Hamstar99

Yeah hes coloured up really well. Cant wait till he grows up a bit. Love it how they just cruise around. So far the tropheops have been good with little aggression even amongst themselves but they are only young. Ill be keeping an eye on them. They are starting to colour up now as well so ill be clearly able to see what ratios i have.

Cheers guys. The area is designed so that the tank can be removed without any disruption to the surrounds. The only remains would be the holes where the tubes run up from the sump and back into the tank. Tank sits on a formica bench top. There is only 200mm in front of it so its not my actual work area. That is on the other side of the room. The lack of background on the tank limits the amount of "pop" and contrast you can get to show the fish off but allows to see between the rooms.

Hi JS. Id also leave you gravel for a couple of months and let your tank fully cycle before using your little vacuum. I tend to go over mine every 4 weeks (every second water change for me at the moment) but dont go to hard out, just a bit of a pump round and i dont stir it up that much. I also hook mine onto a longer hose and run it out side rather than into a bucket. this means i dont have to stop and start as i find that once my water level is down i struggle to get it going again. cheers

bigger sizes have a longer plastic piece up to 600mm i think.

Yeah between my office and the main living area/ entrance. Light hasnt been a problem yet. One end of the tank gets direct sunlight for a couple of hours in the evening on one end so get a little bit of algi down that end only at the mo.

Pass on why some pics aint rotated :dunno:

Its been a while but i finally got round to putting some pics together of my Malawi mix. They are still young but growing fast. Tank is 480l in wall (2000l, 600H, 400d) set up between my entrance and office Stocking 10 yellow, 12 dems, 10 Tropheops chilumba, 5 eye biters. Sorry photos of fish are average at best but ill update with better ones as i catch them. Filter is AquaEL unimax 1500l p/h - 2x ins and 2x outs. Limestone rock and 5mm grey pebble.

Agreed, I have spent many hours in the LFS up here and I have heard for myself the advice given out. 99.9% of what I have heard is good, sound, unbiased advice. I have seen many many times people ignoring that advice and insisting on needing this and that. At the end of the day the shop assistant has no choice than to sell them what they ask for. I have also read on this forum people saying that the LFS told them this and that yet I have been in the shop that very time and know very well that that was not what they were told. But this thread is not for debating this but for discussion on cycling should anyone wish to do so.[/quote I guess impatience would have a lot to do wit hit as well. When some one starts out and decide they want fish, they want them now and want as many as they can fit. they dont want to come home from the shop with a empty tank. Yes maybe this discussion should also have its own topic. Feel free to cut it or delete it Mods and back to cycling. Cheers

This is the rest of the article you quoted from. And also what the issue was- Changing the perimeters. If there is a difference between your tank water parameters and your tap water, then it may be worth starting a new thread to get advise on how to proceed, however if there is no ammonia present, then 20 - 30% water changes on a daily basis shouldn't be a problem. I have seen quite a few studies science papers although all american and canadian. However when i go to find them now the links are dead. I will see what i can find.

Found it. Excellent article.

This could probably be a new topic but a question that i often ask my self particularly when we see threads like the locked one. Why do the shops that sell fish to these new hobbyists put more emphasis on cycling their tanks before fully stocking their tanks. Is it ignorance or the lack of knowledge on the part of the LFS or just money talking. Lets sell him a bunch of fish and he'll be back in a couple of weeks cos half them are dead" Send him home with a handful of tetras, a testing kit and some reading material. Surely this would be the way to go. I couldnt find Jennifers article but here is the basics without going into a step by steps. Cheers http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/cycling.php

I usually use bunnings for the basic stuff- pipe and bends etc. Electrical conduit because it fits best with the 19mm filter tube. But plumbing world, Zip etc for more selection.

Its a fine line really. Low Ph will lower the toxicity of the ammonia but will also stall/ slow the cycle. Keep up the water changes. Do two a day if you have time but take care not to knock your substrate around too much.

Yes you need to get something in your tank to cycle it whether that be a couple of fish or some ammonia. It wont progress or cycle if you arnt feeding the bacteria.

Hi Polwarth, have you ever had any nitrate readings?i notice you didnt at the start and you dont now. Just in case you havnt already id test again. MAke sure you do the 30 second shake and 1minute shake thing. Have you got another tank to test to check your kit? cheers

Some additives like stress zyme can give those small false readings too i have found.

Sounds good. Do you have nitrite readings now PS id ignore the statement above. Id keep your water changes small for now until your bacteria are fully established. If your nitrite levels are not too high then you can probable leave it to its own devises. cheers

your Ph is at a good level for cycling. Your water temp wants to be around 26-30 deg c Your ammonia is high if that is 4ppm. Your really dont want any more than 2ppm. using house hold ammonia is easier and quicker but it would be better to use clear rather than cloudy ammonia. I would check you parameters and try and get them to close to above. Get the ammonia level to 1-2ppm by water changes. Test daily or every second day till ammonia gets to zero. Once ammonia gets to zero bring it back to 1-2ppm by adding more of your ammonia source. (this is where ammonia is good as it happens pretty much instantly to easy to measure) Keep testing. once ammonia is reaching zero in 24 hours start testing nitrites. Nitrites could be off the chart. If so do daily water changes to get the nitrites down to say 4. Just like ammonia, if the nitrites are too high it can stall the progress. Keeping adding ammonia every 3 days or so while testing nitrites (remember your ammonia should be converting to nitrites in 24hrs by now) Once nitrites reach zero you tank is cycled. In My experience waiting for the nitrites to come down can take 2-3 times longer than the ammonia drop. Water changes to get nitrates down then add fish Remember to be light on your water changes. (say 20- 30% max) to not disturb your bacteria too much. Take the water from the top of the tank rather than interfering with your substrate. cheers

they are fully submersible. Should say that on the packaging.

Drive to Hanmer via Molesworth station if the weather is nice.

i guess all central fugal pumps are designed to push water rather than pull it.

Yeah SPCA will have some one that that they will pass it on to.

8.6 is is at the higher end of their natuaral habitat i think. They could possibly handle higher though. Possably salt in you sand lifting your hardness/ Ph. I would think it would drop after water changes.

Sorry. I meant zero nitrites and a some nitrates. My bad. Id say the lime chips will be slow to buffer your ph. Add some baking soda for a quick fix but im not sure the hardness and Ph levels of your natives. Same with the water temp. the higher the better but obviously without stressing the natives.

try the paint shops as it is used commonly as an additive in paint. Although im not sure if you can get it in "bulk" "