Doug

going to go to the LFS this weekend and pick up some 4 foot lights. hopefully I will be able to get some old filter media from there filters and pop that into mine. how long will the bacteria survive in a bag with a little bit of tank water? the driftwood I bought is still leaching out tannins, how long can i expect it to do this? I was going to get some carbon for the filter, but if its going to do this for a long time, I might just wait it out then use some carbon, instead of having to replace alot of carbon. Doug

not to highjack this thread but is there a freshwater species of puffer? Doug

the other filter is a tiny HOB, but I will wash the cartridge in the new tank tonight. Doug

out of curiosity what do the fluval hose attatchments look like? I think this is what I'm after http://www.petsunlimited.co.nz/index.php?page=shop/flypage&product_id=273&category_id=4d61823ec12ec7b8da7757d3fec47d60&PHPSESSID=3f07c6a5c5a755e0a844ce94f6232506 hard to find 9mm pvc pipe evrywhere seems to have 15mm or bigger, havent tried a plumbing stor yet as they are only open weekdays. is it possible to do fishless cycling without adding ammonia? I'm feeding the tank small amounts of fish food, but will the tank fully cycle that way or will I have to add a couple fish before it will really start? Doug

kool, seeing as there is only one fish in there at the mo I might just take it out. Doug

so aslong as the filter outtake is breaking the waters surface tension you dont need to add any kind of air pump? I currently have an airstone in my little 20litre tank but the HOB filter would be enough oxygenation? Doug

yeah, I have to make up some fittings for the ends of the hoses, at the moment I only have an intake tube and a strainer that doesnt quite fit. thinking of getting some 9mm pvc pipe and 90 degree bends and making a __ | ] | ] __ | sought of shape to have the outtake above the waterline. Doug

gravel is dark grey, picked it up at the LFS today. got another question for you guys. whats the best way to attach the hoses to the side of the tank so that they dont move around? some kind of clip or clamp? Doug

kool, thanks for that caryl, I'm gonna start washing the gravel then. thanks again for all your congratulations and help. Doug

thanks guys I got para pools to cut up some poly, except that the sheets are just shorter than the tank, so over the phone I asked them to cut up 2 2ft peices, when the poly was picked up it was a sheet sized peice and an extra 5cm long piece, is this going to work? or will any gaps cause a stress point? also got the gravel and backing today, its starting to look like the fishie haven I have been dreaming about. Doug

new 4 foot tank arrived by freight last night. (soooooo happpy, it looks huge, well it does to me) I had it made by Greg Kingston in auckland, he is a great guy to deal with, I need to get a bigger house so he can make me more tanks anyway lets get to the silly questions. how thick should the polystyrine underneath be? (I'm gonna go to para pools tommorow and get them to cut it to the right size.) would a sheet of plywood to go under the poly be overkill or advised? is putting all the hide holes and driftwood in going to effect the settling period of the glass? (only ever setup a 20l tank before, so prob just being overcarefull) can you name a few easygoing plants that arent too light hungry? I dont have lights setup for this tank yet, or should I just wait till i get lights to add plants? I'm thinking java fern and moss, but I'm looking for some taller plants to grow in the back. heres what I'm thinking of puting in it (slowly bought over time ofcourse ) Red Tail Black Shark (currently housed in a 20l tank) 6 or more corydora's catfish (aparently these guys arent bothered by RTB's, and I like bottom feeders) atleast 6 Zebra Danios (I love these guys, wanted to breed them, but didnt get the chance) 6 or more Swordtails (wanted to try some livebearers and heard these guys are pretty hardy) was thinking tigerbarbs, or something a little more colourfull. what do you guys think, forsee any problems with the mix so far? Doug

are you atempting to get a larger turnover of water but save on space by puting the 3 head on the 2media canister? not sure how that will work out as the media might not be enough to handle the extra amount of water going through it. this would be the unaswerd part of the question then? Doug

sorry to get off topic but that is a fantastic tool, now if only I could find a simmilar database to compare the results. Doug

good to hear he has calmed down, out of interest did he have a hiddie hole before you added the terracota pipe? planning of puting one of these in my larger tank aswell as a few other caves n such Doug

