Ianab

Depends what the wood is and how dry it is when you get it. Some wood is so dense it just will never float, some of the Aussie Eucalypts are denser than water - when they are DRY. Others will take months to become waterlogged. :-? Cheers Ian

Skunk loaches have a reputation for be rather nasty, not really a community species. Take it back. If you want loaches then look for Zebra, Yoyo or dwarf Chain loachs. Get several of them, one by itself will usually sulk. Clown loaches are great too, but they can eventually grow to 30cm long, ( but that takes YEARS) Cheers Ian

Dont worry too much.. it's unlikely that there is some strange fish plague living under a rock in your garden Fish tanks are NOT sterile environments, the bacteria, algae, diatoms, and who knows what else that live in your tank will soon take over the rock and set up their own little biotopes there anyway, inspite of any terrestrial bug that may already be there or any cleaningyou do first. Cheers Ian

Because the wet/dry system trickles the water over the filter media you get the best mix of water/media/bacteria/oxygen and so therefore you get the best possible biological filtering action. Normal submerged filtering works fine of course, but a wet/dry just takes things to the next level. Cheers Ian

Hehe That is actually the BEST filter system you could use, and perfectly practical for that size tank. If you have some DIY skilz and an old 80 litre tank it is probably even the cheapest option. Ehiem cannisters are without a doubt the best out of box option, but they are pricey. The AquaOne and similar are the best value for money, but I would consider running several filters if I was setting up a big tank with cheap filters. That way if one does fail the other one keeps your fish alive while you fix / replace it. Heck, you could run a small cannister, a big HOB and a reverse flow undergravel, still be cheaper then an Ehiem and have 2 backup systems Cheers Ian P.S. End of the day Ron is right. If you put in any sensible filter, stock your tank sensibly and keep up the water changes it will be fine 8)

Yup, a courgette is just a type of baby marrow. If you dont pick them in time, a couple of days later they have actually grown into a marrow :lol: Not a problem, plecos like marrow too, and there is much more to go around 8) Yup, it's only albino if it has red eyes, a total lack of pigment. The gold plecos with normal black eyes are called amelanistic. They just lack the dark skin colour, but aren't actually albino. http://mikesaquatics.co.nz/shopcontent.asp?type=L144 Has a good write-up and some pics that show the difference. Cheers Ian

Seems to do a good job in the smaller sized tanks like that. Although the flow rate is lower than the similar sized AquaOnes I have, the sponge media is much bigger so it's a more efficient filter. Not sure about upgrading the media, mine just has the standard sponge in it. Cheers Ian

Better to get 6 of one species rather than one or 2 of each. They will live together fine, but they do better in a group of their own species. No reason you cant keep several groups of 5 or so of those smaller species in that size tank. Cheers Ian

Blue Rams should be a good option. A few more Sailfins, if you have one you may as well have a handfull Then I would get some Cory catfish and/or loaches to hang around the bottom with the little pleco. You could get some clown loaches, they eventually grow BIG, but it will take many years for them to outgrow that size tank. I have some Zebra loaches, just as much fun, but in a smaller package. Only grow to 10cm. If you get corys or loaches, get a bunch of them, 4+. They will be much happier and you will see them around the tank a lot more. Cheers Ian

You are going to dose at 5 parts per THOUSAND Parts per million is 1,000 times less Thats would be 0.6ml of PURE ammonia, so you are back into the drops range of measurements. Cheers Ian

It is a little less convenient :-? Water changes are no real problem. Most of the panel above the tank is just held in place with magnets and can be pulled right off. That gives plenty of space to get an arm and gravel vac into the tank and work. Likewise the internal filter can be removed easy enough. Main hassle is having to syphon the fresh water INTO the tank instead of just pouring from the bucket like normal. But the tank isn't that bag, so it only get one bucket changed per week There is an internal shelf at the back above the tank that holds the air pump and multibox etc. So they can all be got at easily, and the lights are mounted on the inside of the cabinet. I've just used some compact flouro lights, the tank isn't planted and the plecos prefer the lower light levels. Main thing if you are building a stand like that is to make sure you have some space to work above the tank and keep the lower tank smaller (or at least shallower) Cheers Ian

No Worries. Your pleco is a Goldspot L001. The squigly markings are very distinctive. http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/species.php?species_id=177 I have 3 about that size, but I believe they max out about 30cm long, not quite as big as some of the others. If you are handy with the construction stuff you might be able to build a 2 level tank stand? A smaller tank can be set in the lower part and still leave room for the filters etc. This is one of my stands. It has a 90x30x30 cm tank in the base and will support a bigger 90cm tank on top as well. It could have been designed with space for a cannister filter behind the lower tank and an access door at the end. But I dont have a cannister filter at the moment Cheers Ian

