michael.qian

The result is pretty good. Flowrate increased significantly, as strong as when I first installed the filter. I only cleaned the pipes with tap water, the filter itself with all the media was in tank water all the time during the clean.

I would imagine, like I will do today, run waste fast through a hose in the opposite direction. Because you know which way the water is going when the filter is running.

I wouldn't do it, as mentioned above it is really oily and could potentially cause problems with the water. When I put slices of zucchini I normally just jam a plant weight in it, or jam a few pieces of gravel in.

How often do you do this? Strip the entire filtration system down and flush the filter pipes? Anything I need in particular? How is this often done? One problem I thought of is that if I run high velocity water through the pipes, wouldn't it just be the same as when it's running normally? Thus not cleaning it at all. Cheers

Eventually you'll get a good hang of it. It is whatever makes the tank look comfortable. Consider things like filtration, size of fish, type of fish, level at which fish swim at (you don't a packed top half and nothing on the bottom), condition the fish perfer etc... Also consider feeding, make sure it's easy enough that all fish get enough during feeding, this is an important parameter that determines what I have in my tank.

Agree with above, comfortable is the key. I think you have too many tetras. I suggest Colombian tetras, they are large tetras and are very colourful, you don't need them in very large numbers to make them look good. I have 6 in my tank and I'm very happy with them. Also I would consider taking out the kuhli loaches, you hardly see them anyway, they most likely burrow into the substrate and not come out very often. I would have a pair of golden bristlenose.

I used to buy dechlorinator. Then I've heard from quite a few people, mostly on here, Auckland water doesn't have any chlorine so never bought it again. Been at least 6 months, no problems.

Thanks I've never bothered to dechlorinate the water, I'm sure the water from the tap is already chlorine free.

Hi all Just want to know if this is safe. I have a long garden hose for a few years now, use it occasionally, average once every month. Is it safe to use it to fill my tank with new water during water changes? Any risks in doing this? Cheers

Be careful with airsoft BB guns. Some of them are fairly powerful, close range shot to the skin will hurt and leave a red mark, but it still harmless, just hurts a bit. But be CAREFUL with the eye, one shot of those in the eye will still cause big damage!!

I also find it quite cheeky, it would rather steal a pellet from another fish's mouth than eat one that's right there on the gravel!

Hi all Worried my peacock eel ate too much today. Today it swallowed 7 of those Hakari pellets I used to feed my clown loaches with. They are pink coloured little tablets. It normally eats however much it can find, normally 2-3 though, today it ate 7. Is this too much? Should I be more careful next time? Cheers

aww that's a sad thing to hear. In the shops I've always seen them near the bottom, maybe because their tank is pretty shallow. So now I've got lots of top-mid fish, but not much bottom fish, only a very friendly peacock eel and 2 GBAs.

Bought 2 pearl gouramis today. Really nice looking fish with very good colours. Seem to get along fine with the angels, they ignore each other just like every other type of fish. A bit disappointed though to find they are top to top-middle dwellers, had the impression somehow they are bottom dwellers, what about your pearl gouramis? Do they always hang around near the top of the tank? Cheers

I hope you guys think about your power bills once in a while lol.

lol agree with IRA, i only miss out a day when I'm feeling lazy.

once or twice a week? That sounds too little to me, or maybe I'm feeding too much. I feed mine daily, sometimes I skip a day but not very often, maximum skip one day a week. A little flake everyday to start with, most other days one cube of bloodworm after the flakes, some days a few dry pellets are the flakes, brine shrimp about once a week.

what about my angelfish? would they cause problems? With pearl gouramis should I have just a pair? I'm wanting to actually have about 4 of them as a group.

Saw some pearl gouramis and thought they'll be a nice addition to my tank, it's a bit short on numbers at the moment. Anyone had experience with them? Are they prone to any thing in particular? I've googled them and they seem to be pretty easy to keep. Below is a list of my fish, would they cause any problems? A bit worried about my columbian tetras, they are very fast and very good at stealing food from other fish's mouths, from what I've read pearl gouramis don't do well with fast swimming fish. Cheers

If there was more than two customers at the store, or better in one place, I would not bother to say hi to them all obviously. But in many occasions, I was the only one there, in these cases I would expect to be greeted, especially if they pass me on the inside, at the counter I don't really care.

How's this for a plan? I don't want to have to restart my filter, as it's a bit of a hassle. Anyway here's my plan Total volume is about 120L. 1. In the weeks before the change, make sure my gravel is as clean as possible, vacuum during every water change. 2. Move ~ 80L of water into a holding tank, with fish and plants. 3. Add some more tap water into my main tank, siphon gravel again thoroughly (add water so there is enough to keep the filter intake in the water and keep filter running). 4. When gravel is siphoned, scoop out all the gravel, hopefully not too much dust as filter is already thoroughly siphoned, then put in new gravel. 5. Put everything back. Any flaws in the plan? Cheers

Yup that's what I'm planning to do. I recently cleaned various spots of the gravel, it should be fairly clean now. Will also siphon the gravel just before I change it, to avoid stirring up lots of gunk.

I would think that most of the bacteria is on the filter media? I have a Fluval 405 (bit of a overkill for my sized tank), it's got plenty of media in it, would that be sufficient? Considering the amount of fish I have right now is fairly low.

Hi all I'm converting my tank to a planted tank and would like dark colored gravel, black or brown, as I think it can show the color of the plant better. Currently I have the mixed color gravel, white, yellow, orange and black. Is this a big job? Anyone has any experience with this? Is it likely to cause ammonia spikes? I'm thinking of changing at least 60% of my gravel, so the top layer will be the new dark gravel and I'll probably leave a thin layer of the old gravel on the bottom, this way I don't have to uproot the biggest Osiris plant in my tank. Cheers for any advice.

They don't necessarily have to be talkative, some people find that annoying. But when they pass you in a corridor they should at least say hi or give you a smile, rather than just pretend you are not there.