alanmin4304

I bought one of the venturi water changes off trademe but never used it to empty the fish tank down the kitchen sink as that idea does not appeal to me. The idea for filling is good because you can blend hot and cold to get what you want. I found the plastic thread was very fine and did not last too long so I made up a unit for filling with metal bits from a water filter supplier. It works good. All water that is chlorinated will contain chloramines if it contains proteins, because the chlorine combines with the amines in the proteins before you can get free available chlorine. Only distilled water will be free of proteins.

putting dividers into an existing tank is more difficult than making a new one so good luck

Thanyou for the helpful comments. It looked like a good idea at the time, still is I think. I have tried all sorts of combinations to get rid if the black beard. I noticed today (after maybe 3 months) that the black beard has reduced right back and been replaced with an algae the same but green, so I may still be cultivating food for the bristle noses, but I will grow them up a bit first.

The stalk of the leaf on horizontalis goes out at 45 deg then the leaf part is horizontal, the opposite of martii which goes at 45 deg then vertical.

They are nice looking plants what ever they are.

I have 31 ordinary ones about 10 mm long. I am hoping they will eventually control some black beard algae that eats double and triple doses of flourish excel and thinks it is xmas. At the moment they are a bit small but their chance is coming.

Have to agree with quack. When you tap the glass (if you do) don't use the wheel as it gets damaged. Also make sure the glass is clean or you will damage the wheel.

Anubias?

I have just bought baby bristlenose on trademe. Can someone with experience please advise the best way to feed them? They are about 10mm at present. I have given them decapsulated brine shrimp and algae tabs but would like to get it right.

There are not many horizontalis around and they do not have spots. The spots are more distinctive in strong light. I suspect the leopard is a cultivar crossed with horizontalis.

If you leave a nob of glue on the end when you are finished you can pull it off next time and use the glue straight away.

There is usually more than one right way. The best way is the one that works best for you. I don't know if they are both OK, I just use the one that says OK on the label.

Wok is on to it with agar agar. I tried to get some to make a fruitfly media I used to make and it was super expensive or unobtainable. We should all be greatful for Chinese new year. I got a heap in 25g packets realy cheap from our local Asian store, and with some preservative from the local chemist we now have a good media and cheap fish food.

Ok with me Alan NZKA 56

I use Sellys because it has " suitable for aquaria" on the label and it is the cheapest. So long as you use one suitable for aquaria the only real difference is price and consistency. The latter is a matter of personal preference and is only relevent if you are going to make lots of tanks. I would agree with the previous advice about a rebuild. Clean off all the RTV you can and clean with meths. If the inside fillet is in a bad way the rest probably is as well.

I have three large pieces of marble in one tank and the fish and plant are doing OK. It depends on what kind of fish you want to keep,what you feed and how often you water change.

When I set up a tank I plant it all out and leave it for a few weeks to establish the plant then add fish very slowly. If you do it slowly the balance is maintained and the fish are not stressed. The ammonia comes from the bacterial breakdown of urea from the fish so if you cant easily get ammonia you could add a very small amount of urea from th garden shop. You would only need about one small piece and you need to be aware that it will end up ultimately as nitrate so having established plants helps to get rid of that and complete the cycle. Ammonia from the shop is usually a cleaning agent with ammonia added and will not do your fish any good.

It is a bit of a pain but worth the trouble. I put my river sand through a kitchen seive and wash the larger bits and put them on the top to hold the rest down. If you just vacuum lightly on the top it works OK.

I have never received a FNZAS membership card, do you have to be on the wrong side of the Bombay Hills

I use sand and micronutrient from the shop with normal heater/thermostats and have had no trouble growing plant with a depth between 50mm and 250mm. There are no undergravel heaters in the Amazon jungle. Having said that I do intend to set up a tank with a heat pad under the tank and will report if it makes any difference. I mainly want to do it to heat a six compartment tank for killies but will put another planted tank underneath.

They would do better in a shallower tank with a lid to keep the air warm and moist (like fighters) I prefered a bare tank so they can get at food and you can remove excess. You would be best to transfer them with the water they are in. I would remove parents ,some times they get sick of caring and start eating. I would get them to a large tank as soon as possible to grow them up. I think they are only hard to sell because people sell them too small. You need to seperate them because I found they grow up at different rates no matter how well you feed them, and it gives the smaller ones a better chance to grow. I used to sell them OK but at the same size as the imported ones. Good luck.

It is, but that is usually malthoid. It is called dpc because it protects against rising damp which is the moisture which climbs up the concrete by capillary action.

It can be other materials as well, but I meant plastic sheet

Wok, you are thinking of building paper which goes under the external sheathing and allows water vapour but not water to pass through. Dpc is waterproof plastic sheating that goes under the floor slab and is waterproof.

The cheapest way would probably be to dig the hole in the ground and line it with plastic sheating such as DPC from a buiders supplies or there are various types available from garden supplies.