec@hotmail.com<mailto:nwconniec@hotmail.com > > >> wrote:> >> >>
From: Connie Carlson <nwconniec@hotmail.com<mailto:nwconniec@hotmail.com >
>> >>> >> Subject: Re: [GSAS-Member] Bulk chemicals - help!> >> To: "Greater
Seattle Aquarium Society member chat" <gsas-member@thekrib.com > >>
<mailto:gsas-member@thekrib.com>>> >> Date: Sunday, July 27, 2008, 11:02 AM>
>> Steev (or anyone else that has an opinion about this),> >>> >> Can you
say more?? Why is it good for the other fish?> >> What does it do, and in
what quantities if we are adding it> >> to tanks/fry containers? Different
for each species, i.e.> >> koi vs. guppies?? I have heard/read in several
places it> >> is good to add salts to the livebearer tanks, but to date> >>
have only used the commercial marine salt mixes, and always> >> feel like I
am throwing the Hail-Mary pass when guessing how> >> much to add. I would
love an alternative to that...> >>> >> And any reason why didn't you list
the> >> ancistrus/plecos? Salts NOT good for them?> >>> >> Connie> >> -----
Original Message -----> >> From: Steev
Ward<mailto:steevward@yahoo.com<mailto:steevward@yahoo.com > >> >>> >> To:
Greater Seattle Aquarium Society member> >>
chat<mailto:gsas-member@thekrib.com<mailto:gsas-member@thekrib.com>>> >>
Sent: Sunday, July 27, 2008 9:24 AM> >> Subject: Re: [GSAS-Member] Bulk
chemicals - help!> >>> >>> >> It's mostly because carbonates raise the pH
and> >> sulfates don't. So sulfates aren't> >> really buffers. But people
might have other reasons for> >> avoiding sulfates. In marine> >> tanks I
think people avoid adding any sulfates. Otherwise> >> Magnesium sulfate,
epsom> >> salts, is great stuff. I think it is good to add for LOTS> >> of
fish, not just cichlids.> >> Especially livebearers, goldfish, koi,
rainbowfish,> >> "sharks", corys, and barbs.> >>> >>> >> --- Clifford
Miller> >>
<clifford@clevergeek.com<mailto:clifford@clevergeek.com<mailto:clifford@clev
ergeek.com%3Cmailto:clifford@clevergeek.com > >> >>>> >> wrote:> >>> >>>>
>>> While the topic was up I thought I'd get some> >> opinions on the
buffering> >>> agents I'm using. Better to use Magnesium> >> Carbonate than
sulfate?> >>>> >>> I currently use a mix of epsom salts, baking soda> >> and
marine salt in my> >>> cichlid tanks. Nice and cheap, and easy to get at> >>
any drug store if not> >>> already on hand. The fish all seem to be doing
well> >> (I haven't lost any> >>> fish yet, including the 13 daffodils that
I think> >> were from Erik.)> >>>> >>> Thanks,> >>>> >>> Cliff> >>>> >>> >>>
>>> >>> >> _______________________________________________> >> GSAS-Member
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