Caryl

Oops you are right :oops: There is no freshwater section.

I don't have the space to go bigger than 6ft so will have to rethink the knifefish idea. Hmm, any suggestions? I want a well planted tank with good sized fish - NOT DISCUS. :lol:

When I click on the link I get a long list down the left with everything on the site - it is a VERY long list. Do you not get that?

I know nothing about these and thought they would go in the 6ft tank I am planning but it sounds like they get too big for even this sized tank. Is this so or are there smaller ones suitable? Are some better than others? What else can go with them, if anything?

Which fins? If it is the pectorals and other lower fins I would suspect something bad in the substrate.

Will they chip in to pay for the divorce? :lol:

You have to watch some will alter the pH - like limestone for instance. Do the vinegar test. Put the rock in a small container and pour a little vinegar on it. If it fizzes, don't put it in the tank, unless you want a high pH for Africans.

My tanks are set about 22 - 24C

No not acrylic Tankman. I don't like acrylic as it marks too easily. I am getting TM to make me a tank and stand. He probably thinks I have forgotten about it but I am still working out size and what to put in it. Think I will get rid of the Malawis and get knifefish. Don't know anything about them so will have to research and see what can go with them too.

If a fish is still eating well and behaving normally I prefer to leave them alone.

I too would be checking around the outside of the tank.

Magenta that would be like me saying I was 1km away from the chocolate factory - difficult to avoid. Hang on a minute, I do live within 1km of a chocolate factory!!

Mainly, as said, to smooth out those minor imperfections in the base of the stand and also to keep the heat in. Also a help in countries like ours where we have earthquakes. The poly absorbs a little of the shock (we like to think so anyway).

I really hate people suggesting you throw meds in a tank without knowing what the problem is. :evil: You do not treat humans that way, nor should you do it to fish.

Start at the Home Page

You'd better take a big poly box with you

It should be but if you start to have problems, you are usually asked what your pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels are. If you are lucky enough to have a lfs that can do the tests for you, it is unnecessary to buy your own.

How did you change the water and how much did you change? Do you mean bubbles sticking to the sides of the glass and on the leaves?

It is flat rock, available (if you can't pick it up off the side of the road like some of us can ) from landscaping places etc. Inert, so it doesn't alter the tank pH and good for fish to lay eggs on. Good also for stacking when making caves etc.

I hope some of the support is local! :lol:

I'm not sure if there is a recommended thickness. My 4ft tanks have 2.5cm. I would have 4cm on a 6ft I think. I will be interested to find out what those who have that size tank use under theirs as I am getting one built soon.

I assume you mean the lump is large enough to show on both sides of the body, and it is the one lump? I know golfdish can get carp pox, which is like the wart virus in humans. This forms white lumps on the fish. Looks ugly but is harmless. Don't know if other fish can get this. In the tetra's case, I would wonder about it having had a foreign body stuck in the scales, which has got infected, or maybe a cancerous type tumour. Fish do get these and they are incurable. Doesn't spread to other fish either.

Jude ought to know, she has recently battled an outbreak. The fish will look like you sprinkled salt on them. What fish do you have in there? Do you not do regular water changes? If you do, and you should be, do it the same way you usually do. I siphon water out then add new from a bucket I pour in with the water flowing onto my hand so it doesn't disturb the substrate.

Any of you visited this site? The Geothermaol Aquaculture Research Foundation. Stuff on freshwater, marine, algae, calculators, propagation, aquarium pests, the list goes on. There are thousands of DIY projects with detailed instructions... http://www.garf.org/index.html Those building their own stands... http://www.garf.org/tank/BuildStand.asp Load in your tank size (in inches) and hit submit then Hey Presto! it gives you detailed building instructions. BE WARNED!! You can spend hours looking through this site.

I have seen quite a few fighters who tend to rest on stuff like that all the time. Must be hard work swimming with those long dangling fins! :-?