# On my way to getting my dream aquarium...



## Canadian Fish

We have a 20, 35, and 2 x 55 gallon tanks. Today we took the plunge and put a 6 foot, 125 gallon tank with stand on layaway. It will be our last tank. 










It'll take a couple of months for me to pay off the tank, stand, heaters, filter, etc which gives me plenty of time to figure out what kind of substrate I want, whether or not I am finally going to try live plants, and what kind of fish to keep. Actually, i'm not even sure what kind of filter to get yet. 

Our current tanks are very colorful and artificial looking (think Vegas, tacky but entertaining) as you can see in these pictures:


























I'm thinking I would like the new tank to look more natural. We're going to use it as a room divider in our basement so it will be visible from both sides of the tank, we won't be using a background. So far I'm leaning toward some Balas, Barbs, and Loaches, if the tank is big enough. 

Can't wait to get the sucker home and set up! Going to be a long couple of months. My 3 year wedding anniversary is July 18 and I'm hoping to have it then, as this is my anniversary gift.


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## CinBos

Canadian Fish said:


> We have a 20, 35, and 2 x 55 gallon tanks. Today we took the plunge and put a 6 foot, 125 gallon tank with stand on layaway. It will be our last tank.
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> It'll take a couple of months for me to pay off the tank, stand, heaters, filter, etc which gives me plenty of time to figure out what kind of substrate I want, whether or not I am finally going to try live plants, and what kind of fish to keep. Actually, i'm not even sure what kind of filter to get yet.
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> I'm thinking I would like the new tank to look more natural. We're going to use it as a room divider in our basement so it will be visible from both sides of the tank, we won't be using a background. So far I'm leaning toward some Balas, Barbs, and Loaches, if the tank is big enough.
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> Can't wait to get the sucker home and set up! Going to be a long couple of months. My 3 year wedding anniversary is July 18 and I'm hoping to have it then, as this is my anniversary gift.


 
Your going to enjoy it. Mine has been up and running for 4 weeks now. Started planting and adding some of the fish I wont. Check out my tank, it may give you some ideas if you are going the natural route.


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## doki

planted tanks are definitely more rewarding i don't know if this may be too much but soil would be the way to go i got a lot of good information from this channel. 
Dustinsfishtanks - YouTube


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## Termato

I only wish I could have that right now lol


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## Geomancer

A 6 foot tank would be the minimum for Bala Shark, you would need to get at least 5 of them.

As for fish that can go with them, they would have to be large enough not to fit in their mouths.

However, these guys do not work with most plants. About all you could have is Java Fern (it tastes bad to fish). Most everything else they will eat.


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## AbbeysDad

Jealous!

Keep us posted on progress.


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## SinCrisis

So awesome. I would def recommend live plants, natural aquariums, esp large ones, really give off that slice of the outdoors feel. Like looking through a window into a different world.


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## Jayy

Congrats! I wished I had the room=money for a 125. I think going planted along with playsand for substrate would look great!! As for fish, you can fill it all kinds of colorful and interesting schooling fish. Just my opinion.


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## Canadian Fish

I just finished reading about Java Fern, and it sounds like a great way to try live plants for the first time. My LFS carries a bunch of plants, i'll have to check next time I'm in and see if the Java Fern is one of them.

As far as playsand goes, is that harder to maintain than the typical sized ornamental colored substrate I have in my current tanks? I hadn't really considered going with sand.


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## CinBos

I would say go with cichlids. If large, go Central American or South American,. If smaller go with Africans =, Dwarf Cichlids, or even Rams. Whatever you choose, have fun with it. Can wait to see the whole process unfold, it was exciting for me to just get mine up and running, and now I'm beginning to add all the fish I truly want in it!


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## CinBos

Canadian Fish said:


> I just finished reading about Java Fern, and it sounds like a great way to try live plants for the first time. My LFS carries a bunch of plants, i'll have to check next time I'm in and see if the Java Fern is one of them.


Anubias, Java Fern, and theres another (one that taste bad to fish), but I can't remember the name of it. All are fairly easy to keep maintained.


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## Canadian Fish

CinBos said:


> I would say go with cichlids. If large, go Central American or South American,. If smaller go with Africans =, Dwarf Cichlids, or even Rams. Whatever you choose, have fun with it. Can wait to see the whole process unfold, it was exciting for me to just get mine up and running, and now I'm beginning to add all the fish I truly want in it!


I was thinking about cichlids once before, and my LFS said my city has soft water, and the PH and softness make it best for South American Cichlids. HOWEVER, they mostly stock African Cichlids, due to a greater demand, despite water conditions. Is it difficult to raise the PH and hardness in water to accommodate African cichlids? That's something I'll have to research more while I am waiting for the tank. There certainly are some colorful, interesting cichlids, though I've had a hard time finding ones that can live together. 

I looked at that other plant you mentioned, and they both look promising. They both state "low light", I'm not sure what the brightness or intensity of the bulb that comes with my tank is. Something else to research. 

I have a friend with a 150 gallon aquarium who runs 2 x aquaclear 110 HOB filters. Would I be better off doing that, or getting a canister filter? Is there a brand of canister filter that is reliable but not prohibitively expensive? 

Thanks everyone for the info.


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## ladayen

I would skip the Bala sharks unless you really want them. If you do plan the tank around them. The loaches and barbs should get along good together. I'm not sure about the larger species like Tinfoil barb but smaller barbs like tiger barbs and Cherry barbs really need plants to feel happy.

Dont skimp on the equipment like heaters, filter and lights either. Get good stuff and do it right from the begining. I really wish I had understood how much easier this would have made my life before getting all my tanks and then trying to upgrade equipment.

Get a canister filter. It is so much better then HOB.


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## Jayy

ladayen said:


> I would skip the Bala sharks unless you really want them. If you do plan the tank around them. The loaches and barbs should get along good together. I'm not sure about the larger species like Tinfoil barb but smaller barbs like tiger barbs and Cherry barbs really need plants to feel happy.
> 
> Dont skimp on the equipment like heaters, filter and lights either. Get good stuff and do it right from the begining. I really wish I had understood how much easier this would have made my life before getting all my tanks and then trying to upgrade equipment.
> 
> Get a canister filter. It is so much better then HOB.


I agree, when it comes to equipment get very BEST you can afford, don't cheap out. It'll save alot money in the long run. I'm saving to get an canister filter I want the very best I for my tank.


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## Canadian Fish

ladayen said:


> I would skip the Bala sharks unless you really want them. If you do plan the tank around them. The loaches and barbs should get along good together. I'm not sure about the larger species like Tinfoil barb but smaller barbs like tiger barbs and Cherry barbs really need plants to feel happy.
> 
> Dont skimp on the equipment like heaters, filter and lights either. Get good stuff and do it right from the begining. I really wish I had understood how much easier this would have made my life before getting all my tanks and then trying to upgrade equipment.
> 
> Get a canister filter. It is so much better then HOB.


Should a tank this size have two heaters? The tank is going in my basement, and I live in Canada, so I really need a reliable heat source. Gets chilly down there in the winter. 

I was thinking tiger barbs and rosy barbs for companions if I went with the balas. Possibly polkadot loaches as well, and 1 common pleco.

Edit: Just looking at the profile for the common pleco here and it sounds like maybe I should go with a smaller pleco. I have a bristlenose pleco in my 20 gallon and in one of my 55 gallon tanks. I'll see if there's a species of pleco that grows larger than the bristlenose but smaller than the common pleco.


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## Jayy

Canadian Fish said:


> Should a tank this size have two heaters? The tank is going in my basement, and I live in Canada, so I really need a reliable heat source. Gets chilly down there in the winter.
> 
> I was thinking tiger barbs and rosy barbs for companions if I went with the balas. Possibly polkadot loaches as well, and 1 common pleco.


As the filter I think two or one VERY good one should do. But what I really noticed is that you plan on keeping Rosy Barb, they prefer much cooler water(64-72) than the other you want to keep.


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## Canadian Fish

Jayy said:


> As the filter I think two or one VERY good one should do. But what I really noticed is that you plan on keeping Rosy Barb, they prefer much cooler water(64-72) than the other you want to keep.


That's what I get for trusting aqadvisor. It didn't catch the temperature incompatibility. Thanks for the heads up. What would an example of a VERY good filter that would be adequate on its own? I've only owned HOB filters, and only aquaclears and tetras, so I am completely unfamiliar with the canister filter brands and capacities. 

My 55 gallon tanks were easy, just slap a couple of aquaclear 70s on the back of each, and my tanks have always been clean and clear, with no ammonia or nitrite problems.


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## Jayy

Canadian Fish said:


> That's what I get for trusting aqadvisor. It didn't catch the temperature incompatibility. Thanks for the heads up. What would an example of a VERY good filter that would be adequate on its own? I've only owned HOB filters, and only aquaclears and tetras, so I am completely unfamiliar with the canister filter brands and capacities.
> 
> My 55 gallon tanks were easy, just slap a couple of aquaclear 70s on the back of each, and my tanks have always been clean and clear, with no ammonia or nitrite problems.


Fluval and EHEIM, are two brands. There's others, but those came off the top of my head. Be prepared though, they are pricey.


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## Canadian Fish

Jayy said:


> Fluval and EHEIM, are two brands. There's others, but those came off the top of my head. Be prepared though, they are pricey.


I was looking at the EHEIMs yesterday and it looks like I'd be paying minimum $250 CAD before tax, probably closer to $300.

Comparatively, Aquaclear 110s are $100 so it's be $200 for 2. However, after spending all this money on a tank and stand, I'm not gonna go inferior just to save a $100.

I'm also FINALLY going to get a 50 foot python. Up until now I've used buckets for my weekly water changes. My wife helps and we use 4 buckets at once. It sucks. I saw a picture on the python packaging at my LFS and there's a cartoon of a schmuck filling his tank with buckets and it looks exactly like me when I do it.


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## Jayy

Canadian Fish said:


> I was looking at the EHEIMs yesterday and it looks like I'd be paying minimum $250 CAD before tax, probably closer to $300.
> 
> Comparatively, Aquaclear 110s are $100 so it's be $200 for 2. However, after spending all this money on a tank and stand, I'm not gonna go inferior just to save a $100.
> 
> I'm also FINALLY going to get a 50 foot python. Up until now I've used buckets for my weekly water changes. My wife helps and we use 4 buckets at once. It sucks. I saw a picture on the python packaging at my LFS and there's a cartoon of a schmuck filling his tank with buckets and it looks exactly like me when I do it.


A python's also on my list on things to get. I'm soooooooo tired of using my mom's crab pot, lol I'm pretty sure she is too.:-D Plus I don't enjoy starting to vac and getting a mouthful of fish water.


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## Inga

Canadian Fish said:


> I
> I'm also FINALLY going to get a 50 foot python. Up until now I've used buckets for my weekly water changes. My wife helps and we use 4 buckets at once. It sucks. I saw a picture on the python packaging at my LFS and there's a cartoon of a schmuck filling his tank with buckets and it looks exactly like me when I do it.


 
THAT will be the best money you ever spent. Water changes made so easy, I LOVE mine. I too am jealous of your new tank but very very happy for you. I hope you do go with plants. Also, I think a large school of Tiger barbs would be cool. They are so much fun to watch as they are like the class clowns in gang form. A school of 12 or so would be a blast. There are so many options in a tank that size. Bala sharks to me, are over rated. I had them in the past (many years ago) and they were sort of boring, to me. It is of course, up to you. If I were to do Bala sharks again, it would be in no less then a 300 gallon tank, but that is me.


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## SeaHorse

Hello Fellow Ontarian!!
Eheim canister all the way. Had mine 15 years now on my 75 gallon. It is the work horse of filters. In a tank that size... 2 heaters. If your one heater fails...and it has happened 3 times to me in the last 1.5 years, and the temp dropped by 10 degrees and it's sitting on the main floor in my living room. Yours is going in your basement. That's total stress and a poss ich outbreak and meds and expenses. AND you know the silly thing will break down on a Sunday night!! 
Good luck, post lots of pics please. Is that a Big AL's you are standing in??? Newmarket branch is the BEST!! Amazing service and support. (JMO!!)


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## skelator

nice man! i dont have any room for anything bigger than my 46, my snakes are in the way lol. i second the nomination for cichlids. i just like fish that get big. anytime someone sees my tank their amazed by it. i also vote for the natural look. ive had my tank setup for prolly 12 years and its never been better.


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## Canadian Fish

Inga, I am quite interested in tiger barbs. I've always thought they were entertaining, but were a little too nippy for what I currently keep in my tanks. Might have to try them in the big tank!

*Jakiebabie*, it is Big Al's in Ottawa. They've been really helpful to us. The first time we tried keeping fish was over a year ago, and we got lousy advice from a big box store, and it was a disaster. We got discouraged and gave up. January we decided to try again (since the tank was just sitting empty in our living room) This time we went to Big Al's, got much better advice, and we've been there once a week (at least) ever since. Getting our water tested, checking out the new stock. Our 3 year old LOVES the place. He runs around like a maniac, but they're very patient and all call him by name. 

What size Eheim would I need for a 125 gallon tank? With the HOBs I always over compensated (ie 2 x Aquaclear 70s on a 55 gallon tank) do I need to do that with canister filters as well, or will one do? 
What size heaters do I need? 

Skelator, now that I know there are some easy plants out there I am very interested in a more natural look. I'm not crazy about sand though. Any feelings on black substrate? I've heard it brings out the colors in the fish. Up until now we've had really flashy substrate.


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## ladayen

Black or brown substrate is encouraged. It not only makes the colors of the fish pop, but makes them feel more secure.


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## SeaHorse

The filter depends on your budget, fish breed you intend to keep, bioload of the chosen fish, your routine and cleaning habits....or lack there of like me...lol
I have the original 2215 from 15 years ago running as a river. Input at one end, out put in a spray bar at the other and the fish they all face up stream. lol. Rainbowfish and Congo Tetras. Only the Mollies face downstream. huh? 
I do not ever change the filter bio media stuff, not the tubies or the stones. I occasionally rinse the filter pad/floss in old tank water, or de-chlor new water and make sure the hoses are not clogged. I am 100 percent fully planted too tho. 
As for HEATER size, yes go for 2 that are slightly stronger/bigger than half the volume of water. IE. 120 gallon, get 2 75 gallon heaters. I have 2 50's on my 75 gallon. That way the remaining one isn't straining, never able to turn off for a couple of days till you get a replacement. And if the temp drops it won't get too dangerous. 
I went into Big Al's to buy a new Eheim and the owner refused to sell me a new one... he gave me a list of things to go home and check on the old one and come back for parts or to bring it back in with me if his list didn't work. It turned out to be one of the things on the list. (I don't get the same feeling/service at the Barrie or Whitby location tho). Glad you have found a good one!!


