blueit7

I got two turtles :bounce: They're pretty cute. Very tiny though. Seem to be happy enough. Still adjusting to their new tank so dive into the water anytime they see movement. Eating well. I've wasted many an hour sitting watching them :oops:

I seem to collect male betta fish. I can't stand seeing them stuck in little containers or bags so I have to buy them and bring them home :lol: My question is, I have no females and am not set up to breed these fish. Will my boys be happy never having girls to play with? They take turns at building bubble nests every now and then. They don't appear to be to concerned. They all have tank mates or various kinds. All community fish that are smaller than they are and that don't nip fins.

Nice one Ira You just never know, that line may work ............ :lol:

Please please please take the time to get your skin checked if you have moles. If you have one that has changed make an appointment NOW. I have just saved my own life by getting one of mine checked. Thank god it was in an area I could see and I noticed the change. It has turned out to be a malignant melanoma. If I had ignored this it would have killed me Prognosis is good. I have to have a further op on my arm to take more from the mole site to ensure they get it all. Doc tells me it will leave a decent scar but who cares I have to have checks every 6 months to make sure my lymph nodes and stuff are all good and he is going to check all my other moles very throughly. I have never had a skin check done by a doctor but because I was aware I saved myself. Needless to say I will be having them regularly now. Hopefully the areas I can't see will be all good. So please, please, please get yourselves checked.

Get some frogs. I catch all the files that come into my house and feed them to my frog. No need to use fly spray ever.

Thanks. Do I need a basking lamp as well as a reptile light? The light I have is the same as you would put on the top of a fish tank but it has a reptile bulb in it. The cuttlefish shell would provide calcium right?

Thanks Ian, that's what is worrying me. He has gone into a brand new tank so there is nothing at all on the glass. My tank broke so my fish were living in a turtle tank for ages until we got around to fixing it. I stripped it completely and put it back together. Everything that was in the turtle tank as gone into the new one so there was no worries about cycling etc. Water tests are all still fine but I wonder what on earth he is eating as I have never seen him spend time on the bottom. He is really big. Maybe he looks around on the bottom when I'm alseep but he still never eats what I put in.

He looks really healthy. I just read that once they get big, they need more than what is in the tank so I was worried but I guess if he was that hungry he would find what I have been offering. He's really good at doing big 360's while he's attached to the glass. Looks really cool. By the way, how do you tell the sex on these guys? He might be a she!

I'm thinking he's just not used to it so is not looking for it. I reckong once I get him going I'll be away.

I've already tried that and yes I stuck it to the bottom and also tried attaching a piece to an ornament.

I have inherited a large Pleco, just an ordinary brown one. He is about 20cms long. I don't think he has ever been feed anything other than cleaning the tank. I can't get him to eat anything, I don't think he is used to it. I have tried alge chips and cucumber and he doesn't go anywhere near them and I have to end up removing them because they go yucky. I'm worried he won't be getting enough to eat by sucking on the glass alone. There doesn't appear to be anything on the glass but he is pooping green stuff so he must be getting food from somewhere. He doesn't appear to spend anytime on the bottom. Does anybody have any ideas on how I get food to stick to the glass where he spends all his time? I have tried attaching food to the ornaments but he doesn't touch that either. Any sugestions or any other foods I can try?

Sorry just thought of one more thing, how long should I have my light on for during the day?

I will be getting two RES turtles soon and just wanted to make sure I have things right. The tank doesn't have to cycle but the PH is important? They will be fine with no stones and this will be easier to keep tank clean? The light needs to shine directly onto the basking area not through glass. (I have a reptile bulb) Does this mean I should take the splash guard off my light as well? Can you tell the sex when they are little? I would be really grateful if you experienced turtle owners could answer my questions. I want to make sure get it correct from the start. Thank you in advance

There is lots to learn isn't there How are you going to get your new tanks to cycle? Just keep in mind it may tank longer than 2 weeks for them to cycle. From what I have read it varies quite a lot.

