paekakboyz

thats what makes it a hard decision... good arguments for either option... I do prefer planted tanks and while I may get into cichlids etc in the future for now I like my tetras. Perhaps the flow of the FX5 would be a bit much? I know you can turn it down but how well does that work?

my current filter is causing me issues so I've decided to upgrade. However I see this as a good chance to think about the 'bigger' tank that I'd like to get in the next couple of years. Currently have 4ft 360L and would like to move up to a 5-6fter or so. The options are the FX5 (going for 499 at a LFS in wellies) or getting 2* Eheim 2213's for a slightly cheaper price overall... I like the arguments about redundancy etc with two filters and that Eheim are a primo brand (esp for parts etc). However the 2213's are spec'd for 250L tanks - I'm sure two would be fine on my current tank but wonder if they would provide enough grunt on a 500+ tank... advice? personal exp with either of these filters?

After running sweet as for ages my Jebo 819 has decided to get all iffy... I had done a big rearrangement of plants etc and wanted to clear out all the debris that had collected in the filter (daltons dust etc). Cleaned etc and put back together as per usual. No abnormal wear on the impellor, rubber fittings etc and hoses are all clean also. I started it back up and I cannot stop it rattling! tried tilting in case it was an air pocket - no good. Checked out the pipes and seal again - no good. Have followed my usual process at least 6/7 times now over a few days and just cannot get it to settle down. Normally it'd spit out a bit of air as the air bubbles worked through but not this time. Throughout the year I'd been thinking about 'future proofing' my filter! ie I really want a bigger tank (have a 4ft 360L at the mo) and was considering going right up to a FX5 or similar. Overkill on this tank but would give me options down the line. I think I needed a rant as well :oops: but there is this special on at a LFS for the FX5.... soooo tempting yet so hard to hide from the missus!!

I found that substrate size made a difference with dwarf sag... any chance the dwarf val is having trouble with the size of the pebbles etc?

Hi All, I'm planning on replacing my lemon tetras in my community tank with dwarf rainbows. They'd be in there with a school of cardinals (about 25 or so). I've read that rainbows are aggressive feeders (not that the lemons are placid!!) and was wondering how they would mix with cardinals... has anyone kept this combo before? In a 350L 4ftr with 11 corys, 3 skunk loaches and a pair of dwarf cichlids.

yeah I had a borneo sword and it didn't grow at all - found out it wasn't an aquatic plant after all - sigh

I loved the thermal camera - was really neat to see that aspect... a real pity he isn't doing those shows anymore, who will replace him?

umm they probably had it for around 2-3 weeks and it got progressively worse (white fungus/spots getting bigger)... about a week before they died they went off their food and became lethargic...

I used to warm it up a bit but that required using a bucket (don't have a mixer on a hose). Tried doing smaller (10%) water changes with cold water straight outta the hose and the fish seemed to love it. Now I do up to 40% changes with cold water - has triggered several spawnings for my cory's' and lemon tetras and I haven't had any issues with whitespot or stress related illnesses.

I'd had mine for nearly a year - they were around 5-6cm and in wicked health then they just crashed... no other illness in the tank - no changes in conditions etc... happened one at a time and similar to Ryan no treatment even looked like working. not sure if they were NZ breed - I got them from animates so I'd imagine they were imports.

Hey Dixon is it close behind the eye? I had both my male Rams go down with this and no amount of treatment (in Q tank, melafix etc) worked... was really sad about it. good luck tho!

and $10-15 guppies!!!

you'll get all sorts of algae over time virgil... one type tends to be bright green and tough to remove - using an old eftpos/credit card as a scraper works really, really well could be the tank is getting a bit of indirect light and that is likely to increase algae growth...

totally worth it to use a timer - takes the hassle out of turning the lights on and off each day, if you are out later than usual or away for a period of time... they are pretty cheap ($10-15) and you can get digital or manual ones.

hey that looks like a primo setup! just wondered about adding another heater though... for back up in case one goes kaput but also to help keep temp consistent? one at each end? that is a cool piece of driftwood! hope you manage to get that bugger to sink! keep the updates coming - it's really cool when someone sets up a new tank...

my skunk loaches do this - find a nice spot of gentle current and get a lean on like a drunk heading home! I'd seen clown's do this so I wan't worried but it is an odd (and potentially scary!) way for them to relax!

was there any need to add a central brace? what is the stand made from? other than that it looks sweet - really like the black silicone it makes a nice frame for the tank.

here is a link to the parent companies website http://aleas.ec51.com/ tried googling for reviews etc but nothing available... not sure if its a step up or down from Jebao or similar products. Not to hijack the thread but in searching for reviews etc about cannisters I saw people mention issues with the hoses Fuval cannisters come with... anyone able to comment on that?

followed that link and asked the seller about the brand... it is interesting that they haven't mentioned it...

had this problem and it persisted even when I increased the flow on the surface. In the end I got a cannister intake that skims the surface and has the usual intake as well - One of the members on the forum helped me out as the NZ versions are pretty pricey. I found it to be a real frustration - cut back feeding and increased water changes along with more surface agitation but still got it... imo the surface intake works a charm good luck!

I'd throw in another vote for Jebo - I run an 819 on a 360L heavily planted tank and it works great. Haven't had any issues with parts etc apart from when I broke the ceramic impellor shaft! but you can get parts! I've also got a fluval 4 internal running but thats as backup more than anything.

I picked up a small 1.5cm female from animates in wgtn yesterday. I'm hoping that once she is a bigger she'll pair off with my last remaining male - primo looking fish. good luck with your search!

sounds like a reference to a popular song... didn't know T-Pain was into tropical fish tho!!

saw this thread of a really detailed breeding process for glowlights and cardinals - heaps of info and recordings of water quality, feeding etc... http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/photo ... rning.html

I'm setting up a tank next week to have a go at this as well. I'm going to use a larger tank (around 50 odd litres) which I hope will mean its easier to reach and maintain the right conditions for the cardinals I've got a group of 24 cardinals in my community tank and a good mix of males/females and also ages - I'll start out with a small group... maybe 3-4 females and a couple of males and see what happens.. I'm going to have the tank on a shelf so I'll probably paint the back and sides black and sort out a cover for the front... other than that I'll be following the breeding 500+ cardinals article as well good luck and keep us updated