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## SeaHorse

I don't know the numbers, models or volume of water flow on the newest models of Eheim. Can't help you there. Sorry.


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## skelator

i use large gravel. its a tanish color. i have rocks stacked to make 3 caves. i also have a lave rock and a large realistic looking plastic log. it used to be a center piece but i pushed it to the side to give the fish more room to swim. i put a large ozolot (spelling) sword plant in the center of the log. with a piece of driftwood next to it. it also helps hide some equipment aswell.

i never tried black substrate. i have no experience with sand. i figured it would be hard to vacuum and keep clean. 

ive also started growing pothos out of the top of the tank and i think it looks really nice. its growing like crazy in the tank too.


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## Geomancer

Wow, lots of posts since yesterday =)

Lots of things to comment on.

*Substrate:*
Dark is best, both for the fish and for making them happy. The technicolor is unnatural and fish can tell. If you are planning on loaches sand is best for them. They root around in the sand, some even bury themselves. Sharp substrate can cut them, they do not have scales. Same goes for cory catfish, they like to dig in the sand, and while they have scales their barbels can still get injured from sharp gravel.

Playsand is the cheapest option, and a lot of people use it including myself in my 125 gallon tank. It requires a lot of cleaning, but for under $15-20 you can have that entire 125 gallon tank covered in a 2 inch sand substrate. You won't find a better deal.

*Lighting:*
I'm not sure what yours will come with, the ones down here in the states that Petsmart sells come with two Aqueon 36" T8 fixtures with 8000K tubes. The fixtures are 36", but the tubes themselves are only 24". These have a good enough color spectrum for plants (but with a kind of purplish hue) however they are no where near bright enough except for the lowest of light plants. Which Java Fern and Anubias are.

If you want a fully planted tank, I recommend going to a hardware store like Home Depot or Lowe's and picking up shop lights. You can get dual T8 48" and 24" ones and are fairly inexpensive (I had to add a power cord to the 24" one, it was meant for permanent installation). That's what I use on mine, with the 6500K daylight bulbs which is ideal. Make sure they have a reflector so that when resting on your tank the tubes themselves are not touching the glass tops. With this much light though floating plants are required, fish don't like bright lights and floating plants provide a 'roof' that all fish enjoy.

*Fish:*
As you know, the Tiger Barb is a fin nipper, so best kept with active species that do not have long fins. A large school of them will help curb aggression.

If you go with cichlids do your research, they are generally speaking an aggressive bunch and that comes with its own challenges. In my tank I'm going with Angelfish which are a South American cichlid, they love soft water and are for the most part peaceful if kept in the right conditions. But that's a perfect example of what NOT to put with Tiger Barb.

If you go with cichlids, just keep the lights the tank came with. They'll handle the Java Fern and Anubias just fine.

*Filters:*
Eheim is the old standby, and nearly everyone recommends them. I've never personally owned one. They are one of the oldest brands out there so they have the track record. A lot of people report having one for 15 years and they are still going strong which makes them a worthwhile investment. I would really go out and find reviews for the specific model you are looking at. When looking for my own filter I too looked at Eheim but noticed that some of their newest models are getting really low reviews. It may be a case of 'they don't make them like they use to' or it could just be a faulty new design that will get fixed.

Other big brands in this area are Fluval and Rena. I would pick Rena over Fluval, and I don't think Fluval makes one large enough for a 125 anyways. Their 406 model goes up to 100 gallons, and their next up model the FX5 is for 400 gallons  The Rena XP3 is a good model for this size aquarium.

Go with a canister though, it's good to have a gentle (not strong) current going from one end to the other. Two HOBs won't get you that.

I'm using an AquaTop CF-400UV ... it's a no-name brand. Trying it out because it is half the cost of the others but that could very well mean trouble in the future if it breaks (ultimately costing more).

*Heaters:*
Definitely go with two, and don't buy the cheapest one you can find. That dosen't mean expensive, just search reviews and go with the most highly rated.

You will want as a minimum 2x 250W heaters. If the temperature differential in your basement is huge, maybe 2x 300W. Aqueon Pro have the highest reviews that I've seen myself, but they only go up to a 250W.

A canister with the current it creates will ensure even heat throughout the tank. Put one at the intake of the canister, and the other in the out take.

Some people use an in-line heater with a canister. It's a heater that you attach to the plumbing of the canister so the water passes through it before or after it hits the canister. They are very effective, but you won't find one large enough for a 125 gallon.


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## Canadian Fish

I checked and this is the light that comes with my tank:

Perfecto - PF DBL FLO STRIP 72" BLACK 72" Black flo Double Bright Strip Light Double Bright Strip Lights provide twice the light in the same space as a standard strip light. Instant-start feature allows the use of timers. Top vents provide heat dissipation, and interior reflectors provide maximal light output into the aquarium. Water resistant rubber boots protect switches from corrosion. Fits all brands of aquariums.

Is that going to be too bright for the Java Fern and Anubias plants?


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## Geomancer

I wasn't able to find what kind of bulbs that uses. If I had to guess, two 48" T8. Bulbs don't come in a 72" length, at least that I've seen.

If it is two 48", then you'll be set for light, just put some 6500K daylight tubes in that you can get at hardware stores for less than $10 for a two pack.


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## Canadian Fish

It's probably 2 x 36" bulbs. I'm probably going to go with the Java Fern and Anubias plants, as they seem easy enough to care for and the fish won't eat them. They need low light so if the bulbs that come with the tank aren't too bright, that will be perfect.


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## Canadian Fish

*Filter Question*

Everyone seems pretty unanimous that a canister filter is the way to go. I was just looking at the technical specs of a couple of them (the prices listed are local prices in Canadian dollars):

Eheim Pro 3 2075 $299.99 FLOW RATE: 330 GPH
Eheim Classic 2217 $199.99 FLOW RATE: 264 GPH
Aquaclear 110 $89.99 FLOW RATE: 500 GPH

I guess my question is, how important is Flow Rate? I could have 2 aquaclear 110s for under $200 with a combined flow rate of 1000 GPH. Would that not do a better job cleaning the tank than a canister filter with 330 or 264 GPH flow rate?


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## ladayen

As far as I can tell the Aquaclear 110 is not a canister filter, and it does 415 litres or 100g not 500g.


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## Canadian Fish

Yeah, the aquaclear is a HOB filter. Sorry, I wasn't clear. Also, it is rated for a 110 gallon tank, but its flow rate is 500 gallons per hour. Two of these would seem to have far superior flow rate than a single canister filter.


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## boxercrazy156

Wen are also going for a 125 gallon within the next 2 months I have been doing a lot of research on an aquarium this size so this thread is very interesting to me I have been looking at the Rena XP3 filter my self does anyone have feed back on this filter? and want to have 2 smaller heaters also I have looked at the same tank at Big Als in Whitby :-D


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## Canadian Fish

boxercrazy156 said:


> Wen are also going for a 125 gallon within the next 2 months I have been doing a lot of research on an aquarium this size so this thread is very interesting to me I have been looking at the Rena XP3 filter my self does anyone have feed back on this filter? and want to have 2 smaller heaters also I have looked at the same tank at Big Als in Whitby :-D


Nice! I hope to have mine home and set up with the filters and heaters within the next two months as well. Thankfully Big Al's does layaway. I'm sure I'll have the tank and stand home before then, but filters and heaters, substrate, etc also add up.

What type of fish do you plan on keeping in it?


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## boxercrazy156

Either community fish like rainbows and move my fish in there my pleco is very large I also have queen loaches and I love Bolivian Rams. Plus I would like to have a planted tank also

If I feel I am ready I would really like and African Cichlid tank that was our dream tank my husband is wanting to build his own 3d wall for it so it will have to cycle for a very long time to make sure it doesnt change the ph level and such so we have time to figure what will go in


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## Adamson

Should have bought the 125 used. I see them for $100 all the time.


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## Adamson

Canadian Fish said:


> Everyone seems pretty unanimous that a canister filter is the way to go. I was just looking at the technical specs of a couple of them (the prices listed are local prices in Canadian dollars):
> 
> Eheim Pro 3 2075 $299.99 FLOW RATE: 330 GPH
> Eheim Classic 2217 $199.99 FLOW RATE: 264 GPH
> Aquaclear 110 $89.99 FLOW RATE: 500 GPH
> 
> I guess my question is, how important is Flow Rate? I could have 2 aquaclear 110s for under $200 with a combined flow rate of 1000 GPH. Would that not do a better job cleaning the tank than a canister filter with 330 or 264 GPH flow rate?


Buy these used locally or online and you will save a ton.
Bought an AC110 online for $50 US a couple months ago with free shipping.


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## Canadian Fish

Adamson said:


> Should have bought the 125 used. I see them for $100 all the time.


That would be great, if I lived anywhere near you.

Here 125 gallon tanks typically go for $600-800 used on kijiji and craigslist, with stand and usually with a filter. Two of my four tanks were used. One had to be resealed, it was a pain in the butt. Both used stands were beat up around the edges. Then there is the issue of transportation. My car will not fit a 6 foot tank or stand. The store delivers. Also, to buy used I would have to have the $600-800 all at once. With layaway I can pay a couple of hundred at a time. I'll admit, I'm crappy at saving. 

My two used tanks and stands were great deals but they are not in nearly as nice condition as the two I bought new. This is going to be a major piece of furniture in our house so we decided to go all out.

(If I had ever seen a used 125 here for $100 I would have bought it in a second, and found someone with a truck to help me get it home). $100 is too good a deal to pass up. Why stop at one for that price?


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## Geomancer

Wow, things must be pricy up in Canada =O

The 125 is ~$360 here new (on sale). For a stand I built my own for ~$250. I have noticed though that people want wayyyy too much for used stuff in my region (New England). Deals can be had, but are rare.

So back on topic. Filters.

Check reviews on the Eheim Pro, I think their newest model of the Pro line is what's been getting a lot of poor reviews for leaking. They may have fixed the issue by now, but you'd have to research it. The Rena XP3 is a good filter, certainly take a look at it. The Eheim Classic line is pretty solid.

GPH is pretty useless really, depending on what you are wanting it for. Good for making currents for fish that need it, but in terms of actual filtering don't focus on it at all. Just get a filter that's advertised to work with your size aquarium. The majority of tropical fish prefer a gental current, or no current at all. A high current will stress them. So this is an area that you will have to decide on your fish to decide what filter flow rate is needed.

One canister is far superier than two HOBs. The canister will give you a nice current from one side to the other, evenly distributing the heat. Some fish will even face upstream like they would in a river. For live plants, a current like that will also make sure nutrients are avalible everywhere. Canisters are also much, much quieter to run.

For your equipment consider looking online. I don't know how Amazon compares in Canada, but here in the States their prices are generally at least equal, but often better than Petsmart/Petco (the two big chain stores here).


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## Canadian Fish

Amazon.com won't ship most items to Canada. There is an amazon.ca, but it is totally different than the US site. I just checked. Aquaclear 110 on Amazon.Ca, 89.99. I can buy it locally for that and not pay the shipping (no free shipping on that product on amazon.ca)

Canada is a totally different ballgame than the states. Shipping from the US to Canada usually involves high international shipping fees, plus duty charges, which negate any savings. Americans are always surprised at the prices up here.

I could get a new 125 gallon tank for less than $360 CAD at Big Al's, but it wouldn't include the lid or light fixture. The 72" light fixtures cost as much as the tank. 

Anyway, I'm not complaining about the price. Around here you get what you pay for. 

The Eheim Classic sounds like the best option for me. They stock it locally, which is handy, and probably also means I can buy parts locally. They also sell this on amazon.ca, for the same price as locally, but again with the added shipping costs. Shipping Costs make anything bulky too expensive to order off of E-Bay as well.



Geomancer said:


> Wow, things must be pricy up in Canada =O
> 
> The 125 is ~$360 here new (on sale). For a stand I built my own for ~$250. I have noticed though that people want wayyyy too much for used stuff in my region (New England). Deals can be had, but are rare.
> 
> So back on topic. Filters.
> 
> Check reviews on the Eheim Pro, I think their newest model of the Pro line is what's been getting a lot of poor reviews for leaking. They may have fixed the issue by now, but you'd have to research it. The Rena XP3 is a good filter, certainly take a look at it. The Eheim Classic line is pretty solid.
> 
> GPH is pretty useless really, depending on what you are wanting it for. Good for making currents for fish that need it, but in terms of actual filtering don't focus on it at all. Just get a filter that's advertised to work with your size aquarium. The majority of tropical fish prefer a gental current, or no current at all. A high current will stress them. So this is an area that you will have to decide on your fish to decide what filter flow rate is needed.
> 
> One canister is far superier than two HOBs. The canister will give you a nice current from one side to the other, evenly distributing the heat. Some fish will even face upstream like they would in a river. For live plants, a current like that will also make sure nutrients are avalible everywhere. Canisters are also much, much quieter to run.
> 
> For your equipment consider looking online. I don't know how Amazon compares in Canada, but here in the States their prices are generally at least equal, but often better than Petsmart/Petco (the two big chain stores here).


----------



## Canadian Fish

Well, the tank, stand and lights are about 75% paid for. My income tax return came in, that helped. 

I've decided to go with the Eheim Classic 2217 to start. Eventually I'm going to add a Aquaclear 110 as a backup. I've decided on black gravel substrate, and I am going to try the Java Ferns and Anubias. They sell some at my LFS. I like the look of Java moss too, I'll have to look into if they ever carry it. 

Because of all the hoses and wires I think we're going to put the tank along a wall instead of as a divider. We like to use the backgrounds to hide all that stuff. 

Can't wait to get it home and start setting it up.


