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Re: Constipated female Betta - 2 years old :: Neale  11/20/09
Hi Neale,
<Hello Elizabeth,>
I decided to keep the filter and plants. The filter is running and it will be ready for a new fish perhaps tonight! By flake do you mean fish food flake?
<Yes. Ammonia is ammonia is ammonia, and filter bacteria couldn't care less where it comes from. By adding a small pinch of flake, you feed the fungi and saprotrophic bacteria resident in any aquarium, and these release ammonia, and that's used by the nitrifying bacteria.>
With this fish I promise to keep her tank warm and filtered and to never, ever overfeed her.
<!>
I also want to thank you so very much for taking the time to walk me through this. Losing Pixy was sad, she is buried under the pear tree in the backyard.
<Mine get buried in the herb garden. Kind of a "Circle of Life" thing when they end up as the oregano and bay leaves I used in pasta sauce...>
You helped make this an endurable loss just by answering all my emails:)
<My pleasure.>
Thank you again and bless your heart.
<Well, that's the kindest thing I've heard all week!>
Cheers,
Elizabeth
<And cheers to you, too! Neale.>

Re: Constipated female Betta - 2 years old :: Neale  11/20/09
Hi Neale,
<Hello Elizabeth,>
I agree with you about the Circle of Life. I swear these are the best pears in town:)
<!>
And I bet your pasta sauce is excellent!
<It's not bad at all. Sometimes a little fishy... or is that my imagination?>
Love ya,
Elizabeth
<Have a good weekend, and hope *not* to hear from you too soon (at least, not with a sick fish story!) Cheers, Neale.>

African clawed frog swimming strangely and discolored  11/20/09
My son has a ACF that seems to be taking a turn.
<Oh dear.>
It has been healthy and fine, to this point, but I did notice it was turning a darker green color in blotches, rather than staying it's pretty light green color.
<This tends to be a reaction to poor environmental conditions. Essentially a bacterial infection. Can be treated with antibiotics, e.g., Maracyn II (Minocycline) and Maracyn Plus (Sulfadimidine and Trimethoprin, but best avoided.>
It lives with two other fish and a snail, and we change out the water by 2/3 weekly.
<Actually, these frogs should never be kept with fish. Whatever habitat you keep them in should be adequately large, maintained at around room temperature (rather than tropical temperatures) and ALWAYS filtered. Changing water instead of filtering just doesn't work. Do see here for the basics:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWsubwebindex/FrogsArtNeale.htm
>
We have floating plants for the bowl. The frog is swimming in a twisting motion, and then stops and just floats.
<Sounds bad.>
Sometimes it seems to stay slight twisted almost upside down. This appears to be different behavior than we have seen to this point (one month).
<You see, it takes about a month for things to go wrong.>
I have removed it from the big tank and put it alone with a bit of shrimp in water that has been dechlorinated to see ---I am not sure to see what!
Is it dying or is there something I can do for it to try to save it?
<Maybe not at death's door, but certainly severely stressed. Review the conditions in the tank. It needs a tank at least 10 gallons in size (ideally twice that for an adult) at about 15-20 degrees C in temperature
and filtered with a good, strong filter. A small internal canister filter would be ideal.>
Thank you. Susan
<Happy to help. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: African clawed frog swimming strangely and discolored  11/20/09
Thank you, Neale...
<Happy to help.>
I am not sure how the Pet Stores stay in biz. ugh
<I look at it this way: A sales clerk wouldn't stop himself selling me a ghastly pair of yellow trousers with pink polka dots.
<<Hey! I bought those!! Heeee! RMF>>
 It's up to me to make an appropriate choice. So with a pet shop: They'll sell any animal to
anyone who pays the money, regardless of the ability of that person to keep that animal. Yes, I agree, the *ethics* is totally different, since it's an animal we're talking about, an animal that can suffer in various ways. But so long as the law doesn't enforce some sort of ethical dimension, it's up to us to make sure we research the needs of those animals prior to purchasing them. I do my best to help people *after the event*, but
often-times that isn't much good, perhaps because the animal is too far gone, or else because my correspondent doesn't have the funds or space to house the animal properly. It's a thorny problem, I admit.>
Susan
<Cheers, Neale.>

