alanmin4304

If you use additives to reduce the ammonia the bacteria will die off from lack of food and when the additive is used up you will get ammonia spikes and kill your fish--- other than that no trubs.

Riccia or xmas moss can be held in place with hair net (first you have to catch Granny)

He has a shop in Armagh St. Sells fishy stuff---rods etc.

With most stem plants I do as Caryl suggests and then replant in front of the remaing stalk to hide it a bit until it regrows as well.

General engineering priciples do work. The head of water (height of tank) creates the pressure on the glass which is greatest at the bottom. The length of the panel determines how much the panel wants to flex. The width has nothing to do with either until it exceeds the length.

Mikefish on trademe---He is on here sometimes but can't remember the handle.

I have my males in a seperate heavily planted tank and add new males when sexed andabout 1/2 mature size. If they are too small they will get bullied and not grow well. Even smaller they will get eaten.

The width doesn't make any difference. E.G. the stresses on the front of a 1200x500x500H tank are the same as a 1200x1000x500H tank.

The length of the panels and the head of water are the critical things from the strength point of view but there is a proportion ratio that looks best also.

There must have been pretty big mice where it came from. It can get pretty big leaves when grown emersed.

I have never found fry as I always keep males and females seperated. It gives the females a rest and a chance to build up some condition. It also makes them more enthusiastic when they do get together.

I suggested the German stuff because what I am left with settles well and is very fine. On second thoughts it is probably best where it is (growing grindal worms) as it could be light and easily stirred up in your situation

I use a combination of growlux and soft white tubes successfully on some tanks. I am not sure what rating soft white is but I think growlux is around 3200K.

It is easy as--- you only need megabucks

Caryl is on to it but you might feel like throwing your money at a Melon sword (Echinodorus osiris) or E. uraguayensis (will grow to 6 or 700mm). It is enough to make you religious, just pray that they don't decide they want to lay eggs or you will end up with expensive coleslaw

I think I am jealous. I bought 10 baby albino kribs and they all turned out to be female. They also became just good friends and now are defending their territory and girlfriends from the males. We are ever patient.

Take everything else out and let the kribs breed then you have an interestig situation for your child and an excuse to get another tank for the babies (and another one when they get too big for that---and )

On a similar line I did a 50% water change the other day and noticed the water was getting quite gree so added algae rid (for the first and last time) and all the fish (killies and siamese algae eaters went straight to the top with lots of heavy breathing. Three days later, killies are fine and algae eaters are turtle tucker. It didn't worry clown loaches. We live and learn---slowly it seems

Sounds about right. Most people make the mistake of having too much water. I think you want between 1/4 and 1/8 volume in water and oxygen rather han air if you can get it. Don't feed them for 48 hours before sending.

In a previous life (us old fellas have them) I used to breed some varieties of bottom spawning killies in a bare tank with a layer of peat over the bottom. As you suggest boiling helps to remove a lot of the solubles and to keep the peat on the bottom. I suspect no one had heard of margarine then. In my new life I use rainwater with peat boiled in it to breed other types of killies but the peat is (the bloody expensive but very good quality) German imported stuff in pallets and made for use in aquariums. After I have boiled it a few times I chuck it into my 20 litre container of rainwater and let it continue to soak. It goes to the bottom and seperates out well. As an aside when it gets real old I use it as a media to grow grindal worms after I have rolled it with the rolling pin and recovered from the inevitable domestic. An easier way would probably be to put it through a coffee grinder first. I guess expense relates to how much you need. Good luck with your project and stuff the imported fish. If you want a bit to try I think they have smaller bags for about 7-8 bucks and I could see whats available.

I would get another tank, siphon the babies out and raise them. 50 mature fish will need some space.

I will try and get some this summer.

It probably would but they would need brine shrimp or microworm as well.

With hydroponics the roots are in an inert media and the nutrients are present in the liquid around the roots. Often the leaves are kept more moist with sprays etc but that can also cause disease and algae problems. I grow mine in pots like potplants. They develop different root systems because with the hydroponics the nutrient is "right there" so the roots don't develop so much because they don't have to go searching. The roots are also often restricted because they are in little pots. Both systems have emersed leaves and the problem can be in converting the leaves to submersed. Cryptocoryne generally have spectacular flowers if you can grow them emersed but the problem often is that when you buy it, it is half way to submersed and wil no longer grow emersed.l

Like most things in life, it is all about balance. Too much light can throw the balance as much as not enough. You can get 6500K energy savers that don't use much power or give out as much heat. Heat is wasted energy and therefore money when providing lighting. You want heat on the bottom of the tank, not the top. I bought a 6500K bulb from the wharehouse which was 23 watts but equivalent to 110 watts incandescent and it was only a few bucks.