Kinbote

The top is female and the bottom is male. The difference is the pointed vs rounded anal fin.

Yeah Ammolock converts ammonia to ammonium so it still registers, but I say it's not cycling because ammonia/ammonium levels are continuing to rise, and I'm seeing zero nitrites. I've been doing ~80% water changes (almost) every 2 days (sometimes repeated two or three times) for the past couple of months, and also various other things that were suggested, all to no effect.

Long story short, the positive bacteria population in my 800 litre tank collapsed a couple of months back for unknown reasons; everything had been fine since setting up 2 - 3 years ago. So far, all attempts to restart the cycle have failed, and I'm spending a fortune on Ammolock to keep the fish safe. So my request: is there anyone in the West Auckland (or wider) area who has a few colonised bio-balls or bio-noodles they'd be willing to spare? Would be an enormous help to me and the fish. TIA

Whatever makes you feel better about living in Hamilton. :roll:

I've got readings from off the charts blue to 6.6ish from my tapwater in the same day, a few minutes apart. I don't trust the API pH liquid test kit much at all. Temperature seems to make a big difference in the readings too.

Yeah, that's what I hope. The altifrons are perfectly well behaved at the moment, not at all shy and not disruptive either, but I'll see how it lasts.

Sounds like that Bees Online place but with fish...

I'll keep looking out for them in case any new ones come in, because they do sound good on paper. I ended up getting 10 cardinals, because I figure the sooner I get them the sooner they can grow to a size that the geos will be less inclined to eat while the geos are still babies. If I have problems later on I guess I'll have to make a choice between keeping one or the other. Overall I'm worried my stock list doesn't make a lot of sense, though.

That tank really is killer.

Agreed.

Is this the API liquid test kit? One thing I've noticed with those is that the 4ppm reading looks really similar to the 8ppm. If your ammonia is actually 8ppm, that won't cycle.

Nope.

What level is it showing? If the ammonia gets too high it can be toxic to nitrifying bacteria, so no cycling.

Nice tank, what are the dimensions?

I think they're Heros Notatus. Plant eaters, unfortunately.

I had a look at the dwarf flag cichlids at HFF today and they were pretty limp, mostly floating motionless or resting on the bottom. Could have just been tired but I wasn't impressed...

The hoplos have a good sense of smell but they seem practically blind and incapable of taking anything out of the water column, so I don't see them ever catching anything that's actively evading them...

Are they territorial?

There are already a few threads about my tank, but I figure I'll make a new one for the latest situation... It's 800 litres and 1600x1000x500mm. Current stock: 12 rosy tetras 2 megalechis thoracata (or possibly port hoplos, they're still babies) 8 brochis splendens 4 geophagus altifrons. I don't want to add too much more. I'm thinking a small school of cardinals, although there's an issue of compatibility once the geos grow up, and/or some dwarf cichlids. This is the look I'm going for: And this is the tank: Ideas? :spop:

There goes all the respect I had for you... :lol:

Hmm, smart idea.

Where does it go? Can you still see into the tank?

But people suspect that the barb was dead at the time, right? You'd figure that that's got to be the exception -- a species that routinely chokes to death trying to eat things too big for it isn't going to be around for long. Big fish eats little fish is only true as long as the big fish is a piscivore, which I thought the geos mostly weren't.

That's probably not going to be enough, I've got a 300W and a 200W in my 800 litre tank and it just manages to keep it at 24.5C when they're set at 27.

I'm not sure that that has anything to do with maths... but if they'll eat a ram, then the high bodied tetras being recommended presumably wouldn't fare any better either.