Caryl

Alan is part of the spelling police Sharlz. :roll: The Betta splendens is also known as a Siamese fighter or Siamese fighting fish.

So where did the silicone come from? Has he checked all the tank seals?

All looking lovely. I especially liked the open tank.

Hi and welcome. We are becoming quite international!

Go to a glazier. They can probably do it using off-cuts at a reasonable price. Or go to 2nd hand dealers to get old glass and practise.

You may not have called them the wrong thing as shops do sell pacus :evil: Piranhas are not legal in NZ unless you get a special licence. A couple of oscars would fit in a 4ft if he wants something biggish.

I agree. My friend had one in an 8ft x 2ft x 2ft and the tank was too small as the pacu couldn't turn around. He had great difficulty trying to find somewhere that could cope with a fish that was still growing.

Fish have very small brains. He obviously likes her body shape and doesn't realise he won't get anywhere but I bet he has fun trying :lol:

My Aquaclear does this when the sponge is clogged. It is only a problem if it flows out the front around the tube. If the water is going sideways into the bit where the media is, then flowing out with the rest then don't worry about it. If you can hear it, when you couldn't before, that sounds to me like it needs a clean. If the filter is not working correctly it would account for the cloudiness. (If it is dark cloudy then maybe the carbon was a bit dirty.) I remove the sponge and give it a thorough squeezing and wash under the tap but we don't have anything added to our water supply so I recommend you clean yours in a bucket of used tank water. One of my sponges is about 10 years old and still fine. They can take a lot of squishing and squeezing

Well if you really want to know - my tank would be lucky if it was vacuumed and had a water change once every 3 months or so. :roll: It is large, not heavily stocked, heavily planted, well filtered and well and truly matured. Can't remember the last time I had a fish die (except for the one danio I euthanased as it had dropsy).

Oh yeah, congratulations :lol:

The thread below this one (called Breeding Common Bristlenoses) has the information.

Most recommend weekly (10%) or fortnightly (20%) water changes at which time you vacuum the gravel as well. This should keep your UGF happy. With HOB or canister filters, they need to be cleaned out when the water flow drops below 3/4 of its full output. Sponge filters, internal filters, or box filters with sponges or filter wool need to be cleaned when you can see the sponge or wool has gone black with crud.

Nice pics! Care for a little constructive criticism though? Hey, you did ask what we thought. Love the background. Did you make it yourself? If so, how? The rocks in the front are interesting shapes but are stacked evenly in similar little piles and the tank loses its 'natural' look because of this. I would break those piles into perhaps 2, one larger than the other to go for a more 'scattered' look. The little green blobs all over the background detract from the whole. I assume they are plastic plants? Of course, once the algae starts growing on the background it may all blend together so perhaps they will improve over time as the tank matures. Having said all that remember it is your tank and if you like it that is all that matters Love the fish by the way :lol: Looking good!

With proper regular maintenance neither ugf's or sponge filters are a problem.

None of these fish hide in wood or bark hidey holes so will be feeling shy with no plant cover. I have always found dwarf gouramis to be shy but others say they have found differently. :roll: Give them a few days. Don't feed them for 3 or 4 days then they will be sure to be hungry so will be more inclined to come out when you do feed them.

Well done Caper 8)

Anywhere that sells meat

I have run ugf's for years and never had a problem. I only ever used them on tanks around 2ft or smaller though.

Here is pic of a young lad's tank taken in Dunedin 2003 at the tank parade. I can't remember his first name but his surname was Payne (trying to give credit where credit is due)

He won't eat while he is guarding the eggs anyway.

What sort of fish (or coral) likes maple syrup?

a) no b) cut back how much you feed rather than stop c) get back into regular maintenance d) no need, but why not? You can always do with more fish e) you could if you want. Once you stop negleting the tank the worms will disappear

I have seen a number of tanks in old TVs and they look good. Just make sure it is well braced. A glazier will make whatever sized tank you need to fit the space. Don't forget you have to be able to access the tank.

Very possible!