SAFFABOY

Would carbon remove any yellow colour ,peat would release into my tank.I have a tank i'm prepping for discus.I'm still having a problem with high ph of 7.6. I want to add peat ,but dont want the yellow colour. What chemicals could i use to lower the ph.I'm not a fan of chemicals ,but might consider.What would be a cheap continuous answer.I heard sodium biphosphate.Where do you get that? Would holding my bore water in a tub for a week lower the ph at all? any response guys

My gravel doesn't have any shell in it.I know where you going with that.The calcium in the shell would increase ph.I had the same problem when i only had gravel in my tank- no wood,plants etc.I run a fluidised bed ,biological filter. My water is bore water.i might not have been clear with my ph readings so these are what i got: tank ph:7.6 water from tap(bore water) 6.6 water from tap(bore water- next day) 7.6 I dont like using chemicals in my tanks -prefer a natural method for my fish. My bore water doesnt have a sulphur smell.The previous owner was using the water from the bore for his diallysis (spelling) machine.cant be that bad. BK: Haven't got any discus yet.Have been away from home this week.So i might take a drive around town this weekend to the lfs. Do you keep discus? Thanks guys.

Hi guys, i'm having a slight problem with my tank.The fresh water i'm putting in(well water-rural) has a ph of 6.6.However when i test it a day later from my tank it's 7.6.Now i'm trying to get this tank ready for discus ,but i can't get the ph down.I wont use chemicals. I know hardness is related to and effects ph.My hardness is low. I'm considering putting peat in the filter to low the ph.Would this work to lower the ph?How would it effect my hardness? OK,JUST TESTED SOME WATER FROM THE TAP(STRAIGHT FROM WELL)-LEFT IT OVER NIGHT IN A SEPERATE TUB- IT HAS A PH NOW OF 7.6 SAME AS TANK.WHAT'S THE DEAL. OH,also ,can i buy any peat from a garden centre.I can get it close to home ,but was told there could be many types of peat. Thanks,any response would be appreciated.

Hey guys, On occasion i come across earthworms while at work(builder).If i boiled,threw them in a blender and froze them...would they be ok to feed my fish. I have neons,gourami's and discus.

I have an 802 powerhead attached to my discus tank.It pumps from the tank to a closed circuit ,biological fluidised bed filter(RED SEA -MERLIN).The water enters the filter and exits at the top.The water then returns up to the tank from under the cabinet a height of 1.3m. My question is this.Is this putting strain on the powerhead,considering high water preessure is gonna be forced to the closest area of low pressure ie. the return pipe to tank.

Hey guys, I'm looking for someone who grows aquaria plants for sale.I'm in the chch area. I DONT WANT THE NAMES OF LOCAL PET STORES. I'm looking for home growers who sell to the public.Wanting to pick up some plants at a reasonable price.Pet stores are pricey when looking to plant a whole new tank. Also looking for people breeding the following: neons rummy nose tetra's discus synadontis cats (spelling) Thanks

Anyone got a simple receipe for home made fertilizer.No i mean other than fish poo !!! My tap water i use for water changes ,lacks iron.Is there an easy way to add it.I don't really want to constantly buy expensive fertilizer products. How about throwing in an old rusty nail,hey hey?????

I've got some 3-4 mm gravel i'm putting in my new tank.However i want to put some finer stuff underneath for the finer roots of my plants to settle into. I'm thinking of putting some coarse sand in under the gravel.Does this sound like a bad idea.I hear it will compact.What about if i stir it up with my vacuum cleaner pipe every now and then. Ahh, while i'm on the subject of vacuum cleaner pipes.Are they bad for planted tanks ie. take away all the fish poo that the plants like?

GREAT !!!! I'll try organisms next weekend.

So Caryl about these plants you have.I still need to organise lighting .Would it be ok if i gave you a shout when i'm ready for the plants? Thanks so much.

haha Caryl Probably just catching the shops in between shipments etc.Where can i get amazon swords?

Hey guys, Anyone got any free plants they getting rid of. Just setting up my first tank in NZ since arriving here from South Africa. I'm in CHCH. Will post u a self addressed,stamped bubble envelope if required. Are there any guys home growing plants for sale in chch.I haven't been to impressed with lfs selection.Maybe i've just been spoilt for selection in Cape Town! Thanks

Does anyone know where to buy phillips TLD 96 -3 FOOT tubes from,in Christchurch? I just had to buy the shorter 2 foot ones-all 4 of them.However i'd still rather get hold of some 3 footers.If you know prices please incl. Also some ballasts for these tubes,any cheap retailers out there? thanks

Hey there guys, I was just wondering.What are the "AVERAGE" water parameters that tank bred discus thrive in? COMPARED to wild discus water parameters. I will be setting up my discus tank soon,and was thinking which way to go.Wild water parameters or stick to what the tank bred discus ,i'll be buying, live in now. Also is 30 - 32 deg sound too warm for the discus? I want to feed them live food as much as possible.I live near the Ashley and waimak rivers in chch.Are there any live lurgy's i can catch for my fish? Bog wood from rivers.Is it safe ?

Anybody know where to get hold of some silica sand??? I need it for my fluidised bed filter.

I want to build a CO2 setup .I notice that a lot of you guys use 2L bottles. I don't particularly like the look of the bottle setup. So i plan to use containers of a more permanent look. My question is this.Is there any way of lengthening the time the yeast culture lasts.I know it lasts +/- 3-4 weeks in a two litre coldrink bottle.However if i use a larger container ,with the same amount of yeast etc. that you put in 2L bottles,would that last LONGER?

I'm wanting to buy some discus up in Auckland while on holiday.I would purchase them on the day of departure. My question is this.How much of a mission is it to transport fish by air.I live in Christchurch.Would i be able to put them on the same flight home as me?Would i get them straight after the flight or would they need to be checked by MAF for a few days etc.What are the formalities. Do you think it would be a better sending them via courier ie. transportation cost vs safety of fish. Does anyone know what i'm looking at to transport a box of say 8 fish?

Hey guys, I have this "one time" offer of glass ,at a really great price.I want to build a tank 1200X500X600 HIGH. The price is for unpolished edges however.So basically just cut and that's it.Could i some how sand the edges with a belt sander and take off those rough edges? The price is almost $90 a linear meter to polish an edge.So i'm wondering if it's detrimental to have them polished ,or if i can do a DIY on them?? Any advice????

OK,so how many then?

Great ,thanks for all the help guys and girls! So amped to get going now.Buying the tank tomorrow!

So theoretically if i set up the tank ,run the filters and wait say a week and then add 40 neons...would that be ok,to cycle the tank.If i left it like that for a month ,then added the discus. I'm know i wouldn't be able to wait 6 months to add discus. How does adding plants effect this scenario.Do i add them on setup or wait till i add the discus.Any plant guru's out there reading?

OK,now that I've established the skimmer is of no use.Could someone help me on the other questions i had?

What do you mean ,where are you? I'm right here!

LUKE* The filter i'm wanting to use is a bilogical fluidized bed filter.No undergravel.I'm sure you know the tube type filters with silica sand that is suppended mid "air" by the water flow inside the tube. Do you think that is all the filtration i need? If i wanted to buy a bigger tank ,and have both my bio filters attached.Would i run one into the other and then return the filtered water to the tank or is there another way you can suggest. I basically want the best for my discus.Want to do it right from the start. I'm wanting to have a well planted tank.Not too fond of this coke bottle CO2 yeast idea.Sounds like it could be quite a hassle with regards to Ph fluctuations.How do you guys deal with replacing the used up mixtures while on holiday? By the way thanks for responding.I appreciate it ,greatly.

the tank i want to install is 4ft and 250L if that makes any differance. thanks