Re Horseshoe crab arriving today  11/20/09
Hi,
Did you receive this email that I sent early this morning? Please respond at your convenience. Thank you once again.
Sincerely,
Dennis
<Hi Dennis. Read it and replied. The answer is up on today's FAQs, here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/daily_faqs3.htm?
Do check my reply didn't get thrown into your Spam folder by accident.
Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Horseshoe crab arriving today  11/20/09
wow, cool, i made the "big time"...
<As does everyone who writes... and when we tell them they're nuts keeping Seahorses and Great White Sharks in the same tank, they're not necessarily thrilled about seeing this on the Daily FAQ page!>
seriously, thanks for your prompt response...i will send you a pic in the next few days...
<Cool.>
should i leave the light off permanently?
<Couldn't matter less. Ambient room lighting will be ample, but if you want to use lights, then by all means go ahead and do so. Under bright light, Limulus will hide, but a lower power tube like a Grolux or a moonlight tube would be fine. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: re: Painted Frogfish and Carpet Anemone  11/20/09
You have got to give me a call if you get to Jerusalem.
Dinner and/or scotch, your choice....
Mark Sherman
<Thank you my friend. BobF>

stressed emporer stressing me out, ...   11/20/09
Hey guys!
Thanks for all of the great info on your site! I have a question involving my new emperor angel. He's working on his forth day in the tank and the first 2 days he was a perfect lil guy. He was searching the tank,
socializing with tank mates and most important eating. However day 3 he stopped exploring the tank stays behind my decor, until I come in the room to look he will come out and greet me or maybe say what in the world is that thing?! ha-ha, he also stopped eating :(, I am assuming the stress has caught up with him from the move and he is just adjusting but I'm worried about him not eating. He will swim up to the food and look at it but not eat it (I've been trying a variety of foods marine cuisine emerald entrees and top fin pellets for a mixture of foods. I'm also looking to get some sponge for him to snack on). I just want to make sure this is only stress and also the best way to deal with making him feel at home in his new....well home lol.
Thanks for the help
Eric
<Please read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/marine/fishes/angels/pomacanthus/imperator.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Re: my beloved turtle, beh., RES   11/21/09
struggling: he swims franticly, all of his flippers are moving extremely fast.
<They do that sometimes>
He ventures out into the deeper water only rarely and when he does he only goes out for maybe five seconds before he swims right back to the more shallow end. When he is in the deeper end almost always has a flipper on the filter to keep his head above the water.
<No problem here, either>
He spends about 90% (when I am around) of his time on his back flippers in the middle of the shallow area (not against the glass just kind of floating with his head above the water)
<they do that. Just sitting there, basking there, floating there ... for hours ... thinking turtle thoughts and not much else.>
<Rachel, nothing here gives me reason to be concerned. As long as he eats, poops, and does bask from time to time, he seems fine. Like I said before, if you want to experiment with turtle fung-shuei and change things a bit, you might cause him to feel differently and therefore act differently. If not, he seems OK with that, too.>
<Regards - Darrel>

Re: Flowerhorn Cichlid
Finding Medications Online  11/21/09
Chuck, Thank you for your help. Do you know which website sells Nitrofuranace?
I am having trouble finding it locally or on-line. Dee
< Most fish stores carry the medication. If you are having trouble I know DrFoster&Smith carry it for sure.-Chuck>

Fat Cichlid
Fat Cichlid Without Eggs  11/21/09
Do female cichlids (Acei) get really fat with eggs before breeding or laying their eggs? Thank you, Teresa
< When female Mbuna are full of eggs they only look slightly fatter than normal. Usually an extended stomach is a sign of an internal infection that needs to be treated with Metronidazole and Nitrofuranace.-Chuck>

