sharn

I agree with the dwarf gouramis. Fixed a few by feeding them metro but some seem to be lost causes as soon as you get them outta their bag

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Might pay to keep an eye on the dwarf cichlids if you are getting pairs, they can take over a good amount of floor space when defending breeding territories and they are both lower level dwellers so have a higher chance of running into each other but if you have a good amount of plants/decor breaking up the line of sight you should be fine IMO

Sounds like dropsy to me also. Unfortunatly not many people have much luck with treating for this.

Could be the Drontal thats increased the problem- its not unheard of for a whole tank full of fish to be wiped out when treating with it, it seems to be a very dangerous med to use. How is she today

Apparently the last four numbers on the API test kits are the date of manufacture. Add a year or two and thats your expiry date

Not much i can say, words just dont come close to explaining what an awesome person Alan was. He did so much for others and the industry and that will definatly show in years to come not to mention providing hours of laughs for all those fortunate enough to blessed with knowing such a wonderful person. You will be greatly missed

Agree with Ryan, I find discus easy to breed (and my BN trio still wont do it!) but its raising the fry thats the pain- too much work for me which is why i never let mine raise them past a few days free swimming. There are some people who think cons are hard to breed, and others who probably think arowana are easy to breed :lol:

what details are you after?

garden worms go down a treat with my discus, might be worth a shot? Was he kept in a BB at his old home?

Welcome, might see you at the club meeting next weekend There are plenty of reasons why not to crossbreed- past generations have mixed certain species and now we have to deal with the consequences- which most of the time arent very pretty. The likes of flowerhorn are a good example- now its hard to find pure trimac that arent wildcaught because of irresponsible breeders and that means forking out hundreds for a fish because they want something pure when they shouldnt really have to. What we do now effects future generations of fish keepers, im sure we all want our grandkids grandkids to be able to enjoy what we have now

i beleive they are

IME it is much easier to look after discus in a BB- especially seeing as i was new to keeping them when i set up their tank. Poor water quality is the main problem with keeping them happy and in a BB its way easier. My BB tank has two potted plants- a lotus and a amazon sword. I dont think they are overly hard to look after either, good clean water of good quality is pretty much all you need. However aggression problems are a pain in the behind, especially when you have pairs forming/formed hence why it is reccomended to have a few. Best of luck, they are awesome fish!

Other loaches will also eat snails- yoyos, golden zebras, polkadots etc. I would advise staying away from the Skunks if you choose to get a few loaches, they can be real nasty little things.

Feed a shelled pea or two or you can use epsom salts. I use 1tbsp/40L personally. It doesnt harm bactera, plants etc. Only add it once and then w/c it out after a few days. I have been told if its going to work then it should within 24 hrs. Peas may take a few days to be processed :lol:

IMO you probably avoided big losses by stocking your fish slowly which is the way to do it, well done. Discus are fine in a community tank, you just gotta pick the right tankmates for them Your list looks ok to me, the cardinals and rummies are perfect with discus. Some people dont like mixing gouramis with discus so just keep your eye on them and the yoyo loaches- sometimes they can hassle other fish. The main problem with adding other fish is heat tolerance as not all fish like 28ish degrees.

Sadly they often are. The likes of mollies etc also prefer brackish (even seen em in full marine) but can tolerate fresh water. He would be happier in a brackish setup and they arent that hard to do, good excuse for another tank

Your local councils website should have a water report for a bit of light reading :lol:

Maybe try feeding some peas? Has the added bonus it will get things moving so shouldnt cause any bloating etc.

Have you tested the KH (carbonate hardness) of your tap and tank water?

The females can be a bit hard to find. Recently pairs of certain strains/species were imported so it might be worth asking if your LFS can get you some pairs- some of them are still on the lists i beleive.

Not sure bout the prazi but the metro is usually used in food unless the fish isnt eating- in which case it goes in the water.

And they are extremely boisterous! Nailed a cube of bloodworm like there was no tomorrow :lol:

That sounds alright however those ruby barbs might get a bit annoying- especially to that fighter... Snakeskin gouramis also get pretty large i think, 25ish cm?

And i would think anything that could fit in its mouth in the lower levels too if it got hungry... Awesome fish though, great fun to watch feed!