alanmin4304

I take it that degrees is DH then?

The smaller ones will get the message if the larger ones decide to pair up. I used to keep angels of about the same size together and remove any that pair up otherwise there could be trouble while they sort out who is boss.

Growing plants and growing out discus in the same tank is a bit of a catch 22 as one needs nutrient and the other needs water changes to strip nutrient. I bought some Cryptocoryne plants on trademe that had been grown in pots of clean gravel in a discus tank with 50% water changes dailey and the newest 3-4 leaves were white from lack of nutrient. They grew well when transplanted to a planted tank.

If that is floating plant you have it will probably grow well but will block the light to the other plants.

When I have bought plastic sheeting I have had no trouble getting them to cut it. Try the plastic sheet suppliers

I have used a number of plastics for lids and found perspex and acrylic tend to distort with the heat. I now use polycarbonate-- more expensive but less thermoplastic. I worked a bit with perspex years ago making water softening units. If I recall the glue is a solvent weld job like PVC but using chloroform as the solvent. I think it is also explosively inflamable and scratches easily. I think plastic suppliers cut the sheets with a friction saw. A plastic supplier might cut it for a donation to the social club. Hope my elzeimers hasn't developed too much yet.

My stuff on Trademe (alan4304) is all tropical but waterplantz (John Peters often has cold water plants. I think you would still need to increase your lighting to have any real success. Your tank is not well designed for plant growth as it is high for its size. If plants grow well in a 300mm high tank with certain lighting, in a 600mm tank they will probably require 10 times the lighting rather than double. The problem can then become too much light at the top and not enough at the bottom. You may have to start playing poker--pay to look or buy and try. Good luck.

It looks like Hygrophila corymbosa var. stricta. I think it is also sold as blue hygrophila and temple plant.

Mouses ear ( Saururus cernuus) grows very slowly and also needs strong light. It is grown emersed when you buy it in the shops

Your tank looks great but with the head of water and low lighting I don't think it would grow glosso or tenellus successfully as they both need strong light. I am not sure about hairgrass or sagittaria--- someone with more experience in low lighting may be able to help. Sagittaria microfolia certainly grows well in medium to strong light.

3 degrees is how many ppm? If you ring the Local Authority they will give you the hardness in ppm.

What time did you have in mind to start?

You can train fish to eat almost anything but they don't generally go for new food if you keep giving them the food they are used to. If you stop the normal food and then feed the new stuff when they are hungry they might get he habit. Frozen food is more attractive than freeze dried (until it has soaked up some moisture and become reconstituted ). Live food is best of all because fish have a natural instinct to snap at moving food.

Us old fellas are having trouble again. In the good old days------ hardness was in ppm expressed as CaCo3 or in DH which was a German expression and 1 DH was about 18ppm hardness. What happened to the expression that hardness was what stopped the soap from lathering and was measured by a titration against a standard soap solution. We never had this trouble under a National Govt.

I got it out of my tank with a combination of water changes to reduce nutrient, flourish excell to promote plant growth and strip nutrient. This combination is an expensive catch 22 situation so in the end I left the lighting the same, added flourish excell at the normal rate and did about 50% water changes every 3-4 days. I just ignored the instructions and dosed at the normal rate you would without water changes. My guppies got suicidal at the higher application rates. Took time but it worked. My tank is heavily planted.

I have a pleco with mine that grew up with the male and both are now nine years old. I have fed guppies and they are too fast and end up growing up and having more babies (probably 3 generations now) They don't all survive, but many do.

Most fish will tolerate a range of hardness and pH provided the changes are slow. Give the bottle to your mother in law.

Pretty much the same for glowlights. They are very small fry so need green water to start with. You can use other foods to start with but for a beginner you are less likely to get into trouble.

On the odd accasion when I have got lost and crossed the Bombays the mangroves I have seen were trees. I would assume you are Japanese or you have a very large tank.

I think wcmm have adhesive eggs (sure someone will correct me if not) Artificial grass is like netting or marbles and good for breeding egg scatterers with non adhesive eggs that will go to the bottom and be hidden. I used to have good success breeding them in a heavily planted tank then taking the parents out when you see fry.

I have been unable to find the doseage of H2O2 to control cyanobacteria. Could someone let me know please as it has been a while since I have done it. Many thanks

Since it is a protozoa most people would not know if they had it in their tanks or not. I don't think it is a problem to fish but would be to people if they contracted the parasite.

You might need to watch alfalfa and pea straw as they may up the nitrate and cause problems

If you put them in order course to fine and pour your daphnia culture through you get them nicely graded to size

They are the ones I use-- very good