Caryl

We set up the Jebo but discovered a problem - we forgot to check the cupboard height and found the Jebo too tall for the cabinet!! It is currently sitting on the floor until Grant cuts a hole in the bottom of the cupboard :lol: . They are a lot taller than the Fluvals.

My guess for the second was also Aulonocara jacobfriebergi as it looks like mine.

Seems to be various answers when asked what causes it - too few phosphates, too many phosphates being 2 of them :-? Tanks with a high pH are prone to it (I have a full blown case of it in my Malawi tank at the moment but since there are no plants in there I just leave it. Fish won't eat it. Remove as much of it as possible by hand then turn the lights off and cover the tank with a blanket for a few days. Keep an eye on the plants though as they will not cope without light for long. Little water changes often may help as well. Do you do regular water changes? I found nothing worked for me (I got an infestation in my tropical community planted tank from some plants I added to the tank) and finally resorted to using Erythromycin, 200mg per 10 gallons (40L?). This is a prescription only medicine so you need to sweet talk your GP. I work for a doctor and he took great delight in going up to the A&E dept at the hospital and asking for a few Erthromycin pills as his receptionist has algae! The Erythro will kill it off very quickly so it is important to remove the dead stuff ASAP or it will pollute the tank. Keep track of your ammonia and nitrite levels as it kills off bacteria - including those in your filters. I dosed my tank with an AquaClear 500 running to no ill effect that I could see but my tank was also very lightly stocked at the time. Be prepared to do water changes to reduce the ammonia and nitrite levels if required.

Looking forward to seeing all these babies of yours Paul. 8)

I know the algae looks unsightly (and kills the plants) but the fish don't mind it. Ignore the algae until you've finished your assignments then restock with plants afterwards. Othrewise, keep removing it as soon as it appears and do lots of water changes. These don't take long to do if you do a little often. Not sure what to do about power consumption though. We have 6 tanks running here and don't notice much difference power-wise. I have never understood why people say it adds heaps to their power bill - except those with fishrooms. We have a well insulated house though so perhaps that makes a difference. Heaterstats don't turn on at all over summer but the rooms can get down to 15C overnight when it is frosty. Rather than sell the tank (they always cost more to replace) what about cutting back actual fish numbers for now? Think of how relaxing and condusive to study your tank is

Do you mean blue/green algae, cyanobacteria? This forms slimey sheets over everything and can be pulled off in sheets too. It also makes the tank smell quite swampy.

Wow streaking fish! :lol: Doesn't look overcrowded to me but you asked for comments so here goes... The tank looks good but it tends to look a little 'flat'. Both from a gravel point of view (but I doubt you can change it with those fish rearranging it anyway) but also with all the logs and stones going long-wise with the tank. If some of them were angled a little more it would give the tank more depth from front to back. Just my opinion of course. I think landscaping is a very personal choice and if you like it as it is, then that's great!

We just spent 3/4 of an hour trying to get the Fluval primed and running again. About standard. The Jebo you just turn it on and it goes. It will be interesting to see how the Jebo lasts as time goes on. The Fluval is only 3 or 4 years old.

It's school holidays. Won't building speed up a bit now?

It flows well for about three days then water drops to barely a trickle. It replaced my previous 404 which was fine but a bugger to clean as it took 2 of us to get the top off for cleaning and we had great difficulty getting the baskets apart (they twist and lock). When you don't have much strength and you husband has rheumatoid arthritis you need easy cleaning filters which is why we upgraded to the newer 404. Certainly easier to pull to bits for cleaning but that is all I can say for it. Grant is replacing it with the new Jebo 819 as I type. The Fluval will go onto the 3ft tank I set up for the rosy barbs as the small Shark internal isn't big enough to cope with the stocking level. Hope the noise of the Fluval doesn't annoy me too much as it is right beside my bed! Returning it is not a possibility as I got it trade to start with from a person who no longer works for the company and it was 3 or 4 years ago :lol:

Mossie larvae are the small black things that move in a jerking motion. Daphnia are rounder and brown or green (depending on what they have been feeding on) and swim steadily.

I don't know about 'normal' but it is quite common

Good pic Aqua. Why is the fish not swimming?

I don't mean they have them at the moment I mean to ask them to get you some

Try these two http://www.arihood.com/azgenetics/genprimr1.html http://www.showguppies.com/genetics.htm

I keep small Shark internal filters running in my tanks as well. They add extra filtration and are easy to pull out when required suddenly elsewhere. I love the Jebo 810 we have on the other 280L tank. It is so quiet I have to check the current, or put my hand on it to feel the vibrations! I am sick of continually having to clean out the 404. I am lucky to get a decent water flow out of it for 4 days :evil: It is also difficult to prime and get going again, despite all the added bits supposed to help with this.

I plan to put a Jebo 819 on mine and get rid of the Fluval 404.

I used to hatch mine in a plastic 1kg peanut butter jar with a hole in the lid for the air hose. It had wire wrapped round the neck to form a handle to hang it over the edge of the top of the glass in the main tank. I aerated them a lot (I am sure they threw up a lot). When it came time to use them, I would siphon them out of the centre (avoiding the crud on the surface and bottom) with a turkey baster squirting them through a white hankie draped over another container. This meant the rest in the jar got the aeration turned back on and kept going and the water sieved through the hankie got poured back into the jar as well. The shrimps were then rinsed gently under the tap and dipped in the tank.

Personally I would keep the angels out of that mix. You are asking for stroppiness and tail nipping I think. Depends on the angels though.

I assume dad currently has no other fish in his pond? I suspect he won't after you release convicts in there. There is cold water and there is cold water. Winter cold will be too cold and cruel I think.

Sure saffa. They are just growing in my tank and get regular pruning. If you want Amazon swords I would ask Organism.

No, hell is hotter than that Jude :lol:

I love the acaras. I used to have them when we first started keeping fish over 25 years ago. The ones I see today are pale and uninteresting compared to the ones I had all those years ago - they looked just like yours conaquavict

I never noticed any product particularly helping to speed up the process. You can have too many plants - when they are so thick the fish have nowhere to swim! Always leave a clear swimming space, otherwise the more the merrier and the fish will feel more secure.

I would go for the bigger 819. Remember their flow rates are for just water and don't take into account the muck that builds up. I have the Jebo 819 on my 280 litre and have just ordered another for my 250L to replace a Fluval 404. They are excellent prices for those filters. Who has them for that? The trade price I was given was dearer than that.