Ianab

If you go with a cichlid tank, it's not restricting you to one species, it's just one type. There are lots of different cichlids that you can keep together, they are all as ornery as each other, so can co-exist happily. As for the gourami, I wouldn't go with the kissing gourami, they will get pretty big for your tank. A couple of the dwarf species might be better, and wont 'accidently' swallow any of your neons Also get a bristlenose pleco for the same reason, the common, goldspot and sailfins WILL grow big. Cheers Ian

One of these. 8) http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_Ctenopoma_acutirostre.php Cheers Ian

Depends what Cichlids. The African Rift Valley species love plants, and gets hours of entertainment by tearing them into small bits. :lol: Angelfish, rams and kribensis (and other more peaceful species) should be OK in a planted tank Cheers Ian

Yes, bogwood can alter the pH a little. The tannins that leach from the wood are acidic so will cause the pH to drop. It shouldn't be enough to cause any problems, and many fish prefer slightly acid water, ph 6-7. It can also stain the water brown or yellow, a bit like weak tea, again this wont harm the fish either. Water changes.. with the fish you have there now you probably need to do a partial water change every 6 months at least :lol: Seriously, I would just start whatever routine you are going to use use, 20% per fortnight is probably sensible. Then check your water, especially the Nitrate level after a few months. If it's creeping up, do more water changes, if it's still low, you can ease off (or get a couple more fish ) Cheers Ian

Yes.. but that will pretty much limit your choice of fish to other Rift Lake cichlids. They will eat most other community fish, and prefer different water conditions. No problem if you do decide to go that way, but it is one or the other. You dont HAVE to plant your tank, I dont have plants in mine because I have big blundering plecos that would eat or bulldoze them. Cheers Ian

Plastic ones? :lol: Seriously, I think they will destroy almost anything else. Cheers Ian

Yup.. the plecos will live happily with practicaly anything (within reason) and wont bother the smaller fish. Just be aware how BIG some of the plecos get. They are still OK with small fish, but can outgrow your tank quickly. Cheers Ian

Depends what species of pleco you have too. Tsarmina's looks like a gibbiceps?, they can grow to 40cm or so eventually. There are also albino bristlenose plecos around too, they stay pretty small, 10cm or so. There may be albino strains of other pleocs out there, but those are the ones I've seen. Cheers Ian P.S. Nice pleco Tsarmina

Make a longer inlet, and put lots of big holes in it, so many holes the pipe will fall apart if there are any more. Then cover that with the stocking. 8) If you are going with a fine mesh, then you want a lot of inlet area to keep the flow up. Cheers Ian

It says a 2 ft tank is OK for a pair, and they generally only grow to 3". Sounds reasonable. Cheers Ian

Largish tank, small fish, the ammonia level may be below what your test kit can measure. Thats a GOOD thing I would leave those fish in there for another week, if readings are still zero, then it's safe to add some more. Plan on taking 6 weeks to fully stock a new tank. Many people cycle their tank with fish, and if you take it slow then there shouldn't be any big ammonia spike and no dead fish. The problem comes about if you buy a new tank and drop 20 big fish in Sounds like you are doing things right. Cheers Ian

Sounds sensible. With the guppys, best to have 4 fem / 2 male or similar. The males hassle the females all the time, but if there is more females it's not a problem. Or else get all males, there will be baby guppys otherwise Cheers Ian

Umm.. I didn't say that :oops: But it might save the fry that you have in there already. If the eggs are sitting in rotting fish food, they are gonners anyway. Cheers Ian

I'd hit it with some BIG water changes, before the food starts to rot. If the water quality is good then it wont be much different from the tap water. A couple of 50% changes should help, and try and suck up as much of the food off the bottom as you can. Hmm.. I see you cant vacum because of the eggs and fry :-? That complicates life, because you basically have to get the food out before it starts to decay. Maybe drop a hungry bristlenose in there to do the hoovering? Cheers Ian

