Aquarium Fish

Common Name/s: Asian Stone Catfish, Anchor aquarium fish, Asian Moth Catfish

Scientific Name: Hara jerdoni

Family: Sisoridae

Origin: Asia

Natural Environment: Slow moving streams with sandy bottoms.

Size: under 1/2in or 3.8cm

pH: 6-8

Temperature: 68-75 F or 18-24 C

Diet: Bloodworms (prefers live, but will take frozen), sinking aquarium fish pellets, algae wafers.

Tempermant: Extremely reclusive and shy... hides during the day and comes out at night to search for food.

Tank Requirements: Although it is very small, the Hara jerdoni requires extremely stable water parameters. IMO, a 10g is a good minimum size for these catfish. They are also very social animals, so they prefer to be in groups. Sand is best for substrate, but other small grained subsrates will work just as well. Driftwood is a big plus for these catfish because they love clinging on to the underside during the day.

- Aquarium Fish

Tropical Fish - Repairing a Tank

Tropical Fish : Repairing a Tank Seem - Instructions.


empty and clean the tank thoroughly. if the tank was in use, place the gravel with tank water covering it in a bucket. do not clean the gravel, you will remove the beneficial bacteria that is living in the gravel. you can use this to restart the tank. make sure that the tank water covers the gravel by about an inch. also if you can reserve as much of the water as possible.

determine at what joint your leak is at and with the razor scraper and knife remove as much of the silicone as you can. try not to get too deep between the two panes of glass. you will need to have ventilation at this point of the repair. with the white vinegar and a sponge, clean the area trying not to get the vinegar on the silicone on the other joints. the vinegar is an acid and will remove the residue left by the old sealer. wipe up any extra vinegar and again rinse the tank in hot water several times to ensure that the vinegar is thoroughly removed. let the tank completely dry for about 1-2 hours.

you will need to make a spreader with the margarine tub lid. clean the lid in hot water to remove any food particles. let dry. with your scissors cut the edge of the lid off. cut the lid in half and in half again. at the pointy end, place the penny to give a curve about a 1/3" from the end. mark the curve and cut.

if you are using silicone make sure that it is 100% silicone and clear. additives can leach harmful elements into your tank causing fish loss. with either the aquarium sealer or the silicone in a caulk gun, run a bead of silicone from one end of the repair to the other. take the spreader that you made and with the sides against the glass of the tank, run this along the bead of caulk. you will want to press the spreader into the silicone to remove any air bubbles and get a good seal. the spreader will also remove the excess caulk. you can also use your finger, but this is messier. wet your finger and pressing firmly run along the bead of caulk. wipe away any excess caulk with the paper towels.

you will need to let the caulk or sealer cure for 72 hours. after this time, rinse the tank thoroughly and check for leaks. if there are no leaks you can refill the tank with the reserved water and gravel. if you do detect leaks you might have an air bubble which has left a hole in the repair. if so, you will need to repeat the process again.

as i said i have used this method to repair many tanks, including replacing a broken piece of glass in two of them.

- Tropical Fish.