New Fish, What Kind To Get?
What if i were to forget about the Betta Fish and just do tetras? Is there a fish that will go well in a 5 gallon tank that will do well tetras? All i want is to have sum pretty fish in my tank that will do well! Also what are the appropriate levels for he ammonia and nitrates or whatever and if there are high how do i take care of that?
<<Hello. Good fish to keep with bettas would be white cloud mountain minnows. Nice, red fins and pretty stripes. The appropriate levels for ammonia and nitrites are zero. For nitrates, as low as possible, not higher than 50ppm. If they are higher, you need to do more partial water changes until they are within range. -Gwen>>

Fish Communities, II
Two things, firstly, I'd like to thank Sabrina for her wonderful words of wisdom.
<Sure thing, I'm always willing to help.>
Second, I'd like to know what fish would work with tiger barbs and a rainbow shark.
<Well, you said a "ten to twenty" gallon tank - provided the tank is large enough to house the shark (or that you get rid of it as it grows too large), there are tons of options.  I'd suggest sticking with durable schooling nippers, like Serpae tetras, skirted tetras, phantom tetras, other tetras of that nature, zebra Danios, harlequin rasboras, *so* many colorful options for you.  My two personal favorite fish of this temperament are rosy barbs and Rummynose tetras, very attractive little beasts.  One interesting approach might be to do mainly just tiger barbs, of the different color varieties, regular, green, and gold.  Perhaps some quick moving bottom dwellers, if the occasionally territorial rainbow permits, like kuhli loaches or smaller Botias.  You have gobs of options available to you.  Get a feel for what you like, research fish you're interested in, observe the animals firsthand at stores and in others' tanks.  If you're in a metropolitan area, consider  getting involved with the local fish clubs (*never* too young for that!)  I wish I'd known about them when I was younger - folks to share my fish addiction with and learn from would've been *divine*!  And above all, learn, love, and respect the animals in your care - and enjoy!>
Thanks Brenda
<You bet.  -Sabrina>

Whirling Disease?
I have a school of shiners from Mississippi River in my 10 gallon tank. Two of the fish started to show signs of spinal deformations and they twist and whirl when swimming.
<Yikes....  Not a good sign, at all.  Use strong caution, here - do *not* return any of these fish to the wild - if they have a contagious disease (and it sounds like they do), it could impact other wild fish very negatively.  As you describe this, the first thing that pops into mind is "whirling disease".  This illness is caused by a myxosporidian parasite known as Myxobolus cerebralis.  It's usually seen in salmonids (like salmon and trout), but has been seen in other fish as well, even goldfish and livebearers.  The parasites infect the tissues around the inner ear and the cartilage of the skull.  It causes the fish to swim in circles, sometimes frantically, or to swim nose-down tail-up, spinning like a top.  It is usually fatal, though some fish will survive and thereafter always have spinal/skeletal deformities.  It is also untreatable, I'm sorry to say.  If this is what your fish are exhibiting, I would strongly recommend euthanizing the sick fish, or at the least remove them to a seperate tank to prevent spread of the disease to your other fish.  If the fish die in the tank of healthy fish, the healthy fish run an *enormous* risk of catching the illness - hundreds of thousands of M. cerebralis parasites may be released by an infected dead fish.  Also, if the fish die, do *not* flush them, for the same reasons.  Perhaps bury them at the roots of a favorite plant, so they can "live on" as life given to the plant.... or maybe I'm just sappy and sentimental.  anyhow, I know this is a huge amount of bad news, and I am sorry to be the bearer of it....>
Other fish (guppy, neon, danio and other four shiners) seem to be fine. The fish had been in my tank since September and had been given general tropical fish flakes.
<They may never catch it, either, if you act now and remove the infected fish.>
I also noticed that the shells of snails started turning whitish and have some abbesses, just don't look healthy. do I have some nutrient deficiency in my tank?
<Ahh, this is a much easier, and happier answer.  You are probably lacking calcium or some other mineral that the snails need for healthy shells.  You can buffer the water with a calcium carbonate solution, but this may increase your pH, as well, so do so only with caution.  I'd also like to mention, since dosing my tanks with iodine for my freshwater shrimps, I have noticed AMAZING changes in the snails, as well - the went from pitted, white, eroding shells to rich, brown, faster-growing shells.  The change is very obvious on the larger ones, you can actually see the cutoff point where their shells began to grow healthy.  I use one drop of Kent Iodine (this is marketed for saltwater tanks) per every ten gallons of water in all my freshwater tanks containing shrimp.  The snails get it by default.>
What to do?  
<Just as above....  and do further research on "whirling disease", especially here:  http://www.fishdisease.net/cgi-bin/search.cgi?ps=10&q=whirling+disease&t=&Submit=Search .  Again, I'm sorry I don't have better news for you.>
Thanks for your help,  Claudine
<Wishing you well,  -Sabrina>

Sarcocheilichthys sinensis
Hi. This message is for Bob. Some time ago I inquired information on Sarcocheilichthys sinensis. The reply can be found here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwfishfaqs.htm
<Oh, yeah... see Anthony replied... re a "Chinese High Fin Shark/Gudgeon".>
Thanks for those replies. The guy who posted in the forums on fishprofiles.com was me :). I have also written a profile for the site that should be in their index soon. I do know that it comes from the Amour river which is the border between china and Russia, and a few general pieces of information. Information about this species is limited on the internet. Breeding info, or just finding someone else who keeps this fish would be great. Can you help me? As far as I know I am the only person in the states who keeps this fish.
<There are a few references (for information) listed on fishbase.org for this species. Go there on the net and key in the scientific name, click on references: http://www.fishbase.org/References/SummaryRefList.cfm?ID=47349&GenusName=
Sarcocheilichthys&SpeciesName=sinensis%20sinensis
This is about all I know...
Bob Fenner>

Re: Sarcocheilichthys sinensis
Thanks for the link and the quick reply. Have a great weekend!
<Thank you James. Do consider keeping notes, writing up this fish, it's captive husbandry... someone needs to! Bob Fenner>