A fish trap.. remember those baitcatcher things the kids use off the wharf? You can make one from a small plastic bottle, put some food in and leave it overnight. Luckily pleocs aren't very smart, some are bound to swim in and not get out :lol: You might only catch a few each night, but at least you wont bust up the tank doing it. Cheers Ian

Fliway transport would probably get it to you safe, for a price. They normally carry computers and photocopiers, so they are used to fragile stuff. Normal freight or courier company.. umm... no way I'd ship a heavy fragile object with them. (I do some computer work with with some freight companies - I have seen their forklift drivers work :roll: ) Cheers Ian

Go easy on the meaty foods for plecos (well the common ones we have here in NZ anyway). They still need a mostly vege diet, plenty of bulk and some roughage. But SOME meaty food does them good. Mine get pleco tabs, fresh veges, some shrimp tablets and whatever else they can scavange that the other fish miss. Cheers Ian

Yeah.. whiteclouds will survive outside as long as things dont get too cold. I dont think they like the pond icing up, but anything short of that doesn't hurt. I'm sure someone will post how they have survived under ice of course A firend of mine had Whiteclouds in an old 2 ft fish tank beside his car shed for years. Water got changed when it rained and they got fed when bugs landed in the water :roll: They thrived there for years. Cheers Ian

One of those breeding nets is probably your best option. Just pop the fattest female guppy in there with some plants or java moss and wait. When you see fry in the net, move the mother back to the main tank. Keep the fry in the net and feed them really fine crushed flakes until they are big enough that the Krib cant swallow them, then you can let them go in the main tank. Having another tank or 2 (or more) just makes things easier Temp - I agree, 25C is what I would aim for for those species. Cheers Ian

Welcome to the joys of keeping plecos :lol:

yup.. the numbers written on those heaters doesn't bear much relationship to what temp they actually maintain. This also depends on the angle they are mounted at and how much water flow they are in. Best is to get a good thermometer and adjust acording to what that says. Set the heater by it's own guide to start with and leave it a day. Check it with the good thermometer and adjust it up or down a click or 2 as needed. Ignore the numbers on the heater. That way you get it right for your heater, your tank and your filter flow. The better Jager heaters have the same issues, but at least you can recalibrate the dial on them so they read right. Cheers Ian

The cycling of a new tank is a bit of a chicken and egg thing. It wont cycle untill there is some bioload in there (animals) that produce ammonia. The bacteria you need in the filter wont multiply without this as 'food'. So the simplest way is to just add a couple of fish at first. They will start eating and pooping, giving the filter bacteria some food. The most important thing is to take it slow, when you first start there are basically no bacteria, so the ammonia can build up fast and kill the fish. With just a couple of fish the ammonia shouldn't increase too fast before the bacteria in the filter multiply and begin to process it properly. Adding some media from an established filter acts as a 'seed' for your filter and speeds up the process. So now your tank is set up.. get some fish.. but only a couple. After they settle in for a few weeks, add a couple more. After a month or so the tank should be cycled and have a full population of fish. Having a test kit is good because you can monitor whats going on, but if you dont have one, just take it slow. Cheers Ian

Rent a van... you should go and visit your Mum occasionaly anyway :lol: Seriously it will probably work out cheaper than trying to find a transport company that is either willing to take it, or able to get it there in one piece, for a sensible price. Cheers Ian

Yes.. most of the common affordable fish a 'farm' bred ones. Some of the exotic expensive ones are still wild caught, but if you stick to the 'common' fish it's almost certain they are captive bred. As a side track, I believe that some species (like Red tail black sharks) are actually extinct in the wild because of environment loss and pollution etc. Good thing someone caught a few and introduced them to the aquaruim world first. OK, so most of the breeding population live in fish ponds in SE Asia, but it beats being extinct Cheers Ian

Unless the extra filter is already cycled it wont do any good. Extra water changes will make up for a lot of faults though Dont feed too heavily and there will be less load on the filter. Good luck Ian