Nice looking tank and fish I agree with Ryan, you are going to want a bigger tank. Your pleco is probably one of the Pterygoplichthys species, they seem to be the most common ones sold here in NZ (apart for the Bristlenose, which dont grow to 20cm anyway) All of them can reach over 30cm, and Gibbys 45cm. I would go bigger than the 90cm tank if you intend to keep the Pleco, mine are in a 120cm tank now, but they will outgrow that soon enough :-? That will give you space for a bunch of clown loaches too, if you think One is fun, imagine what 6 is like. A whole Circus 8) Both the pleco and the clowns are long lived fish, expect the pleco to live 15+ years, and clowns have been recorded at 50 years old ! They grow slowly, maybe 2 or 3 cm per year, but they live a LONG time So it's worth it to set them up in a big tank. 8) Ohh.. and get an EXTRA tank, not a replacement Cheers Ian

Yes thats true, and you can actually keep White Clouds in a 15l tank with a bit of normal care. I used to breed them in a 18l tank But Panz wants gold and/or black fish, and if thats the case it would really be best go tropical where there are several good choices for a sensible sized tank Cheers Ian

Another Gold fish thats more suitable for smaller tanks. The GOLD barb http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_barb Again it's a tropical species, but they are common, dont grow big and you could keep them with swordtails and platys too. The reason folks are trying to steer you away from goldfish is that they grow BIG. Those little Comets can be 8" long in a couple of years. Well they wont be if they are kept in a bowl.. they will be dead No reason you cant keep goldfish in a tank, but it takes a LOT bigger tank than most beginners are prepared to invest in. Think 200l +. Cheers Ian

Leporinus I think ? http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile1.html Ian

Bettas are fine in smaller tanks,(well bigger than an Ipond anyway) as long as you treat it like a normal tank. Have some sort of filter, an undergravel works fine. Do normal water changes and gravel vac, drop in a few plants, no problems. The stocking rate is no different to putting 10 x 5cm fish in a 120l tank and Bettas aren't a fast swimming schooling fish thats needs space to swim. They seem quite happy putzing about in some floating weeds in a small but well maintained tank. Cheers Ian

Like Wok says, take SOME of the biomedia from the existing filters and swap it with the new filters. Dont take too much or your old filter will have to re-cycle. If you then set up the new tank and filter using some existing media it will be safe for a few fish right away. It wont be fully cycled, but it will have a working filter from day one. Then build up the fish numbers over a few weeks as the bacteria multiply. Swap the media over when you add the first fish though. If you leave the cycled media in a empty tank the bacteria will slowly die off and you will be back to square one. Hanging the media in the tank will have done some good, but the biomedia really needs good strong water flow over it to grow a decent amount of bacteria. Cheers Ian

Feed them small amounts, but often. 3-5 times per day is OK, but only TINY amounts of good flake food ground up REAL fine. If you want the best then hatch them out some baby brine shrimps and feed that as well. Once they grow a bit you can increase the amount fed each time, just make sure they clean it all up each feed. Cheers Ian

Yeah.. those annoying chimes when it starts up :roll: I think you can turn the other beeps and blips off. But with the 15x zoom and image stabiliser you dont have to sneak up, just take closeup shots for 20m away 8) Ian

I dont think the Albino ones grow as big or fast as the normal ones. Also if they have been kept in a normal community tank they dont usually get enough food to grow at their max rate. I was given a normal Gibby thats at least 4 years old and was only 15cm. That was 6 months ago though, and it's 20cm now so it's still growing. Cheers Ian

Looks like an albino gibbiceps to me. There is a pic of a very similar one here.. and a full grown one. Hope you have a big tank http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/species.php?species_id=148 The big dorsal fin with more than 12 rays means it's a Pterygoplichthys species for sure. Cheers Ian

Yup.. thats 2 more times than I boil mine :lol:

No, it comes with it's own rechargable battery and charger. The batteries are smaller and lighter than normal AAs, but they do cost more if you want a spare and you cant just drop a set of Alkalines in if you run flat. The H7 has 30mb memory built in, but thats not very much with an 8mp camera. Still means you can take a few pictures if you left the card at home. :oops: I think the Fuji only has one card slot, but will take two different types of card in that slot. SD or MMC. Either way you have to budget on getting an extra memory card unless the retailer bundles a decent one with the camera. Cheers Ian

Sony DSC-H7. http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&productId=20005009&langId=-1 Thats the US price on that page though, it's around $600 in NZ Like Elmo says there is also an H3 model which is similar but a smaller lens. ( and price I assume) That Fuji is a good camera too. Cheers Ian