paekakboyz

would it also be prudent to think of how the increased wattage might effect the hood? ie melting of plastic etc? I'm not familar with that range of tank but I'm sure I've had people mention that issue when upgrading (and sometimes with the standard lights!!) their lights...

I did really want to focus on a planted tank and was looking to have 30 or so Cardinals Mix of other tetras several danios several BN and maybe a pair or two of rams.... for a 300L tank it wouldn't be too heavily stocked so perhaps staying with a cannister is the way to go. thanks for that advice guys - its been extremely helpful!

thanks evil - I had wondered about the noise factor... are there particular designs/features that make the sump louder? In regards to CO2 what sort of impact does a sump have? I'm not really looking to add a CO2 setup to the tank - I was going to continue using substrate and liquid ferts... although I am going to convert to a sand/gravel substrate mix (layers).

ok - just to muddy the water a bit more... I've been in contact with a person recommended by fishy friends on the site (Port N Glass) After having a yarn about tank size etc he suggested thinking about a sump. Now I've got myself kinda clued up about sumps from reading how people set them up etc But what are the pro's and con's of a sump setup? I have to say I really like the idea of having the tank clear of any heaters, filters etc...

thanks guys thats some excellent advice... 120cm*50*50 is looking like a winner at this point. In terms of glass thickness I'd prob go with 8mm minimum and most likely end up with 10mm for a really robust tank. I don't mind spending more for peace of mind! Alan that was a good idea about mirrors and added width... there was a pic of a cube tank on the site and you could see how the extra space let some plants really develop well. Warren - I hadn't factored the substrate height in so that was useful info! I really like swords and will try and get hold of the smaller varieties... I'm almost sick of cabomba myself - it just grows so fast!!

what sort of lighting setup do you have on that tank Ira? And Alan ditto for you on the similar tank to my current one? there is easily space for another set of 2x90cm lights...

doh - I've had the same problem except 2 pairs laying at opp ends of a 3 foot tank!!! As a result they are all heading to a new home to leave the rest of the community in peace!!

could you explain why Ira? I would see the advantages as you've got a bigger tank overall (Litres wise), that there is a heap of space up and back for fish... ahhh - how high is the stand your tank/s are on? I just got to thinking that perhaps my problem is the height of the tank/stand combined ( :oops: )... However ( ) I do want a longer tank so my previous reasoning stands!! ha ha

cheers guys... Ira the main driver for a change or upgrade is the issue of the tank height... just makes maintaining things difficult. Also in looking through pics of people's tanks I've realised how much I enjoy a longer tank... due to $$ and space at home anything over 120cm isn't feasible. I guess if I'm pretty set on 120cm long and 45cm high (unless there is a really good reason to go to 50cm or something) the thing I'm debating is depth/width?

Hi All, Currently have a 90cm (L) * 37.5cm (D) * 60cm (H) - 205L or so... Had a custom tank built about 12 years ago when I was really into angel fish and wanted a deep tank. I've recently set it up again and have found the height to be a real pain for a couple of reasons... firstly cleaning etc is a pain - its just high enough that reaching the bottom is awkward. secondly the issue of light from the dual 90cm tubes that I've got penetrating to the bottom of the tank - I've got pretty good growth etc but I'm sure that it would be much improved if the tank was only 45-50cm high. Currently looking at a tank of 120cm * 45cm * 45cm (10mm glass) - I really enjoy the longer tanks and lowering the height while increasing the depth will give me better access and more room for planting etc.. I'd really appreciate people's advice/ideas about the design... thanks, paekakboyz

Hi All, Have set up a small 25L Quarantine tank to screen new fish etc and I was wondering how long I should keep new arrivals in there before releasing them into the main tank... Currently have 6* Cory's - about 2-2.5cm long and all swimming well and outwardly looking healthy (at the moment!). what are people's systems for this sort of thing? cheers!

