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KiwiGal77

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  1. Plants are mainly a variety of stem plants at the moment, dwarf sag, a few little crypts and will also be\ getting a sword. Lighting is 2 x 30watt bulbs, but they must be nearly a year old so possibly about due to be replaced? Currently using JBL 7+13 balls in the substrate and dosing with Flourish Comprehensive weekly after the water change. I've watched a couple of videos of cory on the JBL Manado and they seem to really enjoying snuffling around in that, it's light enough that they can get deep and move it around without risking damage. So I'm now considering either just the Manado and using root tabs, or trying the Eco-Complete with a top layer of Manado. I like the reddy brown colour, which is another reason I want to change my beige sand out for something else. I've read lots of really good reviews of the Eco-Complete, and it sounds like the nutrients last a good year (then of course there's some people who say it didn't help at all). Which means in the long run I would save on not having to use root tabs for a while.
  2. I'm after a piece of driftwood approx 40-60 long x 30cm at highest point. After something with a thick branch type of style - not thin spider wood and not big chunky solid pieces. Thanks!
  3. I have Cory so was also considering the need to top with something softer/smoother for them as the eco-complete is a bit heavy and rough. Obviously sand won't stay at the top, but perhaps JBL Manado would be a good option?
  4. Hi all, I am thinking of swapping out my current sand substrate for Caribsea Eco-Complete to help out my plants. Even with root tabs and liquid fertiliser they just aren't developing well in the sand and their root systems seem weak and shunted, apparently this can happen as some find sand too compact as well as the obvious lack of nutrients? It's quite expensive at $60 for 10kg, and I have 150L tank to fill so guessing I would need 2-3 bags. But I also think in the long term Eco-Complete will work out cheaper without having to use root tabs. Or I wonder about maybe doing the top inch layer with cheaper normal gravel to keep costs down? So has anybody used this before, and what are your thoughts on it? Thanks!
  5. Interesting, thanks. I tried cutting back light time from 10 to 6hrs and the tank had next to no direct sunlight at the old place. Cut back feeding too. Nothing seemed to help. At the new place it hasn't really got any access to direct sunlight either, and the lights are on for 10hrs a day with daily feeding. Still no algae *touch wood*
  6. Awesome, thanks! Do they both look male to you?
  7. A couple of months ago I bought 2 rams. They were both sold to me as GBRs, but I have suspicions that the one remaining is actually a Bolivian ram. It's larger, not as prominent yellow or blue colouring on the body with duller black dots and has more pinky fins & tail with minimal blue through. Here's a picture of the two of them in full colour having a dispute - the one on the left is the ram in question. Pretty sure the other one was a GBR, it had stronger colouring and was smaller (but maybe not?). Or perhaps they are both just still colouring up as they get older? When his Hole in Head issue clears up I'm wanting to get a girl for him, so need to make sure I'm getting the right type!
  8. So I recently moved from the country into a suburban home, which means swapping from rain water to town water. When on rain water I was fighting (and losing) a never ending algae issue, to the point that unless I did 50% water changes 2x a week I couldn't see the back of my tank. The algae in the water was thriving, while the plants were dying. I even did a 100% water change at one point as well as a 4 day blackout, but within a week I had green water again. Water tests always came back the same - 0 ammonia & nitrite, 5 nitrate and it didn't matter how little I fed the fish. I also randomly lost quite a few various fish over the few months, despite the good water tests. The only good thing was I had two VERY fat otos! I've now had the tank setup in my new home for a week, on town water... and it is absolutely clear as glass. I know it's early days, but the plants are really starting to thrive again and there isn't even a hint of green cloudiness forming. Water tests have come back good so the filter wasn't knocked at all during the move or with the sudden change in water chemistry. Fish are thriving, and the ram that developed what I believe to be Hole in Head with secondary infection appears to be healing slowly *touch wood*. Just wondering if anyone else has had similar experiences? There must have been something in the rain water that was causing the issues - perhaps there was residue coming from a dirty filter, or something the rain water was picking up in the sky over the ocean & farmlands.... I'm just glad I can actually see and enjoy watching the fish in my aquarium now!
  9. Just after people's tips on how to keep fish alive when moving? I have a 150L tank with approx 25 small fish. Would I best to just take majority of water out and leave them in there, or try to catch and bag all of the fish?
  10. Yea I'm looking forward to that. There's a bunch of wisteria behind the driftwood too, which I'm hoping will grow up and fill in that section and some twisted val behind the hygro. Picking up some Xmas moss soon and got some baby Java fern growing too. Should be looking pretty full in a couple of months hopefully!
  11. 3 months on and things are definitely starting to take shape! Current stocking list: 6 Julii Cory 2 Otocinclus 2 German Blue Rams 10 Harlequin Rasbora 1 Dwarf Gourami 4 Platies
  12. I ended up with a male sunset and 3 female red wags. When I went to look there were two female red wags who looked more orange, already leaning towards the colour I wanted, and there was a male who has the most amazing gradient from bright yellow to blood red. So figured I may as well use them Now I guess we wait a few weeks and see what happens. Hopefully the boy likes his red & black girls! Here's the boy:
  13. That's great info, thanks!! I think a red wag male and 3 sunset females might be the way to go. If the red wag is hetero then 50% will have black points, if I'm lucky enough to get a homozygous then all offspring will be wag tail. With 3 sunset females hopefully a fair share of the offspring will show the fading yellow-red colour rather than single coloured. Sounds like I might have a plan...
  14. Just wondering if anyone has seen these in Auckland? I am yet to spot any for sale, but did see one in a HFF display tank over the weekend so there must be some around at times. Otherwise I'm thinking of attempting to breed for the colour trait since it's obviously quite rare (and I think gorgeous!), just trying to find some useful colour genetics info on platies. Guessing the basics would be sunset x red wag, and would take refining to lighten the colour up over generations I suspect. Wonder if you would be best to go with sunset females and 1 red wag male or red wag females and one sunset male... Does anybody know which colour trait is dominant & recessive? Thanks!
  15. Found some very healthy looking dwarf gourami, in animates of all places (after checking out 3 other fish stores). Got the one that looked the most colourful and dominant, so fingers crossed he's a strong healthy one.
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