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Hmm . . . algae wafers, you say? I've gotta give that a shot. I wonder if my frogs (that share the tank) would like it, too. Luckily, I have some handy for my other tank (it's "snail food" ). I wouldn't mind giving the guy some plants to munch on--after all, he's just one fish that's not even an inch long, how much damage could he do? (Yeah, I know, "famous last words . . . ." )

It's amazing how a change of environment can help a fish out so much. He used to be constantlyzipping around his little tank, much like he did when he was in the store. He seems much more calm now, though he's occasionally have a spurt of energy to dart from one end of the tank to the other. One of the frogs seems much happier, too, much more active. But, the second frog seems to be a little less active. Maybe he just likes being a cave-dweller.

So, here's my shopping list: 1) those little dried worm type things, is it "tubifex" or something? I'll know it if I see it 2) a few small but hardy plants, and 3) maybe a few small snails?

Now I have to figure out a few things-- one, what kind of plants would Squiggle eat (I'm going backwards--I know many people choose plants based on what they WON'T eat, but I want something that Squiggle can use as a snack if he wants); and two, WOULD snails be a good addition to the tank? I particularly like snails, and am heartbroken that my favorite apple snail died recently.

Last edited by kamylienne at 08-Oct-2004 09:06

Hmm . . . I should also probably worry about the problem of space.

I currently have a ten-gallon for Squiggle (tetra), Bub (african frog), Bonnie and Clyde (apple snails), and their eggs. And a whole lotta plants.

. . . do I even have enough ROOM to put anyone else in there?

I would like to get a bigger tank, but space is limited in my apartment with the 55-gallon for my goldfish, the rabbit hutch, and another tank for my hermit crabs.

Would it be wiser to wait on getting more tank mates until I move out and can afford (space-wise) to let them move into a bigger tank, or could I safely add another small fish or two into such a small space? Another recent post listed many fish in a fifteen-gallon. I just don't want my little guy to be cramped.

possibly a slow moving fish

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''All the clown fish and yellow tangs in the world cant save you now!''

Regarding the issue of him not having any friends, you could try getting a few of the similar but less-aggressive species, such as head and tail light or phantom tetras. Having friends of a different species is better than having no friends at all.

---

I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

Well, I've been posting about my two snails, Bonnie and Clyde, who have been laying eggs (yay!) in the tank (see also: "What's that stuff on my snail's shell?"

Question here, though, is about Squiggle: Will Squiggle eat the baby snails? Or, do african frogs like Bub tend to eat escargot?

Update: Well, Squiggle appears to be growing a little! So are the snails and the frog (who my best friend named "Bubble Gum", so it's "Bub" for short). I saw Bub eat for the first time just now, too--it's odd. He crouches down low after the bloodworms hit the gravel and squiggle around in the current, like he's stalking it, then he suddenly pounces and nabs one, gulping it. If it's too long, he gets so concerned about eating that he ends up flipping over on his back. It's really cute. Everyone in this ten-gallon community is doing well! Yay!

Im not sure which shrimp they would like better, I find however that OSI Brine Shrimp flakes are loaded with good smell, which must mean good flavor! They sure smell shrimp-licious to me! I have found not too many fish eat the freeze dried ones, I think there is too much shell maybe, and the only frozen shrimp type thing I have access to is daphnia, which is great, however 1 cube must contain millions of these things and they are super tiny! They totally pollute a tank. I keep these now for only baby fish.
I would think Flakes would be your most economical buy, and the easiest to feed.
I find my ADF's eat anything! They love anything that smells good!


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Yup, I saw that Petsmart had some wisteria two days ago! Unfortunately, they were the saddest, most pathetic bits of plant that I've ever seen. They were sparse, almost yellowish, and they were about three fronds per bunch. I wonder if I could get wisteria with roots. . . I'm usually quite happy with the plants I get at Petsmart, I usually stick with sword plants, and they tend to be quite hardy. I like getting plants with roots, since I seem to have better luck with them.

To tribblehappy: Thanks so much for the suggestion for the HBH frog and taddpole bites--my frog seems a little more outgoing after dropping a pinch in every day. I haven't actually seen him eat it yet, but he (she?) seems more lively.

