GrahamC

It's a tank so it's tanked vs pondered for a pond

Is it possible or meaningful to measure the current draw in the different positions? Just wondering if it has to do more work below the tank level because of the two columns of water in the hoses, and the effect of gravity.

Ammolock will inactivate the ammonia turning it into ammonium. The tests will still read high though but don't worry, your fish will be safe while you use ammolock. Your next concern is to watch the nitrite levels and keep those down. The ammonium is still available for the nitrogen cycle. I'd do 10% daily water changes until the tank is cycled. It may take 6 weeks. If you know someone with a cycled tank, you might be able to get some live filter material from them to add to your filter.

This is a an interesting design which perhaps looks more arty than functional http://gearcrave.com/2008-07-18/local-river-plant-aquarium/ The designer's website is http://www.mathieulehanneur.fr/projet_gb.php?projet=127# and has more images. Looks like the plants are floating on a polystyrene raft so 100% root submersion, and presumably the fish he has don't eat the plant roots. And looks like there are docking points on the top where you plug in a unit. Quite stylish, but would you eat the tilapia grown this way?

SPCA

I get my daughter to check the colours for me ... my colour vision ain't that good! What do people think of those Seachem ammonia meters that stay in your tank for a year? I find that much easier to read, and it provides readings below the API liquid test kit.

How did you cycle the tank in a week? It usually takes 4-6 weeks unless you used filter material from another cycled tank. If you just used that bacteria in a bottle they sell at pet shops, without an ammonia load, your parameters will all read 0 but your tank won't be cycled. You need to regularly check water parameters and do small daily water changes with dechlorinated tap water. I get a cup of tank water, put the flakes into it, leave it a few minutes, and then tip it into the tank. That way the flake drops below the water line.

Just prime them using a gravity siphon below the tank, and then lift them up to where ever you want them to run.

I believe the rating of a filter is measured with the cannister filter at the same level as the tank. Efficiency drops when the cannister is below the tank due to the increased pressures on the impeller.

As it so happened I was in Auckland over the weekend, and was put up by a relative. In her room was a fish bowl with two oranda, one very dead though Water smelled awful. Removed the dead one, and did a 30% water change. No filter running and no air stone. Managed to go to the HFF in Mt Roskill and picked up a sponge filter with air pump to at least get something going, and left instructions for daily 10% water changes until the water smelled more "sea" like, and until they could organise a larger tank. They had a seachem ammonia meter in another tank ( a large Rio where 5 goldfish had perished and was not being used as it apparently leaks ) and I moved it to this fish bowl. Ammonia read 0, but who knows how old the meter was.

So your source water drops from a pH of 7.4 to under 6 in your tank without deliberate acidification? As your pH is rising but ammonia levels are not falling further, perhaps you need to stop the water changes until the ammonia levels start to fall again as the rising pH is converting ammonium to ammonia. Or use something to lock up the ammonia such as Ammo Lock, while continuing the water changes? Ammo lock converts ammonia also to ammonium which remains available to nitrifying bacteria.

No need to help the bacteria along as the low pH is protecting them by having the ammonia as ammonium. Just continue doing 10-20% daily water changes to lower the ammonia levels, and that will harden the water as well.

and the bacteria in your noodles are inactive...

how can they do any of this? he hasn't been convicted of anything.

I suspect the most important thing is that your pH appears to be below 6 on the graph, and that would stop the nitrogen cycle. What is the pH of your source water? If this is old tank syndrome, the recommendation is to change water daily 10-20%, and to stop if ammonia levels don't start falling to give the bacteria a chance to catch up. At low pH levels ammonia is found more in the non toxic ammonium state which protects the fish. I was under the impression a DSB is helpful to reduce nitrates only if you have something (worms etc) living in the DSB which is constantly turning it over so that the nitrate rich water reaches the anaerobic bacteria.

Surely in a well functioning nitrogen cycle a hidden source of decomposing material will also spike the nitrates and nitrites but in this case, nitrates have dropped.

You can use the tonic salt in cooking if you don't need it afterwards. Seems very few antibiotics are available for retail use eg erythromycin and minocycline in NZ. Your best bet might be Furan2 http://www.hollywoodfishfarm.co.nz/detail/view/furan-2-powder/m/943/

If your biological filter had taken a hit, wouldn't that cause ammonia levels to rise, and both nitrite and nitrates to fall? Ie. your tank has started to recycle. I don't see the numbers but is your pH below 6? That can disrupt the nitrogen cycle. See http://www.oscarfishlover.com/forum/14-tanks-filtration-heating-etc/124216-old-tank-syndrome--tank-recycling-process

I only caught a quick glimpse of it ... true, maybe he has some wealth salted away as fish! It seemed as large as the one at the national aquarium. Can catch another look on the 3+1 channel in a few minutes.

Was just watching Campbell live and there was a huge aquarium in the kitchen. Since everything is being seized, will we see the fish for sale ??

Mate says it was purchased from this shop: http://www.arowanaclub.com/advertisers/C328/C328.htm Clementi Florist & Aquarium Address Blk 328, Clementi Ave 2 Singapore 120328 Tel: 6777 8468 Owners: Mr & Mrs Toh Business Hour Weekdays:11:00-21:30 Saturdays: 11:00-21:30 Closed on Sundays

No, it was $19 for just over a cereal box amount of the stuff. It was a multinational thank you on the label but it was definitely purchased in Sg. Better find out first if anyone wants you to get some for them !

The idea is to fluidize the media, just not keep it floating As the bacteria colonize the media turning it brown it then starts to sink. I googled the words on the label .. it says Terima Kasih which means "Thank you" :slfg: Ok, I'll find out from my mate where he bought the stuff from.

Wasn't Squirt going to Singapore? Or is he there already? You can see the shop name on the price sticker. I believe there is a company in NZ that uses this stuff for their water treatment plant but I couldn't see any indication they sold the media alone.