purplecatfish

:bounce: :bounce: Awesome :bounce: :bounce:

V. americana is the same species as V. gigantea (common name: jungle val) and since the banning of plants is based on species and not variety then V. americana var. "Biwaensis" (common name: corkscrew val) would also be illegal. V. sp "Contortionist" is similar to "Biwaensis" in appearance (both have the twisted leaves) but would be legal as it is a different species. (see plantgeek link). I believe that V. torta is the true twisted val (see http://www.aquariumfish.net/catalog_pages/plants/plant_deal.htm) The name Twisted Val is usually given to V. torta, V. sp "Contortionist" and V. americana "Biwaensis" as usually the LFS can't tell them apart.

Twisted val is sometimes named V. torta or V. sp "contortionist" and is different to V. spiralis or V. gigantea. It can be confused with Corkscrew val. http://www.plantgeek.net/plantguide_list.php?category=4&filter_by=64

check out plantgeek http://www.plantgeek.net/plantguide_cat.php?category=6

Awesome

I've stopped using those pads because I've scratched the glass on one of my tanks because I'd got some grit under it without realising (Carol obviously knows what I mean). I now use a long handled blade scraper (wish I had known about the ones at the $2 shop) or a single sided razor blade for hard to access corners. I find that the scraper uses less elbow grease than the pads.

Most fabric shops will have polyester wool or dacron. It's usually used for duvets etc.

I once had a snail problem that I thought was melting until the snails grew to a size that you could see them. The other possibility could be water hardness, if your water is too soft for some plants, water changes will make the melting worse. But the first thing I would look at is the lighting.

They really like to be in a group and only feel safe if they have "school friends" and there are small "dither fish" to give them warning of any threats. I have six and they go and hide at the slightset provocation. I wouldn't recommend less than six.

I've used it and it worked well. You can get some from a vet. Usually only one dose is required but I can't remember the dose rate.

Bristlenoses, most of which I've removed to make way for the new young (3 left to catch) 12 Lemon Tetras 2 Asian Moth Cats 3 Pinnochio Whiptails 2 Skunk Loaches 5? Borneo Suckers, who are being bullied (although they used to push the tigers around a few months back) Apart from the borneo suckers the rest are all young and small. I'm probably going to have to find new homes for some of them.

Hi Afrikan Yeah I found that link when I was creating my setup. Its why I put a 2200 L/hr filter on a 200L tank. It just goes to show that a little research goes a long way. Hi Alan Huge responsibility. I'm seriously considering getting rid of my guppies in about 6 months time so that I can set up a second colony. And to start with I'll only offer them to club members with a decent rivertank setup. I certainly won't be putting them on trademe. Still they've got to make it past the 30 days old stage for it to be successful. And then it's six months before they're an inch (25mm). So I guess it could be up to a year before before there is a surplus for everyone. Hi Fishboi, Thats the bit I don't know. I looked in the tank one morning (10th/11th March) and saw 4 , then when I got back from a weeks work in the islands I counted 14 and now I've got 24 . At first I wasn't sure what they were as they look a little like bristlenose fry with tiny heads and it took a couple of days surfing to confirm their identity. I have seen the males chasing the females and landing on top of them at 90 degrees but I haven't seen any eggs as there are lots of hiding spots/vegetation.

This mornings count is 24 :bounce: . They seem to be a range of sizes. Is it possible that they have hatched a few at a time over a couple of weeks or is it two spawnings or both?

The changes have been approx 20% to 25%, more a question of vaccuuming the dirt out of the gravel rather than a set amount of water. I set the tank up especially for the Sewellia in the hope that something special would happen. The LFS that sold them to me said that there's less than a dozen specimens in the country beside my ones and that the importers won't be bringing any more in.

