SanityChelle

I've never heard of mini Java fern, just normal, narrow, and windelov. I grow my java fern out in a 40L just fine, but if you don't have the room, I guess you'll just have to chuck them. It's just the plant naturally growing, so there's no way to stop the plantlets from appearing.

This still gives me a giggle from time to time, so I'm sure they'll be worth it. It's more the being about to pick the levels of the RGB. I've found my rusties look amazing with red mixed in there. It takes the males from brownish to bright orange.

@Cam - How are the Satellite Plus going? Looking at getting one for my african tank. Are the settings fun?

I'm starting to see a trend with your threads. You ask a question about something you see, but not provide any pictures to go with it. You get given multiple answers from very experienced people who only want to help you get the best out of this hobby, which you ignore. When someone asks for a photo to help clarify your question, you give an excuse and suddenly you don't want to know anymore. :-?

I've found a little red helps a lot on my yellows and rusties. The rusties males in particular look great under it. At the moment, I've got le cheapo stuck on LED strips, and the mixed options work well. http://www.trademe.co.nz/building-renov ... 349984.htm I'm thinking of upgrade to the Current Satellite+ LEDs as my tank is quite deep and the cheapos aren't strong enough. http://www.kensfish.com/aquarium-suppli ... -inch.html I'm not sure about growing algae on purpose, but it seems to grow well for me, they're always having a good nibble.

I have no idea where you're checked these temps, because they're wildly inaccurate.

How about you google the fish you want to keep in this tank, and make a list of their temperature ranges..

You're not listening. We're not telling you to put a heater in the tank for the tropical fish. You need to take the fish that require warmer temps out of the tank, as they do not suit colder water. There's no point putting a heater in for the tropical fish, as it will make things worse for the coldwater fish. It needs to be one or the other.

We're honestly not trying to be mean here. This is just what these types of fish basically need. I have a coldwater tank, and the fish need an extremely high current, plenty of oxygen, and a way to keep cool in summer. I'm lucky in that there's an HRV system in my house, and it keeps the room temp down, and subsequently, keeps the coldwater tank at 20C at the most. When I first started and was living elsewhere, the tank would easily get up to 24-25C even without a heater, and well out of the sun. A coldwater tank is not just a tropical setup without a heater, these fish have their own requirements and certain compatibilities too, and you need to research those carefully.

Just because you've done something a certain way for a while, doesn't mean that's the way the fish is suppose to live long term. Keeping a fish tank should be about thrive, not survive. +1 to Adrienne. If you want a coldwater, get definite coldwater/subtropical fish that THRIVE in 18-20 degrees. Otherwise put the other fish like your golden algae eater and guppies in a tropical tank.

Guppies and paradise fish aren't a great mix. Paradise fish are basically subtropical fighters, so they'll have a go at anything bright and flashy.

Jealous! Would you ever sell prints?

Trademe, both in quality and in price. That and forums and Facebook groups.

I did find that covering the filter exhaust completely wasn't even surface agitation, so I leave it exposed now, and pointed down the tank rather than towards the front. I've also got hillstream loaches and minnows in there, so I've added a powerhead to get the circulation up.

Oh plants are great in it! You just need to pick the right ones to suit the LEDS. The plants that need really high light didn't like it (pretty much anything red would fade off then die). But things like java fern, anubias, stargrass, ambulia, swords, crypts etc will do just fine. This was it rather overgrown with java fern (both normal and narrow leaf), and there's anubias in there somewhere, haha. I didn't add anything special, maybe a dose of Excel every now and again to keep BBA away. The gravel wouldn't have helped the plants much.

The Ecostyles are great. I've found removing the carbon piece and putting in ceramic substrate with the sponges on top works quite well.

Ember tetra are wonderful! And they school really well! I'm actually hoping to get more to add to my school tomorrow.

It's not good practice to buy a tank for the size a fish is now. What are you going to do when it's bigger? Eat it? You can't put it back.

These are gorgeous pictures! Loved the one of the lioness. Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

What's that suppose to mean? That the inspectors don't know anything about what they're looking for?

Yeah, um, so my dad was a inspector. Trust me when I say that they have plenty of people with a lot of knowledge about fish too. And reptiles, and birds, and anything else you can think of that people try to bring in. What I mean is, I think MPI definitely have the resources (and the right people) to be able inspect the fish themselves. And already on their payroll.

You're thinking of MPI. Like MPI inspectors... IE the same people that do the exact some thing you said every day at every wharf and international airfield. And get paid pretty average wages to do it.

The plants in the front of the first tank are small amazon swords, and the skinny plant in the 3rd tank is actually Narrow leaf Java fern. You definitely don't need any fancy substrate, I've been growing plants in that third tank, and it's only gravel (though I'm wanting to change it to sand at the moment). Ferts will help them grow really well. Spiderwood is awesome looking driftwood for tanks, though it's usually quite expensive to get from the store. You could ask on here is there's anyone around you with spare driftwood you might be able to have. And you can actually buy timers that plug in like an extension cord just from a supermarket that will turn your tank lights on and off for you. I've got my tanks set to when I'm up in the morning (like 7am to 8am), off while I'm at work, then back on from 5 to 10. Those are all really good plants to start with, crypts are good too.

You'll be fine without Co2, I would recommend a cheap light on the tank rather than sunlight, as it does open up your choices heaps. These would well, and wouldn't break the bank : http://www.thewarehouse.co.nz/red/catal ... KU=1507668 My tanks are all low tech planted, and get about 6 hours of light time a day, plus they're in a bright room. None of the tanks have deep substrates at all, and I don't fertilise them. (Sorry if these are huge images)

I usually just leave the cotton on and it'll eventually just disintegrate.