Just got my local township's Waterworks Consumer Confidence Report Data for this year; it lists Disinfection Byproducts, Inorganic Contaminants, and Radioactive Contaminants along w/ their MCL, MCLG, Level, Range, etc. Our water's based from two groundwater sources: Site 2 at 401 ft. and Site 3 at 4...

It would be really helpful for these stores if they'd be able to get a person or two to identify shipments more accurately. My local pet shop is great, but they had "Assorted Synodontis" for $6.50, and the last one left was definitely a 3" S. eupterus. I let a nearby store employee kn...

Seems to me it's either a melanistius or an agassizzii, but I'd lean toward a melanistius.

Personally, I don't mind PetsMart or Petco at all, but it is disconcerting to see so much misrepresentation in the sale of much of the aquatic life there; I feel sad when I see fish like Pangasius hypophthalmus and Arius seemani for sale, knowing there'll never be a tank large enough for the former,...

I think that your female Ancistrus is confusing the difference in light at the surface (light shining down between the plants) with a solid surface to hold on to. Once she notices it's not solid, I think she just tries to get back to a normal swimming position. If she's doing this into the current, ...

When I saw the first image, my first thought was parasites, but that's obviously not it, not in such a short time. I agree it is likely a tumor. If it is a blister, I highly recommend not rupturing it, as that would expose a huge area of tissue, and I can almost guarantee it would become infected (b...

Wow, I've gotta switch out my plastic plants right away! I think I'll get only the hardiest plants out there. Now, do you plant these bare root in the sand, or do they need little plastic containers or mesh of some kind? Do you need to do a lot of siphoning of detritus or more frequent water changes...

I guess my big concern would be getting the plants enough nutrients and light, but I've got plenty of good fluorescent light if I need it. I'm rather hesitant to switch out plastic for live plants, as live plants might carry some parasites/diseases from the water/soil they were in at the store. I re...

I snapped the perfect photo of all three of my corys just today! Take a peek!

http://i1256.photobucket.com/albums/ii4 ... C11785.jpg

Wow! That's really beautiful! It makes me wish I had a ton of live aquatic plants, but I've no experience as far as keeping a balance between aquatic plants and fish goes. :-?? I'm sure all your catfish appreciate that flora a whole lot more than plastic plants! I'd always thought the compactness of...

It looks like Onyx Sand is really meant for a healthy planted aquarium, and the Fluorite type isn't supposed to alter chemically. The Onyx type seems to last for life, and doesn't need to be replaced. A smaller grain size is helpful for smaller fish like corys, but looking at the structure of the Fl...

I have HTH brand pool filter sand, and I once woried it'd be too sharp, but once I added it, I've found that it is perfect for my corys and banjo cats, as well as my bare-bellied bristlenose pleco. It doesn't seem to have any very sharp edges, and the grain size is a little variable (all under 2 mm ...

No problem! That is really cool to hear that your cory came in randomly in a shipment; I got a Bunocephalus colombianus that way, and he/she's a real fun fish to watch interact with my other B. coracoideus! My banjo cat's situation was unique, but your find is really something! Congrats! Wish you th...

For comparisons regarding the unidentified cory, I particularly refer to the second/central image posted in the original post. Utilizing all images on each species' respective page, I feel that this is a very nice (and convenient) photo from the Cat-eLog comparing C. ornatus and C. sp. (C141): http:...

I've kept one C. agassizii , but he has passed away several months ago. Personally, I think the ones in the photo of the first post are actual specimens of that species; in most cases, pattern isn't quite as stable, when it comes to identifying a species, as morphological characteristics; when it co...

To me it looks most like a C. ornatus : it has that stout, white dorsal spine; preceeding that, a better-defined, brighter stripe leading behind the eye when compared to C. agassizii ; the snout is also slightly more elongated and compressed than an agassizii 's; the three distinct black lateral str...

You're right, the form is somewhat there, and I looked up pics and that definitely is some kind of sandstone. I guess it'd be banded sandstone, though I'm not sure how valid that name is. Sandstone would work just like sandpaper, though now that I think about it, your cory would have to be around th...

I forgot to mention that I too have a slab of slate in my aquarium. It's got those typical rough, fractured edges, but my cores never seem to bother with those; they like to rest on the smooth top of it, though and feed off of it. Texas Holey Rock is pretty rough, like sandpaper: I'd think that deco...

I completely agree! The jaw bones of a Corydoras are extremely minute, and I don't think your cory will regrow a functional mouth with barbels; since he has such a receded snout now, he won't be able to dig through substrate well at all, so he'll likely just get it right off underwater surfaces in t...

I've only seen a couple male Bristlenoses in person that had their bristles, and they were both under 3". Is Paz full size? I must imagine his bristles are pretty impresssive! I think the coolest Bristlenose to have would be an Ancistrus dolichopterus!

That definitely looks like abrasion from a rough surface. I'd move him to a quarantine tank, or remove whatever is causing the injuries and treat him as soon as possible. The mouth looks pretty much non-existent, so I'm not sure if it can grow back, but if you say he can still feed properly, the bes...

The only thing I can think of as to what caused the gash might be any rough, rock decorations he could get himself cut on, or (I highly doubt this) the spines of the dorsal fins of the other fishes. I strongly recommend the use of API Melafix. If you have a smaller, quarantine tank you will be able ...

Coarse PPl10 sponges, got it! That sounds great, thanks! Deteriorating aquarium floss occasionally seems to get some loose strands here and there in the water, and that'll be nice to not have to worry about with a sponge filter!

Thank you! From other members on the forum, I just found out that Scooter, my Bristlenose, is really a female! The first responder attested to one of her females having infraspecific aggression; also, taking some closer pictures, I realized the median ridge up Scooter's head is denticulated, and onl...

I'd be lying if I said I understood all that, but thanks for letting me know!

I hadn't received any notifications today, but it's all right. It's good for me to frequent the Cat-eLog to study up while occasionally checking my posts!

Thanks again!

- Kaegen

Ha ha! My Scooter really is an indiscriminate feeder also, and sure has put on a few tenths of an ounce! That's interesting to hear that both female and male Bristlenoses can display some intraspecific aggression. I knew they were good community fish, and that they were gentle with eating algae off ...

That's pretty interesting! I like my external filter and all, but of course, the tank is right up against the wall, and the lid is modified to fit the filter, so it's positioned in the middle of the length of the tank (outflow into the front of the tank). I've seen powerheads, but I really need a ve...

Hmm, that's something I hadn't thought of: pre-filtering right at the intake. That would definitely take care of stray sand grains, and that sure would extend the life of the external filter cartridges! I can't imagine that foam would deteriorate like aquarium floss does, so that's a huge plus. I th...

That's great! I've recently thought about switching my Aqueon 55 Powerflow external filter's disposable filters for sponges or reusable floss pouches; I haven't got around to that quite yet, but would that be a good idea to try and put to use? So baby Bristlenoses, you breed them? I've got a male A....

I've double-checked my User Control Panel preferences, and I have made sure the "Notify me upon replies by default" option is affirmed, and I've also checked my safe-senders list on my e-mail account, and "webmaster@planetcatfish.com" is on my safe-senders list. It's worked in th...