paekakboyz

chur Blue, I know that pet corner at North City has just closed but I hadn't heard anything about the pram shops. I was sure I'd read some good things about a shop on the coast and was keen to check it out... I'll hit the phone book and make some calls. ben

Hi All, I've diagnosed a couple of cases of gill/skin flukes (with some excellent help from site members!) and have been trying to track down some Prazi for treatment. I've read that its a vet only product and I'm trying to work out how I can get hold of enough to treat a 360L tank... Is anyone able to help out with this? thanks

have you got BN in the tank? I've noticed they sometimes drop rather long, stringy white poo (diet related or normal I'm not sure)

Hi All, I'm thinking of heading up the coast on sat to check out pet shops - I know that there has been good feedback about one in particular in pram... could anyone advise on good shops to visit and locations? thanks

I've got a jebo 819 as well on a 360L and the water is clear as and there is a decent current running. How have you got the outlet from the cannister set up? are you using a spraybar?

that calculation is excellent - the one thing I really want with around 350L of water sitting nearby a lot of electrical equipment is peace of mind!! I've seen some tanks in some pretty dodgey locations (on weak stands, no poly, etc) and have been amazed at the strength of glass and silicon. If you are in the position of being able to increase the safety factor of your tank by adding a little bit of bracing you should go for it!

thanks jn - I've pm'd purplefish and will see if I can get some drontal if adtape is difficult to source.

ok I now think it is flukes - what is the best treatment available for this? best to pick something up from my lfs or are there other options? thanks

Thanks for that Frenchy

Hi All, 350L tank that has been running for 3- weeks (after fish/water/substrate/plants etc) were transferred from a smaller tank that had been setup for over 6months. Ammonia = 0, Nitrates = 0, Ph settled at 7. Temp 27.5 The issue is the behaviour of some pearl danios and penguin fish. Some (not all) frequently scrape/rub themselves against plants while swimming. I've read that this can be due to chlorine in the water or parasites. There are no visible parasites on the fish and they are as active as always (very!) and still hungry come feeding time. If it is parasites what treatment would be suitable? I'm a bit puzzled as I thought such an illness would have a bit more impact on the fish and perhaps spread? any help would be great!

You'd need to keep the filter in operation so that the bacteria colonies get oxygen etc. Same would apply for a interna; or sponge filter. If you aren't going to have any fish in the Q tank (1-2 to keep it ticking over) you'd need to drop in a bit of food to maintain the bacteria. Some people keep a Q tank empty and have a small filter running in their main tank for use when req...

congrats thats is a seriously cool looking tank. I'm a huge fan of the moulded backgrounds and that one looks the business. How did you ensure enough water flow etc for the filter and heater behind it?

I had a tank setup (29L) as a Q tank until I saw a cunning plan from another member - if space is an issue you keep the tank empty till you get new arrivals - siphon some water from the main tank (might as well do a water change at the same time ) to fill up the Q tank and away you go - you can always poach a bit of filter media from an existing filter.. I find this is a quick process and its one tank less to maintain when not in use.

I got a new tank in the end but off trademe rather than a newly built one. Got a great hookup from blue&kim and I'm stoked with it. 120H*60D*50H 360L and an awesome stand. Transferred everything from the old 210L (took ages!) and things are running sweet. I'll post a pic or two shortly as the plants etc look a tad lonely but once they start taking off I'll have a jungle! awesome! and i have to agree - a deeper tank gives you so much more room for planting in layers etc and sufficient room for heaters etc in a clear channel at the back.

I've just picked up filter wool and moulded it to fit - seems to have worked as well as the mats that come with the Jebo's... The mats that I've kept just get a good rinse in tank water and straight back in. or are yours literally falling apart?

my sympathies michael.qian, I've just lost my second BN in the last couple of days too!! strangely(?) its the two biggest that have gone to fishy heavan (7cm and 8cm). They didn't appear bloated and testing has ph at 7, ammonia and nitrates at 0. All other fish (community tank) are active and happy - no warning signs/behaviour from them at all. There is a large piece of driftwood that the 4 (now 2) BN's have been happily munching on in addition to pleco chips. sigh - I'm sure one of them had just laid eggs too!!

I thought Java ferns absorbed nutrients through the water? I've used the fert balls for amazon swords and they seem to do a good job - just whack one down near the base and watch it go. they def seem to be slow release as well - I just redesigned the tank and found most of the fert balls to be around 3/4's their starting size and they'd been in the tank for over 6 months... if you haven't laid any daltons or laterite down in the substrate these would probably be a good option...

I've got a similar problem which occured when the lengthwise back brace got cracked on a 3ft tank... seems the problem was made worse by the height of the tank (62cm). Dad had it set up for several years like that and I had moved and reset it up before I noticed the bend!! its pretty freaky when you can see the glass curve! I had a few anxious nights thats for sure. I'm getting a new 4ft tank tonight so the 3ft is going to be resealed and rebraced shortly. phew!

I walked past (well actually around!) the FX5 at the petstore the other day... I didn't quite embarrass myself by drooling but I came close!! I'd prefer if possible to only have one filter running on the tank to minimise pipes etc in the tank not to mention the power points required (add 2 heaters, 1 or 2 light fittings etc). hmm doesn't seem to leave me too many options though... ps: I'm not in a position to add a sump either (noise and CO2 loss major reason)

Hi All, Currently have a 215L tank running a Jebo 810 external. I'm upgrading to a bigger tank (366L) soon and was thinking about whether I need a larger filter... The setup will be a planted community tank stocked with... 20-30 cardinals 15 Danios 4 BN 8 Corys and probably a pair of rams If I was to err I rather do it on the side of excess filtration rather than not having enough! Your suggestions/advice would be appreciated

Alan - I was interested to know if a certain colour of silicon indicates age or impending failure of the seal? I've seen it go milky white before rather than clear or slightly opaque... what should you look out for? thanks

if you had that area where the pot plants are going to sit fully sealed from the rest of the tank could you leave yourself a space to siphon off excess water from overwatering them? that would let you use pots with holes for drainage and you wouldn't have problems with it mixing with the 'filtered' water and messing up your ph etc... I've been really keen to try out one of these but they require a heap of planning!! with the heater would another solution be to have it turned up a little higher but placed right by the filter intake - it'd shed heat coming down the waterfall but the extra juice should maintain good conditions for the filter bacteria etc...

make sure you post your designs to keep us going till the pics start arriving!! I've always wanted to set up one of these and agree 100% that you need a waterfall!! that website has some awesome examples!!

those 'expose to the air' ones have powered iron oxide (or iron something) in them that heats up... def wouldn't want to put one of those in the microwave!!!

Hi All, recently sent some fish via courier for the first time and was quite surprised at the response I got when I dropped them off... Courier: Tropical what? Me: Tropical fish C: oh, umm we don't take those Me: Yeah you do (It had been organised by the person receiving the fish who ships heaps of em) C: oh, umm well they might die Me: They are packed well and have heat pads to keep them warm - as long as you don't throw the box around they should be sweet C: ummm well they won't be insured! Me: thats ok (but secretly inside I was going Agghhh!!) is this a common exp? I'm likely to ship fish in the future and would really appreciate it if anyone has hints/tips or recommendations of good companies to use (Mods is that an appropriate Q for this section?) cheers!