Follow up question after research... FW, microbial, colonial growths    11/21/09
I forwarded your reply (thank you, Neale) to my husband so he could check the specs you mentioned on the tank and filtration. His information is below:
A few more explanations about the system.
The tank is currently filtered by an AC110 and a Rena XP3, we also have a MaxiJet 1200 (295GPH) with sponge intake recirculating lower level water.
Substrate is 3M ColorQuart about .5-1" Deep. There is approx. 6 Medium pieces of Malaysian Driftwood. This system was running in a 46Gallon tank for at least a year (well the AC110, the Rena was added). We moved into the new tank keeping the media.
<As stated before, bogwood can be a source of organic matter. If you see white threads growing copiously on the wood, then that's one very probable source. Take the wood out and allow it to soak (cure) somewhere else until no fungus remains. This takes quite a while, which is why bogwood is expensive. An old approach is to stick the wood in the cistern of a lavatory for a few months. This will ensure it is constantly flushed with clean water.>
The new tank was doing great for 3 weeks. I then installed my new T-5 Lighting and the brown algae bloom started, followed by a green bloom. I cut back the lighting duration. I noticed the white spots just prior to dialing back lighting duration.
<Light isn't a factor here.>
There is no carbon in the system, only filter pads, ceramic rings, and sponges.
<Fine.>
This is my first closed filtration system in a long time, (5+ years). Most of my tanks use trickle filters.
<OK.>
This tank is up for only 8 weeks (mind you using previous tank filtration and decorations), so there is minimal left over waste nor a rotting carcass.
<Good.>
Most interesting is that these white rings definitely are attacking the algae bloom. The fish seem to be as happy as ever. No appetite loss, no change in swim behavior.
<Good to know.>
With tank location I can watch the fish behavior for 2 hours min a day. The tank gets no direct sunlight. Tank temperature is at 75 degrees. No rings appear anywhere that there is no algae. After a closer look the rings appear to be brown algae related. Some rings have expanded past green algae, but the green algae remains, however no brown algae remains inside any ring on the tank.
Since the tank sits in a dark room it was light for 10 hours a day. That has been reduced to 4 hours.
<I would add some floating plants like Indian Fern, and offer good lighting for 10 hours. If nothing else, the Ferns will absorb nutrients from the water.>
Water changes are weekly 25-33% though sometimes it goes 2 weeks. Filters alternate cleaning so every couple weeks each filter gets cleaned.
I knew that regular water changes were being done & that we were running two filters. my husband's very good about staying on top of that & I'm glad he could provide more details about the system.
Do you have any additional thoughts? I did read where fungus & algae can be symbiotic, but I couldn't find anything specifically relating to an aquarium.
<These symbioses are what we call Lichens, and these aren't applicable to aquarium conditions. Among other things, few Lichens are aquatic.>
I guess because it's not common there is not much readily available information. any additional suggestions/advice is welcomed.
<What I would do is take out the fish, stick them in a big bucket. I'd take the filters off the tank, and ideally have them running using water from another bucket. If that isn't possible, I'd take the biological media out from them and lay these in a tub of water so they're just covered, and that means they get oxygen so won't die back. I'd thoroughly clean (maybe replace) mechanical media in the filters. I'd then deep clean the aquarium.
I'd replace the substrate if possible with plain vanilla gravel, but if that isn't what you want to do, I would thoroughly clean the substrate you have using hot water. I'd scrub the glass of the tank, wiping away as much of the gunk as I could. Use things like vinegar, lemon juice or hydrogen peroxide if you need some extra help wiping away stubborn stains. I'd then put the whole thing back together, and hope for the best. More specifically, I'd do everything possible to prevent a reoccurrence.>
Thanks, Julie
<Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Fish selection.... (algae eaters, why you don't need a FW clean-up crew)... Stkg.   11/21/09
Going over all the info you have gave me in the past, I am kind of scared to add the wrong combination to the tank. I was thinking of returning 3 zebra Danios
<Why? Sounds pointless to me.>
leaving me with 7 and one rainbow shark. I was then thinking of adding another school of something that is compatible with what I have, easy to care for (water conditions, feeding), and hopefully some addition of color to the tank.
<Having two small groups of schooling fish rarely works as well as one big school. In small groups such fish tend to act "bewildered" and don't school properly. You have 10 Danios, which is a good number. Stick with them.>
Any suggestions? How many (30 gallon tank)?
<The issue here is the Rainbow Shark. Choose species that work well with these. I'd be looking at things that either stay hidden, like Bristlenose cats or Kuhli Loaches, or else don't register as rivals, like Cherry
shrimps or Nerite snails. While some people have kept these Shark Minnows in community tanks with all kinds of things, there are plenty of people who've had bad luck. They aren't good community fish, and 30 US gallons -- 25 Imperial gallons -- is not really enough space for a Rainbow Shark anyway, so it's going to be particularly cranky and territorial. Cheers, Neale.>

