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My fish have got white spot. What can I do to overcome this ?
My UGF filter is blocked what can I do?
The barbels on my Corydoras are wearing away. Why is this happening ?
Corydoras are prone to bacterial infections, which unfortunately result in barbel damage, i.e. the wearing away that you describe. Cory's forage for food in the substrate, and if regular water changes are carried out this keeps the water in good condition (bearing in mind that fish kept in an aquarium are in an almost closed environment). If the substrate is not clean, bacteria build up and this can result in the damage. The barbels can also be worn away if the substrate being used is gravel. Perhaps the best substrates to use are very fine gravel or sand, and although you do not mention the substrate being used I would recommend that sand is used.
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I have recently been keeping Sailfin Mollies. One day I noticed some fry in the aquarium. Will the Goldfish that are in with the Mollies eat the fry ?
The answer to you question is YES. The Goldfish (or any fish to a certain extent) will eat any fry or fish that is small enough to fit into their mouths. I am quite concerned however that you are keeping coldwater fishes (goldfish) with Mollies which are tropical. I would suggest that you keep these two groups separately, maybe this way you may stand a chance of raising some fry from the Mollies (having said that, the Mollies will also eat their own fry !).
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My fish have got white spot. What can I do to overcome this ?
Whitespot (Ichthyophthirius) or 'ick' is a most serious disease caused by a parasite. It appears on the bodies of fish as small white pimple like pustules (pinheads). It is thought to be caused by stress (most noticeable on newly purchased or imported stock). Once you have identified Whitespot, which is perhaps the most common of all fish diseases, there are a couple of ways in which it can be treated :-
1. A chemical method whereby you add a conventional Whitespot remedy to your aquarium. These types of treatments can be purchased from any aquatic retailer.
2. By raising the water temperature a few degrees. This basically speeds up the life cycle of the parasite and ultimately results in the eradication of the Whitespot.
My undergravel filter does not seem to be working as well as it did, I have thought about changing it, or stripping the tank down and cleaning it.
Have you checked to see if the filter in the base of the air pump is still working? Also when cleaning the gravel try to disturb as little as possible, as this is the biological part of the filter. If you must change the filter try an internal like the Fluval 3 or similar. Or you could put a Powerhead on the uplift tube of the UGF
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