Several questions including Daphnia keeping and Juwel Lights

[alexyay]

Daphnia -

I'm wanting to get some Daphnia again after my last lot died off during summer. To those who keep them, do you personally:

- Do water changes? Do you use rain or chlorinated/dechlorinated water?

- Feed them regularly? Mine seemed to be doing well on Spirulina

- Use an air stone or let the water stay stagnant?

- Cover the tank/container at all? Mine was a clear tank as I don't get much sun

- Try to keep it cool during the summer? That was the only reason I could think of as causing their deaths - they developed resting eggs and then all died off. Algae then grew everywhere and the tank became a mess. Cleaned it out recently it turns out the Ostracods still survived months of gunk and a complete clean out

Juwel Lighting -

I'm about to set up as Juwel Vision 260, but whilst I love Juwel's tanks, what the heck were they thinking? It's got two T5s (above the middle brace!) and one sits right at the front of the tank so you can barely get your arm in the tank while the lights are on without burning yourself! Anyway, I want to plant this one heavily and am wondering whether anyone's tried to fit different lights in the tank. Or just moved these ones so they aren't in such ridiculous placements? :dunno:

If anyone has any oddball (oddball but "attractive" and happy with plants) stocking suggestions that'd be cool - the only fish I can confirm will be in there is possibly a redtail shark (not my choice) and possibly some whiptails and/or BNs.

Also, is anyone here breeding Similis cories at all?

[hovmoller]

wondering whether anyone's tried to fit different lights in the tank. Or just moved these ones so they aren't in such ridiculous placements

I got tired of the t5's as well and wanted LED's so I replaced the bar with a 1200mm LED unit.. very happy with it.

Also cut out the plastic juwel bracing and replaced with detachable acrylic bracing that also serves to support the two juwel "flaps" that before clicked into the light bar. So now the two juwel flaps lies on top of the tank/bracing and the LED just sit over the gap. fits well.

[alexyay]

I got tired of the t5's as well and wanted LED's so I replaced the bar with a 1200mm LED unit.. very happy with it.

Also cut out the plastic juwel bracing and replaced with detachable acrylic bracing that also serves to support the two juwel "flaps" that before clicked into the light bar. So now the two juwel flaps lies on top of the tank/bracing and the LED just sit over the gap. fits well.

Thanks (Y) I'll have a look into it - it's an old unit so would need a good clean anyway, so I don't mind replacing bits.

[alexyay]

Hmm. Here's some thoughts:

Tank at 23 degrees, water (I believe) is soft so sits between 2-3KH and 3-4GH - pH sits around 7.6.

- Bearded Corydora Scleromystax barbatus - not my tank but is a fish I've wanted for a while so want to try to pop these guys in there. Not sure how many, though.

- RTS - won't have it if possible, depends on what the owner wants & whether the can get it out of the 450L it's in at the mo

- Asian Rummynose Sawbwa resplendens - they prefer harder water so I suspect not.

- Zebra loach Botia striata - not so good if we have the RTS, and it's a bit of a fin-nipper - Chain loach Ambastaia sidthimunki instead - though according to some sources 23 will be too low.

- Flag cichlid Laetacara curviceps, or Keyhole cichlid Cleithracara maronii, or African butterfly cichlid Anomalochromis thomasi? A medium sized, but peaceful, dwarf cichlid would be awesome. Have only just seen the "African butterfly cichlid" and am quite intrigued by them.

- Hengeli Rasbora Trigonostigma hengeli , or Espei Rasbora Trigonostigma espei, or Rocket pencilfish Nannostomus eques? "Golden Headed Purple Harlequins"? A big colourful shoal would be preferable. I think the rockets will only utilize the top space so probably won't be

- Me thinks an Otocinclus species will be a definite go.

Maybe a half banded spiny eel if it won't uproot all the plants. I think it needs at least one feature fish, but I'm unsure of how much personality the cichlids would provide.

Thoughts?

[Caryl]

I have always grown daphnia outside, usually in an old fibreglass fish pond. I just filled it with water and then waited. Over the weeks, daphnia turn up from somewhere!

- Do water changes? NO but would have to top up due to evaporation.

- Do you use rain or chlorinated/dechlorinated water? Out of the tap but our supply is not chlorinated.

- Feed them regularly? Mine seemed to be doing well on Spirulina. NO

- Use an air stone or let the water stay stagnant? No airstone, it just sat in the sun.

- Cover the tank/container at all? NO

- Try to keep it cool during the summer? NO, in fact mine got very warm over summer months.

[kiwiraka]

- Do water changes? No, only occasional top-ups.

- Do you use rain or chlorinated/dechlorinated water? Bore water.

- Feed them regularly? About once a week. I have 5 tubs set up and I empty my birds bathing dish into a different one every day. Stimulates algal growth very well.

- Use an air stone or let the water stay stagnant? No airstone, due to being outside.

- Cover the tank/container at all? No.

- Try to keep it cool during the summer? No, gets very warm but never have any die-offs.

[alexyay]

Hmm - only difference then was I did the rare WC & am on chlorinated water - will be using rain water for top-ups from now on. I've had copepods and ostracods show up, but no Daphnia yet, so will probably have to buy a culture Thanks for the help!