the main problem was that I had the canister empty, and above the waterline, so I had to empty air form the canister before it would create enough suction to lift the waterup the hose. Then I had half filled my lungs with air and had to pull the water up hill to the canister, wich was still leaking at that stage. so everytime I took a breath it would drop the water back to the bucket and I would have to start from scratch again. with the canister filled with water, properly sealed and below the water line, I only had to lift the water a few cm before it falls downhill and creates the syphon. the way I was doing it was retarded and I felt kinda silly once I realised what I ws doing but not as silly as when I said "hey honey come look, I got it going" only to have her point out the water being pumped all over the floor. Doug

yeah, it came with 2 sizes of oring, only the smaller one would stay on so I assumed it was the one to use, that is untill it leaked. I warmed up one of the thicker orings and stretched it over the lid. once the twist had righted themselves it stayed on, was a tight fit to get it to clamp closed, but if it wasnt then it wouldnt seal. thanks for all the help guys, I shouldnt have anymore troubles with it, atleast till it comes time to put it in use. Doug

the 2 filters came with a total of 3 seals, I was a little confused by this. I have now canabilised the two to get one fully working non leaking quite fluval 303. now I have a spare head unit with a broken outlet pip, missing the impellar (contacting sellar to see if they still have this) and the media baskets with thier gratings cut out. weird definetion of "in need of repairs" if you ask me. I inastalled one of the thicker seals (just the one) and gave it a gentle tap around the edges with my fist, just enough to move it into range of the clips. ran it for an hour, and looks like its gonna create a lot of current in my 4foot tank (being made this week, yay ) so I'm thinking some strong swimmers for this tank, I like active fish anyways. not a bad little filter for $26.00 +shipping, +cost of hoses, media, and a little bit of work. Doug

so I managed to get it to pump water, but it also pums a crap load of water out the sides of the canister and on to the laundry floor. gonna try the other canister and the other seals. anyone think I might need new seals? I cant get it to close with two seals on, the clips are about 2mm from being able to close, would it be wron to want to tap it with a hammer? Doug

I was tying that but I didnt have the lung power for the metre and a half long hose. kept getting almost there and then running out of breath. then I read that the filter should be below the water level, everything is so much clearer when you see it with hindsight. Doug

kool I will try again tommorow. anyhting else that I might need to know? Doug

hi guys I just got all the hoses and fittings for my second hand fluval 303, but I cant get it to suck any water, any ideas? does it need to be filled with water first? ho many seals should there be? I have 2 on one unit and the "parts" unit only has one at a loss as to what should be done as I have never used a canister filter before. Doug

The red tail will also dig up plants. I wonder if you cant put a plastic cylinder around the base of the plants to block access to the base, just till they setup their roots. they are always gonna eat your plants, but I think feeding them a bit of veggies might reduce the damage to your plants? I just recently put potted plants in with my Red tail, he killed all my planted ones, and now that i feed him spirulina discs he rarely touches the plants. Doug

arent red tails herbivorous? I know they chase them, but eat? Doug

MarkLB what size is your tank? just wondering how much room he has to himself. I've read that RTB's dont feal at home unless they can put their bodies against something solid, maybe a long piece of terracotta pipe instead of a pot would work better, make it harder for him to see the barbs. I'm also wondering if having a midwater cave for the barbs would keep them out of the sharks way as he prob spends most of his time on or near the bottom. Doug

I've had trouble with my RTB aswell (till all the other fish died ) I'm seting up a bigger tank for him in the hope that the other fish wont go into his cave. my danios used to have real trouble with him, in a small tank with only one structure end result he is only fish left, tank got struck with disease due to the stressed out neons and danios. hope this dosent happen to you. I have heard others having RTB's and barbs together, I think they had quite a large tank though. I hope someone will correct me if I'm wrong but I think space and position of his home will have a large effect on how often he chases your other fish. also having a few fish that like to fight back instead of just running away might help put him in his place and keep his territory smaller. of course this is all an assumption, but its what i'm planning my new setup around so thought I would put it out there for critic. Doug