cpk

Well okay thanks I guess you learn by your mistakes

Hi guys can you create an album on this forum of pics of your fish etc

Yo Yo Mo :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

Welcome have lots of fun good people here :bounce:

Oh I also have an ar 620 planted convict and jewel And yes I know this could be a problem but it is more of a social experiment and I monitor them carefully and all is well I think they actually enjoy eachothers company strangely enough!, an ar 380 Kribs 1 male 3 females :bounce:

To those that asked i have posted my tank details on the thread "READ THIS"so thanks everone

Absolutely the best hellos LOL :lol: I at the moment have a 230 lt tank community,Bolivian Butterfly Rams 4,red tail 1,keyhole cichilids 2,Geophagus surinamensas (hope that spelling is correct) 1,panda corys 2,19 cardinals, the tank runs a fluval 405 and is well planted in 70 % of tank.

I agree turn off at mains then flush out sediment if any by running your taps.have you ever thought of using an inline filter like a high quality microlene hooked onto a hose to remove chems in water and any heavy metals?I have been diong this for a long time now and do not have to use any aftermarket product to remove chlorine heavy metals chloramines etc and water quality is awesome makes for real safe water replenishment IMO

Hi I am also concerned about your cleaning?I understand about how hard it is when you get a tank and fish to continually tinker and clean and play but you must resist that temptation in those early stages and six weeks is very early! tank cycling is important and overcleaning is wrong IMO . Gravel suck after establishment only patially and not entire tank in one go.as everone else has stated and I fully agree water changes are your best friend.I never clean off ornaments and try not to disturb a good thing and take action when and only if there is an apparent problem.Fish get stressed in a constantly changing environment.this can affect their wellbeing but after all theese are only my opinions and I wish you the best of luck.Beware of advice and also products that your lfs and research before using them lfs shop has steered me wrong in the past on more than one occasion but on the other hand they can assist you if you strike the right person :bounce:

Happy to be part of this Forum and big Fish lovin family send me a big hello

Hi olly you should listen to the cabintmaker he will know his stuff.Absolutely no offence intended here but why reinvent the wheel

The two filter idea is good advice IMO.I run only a fluval 405 on 230lt with a reasonable stock of fish.I have bio rings in first three compartments and a quality thick filter wool in the last for removal of fine particles.they are real versatile and you can experiment with media :bounce:

Alloy Hood ? mine is all plastic how old is yours ? I wonder if they changed the construction very interesting :-?

I know people with Jebo they are more than happy.I have had multipl AR tanks they IME grew plants easily and were a quality finish.I own an AR 620 AR 380 and SUN SUN 230lt :bounce:

I have a 230 lt.It is good but I use a Fluval 405 external.There are some points that make them cheaper,the glass quality is not as good as AR Cause AR use quality floated glass,build quality of cabinet is acceptable but IMO AR build quality is better,the lid fit and rear lid hinge arrangement is ok but could be better and some of the silicone finishing could have been better concealed.But i got one and dont get me wrong they are excellent value for money!! thats why i bought it.I would if I had more cash to spend at the time bought an AR and will do so in a couple of years at the moment it is more than adequate. hope this helps

I have been told that filter sand is the way to go like the stuff pool filters use will not affect water quality (ph etc)so I suppose pool shop maybe ?

I have had many AR tanks.from original setup they are bio noodles last then the black sponge then the carbon cartridge with a filter pad in built on top.IMO they have always worked flawlessly although i found putting a second piece of very thin filter wool again on top of original cartridge extended the life of the AR cartridge dramatically as you just replace this more often as it gets clogged and becomes less expensive.I know that carbon really is not necessary but the cartridge comes complete and are relatively cheap

Yes take a sample to LFS you should not really have any detectable ammonia

Now thats an awesome tip on where to get poly from sweet . Starfish did you cycle the new tank before putting the Fish in?

This is very odd possibly look at a different supplier?and as mentioned look at everything in the tank for something that could be altering the water chemistry something that is not detectable with normal test kits,possibly check the temp between the shop tank and yours.also loaches are as I am aware very sensitive to some meds due to the fact they do not have the same external makeup as your tetras etc they do not have scales .keep us informed I am very interested in how you get on. best of luck dont give up. 8)

Yes they do sleep like this my friend has quite a few and we were discussing this yesterday

Hi I know that filter sand is excellent and of high quality and will not alter your ph try pool shop oh and hi to everyone this is my first visit but have had tropical freshwater on and off over the years