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## SeaHorse

Don't forget the weight of it all! Make sure it's on an outside wall crossing as many joists as possible and not running the length of 2. Just a thought.
I found Big Al's in Newmarket to be THE BEST Big Al's of 4. Whitby, Scar, Barrie and Newmarket. I am their's for life! :-D
120 gallon at Big Al's... 60" x 18" x 26" tall is $249. (plus HST of 13% for you Americans) But then there's the lid, lights, etc, etc, etc. ( I have a window in the way for a 72") 

As for Craig's and Kijiji.... why do they want us to take away all their fish that are too big for the tank too? Just cause they don't want to deal with them any more.!! :dunno:


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## Canadian Fish

I'm putting it in the basement, which is a concrete foundation. I wouldn't risk putting it upstairs.

The 125 gallon at Big Al's here (72"x18"x22") with stand (actually made of wood, not MDF) plus glass lid and 72" double light fixture is 1099.99 + 13% 

I owe just under $350 on it now. 



Jakiebabie said:


> Don't forget the weight of it all! Make sure it's on an outside wall crossing as many joists as possible and not running the length of 2. Just a thought.
> I found Big Al's in Newmarket to be THE BEST Big Al's of 4. Whitby, Scar, Barrie and Newmarket. I am their's for life! :-D
> 120 gallon at Big Al's... 60" x 18" x 26" tall is $249. (plus HST of 13% for you Americans) But then there's the lid, lights, etc, etc, etc. ( I have a window in the way for a 72")
> 
> As for Craig's and Kijiji.... why do they want us to take away all their fish that are too big for the tank too? Just cause they don't want to deal with them any more.!! :dunno:


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## boxercrazy156

I too have decided on the eheim 2217 classic, I am thinking Natural Blends Gravel Walnut, and I would like a uv sterilizer for the new tank too I have one in my current tank because I had green water and really like he fact that it kills bacterial infections on my fish so for me its a must in my new tank also. Although the Big Als in Whitby is the one I go too I would like to visit the Newmarket one its the same distance from my house as Whitby so I am going to check it out very soon.

Have you ever ordered from this site ? http://www.petsandponds.com I buy my supplies there its so muvh Cheaper then anywhere else the 2 Litre Cycle is 25 dollars cheaper, they are in Orillia and I recieved my order 2 days after I ordered, media food everything is cheaper


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## Tazman

boxercrazy156 said:


> Have you ever ordered from this site ? http://www.petsandponds.com I buy my supplies there its so muvh Cheaper then anywhere else the 2 Litre Cycle is 25 dollars cheaper, they are in Orillia and I recieved my order 2 days after I ordered, media food everything is cheaper



I use them for almost all my equipment / supplies and have never had a problem with them, there prices in Canada cannot be beaten and they do ship very quickly. Last order I did last week, got a nice surprise off them in a freebie live rock cleaner / spot feeder for my saltwater tank valued at $18.99!

Only thing I wish they would add is aquariums


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## Canadian Fish

Thanks for the heads up about Pets and Ponds, I had never heard of them before.


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## Tapil

I saw a 180 gallon tank at a superfish store the other day for $1248 with lights and glass lid.

I would have bought it but im afraid 1400+ pounds is a bit too much stress for my old floors to handle :/

Nice buy though!


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## Canadian Fish

Wow, you could keep some really cool fish in a tank that size. 



Tapil said:


> I saw a 180 gallon tank at a superfish store the other day for $1248 with lights and glass lid.
> 
> I would have bought it but im afraid 1400+ pounds is a bit too much stress for my old floors to handle :/
> 
> Nice buy though!


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## flight50

Tapil said:


> I saw a 180 gallon tank at a superfish store the other day for $1248 with lights and glass lid.
> 
> I would have bought it but im afraid 1400+ pounds is a bit too much stress for my old floors to handle :/
> 
> Nice buy though!


Gesh that's expense. I can build the same thing with 1/2" cel cast acrylic for under 600 US dollars. Granted I will have to build it but its half the price of what LFS charge for large tanks. I have begun designing my dream tank. A 180g that I will take my time building the setup from scratch. Kind of like layway. I don't have the large lump some of money to get everything right away so stretching it out over time eases the pocket book. Downside is the anticipation of a completed setup. 

Canadian Fish good choice of a filter. I ran dual Aquaclear 300s (now 70) on my 55g for about 10 years. Best HOB in my opinion. Cheap and easy to clean when you run just the sponges. I just upgraded to Eheim 2213 canisters. Much much quieter,lol. Glad I switched to canister. Less visible clutter and easy on the ears until the water level drops.


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## 50galkid

AWESOME! This tank will be awesome and i agree bala sharks would go great in a 6 foot tank with a school. any ideas of what fish you know for SURE that you wan't to put in?


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## Canadian Fish

50galkid said:


> AWESOME! This tank will be awesome and i agree bala sharks would go great in a 6 foot tank with a school. any ideas of what fish you know for SURE that you wan't to put in?


We're really leaning towards building the community around the balas. We saw 2 at our LFS that had grown to 8 or 9 inches and they were really cool. Someone had brought them in. They also had a bunch that were around 3" and that is what we'd like to start with. I'd like a school of 5, if I have room. I'm not sure what type of barbs and loaches I want to keep with them. 

I already have a school of zebra loaches in a 55, and I plan on putting some yoyos in my other 55, so I want a different type in the 125. I don't have any barbs in any of my tanks, so I'm up for any type that will grow large enough that they won't become food for the balas as they get bigger.


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## 50galkid

Canadian Fish said:


> We're really leaning towards building the community around the balas. We saw 2 at our LFS that had grown to 8 or 9 inches and they were really cool. Someone had brought them in. They also had a bunch that were around 3" and that is what we'd like to start with. I'd like a school of 5, if I have room. I'm not sure what type of barbs and loaches I want to keep with them.
> 
> I already have a school of zebra loaches in a 55, and I plan on putting some yoyos in my other 55, so I want a different type in the 125. I don't have any barbs in any of my tanks, so I'm up for any type that will grow large enough that they won't become food for the balas as they get bigger.


what a "Co-ink-ki-dink" that you wan't barbs that will grow large so the balas won't eat them. there is a common barb that grows huge its the tinfoil barb those things can get to the size of some large cichlids but they are peacefull and need a school. hopefully your LFS has some i know mine does


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## Canadian Fish

50galkid said:


> what a "Co-ink-ki-dink" that you wan't barbs that will grow large so the balas won't eat them. there is a common barb that grows huge its the tinfoil barb those things can get to the size of some large cichlids but they are peacefull and need a school. hopefully your LFS has some i know mine does


Yeah, my LFS does sell them, however they get so large that I don't think I could keep 5 balas AND the tinfoil barbs. I could keep maybe 3 of each, but I think the balas prefer to be in groups of 5 or more. I probably need a slightly smaller barb.


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## 50galkid

Canadian Fish said:


> Yeah, my LFS does sell them, however they get so large that I don't think I could keep 5 balas AND the tinfoil barbs. I could keep maybe 3 of each, but I think the balas prefer to be in groups of 5 or more. I probably need a slightly smaller barb.


these barbs are smaller but they do great in schools of 9 and don't bother or get bothered by balas

H-barbs are great because they are as small as a tiger barb 4" and in a school they may look threatining but they are peaceful but these barbs are rare

Tiger barbs are h-barbs but with stripes instead of an "H" so they could drive away a bala if the bala attacks

Green tiger barbs (whats with all the tiger barbs) are the same but have bright green scales and I have had them with my bala's for over a year now and the ballas and green tiger barbs never fight.


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## Canadian Fish

Well, I still don't have the aquarium home. I've paid $1000 on it, basically just the tax left to pay. It's camping season now though, and our winters suck so we have to take advantage when the weather is nice. Our money is going to be going towards that for the next month or so. We went camping last week and we're going again later this week.

While we were away, our second 55 gallon tank FINALLY finished cycling. As did our goldfish tank, which I thought was never going to happen. We've added some decorations to the 55, and a bubble blower. Looks much better now. Also added some serpae tetras in with the mollies in the 55, and added some golden apple snails in my 35 with the ryukin goldfish. 

Here is a photo and short vid of the 55, and of my original 20, which we added some tiny harlequin rasboras to, not long ago. 

My Rainbow tank is unchanged so I did not include it. 






If you check out my other vids, you can see my other tanks. There are also some of our recent camping trip, and other shenanigans. 










I should have the 125 gallon tank by the end of next month, but the weather is so nice here, it's not a priority right now.


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## Termato

Are you planning on going with a more natural look for this big tank?


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## Canadian Fish

Termato said:


> Are you planning on going with a more natural look for this big tank?


Yeah, black substrate, driftwood, live plants (java fern, anubias, maybe some java moss) 

Similar to the way they have it set up in the store, I think. 

It will be my first time with live plants.


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## Termato

Canadian Fish said:


> Yeah, black substrate, driftwood, live plants (java fern, anubias, maybe some java moss)
> 
> Similar to the way they have it set up in the store, I think.
> 
> It will be my first time with live plants.


So you are going for low light plants. That is really good to start with. It seems as though you aren't planning to have too many plants though. 

After getting comfortable with plants you could look into plants like Wisteria, Water Sprite, Swords and Crypts. They do well for mid ground plants. Some background plants you could do are Corkscrew Vallis, Cabomba, Hair Grasses or different kind.

Good foreground plants are Pygmy Chain Sword and Dwarf Sagittaria. Some of these will need some higher lighting. Do you know what kind of lights the tank will come with?

Live plants will make your water quality infinitely better too.

Have you thought about finding some good sized rocks to also give that natural look?


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## AK Fresh Water

doki said:


> planted tanks are definitely more rewarding i don't know if this may be too much but soil would be the way to go i got a lot of good information from this channel.
> Dustinsfishtanks - YouTube


I've had a horrible experience with a dirt tank. It was a nightmare. 
I do not recommend it. And yes, I followed Dustin's advice exactly.

Some people get lucky though.


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## Termato

AK Fresh Water said:


> I've had a horrible experience with a dirt tank. It was a nightmare.
> I do not recommend it.
> 
> Some people get lucky though.


Yeah I agree with you, soil has a lot of issues you would have to consider and deal with. Especially if it is your first time, fine gravel or sand will work great.


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## boxercrazy156

I ended up buying a 120 gallon tank I have it at home have ordered heaters for it, it came with single lights but I have found some cool ones on ebay. We have decided to do a 3d background rock wall and build it our selves. hope to start it soon since we can't set the aquarium up untill its done,

I did find some 3d rockwalls that can be shipped to me but they are very pricy


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## boxercrazy156

Jakiebabie said:


> Hello Fellow Ontarian!!
> Eheim canister all the way. Had mine 15 years now on my 75 gallon. It is the work horse of filters. In a tank that size... 2 heaters. If your one heater fails...and it has happened 3 times to me in the last 1.5 years, and the temp dropped by 10 degrees and it's sitting on the main floor in my living room. Yours is going in your basement. That's total stress and a poss ich outbreak and meds and expenses. AND you know the silly thing will break down on a Sunday night!!
> Good luck, post lots of pics please. Is that a Big AL's you are standing in??? Newmarket branch is the BEST!! Amazing service and support. (JMO!!)


I went to Newmarket Big Als on Friday I have been looking for golden zebra loaches and Bosemi Raiinbows for my 120 gallon tank and they had them both. Both Whitby and Vaughn haven't had them I like their fish selection plus theres a guy that works in the fish room that knows fish and is in charge


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## Canadian Fish

*Choosing Fish (Compatabilty)*

Well, hadn't paid on the tank since June. All our money goes to camping the summer months. But now that's over and we're ready to bring it home. My Big Al's has a tent sale on Sept 21. If the tank, lights or stand are on sale we're going to pay it off that day. If not, the following Wednesday is double point day, so it'll be then.

Time to put some serious thought into fish. 

I'm not going with cichlids. I find determining compatibility too difficult. 

These are the fish I am considering. I would like opinions on which are compatible, and how many of each I can keep.

Bala Sharks
Tiger Barbs
Redline Barbs
Flying Fox (1)
Banded (Giant) Gourami (1)
Weather Loaches

I know weather loaches are cooler water species, but the profiles I have read say up to 25 degrees C. From what I have read, if I keep the temperature around 24 degrees, it should be ok for all of these.

I am open to suggestions of different fish, just not cichilds.

Thanks! Now that summer is over and we're back inside, I'm really looking forward to getting the tank home. I will post photos as soon as it is here.


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## SeaHorse

How did you hear about double point day and tent sale day??? And at all locations? I want that 5 footer, the 110, hope it might be on sale rather than $249. Any info would be great. Nice to have some TFK people near close by. Makes trading and helping easier. 
Have you heard of the mail order company that works out of Orillia? Supposed to have really good prices. 
Jakie


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## Canadian Fish

Jakiebabie said:


> How did you hear about double point day and tent sale day??? And at all locations? I want that 5 footer, the 110, hope it might be on sale rather than $249. Any info would be great. Nice to have some TFK people near close by. Makes trading and helping easier.
> Have you heard of the mail order company that works out of Orillia? Supposed to have really good prices.
> Jakie


The flyer last week (not the current one) mentioned the tent sale, and when we were in the store this week, they had tent sale stickers on everything. It goes from Sept 21 to 23. I don't know if it is all locations, but I know the last one was throughout Ontario, so it might be.

Wednesday is always double point day, so we'll get 2200 points if we buy it that day. 

If the mail order place in Orillia is the one I checked out yesterday, they didn't have the Aquaclear 110 or the Eheim filters I wanted.

Couldn't find any used locally either. When I get the tank home I'm gonna need substrate, heaters and filters before I can add fish, so I'm starting to look for deals.


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## Canadian Fish

Edit: Moving the stocking question part of this thread to its own post, I think that will elicit more responses than having it buried here. I would remove it from above but I don't see where I go to edit a post.


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## boxercrazy156

_Posted via Mobile Device_[/size
I used the fluorite substrate for my 120 gallon for the plants pricy and a lot of work rinsing


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## boxercrazy156

Canadian Fish said:


> The flyer last week (not the current one) mentioned the tent sale, and when we were in the store this week, they had tent sale stickers on everything. It goes from Sept 21 to 23. I don't know if it is all locations, but I know the last one was throughout Ontario, so it might be.
> 
> 
> The store in Whitby is having their tent sale too.
> 
> I bought my eheim 2217 from pets and ponds it was cheaper then Big Als


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## Canadian Fish

Pets and Ponds is $15 cheaper but shipping is $10. It's worth $5 to me to be able to return it locally if I have a problem, and Big Als gives a one year warranty.

If I bought both filters, heaters and python from Pets and Ponds, shipping would be free and I would save $40.00

However, rewards programs work. I have around 1500 points, after the tank I'll be at 3700 points. If I buy all that stuff at Big Als I'll have over 4500 points. At 5000 points I get $200 store credit. So it's just as good for me to buy local.

Plus I get great service at my Big Als and I reward that service with loyalty. I had a filter leak once but I lost the receipt. They swapped it out no questions asked. We're in there every couple of weeks plus I call them regularly with questions. They do the little extras like give my 3 year old stickers, etc. 

I've never bought a water test kit. I bring water from my 4 tanks in every 2 weeks, (sometimes weekly) the girl knows which container is which of my tanks, and she writes the results down for me.

They're awesome.

They also have layaway. Without it we never would have been able to afford the tank/stand/light fixture we're getting.


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## boxercrazy156

That's awesome they sound great!!


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## Canadian Fish

Honestly, they're the reason we have so many tanks, they make it fun.

Once, when they knew I wanted some fish but was leery about spending the money, they put them on hold for me, and put them in the flyer at the end of the week. 

I can't wait for the darn tent sale now. We finally have the cash to pay off the tank, but not enough to buy everything we need for it, so I have to hold out until the sale in case some of it is reduced. If not, then I have to wait until the following Wednesday.

I'm so close now, the wait is killing me.


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## SeaHorse

Canadian Fish, which Big Al's treats you like that? I get exactly that service from the Newmarket store. I went in there one day, cash in hand $300 to buy a brand new canister filter and he refused to sell me one until I went home and did a check list on it... came up with exactly the problem. 3 times they have resolved my issues, NO Receipt, no charge. A 10 gallon's tank hood and light, New bulbs and repair to my 4 foot lighting system. I am SO loyal to that store. My experience with the Barrie store was... " no refund... exchange only." And their prices were $8 more on their fish food than the Pet Smart behind them in the next plaza. 
Thinking I might look into the Layaway to get my big tank... is there a time limit?


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## Canadian Fish

Jakiebabie said:


> Canadian Fish, which Big Al's treats you like that? I get exactly that service from the Newmarket store. I went in there one day, cash in hand $300 to buy a brand new canister filter and he refused to sell me one until I went home and did a check list on it... came up with exactly the problem. 3 times they have resolved my issues, NO Receipt, no charge. A 10 gallon's tank hood and light, New bulbs and repair to my 4 foot lighting system. I am SO loyal to that store. My experience with the Barrie store was... " no refund... exchange only." And their prices were $8 more on their fish food than the Pet Smart behind them in the next plaza.
> Thinking I might look into the Layaway to get my big tank... is there a time limit?


We go to the one in Ottawa west. 

If there is a time limit on the layaway, they didn't mention it. We put ours on layaway around May 9th. We had it 80% off by the middle of June. (Half of that was our income tax return came in )The manager said he thought it was going to take us longer to pay it off, we told him we wouldn't be making any more payments until after the summer, he said no problem. We went two months before making another payment. We were still in the store every couple of weeks and they never asked when we were going to start paying again.


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## boxercrazy156

I like Newmarket too
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Canadian Fish

Oh, and the thing about the layaway is, if it goes on sale when it's on layaway, and you finish paying it when the sale is on, you get the sale price, of course. 

Also, you can make your payments any days you want, but as long as you make the last payment on a Wednesday, you get double points for the entire price.


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## SeaHorse

I do collect the points but I never knew that there was a Double Point Day. Thanks for that and also the Layaway info!!


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## Canadian Fish

Online flyer finally came out. My store has balas on for 2.88 I'm tempted to get some and throw 'em in my 55 (they're very small) and move 'em into the 125 in a couple of weeks. 

I'm also waiting on a Leopard Bush fish that I am VERY excited about, it's super cool. They're under quarantine right now. 

Wow, your Newmarket store has stingrays for 99.99 Our store had one recently and wanted $150 for it. 

Too rich for my blood, but a friend of mine keeps one in a 150 gallon tank.


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## boxercrazy156

I have bought two sets of smaller fish to grow in my other tank before I stuck them in my 120 gallon as I a
moving the second set over this weekend I'm going to buy some more to put in maybe this weekend waiting for clown Loaches, bosemi rainbows and red line torpedo barbs to go on sale Whitney doesn't have them on maybe Newmarket does
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Canadian Fish

When I bought my Bosemani's they had practically no color but now they are a vibrant blue and yellow. Beautiful fish. 

I love the Red Lined Torpedo Barbs, but they sure are pricey. 

Where did you get the background for your 120 gallon tank? Looks good!




boxercrazy156 said:


> I have bought two sets of smaller fish to grow in my other tank before I stuck them in my 120 gallon as I a
> moving the second set over this weekend I'm going to buy some more to put in maybe this weekend waiting for clown Loaches, bosemi rainbows and red line torpedo barbs to go on sale Whitney doesn't have them on maybe Newmarket does
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


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## boxercrazy156

The background is a DIY 3d background we made from a 8 foot by 2 foot by 3 inch thick piece of styrofoam We made it in 3 sections carved out the rocks and cut it on the rock line in 3 pieces then we put thin layers of cement on it we used Quickcrette quick setting cement and we added their colors to it after 3 coats of cement and playing with the colors you have to soak it for probably a month before adding fish its siliconed into the fish tank we soaked our in our spare tub first because you have to keep changing the water untill the cement cures because the ph will go up at the begining one of our pieces was to big for our tub so we bought a cheap kids pool and soaked it outside. It was a fun project and kept us busy while we were buying eveything else for the aquarium after a few weeks we installed in the aquarium and I drained and filled the aquarium every 3 or 4 days for the first week and then once a week the ph rising slows after the first few days of soaking there are lots of ways to build your own depends how creative you want to do it I took pics of the process but there are lots of links and you tube videos. We have fish in the tank now ph is stable. No if I can get my lights and plants and algae figured out I will be laughing its my first planted tank and new and the lights I bought I think are geered for a salt water tank


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## Canadian Fish

Wow, it turned out great! My wife and I have been scouring the internet looking for ideas and she really likes that 3D rock look. I'll show her yours when she gets home from work.

We're not that creative, probably have to buy a premade one, lol.

I like to indulge my wife whenever something strikes her fancy because she lets me blow all our money on fish stuff. Anything I can do to keep her interested is great.


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## boxercrazy156

it cost under 50 dollars to make to buy one for your new tank would be pricy some of the ones I was looking at were over $200 dollars. My husband did most of the research and work I stood and vacuumed up foam and did some smooshing of the colors and did the soaking but he really did the work


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## Canadian Fish

Jakiebabie said:


> I do collect the points but I never knew that there was a Double Point Day. Thanks for that and also the Layaway info!!


Jackie, they are having some amazing deals on their display tanks. I was talking to the manager at my store, and my tank is not going to be on sale, but they are selling a 220 gallon setup, with stand, cover and lights, for $100 LESS than my 125 gallon setup was going to be. We're going to be there at 10am sharp to try and get it. We would only owe $13 on that one.

Of course it means more gravel, filters, etc. But it's a great deal. 

We can pay the $125 we owe on the 125 gallon, or 13 on the 220.


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## boxercrazy156

So exciting hope you get it
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Canadian Fish

Me too! They marked it down $600.
We better get it now, we're all excited, lol. Now we'll be SO disappointed in the little 125, lol.


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## SeaHorse

Canadian Fish said:


> Jackie, they are having some amazing deals on their display tanks. I was talking to the manager at my store, and my tank is not going to be on sale, but they are selling a 220 gallon setup, with stand, cover and lights, for $100 LESS than my 125 gallon setup was going to be. We're going to be there at 10am sharp to try and get it.


Hope you got it!! Woo hoo! we need a Smilie for "Happy Dance". 
Please tell me that the 2200 lbs is going in the basement!!...? :shock:
Gonna go see about the 110 today I think. I deserve it!! I have worked beyond hard this summer!! And maybe it's on sale too. I can't go bigger than 5' because of a window and a floor furnace air vent. 
Can't wait to hear more!! And pictures of the build of course!! :lol:


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## Canadian Fish

Oh yeah, it's going in the basement. We should get it, we plan on being there as soon as they open. We would have gone today but the sale doesn't start until tomorrow morning. 

I'm going to have to be patient because I need to buy the substrate, heater, filters, etc on Wednesday so I get the double points. That will put me up to $100 store credit, which I'm going to need.

I just hope we have enough money to get the bare minimum to fill it with water and start cycling. (substrate, heater, filter). If we don't we'll have to wait another couple of weeks while it sits empty in the basement.


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## Canadian Fish

So I got it, they deliver it on Wednesday. I forgot to bring my camera, but I found two pics online, one of the stand, and one of the tank/cover/lights and I morphed them together with my fabulous Paint skills, lol. 










72x24x30 

Can't wait for it to get here and start setting it up.


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## boxercrazy156

Congrats !!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## SeaHorse

Ya for big tanks!!!!! :blueyay: I am SO happy for you!! And your Photoshop skills are pretty darn good too!! Can you get it up and running to cycle while you get your heater and gravel later? Start with filter and water if you have to. That way you are not delaying anything. Or move your existing filter over to run tandem to the new one. 
I'm so excited and it's not even mine! I got to get a life!!

On my big tank... I called them in Newmarket and the tank is NOT on sale. She said try between Xmas and New Years. Ya right. Any way I told hubby to get the old massive TV stand level so that I can make an earlier decision if I want to. Wish we could tell what direction the studs go but the basement ceiling is completely finished even in the Furnace room. :frustrated: At least I'm looking at an outside wall. 

Keep us posted !!


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## Canadian Fish

Thanks guys! I can probably afford substrate, one heater, and one filter on Wednesday. I figure that will be enough to get me cycling and next month I'll add another heater, air pump and powerhead. Plus some decorations.

Edit: Jackiebabie, have you tried using a stud finder?


----------



## Tankfull Tropicals

I thought I would be done at 4 tanks too. I now have over 700 gallons in my living room in 13 tanks. haha. Best addiction in the world!


----------



## SeaHorse

I actually meant Joists... not studs... but no I have not tried that. I will ask hubby if he has one. Why they sealed up the ceiling in the furnace room is beyond me... unless they were hiding something... bad electrical? Shiver.... 
Please keep us posted!!


----------



## Canadian Fish

boxercrazy156 said:


> Have you ever ordered from this site ? http://www.petsandponds.com I buy my supplies there its so muvh Cheaper then anywhere else the 2 Litre Cycle is 25 dollars cheaper, they are in Orillia and I recieved my order 2 days after I ordered, media food everything is cheaper


When I'm wrong, I'm wrong. As much as I love Big Al's, once I figured out exactly what I wanted to buy in terms of filters, heaters, air pump, decorations, vacuum, etc, I compared Big Al's VS Pets and Ponds, and Pets and Ponds saves me $150!

That's a HUGE savings. We're on a budget so that actually means being able to get a bunch of stuff now, as opposed to having to wait another month to get some of it.

Thanks for the heads up! Same brands and everything. One item was $70 less!

....and no shipping! That makes the difference.

Thanks again!


----------



## boxercrazy156

I bought 2 stainless steel heaters from them plus one of my pumps Plus half my substrate big ALS didn't have enough I get my stuff in 2 days
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Canadian Fish

boxercrazy156 said:


> I bought 2 stainless steel heaters from them plus one of my pumps Plus half my substrate big ALS didn't have enough I get my stuff in 2 days
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


The ONLY things I'm not getting there is airline tubing (because they don't have black) and substrate because I'm going to redeem my points towards the price of the substrate at Big Al's which will save me half. Oh, and live plants and background, because they don't sell them. Actually the only background I can find for a 30" tank is solid black/blue. Lame. 

My final order from Pets and Ponds is

2 filters, 2 heaters, 2 decorations, Air pump, Marina Aquavac (the Python is actually cheaper at Big Al's, but the Aquavac is allegedly more durable), airstones, filter media, suction cups and thermometers. Basically everything. I'm not placing the order until Wednesday when the stand and the aquarium have made it safely to my basement. I'm paranoid. Pets and Ponds ended up saving me around $160. This order taps us so if I bought this locally I would have had to wait a month for half of it.


----------



## boxercrazy156

_Posted via Mobile Device_[/siz
Did you decide what kind of fish you are going to put in your tank yet? Are you still going with a planted tank? I used fluorite for my tank because it's planted I had to buy 10 bags which was $250 plus you have to rinse all the dirt out of it which was horrible still now when I move plants around my water goes all murky


----------



## Canadian Fish

boxercrazy156 said:


> _Posted via Mobile Device_[/siz
> Did you decide what kind of fish you are going to put in your tank yet? Are you still going with a planted tank? I used fluorite for my tank because it's planted I had to buy 10 bags which was $250 plus you have to rinse all the dirt out of it which was horrible still now when I move plants around my water goes all murky




I'm going to go with Java fern, Java moss and Anubias because I believe they can live in regular substrate. I'm going to go with balas (no backing out now, they had an order in last week and were selling them for half price so I bought some and I'm storing them in my 55 until the big one is cycled). They're tiny right now, smaller than my mollies. 

Probably house barbs with them, and either yoyo or clown loaches. 

What have you decided on?


----------



## boxercrazy156

I have nine golden zebra loaches right now in there which I absolutely love they are very very active and do dance thing. I also have seven dwarfs rainbows for my small school of fish. I am going to the school of Boesemani rainbows 6 clown Loaches which are on sale at big Al's in Scarborough for 3.99 this week don't know if my husband can pick them up because he works the city sometimes, if not I'm sure they willI be on sale at at different big als next weekend. I'm looking for another fish still I was thinking of the school of redline torpedo barbs
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Canadian Fish

Clown loaches and rainbowfish, both awesome choices! I might try clowns in my new tank,

They're supposed to deliver the tank in about 10 hours. Yesterday afternoon when the boy was at school we took all his toys out of the basement and filled the spare room (that intrigued him when he got home). And moved everything else to one side of the basement to make room for the delivery guys. 

