Caryl

If your main tank has been going for some time then adding more gravel will not cause it to re-cycle. Wash the old gravel from the old tank, since it has been sitting for 2 weeks, then carefully add it to the main tank.

Fingers crossed Shae!

Lookin good! Both fish and photos. 8)

Just tap water gretal. Different woods take different times to soak. They are soaked to pre remove any tannins that may be in them and turn the water brown (harmless but some think unsightly) and to waterlog the wood so it sinks.

Hi and welcome gretal. I am sure you can get your partner enthused with little effort

Should do. Keep an eye out for secondary infections like fluff or red streaks and treat them if they arise.

Welcome kbird. Things aren't really that much different and the explanations about cycling aren't so bad once you think about it. If you set up slowly and didn't rush, you could get going without knowing all about it as you would have done it all right without knowing it!

I really don't think Cycle makes that much difference and can't see how it could cycle a tank on its own. Not sure I would use a red tail to cycle a tank as I think it would be prone to whitespot. JMHO 8)

You obviously have too much time on your hands and are wasting it worrying about nothing :lol: Fish keeping is supposed to be calming Caper! Bubbles can form on plants and this is natural. You may also notice fine bubbles on plants, ornaments or tank sides after a water change. This is trapped air and also natural. They will slowly disappear (the bubbles that is).

Baby Brine Shrimp tucker - food

To be honest I don't know whether having females or not makes a difference to male aggression. I don't have any livebearers myself. Nervouswreck is a mate from another forum which seems to have shut down so I suggested he join us here

There is aggression and there is aggression. The males of many species get territorial as they grow and will chase away other males they consider a threat. In some cases this just means 'chase', in others, they will actively attack and maim - even kill in some species. Platys etc do have aggressive dominant males who will kill other males.

They belong to the same family I think Caper

Here are some pics of Boatmaster's platy. Anyone know the cause of the white bits? I suspect damage but he says there are no sharp objects for the fish to damage itself on and no fish likely to attack it (unless possibly a male platy)

Yes I like them (I liked the old ones too). I have 400s and 600s and keep them in the main tanks so they are always ready to use if I suddenly have to set up an extra tank. They went on a half price special at Animates at one time (actually I think they do so quite regularly) so I bought several.

Start with one pea and, if they eat it, give them another one. Stop worrying so much caper you will do yourself an injury! :lol: Peas will not harm your ottos by the way

Your pics are getting better caper! There is colour variation due to reflections and stuff from the flash. Is there any reason why you chose bright blue gravel? I know it is a personal preference so don't take offence but I think a more natural colour looks nicer. All that colour in the gravel and ornaments detracts from the fish. I have never seen that bright blue gravel in nature in a riverbed have you? It is obviously popular though or pet shops wouldn't sell it in a variety of such bright colours. :-? If you like it, then that is all that matters.

They are fine at the moment debs but will need room to grow. They will be fine for a year or two yet Personally I do not like to see comets in aquariums, they should be out in nice big ponds. The fancy goldfishes with the long tails are different as they do not swim far or fast. As a rough guide, to work out how many coldwater fish you can keep, multiply the length and breadth and divide the result by 76 to give you the total amount of fish you can keep in cms. So, 50 x 25 divided by 76 = 16.4cm total. So, theoretically, this means 1 fish 16.4cm or 2 fish 8.2cm or 3 fish 5.4cm etc. This is a rough guide only as the bigger the fish, the more waste it produces. 3 small 3cm fish will not produce anywhere near the same amount of waste as one 9cm fish. Especially goldfish as they are a full bodied fish and poo heaps! Good filtration and/or regular water changes are a must for goldfish to be well cared for. Avoid undergravel filters with goldfish as they dig through the substrate and have a tendency to expose the filter plates with their digging.

Feed little bits often rather than more food less often. Make sure it is all eaten.

What a friendly fish - I can see he is waving :lol: I think calicos tend to keep their colours but brown goldfish can go red or orange, red or orange ones can go white and I had 2 orange goldfish once whose bodies stayed red but the fins all went white. Looked gorgeous!

What is in the water at your place Paul? Watch out Adele and Amy!!! :lol:

one - cos they grow big so it will outgrow it. It is the surface area that is important too, not the litres. You can put more fish in a long tank than a tall one for this reason.

Never heard of a penny turtle. What is it?

I have some filter sponges over 10 years old that stll show no sign of disintegrating yet. Activated carbon can make the water look cleaner. It also removes medications from the water so if you use it (and I never do) make sure you remove it from the filter first. If I remember rightly, it is recommended you change the carbon every 3 months so it can be expensive to use all the time. If you don't, eventually it dumps all the stuff it has collected back into the water.

Neons would be a lovely snack for your panchax - think of them as live food If you check under the killifish threads you will find someone who had guppies disappearing for the same reason. Killifish (like your panchax) are usually kept in a species only tank.