ally07

Even though the test kits show acceptable levels, it's always good to maintain a regular water change regime. Don't wait for something to go wrong before you fix it. High nitrate levels have been proven to stunt fish growth, so unless you have lots of plants getting rid of the nitrate, it's not good to have it building up in the water. Also, remember that aquariums are CLOSED ENVIRONMENTS. In the wild, fish swim in waters that are constantly being changed due to water movement or rainfall. In an aquarium, it's the same water being circulated until you replace it. Think about it this way: if you sat in your car with the doors/ windows closed, you would have enough oxygen to survive for a while before you have to let in more fresh air. Just because you CAN survive does not mean that you will THRIVE on that stale, recycled air. On a final note, fish are very adaptable. If you ignore your water changes, fish CAN adapt to bad water conditions without dying, as long as the change is gradual. When you finally get around to doing it, you figure that you should make up for lost time and do a BIG water change - that's what's likely to kill your fish. Even though you're adding fresh water, the sudden changes in parameters will send your fish into shock and make them more susceptible to sickness/ death. Just remember that we should always strive to give our pets the best possible conditions rather than simply letting their well-being be dictated by our schedules.

Umm.. You're aware that your filtration will be 6x stronger than you need it to be right? lol.. Why don't you just buy a small wave maker? I recently bought a Sunsun 6000L/hr twin head and it creates quite a bit of current in my 750L tank, so it might be something to consider..

I don't know what could have startled it though. It was not a case of me turning on the lights and it getting a fright, because it was a good 10 min after I turned on the room lights. I wasn't even looking at it haha! Just flipped out. :nilly: I live in West Auckland but I doubt if it was the quake lol, the time difference was about 3 hours post-quake.

Came home tonight, tried to feed some mealworms to the aro, which he didn't take.. Surprising because he has NEVER refused mealworms, but he did have quite a large feed last night, so he might be fasting it off tonight. Then he did this MASSIVE freak out. Thrashing around for about 5 seconds, I think he was trying to jump ship, but in that short time, he managed to get water all down the front of the glass and the floor (2m splash zone). The only gap was a thin feeding gap which is about 50cm long and 2cm wide. He also managed to injure himself - the first scale directly behind the head is now DANGLING by a thread. :facepalm: I am so tempted to just reach in and rip it off for him because I can see that the scale is digging into the wound when he swims, but I think it's probably best for it to drop on its own overnight. I don't think I should disturb him in his violent mood lol. Any ideas why this might have happened? He has done freak outs before and lost 2 scales on 2 separate instances, but I can't think of what triggered this round. I don't think it is related to his fasting, but then again, I can't be sure. My poor little stressed out aro! :nilly:

Pain

David, the thing about WRITING on a public forum is that unless there's a server crash, chances are by Xmas someone will dig up this thread to rub your nose in it lol! Plans are plans, but MTS is a horribly unpredictable mistress.. :spop:

lol! It's like beer goggles.. Don't see the point of faking it like that. At the end of the day, everybody knows it's just an optical illusion.

lol.. Too lazy to move anymore.. :cofn:

Hey Henward, quick question: do your really big bichirs come out to swim anymore? At the moment my ornate is quite active, but I can't imagine him swimming around like this once he gets really big.. ??

:lol: the aro in the video is not a pearl.. It's a platinum white crossback - I don't even want to IMAGINE the price tag haha.

!drool: Anybody want to go halfsies? :lol:

DAVIDDD!!! Why did you have to fall off the wagon?! Now you're tempting ME to fall off too lol! :facepalm: I have been resisting the palmas since they came in, but I swore to my fiance with a blood pact that I would not buy any more fish at least till next year lol! :tears: They're sooo cute!! :love: (sigh.) They are the only piece missing from my collection: ornate, del, senegalus. I feel the walls closing in on me.. The temptation grows ever stronger.. If you guys don't see me posting anymore, it's safe to say that I bought the palmas. Probably would be a good idea to file a missing persons report too..

Jerry

Stumbled onto an old post on Arofanatics and saw the most horrible thing. This silver was kept by an old man (the member's father in law) in a 2ft tank. Somehow the silver managed to grow to an estimated length of 60cm (2ft)!! This is really proof that fish don't "grow to the size of their tanks".. Biggest aquarium myth ever! The fish looks so sad! :tears:

Dinosaur

Firstly, inhumane and disgusting. Secondly, it's like being actively passive-aggressive lol. She's got a problem with the employer but doesn't do anything about it, instead kills all his fish. Sheesh, some people! :roll:

lol, if you liked that one, there are pages and pages more like it in the Singaporean Penal Code haha.. Draconian in some aspects, but nice to know that they do care about animals.. &c:ry

Usu

Teeth

lol, I wish I had space for such a large cleanup crew! On another note, I just read something on Facebook. Some disgruntled house maid in Singapore poured CHLOROX into the employer's ARO COMM TANK. Looks like there were about 10+ fish inside, I think I spotted some RTGs, but can't be sure. Sickening. :sick: :an!gry http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150209484853155.309767.262947298154 You should be able to view the album because it's linked through SPCA Singapore's Facebook page.

My ornate isn't big enough to eat the chunks of prawn yet.. :facepalm: But eventually he will! I'm also growing out an albino and a delhezi in my sump till they are big enough to not be eaten/ to fight for their own share of food. Still tempted by the palmas, but really can't afford anymore fish at the moment lol..

Ohh man, now I think the case really is genetic lol! But does that mean that Koji just picked all the right silvers?? With the sinking food, even though some of them he completely misses because it's out of his vision, some of them he blatantly ignores. For instance, if I drop a piece of shrimp and he's too far away to get it quickly enough, he will pursue until it hits the ground. He knows it hit the ground, he saw it, but he won't touch it after that. This is where I curse and grumble and roll up my sleeves and retrieve the prawn before it starts rotting. :an!gry I think my green is a prima donna. :roll:

:tears: Don't I earn a little bit back for honesty? :sml2:

Legend! How is that guy NOT doing a constant wheelie??

lol, it amuses me how you can go from to A true scientific mind at work! :smln: :lol: