alanmin4304

If you had two males I don't think they would be mating but trying to kill each other.

I have to agree that watts per gallon is completely false. Another factor is that the lack of penetration of light through water is logarithmic. That means that it doesn't take twice as much light to penetrate 600mm of water as it does to penetrate 300mm, it takes a lot more than twice as much. Also different types of light penetrate at different rates. Blue light penetrates better than red so in a deep tank the substrate can be lacking in red light. An example of this is why the marine enthusiasts use blue lights. The critters they wish to keep have evolved in blue light as the red will not penetrate. The joys of trying to find a simple equation to represent a complex situation. Don't forget than Grandad used to grow aquatic plants with an incandescent light bulb before floros were invented. Don't ask me how his Grandad got on with candles.

I think the ladies may be confusing this situation with breast feeding.

It is growing upwards because there is not enough light. Most of the carpeting plants are the same.

Folowingfrom repto---they do need to be mature as they all look the same when young.

Grandad knew it worked even if he didn't know why. Still does.

A bit hard to tell but looks more like a southern bell

One of the main causes of white shell is not drying the shell out properly and this is usually caused by not having the tank open at the top so that the humidity is always high. Many pet shops are good at selling tanks for turtles with completely sealed lids which keep the humidity high and their shells never properly dry out. As suggested a heat lamp will also encourage them to bask. Only feeding shrimp does not sound too good either as I think it is high in phosphorus which will inhibit calcium absorption.

You don't want a fan or egg turner for reptiles and you probably want humidity higher than 50% especially towards the end of the incubation time.

No

I bought a small snail trap off trademe and it worked a bit using pleco tabs. Thinned them out a bit but was about all.

At a completely wild guess I would think that the Australian desert would be a bit short on both oranges and tomatoes.

Most of the incubators (I have 4 and they are all different makes) will range half a degree C each side of what they are set for. It is easy to make and insulated box but not cheap to buy accurate thermostats. If it is set for 28deg C it will range between 27.5 and 28.5. If the ambient temperature is above that it is likely to rise to meet it.

No.

If it will disolve in water I would stay away from the vodka. Alcohol will act as a food and may cause a bacterial bloom. It has been used as a food to encourage the growth of good bacteria in filters etc but is also a food for many not so good bacteria.

Mine has just been cleaned out and is in the post. You can often get it from nurseries in the aquatic plant section.

Love it. Your insight helps me to understand what is going on for you.

The batteries would be a very convenient food compared to live food. I have just been presented with another 16 eggs so that makes 100 eggs this season, so I am very grateful most didn't hatch so far and most in the incubator have been infertile. Enough to keep it interesting. OH WELL---DOWN THE SHOP FOR BATTERIES.

25deg F is freezing so I hope it is not that cold.

I only have one female and she has laid 84 eggs so far and is about due to go again any day. Luckily many of the first clutches were not formed properly but I got that right by upping the calcium. Now the eggs are formed right but the fertility is way down (this next lot will be her sixth this season). Not worried about the numbers as any more than a few is a pain---more worried about trying to keep her healthy as that amount of egg production must take a lot out of them.

It is not hydrocotyle

consider yourself lucky I think. The way my young guys go through the live food I would not want to feed 100.

You got me there. I grow it emersed but couldn't remember seeing it flower.

I know people who have found god in the bottom of a whiskey bottle so why not ghosts?

Your first plant looks like Hygrophilla corymbosa salicifolia which is usually sold as angustifolia and looks healthy enough to me. The second plant I am not sure about but is probably not a true aquatic and has given up on being drowned. They are both converting from emersed to submersed growth and the second one has gone to plant heaven and should be given a respectful burial on the compost heat or all the nutrient from it rotting could cause an algae bloom.