tinytawnykitten

Like what sort of large cichlid? Could I still have planted? I love planted and started out with a community tank, I just love cichlids too. Just a bit sick of Africans. Does that make me shallow? (Or racist?!)

I have been dissatisfied with my fish keeping for a long while now and I think it's time to change things. I have a beautiful high 4ft tank and have been keeping Africans for a good few years and this year I have lost quite a few. I feel stupid posting this in here cos it's like I've failed but I just think I'd like a change from Africans completely. Any suggestions for a roughly 400L 4ft tank? I love some of the sth American cichlids but not sure what I could keep. I don't want anything too technical or too time consuming as have 2 children and work full time from home. One of the things I like about my Africans is that you don't see them in pet stores - not much anyway. So I don't really want to go down the planted community route. Just a bit lost.

Yes it does get better. Particularly Season 4 which stars John Lithgow in great creepy role.

I found the first two seasons of the US 'The Killing' dragged but the 3rd season is really exciting. And did anyone watch the first episode of the 8th season of Dexter yet? I watched it tonight and it looks like it is going to be a great season, hopefully better than the last two.

Yes it's just perched there while I figure out where to put it! I'll fiddle around with it tomorrow. When I put the 3D background in and moved the rocks around (the only new thing that went in at the time was the background) and I did a big water change, everything was dandy, and then the following day I had 3 big electric yellows dead, and another one 2 days later. All the other fish are fine as far as I can tell. This was Wednesday and I've since done two 30% water changes. The fish that died were all from one person a couple of months ago and they were pretty old. The other electric yellows I've had for ages are fine. Would it be naïve think that maybe those yellows were all old and more susceptible to a problem water conditions? The dead fish looked fine, no marks or anything. I've not tested the water but will try to find time tomorrow. I've small children so it can be a challenge.

Here ya go :bggrn: I reckon I need to move the big piece of driftwood but I am not sure where. I really like its shape.

Ok so I have changed back to my shell rocks, put in a new background which is dark, but I like it anyway. At the moment I have switched off the blue tube in the light and just have one white one at the moment and 3 more on the way. I think it looks better but still needs work...

Mrs Brown's Boys is Irish not British. Very different places. I hated Mrs Brown's Boys to start with but it is growing on me. I don't think it really suits a kiwi audience as there are so many Irish 'in jokes' that people who've not lived in Ireland wouldn't get.

I don't think I've heard anyone say that before! Usually it's the other way (ie. like English, rather than American)!

Caryl I have emailed you and the other people who PMd me :-)

Caryl I have SOOOO many books which are epub and compatible with your Sony ereader. If you want me to send you a list pm me your email address. I can email books to you as they are small files.

We are meant to be going to Queenstown for 4 days tomorrow. Bought the tickets on Air NZ dollars and been looking forward to it for months! Starting to worry about the weather though - I am supposing that if Queenstown gets a lot of snow the airport will close :-(

Caryl what sort of e-reader do you have?

Oh yeah Dexter is back soon eh! And I just remembered La Guerta goneburger! Is anyone watching Veep? I am really liking that. Dying to hear what people who watched it thought of the final series of Arrested Development? I thought it was 30% good and 70% dreadful!

Well I have ended up buying the granite Juwel ones because a friend of mine can get them at wholesale price so that made the decision easy. I will post pictures once they are installed and then you can all say 'yay they look great' or 'I told you so' :bggrn:

I know but I still think it will look a million times better, even covered in algae!

Yes it will cover the entire back wall. I am not sure whether it is possible to conceal the heater etc behind it or not, but I am not too worried about that. I just hate the flat glass, algae covered, backing paper look, so anything is an improvement.

I know I won't be able to build one. Not because I'm not capable, but because I don't have a garage or a workspace I could use, I have a small house, two young children and I work full-time. Never gonna happen!

No pet stores in Wellington have them in stock and non of them are willing to order them just to 'look at'. Surprisingly Animates have the cheapest price by a long way! But I have just found out that a friend is a member of Cherry Tree Shopping Club and they sell them for $60 (compared to the most expensive I found - The Pet Centre - $142!). Thanks for that info! Also, I think I will need 3 unfortunately! My tank is 126cm wide. Sigh. Thanks Ryan! I think I will go with the darker one as I think either way I am going to have to get them sight unseen and I am really unsure what the colour of the lighter one will look like, plus it will show algae growth a lot more obviously.

Wow looks awesome, very inspiring. Am leaning towards the Canyon Rock myself now but unsure about all the fiddly behind the scenes bits! How much depth (back to front) of your tank does it take up?

I have decided to install a 3D background in my 4ft Malawi tank. After looking online at the Juwel ones, the Aquaterra ones from Malta and the instructions for making my own one (which is just never going to happen) and I think I will buy the Juwel one. I will need 3 of them, but I don't know which will look best and none of the pet stores in Wellington will order them without me committing to buy them so I can't see them first. Here is a rough photo of my tank... http://www.flickr.com/photos/49407964@N00/9029352653/ I am choosing between this one http://www.juwel-aquarium.de/en/Product ... pboul2q242 and this one http://www.juwel-aquarium.de/en/Product ... 9spdlk14h4 My substrate is closer in colour to the dark one and I assume it wont show algae as much, but my rocks are closer in colour to the lighter background. My tropheus duboisi would probably disappear altogether into the background if I get the darker one. AS you can see I am confused!

There are seven short episodes in the collection and they are just great!

Let me know if this has already been linked on here a million times but I only discovered it today so I thought I would share...http://vimeo.com/channels/451938

And Veep!

I am pretty excited today about the release of the new season of Arrested Development! Other than that, yes pumped about the return of the last half of Breaking Bad in August! And I watch (when bought from the 'special shop' on the computer) Dexter, American Horror Story, Homeland and Walking Dead.