Please Advice... Arowana sys., fdg.   11/21/09
Dear Sir,
<Hello,>
I have 7 inches Silver Arowana. When I got it , it was of 6 inches only. It is about one month with me.
<Still very much a baby.>
The aquarium size is 2.5 ft X 1 ft X 1.5 ft (height).
<Much too small.>
I have another aquarium of 42 inch X 18 inch X 24 inch (height) ready to shift this Arowana when it grows.
<Good. But even this tank is marginal. Silver Arowana get to around 90 cm (~3 feet) long, and it's hard to keep them in anything less than tanks 2 metres (about 6 feet) in length.>
I have been feeding him with guppies and Mollies. Can I continue this or not?
<I would not be feeding them live fish at all. Are you breeding these Mollies at home, or do you buy them from a pet shop? If you breed your own feeders, that's relatively safe. But buying cheap fish from a pet shop is very unwise. Since Arowanas eat all sorts of foods, including pellets, it is safer and more nutritious to use these. Crickets, mealworms, earthworms and river shrimps make safe live foods. Wet-frozen foods like lancefish, prawns and mussels are good. Companies like Sera make Arowana pellet foods.
I wouldn't use them all the time because dried foods tend to cause constipation, but for about 50% of their diet, such pellets would be ideal.>
I have not added any salt to the water.
<Good.>
It is doing very good.
<Nice to know.>
Do I need to add salt to the water?
<No.>
Murali
<Cheers, Neale.>

Re Frightened Antennarius Striatus 11/21/09
Thanks for the response James.
<You're welcome.>
Sadly we lost her last night.
<Sorry to hear.>
I did remove the Wrasse last night, and have given him away to a more suitable home, and believe you are right about the angler being intimidated by him. Although there was no physical nipping the wrasse was constantly swimming by the angler, and kept her in an agitated state.
<Yes, and is one of the reasons anglers are best kept in a specie tank.>
I had seen something before hand that anglerfish were best kept by themselves, but thought it had to do with their propensity to eat their tank mates.
<If the fish can fit in the angler's mouth, they are on the menu.>
I considered moving the Wrasse before hand, but thought the angler could hold her own, and now I wish I had. Anyway, thanks again for the advice James, and at least next time I'll know better.
<Is why one should research beforehand. James (Salty Dog)>
Jason

Anemone Eating Butterfly 11/21/09
Hey crew,
<Howdy>
I have a 850 gallon reef tank with 1200 pounds of Tonga live rock in it.
<Yowsa!>
It has in the last year become infested with Majano Anemone's. When I say infested I mean there is probably not a 8 inch square in the aquarium that you cannot find one of these little suckers! I have added a couple Klein's butterflies months ago but they are not up to the task of destroying these, they pick at them but much prefer pellets and other foods ( I only feed 2 times a week) I am to the point that I either let them take over the aquarium or I turn loose something that will flat out hunt down and eat every last one. I am not going to let these things take over and destroy my 25,000 dollar "reef" tank. I can remove most of my corals to a different system until they are gone. SO my questions are, what kind of butterfly is (a) hardy (b) will "most likely" eat/prefer these little anemones over something else? I have to do something..I hate looking at my corals getting stung by these things, I spend probably 10 hours a week trying to keep them "under control"...help!
<The problem that could arise here is that a butterfly that would eat the Majanos would likely
eat your coral. I suggest reading here and linked files in the header.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/anemoniafaqs.htm
James (Salty Dog)>

Color Changing Flame Hawkfish 11/21/09
Hi crew,
<Hello Lynne>
I recently purchased a Red Flame Hawkfish who is in my QT and has been eating a variety of foods (frozen mysis shrimp, brine shrimp plus, prime reef frozen and flakes and plankton). I've had him for about a week now and I've noticed that when I return home at night from work and put on the tank light the fish is almost white in color and then after about 15 minutes or so he's back to his deep red color.
He's been eating well each day since I purchased him and seems healthy in every way. Is this color changing normal for this fish?
<Is normal, a characteristic of Hawkfish, no need to worry.>
Thank you,
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Lynne

white blood shrimp... Dwarf Lion tog. in a 10 gal., no punctuation or reading...   11/21/09
hi crew
<Hello... where's your punctuation?>
I have a 10g tank setup ( small i know, this was just to make sure i could cope with the hobby before splashing out on a bigger system)
<Too small to have much chance of success>
in the tank i have about 4kilo of live fijian rock a blood shrimp and a fuzzy dwarf lionfish,
<...>
i feed mysis shrimp once a week,
<... Let me stop here. Please read:
http://wetwebmedia.com/dendrochirus.htm
and the linked files above. And see WWM re the family Hippolytidae. Your questions, and much more you need to, but apparently are not aware of, are archived there. Bob Fenner>
temp 25 salininty about 1025 with a trickle filter, the system has been running for about 3 months. the "problem" is my blood shrimp which has molted regulary ( once a month) after his last molt has since turned
white/red nearly pink, was just wondering if this is normal and why? this has happened please help, everything else in my tank seems to be good.
cheers