ooooh I have bigtime filter envy!!! that things looks mean

cool ideas guys - keep em coming! I was considering getting just 2-4 nice looking mid level fish and increasing the number of cardinals.... How big do Blue Rams get and are they better kept in pairs or small groups?

cheers all! you guys run a right friendly site here

Hi All, I'm about to pass on my rapidly growing angels (8 at around 10cm high now - two pairs with a couple of breeding attempts each) as they are getting a bit nasty etc... I've already got... 10 cardinals 10 Pearl Danios 4 Leopard Danios 4 BN 2 Cory's I'm looking for a really nice mid level swimming fish that would mix well in this planted tank. Would really appreciate some advice on possible additions to the tank....Ideas?

Hi All, Posted a couple of times before I thought to introduce myself. I've been enjoying all the great info on the site and the collective wisdom of so may fish fiends!! I've got a planted 3ft community tank setup - around 4-5 months old now so getting good growth and happy fish. The tank was a custom job - its around 62cm high and built for angels - which has caused issues for plant growth in the past... bigger gruntier lights have solved that!! 210Ltr - hairgrass, cabomba, amazon sword, java fern 10 Cardinals 10 Pearl Danios 8 Angels (soon to be passed on as getting too big and starting to pair off!) 4 leopard Danios 4 BN 2 Cory's Looking forward to joining the Kapimana fish posse as well!

they have the kelvin's labelled on them - the 1000k is a bluer bulb and produces a softer or bluer light and the 10000k bulb is white and seems to produce 'normal' light... ?? we talking about gullibility here alanmin4304? if so thats really nice and friendly isn't it :roll:

I recently picked up a 90cm double bulb hood (Aqua brand) and it had 1 x 1000 kelvin bulb 1 x 10000 kelvin bulb I asked the shopkeeper about this as I'd read how the 6500k bulbs are considered the best for plant growth etc... he said that the combination of the bulbs provides the best spectrum of light for a variety of plants... not sure if this is sound reasoning and I'm unsure if I should just go out and pick up 2 x 6500k bulbs? advice/ideas?

Hi All :oops: , My bad - I wrote down the name of the jebo incorrectly!! would anyone be able to help me out with instructions for a Jebo 810? thanks, paekakboyz

thanks warren

Didn't get the fungus treatment in time sadly! Came home and the poor little fella was belly up... the other 5 are doing fine and show no sign of illness (so far!) No other fish in the tank show any kind of fungal infection so I'm hoping it was limited to that one fish.

Hi Guys, saw that there is a calculation that can be done to estimate the strenth of a tank... the back brace of my tank has a crack right in the centre of it and I'd sure like to know how much risk there is of failure!! Tank Dims 90cm*37.5cm*62cm - a custome built tank for angles hence the extra bit of height... I've checked the back pane of glass and there is a slight bow in it (maybe a mil or so?) jeez I've just got it running sweet and the plants are taking off - I'd hate to have to start over but I think I'd hate it even more if I woke to find it all over the floor!! advice would be welcome

Hi All, saw that comment about water direction and wanted to know how you would figure that out? I've inherited my old tank from my dad and he also gave me a Jebo (it has 3 levels of trays.. can't recall model #)... I cleaned it out last night and wondered if I had the 'optimal' ordering of materials... Top tray has filter wool (this had a few noodles in it to begin with) Second tray had two flat layers of wool with some noodles sandwiched in between them. Bottom tray is divided with 2/3's for a large sponge and 1/3 at one end for more noodles. I was wondering if I should get some more noodles for it as there seems to be space but wanted to check with some experts first!! Any chance of someone doing a photo sequence of cleaning and packing a cannister filter? or are their links to something like this? cheers guys

Hi Lady-lene, I've got the same problem with one of my corydoras... how did your treatment work out? I initially thought it might be related to the substrate but the other 5 corydoras are doing fine... I think I'll try the fungus treatment though. cheers, paekakboyz

I was under the impression that water changes (weekly - 20-30%) actually replenish trace elements that plants require?