KiwiGal77

Hmm, we have plenty of what I assume are mosquito larvae in the horse's water troughs. would they be suitable and safe as a treat? Troughs are just filled with rain water, no additives. Do I just scoop some up in an ice cream container and feed a few a couple of times a week?

For my Platys (and soon to be Tetras too) I am currently feeding once a day, alternating between Fluval Tropical Flakes and JBL Novo GranoMix, does that sound ok? Would they also benefit from any other additions or regular treats, or do those foods provide them with everything they need? Cheers

Thanks for the link Looking at that one the setup seems to be a bit different to mine. Where that one has a sponge, mine has the plastic insert. Looking at photos of the filters I think I can make out the sponge in the H100 model, and the plastic in the H300 (my) model... so guessing the plastic in the H300 must be instead of a sponge? It just doesn't seem like the plastic grid would help to develop a good bacterial population as well as a sponge or those noodle things

Thanks all

Great, thanks for the advice. Will try crushing 1 flake per fish once a day, and ignoring their pleading "I'm starving" eyes. Next question - I have one fish who's very onto it with the food and spots it straight away, and one (the dominant one) who seems to be a bit slower and is missing out. Have been trying to make sure I drop some right above him, but hard to share it out when feeding such small amounts! Is it ok if he only ends up getting about 1/3 of the amount?

I've got tropical fish flakes for my 2 Platys, and I'm not sure how much to feed them? I have read that it's "as much as they can eat in 3-5 minutes". Currently giving about 3 medium flakes per fish once a day, which seems like a fair amount for such small fish but they are literally gone on 3 mouthfuls. Should I crumble the flakes up so there's more smaller bits for them so it takes longer, or am I simply not feeding enough? Also wondering how much more to feed once I add 6 Tetras next month? Double what I would already be feeding the 2 (soon to be 3) Platys? Starting with less knowing it's safer to underfeed than overfeed, especially as the tank is still cycling, but don't really want to starve the poor guys either. Thanks

After owning horses, patience with pets is something I have certainly mastered :lol: Was planning on adding the last Platy in 2 weeks time, then two weeks after that getting the 6ish Tetras (with water testing in between) - does that sound ok?

Ahh good tip about pouring it over your hand, thanks! I have sand in the bottom of my tank, so even just the filter is shifting it atound and making funky patterns :thup:

Hello again! I'm just wondering if I need to match water temps when doing a water change on my tropical tank? And if so, how would I go about getting the new water to the right temp before adding it? Thanks

Hi all, My tank has a clearview 300 filter and I'm a little confused with it. It seems like most other similar designed filters have both the carbon cartridge and then some other form of media like a sponge etc to provide surface area for the bacteria. This particular filter only has the carbon cartridge, and then another plastic bit with a 3D pattern on (on left in below photo) which slides in front of the carbon filter. Is that plastic design instead of a sponge, and if so is it effective enough or should I look at adding something else? Thanks!

Hi all, I've just bought my first tropical freshwater tank, so I'm sure you'll see me around asking lots of questions to ensure my new fish are happy and healthy :f77: Have been searching the forums over the last week to help get set-up and it's been a great source of info, so figured I'd join The tank is only 45 litres, and my plan is a couple of platys and small school of tetras. Got the fist two platy yesterday (Comet & Cantab) and they're settling well into their new home: Looking forward to learning heaps and enjoying my new pets! Cheers