To sneaky pete, I'm going to have to look for the shrimp flake food--do you think they (Squiggle and the frog) might like the frozen shrimp better, the dried stuff, or the flake stuff? I would love to post a picture of Squiggle, but I'm not a premium member. I can post a link with a picture of him. He's in surprisingly good health, as far as I can tell--he's swimming well, active but not struggling nearly as much as he was before. He's certainly eating well, which is a relief.

Thanks for everyone's suggestions--I have no doubt that the information I got here is the reason Squiggle's doing as well as he is.

The reason you may not have seen any water wisteria at your local petsmart, if it's anything like the one I work at, is that when we order a plant we only have a 75% chance of being shipped the plant we ordered (they send the wrong ones ALL the time]:|). Cabomba is nice, hornwort is easier in my oppinion, to keep.

I'm so adjective, I verb nouns!

You could probably cut the algae wafer down to half a wafer 2 times a day, like morning and night. My Buenos Aires tetras also enjoy Tubifex worms, shrimp pellets, HBH 8 Veggie Flakes is a particularly enjoyed food and so is OSI Brine Shrimp Flakes.
I think you are probably feeding enough. More variety is always appreciated by fish though.
Your Buenos Aires tetra should quickly grow to around 3 inches in length, possibly a little less or a little more, depending on his overall genetics.
Post a pic of squiggle later on when you get him nursed into good health!
Good luck with squiggle and all the best!
-Koran.

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Thanks for the info: So far, I've got a brazil sword plant hanging out in the corner of Squiggle's place. I've got to look for water wisteria plants, but I haven't seen any at the local Petsmart, but I figured I wouldn't. I've got to get to the specialized fish store soon. I think I've seen camboba-type plants there, though, but I'll double-check that.

I'll definately look for the frog food--and probably get some shrimp-type food for him to eat, too. I'm sure both the frog and the fish will enjoy the variety.

With two small snails, one small buenos aires tetra and one tiny african frog in the tank, their feedings altogether consist of one algae wafer, crushed, two pinches of thawed bloodworms and about one full pinch of flakes for tropical fish. Any suggestions about whether it should be more, less or just different?

I'm glad Squiggle seems to be doing well.
Frogs don't really eat veggies. There is a really good froggie pellet you can get, I think it's HBH, called "sinking frog and tadpole bites" that my frogs used to love, they grew nicely and were long lived. The fish seemed to eat them occasionally too. You can feed them frozen bloodworms but they need more variety.
Squiggle might like cabomba plants, or leafy hygrophilia species (like water wisteria). But to keep the plants alive, if you have the regular screw in bulbs in your hood, I'd replace them with screw in compact flourescent bulbs. And wisteria likes fertilizer with iron.
I'm rambling. Anyways, good luck with squiggle!

I'm so adjective, I verb nouns!

Well, one plant, two snails and two feedings of bloodworms later, Squiggle seems to be doing great. He's REALLY loving the bloodworms--he didn't seem to go for them at first, but the second feeding had him darting back and forth to try to catch the red, thawed bits before they hit the gravel.

Unfortunately, the more active frog died today. I don't know why. I'm assuming they weren't eating much of the flakes and the algae disks and such, so he went. I'm not seeing my other frog eating, either. I'm worried.

Hi there,

I'm quite familiar with keeping goldfish, but I've never really strayed from comets and fantails until today.

Walking through a local Wal-Mart, I had to stop by to see if a familiar fish was there--the past three times I've visited, I've seen this poor little Albino Buenos Aires Tetra. What makes this guy (girl? To keep things simple, I'll refer to the fish as a "he" until I figure out otherwise) stand out is his spine is wavy--not just curved, but WAVY. (Hence his name: Squiggle. )

He's quite the character--he'd try ever so hard to swim and keep afloat, but his body shape seems to make it harder for him to keep up. The other Tetras were picking on him pretty badly. I know these are schooling fish, that do better in small groups, but I chose to take this guy by himself (with two tiny African Frogs). He seems to be doing alright in his tiny one-gallon aquarium right now.

I've got a few questions, as my search on the internet has provided me with little information other than where to buy Albino Buenos Aires Tetras:

1) Is it possible that Squiggle is diseased? I've found info about "neon tetra disease" which mentions the deformation of the spine, and it seems that it can affect species other than the neon tetra. If so, what can I do to help him?

2) As tetras are schooling fish, I know Squiggle might get lonely--but, the healthy ones picked on him pretty badly. Should I get him some tank mates of the same species, continue getting him tank mates of different tetra types, or would it be better to let him be a loner, keeping in mind his physical condition?

