[COLOR=333333]"The fishless cycle seemed to really pick up once they got the ammonia-eating bacteria to start really doing their job. They did all the tests and it was ready, so DH took the boys to get fish the other day. They got a Blue Gourami, a long-finned zebra Guppy, a (something) Cory Catfish, and five Neon Tetra (one of those turned up dead this morning)."[/COLOR]
[COLOR=333333]The quote button wasn't working, so I had to copy and paste.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=333333]Your boys must be so excited to get new fish! Don't worry if you lose a fish or 2 in the beginning. It may happen sometimes. But the fact that a hardy neon tetra died must be from stress, not from ammonia imbalance. It's funny that in my fish tanks, guppies never did well with other fish. They were the first to die. I might have been doing something wrong all along, but they were never a beginner fish IMO. They like slightly more alkaline pH than the other fish you have and I had a lot of luck keeping them as the only species in a 10 gallon. I had beautiful males of all different colors. Their beautiful tails were chewed by other slightly bigger fish, so I transferred them to a fish tank of their own without gravel, The plants were in tiny pots and the pH raised. They blossomed. From that time on, I only raised guppies separately.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=333333]I love your fish tank. Looks so pristine! Best of luck with your new fish![/COLOR]
[COLOR=333333]"I'll check those out. My throat gets sore some times, so it would be prudent for me to keep some tea on hand for it. IDK why I didn't think of that before.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=333333]Yes, it's feeling better now. Thanks. =)[/COLOR]
[COLOR=333333]No, I'm not a fan of licorice, but I'll keep it in mind if the other suggestions don't pan out. Thanks!!! =)"[/COLOR]
[COLOR=333333]I'm happy you're feeling better! I just remembered pomegranate. It's great for the throat. IDK if you can find pomegranate throat spray at your local health food store, but if you can, it helps a lot. I got one sent to me from abroad. It is pomegranate and propolis. You might try the fruit or 100% juice. It might help. [/COLOR]
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I got teenagers... at this point, whatever mom does that's a little out of the ordinary will trigger the "OMG, mom, what are you doing?" mode. But I have to confess I have a lot of fun with their reaction to my antics
If they only knew their reaction is an incentive to me...[/COLOR]