Sophia

they are so pretty... even with those boggle eyes even if I had a fish room I don't there would be enough tanks for the all fish I would like to keep :roll:

medium or dark blue? i have used a shade of dulux called selwyn which looks medium blue on the swatch but in the back of the tank with black gravel it looks a bit darker again

thank you

thanks Ira how much ammonia would you use? it's a 33 litre tank

a plain background would accentuate the plants and decrease the busy-ness it's still a good looking tank though

TLC stuff is on the HFF website under Fish Health

I realised this is a real newbie question, but it's my first new-new tank and I want to start it 'properly'. Or at least 'well' given the wealth of others' experience around here. To begin the cycle before fish go in should I do the shrimp pellet in the empty tank thing or buy some of these products I've been looking at: Seachem Stability (the bottle says put some in the tank every day for a week and then every water change forever after - this seems like a big commitment to using the chemical, surely once you get it started the filter should be left to it's own devices? A cunning marketing ploy at least) Others I haven't read the bottle on: Stresszyme and TLC Any tips appreciated.

I started my new 33L tank today and put in my Eheim 2006 and it was rattley as hell. The filter is rated for tanks around this size and it was the smallest size wise I could find. I was about to take it back to the shop, and then we noticed that it only makes the noise when in proximity to the glass. Some kind of physics phenomenon! So we have rigged it up on a rock (you will see what i mean when I start my tank log thread) a little way out from the glass and it is almost silent. And I mean that you have to stand right up close and listen to hear it. So take it away from the glass and see if it's quieter, you might find there's nothing wrong with it (unless of course it was good and now it's noisey :oops: )

those tetra are lovely, how big are they?

i had some light loving plants planted along the back of a tank where there was a single T8 tube in the middle all the plants at the back always grew up and then towards the middle no matter what I did they just like the light

after overdosing with Excel for a couple of weeks my corydora had clamped fins and looked decidely unhappy not quite as unhappy as P44s but they wouldn't have been far off. They went from slightly under the weather- looking to very unhappy over a couple of days, it happened quite quickly

val also likes gravel, easy for it to spread through and heavy enough to weigh it down, it didn't do as well when I had mine in sand

one shoal of something colourful and small maybe? the cardinals I had enjoyed the val, it gets high enough to give them cover to the top of the tank so they aren't so scaredy at feeding time. otos also like the val, they sit on it in the current. a school of oto might be interesting but they are a bit expensive for that

8)

cardinals rule the longer the tank the better they look when there are heaps as they shoal about

maybe I'm seeing things but I think I recognise something in there

if you search on my name you will find my thread of a similar name I cut back the brown and transparent leaves of my twisted val. It did eventually green up again and slowly produce new leaves but it took at least 2 months. Could have been my set up but they were very fast growing before that. If you want the cover back in the tank I recommend getting some new ones (if the plant police let you!) and leaving your stunted ones to catch up quietly by themselves.

I posted a request on the trading section for this and a couple of generous people answered.... i had a 5watt T8 at that time, K rating unknown so it could have been any old thing. All I know is my plants were very healthy and green. I do recommend windelov!

when is the next installment? :bounce:

thanks to all for your comments. do marine systems need more light to penetrate the salt or something??? and what is difference between halide lighting and fluoro in terms of having seen it do well for a planted tank previously?

let me rephrase my questions to anyone who cares to lend a point of view then: What is 2 x 14000k generally considered good for? warming lizards? What would be the recommended lighting for the sort of set up I describe in my first post? thank you

what do you mean by weird? weird is not what I had in mind - I need something reliable what would you actually recommend if I were going to go and buy new 1 or 2 tubes for the fitting?

Hi, I bought a light fitting today for the new tank I'm setting up and am wondering if you think that the tubes that came with it are OK for my plan or if I should go out shopping for a different tube or 2. I have read over the lighting sticky but it doesn't really answer my questions... So the fitting looks like this http://www.trademe.co.nz/Home-living/Pe ... 151218.htm (but not this sort, this is not an ad!) and it's 50cm long. It came with 2 x 14000k T5 tubes and on the tubes it says 8W 220V 50Hz and they are 26.5cm long. It seems like a good amount of light to me, but is it too much for someone who won't be using CO2? The tank it's for is 30cm deep (a bit less when gravel goes in), 50cm long and 28cm wide. The plants I have so far are bolbitis and standard java fern (both staggered up a log that reaches the surface), riccia floating, duckweed floating, and hornwort that will be allowed to grow to the top. Will probably get some twisted val as well, maybe some moss to cover a stone or 2. Fish are going to be killifish - clowns and aphyosemion of some sort. Fertiliser will be flourish comp and excel, and no extra CO2. As the main plants are attached to the wood there won't be any extra fertiliser in the substrate. a) don't want algae of course b) don't want to make the fish need to wear sunglasses c) want the plants to be happy enough thanks

Yes I've bought gravel from this person before, unless I find a steal deal over my side of town I will popping out West to buy some of Petstuffs

that's funny