Caryl

Goin' good supasi!

Before I move this to the correct area, would you tell me what a Hippruis is please? I cannot find anything under that spelling, or anything similar.

Yes you can siphon a planted tank. Try not to disturb the plant roots though. I siphon all the open areas thoroughly, stirring up the gravel as much as possible, then just lightly hold the siphon over the plants, gently pressing down as far as possible without damaging the leaves. How far this is depends on the type of plant. It is always better to only lightly siphon around the plants anyway as they feed on the muck that gathers around the base of each one.

You heard him - you have to stop breathing as well :lol:

You will need more than your lunch money (unless you have big lunches) as they have a LOT to choose from! We stopped in on our way home from conference. My eye caught some fish I think RD (the owner) said were blue Dempseys. Gorgeous fish but they would kill most of the other inhabitants in my tank so they had to stay where they were

Thanks Olly. It is good to see someone seriously considering the well being of a fish and its needs before buying it. Well done

I found these replies most interesting as I wasn't aware a betta would find a bottom dwelling fish a threat. I have never kept bettas so don't know too much about them but I thought they only attacked other bettas, or fish that were a similar shape. :-?

They couldn't remove it from the tank though and are not expected to. UGFs drag it under and that is where the good bacteria grow. I have used UGFs for many years and never had a problem with one. I only use them in small tanks though as I don't think they are efficient enough for larger ones.

Cool photos! 8)

I think it was just a case of the lack cleaning maintenance. You should not need an undergravel filter. It is when it smells really rotten you need worry, and big stinky bubbles come up when you shove the siphon into the substrate. Depth of gravel can make a difference too. Deep stuff can get 'dead' patches which stink when disturbed and are toxic.

There's only one of her now! :lol: Welcome. You aren't the first to buy a stunted or otherwise imperfect fish because you felt sorry for it :-?

Orana Park, Willowbank Wildlife Centre and Redwood Aquatics are all near each other The aquarium place is in the Square Hagley Park has a children's play area. You could sit while he exercised (and is free) a ride up the gondola the museum has some good bits like the Victorian street (and is free)

You should be able to buy it from landscaping places. I have several lying about the yard :-? Not sure what it would cost to post 8)

Do you belong to the local fish club? They had some marine members. Ask Denise at The Pet Warehouse as she is a club member and would know who you could contact.

Mine actually runs closer to 22C - 24C

I gotta admit Mark he didn't actually buy it at the time but he came home with so much drool left after looking at the car that I bought it for him for his birthday, which was the following week (using his money of course).

It looks great! Personally I would lose the Buddha but that is a personal opinion (I hate anything like that in a tank). I love that colour angel and the background looks cool. It will be interesting to see how it looks after algae has settled on it. It will have a great aged feel to it by then. I do hope that ancistrus is sucking on a bottom feeder pellet. I would hate to think he had sucked up that area of gravel :lol:

One should never spent '10 minutes to spare' anywhere near their lfs :lol: Mind you, my husband spent his 10 minutes in a car yard so his purchase was more expensive :roll:

There's something wonderful about snow - when you're not actually in it :lol:

I have posted pics of them in the past and nobody has ever said they weren't daphnia. They also look like other daphnia I have seen elsewhere. We live near a river, perhaps they can jump

I just fill a container outside with water then leave it and wait. Others get some from people with an established colony. If you know someone with stock troughs, check 'em out. They are often full of daphnia, especially if they have been unused by stock for some time. Daphnia do not seem to travel well and I have always found they die very quickly when transported in a small lidded container.

I was told you had to be careful of the stuff with fire retardant and mould inhibitors in it. Since I assume all of it has these now days I gather nobody has had problems using it? I too use the same stuff but mine is old and was produced before fire retardants and stuff became mandatory. :roll:

I believe there are two distinc types of apple snail. One sort is fine but the other practises deforestation.

Can't you cut them in half and count the rings? :lol:

Welcome to the forums. I don't keep frogs myself but saw some cute ones while overseas recently - mostly venomous ones :roll: (at least they were held in captivity and not met while on a nature walk :lol: )