Caryl

I think that is the first time I have heard someone say they were not satisfied with the work done by Greg and he has certainly built a lot of tanks over the years from what I have heard.

Just the cost of postage, which is usually under $10 when sent tracked and overnight. PM me you address (inc post code) and I will post them next Monday (to make sure they don't get held up somewhere over the weekend as I do not trust their overnight service)

I have spare red rotala, crypt affinis, Java moss and maybe a bit of Anubias if you are interested.

Alan is right - you should do well with the way you are going so far.

Welcome. Three lemon tetras in a 165L will not show much ammonia.

Welcome to Aquarium World. I hope you learn a lot and enjoy your time here. I only use my phone to text so don't know anything about posting pics from one sorry.

It isn't too much filtration as much as too strong a flow if a filter is too large for the tank. If the 406 creates too much flow in your 150L there are ways to slow it down (aiming the spray bar to the back or putting some foam or filter wool over the outlet. Hoplos (and there are different fish known by this common name) like a good flow anyway so helpful for you. As they are a very boisterous fish, extra filtration is required anyway. You can keep 2 or 3 but they prefer to be in groups of 5 or more and I would say 12 - 15cm would be largest (from memory of those I have seen and kept many years ago). They are great fish with lovely personalities. Fun to breed too as they are bubble nesters. Spawning is triggered by a large drop in the water level then filling up with cooler water.

I have what I was told are Crypt affinis

Not his first born obviously

Soon you will be asking "How do I get rid of snails in my tank?" You do not need to do anything with them, they will easily hatch and multiply with no interference from you required.

Welcome. We hope you enjoy it here and get all the help or advice you need. I have been clearing out a lot of plants from my own tank as the fish were needing machetes to get through! There is a lot of red rotala, Java moss and C affinis to spare.

I don't know how much salt some plants can tolerate but try a bit of Java moss and see how it goes. It is ideal in a guppy breeding tank. I have plenty of moss if you need some.

Solid furniture from a 2nd hand place or I use cinder blocks (the big concrete ones with a large hole through the centre) with a sheet of ply and polystyrene on top.

Hoplos - (Hoplosternum thoracatum) are great fish to watch and, surprisingly, bubble nesters. http://www.tropical-fish-keeping.com/hoplo-catfish-hoplosternum-thoracatum.html#sthash.xp06q2S3.dpbs

Quite a few barbs are more temperate than tropical too. Golden, cherry, rosy and Odessa barbs would work as would leopard and zebra danios and a number of the tetras. Hoplo cats would be a good option as well. Paradisefish are beautiful and coldwater although they will eat everything else in the aquarium If you are good with your regular maintenance, and do not overstock (a lot of plants help too and there are quite a few tropicals that will tolerate lower temperatures) the filter should cope for a day or two without power.

There are banned species and allowed species of the commonly named oxygen weed. Look very similar!

Live plants certainly help but not for clearing water in this case. More filtration is needed.

Welcome and feel free to ask questions - just make sure you take note of the answers! Nothing more frustrating than being asked questions, giving good answers, then having the person ignore all your advice, then come back and ask why their fish died/tank turned green/ or whatever You should be able to get good second deals on tanks and any equipment needed to go in them. A lot cheaper than buying a kit usually too.

Thought I would start a new thread rather than add on to the Christmas thread. I posted a pic of my Christmas cake and was asked if I had done any fish related ones (the penguin is fishing so that's fish related, right? The aquarium one I did almost 8 years ago, before I got into cake decorating a little more seriously. Nemo was made, if I remember correctly, by Donna Moot's (the Turtle Lady in ChCh) mum for the 2010 conference. Very tasty he was too! Anyone else done, or been given, fish themed cakes??

I would think any test kit on sale these days would do the job. Check the expiry dates on the packets though.

As said, what are your water parameters, especially nitrites, nitrates and ammonia? It could be your aquarium has a problem with these and that is killing the fish. The neons may have parasites (internal or external) they have spread to your fish, killing them. Look closely, particularly on the other fish as it is hard to observe anything on a fish as small as a neon! Anything on the surface of the skin? Are all the fish starting to look thin, no matter how much they are eating? There may be nothing you can do but wait until the fish stop dying then start again. Do not start medicating unless you know, for sure, what the problem is. The 3 most common are internal bacteria or parasites, external bacteria or parasites or water condition. If it is the tank itself, daily water changes should help.

Specs say that filter is suitable up to 250L. You don't need to borrow/buy a larger filter as you just need one to run along with the one you already have big enough so the combined flow rate is enough for your tank. It pays to get a size larger than recommended too as the specs on the boxes are for a filter running empty and does not allow for the eventual drop in water flow as the media catches the debris. Increase your water changes until you can afford to buy another filter. I would get another 1200 and have one at each end of the tank. You can never have too much filtration - unless the fish are swimming backwards in the current

Do you know anyone you could borrow a filter from to see if it makes a difference? What sort of filtration do you have and what size is the tank? What sort of algae are you having trouble with? Sounds like you mean the water does not stay clear. Twice weekly water changes may help but better to address the cause, not the result.

More filtration may help and/or you may be over-feeding giving the algae lots of nutrients in which to flourish. They would be the first things I would look at.

Are the neons dying too or just the other fish in the aquarium, or both? Can be a number of causes depending on which ones are dying.