BikBok

no not yet JJ .. just planning ahead and getting things sorted in my head first lol. I've put in a few extra noodles in the AR380 and will put these in the new tank when I get it.

oh well that makes me feel a bit better. What is it made of? It will be in overnight and removed in the morning. What about the 'lead' around the plants?

Hi guys well my ar380 has been running a few weeks now but I want to set up a smaller tank (22L) to house a Betta and two Platys. My question : is using some water (say about 8L) from my other tanks water change beneficial or should I just start afresh with brand new water. Either way I will be using a filter start bacteria to get the filter going. I realise there is not much bacteria in the tank water itself as most is in the filter... but perhaps the old water might have some fish wastes /ammonia that will help feed the new filter and plant. Otherwise... without fish what will get it going? Thanks in advance for any advice.

Is it ok to use plant lead anchors to wrap around a piece of food for my Bristlenose and Kuhli. I was wondering about lead poisoning as they will be nibbling around the edges.. and for that matter to have lead in a tank at all. I just used a piece tonight to weigh down a small piece of pumpkin. Otherwise my Miss Piggy guppy attacks it and it floats all around the tank while she disintegrates it. She eats everything in sight.

here he is.. Sometimes I can't see him I look for the little white tip tail which he uses to explore cavities before going in .. so cute! So there seems to be different types of BNs.. does anyone know what i have?

oh my gosh! I can only presume (and hope) that the fish was dead in the first place. A fishermans catch perhaps. Why else would it be in the bath.. if it were someones pet and they were cleaning the tank.. I'm sure they wouldn't stand there taking photos. My sisters Bengals love water and jump in the bath too.

i just put in a little BN today , he's very cute and looks like he's having a good time.

what about salt for Kuhlis though... I know my guppies would like it but probably not the kuhlis who are in the same tank.

OK, I'll stick with what I know then ... the stress coat doesn't seem to hurt them and is probably helping them.

thanks for that. I wonder if melafix is ok for them.. should I ever need it

ok thanks.. So I don't really need it unless a fish gets an infection?? How would I know. I'm keeping a close eye on my kuhli , will his skin colour return? and how long should it take. (he has some white scratches /patches down one side after he went up the filter , posted pic in another thread.. kuhli up filter) Does melafix affect the biological filter at all?

I've come across people mentioning this a few times and thought I should familiarise myself with it. Can someone tell me exactly what it is used for and how it differs from stress coat. Can you give me some examples of uses. Is it something I should have on hand or does it have a short shelf life? One of my kuhlis was scraped in a filter adventure, I dosed the water with StressCoat and he's doing ok.. would melafix have been better to use?

Hi JJ Just saw your thread! Welcome... from another newbie, on here and to fishkeeping!

while I'm showing pics.. here is my other Kuhli , i love her dots!

I managed to get a picture .. you can see the white scratches and scrapes.. The biggest is near the back in the brown bar. They are only on one side of his body. He has been ok for the rest of the day, swimming , dancing etc. Hope he will be ok ...

it seems like it depends on each fish .. just like humans have different tastes and preferences, I guess fish do too. lmsmith, that is so funny!

One of my Kuhlis got himself up the filter , luckily we were there when it happened and we removed all the media so he could wiggle back through the trickle holes. We tried to pick him up but that just made him panic a bit and he tried jumping and forcing himself through the grid etc.. He is swimming around in the tank fine now BUT he has scratches/scrapes down one side. I've dosed the water with stress coat but is there anything else I should do? They don't like salt do they?

I had one in my first tank many years ago... he was a great little algae eater... always sucking on the glass. He got his own food as well which he shared with my kuhli loach. I am just gettign back into fishkeeping so am relearning it , some things have changed (filters!) but there are some thigns I do remember ..and my BN definitely ate algae.

I am planning a 22L tank for a Male Betta and 2 platys. What are the best plants to put in for the Betta so he can rest and hide in it when he wants. I have some indian fern in another tank and could pull up some if it was suitable but also looking for other suggestions. Do I need anything else under the gravel? Thanks.

The golden ones are kinda weird looking lol.

that's interesting. Thanks for your reply. I looked at a Hexy in the weekend, it had one spout for the water outlet so couldeaily place plants below to disperse. AND the piping had a water flow knob to slow it down. I think Iwill go with a hexy.

i only got my kuhlis today, i expected them to head for cover and disappear but they have been very active exploring everything. They love the indian fern and one loves to rest in that. I have a piece of driftwood and they like being on or around or under with their heads poking out. So plants and driftwood have been popular with my two brand new kuhlis. neither of them have gone under the gravel.

hey, can you tell me if they get on OK with Kuhli Loaches. I've got two Kuhlis in my tank, and they are active and fun to watch, even during the day. I would hate for them to become reclusive like many Kuhli do.

thanks Aaron Yes I will keep checking levels every few days for a while yet, and won't be getting any more fish for a few weeks. (just want a bristlenose and that will be it for some time) One of the kuhlis is quite brave and is exploring evrything , the other is in the cave but not burrowed under. Disocvered some little trumpet snails were in the bag with them (came with the little bit of gravel that got scooped up) ... good or not?

well then , I will get one after all.. Can't believe how engrossing fish are!