You will cause a massive ammonia spike and possibly lose the lot. Best to only add 2 -3 at a time, let the tank settle and then add 2 or 3 more etc. Adding only one fish can casue a small spike.

Thank you very much. I have looked up pictures and that's him alright. Now I have a name I can find out more about him.

I'm not sure if this is the most appropriate place to post this query so mods please move if not so. Can somebody please tell me what type of catfish this is? Sorry for the poor quality of the photo. My camera sucks so I took it with my phone. He has spots on his head to behind his gills. From there to his tail he has stripes. He has these really distinctive orange/yellow stripes on the front of his pectoral fins. I keep saying he cos he looks like a boy :lol: He's a neat little dude. Very active. I got him from a friend who was getting rid of a heap of fish but she didn't know what kind he was. I can't find any pictures that look like him in my book or on the net.

That's all I've been thinking about for days!! And it's going to be at least another few weeks before I can even think about adding anything. I need to collect up a few more bits and peices, filter and heater, and get a lid made. So much for my bargin tank! :oops: I think I'll use a few of my guppies to get the tank to cycle. It will be a good month (cycle going to plan) before I can get my permanent fish in there. Hopefully I would have made up my mind by then! I do like the sound of the river idea as well...........

Sorry for the dumb question but polystyrene under a tank is used to take up any slack from an uneven surface and preventing any potential stress points right? Could I use one of those pads the have at the warehouse advertised as sleeping pads? They roll up and made from thin spongy stuff. Not very comfortable for sleeping by the looks! I was thinking this might be tider to use than poly. There are little fingers in our house that would love to pick at the poly under the tank! Currently I have nothing under any of my tanks but have just put my 120 litre back together and want to set it up properly. I'll be moving my other tanks around when I'm ready to fill the bigger one so nows my chance to put something under them. I have two aqua one tanks that have frames around them so the tank bottom doesn't sit on the stand. These don't need anything under them correct?

Thanks Foxglove. I'm using white vinegar and a razor blade and that is working. I'm having trouble getting rid of the last of the stains though. Loads of elbow grease required!

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I like the look of Kribs, but I'm still undeceided! Plenty of time yet. I'm still scrubbing away at the lime scale! :lol:

I have aquired my self another tank off TM (as you do!). It is only little, about 60 litres at a guess and long and narrow rather than a rectangle shape like normal. Totally covered in lime scale which I'm slowly getting off. It's a way off being ready for fish but I'm trying to deceide what I should put in it. I already have 5 tanks but would like something a bit different maybe? I've only had tanks for not quite a year so am still new to it so also need something not to difficult. I have most of the standard community fish already. I was thinking maybe chiclids? Not sure if the tank would be big enough though.

Thank you. My PH is quite low at 6 out of the tap. I used to try and bring it up but couldn't keep it stable so figured I was doing more harm than good. I don't have fish dieing for no apararent reason so all must be well. I just take a long time to acliamatise new fish as they are usually used to a bit higher.

Our water is rain water collected off our roof. Do I need to use water ager in my water before I add it to my tanks? Nothing is added to the water, it sits in a big tank and goes through a filter before coming out the tap. I've had a bit of a search on the net but can't really find an answer. :-?

I've got one of the teraiums that Wilson has got also. They are great. I did have a container with water in but found the plants kept drying out really quickly so I changed it by scooping the stones up to leave a bare spot and tipped water in there. Plants are growing like mad now and it looks heaps better. I've got madien hair ferns. I did have two frogs in there and even though they were tadpoles together so therefore the same age one grew much faster than the other. I heard a funny noise coming from the tank one day and the big frog was trying to eat the little frog! The little frog now lives in a plastic fish tank with the lid off and covered with mesh. I found leaving the lid on, even though it had vents, the air didn't circulate enough and the plants started growing mould. I feed mine moths in the winter when nothing else is around. I can always find these. What other food do frogs eat? My care sheet said pretty much anything that moves! What do you guys find they like best?