Puffer Compatibility, GSPs   11/21/09
Hi Crew! I have two green spotted puffers that are about 2-3 inches long and I've had them for about a year. I just upgraded their tank to a 60 gallon and was hoping to be able to put a couple more fish in the tank. Already in the tank with the puffers is a green chromis and a tiny scooter blenny. I am thinking of adding a pearly/yellow head Jawfish and a Jewel damsel.
<This last can become quite testy>
I think the damsel will be fine since I've had one before, but I'm not sure about the Jawfish. Are they going to compete for food and/or hiding space?
<All will, but with spot/direct feeding your Opistognathus aurifrons (I take it) should do fine>
I only have about 20-25 pounds of live rock right now (4 medium sized pieces)
<Mmm, need a bunch of mixed grade substrate for the Jaw... Please read
here: http://wetwebmedia.com/PearlyJawSysF.htm
and the linked files at top>
but I'll be getting more in a few weeks. There are also plenty of fake plants and a couple fake decorations to hide in (2 are logs with holes to hide in) to last until I can get more live rock. Do you think adding the two fish is going to be too much for the tank?
<Mmm, nope. the GPSs may be nippy, but all here are/will be aware, fast enough to evade them>
Thanks so much!
Lucy
P.S. Forgot to add that NONE of my fish are territorial in the least.
They're actually hand friendly, so I'm not worried about anyone getting nipped.
<Ah, good. Bob Fenner>

Dipping a hippo!  11/21/09
I ordered a hippo tang from Liveaquaria. It is supposed to be here today. I had to put some aggressive fish in the quarantine tank. I don't want to add the hippo because of aggression. Should I freshwater dip the hippo before adding him?
<Yes, I would. Bob Fenner>

Puffer Fish Stress  11/21/09
Hey WWM,
<Alek>
While I was changing the water for my tank, I took out
<W/o lifting it into the air I hope... i.e. underwater the whole time>
the porcupine puffer with a separate container for about 20 minutes while the transfer of salinated water was being made. When we put him back in, he had a strange lump on his back (imagine him partially inflated but
only in this one spot beside his rear fin -> looks like a tumor).
<Might be...>
I thought he may have partially inflated due to the stress and then was in the process of deflating but that really doesn't seem to be the case because the lump hasn't subsided in the past hour. If this continues, what do you think caused this and what course of action should I take with the little guy?
<You might need to "burp it"... catch, hold the fish head up vertical and massage the air bubble forward. Search WWM re puffers, air entrapment. Bob Fenner>

Discus success story (stkg., fdg.) and lionfish treatment (hlth.)   11/21/09
Hello crew, today I am writing about a success story of mine, a question, and concerns about the treatment of my black volitans lionfish, Lucifer.
First of, I am now the proud owner of my first discus,
<Symphysodon spp. are social animals... really only do well in groups, mated pairs>
a fish I have always wanted to take a hand at. I am happy to report that the discus has oddly enough adapted quite well to my rather busy community aquarium and has been happily feeding off all dry/frozen foods
<Mmm, need more than this>
for the 5 weeks I have had it. I am now planning on saving for a 125 set up of maybe 6 discus and once those are nicely set up mature and established perhaps try adding 6 altum angels.
<Ahh, I wouldn't mix these. See the Net, library re>
My question is that on your site I have read angels and discus generally are not compatible, yet my discus is thriving alongside 3 angels that do not hassle it or out compete it.
<Perhaps you are/were lucky, but time will tell>
This leads me to believe that in certain circumstances the mix might not be so bad. Would it be safest to try adding angels or discus first to try to make sure everything goes along
smoothly?
<Up to you, but I would not>
My last question is in regards to my lionfish. Not even a week ago my lion was eating healthily and all seemed well. Then over the course of 2 or 3 days his eyes clouded and he stopped eating. I at first thought it was blindness like you mentioned in your article on lions but I just have standard fluorescent light bulbs, nothing intense. Several employees at the LFS I work at agreed that it sounded like a bacterial infection and should be dosed with Maracyn.
<Possibly>
I dosed the aquarium (125 gallons) with both Maracyn 1 and Maracyn 2 since we were not sure if it was internal or external. Now two days later, his eyes look a bit better but he is still not eating and appears to be covered in a fungus that my puffer had. It looks like marine ick I suppose and I added Maroxy to the water as well. Is there anything else I can do? I read that lions can last a while without being fed but I am really worried about losing him. -Thanks Ray
<Really only able to "tell" what this might be through microscopic examination... I might try pH-adjusted freshwater bathing this fish, moving it to other quarters if you have such. Please use the search tool on WWM re. Bob Fenner>

