ichthus

Dunno about anyone else - but I'd be quite keen to see a fish get on a plane. I think I read about it in a Dr Seuss book once...

I have 3 leleupi in my tank...they're cool. One builds a huge gravel pile in the middle trying to clear out a corner of the tank, gosh knows why...there are other spots to nest! They haven't bred yet - but then I have 3 Julidochromis Trans. in there who would apparently eat any babies anyway. The leleupi have nice colours, my brichardi's are obviously less colourful but have developed nice fins. I would imagine you could mix some of these smaller Tangs in a tank your size...

I had a sudden outbreak of green water. I turned off my lights for 36 hours, and did a 30% water change. That fixed it! I've since cut down the time my lights are on...but you'd have to be more careful no doubt, because your tank is planted. Anyway - problem solved for free!

If the hoses fit - no. If they don't fit - yes. The Juwel tanks I've seen aren't really designed with an external filter in mind, because they come with their own internal filter box. I have a friend who drilled through the hood of a Rio 400 to fit an additional heater - so if you are confident with a drill I'm guessing you may have to DIY.

Cool - have been thinking about doing this. How will you weight it down, or will the layers of cemix be enough?

I only feed mine on the weekdays - not weekends. That's off the recommendation of Paul Talbot at Majestic Aquariums in Sydney. Not sure if the fish would be much better off if I also fed weekends?

The older they get, the bigger the mess. It's pretty standard for a BN (and my guess is if it did eat your neon, the neon was probably already dead).

Sounds cool. My little tank is not presently worth visiting (fighting foggy water which I suspect is algae: it's driving me nuts) - but I may be able to come along? Would you be able to PM details? Cheers

Sounds like time to ditch the planted tank and get an Oscar. If you get a smart one, it will help you study.

It looks like your tank has gone through another little cycle (with nitrite and nitrate readings) - or the filter isn't keeping up for another reason (too many fish or too much food). Some medications seem to kill off the good bacteria that is responsible for the ammonia-nitrate cycle, but I wouldn't have thought half strength white spot cure would? Personally I'd forget about the PH (although others might suggest you fiddle with it...). Tap water here is 7.2ish, and it is in most stores we buy our fish from too. I would just do some water changes until the little cycle is over, maybe dose with some Prime. That would deal with the water in time. However - that still leaves the question of disease. Personally, I swear by salt, and would add between 2 and 3 grams per litre of water and see if things improve. It may be that those dalmation mollies were kept in a slightly brackish solution anyway (apparently some suppliers keep there mollies in a mild salt solution...) Anyway - I'll make way for others to make their suggestions. I'm in Point England, as you know - so if you wanted me to cruise by sometime let me know. But I am sure there are others with better diagnosing skills who may help?

Yep...just take a bit of care. I would catch the fish out to a holding place, then transfer the stuff from your old tank (including as much water as possible). Just be careful with the heater, turn it off about 15 minutes before moving to avoid cracking. And move the filter carefully, making sure it goes straight back into water so you keep the bacteria alive. And - get a friend to help!

Many pet stores dose "malform" (a combo of malachite green and formalin) in their tanks. Loaches are fine with it. The only problem I had heard of is with Axolotls.

Some guppies got sick. A few fish had whitespot. We had a treasure hunt for Furan 2. One guy did some water changes. And some people nit-picked over fish names.

Probably not, as most pet shops buy it from a supplier. Can't imagine pet shop workers in their gumboots going out to collect oxygen weed every monday morning!

My guess is they will kill. Some fish can be fine when young, but as they grow they become increasingly aggressive. I suspect this would be the case with your convicts - especially directed toward peaceful/slower moving fish like gouramis.

And I'm pretty sure you'd be hearing all sorts of pumps and water sloshing around up there...

saw a block like this at the new Pet Stop in Botany. Also heard of someone finding similar at Para Rubber.

Yep - as I said in a previous post/thread I think you are over-doing it. Most people in these posts agree. You should be able to follow the advice offered here and save yourself both time and money, and save the fish from extra chemicals. I think you will enjoy fishkeeping more that way.

I know - I'm from Taranaki. So I refuse to buy rocks! Auckland...different.

Sounds like you have your mind made up already. Good luck.

Thanks. I can wait till we drive south sometime. Didn't really think of the sandstone ruining my chances! I'm wanting to put a couple of cichlids in a tank, and wanted some stones to build the caves.

To be honest - it sounds like you are over-doing it. I would get your water tested, as many health issues stem from poor water quality. The 25% water changes should be enough to help with most problems, but if the tank is still cycling you're going to have to wait it out. Stress coat and Stress zyme won't deal to ammonia/nitrite. Try Excel Prime. But after the tank cycles, you shouldn't need to keep up the daily water changes and dosing...unless you have too many fish for your filter to handle. Also, beware that the blue fan is possibly hassling the smaller fish. I'd find another home for him. If it were me (which it isn't, so over to you) - I'd get a new home for the fantail, keep up water changes until the tank has cycled, dose with Prime if I feel I must, and try not to use any medication except a little salt. (Water changes will be messing with the salt levels, so it'll be hard to keep this up). If your water quality is good, and you're doing the basics right (not over-populating the tank, or introducing incompatible fish), your fish should be happy...

Hi just wondering where in Auckland to find river rocks (the smooth grey variety) for my aquarium. I'm meaning river locations, rather than shops, as something seems wrong about buying plain grey stones! Thanks Rob

I found nitrazorb needed lots of pre-rinsing to avoid cloudyness. Don't worry - it's not harmful.

Yep - Prime is excellent. I hope you meant 2 caps rather than 2 cups! Water changes are also good to keep up with. "Dilution is the solution to pollution" (a slight exaggeration, but partly true!) The fact that you have high levels of Nitrate means both types of the bacteria you want is present...just not enough of them yet! You'll get there. The filter media spoken of will need to come from an already cycled tank - so a mate with an established aquarium? This filter media may also introduce nasties - so make sure you know where it is coming from.