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  1. gerald

    Feeding German Blue Ram Fry

    I would love to hear an explanation of HOW on Earth do vinegar eels syntheisize protein and lipids out of nothing but vinegar and a tiny piece of apple? It mystifies me that they could have much nutritional content, but apparently they do. Any Nematode Alchemists in our club?
  2. gerald

    Feeding German Blue Ram Fry

    There will always be some fry that fail to develop properly and die; the transition point from yolk-sac larvae to active feeding is one of those times. If a small percentage dies, that may be normal. Hopefully you will see round full bellies on most of them, indicating that their mouths and...
  3. gerald

    Impact of diet on fertility and embryo mortality

    That sounds like a reasonable guess. Maybe there's some essentially fatty acid or other nutrient or mineral in short supply, so her egg yolks are not nutritious enough for embryo development. It will be interesting to see what happens with a more diversified diet. Bob Goldstein had certain...
  4. gerald

    Ooops, dropped to 5 ppm TDS

    When comparing nature vs aquarium, keep in mind that interstitial water (between the sand particles in the stream bed and seeping out of stream banks) may have higher mineral content than the surface water where scientists usually take water samples. Fish and inverts in streams where the...
  5. gerald

    How common is infertility?

    Maybe it's related to nutrition. Try feeding a more varied diet?
  6. gerald

    Palm Fronds from Gardens

    If the fish seem ok, i'd leave it. Or use the cloudy water to feed a daphnia culture. If a leaf is dead and brittle but still attached, the tree can't pull anything more out of it anyway; the vascular channels are no longer working. Pre-soaking adds a margin of safety.
  7. gerald

    Palm Fronds from Gardens

    My guess is that the frond that caused the cloudiness still had sugary sap that caused a temporary bacterial and/or protozoan bloom. Tannins, lignins, fulvic acids (blackwater components) are much slower to decay and less likely to cause that. As for a snail bloom in a few days, they must have...
  8. gerald

    How to move Fry

    I've used the siphon method to move fry, but always keep my thumb on the outlet end so I can instantly stop the suction if a larger fish gets too close. Thanks for the warning, and sorry about Papa Ram. Be sure to tell his kids about their father's sacrifice.
  9. gerald

    Same species: One fish with blue fins and the other red?

    Looks like a probable female and male, based on fin color; just hope they're the same species.
  10. gerald

    Precious Cacatuoides

    Great news! Bloating in Apistos (and soft-water dwarf cichlids in general) tends to be more difficult to treat than in larger cichlids and hard-water cichlids. I've seen few Apistos recover from it. Of course bloating is a symptom, not a specific disease, and might have a wide range of causes...
  11. gerald

    33 gallon long - Dicrossus filamentosus and friends

    I got 10 marginatus pencils (wild from Peru) and 10 red phantom tetras from Wet Spot several months ago. All looked good for a couple weeks (20 gal long with lots of plants, soft water), then the pencils started dying one by one until all were gone, while the phantoms remained healthy. I...
  12. gerald

    A. Macmasteri with swollen vent

    Overuse of antibiotic and anti-parasite drugs at ornamental fish farms has created drug-resistant strains in recent years. Camallanus and several other diseases are more common now in aquarium fish world-wide, and harder to treat than in years past.
  13. gerald

    Feeding - 2x Daily

    There's no easy way to answer that. Depends on number of fry, density of BBS in your pipette, and how much gets lost in the gravel, filter, etc before the fry eat them. Just watch their bellies and behavior. When fry look plump and orange, and stop actively chasing the shrimp, then you've fed...
  14. gerald

    Chromaphyosemion/Aphyosemion

    P. taeniatus (+ real kribensis) are no more peaceful than P. pulcher, but might work OK with larger killies in a 36" or longer tank.
  15. gerald

    Agasizii Breeding set up

    ... or not. "Sorry dear, I wasn't expecting this. Now I HAVE to get more tanks".
  16. gerald

    Agasizii Breeding set up

    Usually fry can remain with both parents for a couple months until the pair is ready to spawn again (they'll start chasing the kids). But some mothers dont want dad around after fry emerge from the cave, in which case he should be removed. You just have to watch and be ready to intervene if...
  17. gerald

    Feeding - 2x Daily

    Yes, if they're at least a month old. I wouldn't leave very young fry more than 3 days without food. They might survive, but health may be weakened.
  18. gerald

    Fry development and sexual dimorphism

    In my experience yes, males tend to grow faster, but I dont know at what age/size that becomes apparent. Getting fry of all one sex is always a risk with Apistos and other dwarf cichlids.
  19. gerald

    Feeding - 2x Daily

    The advantage to frequent small feedings is that more of the food gets eaten quickly, leaving less to rot in the sand. Also young fish will grow faster with frequent feeding. In nature they eat small amounts all day long. But no, it's not critical that they be fed twice a day, especially if...
  20. gerald

    What pH does TO filtration give?

    In very soft water with low mineral concentrations, a very small change in dissolved ions (or CO2) can cause an apparent BIG shift in pH.
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