and on a rainy day you can run to the dairy for your chocolate fix, burning off twice as much calories and allowing you twice as much chocolate. (If my GF reads this... See I am learning)
IME works ok as long as from a smaller size, the severums get quite a bit bigger too so you may have problems later on.
also if anyone decides to breed say bye bye to nice clean fins and possible other body parts.
good options also are Jurupari/Surinamensis type geos, Firemouths, and I have seen a tank coexisting peacefully with 1 female electric yellow in with 6 angels.
+1... remove the plants that are not supposed to be there, also test your Phosphate and Iron levels. as well as a morning and night pH test to see if you are having pH swings.
the live bacteria approach seems to work, I have an old product at work called bio balls, never seem to be able to sell tem but they work wonders on the brown stuff on the stones... even in tanks with big cichlids.
look for Ambulia, Saggitaria, Anubius, Vallisineria, Rotala, Polysperma Hygrophilla, Java fern and moss.....
those are the most common proper aquarium plants. im sure people can add to the list
thats what i've discovered as well.... then again I have access to MANY ponds as we have a pond cleaning service. so I might be lucky.
I've had a few hunts around but no luck... did see some dried eggs in a kit for sale in an auction last year (probably illegally imported)
was a article on them in TFH a few years back too
there is a bit of good new stuff around but you have to wade through immense levels of crap to find it, plus even if its good it may not make it very far if its not marketable as well.
that would almost be worth going to the hassel of scoring a permit for.
I have heard they are around most of the country, might have to have a peek in the pond vacume bags before they empty them out