Any advice would be welcome, as I know little about tetras. Thanks a bunch!

--kamylienne

If you give squiggle some live plants, make sure they are hardy and fast growing. Buenos Aires Tetras are omnivores but with a large part vegetarian diet. Make sure you feed him some veggie flakes every now and then, and ive found wisteria plant and moneywort are a relished plant treat. My Buenos dont destroy a plant, but if they lack veggie flakes for a few days they munch a bit.
HBH 8 Veggie Flake is great for fish that need a lot of veggies. You will probably find he would even eat an algae wafer with glee! Mine do. For him a quarter algae wafer should do, depending on who is in with him. I have found even timid cherry barbs eat algae wafers in a crowd of guppies!



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Update: Squiggle and his tank mates moved into a new apartment!

It's a modest 10-gallon setup, but it sure beats his one-gallon place. Furnishings are a little bare and consist mostly of a cave-like structure for him to hide in. The hood lamps, however, aren't working, so I'm currently on hold while waiting for customer service to pick up so I can get a new one. I'm sure a little bit of light will help him out.

It was good timing--I was alarmed when he started to swim vertically. Now, he seems normal (well, as normal as a fish can be, at least).

Thanks to everyone for their well-wishes--I'm sure Squiggle appreciates it (well, as much as a fish can). After a couple of months, if he's still doing okay, I'd like to consider getting him some more tankmates (maybe just one or two). We'll see, I guess.

What I would do is get him in his new home, and give him some time by himself to quarantine him. Once a month or so has passed, I would say you would be safe to add tankmates.
Another schooling fish would be good. White clouds are great, neons, cardinals, a couple guppies, your pick. Just keep feeding him the best mix of good foods and he may recover somewhat if its malnutrition.
Best of Luck with Squiggle!


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I suspect that lack of nutrition is a factor in his deformity (I'm fairly certain Squiggle's a "he", now that I'm noticing a slight pinkish tinge to his fins); if it's the ONLY factor, I don't know.

It pains me to see stores that have these tiny "pet sections", and seeing these poor little fish in usually deplorable conditions. If there's not a raging ick epidemic, there's just half a dozen little bodies stuck to filters or being devoured by their starved tankmates.

Speaking of culling, it has saddened me to see that a few sites suggest to the pet owner to cull deformed fish. I don't see myself as an "enthusiast", nor even much of a "hobbyist"; my pets are primarily rescues from conditions that I don't find to be safe for them, or they were abandoned, and I have never had any intention for my animals to breed (though I would love to see baby tetras, I wouldn't allow Squiggle to breed). From the breeder's standpoint, I can understand where they need to take control of their gene stock, but I don't see why a pet owner would want to kill their otherwise healthy fish, so long as they don't breed them.

Anyway, now that I've gotten paid , I can finally go out and look at some new housing options for Squiggle--so far, I've found that lighted hoods are so expensive that it might be a better option to just buy a whole set rather than to just buy the hood.

However, I am worried about his lonliness; how does everyone feel about having other tetra species in the tank with him? Would that alleviate his loneliness? or would that increase it since they would school without him? I still have my reservations, since I'm not sure of the cause of his deformity and I can't be sure if it's something communicable to other tankmates.

It is possible that his deformity could be either a deformity by birth, or lack of proper nutrition. I have read in my FIsh Health Guide book that some fish are particularly susceptible to spinal curvature if they dont get enough vitamins and minerals in their diet. Primarily lack of Vitamin C seems to cause spinal deformities.
I have been seeing lots of fish like this in pet stores. It makes me beg the questions, What happened to culling the bad fish? and, Are they not feeding them well enough on the fish farms they are born on?
Bueonos Aires Tetras are among the larger members of the tetra group. They are agile, fast, and love to swim. They are great schoolers, but I have had a male/female together for about 9-10 months now, and they seem ok. I may be trading in some other fish and I will probably add some Buenos once I have the space.
I would say they need no less than a 20g tank for a pair, and a school of 6 would probably need around 30g or so. They are quite nippy as juveniles, but seem to grow out of that. At least mine dont nip , with the one exception of guppies.
Good luck with your new friend! Im sure he will definetly enjoy living out his life peacefully with you.



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PS. Baby's a cutie for sure!