Last winter we had the walls drywalled. Knew we were getting a big tank since I started this thread in May, and still didn't get around to painting the walls. Oops! Oh well. 


























I should have got pictures of the disaster that was the basement before we cleared out a room full of toys, pulled up the old carpet and moved all the furniture. 

The next time you see this room, it should be full of fish tank.
My camera and photography skills are both garbage. These pics are at the same time, in the same light, standing in the same place, just turned from one side of the basement to the other.


----------



## SeaHorse

We are expecting... not just pics... but a video of the full on "happy dance"' that we know is going to happen at your house today!!


----------



## boxercrazy156

You will have to put a big chair in thee so you can stare at fish tank,
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Canadian Fish

boxercrazy156 said:


> You will have to put a big chair in thee so you can stare at fish tank,
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


LOL. When the furniture is put back, the couch will be directly across from the fish tank. It used to be along the wall under the window. There used to be a big desk where the tank is going. It's in the space between the pictures. Back when I smoked, I would have been down there every 45 minutes looking at the tank. But I quite a year and a half ago.


----------



## SeaHorse

Watching the count down...... how many more hours and minutes....? 
Congratulations on quitting smoking! That is a big deal. And all that "smokes" money can buy fishies!!!!
We're waiting.....................................


----------



## Canadian Fish

I put on 40 pounds when I quit smoking, which I never lost, so I'm going to die sooner now anyway.

I think the tank is on its way. The store just called, they thought we were going to go pick up some supplies this morning, and they were going to follow us home. But our plan was to pick up supplies once we knew the tank was successfully in our basement. 

So I think they are bringing it now.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Slideshow of Delivery Pictures






















I need some shims, apparently.


----------



## Canadian Fish

We have the cover and light fixture too, hadn't even gotten around to putting them on yet. Just realized it as I was watching the youtube video.


----------



## djembekah

looks awesome! congrats!


----------



## Canadian Fish

Thanks! Now it's time to take down our Easter decorations and put up the Halloween ones!

If there was a holiday worth decorating between Easter and Halloween, they wouldn't stay up so long.


----------



## boxercrazy156

Congratulations!!!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Chesh

Congrats on the new tank!
(is it rude to drool?)


----------



## Canadian Fish

Thanks guys! Super excited to get it set up! Just got an e-mail that my order for Pets and Ponds shipped today with my filters, heaters, etc.! 44 lbs! Heavy! And free shipping, can't beat that. Hope it gets here by Monday!!


----------



## SeaHorse

What an Awesome tank!! Love hearing how people "score" good deals!! Can't wait to watch the build. Did you ever say what was going to go into this tank...? I'm sure it's buried a few pages back in this thread... or maybe things have changed? This opens the door for just about anything you want.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Jakiebabie said:


> What an Awesome tank!! Love hearing how people "score" good deals!! Can't wait to watch the build. Did you ever say what was going to go into this tank...? I'm sure it's buried a few pages back in this thread... or maybe things have changed? This opens the door for just about anything you want.


I'm committed to balas. I bought them on sale last week when they were on for $2.88 each at Big Al's. They are hanging with my silver dollars until the new tank is cycled. They're tiny, larger than the serpaes but smaller than the mollies.

So everything else has to be compatible with them. I'm thinking various barbs, and maybe clown or yoyo loaches, and possibly a sailfin pleco.


----------



## SeaHorse

Canadian Fish said:


> I'm going to go with Java fern, Java moss and Anubias because I believe they can live in regular substrate. I'm going to go with balas (no backing out now, they had an order in last week and were selling them for half price so I bought some and I'm storing them in my 55 until the big one is cycled). They're tiny right now, smaller than my mollies.


I found your post....You never said how many baby Bala's you bought?

They are going to look sweet schooling around and exploring and then racing the length of the tank!!


----------



## Canadian Fish

Jakiebabie said:


> I found your post....You never said how many baby Bala's you bought?
> 
> They are going to look sweet schooling around and exploring and then racing the length of the tank!!


I got 5. They're good looking fish, as seen here:






The pic in my signature is actually them, but it's too small to see. Here it is:


----------



## boxercrazy156

Just had to share this I went to Peterborough tonight to look at some fish stores ended up at PJs pets and two fish that I'm looking for for my tank where they're really cheap. I bought nine bosemi rainbows and six clown Loches. The rainbows were three for $16 and they are usually 1299 each at big Al's the loaches where the medium-size ones which are on sale at my beguiles for 78 this weekend but I paid three for 18
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Canadian Fish

boxercrazy156 said:


> Just had to share this I went to Peterborough tonight to look at some fish stores ended up at PJs pets and two fish that I'm looking for for my tank where they're really cheap. I bought nine bosemi rainbows and six clown Loches. The rainbows were three for $16 and they are usually 1299 each at big Al's the loaches where the medium-size ones which are on sale at my beguiles for 78 this weekend but I paid three for 18
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Wow! Great deals! And both really cool types of fish. Is your 120 ready for them, or are they in your other tank awhile?

Pics please!!

6 clown loaches, from everything I have heard, will be very entertaining to watch! Such neat fish. Every time my son sees them on the monitor he says "I wanna put in my fish tank downstairs". Which is a lot of words for him to string together. He crawled and walked early, but was very late starting to talk. 

Were those sale prices? Or is PJs always that cheap?


----------



## ninjablackghostknife

That's beautiful... Can see why it's ur dream tank :notworthy:


----------



## Canadian Fish

Thanks! 

Purolator just updated the tracking info on my equipment. It's in Toronto. Hopefully it can get sorted, sent to Ottawa, sorted again and to my house by tomorrow.

Probably wishful thinking, lol. Darn weekends. I don't want to have to wait until Monday.


----------



## ninjablackghostknife

Lol well as long as ur not fedexing it... I've heard several stories online about FE royally screwing peeps over:redmad:


----------



## SeaHorse

Is that company in Orillia? What a Rip. Thank goodness the shipping you said was free considering the route it is taking! Orillia to Toronto to Ottawa to your house. Sheesh. 
Sometimes I feel like I've been taken hostage when we are at the mercy of the shipping companies. 
Things travel the countryside more than we humans do! 
Don't you hate these exercises in patience? Sigh...


----------



## Canadian Fish

There's still a chance it will be here sometime tomorrow, as long as it gets on the road tonight. 

Then I have to go out and get substrate. 

My landlord lives in the duplex next to me, I e-mailed him to see if he had shims, which he does. He's a handy guy. He's out of town until tomorrow so I should have the tank leveled tomorrow or Saturday. 

It's actually dead on level across the front, left to right. It's just slightly off front to back. The front needs to come up a little on both corners.


----------



## boxercrazy156

My last order from pets and ponds I got in one day. The fish that I got that was the regular price not sure if they were priced wrong because the other PJs in Pickerring the Fish were more money.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## boxercrazy156

Oh by the way if you place order that big they send it Purolator and it comes in one day
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Canadian Fish

Well, it made it to the Ottawa Depot an hour ago. So I would assume it will definitely be here sometime today! Woo hoo.

On an unrelated note, before I went to bed last night, I threw a 10 pound roast, potatoes and carrots in the slow cooker and I just woke up to a great smelling house. 

Gotta love the slow cooker, working while you sleep.


----------



## Chesh

lol, 3 cheers for slow cooking and fast shipping! Now you can be free to get things setup without having to worry about silly things like cooking dinner


----------



## madyotto

Canadian Fish said:


> Well, it made it to the Ottawa Depot an hour ago. So I would assume it will definitely be here sometime today! Woo hoo.
> 
> On an unrelated note, before I went to bed last night, I threw a 10 pound roast, potatoes and carrots in the slow cooker and I just woke up to a great smelling house.
> 
> Gotta love the slow cooker, working while you sleep.


there defo a good air freshener for the house lol 

some things you may want to conciser

clown loach really are a fascinating fish to keep 
but if you plan on keeping them you need to choose your substrate around them they like to hide in fine pea gravel or sand 
also because they have a life span of around 50 years they grow very slow 
and need lots of hiding places if the substrate isn't of the kind they can hide in so lots of ornaments caves etc..... 

as far as plants go they make the maintenance of tanks so much easier i would go with normal plants to start as i am guessing that the ballas you will be getting will be under 2 or 3 inches this would give you at least 2-3 years of happily planted tank 
also i have not seen my ballas going for other fish yet they are around 2 years old and about's 4--5 inches in size although they are supposed to become a little more aggressive as they grow past 6-7 inches 


take a look at a small school of glass cat fish (4 - 6 of them would be nice) they should fit straight into this type of tank nicely i love my two 

also you mentioned loach 
i love my golden weather loach (A.K.A(dojo loach) although they are sold as cold water they live very happily and healthy in tropical tanks they have very active moments and then laze around for some time they are 100% the most attractive fish in my main tank and hence the name go mental before a storms hits

another bonus to keeping them is that there snake like motions across the bottom of the tank stir up all the waste and let your filter pick the majority of it up good addition to any clean up crew 
and hence the name go mental before storms hit 
hhuuummmmm i think around 4-7 would be nice in a tank that size 

maybe a black ghost knife fish too they really are a beautiful fish but you can only have one!!!

you would most probably be ok with a pair of kribensis cichlids too they grow to around 6 inches and are fascinating to breed take a look at the care sheet for them one that includes how to breed and i know you will be interested 

just some advise and suggestions there for you see what you think and let us know


----------



## madyotto

Canadian Fish said:


> I got 5. They're good looking fish, as seen here:
> 
> Balas
> 
> The pic in my signature is actually them, but it's too small to see. Here it is:


wow there tiny maybe 3-4 years before they chomp on ya plants lol they do grow fast tho and i love watching them race round after each other


----------



## Canadian Fish

madyotto said:


> clown loach really are a fascinating fish to keep
> but if you plan on keeping them you need to choose your substrate around them they like to hide in fine pea gravel or sand
> also because they have a life span of around 50 years they grow very slow
> and need lots of hiding places if the substrate isn't of the kind they can hide in so lots of ornaments caves etc.....


When I ordered my filters I also ordered these hiding place:
























...and I'll be adding driftwood and other hiding places before I actually get the loaches. 

Which brings me to this...



> love my golden weather loach (A.K.A(dojo loach) although they are sold as cold water they live very happily and healthy in tropical tanks they have very active moments and then laze around for some time they are 100% the most attractive fish in my main tank and hence the name go mental before a storms hits
> 
> another bonus to keeping them is that there snake like motions across the bottom of the tank stir up all the waste and let your filter pick the majority of it up good addition to any clean up crew
> and hence the name go mental before storms hit
> hhuuummmmm i think around 4-7 would be nice in a tank that size


I'm actually quite enthralled with the weather loach. We had a ryukin tank and I wanted to add some weather loaches, but unfortunately the tank was too small. Basically it came down to weathers, yoyos, or clowns. I'm leaning toward clowns, especially since my youngster likes them, but the weathers are cool and especially neat when they are active. It's a tough call. 

About this...



> as far as plants go they make the maintenance of tanks so much easier i would go with normal plants to start as i am guessing that the ballas you will be getting will be under 2 or 3 inches this would give you at least 2-3 years of happily planted tank
> also i have not seen my ballas going for other fish yet they are around 2 years old and about's 4--5 inches in size although they are supposed to become a little more aggressive as they grow past 6-7 inches


Interesting, I had not heard this before. I also plan on having barbs. Possibly tigers and odessas. Maybe some scissortail rasboras? How are they for eating plants? Funny no one (including at my LFS) told me the balas wouldn't devour the plants for the first couple of years. 



> maybe a black ghost knife fish too they really are a beautiful fish but you can only have one!!!


I have a friend who keeps one of these and they truly are a cool fish, but his hides practically all the time, he rarely sees it. 



> you would most probably be ok with a pair of kribensis cichlids too they grow to around 6 inches and are fascinating to breed take a look at the care sheet for them one that includes how to breed and i know you will be interested


I will look into these, and the glass catfish. Thanks for the input!!


----------



## madyotto

I'm actually quite enthralled with the Weather Loach. We had a ryukin tank and I wanted to add some weather loaches, but unfortunately the tank was too small. Basically it came down to weathers, yoyos, or clowns. I'm leaning toward clowns, especially since my youngster likes them, but the weathers are cool and especially neat when they are active. It's a tough call. 

have both i do they even interact with each other at times 

Interesting, I had not heard this before. I also plan on having barbs. Possibly tigers and odessas. Maybe some scissortail rasboras? How are they for eating plants? Funny no one (including at my LFS) told me the balas wouldn't devour the plants for the first couple of years. 

i have two silver ballas look at the booming plant life in my display tank 
PS. i work for my LFS and will tell you now do not listen to a thing they say most is wrong or vary's to actual life too much.

i do not know about the others you have mentioned but if you plan at any point to move your silver dollers in dont even think about plants lol 

maybe a black ghost knife fish too they really are a beautiful fish but you can only have one!!!

I have a friend who keeps one of these and they truly are a cool fish, but his hides practically all the time, he rarely sees it.

this will depend on the size of the tank how well spread the hiding spots are and please bear in mind that the BGK is a semi nocturnal fish nick named by some as the nocturnal assassin


----------



## madyotto

a very nice shot of my balla's











added new tank pics take a look


----------



## ninjablackghostknife

:-D Can't wait till u add the tank


----------



## Canadian Fish

Nice! What kinds of plants are they? Do you use special lighting or fertilizer? 

I love the way the balas look as they mature. 

I'll have to do some research and see if barbs will devour plants or not.


----------



## madyotto

Canadian Fish said:


> Nice! What kinds of plants are they? Do you use special lighting or fertilizer?
> 
> I love the way the balas look as they mature.
> 
> I'll have to do some research and see if barbs will devour plants or not.


more important find out if they do before nearing adult hood 

i also have a cool pic in for photo of the month comp take a look its my balla's with a clown loach barely showing behind my big balla looks brill i think take a look at the comp photos 

http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/contests.php

i couldnt tell you what plants they are my mollys love them but they grow far to fast to be eaten by them lol i have to trim them to half size at least every week and a half 
[
lots of new photos i have only just added too !!!!


