Naz_Nomad

Actually, that sounds like two males to me. Bolivian Rams are forever squabbling to decide who's boss male in the tank. Of course, two minutes later and they forget who it was and start over. Females are the ones that don't join in the little spats.

I think Ryan was saying that the water chemistry probably won't have changed so it is safe for you to continue with your regular water maintenance schedule, rather than any major emergency changes, once the faulty heater and any debris from its explosive episode is removed. Make sure the faulty heater is unplugged from the mains before dipping your hand in the water.

Here's some advice... The paler green plant at the front right looks like Water Wisteria. I would move it to a back corner. It grows very fast and very bushy and will block your view on its way to total tank domination. I like the plant, but it is a fast grower and needs trimming back regularly before it takes over. Nice tank though, well done.

I do exactly the same, the water parameters of my three tanks are all virtually identical. Into a net, run like mad and chuck them in. Never lost a single fish yet. New fish, or fish from a tank I don't know the water parameters of get acclimatised as described already.

Pedantic

I don't see any problem with bringing those two foot tanks to Auckland with you to sell. One at least... How much?

But then chocolate is also poisonous to humans but we have to eat close to our body weight to get the full effects.

Anything not naturally found in the water is a chemical. And bleach and pH buffer aren't chemicals? I say leave the tank another week and see if the problems clear up with more cycling time and good size water changes. Cloudy water is usually caused by bacterial blooms and it usually clears in time anyway. Alternatively, run a UV filter for a day or three, though you shouldn't really when using TLC to cycle. I believe the instructions say turn off UV filtration for three days or something?

Ontario

Isn't TLC just another version of Cycle and other bacteria-adding products? If so it can't be bad, and Brent doesn't often recommend junk. It'll help speed up the cycling process to bring your filter up to scratch. It may cause cloudiness for a short while as the bacteria blooms and may make the tank smell a little for a few days, but don't worry. Good news is you can't overdose on those bacteria-related products unless they have added chemical extras.

Thats exactly what mine looked like. (Of course, it couldn't have been eggs since his name is Russell.) He's back in fighting trim again now. I just left him, let him get on with his fishy business and he seemed to thrive after a period of extreme lethargy. At the time I didn't have an isolation tank for him and he hid himself away 90% of the time. Good luck with yours, and I hope it's female and has eggs and your guys get interested. I believe these are one fish which doesn't breed in captivity.

http://www.aquatic-hobbyist.com/profile ... /bram.html http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_Boli ... inosus.php http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/cichlid/bolivianram.php http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/p ... cle_id=350 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikrogeoph ... tispinosus Hope that helps. I didn't read them just did a quick Google.

Cereal

And take the carbon out of your filter and replace it with some nice white sponge. It won't help your problem, but in the long run carbon in filters can cause more problems than it helps. If you need to add meds to your tank, the carbon will also filter them out a lot quicker. In fact thats the only use it has - removing chemicals.

SpidersWeb Edit:Completely inappropriate for a public forum. Keep this sort of talk away from this messageboard entirely. Thanks.

That description is exactly like my Bolivian Rams. They are fine in a community tank, though males may have little spats occasionally but nothing serious. They aren't very competitive for food, at least my two aren't. I feed them the usual flake food, some of which they get. They love shrimp pellets, as do all cichlids. Also try spirulina disks occasionally to give them a change. There are foods around called Cichlid Pellets, floaters and sinkers are available. I tend not to bother - a lot of expence for no visible gain as all my cichlids are healthy and happy on normal food.

Get more Cory's, they're happier in larger groups. 4 or more is good for them. Then get some Keyhole Cichlids. Great fish. I would suggest something energetic, colourful and small that shoals. Harlequin Rasboras are great fun - they race around the tank all day and look great in a group of ten or more. Then go get more Keyhole Cichlids. And more..... Keyholes.

I have just set up a tank which will be for Bolivian Rams only. Hopefully they'll get it on!

Check your PM's Oscarboy - I have sent you two Trademe links. HTH.

According to this site, they grow to about 8 inches. http://www.scotcat.com/loricariidae/spa ... otegre.htm According to the bloke trying to sell them on Trademe, they grow to 11cm which is more like 6 inches.

Welcome, and don't be afraid to ask stuff. Oh, and you're not the only ex-pat here either :lol:

To clarify... And...

Oh yeah, says Mrs Five-stars!!

That'll be because you don't have a filter, you have an air pump. There's a big difference. Go and buy a decent filter for your fish. Please?

Go Black. Blue is ok but needs to be dark to work well. Avoid patterns/plant scenes etc. Just my opinion.