Rouseabout

They are quite delicious too :rotf:

Im doing weekly water changes etc and yes my aquariums are all fresh water. By your logic Kinnadian none of the tds readings posted here have any meaning..or value.....? I beg to differ. Considering the initial readings for tap/rain/bore water, subsequent readings in the aquarium over time must surely be measuring initial reading +increases in soluble solids load....which in a well cycled tank would be predominantly nitrates?

Im likely to be purchasing a TDS meter within next month. So far I have seen lots of TDS readings for rain/bore/tap water - what about readings in your tanks e.g. just after water change, week after water change, longer? I guess what I'm interested in is what would be a TDS reading that would prompt a water change in different types of aquariums?

Frank the Blank? :rolfl:

Cheers Kinnadian There are heaps on there - for hand-held use (multiple tanks) which one would you go for if price no issue? also, assume I would need at least one calibration solution also?

Hi Im wanting to get into using TDS as the main indicator test of my tanks water quality - recommendations on what meter to purchase and where from please? Thanks chris

:nfs:

My Africans hoover up the fluval just as fast as they used to do to NLS :lar:

I was fortunate enough to see this setup last week :bggrn:

:cophot:

Managed to get to Fish2Water :bggrn: and was well worth it. Thinking seriously about using HM filtration either on my current Malawi tank or when I can afford a better setup. Thanks heaps Likoma!

Hi, realise this a bit last-minute. im going to Wellington tomorrow to meet a customer in Porirua (whittakers Chocolate - Yum!). :thup: I should have some time on my hands before my flight back to Auckland - Can anyone recommend a LFS or two worthy of a visit? Im thinking more HFF than Animates if you know what I mean. :dnc1:

Thanks Guys, thats good advice. Yes I knew about the size the clowns can reach (I've seen a fully grown one) so will suggest the dwarf chains instead. Also re being nocturnal yes - they (trumpet snails)are in my Malawi tank and there are always heaps of trail markings in the aragonite sand each morning! I like them in the Malawi tank because I figure they burrow in deep and keep the sand from building up crap where it is deeper. We also thin the snail population by scooping up substrate in a std black net and then working that through the mesh by hand. Can take a few minutes but the result is a lot of snails ready for disposal. Supplemental question :bggrn: Given the snails are feeding on fish waste and excess food (no plants in my African Tank) are they likely to have a concentration of nitrates etc in their gut? Wondering if the ecosystem is similar to a coastal one where the shellfish and molluscs are the first to be prohibited to take when there is an algal bloom?

Hi Wife hates the trumpet snails in her Juwel 240L. 1. Will clown loaches take care of these snails? 2. Are clown loaches compatible with Discus, Tetras, BNs and Sterbai Corys?

Hi Sam Whats the plan for all those platinum angels - wife saw some online from hff and decreed she must have a few :facepalm:

:sml1: I think most of us wish our fish would eat snails!

I have had issues with "newish" tanks (cycled for a month or so) when introducing very young/small BNs. I think perhaps there are small spikes in ammonia or nitrite which don't stay long but which hit very young fish quite hard?

Hi all just to update, 18 days later and no further issues in this tank which I'm stoked about. No medication or treatment applied so advice received was spot on. Thanks! :bggrn:

Test kits - i started into tropicals a year ago and bought this kit. Its been months since I felt the need to do all the tests because everything is fine in my 5 tanks

My Malawis have been breeding in community tank- wondering if they will keep doing so all year round or is there a breeding season. Peach zebras are at it mostly - one of the three males I bought turned out to be a girl :facepalm:

Thanks guys - ironically since I first posted this question I have read a number of comments attributing a link between bloodworms and dropsy - though the tank I lost a couple of tetras from recently (Wifes 240L) due to dropsy, the occupants have never been fed bloodworms. When I started keeping tropicals I was feeding NLS as well as JBL but stopped the NLS when I found out HFF was no longer going to stock that. All my fish certainly loved NLS. My Africans now fed JBL Novo Rift and Novostick M.

IMO probably best to have the heater running and then after a day or so see what the temperature is and adjust the heater up or down accordingly (like Camtang just said :lar: ) Proper thermometers that attach with a suction cup are in most LFS for about $7. I dont know how accurate the stick-on strip ones are but they can be difficult to read. Depending on how warm it gets where you are you will probably need to adjust the heater again as we approach winter. Most of my heaters are only just starting to switch on now as the mornings get a little cooler in Auckland. A 150W heater is almost overkill in a 55L tank but on the bright side you should have no trouble in winter even if the ambient temperature gets really low.

Always turn it off at the wall before touching it! :bggrn:

Very weird. My Sterbai corys dart up to the top from time to time however they dart straight back down rather than what you are describing.

Thanks folks Checked tonight and none of the remaining fish are showing any sign of dropsy. Fingers crossed! :-P