----------



## Canadian Fish

Beautiful Pic!

So the delivery arrived!


















































The large cichlid stone was broken en route:









But here's some great customer service, I called them, and they said they'd send another one out today!

Pets & Ponds

If you're in Canada, these guys have low prices and great service!

After it arrived we went to Big Al's and picked up substrate. I completely forgot to get airline hose and a thermometer. D'oh. I didn't buy the airline from Pets & Ponds because they didn't have black.


----------



## boxercrazy156

Woo hoo happy setting up!!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Chesh

Looks like playtime!!!


----------



## Canadian Fish

Once we shim the stand we'll get started. It'll give us something to do over the weekend. 

Here is a short video of the new Leopard Ctenopoma (Leopard Bushfish) that we got today. Quick shot of my Hillstream Loach at the end of the video.


----------



## madyotto

i forgot to mention i used aquatic peat under my gravel to keep ph down and aid plants


----------



## djembekah

does your new fish have a name yet?


----------



## Canadian Fish

Nope, that's my wife's job. She has named all of our 70+ fish. But in groups, like if we have 7 of one kind, they could be the 7 dwarves. We're not fanatics, we don't know which is which if they're all, say, serpaes or platies.

The peacock eel is Allie McEel
The Hillsteam Loach is Darth Vader, 'cause he's my boy's favorite.


----------



## Canadian Fish

My landlord just brought over some shims, and leveled the tank/stand for me. Which is awesome, because I'm about as handy as a screen door on a submarine. :roll:

Time to start setting up this sucker...


----------



## madyotto

Canadian Fish said:


> My landlord just brought over some shims, and leveled the tank/stand for me. Which is awesome, because I'm about as handy as a screen door on a submarine. :roll:
> 
> Time to start setting up this sucker...


PARTY time at your house then when you have filled it

Can we have a collective view on your plans for the tank like what substrate fertilizer tank mates for your balla's etc.......

and the things i didn't read in the many pages like internal or external filter etc or have you been mega brave like me and gone for a sump system ? mainly to save others having to reads page upon page but also because i am lazy and only read first few and last few before i got involved 

but good luck 
have fun i know i would im so jealous lol 

will you be breeding breeder fish like mollies or platies for you bigger fish


----------



## Canadian Fish

So far for filters I have a Rena Filstar XP4-XL and an Aquaclear 110. 

I'll probably add a second Aquaclear, or maybe an eheim 2217 classic in a couple of months.

For heaters I have 2 x Jager TruTemp 300W

I also picked up a tetra whisper 100 air pump and a couple of 12" airstones.

The substrate is just regular black gravel. 

As far as breeding goes, I don't put any effort into it, but the platies in my 20 gallon are always making babies and sometimes the fry survive on their own. There's 2 in that tank right now that have survived by living around the driftwood and I think they'll actually make it to maturity.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Crap! I just rinsed four bags of gravel and added them to my tank. Now I am taking a break. The problem??

My arms are TOO SHORT to reach the bottom of the tank!! ARGH. 

Guess I'll need something like this, lol:

Aquarium Tongs - 24"

This wouldn't have been a problem with the 125...


----------



## Freshcatch

Oh, to have such problems!


----------



## Canadian Fish

It sounds silly, but I can't even reach the substrate to level it out. I had to use a 2x4. Which is actually a huge pain. I should have thought about this sooner. Gonna be tricky adding plants when I can't reach the substrate.


----------



## Freshcatch

Don't use anything that you can drop and break the glass! Just use a step stool and lean over in the tank... without falling in.


----------



## Canadian Fish

I'm using a step stool. The tank is 30" deep and my arm is 23.5" from armpit to tips of fingers. I don't want to lean on the tank too much. Sketchy.


----------



## madyotto

Canadian Fish said:


> I'm using a step stool. The tank is 30" deep and my arm is 23.5" from armpit to tips of fingers. I don't want to lean on the tank too much. Sketchy.


lol pile substrate up and level it out with the hose as you fill it 

you can get tank glass scrapers with planting forks on the bottom end they are about 9-10 inch at a guess hope this help not as much fun in setting up as you thought then lol 

good luck though dude


----------



## Freshcatch

That is a nice problem to have..... great looking tank. Can't wait to see the finished product.


----------



## boxercrazy156

Not to mention unless you are wearing a tank top your sleeves will get wet when its full my aquarium is 26 inches deep and if I have to reach to the bottom standng on a chair I get soaked everytime


----------



## Canadian Fish

So I filled it with water, took an hour. My vacuum hose fits the sink downstairs, where the big tank is. Unfortunately it does not fit my kitchen sink upstairs where the other tanks are.

The heaters are pretty much calibrated. I need to raise them about 2 degrees, but right now they're not running all the time and they switch from one to the other. Perfect!

I found this deal on kijiji:










A great deal, all this for $40. Big Al's charges 5.99 a pound so this saves me a ton! I pick it up Friday or Saturday!


----------



## Chesh

Sounds like you need to invest in some scuba gear!!! Nice-looking wood - great price! I can't wait to see it all in place!


----------



## Canadian Fish

Chesherca said:


> Sounds like you need to invest in some scuba gear!!! Nice-looking wood - great price! I can't wait to see it all in place!


Me too! I wish I could pick up the wood today!

I'm going downstairs right now to try hooking up a canister filter for the first time.


----------



## Chesh

Have fun with all that. . . I just did that for the first time a few weeks ago, too! They _seem_ more complicated than they *actually* are, but I'm still kind of afraid of mine, lol!!! So far so good - Good luck!


----------



## twocents

You really sure this will be your last aquarium?
I have thought about going to one very very large tank, but then, what would I do with the old ones? They all still need fish in them...

p.s.: sorry about your problems reaching the substrate. I found that out with my 56 gallon column. I can juuust barely reach the bottom.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Thanks! Long Island eh? You watch hockey? I've been an Islanders fan my whole life, despite being a Canadian. They've made it hard for the last decade.

Well, the aquaclear and the canister filter are running! Now it sounds like an aquarium. I turned the two heaters up a bit, we'll see how that goes. Still haven't hooked up the air pump, as I need to pick up tubing this weekend.

Haven't shown any pics because they all turn out too dark. Haven't put the lid and lights on the tank yet because I'm waiting until I put the driftwood in. After the lights are on, I'll take some pics.

I could not, for the life of me, get the tubing to go a full 2" up the intake and outtake tubes (or on the canister lid), even with lube. One leaked a little at first, but I managed to get the clamp to go on a little tighter, and now it seems ok. I'll keep a close eye on it tonight and tomorrow. (and forever, but especially for the next 24 hours). 

Can't wait to get that driftwood! I think I'm going to start off with some fake plants, just to fill it up a bit, and then tie some java fern to the driftwood to get the real stuff growing. Later when I have more money I'll add some anubias. Hopefully one day I'll have enough real stuff that I can remove the fakes without the tank looking barren.

Edit: I really think this will be my last aquarium.  We have 5 now and that's a lot of fish.


----------



## keeperofthezoo

Your tank looks wonderful. I have enjoyed watching and learning from you. For your tubing problem, I found dipping the end in boiling water softens it enough to push it farther on the plumbing. just make sure it's in the final position or your stuck. LOL


----------



## Canadian Fish

I'm stuck! LOL. But I seem to be on enough to stop any leaks. Dry so far. I wish the manual had suggested something along the lines of the boiling technique.


----------



## boxercrazy156

I'm sure you will do fine my issues were adding a inline uv sterilizer to my Eheim pump the connectors were all different sizes so we had to make up parts the eheim return is small priming is fun
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## boxercrazy156

Driftwood is awesome I looked for months for a deal like that ended up at pj's pet centre they had some nice driftwood
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Canadian Fish

We may switch to an all black background. The store gave me this one, it was what they had on it on display and they couldn't resell it anyway. I actually like it.


----------



## Chesh

Looking good, man!!! 

I'd be torn, too. I prefer black backrounds, but that one_ is_ pretty cool looking. You'll know once you get everything in there, I'm sure - off to a GREAT start!!! Sorry about the canister issues... I'm still afraid of mine. Make my husband help me with it! Sooner or later I WILL master it! I WILL!


----------



## Canadian Fish

My problem is I can't get the tube on all the way to the output, but I can't get it back off either. Argh. I'm terrified it is going to leak one day.


----------



## boxercrazy156

I like it looks good
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## boxercrazy156

I need to clean one of my cannisters this weekend for the first time hoping it goes well
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Canadian Fish

boxercrazy156 said:


> I need to clean one of my cannisters this weekend for the first time hoping it goes well
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Good luck!


----------



## Canadian Fish

The little rocks on the right I picked up yesterday with my son, and the three larger ones on the left I just picked up 5 minutes ago on my way back from dropping my kid off at school.


----------



## SeaHorse

boxercrazy156 said:


> I need to clean one of my cannisters this weekend for the first time hoping it goes well
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Here are some tips... 
I rarely ever clean mine.... Use only de-chlor water or old tank water and rinse out or replace your fiber layer or sponge layer... depends on what you have. (you can buy it at a fabric store likely much cheaper than the LFS, it's just quilt batting and/or pillow stuffing. Just be sure that there are no gaps for the water to get around as this is the "finishing" layer and you want to sieve out the particles.) Just rinse your media (tubes or stones) of gunk, Make sure your spinners are clear of gunk and your hoses are clear of gunk and reload. Fill it to the brim!! right up the tubes!! and shut off your valves to transport back to your tank to reconnect and you won't have to prime it... just turn it on. That lets the least amount of air into the system. 
Never scrub the container etc... that slime is your good bacteria! 
I only ever open my canister if the water flow seems reduced. 

You really scored on the wood!!! and Nice rocks!! Make sure you test them! I think the test is if you pour vinegar on them and they fizzzzzzzzzzz don't use them. 
Got that thing full of water yet??? Pics???


----------



## Canadian Fish

Pics on the previous page. Yeah, it's full of water. I'm paranoid because the hose for my canister filter didn't go all the way on, but I can't get it off. Not leaking now but scared it might one day. Might try and heat it with a hose to soften it up so it will go on further. 

What does it mean if the vinegar fizzes?

Edit: Just read into this a little.


----------



## SeaHorse

Here is a link...How to Test Rocks for Aquarium Use | eHow.com
Does not appear to be from any other Forum so should be ok to post for you.


----------



## AndrewM21

Canadian Fish said:


> Pics on the previous page. Yeah, it's full of water. I'm paranoid because the hose for my canister filter didn't go all the way on, but I can't get it off. Not leaking now but scared it might one day. Might try and heat it with a hose to soften it up so it will go on further.


What canister are you using? I know neither of mine hoses went on to the canister fully but the hose clamps that came with it have prevented it from leaking thus far, just make sure you tighten the clamps as far as they will go on the end of the flexible tube.

Nice aquarium and good luck!


----------



## Canadian Fish

Success, than DISASTER!!

So I popped off the quick disconnect on the filter. Put it in a bucket, but it didn't leak a drop.

Used the hair dryer on the hose, and success!! It slid on further, and the clamp tightened better!

Took a couple of minutes!!

Then, couldn't get the quick disconnect to sit properly in the filter to close it. Wouldn't go. Came upstairs, googled the problem, placed a call to the service department of the store where I bought it, left a message.

Went back downstairs, and the I had actually managed to open the disconnect enough to drain. The bottom of the stand was filling with water and leaking all over my basement floor!! Thank God I put the power bar on a raised box. Like an idiot, believing the valve to be still closed, I left it sitting loosely on the cannister, not in the bucket.

So i just used every towel in the house to soak up the water. Got most of it I think. Now all the towels are in the dryer. Once they're dried I'll go over everything again. CRAP!!!

That was my big fear, and I caused it by playing it safe. POOP!


----------



## Canadian Fish

Just tried to put the quick disconnect back in the filter, and it went it smooth first try. ARGH. Don't know why it didn't the first time.

Stupid canister filters.


----------



## SeaHorse

There you go.... what we fear will appear. In fact we make our own reality!
But now it's done, happened, over, you can move on. Won't likely ever happen again!! 
Amazing how that works. And you were at home to deal with it too!


----------



## Canadian Fish

The crappy thing is, The tank is very slightly raised because I shimmed it to level it, so there is water underneath. I have a heater pointed at it now, hopefully that will dry it out a bit. 

So frustrating.

I push down on the bottom and it squishes water out, and I soak it up with the towel. 

The outside is all solid oak, but the bottom is just a thin shit of crappy wood, I'm scared it's going to rot. Hopefully the rest of the water will evaporate quickly.


----------



## Canadian Fish

I'm pretty fed up. Before I fooled with it today, the filter was running ok.

Now, when I move the filter, (I moved it out of the stand to clean up the water) it leaks water out of the motor assembly. Not where the seal is between the lid and the canister, but out the actual assembly, here:










Weird, because it wasn't doing it before. 

I guess I'll have to return it. A pain because I got it mail order. I have to pay for shipping.


----------



## Canadian Fish

What I'd really like to do is just replace it with two more Aquaclear 110s, for a total of 3 of them on the tank. This will give me 1500 GPH turnover. Someone told me 8 times the tank volume is recommended for a canister filter. This will give me 7 times. Close enough for me. If necessary I will under stock my tank. 

I am so disillusioned right now.


----------



## SeaHorse

Awwww!! How the heck did you get water coming out of the top?? That is weird. I could see it if it fell over... but not from what you described. 
Bet you are totally frustrated right now!! Canister filters are so amazing too when they work. Just a little intimidating for sure!


----------



## Canadian Fish

Ok, so I went to the Rena site and people complained about getting water out from where the power cord is. This happens if the quick disconnect valve isn't in all the way, and water gets where it isn't supposed to.

When the filter was flooding out, it was flooding into that part. So in theory I should be able to drain the water out of the top part, hook the quick disconnect properly, and no more water should get in that top part.

So I put the hoses back (I had taken them off the tank in disgust, but I didn't disconnect from the outlets, thank goodness) put the media back, primed it and it is running. So far so good. I set a timer for 15 minutes and I am going to check it every 15 minutes for a few hours. Pain in the butt, but I am hopeful.