My River Tank pH is usually between 6.4 to 6.8 Temp 26 to 27 deg C KH 3 Ammonia and Nitrite 0 Nitrate usually about 5 or less Phosphate 0.25 to 0.5 Water changes weekly or fortnightly. They are in a 200 litre tank with a Aqua One 2200 so there is quite a flow in some parts of the tank. I'm using several packets of Microtec and SintoMec. I've also got some PhosEx ultra. Plants include Echinodorus tennulus tennulus, and an unidentified crypt plus a Cyperus helferii and a medium sized Echinodorus (can't remember the species at the moment). There are a few fist sized kaiaua stones and water worn flat stones and a large piece of bogwood. There is short green algae growing on the bogwood and flatstones which they feed on. They seem to prefer JBL NovoBel but also get NovoFect and NovoTabs.

:bounce: :bounce: I've got 14 Sewellia lineolata fry in my 4 ft tank :bounce: :bounce: they look just like the fry in this link :bounce: :bounce: http://forums.loaches.com/viewtopic.php?t=1620

I've got more than two dozen all doing well. Only one died and there was another that I took out of the gene pool on the account of a bent back. There is a dominant male who is developing markings on his fins and tail, but most of the males are mating with the females. They're really friendly and I can pick them up in a hand full of water.

Give my apologies please. Work is sending me to Samoa and Tonga for a week.

The bends would easily go over a 65mm bracing but at 70mm there would be a need to make modifications.

I'd like to throw a penny's worth into the ring but as the lowest denomination coin is 10 cents you can have a dime's worth of my opinion and experience for free :lol: . Taking the holistic approach, treat both the cause and the symptoms. I've tested my water to discover that the phosphate level of 5 to 10 ppm (=mg/L) was most likely the cause of the original bloom (that will teach me to skimp on the water changes :lol: ). So several water changes later and some phos-ex the bga was still there :evil: just not blooming so I treated the tank. However I can smell it in my other tanks although I can only just see it on some cambomba. Therefore I'm about to treat all my tanks so that they don't reinfect each other. The effect of this will be to remove all of the bga in my fish room so that if it ever comes in again it will be from another source and the risk of a resistant strain developing is minimal. BUT please note I have identified the source of the bloom first (i.e. me/waterchanges). I'll need to invest in a set of nets and a siphon for each tank which makes cross contamination less likely. Good tank hygiene practices will pay for them in the long run .

I saw 3 of them reach over $20 on trade me

If you attach the shower type rubber fitting to only one tap then run it for a second or so the attach the second tap you get rid of the air bubble that causes most of the popping off. But you still have to add some patience and don't turn the tap on full. For a longer hose just go to a hardware/plastic shop and you can buy clear hose of various diameters by the metre.

I used a glass thermometer at a random point in the swamp to get a temp of 35 deg (not very scientific or accurate but good enough). It definitely wasn't the hottest place as there were some spots which were unbearable. I did some tests when we got back to the motel: pH 7.2, kH 10, nitrate 0. I didn't get any big mollys and I've only have one death (and one defective individual with a bent back) the other two dozen plus are fine and feeding from my hand . Mine survived a day and night in a plastic tub at the motel and then a day in a poly box in the back of the car as we travelled back to Ak via a couple of tourist spots. All I did was put a oxy-shell in the bag. My cat likes to take a drink from their tank (it's on the floor) when I feed them and they gather around his head :lol: :lol:

For my 100th Post I thought I'd do something different. I've taken 100 photos of my 2.5m long tank and posted them at: http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictu ... 2095421436 The tank is nearly 6 months old and getting close to how I want it. There's a few gaps that the plants need to grow into so I just need to add some more patience. The photos were all taken in just over an hour, and yes they are all from the one tank. They are too large to link to here but if you let me know what your favorites are I'll resize the original and upload it.

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: We're all going on a, summer molly hunt :bounce: :bounce: No more worries for a, day or two :bounce: :bounce: We're all going on a, summer molly hunt :bounce: :bounce: Hope I don't fall in the, swamp of goo :bounce: :bounce: We're all going on a, summer molly hunt :bounce: :bounce: I'll see you in the bar for a, pint or two :bounce: :bounce: We're all going on a, summer molly hunt :bounce: :bounce: Having fun under the, skies so blue :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: