Caryl

I assume they are doing the polka? :lol:

My Fluvals were very quiet when new but got louder as they aged (despite new impellers). They also blocked easily and had to be pulled apart and cleaned every couple of weeks. My Jebo 819's have been running silently for 8 months now. They are so quiet I have to put my hand on them to feel the vibrations to ensure they are running, the water flow is just as good as it was to start with and I have yet to clean either of them.

and platies and guppies are fine together

I assume you have some of both sexes? 8) If so, what size tank are they in and how much plant? Platies are livebearers who will drop fry every 4 - 6 weeks but most get eaten in a community tank if they don't have plenty of plant to hide in.

My apologies, I should have told you how I knew :oops:

Guppies only grow about 3cm and are a good community fish. The angels would love eating their tails and so, perhaps would the fighter. Plecs need very large tanks (growing up to 2ft) so are not usually in the same tank as small fish like guppies (which are generally kept in smaller tanks). Neons and danios would be fine.

Female. The ones in the second pic are male at the top and female below him I think. Ira ought to be able to tell you. He is an expert on pearl gouramis :lol:

I would also suspect something sucking on nice tender new leaves

I recommend Jebo filters. I have 819's on 250L tanks and think they are great. Good price too.

I am sure I have pics somewhere as they were in a past Aquarium World magazine. Lots of people covered in mud :lol:

It isn't exactly a secret as there have been several group Molly Hunts to there over the years and a lot of fun had by all participants 8)

The November Aquarium World will have an article explaining colour enhancing foods and what is used where for which fish. Did you know if you feed an orange canary on carrot it will turn a brighter orange?

Wow, that is way too small for 1 oscar even!

Hi and welcome. You are right, you are going to need a MUCH bigger tank for just the arowana, let alone the oscars.

I think the goldfish foods often have colour enhancers specifically aimed at orange and red fish.

My fish eat whatever they are given and have never requested a particular brand.

I always have mine made by glaziers - lots cheaper than getting "brand" tanks.

What do you mean by "crashed"? There could be a number of reasons why a number of fish died over the weekend. Did you test the water parameters? Was the filter running correctly? Is the heaterstat working and temperature stable? The death of one reasonably sized fish (through old age, fight or disease) could lead to affecting the water enough to kill others. I have very deep gravel in parts of my 4ft community and it has been going about 5 years now and doesn't have an ugf either.

I hope you realise that was not a feeding block IOU1 and were just enquiring as to how they work compared to putting daily amounts into containers. I know some people use the block feeders but I am not a fan of them. I am not keen to add something to my tank that may, or may not, last the distance, or dispense the food evenly over the time required. If it pollutes the tank while I am away there is nothing I can do about it. Same goes for auto feeders. I know others use them too but I would be worried about them clogging up, especially as I feed a lot of flake foods which don't do so well in auto feeders. Alan, just ask them to feed them on the 7 days allowed and not feed them on the last day (or the first day). No problem. You can also get containers that have compartments for each day morning noon and night so relabel them days and you will be right.

Others have mentioned these before but here is a pic. If you are going away and asking someone to feed the fish, put the required daily amount in a pill container and hide the rest of the fish food. I found this pill container in one of the emporiums where everything is no more than $2. I leave my community fish unfed for a week as they are in a well matured tank but I prefer to have the big African cichlids fed regularly.

Hello Tim from a fellow Blenheimite. 8) Also, take your photos at night as there are less reflections. As much light as possible over the tank and room lights off

I have some shellbell, already waterlogged. Will be passing through Timaru next week too (Thursday 12 I think) What size is your tank?

Remember the wood should sink eventually shellbell so whatever you do doesn't need to be permanent, just long enough for the wood to get waterlogged.

Perhaps you are too big for it IOU1 :lol:

It is often sold as an aquatic plant but isn't really and will not last in the tank. Looks good in the meantime though