Slartibartfast

shiuh hope you took your cough syrup and asprin today

How big is the tank? What sort of water?? What tank mates are they going to be kept with??? Yup jewels are real timid wittle things LOL if kept with something bigger and nastier that is...

Do you have enough surface agitation is the spray bar/sump outlets in the water or above? Maybe add some airstones.

Did I miss something? Don't think I stated frequency of replacement of media But if you do as the eheim manual says Me think someone new to the hobby would follow the manual rather closely :roll:

Oh Fins if you are still interested in making your own have a look at, http://www.sydneycichlid.com/diyugf.html http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/filter ... diyugf.htm http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/grumpy ... rofilt.htm should give you an idea

Ya gotta love filter debates I have an eheim with the inbuilt heater, a sacem, 2 aquaclears plus some ice cream, sponge and ugf's The eheim, really really good can't hear it and it heats the tank.So great for a bedroom if you sleep light but I'm ashamed of how much I paid for it lol The sacem does an ok job The aquaclears love them, will keep to seed new tanks plus to help polish the water but not as the main filter But they all cost way to much to buy and operate. The 2 cannisters are doing one tank, the 2 aquaclears another. The air operated filters are doing six tanks from one air pump and cost next to nothing to buy, these tanks also require less maintainence then the store bought filters. Even though the cannisters only get touched every 2/3 months I still have to change the water vacuum the crap from the substrate with the same frequency as the ugf's plus you have to buy replacement media. So why did I bother getting them??from the propaganda that I read on the net plus listening to the lfs!!! and of course it was a new toy to play with lol but that 800 bucks or so coulda been spent on fish. I have found that ugf's work for all but the fish that love to dig and those 2 tanks will be converted or new tanks built with filters in the sides of the tank, stuffed with dacron or some other cheap medium so they too can run off air. Oh and I had a 250l tank with powerheads connected to a ugf I tossed the powerheads and am very happy running it from the air pump. The only difference I have found is if you get lax with your water changes/maintainence routine the water quality is better with the cannisters. That said I haven't lost a fish due to poor water quality for a couple of years :oops: And I haven't noticed any difference with plant growth I kill them just as fast either way :roll:

Any sand that you have cleaned is pretty much good to go but it is a pain to clean, just pick a colour you like. So don't get it if its been near cement lol chimera somebody has to take the pressure off Ira hehee

Electric yellows are omnivores so aren't that fussed with diet but need lots of veggies that being said.

Plants I have Java fern and Anubias in with mine which they don't touch. Sand whatever you like Pool sand, river or beach doesn't matter. I have shell grit mixed in mine to help buffer the water. Rocks whatever ya like Something that buffers water is good eg limestone Fish umm I like blue fish with mine so I have Electric blues but will change the eb's for some maingano soon but in another tank that isn't display I have them with Altolamprologus comp. but you are limited by the size of the tank so I would probably keep them on their own. Hope that helps

She didn't say she jumped lol

Sadly I had a serious falling out with the mice and alas now the dolphins won't even talk to me :lol:

Hi Could we have a 600 word book reviews by the end of next week please hehe