Cleaning and white spots

I am so happy that I found this site!  It's just what I need! 

I have quite a few questions

1.  Any pointers on how to gently clean and especially vacuum my tanks?  I would love to have fully planted tanks but the root/vacuum thing confuses me.  Also, I squished an oto on accident yesterday...I feel horrible about it.

2.  How safe is it to plant my established tanks?

3.  Is it normal to have one cory loner with 3 in the tank?

4.  If my otocinclus never moves is that because he's scared of the other fish, should I move him?

5.  How do I keep my guppies from breeding?

6.  I have tiny white dots all over the glass of one of my tanks, they came with the guppies and have been there for at least 2 months.  They move. They are about 1 or 2 mm. in diameter with clear outsides and white middles.  They haven't grown, except in number.  They can be above or below the water line.  What are they?  How do I get rid of them?

 

1) just kind of wave the vacuum over teh plants if they get stuff on them, you really don't need to vacuum close to teh plants.
2)Plant,Plant Plant!! Plants are one of teh best things you can do for your tanks and fish.
3)Cory love to have others of their kind. Is the loner a different kind of cory than the others?
4)Most otos don't move a lot but should move some. they too like others of their kind. are the other fish bothering him?
5)How to keep your guppies from breeding? keep the sexes seperate. Then after the females have babies separate the sexes. Female guppies can have up to four batches of fry from one mating. You could always put teh females in with larger fish and let the larger fish eat the fry.
6) the white spots are probably planaria(tiny white worms). they are harmless and most fish will eat them. they are usually a sign your feeding too much/ infrequent water changes. So cutting down on feedings and doing at least 25- 50% water changes each week should do it.
sorry about your Oto, we have all done things by accident that we regret.
Carol

 

I accidentally whacked my parakeet on the head once :-[...and once he was sitting on my hair, and I forgot about him being there, and swept my hair behind my shoulder and he went flying...literally lol

 

Emma-

Your Budgie sounds like a little doll.

Rose

 

oh she is, so cute
I keep calling her a he but she is a he
lol

 

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Rose

 

lol emma I did the same thing to my frends cat

 

Hahaha ;D It must be a really cool bird!

 

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Rose

he not she and she not he, and she is a he but he is a she.

The bird is a girl, but I keep calling her a boy.
lol

 

Got it with the waterchanges and feeding, I've started timing it for five minutes to get it down.

For the corys, they are all pandas...I don't get it. It must be his personality or something. He's smaller than the others and it seems difficult for him to get food because the guppies monopolize it. The other corys just push the guppies out of the way.

I think that the puffers were bullying the oto's (there used to be two). I put him in different tank and he's all over the place now. He seems to like it there.

Thanks Carol! You're awesome!

And thank you other people for making me feel better about my loss.