Re: Puffer Fish Stress  11/21/09
Could the he require "burping" even if I didn't take it out of the water? I just scooped him up with a separate container when I took him out.
<Ah, not likely then... unless this fish "gulped air" at the surface (which does happen at times), this may be tumorous (also not uncommon). There is no direct treatment per se that is advised (some folks blanket medicate with antiprotozoals (e.g. Metronidazole) and/or anthelminthics (e.g. Levamisole)... but I would search on WWM for "puffers, tumors" and read the cached views. Bob Fenner>

Re: Micro Bubbles Mystery – 11/21/09 (Eric’s go)
Yeah I think we're on the same page here. The air must be coming in somewhere along the return line connections.
<<Is often the case (see WWM re)>>
I was looking for any signs of salt creep that might indicate a bad connection but these bubbles are so small that they are being "sucked" in along the lines from a tiny tiny hole somewhere, probably wouldn’t be any salt creep because the inside pressure would not allow it to leak out but only draw in small air instead I'm thinking.
<<Yes…such small leaks are very often visually undetectable>>
Guess I have some tinkering around to do. Will try the replacement pump first since I need a backup anyway and this Gen-X is pretty noisy,
<<A good place to start>>
and then mess around with connections.
Thanks for your response.
Matthew
<<Happy to share… EricR>>
<Mmm. Do read re others adventures with these sorts of issues: http://wetwebmedia.com/bubtroubfaq2.htm
and the first linked file in the series above. Someone here placed your resp./query in my in-folder, but am going to send to EricR for his input as well. Bob Fenner>
<<Thanks Bob…and my apologies to you and Martin for the delay in my response. A family emergency has resulted in a hectic couple of days>>
<No worries Eric. First things first. I hope/trust all is well now. BobF>

R2: Micro Bubbles Mystery – 11/21/09
Hey Eric,
<<Hey Mathew…and sorry mate, I just realized I referred to you as “Martin” in my last response>>
The problem was the pump. I switched it out with an older spare pump GenX 1140gph. Surprisingly the older pump was quieter and moved practically the same amount of water.
<<Ahh…is likely “cleaner” too!>>
Apparently the GenX 1500gph pump had accumulated so much dust buildup on the fan cover and pump itself that it basically became so hot you couldn’t even touch it without burning yourself.
<<Indeed… These pumps are not “install and forget” pieces of equipment. Twice annual cleaning…inside and out…is always recommended, regardless of how the pump is performing>>
That had to have been related to the micro bubble problem somehow because after the switch, no more micro's.
<<So it would seem, yes>>
Always a good thing to keep your main pump clean and in good condition or heat problems can occur and oddly enough, micro bubbles.
<<Indeed>>
Guess this proves that there were no problems with the return line anywhere or SCWD.
<<Always good>>
-Matthew
<<I’m glad you were able to resolve the issue so quickly and easily. Cheers, Eric Russell>>

Asterinas and Triggers  11/21/09
Last week I removed and returned to the LFS a healthy Picasso Trigger that was getting a little too bossy for the tank. Final straw was when he killed a Chromis of mine in a rather brutal display of aggression. Anyway, removed him and went on a 1 week business trip. Upon my return I noticed 9 Asterina starfish on the front glass - never saw any before and I keep a daily log of observations, problems etc. I can only assume the trigger kept the population in check.
<Likely so>
Not advocating anyone get a trigger to control these things but my Picasso sure did!
Alan
<Heeee! Am considering getting, keeping a grizzly bear now to keep the neighbour's dogs off the lawn!
Cheers, Bob Fenner>