Fingers crossed! What a night.


----------



## Canadian Fish

So I checked on the filter every 15 minutes, then every half hour, then every 45 minutes, now I'm starting every hour.

So far, dry as a bone!!

What a relief. 

Some good news tonight, my marina aquavac that I used to fill the big tank fits the sink downstairs in the laundry room, but not the sinks upstairs in the kitchen and bathroom, which is the floor my other 4 tanks are on. 

We're going to the fish store tomorrow, so I ran the hose up the stairs, to see how long an extension I would need to fill all the tanks from the basement, and the 50 footer I have can reach all 5 of my tanks, without being so tight it puts strain on the faucet adapter! Woo hoo! No extension needed.

I'll take a small victory tonight!


----------



## boxercrazy156

Your lucky it only took you one day I have 2 different cannisters on my tank with a inline uv sterilizer it was a lot of putting together and taking apart I put the washers in the ub ate ruler in the wrong place so it leaked the tubes in the rock wall came apart we had airleaks too it was a big learning curve
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Canadian Fish

It was only one day, but I totally could have done without the flood.

Is yours running smooth now?

Tomorrow morning we're going to the fish store and tomorrow evening we're getting the driftwood. Then we should have everything we need to decorate the tank, other than live plants. Once we have some more money I'm going to try some java fern on our driftwood.


----------



## Canadian Fish

All dry this morning! Problem seems to be fixed.

Used the vacuum hose for the first time this morning. Changed the water in my tanks in half an hour, usually takes over an hour, and so much drier and less mess than with buckets! Awesome.


----------



## boxercrazy156

my tank is running smooth other then some diatoms from it still being new I have java fern on my driftwood one is tied on with brown thread the other had a hole in it and the java fern which was a larger one is stuck in there. Going to Big Als today I have a 4 day weekend this week Whitby has all their plants on for 20 % off


----------



## boxercrazy156

My new Rainbows and clown loaches are in the 120 gallon and doing good


----------



## Canadian Fish

Nice! I just got back from Big Als. Got a heater for the 35 that the red tailed shark is going into. Got some airline hose, decorations, a grabber to reach the bottom of the tank, some thermometers and other crap. 

We're going to get the driftwood at 7pm tonight. Tomorrow will be decorate tank day!!

Also have to redecorate the 35 with some driftwood and hiding rocks for the RTS. Going to be busy this weekend. 

Sunday we're going back to Big Als to get another big silver dollar for the 55. They just got 3 in that are the same size as mine. So I will have a total of 4. Also going to get the Red Tailed Shark.


----------



## boxercrazy156

I bought 3 more rainbows today and 5 plants I bought 1 bosemi that had orange instead of yellow and Two larger Parkinson's rainbows they are 4 inches not fluorescent yet
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Canadian Fish

boxercrazy156 said:


> I bought 3 more rainbows today and 5 plants I bought 1 bosemi that had orange instead of yellow and Two larger Parkinson's rainbows they are 4 inches not fluorescent yet
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Wow, 4", nice. How large are your clown loaches?

What kind of plants did you get?

I picked up my driftwood tonight, but the tank is a little cloudy and it's dark in the basement at night. Can't have the lid and light on the tank while I'm rearranging stuff, so it was too hard to see to set it up. Going to try again tomorrow during the day when some sunlight is coming in. 

Added some driftwood and a cave to my 35 gallon (and a heater). Looks much better now. Took out my wife's cheesy alligator bubbler.


----------



## boxercrazy156

My clown loaches are about 3 inches the same size were $14.88 at Big Als today I paid 3 for 18 dollars at pjs pet centre. I paid too much for those rainbows today but they are really hard to find. I still want 6 redline torpedo barbs they are still 20 bucks a piece at big als I am going to see if pjs in pickering has any if not then I will get them in a few weeks


----------



## SeaHorse

boxercrazy156 said:


> My clown loaches are about 3 inches the same size were $14.88 at Big Als today I paid 3 for 18 dollars at pjs pet centre. I paid too much for those rainbows today but they are really hard to find. I still want 6 redline torpedo barbs they are still 20 bucks a piece at big als I am going to see if pjs in pickering has any if not then I will get them in a few weeks


Aren't fish prices insane up here in Canada!! Sheesh!!


----------



## Canadian Fish

Yeah, that's a lot of money for a 3" clown loach. Glad you found them somewhere cheaper.

The Silver Dollar I'm getting Sunday is 19.99, but that's not so bad, it's a biggie, same as the ones I have now. Though they were $5 cheaper, at the same store. 

My Big Al's has some awesome Rope Fish in right now. Wish my big tank was cycled! i might just get one and stick him in the 55 until the cycling is done on the 220.

I love those torpedo barbs, but a group is just too expensive for me. They're beautiful fish.


----------



## boxercrazy156

_Posted via Mobile Device_
The 3 rainbows today were 20 a piece I'm at the stage now were I'm looking for certain fish for this tank that are harder to find and will have to pay more I would like a few more Parkinson's rainbows some red and dark blue ones and my redline torpedos which you have to buy together and grow or they can be aggressive 
Make sure you take pics tomorrow


----------



## Canadian Fish

I'm having a hard time arranging it. I put the light fixture on just to take a look and I didn't like it at all.


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## Canadian Fish

This is better.

















































































































The little tank isn't new, but the fish that lived in it died recently. I am getting a Red Tailed Shark for it on Sunday. They like driftwood and hiding places so we redecorated it last night.

The big tank is coming along nicely! I had to buy a claw because I can't reach the bottom the tank to decorate.


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## Canadian Fish




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## Freshcatch

Very, very nice!


----------



## madyotto

Freshcatch said:


> Very, very nice!


looking very nice for you there 

shame i can't say the same my 150 L sprang a leak today so housing all the fish out of my 150L in my crappy 105L they have all fallen out with me talk about upsetting the apple cart lol my puffers (GSP) and kribensis are in a 25L plastic bucket with small pump heater and filter 

but you know what they say out of the storm comes a rainbow 

i found a UK seller that is going to supply me with a 48x18x15 approx 212L brand new for only £81 and further £20 to deliver it the 90 mile trip to me awesome


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## Canadian Fish

Sorry to hear that. Any water damage?

How in the world did it spring a leak? Did you buy it used? I had to reseal a tank that I bought used once. I think if they sit empty in storage too long the seals start to go.

212L is that a 55 gallon? That's a good size. And cheap delivery! I had to pay $180 CAD to get mine delivered. Mind you, it's heavy as all heck, but it's only a 10 minute drive.

When do you get it?


----------



## madyotto

Canadian Fish said:


> Sorry to hear that. Any water damage?
> 
> How in the world did it spring a leak? Did you buy it used? I had to reseal a tank that I bought used once. I think if they sit empty in storage too long the seals start to go.
> 
> 212L is that a 55 gallon? That's a good size. And cheap delivery! I had to pay $180 CAD to get mine delivered. Mind you, it's heavy as all heck, but it's only a 10 minute drive.
> 
> When do you get it?


GOT IT HERE !!!!!!
Aquarium, Fish Tank, Glass Tank *Brand New, at Great Prices* | eBay


the one im getting is the 48x18x15 

which is 212L or UK gallons =47 (US gallon =56) <yes there is a difference>

the tank was second hand and i had already fixed a leak on the corner it has sat full for 12 months plus and been fine 

it wasn't leaking much good job as it is in my bed room and i would of had one flooded kitchen lol


----------



## Canadian Fish

Wow, it leaked after holding water for 12 months. I'd better keep an eye on the one I had resealed then.

Sketchy. 

So when does it arrive?


----------



## madyotto

Canadian Fish said:


> Wow, it leaked after holding water for 12 months. I'd better keep an eye on the one I had resealed then.
> 
> Sketchy.
> 
> So when does it arrive?


i managed to get a VERY NICE friend to lend me the money for 2 week but cant get it in the bank till Monday when i will order it and then upto 3 weeks depending on what areas his delivery company are going to 

i was amazed myself leaking after that time and from the bottom too lucky it was a slow leak though 

so yes keep ya eye on it 
i will just sell old one for reptiles and use old hood i will have to modify it to fit the wider 15 inch hood as tank right now is 12 inches lucky i have some black acrylic left over from making my sump should be plenty there 



EDIT!!!!!!!!
huuummmm might have to go for the 48x21x15 at 248L


----------



## boxercrazy156

Looking good!!

I'm having issues with my 2 Parkinsons Rainbows I was told that they would school with my other rainbows but they are quite a lot larger then the others the one bigger male is harrassing the other, my other has lots of hiding places in the plants but as soon as he comes out he chases it and bugs him my one and only gourami in the tank that is larger then them is trying to peace keep and keeps stepping in between I have turned the light out to see if he will stop if not he will have to move to the pleco tank who is lonely since all his friends left him for the planted tank but there is no way my common pleco is going in my planted tank I was hoping that these rainbows aren't like my dwarf rainbows where I only have one male left since he harrassed the other ones till they died one by one


----------



## Canadian Fish

boxercrazy156 said:


> Looking good!!
> 
> I'm having issues with my 2 Parkinsons Rainbows I was told that they would school with my other rainbows but they are quite a lot larger then the others the one bigger male is harrassing the other, my other has lots of hiding places in the plants but as soon as he comes out he chases it and bugs him my one and only gourami in the tank that is larger then them is trying to peace keep and keeps stepping in between I have turned the light out to see if he will stop if not he will have to move to the pleco tank who is lonely since all his friends left him for the planted tank but there is no way my common pleco is going in my planted tank I was hoping that these rainbows aren't like my dwarf rainbows where I only have one male left since he harrassed the other ones till they died one by one


I keep Blues, Reds and Boesemani's, but I bought them all at the same size when they were young and I have never noticed any aggression. They just school together. I added 3 moonlight gouramis recently, but they are the same size as the rainbows and just fit right in.

Funny that your gourami is trying to keep the peace.


----------



## boxercrazy156

My Bosemanis get along fine the mailes the odd time do their thing. My Gorami is one of 4 I had in my 30 gallon originallly but I had real aggression issues with them so I rehomed 2 one died and I think its a female because she is very large for a golden but she has been hanging with the 2 parkinsons since they came and actually steps in betwwen they settled when the light went off and this morning are ok just the odd little chase. The Gorami is still in between I think she remembers lol

Did you get your Java Fern yet? I have 2 jumbo swords that I got at big als that are massive with babies shooting of all the time I think you can grow them in regular gravel btw they are almost too big for my 120 they would look awewome in your 220


----------



## Canadian Fish

boxercrazy156 said:


> My Bosemanis get along fine the mailes the odd time do their thing. My Gorami is one of 4 I had in my 30 gallon originallly but I had real aggression issues with them so I rehomed 2 one died and I think its a female because she is very large for a golden but she has been hanging with the 2 parkinsons since they came and actually steps in betwwen they settled when the light went off and this morning are ok just the odd little chase. The Gorami is still in between I think she remembers lol
> 
> Did you get your Java Fern yet? I have 2 jumbo swords that I got at big als that are massive with babies shooting of all the time I think you can grow them in regular gravel btw they are almost too big for my 120 they would look awewome in your 220


We had two dwarf gouramis and they harassed each other to death. 

No, I haven't got any real plants yet, have to wait until we get more money. 

Do the swords require special lighting? 

We're off to Big Al's in the next half hour.


----------



## boxercrazy156

I think they are ok in low lighting but you can buy 6700k and put them in your light fixtures that came with your tank which are perfect for planted aquariums and are in expensive with your fixtures I bought a new one that has compact florescents and had to order the right bulbs from the states they are 100 dollars here mine came with lights for a salt water aquarium so I have the wrong spectrum for mine so when I priced the t8s which came with my aquarium they were 1/5 of the price silly me


----------



## SeaHorse

boxercrazy156 said:


> I think they are ok in low lighting but you can buy 6700k and put them in your light fixtures that came with your tank which are perfect for planted aquariums and are in expensive with your fixtures I bought a new one that has compact florescents and had to order the right bulbs from the states they are 100 dollars here mine came with lights for a salt water aquarium so I have the wrong spectrum for mine so when I priced the t8s which came with my aquarium they were 1/5 of the price silly me


Same for me. Lights came with the total wrong bulbs. I've got the 6700K too and a T5 which is purple in appearance... it has made a huge difference. Also using Fertilizer twice a week is important, a must or your plants will start to melt away. Almost appear to dissolve. By the end of the first week of ferts I had new growth, new leaves and new baby plants running off the parent plants. Every single plant had new leaves and now in 3 weeks my plants have doubled. Woohoo! 
Do your water change on day 7 so that you don't de-chlor on a Fert Day. It negates it so you would be wasting time and money. :-D


----------



## boxercrazy156

Jakiebabie said:


> Same for me. Lights came with the total wrong bulbs. I've got the 6700K too and a T5 which is purple in appearance... it has made a huge difference. Also using Fertilizer twice a week is important, a must or your plants will start to melt away. Almost appear to dissolve. By the end of the first week of ferts I had new growth, new leaves and new baby plants running off the parent plants. Every single plant had new leaves and now in 3 weeks my plants have doubled. Woohoo!
> Do your water change on day 7 so that you don't de-chlor on a Fert Day. It negates it so you would be wasting time and money. :-D


So I did my water change today sand added my fertilizer too is that wrong? I use prime and seachem flourish once a week flourish excel daily which I found out is not good if you overdose I was doing a second water change in the middle of the night with all my fish up top gasping for air once I also have the root tabs in the substrate sometimes I fertilize twice a week should I always fertilize twice a week?


----------



## SeaHorse

My understanding is that De-chlor such as Prime will wipe out or Negate the effects of your fertilizer so if you so it the same day, you are wasting money and having NO effect on your plants. Wait a full day and Fert the next day. 
I'm not familiar with the root tabs. Hope someone else can tell us. 
I water change on Mon, then Fert Tues and Friday. 1, 3, 3 days. 
Yes 2 x a week.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Just got back from Big Al's.

We went a little crazy, as usual. 

