BikBok

if you don't have an ammonia test kit then I would be going ahead with extra water changes anyway to be on the safe side. Get a kit when you can because its the best way to know if the tank has cycled or still cycling. You can also add some salt because if the tank has to cycle over again it may get high nitrite readings and the salt will help protect the fish from that. Guppies tolerate salt well, not sure about albino cats so check that out first but I add salt to my tank that has plecos , oto cats, kuhli loaches and a rainbow shark.

were you able to use the same media from the filter before it got dried out or left too long without oxygen? Your tank should bounce back soon if you were able to use any viable media at all. Last year my filter intake got blocked (due to a fish taking a dislike to a new fish and in the process of chasing it all night it disturbed lots of plants which clogged up the intake!) .. anyway, by the time I realised my filter media was not getting water flow, I already had low ammonia levels.. My tank had to recycle with a full bioload - it literally took months before I got zero reading again but the readings never actually got to high toxic levels so I'm not sure of it was a full recycle .. or lots of mini cycles that i was prolonging with frequent water changes. Out of frustration I bought some JBL filter start and my tank soon after came right. People have differing opinions on filter bacteria additives but I've always used JBL filter start with good results when starting up a tank and when salvaging a crashed tank.

ok, thanks guys - i won't waste my money on it

Hi, I've had my 160 L tank set up for around 4 years now and always seem to be scraping the green spot algae from the glass.. it makes my tank maintenance more a chore than it should be! you can see it on the glass in the photo but it's worse on the back glass which is harder to get to because its a hooded tank. my water is otherwise clear and I don't actually have a greenwater problem. The tank does not get any direct sunlight , and the lights are only on from late afternoon till evening. I know about avoiding algae by not overfeeding and keeping up the water changes but it's an ongoing battle. Would a UV sterilser help with general alage that grows on glass and ornaments and plants or is it really only good for green water? Was also thinking about excel flourish, however I only have mostly slow growing java fern , quite a bit of it though., a little windelov, and a single indian fern which is tall and spindly and ugly - not growing nice and bushy. if a UV sterilser/purifer would help, then the model I was thinking of is a 9W Blue Planet Uview purifer. Do these need to go all the time as I wouldn't want to starve my butterfly pleco though he does get courgettes. Any ideas how long a bulb lasts? I've had otos but they don't seem to touch the green spot algae.

hi and welcome what tanks do you have currently? Bettas are fun though I never have much luck in keeping them for longer than 1-2 years. . I had mine in a 21L hexy set to slow flow. But I've had female bettas in a bigger community tank and they do just fine, they have a real personality of their own and will flare too.

dexter - finished watching . I would seriously like to rewrite the ending ! have already added additional details in my minds eye !!

sorry , didn't think it was a spoiler as she was introduced very early (epsidode 1 in fact) and nothing more was said about her role. but apologies.

thats a good idea Caryl I got my rods from a friend but knitting needle would work really well too!

Blacklist starts tonight and Hawaii 5-0 returns Does anyone know why Hawaaii 5-0 is starting with episode 3 of season 3?

here's how I do it.. please turn your anti algae vision sight on.

bumping this up so hopefully you can get an answer. I have no idea what you can use for a planted tank as I've only ever just used plain gravel in my ordinary community tank and left the fish wastes to do the plant feeding. I'd be cautious about using garden potting mix but I know nothing about it so experts please help Spartica

thanks, I'll just keep on doing what I'm doing then. The ss rod works great.

does courgette need to be boiled to feed ? I just buy a small one, slice it into quarters and freeze without pre boiling. Then I defrost in microwave before feeding. A little stainless steel rod sinks it.

FIREFLY - we have the boxset of firefly also and watch it through once a year haha and can repeat most of the dialogue. DEXTER - snap, just started watching final season., I've heard bad reviews on this season , people saying it has a disappointing ending. but we shall see. Not too bad so far, the introduction of the psychologist psychopath expert is interesting. Elementary - woo-hoo starts tomorrow

im curious, did your brother do water changes , filter maintenance while in his care.

looking forward to them! Been re watching Fringe (so good) and stargate of all things while we wait for our favs to come back on TV. Wish Firefly and Sarah Connor Chronicles never stopped so abruptly. also in the scifci range that we really enjoyed : Town called Eureka and Warehosue 13. and mustn't forget homegrown almighty johnsons! there's just nothing of interest on TV right now but am looking forward to the return of walking dead, Elementary... and having a look at Shield and Blacklist

grrr actually I remember something a little while ago about TV3 programme lineup being limited because of the mediaworks fox contract fallout. probably already mentioned in this thread but I haven't read it all. shame , I enjoyed homeland. I'll get it from the library eventually. At least burn notice will return.

that's why the optimum time to bid is a snipe at 3 minutes before close. it won't extend the auction and previous bidders who get an outbid notice may not be able to react in time if they aren't actively watching. trust me I am the TM master sniper ! the only time I would put in an early bid is if the BN price is attractive but I still want a bargain.. I will bid to get rid of the BuyNow... but not put in my max until the 3 minutes sweet period. I also snipe on eBay , though there is no autoextend.

i too have experienced it with the aquaone heaters/suction cups. It does disappear eventually and It doesn't adversely affect my fish. The jagers do not seem to have the same problem.

the mid and top level fish get fed every day , and there's often a few guppy or platy babies about that need extra feeding. I fast the tank once a week followed by squashed peas to help clear their gut out.

My bottom dwellers are the Kuhli Loaches and butterfly pleco, and I guess the rainbow shark but he eats at all levels everyday. Also have a small gold spot pleco in another tank. I usually pop in sinking tablets every 2nd day , alternating between algae based, novotabs and the occasional shrimp pellet. A courgette or other vege piece once a week which takes a couple of days to get eaten. But certainty the Kuhlis and Shark manage to get plenty every day, they rumage around for the flakes and pellets that find their way to the bottom. As soon as I feed the NLS pellets to the other fish all my kuhlis come out (even in full light) and start searching for the left overs.

we were fishing on the west coat (Auckland) . went out past the Manukau Bar - that's lots of fun in itself but not for the weak stomached! Was the biggest waves I've experienced . wow. Sitting in the back boat looking UP at the waves isn't something you do everyday.

hehe This Blue Shark stole our sinkers so we were trying to get the lines out of his mouth - couldn't get close enough though . So we tried to catch him by the tail! This is the 2nd attempt! On the first attempt (i didn't video in time) we almost got the thing right up on the boat but he was heavier than expected. Earlier, my son had a 10 minute battle bringing him up on the line and he jumped off the gaffer hook at the end. He didn't take off though, stayed around long enough for us all to have a pat. But more sharks turned up and so the fish disappeared and we moved on. What an awesome day fishing we had though, snapper for dinner! scariest waves I've ever experienced getting past the Manukau Bar out west auckland. CLICK the FIRST image to PLAY VIDEO and our snapper takings: you can just make out one of the sinkers dangling below his right fin.

thankyou Rabbit and Ira !

size - hard to tell but i think it's a[approx 10cm maybe