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Salt in low amounts is actually good for freshwater fish, especially when you suspect a disease. Not only can it directly impact the pathogen, but it also causes more slime production and actually makes it easier for the fish to osmoregulate (easier on gills and kidneys). Freshwater fish...

If you do have nitrite problems you can add a little aquarium salt or marine salt. Just don't use the iodized stuff from the store. 1tsp per 20 gallons should do the trick. The chloride ion in the salt has a higher affinity than nitrite for uptake sites at the gill, so very little nitrite will...

They are all the same species, Pterophyllum scalare, but I think the first one would just be called "striped". The second two are a marble and marble veiltail, and I would consider the last one to be a koi angel. Very nice!

I like dwarf sagittaria and dwarf hairgrass for low-tech setups. I grew hairgrass in a 10 gallon for years without CO2 or ferts, but every system is different. My real favorite is dwarf 4-leaf clover, but IME that requires intense lighting and some CO2 as well.

I definitely can't diagnose the issue from the picture, but I want to mention that the spot on the tail could be something different from the other symptoms you are seeing. For instance, if it is lymphocystis then you are dealing with a viral infection resulting from a weakened immune system...

It's funny that you used beef heart to trick your dats because I did something similar with mine. I got him to eat frozen krill, then dried krill, then Tetra Jumbomin sticks (like massivore but more orange). I did it slowly over the course of a few weeks. It was really easy! I tried starving him...

That is definitely hair algae! Most people don't like it because it makes the tank look dirty. Usually excessive algae means dirty water. However, there's nothing wrong with keeping the algae you bought if you plan to use it or if you like it. Just don't let it get out of control or you will...

Did you buy hair algae or java moss? I'm guessing it's java moss because I have never heard of anybody selling hair algae. If you did get java moss, it isn't an algae and it provides a lot of shelter for baby fish and shrimp and it gives them a lot of surfaces to pick at!

Very interesting. My fish biology professor noted this behavior in Gulf sturgeon when the water velocity was above the Ucrit. Maybe it was too fast! Who knows. I'm glad you looked into it though - that is good information! We sell both wholesale and retail, so the price can vary. We also have...

I spoke with our consultant about this before, and he mentioned that dietary fat actually helps remove fat from the body, particularly body fat from carbohydrates. He couldn't remember exactly why though. There is an increasing amount of research being done on exercise in aquaculture. I'm...

Those are some fatty ovaries! Do you ever work with Peter Steinbach? We used to fly him in from Germany for consultations. One day I hope to consult! We have seen fat like that in a small fraction of our fish. I have always wondered if it could be reduced by sustained exercise, as fat is the...

Yeah I'd love to see them! I'm not familiar with Siberian oster. Do you mean ossetra / Russian sturgeon (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii)? I will have to compare your degree days to ours. I don't think we have done that past the larval cycle before. We determine sex at 3 years of age and most of our...

Formalin will only reliably treat the dinospores, which are swimming around looking to infect a fish. Eradication with formalin will require several treatments and timing may be tricky. According to Noga (who wrote "the book" on fish diseases), 1tsp salt per 5 gallons will kill it, but the...

Correct! Our operation is known for being the Siberian farm closest to the equator. Temperature is a delicate trade-off for us. Too high and they start to die, too low and we can't produce enough biomass. However, it should be noted that in the wild these fish become sexually mature at around 15...

We see our smaller siberians at the farm do okay up to 80 degrees, but only if they have pristine water quality. Those in denser systems don't do well above 72 degrees. Even so, we experience much higher mortality at these temperatures than during the winter when they are in the mid 60's...

Looks like a motaguense to me. Definitely a parachromis and not a managuense.

He could be refusing to eat due to stress or illness, but I'd try some of the more-foolproof food items like chopped shrimp, live nightcrawlers, or frozen food. Exactly which you choose depends on his size.

It looks like it could just be an injury, but I can't rule out an infection. I'd just watch it for now and see if it gets better or worse. Keep the water clean to reduce stress and aid in healing. Definitely don't overfeed for a little while. Watch to see if the area around it becomes red. Gars...

Hmm tough to say. Is it "cottony"? If so a skin scrape would tell if it's columnaris (easy to see under microscope), but I doubt that's the issue. It could be a tumor or cyst if it's hard. It does look like lymphocystis, which often affects fins, but I don't think it is because lymphocystis has...

What are you using for substrate? gravel?