Dead Fish 10-28-11

It appears as though the mortality rate in the front aquarium has diminished somewhat. As many of you are aware, we have been trying to establish a community tank for some time after Lazerus and Psycho graduated to the back tank to be with Max and Panga. The original plan was to introduce several female guppies, which would soon result in hundreds of colorful guppies after nature took it's course. Cardinal and Neon tetras were to provide color and motion in the interim. The guppies got off to a prolific start, but we purchased two diseased females at Sea Scapes on Gulf Gate, and soon many of the adults had a slimy white fungus that resisted all of the usual treatments. After the majority of the guppies had died off, we attempted to introduce some baby angels into the tank. Out of 20 attempts, only one black and white one survived. Many were under warranty at Pet Smart, but the little blond manager of the Fish Department was developing an attitude toward Sasha and I. Simple logic would dictate that if you don't want my Samoyed drinking out of the bottom fish tanks in your department, you should leave them covered, right? Last week, we discovered that the nitrate level in the front tank was too high. The huge sword plant in the middle of the tank was harboring a great deal of "fish ca-ca" under it's roots. Over a week, we cleaned the gravel and trimmed back the plant. Now that the cause of many deaths had been found, we were determined to return some of the corpes for new fish. Sasha and I felt the need to keep a low profile at Pet Smart for a while, so this past Thursday we sent Josh with the bodies and the receipts.  To be cont....