Caryl

As I also have an Eheim, it will be interesting to see how it lasts - I haven't had it long enough to judge yet. Unfortunately, not only was everything black and yukky but it stank too. Any idea of the safest way to get the lingering smell out of the plastic and Siporax media? It's not bad at the moment but I think it will get worse once the lid is back on. Usually I would used baking soda or vinegar to remove smells. Would either of these be ok if I rinsed everything thoroughly? Would the Siporax absorb either of them?

No, it appears the plastic has gone brittle with age. It was manufactured April 99.

My Fluval 404 has snapped the impeller off the magnetic bit. Didn't notice it wasn't running. Talk about stink when we removed the lid! Luckily I am filter-sitting at the moment so have another member's filter hanging off my tank while he strips his tank. The tnak is also understocked so all are still well.

I don't know about that particular pump but SICCE (Pronounced Sitchee I believe - Italian) have been around for many years so must have something going for them. I used to have one of their internal canisters and it worked excellently, until I loaned it to someone who managed to burn the motor out due to neglect. Have a look at the filters you are considering. How solid does the plastic feel? Is it easy to pull apart? How cheap, or easy to get, are replacement bits? Some of the cheaper brands are made out of thinner plastic and it is easy to break the clips and other fiddly bits. I think Masterpet are the agents for SICCE in NZ but don't quote me on that.

I did, but we can't talk about it here as it is off topic

Not having bought a new tank for years I will check with local glaziers tomorrow and see what the going rate is for tanks these days.

Have you checked tank prices direct from the glazier? I get all my tanks there as they have a lot less mark-up than pet shops. A lot of Americans who keep African set-ups put a layer of polystyrene inside on the bottom of the tank to protect the base from falling rocks. I have never heard of anything toxic leaching from polystyrene. I use it to keep my spawning mops floating in the killie tank.

I should have thought of that myself goldie! We have a home built under tank heat pad and you can buy external thermostats (I think. You used to be able to they were called Slikstats or something).

In reaction to an earlier stament you made - don't put the thermometer inside the chilly bin or whatever. It must be where you can see it at a glance to check the temp. Dick Smith have great digital ones with only a small probe in the tank, the rest sits on top or beside the tank. The probe is very small and would easily hang behind the rocks out of sight.

Hi Kerry and welcome to the fishroom. Your idea is not impossible, just time consuming Silicone is used to glue rocks together. Make sure you get one for aquariums. Some silicones have mould inhibitors and stuff in them which are toxic to fish. Make sure the room is well ventilated as the fumes can get to you. I am sure the end result will look fantastic! Good luck.

I have heard warnings about some terracotta but have never heard, or had myself, any problems with them and I have used a fair number of them over the years. The only ones I would break for the purpose would be cheap Warehouse ones! :lol: Perhaps some of your more expensive fishes might prefer the upmarket $0.99c model. :lol:

Thanks for that Annie, a very informative post. It is my understanding they need the wood to aid digestion so fibre makes sense. Baby bristlenoses are one of my favourites. Watching lots of babies swarming all over a piece of driftwood is fascinating.

My doctor showed me an article recently that said they had trouble in some countries with people using fish medication for human ailments as they are the same drugs - but different dosages. As you can imagine, the amount needed to dose a danio would be drastically different to that required for an adult human!

I dare not look too closely at marine tanks :lol: Buy a few Lotto tickets Ira!

Thanks for putting that in leeves. Paul is very knowledgeable on plants and his site is very helpful and interesting.

I haven't tried it myself as all the babies tears I have bought have been emersed already. They grow straight up underwater. I assume you would have to carefully take it out of its pot and remove the surrounding soil from the roots before putting it in the tank. Anyone else done this?

Excuse my post Bill but Disneyworld asked a question and I replied with an answer and a request for more information as to whether it was sudden or not. This could have a bearing on the problem. I was replying to her, not you. My answer meant more to her than it did to you - as it was meant to! :evil:

Midas, I don't know about high density but they make those huge insulated cooler units, among other things, that have 2 sheets of metal with the poly sandwiched in between. They also make specially shaped poly containers for transporting bottles of wine.

Auckland Fishkeepers meet the 2nd Tuesday of the month in the Green Bay Community Hall so they should be meeting this Tuesday at 7.30pm. Just had a look at the club list and it doesn't have Piet's phone number, just an email address. He is usually quite quick at replying to emails. Perhaps he is away.

Mondo is commonly sold as an aquatic plant. Although used in rockeries it takes to being submersed very well. Babies Tears is a common household plant which does well underwater.

Could be. Was it sudden? Thought of you today as we had the BMW Wine Festival. Roaming around was a cartoonist who would draw caricatures of people. She was very good. She is based in Auckland and said she mainly works the corporate circuit.

If you are going to blame me if it all goes wrong I assume you are also going to give me the profits when it goes right and you sell them? :lol:

Bring a van to conference Andrew as we have a factory here that makes polystyrene sheets any size you want.

Remove the carbon and replace it with more filter media. More useful that way IMO.

Have we got an incorrect number for Piet there Andrew?