alanmin4304

Just use the hose, the gravel cleaner is designed to increase the area of the intake and therefore decrease the velocity (and leave the gravel behind) Using the hose on its own will increase the velocity in the hose.

I have never used either and my plants do OK so I am sure they will get through christmas OK. The fish will produce CO2 and fertilizer.

They will need infusoria till they are big enough for microworm. You may be better with a gentle airstone to circulate the food as the fry tend to stay near the surface for a while and the food will go to the bottom. They hatch over a period so you should get more (you will see them swimming near the top soon). Good luck.

If you used the correct fibreglass it should be ok as they use it for drinking water tanks on boats.

There is truth in what you say but I think there is also a little more going on with imported guppies. I bought some and they all croaked but the offspring are all perfectly healthy and are now producing the next generation which also appear to be OK.

A few months ago I chased around for weeks trying to get a microworm culture so it is good to see them available. None of the pet shops in Christchurch had them and I finally got one from the wrong side of the Bombay Hills.

You could use a culture from the pet shop (liquifry) if you don't want one from the oxidation ponds

Try Waterplantz on trademe (John Peters)

An airgap of twice the diameter of the inlet pipe works pretty well

I understand birds are stimulated to breed by the amount of sunlight on the back of their necks. That may be why in some countries they whear head scarves.

You can adjust the velocity of the siphon by the height of the receiving bucket and make the trip easier by having the receiving end under water. I have done it with angels without problems

I have mine in heated tanks inside and they breed all year.

It is a bit hard to tell as plants will even have a different submersed form sometimes. I have 2 mature melon swords in different tanks and the leaf starts at the crown on one and is on a stalk on the other. It could be a young cordifolus (radicans) or osiris but I also would leave it and see what happens.

You need a lot less turnover in a well established heavily planted tank.

What part of Christchurch are you in? PM me and I will come and have a look if you want.

I would leave it as is and try to get as much light in there as you can without causing an algae bloom, and see what happens as the plants get established. Your ambulia looked pretty healthy. The other plants have probably been grown emersed and will take a while to adapt.

Is the growth you were asking about firm or deteriorated and is it new or old leaf?

Air gap seperation is the cheapest,easiest and most reliable.

The cycling is carried out by a whole range of microorganisms, each carrying out a stage in the conversion of nitrogen to nitrate and back to nitrogen in the plant decay process. It usually goes from urea from fish urine to removal as nitrate when the plants are removed after propagation. The plants can only remove nitrogen as nitrate and only when they are established and growing. All the other stages are toxic to fish and the bugs reproduce to handle the food available (in the form they prefer) and when that occurs we say the tank has cycled. A lot of the little critters that do this job for us live in the filter so the process works best when the filter is half clogged up with gunk (and helpful bugs)

Your tubes will get dark on the ends when they are getting too old.

There will be nothing wrong with the light fittings. What I was meaning was that it is good place to get new tubes if you felt you wanted.

I see you are in Christchurch. Go to lamp specialists 10 Steven St (close to where the Crusaders beat the Aucks at rugby). I bought a whole light and tubes for less than 1 tube in the pet shop. No Eftpos-- cash only but cheap

I don't know what you pay on the wrong side of the Bombay Hills but I paid $45.00 for a pair of double reds from Redwood Aquatics in Christchurch (which I am hoping will get friendly)

Your other plant looks pretty healthy considering some of it is still in flower from being grown emersed. My melon sword is like Diverjohn's and has a runner as well. The plantlets have leaves a little more stalky to start with then take the more mature form. I was going by the colour mainly but looking at it again it may be a young E. cordifolius. In either case I would just leave it to become established. Plants grown emersed and with hydroponics usually have an under developed root system as well as emersed leaves and the plant will actually look pretty dormant while it establishes a good root system, then it will take off with a rush. What leaves are there will give it some support while growing roots. That is my penny.

I hope I am not too late. It looks like a Melon sword (Echinodorus osiris). The new growth is a straw colour and then turns green , please don't cut me up I am perfectly healthy and may make babies given a chance.