SpidersWeb

Congrats!!!

whoops

Hey guys, Two weeks ago one of my large adult Firemouths got a mark on him, about the size of the new 20c piece. I am not 100%, but I'm guessing its a bite mark. Anyway fungus appeared, and the infection spread, with the hole getting larger. I moved him in to another tank (no more Oscars or Festives to bother him!) and whenever I've seen the fungus get bad I've given him a salt bath and manually applied Meth Blue. All of the fungus falls off when I do this, and when he goes back in freshwater he's full of life again. However he has been looking sickly the last few days, and while the fungus hasn't come back, he isn't showing signs of healing. I have a 30L tank I'll move him too, but I really want to know what else can I do to help? Salt? If so, what dose? I have Rock Salt, will that do? Also have meth blue, and Formalin on hand. High temp (28-30C) better or worse? Can't really afford Melafix or Furan2 at the moment, but if these are essential I can beg up some money. No other fish have been affected at all.

Awesome Not much else to say! That's an amazing tank.

I use Budget Fly Spray. Its probably the most toxic but its the cheapest and kills flies very quick, its brutal. I prefer it to Black Flag etc by a long shot, even on pay day, Budget Fly Spray wins. What I do when spraying is make sure to never saturate a room, e.g. always have a door open, and dont hold on the trigger for too long and never aim it in the direciton of an aquarium. The official recommendation, that I agree with (but am often slack on), is that you cover the tanks, e.g. towel before spraying. To date I haven't had a fish die from fly spray, I'm just careful with how I use it, but if you really want to do the right thing, cover your aquariums. Fly Spray is basically a toxic nerve gas, so I can't imagine you'll find a fish friendly one :lol: Would be nice though

Cheers shiuh meesheelly - strangely AlgaeFix had 0 affect on duckweed and indian fern in my tank. I am definately using the correct product at the correct doseage, so I'm not sure what is making my setup such a freak Anyway, I split the dose (1/4tspn per 100L) over two days for my planted tank, and for another tank I gave a higher dose (1/3tspn per 100L) all at once. The latter setup went cloudy, but fish didn't mind at all. First setup stayed clear the whole time. All were pre-mixed in tank water with Flourish added for trace elements. Its only early days, but this is what I've noticed this morning: Thread Algae doesn't look great but its not dead yet. No improvement on sword leaves Stem plants spreading like crazy Stem plants producing much larger leaves Stem plants producing stems twice as thick as before Java Fern + Stems pearling as usual I think my swords really need some JBL balls, being rootfeeders. Hopefully this works though because you use soooo little and its like $6 a bag. I've also added it to two other small aquariums, one of which contains 3 week old danio fry, and no problems, so I'm confident its fish safe. I'll report any changes on the Java Moss thats in that tank if I see any. Thanks again to John Rimbauer for the suggestion. All tanks lit using standard 865 T8 6500K tubes. Main planted tank is 0.9W/L.

Sounds like some good old fashioned DIY is in order. Admittedly I'd do my best to not modify a tank like that because I can't even begin to imagine what you must have paid for it So if removing the internal filter (which only does 300/hr anywho) will help you install the CF1000, then do that, otherwise it might be time to get the drill I'm affraid :-? Widen the existing holes so they fit. Also keep in mind that the 'hockey sticks' can be cut and joined/modified with the rubber hose provided to suit your needs.

Welcome aboard Batz I'll have to pick your brains for info soon, got a pair of good looking dwarfs I'd like to breed here too

haha you should see a Fluval FX5, will blow your mindhole Enjoy your AquaOne I hear good things.

The popular opinion is to always quarantene, about a week. I personally dont bother unless the fish looks sick. If a fish looks in full health, the chances of it carrying sufficent levels of bacteria or parasites to infect my healthy fish are very unlikely. You shouldn't buy sick fish to begin with really. I do have spare tanks to use if an individual looks sick though.

Congratulations You'll be due a 50 pin very soon

Shaking / Lip-Locking etc are strength tests, normally used prior to spawning. They will lay eggs on a surface like a plant leaf, or the side of the tank. They will look after the eggs and raise the babies themselves. Some angelfish make the mistake of eating them the first time around though, and some are better parents than others. They're certainly not sick.

Sincere condolences At least you'll have tank raised stock to breed in the future though.

I use the Atman/AquaOne internals for water flow, but not filtration. They tend to clog up quickly, and flow gets reduced very quickly. I prefer the Shark ADV's by a long shot for internals. Still nothing compares to a cannister. Need to get an external, $110-$260 depending on the model you're after.

Just monitor your nitrates, if you get a reading higher than 0 then its time for a water change.

My Java Fern stopped getting the nasty brown holes, and started producing gorgeous bright green leaves when I started dosing Flourish (normal Flourish, not Excel or Iron). I know its a deficiency, just can't remember what nutrient.

Welcome aboard I have a bit of a ritual where I go around the two main pet stores in Lower Hutt every Saturday morning, so if you want the grand tour pop me a message, I can point out the good, the bad, and the ugly for you (fish, not staff )

Hey there, welcome to your new addiction You can pretty much start with any size tank you like, but if you want to start small then I'm a fan of the all-in-one tanks for beginners. Has the filter, lights etc all sorted for you. Price varies $90-$150 for one around 40L. I've got a Jebo R338 here that I quite like, was on special for $99 + $25 heater and some gravel. When you first set it up the tank needs to 'cycle'. The neon tetra is often suggested, but as its prone to white spot you often end up with dead fish, so I'd be more inclined to recommend either (not both) platys or swordtails. (Make sure to get healthy fish tho, and only a couple). Millions of options, so you will need to tell us what you like

If you provide well for your plants, they'll use up all the nitrate as it's produced and grow well. You can get great looking plants and maintain a 0 nitrate. Nitrate is only one of very many nutrients plants require. I do weekly 20% changes on my tanks, planted or not.

Thanks heaps, I'll let you know how it goes. I went and got - Sulphate of Potash, Sulphate of Iron, and Magnesium Sulphate. I'm hoping the Iron Sulphate will work alright, I couldn't find Iron Chloride. I'm using Flourish for trace elements, just didn't want to pay $20 for a small bottle of Flourish Iron when a whole bag of this stuff is $6! Will try it out tomorrow I work from home, so I can watch the fish in case something goes wrong.

Make sure to get at least 3, they like to hang out in groups. I've got 6 and love them Takes them a few days to settle in, but after that they're cute as. They are susceptible to white spot, but if your tank is clean you'll find it clears up in a day or so. Enjoy

Yeah, no salt to be found.

I was under the impression that they are the same fish, just a different name. AFAIK they are naturally occuring.

Hunched backs are normally from inbreeding, its a big problem in guppies and those who strain will often cross their strain with wild types to keep the strain 'true'. I've got danios with the same problem.

What does the Sodium Thiosulphate, SAFE, or Prime do? I figured you'd just use a water ager to get the Cl off?