We bought live plants for the first time! Yay! Unfortunately they told me I don't need fertilizer. Now that I'm home and reading profiles of the plant, it says I should have some. I'll have to go back Tuesday. They're closed tomorrow for Canadian Thanksgiving. 

So we bought 4 crypts. They were buy 3, get one free. I put them in the 35 gallon Red Tailed Shark tank. We moved the apple snail out of that tank and into my Rainbowfish tank, so that the shark can have the whole tank to himself.

We also bought (shudder) bacteria in a bottle, so that we could add fish today. I'm pretty sure it's just snakeoil, But I wanted fish NOW so what the heck. You only live once. 

Last night I did a google search for "tropical fish keeping forum hardy enough to withstand cycling" which brings up all the profles from this site of fish that can withstand the cycling process. (Hopefully the effects will be minimized by the bacteria in a bottle, who knows). So two of the fish that came up, Black Widow Tetras, and Lemon Tetras, were on sale this weekend for $1.99 for 2. So I got 10 of each. Sounds like a lot, but it's a 220, and they're small. I cycled my last 55 with 10 mollies, and they were HUGE compared to the little fish I got today. 

We also got a bristlenose pleco for my 55 gallon Rainbowfish tank. We got a Pearl Gourami and another Silver Dollar for the Silver Dollar tank (which brings us to 4, which is really all we have room for). He's the same size as my other 3. And of course we got the red tailed shark for the 35 in the kitchen. 

So we got 24 fish and 4 plants. My wife worked 8pm to 8am, got home around 9am, then we went to Big Al's, just got home around an hour ago. So she was EXHAUSTED in the store, and it took forever choosing all those fish. She's passed out now and I am enjoying our new fish. Will post photos and videos later.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Oops, looks like an extra black skirt tetra snuck into the bag.


----------



## madyotto

Canadian Fish said:


> We had two dwarf gouramis and they harassed each other to death.
> 
> No, I haven't got any real plants yet, have to wait until we get more money.
> 
> Do the swords require special lighting?
> 
> We're off to Big Al's in the next half hour.


have fun its final i am going for the 
248L 65.5 US gals and 54.55 UK gals
L 48" X H 21" X W 15"
ordering tomorrow can't wait


----------



## Canadian Fish

Awesome! How are your fish doing? That's a nice size tank, it's 3" wider than my 55 (US) Gallon tanks. 

When do you expect it to arrive?


----------



## madyotto

Canadian Fish said:


> Awesome! How are your fish doing? That's a nice size tank, it's 3" wider than my 55 (US) Gallon tanks.
> 
> When do you expect it to arrive?


i find out tomorrow   

and for the record i have used bacteria in a bottle for many of my impatient friends it does seem to work but on a tank that size i would use a bit more than what it say's i have doubled the dose up with fish in tanks with no ill effects but i recommend about 15-20% more than they say  

EDIT "and yes think that is same size i have now 150L


----------



## boxercrazy156

Canadian Fish said:


> Oops, looks like an extra black skirt tetra snuck into the bag.


ha ha when I bought my 9 Bosemani's she put 10 the bag and counted them and put one back can't believe she counted them after she put them in the bag lucky you


----------



## Canadian Fish

Vickie actually told me she thought there was an extra in the bag, but I forgot until we got home and I counted them swimming around. She's awesome and a big reason why we're pretty loyal to that store. 

My Red Tailed Shark is hiding away. Hopefully he'll get more bold as he because adjusted to his new surroundings. I love the real plants. They take away from the horrible colored substrate a little.

My Big Al's has Red Rainbows "on sale" for 13.88 each. We bought ours at the same store in March for 6.99 each, not on sale. Reds, Blues and Bosemanis. We have a total of 12. We wouldn't have nearly that many if they had been $13.88


----------



## Canadian Fish




----------



## Canadian Fish

REAL Plants!! Woo hoo! They match our fake plants, lol.





























Red Tailed Shark hiding:


----------



## Canadian Fish

Fish in the 220!!
























































Black Skirt (Black Widow) Tetras and Lemon Tetras


----------



## Canadian Fish

From my 55 Gallon Silver Dollar tank:

New Pearl Gourami





























Peacock Eel










Hillstream Loach






































Leopard Bushfish:

*










*


----------



## Canadian Fish

In my other 55:











Haven't gotten a pic of my new Bristlenose Pleco yet, he's hiding like crazy. We was out once and by the time I got the camera he was hidden again.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Just updated my aquarium logs and this puts us at 100 Fish! That's if you include 3 snails and a African Dwarf Frog, which, of course, aren't fish.


----------



## madyotto

Canadian Fish said:


> Just updated my aquarium logs and this puts us at 100 Fish! That's if you include 3 snails and a African Dwarf Frog, which, of course, aren't fish.


looking very nice


----------



## Tigris

I'm fricking jealous of you! You have three of the fish I've always wanted, the hillstream loach, leopard fish, and red-tail shark. 

It sucks because I want a tank that size but my fiancé won't let me. She keeps saying we don't have the room. I don't know what she's saying since our apartment is already a zoo. A 75g, 55g, 20g Long, Australian Cattle dog, Malamute, three mice, and a teddy bear hamster. What's one more tank?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## madyotto

Tigris said:


> I'm fricking jealous of you! You have three of the fish I've always wanted, the hillstream loach, leopard fish, and red-tail shark.
> 
> It sucks because I want a tank that size but my fiancé won't let me. She keeps saying we don't have the room. I don't know what she's saying since our apartment is already a zoo. A 75g, 55g, 20g Long, Australian Cattle dog, Malamute, three mice, and a teddy bear hamster. What's one more tank?
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


ill trade ya the malamute for a tank lol


----------



## Tigris

Got a 20,000 gallon? The malamute is my baby!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## djembekah

love the tetras!!! And your little guy sounds so cute, could hear him thanking you for something!


----------



## SeaHorse

Hey Can Fish. That tank is looking fabulous. I love the video. The 2 groups are so tentative, exploring in little schools! 
I am fascinated with your Leopard Bullfish. Was that a Big Al's purchase too? Will it be staying in the 55? I've never ever seen them for sale anywhere, but would also love to have one. They would go ok with my Congo Tetras but not sure about my Rainbowfish. What have you learned about them?


----------



## Canadian Fish

Jakiebabie said:


> Hey Can Fish. That tank is looking fabulous. I love the video. The 2 groups are so tentative, exploring in little schools!
> I am fascinated with your Leopard Bullfish. Was that a Big Al's purchase too? Will it be staying in the 55? I've never ever seen them for sale anywhere, but would also love to have one. They would go ok with my Congo Tetras but not sure about my Rainbowfish. What have you learned about them?


Yes, I did get that at Big Al's. By coincidence they had a mature specimen that was returned for sale at the same time as they got in juveniles. The mature one was a picky eater though, and the young 'uns were not, so I opted for one of the babies.

From everything I have read, they are a peaceful community fish, but it is a predator, so as it grows it will munch on any fish that can fit in its mouth. 

I was worried about it being bothered by the silver dollars, just because they're big and the Leopard Bush is supposedly timid, but he seems nonplussed. He certainly holds his own at feeding time.

Their mouth opens up into a tube when they eat, and they strike fast. It's cool to watch. He sort of glides around the tank, it's neat how they move. And he has the coolest looking flippers (or whatever they're called, fins?) that I have ever seen. 

I plan on leaving him in the 55, unless he gets so big that he can eat the serpaes, but I presume that would be years down the road, as he is smaller than a molly right now. 

I'm not sure how he would do with Rainbowfish. Mine are so boisterous. My silver dollar tank is a lot more mellow. I'm watching him right now and he is coasting along next to one of the little balas, eyeballing the substrate for food, as I fed them a little while ago. He is more social than I thought he would be. 

Did you see this video of him:






You can see his crazy mouth when he eats a piece of food really quick. 

That was the first day we brought him home, I think. I coaxed him out with some food. He's more bold now, and floats around the tank all day. Sometimes he'll float in a plant or in the pirate ship and you can tell he's just waiting for something to float by that will fit into his mouth, lol. 

Now he's drifting along the top of the aquarium. He makes use of the whole thing. He's fun to watch, such an attractive fish!


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## twocents

Hey, been reading your 'dream tank' thread. Very nice. I am remiss in that I did not 'chime in'. In matters of plants, lights, etc, most others are more knowledgeable than I am... even though I've had tanks most of the last 30 years. (had tremendous success, even when I wasn't sure what I was doing). 

Glad you are enjoying the new tank, the new set up. 

I started with Rena xp filters. They are very good, very quiet. I ended up mothballing them all and going with air-driven foam block filters in all my tanks that I got from Angels Plus. They are all driven by one air pump. I have had no problem with the fish or the water parameters, and the foam blocks eliminated my need for both the canister & a separate air pump. I have had the occasional fish death, but they were old fish and I think died of old age. 

I really think the real success derives from frequent water changes. I change mine every weekend (with an occasional missed one) and aim for 1/4 - 1/3 each time. I am lucky in my situation as I can discharge the water out the window and I keep the new water in a heated 55 gallon Rubbermaid brute garbage can. (someone posted something about these cans inhibiting breeding but I know very little other then I saw the note in passing..). The foam block filters get squeezed out once a month after I scrape the walls and the glass cover down. 
I am not very good at testing the water, but the last few times I have done it, and I do it before the water change, I get very very faint ammonia (yep, no good), no nitrites, and 15 nitrates. The nitrates are @ 10 straight from the tap. 

Anyway, I cannot say how much I have enjoyed this thread. One of these days I would love to get a reaaaly big tank (250 gallons or so... I have a concrete slab floor) but that is not for a while. The trouble with this is, I cannot bear to tear down/give away old tanks. They can always be moved and set up elsewhere. (I bought new tanks with the idea I'd just tear the old one down and sell/give away but, hey, just keep and add fish: the more the merrier.. )

Oh well. Fish multiply..


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## boxercrazy156

haven't had any udates in a few days hope everything is running smoothly


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## Bluydgrl

Canadian Fish said:


> Everyone seems pretty unanimous that a canister filter is the way to go. I was just looking at the technical specs of a couple of them (the prices listed are local prices in Canadian dollars):
> 
> Eheim Pro 3 2075 $299.99 FLOW RATE: 330 GPH
> Eheim Classic 2217 $199.99 FLOW RATE: 264 GPH
> Aquaclear 110 $89.99 FLOW RATE: 500 GPH
> 
> I guess my question is, how important is Flow Rate? I could have 2 aquaclear 110s for under $200 with a combined flow rate of 1000 GPH. Would that not do a better job cleaning the tank than a canister filter with 330 or 264 GPH flow rate?


I would go with the Rena(API) XP4 canister filter..They are a great filter


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## Canadian Fish

boxercrazy156 said:


> haven't had any udates in a few days hope everything is running smoothly


So far so good! We're having a halloween party/birthday party for my son on Saturday so we'll finally be showing off our tank to our friends. One of them has a 90 and a 150 so I'm dying for him to see this.

Bluydgrl we ended up with the Rena XP4 and the Aquaclear 110.


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## Bluydgrl

Canadian Fish said:


> So far so good! We're having a halloween party/birthday party for my son on Saturday so we'll finally be showing off our tank to our friends. One of them has a 90 and a 150 so I'm dying for him to see this.
> 
> Bluydgrl we ended up with the Rena XP4 and the Aquaclear 110.


Good choice...I admire you for getting a tank that size.I just have a 36 gallon and want a bigger one so bad.I just installed a XP2 on mine this last weekend.I had a XP1..It's pretty stacked and planted.


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## Canadian Fish

Well, I used that instant bacteria but it certainly didn't cycle overnight. I have 1.0 PPM ammonia. Some signs of nitrites. 

The plants in the red tailed shark tank seem to be doing well. I haven't used any fertilizer but I think I may try some. 

Can I add plants to the 220 while it is cycling? Will the ammonia hurt them?

Can't wait to move the bala sharks to the big tank.


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## SeaHorse

LOL Get those plants into that tank!! Plants use up the Ammonia and help safe guard your fish. The more plants the better. In fact if you had put in a really good load of plants your fish would not even experience the cycle.


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## boxercrazy156

Jakiebabie said:


> LOL Get those plants into that tank!! Plants use up the Ammonia and help safe guard your fish. The more plants the better. In fact if you had put in a really good load of plants your fish would not even experience the cycle.


my 120 is always at 0 it has a lot of plants in it by the way Jackiebabie you were right about the fertilizer and dechlorinating, I do my tank change on Sunday add fertilizer on Monday and Thursday plants look better and taking off again


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## boxercrazy156

Canadian Fish said:


> Well, I used that instant bacteria but it certainly didn't cycle overnight. I have 1.0 PPM ammonia. Some signs of nitrites.
> 
> 
> 
> Can I add plants to the 220 while it is cycling? Will the ammonia hurt them?
> 
> Can't wait to move the bala sharks to the big tank.


I added plants into mine when it was cycling the ammonia won't hurt them but if you add them into your tank you will get diatoms which is like a brown algae which I got it rubs off the leaves and will go away after 2 to 3 months


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## Canadian Fish

I may add some plants this week. I'm going to start with 4 plants around that big piece of driftwood. Maybe some amazon swords? 

I'm not sure if bala sharks and tiger barbs are going to devour the plants or not. 

How are your clown loaches doing? I'm looking forward to getting some once my tank is established. I've always wanted some but never had a tank big enough.

My red tailed shark seems to be enjoying having a tank all to himself. He's got some nice driftwood and live plants. 

The Aquarium Log has been down for awhile. Any word on if it is expected back up?


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## Canadian Fish

Anyone know of a good site for free live streaming? I may stream my tank so I can watch it upstairs.


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## boxercrazy156

Canadian Fish said:


> I may add some plants this week. I'm going to start with 4 plants around that big piece of driftwood. Maybe some amazon swords?
> 
> I'm not sure if bala sharks and tiger barbs are going to devour the plants or not.
> 
> How are your clown loaches doing? I'm looking forward to getting some once my tank is established. I've always wanted some but never had a tank big enough.
> 
> My red tailed shark seems to be enjoying having a tank all to himself. He's got some nice driftwood and live plants.
> 
> The Aquarium Log has been down for awhile. Any word on if it is expected back up?


my clown loaches are doing great and my parikinsons have stopped having issues unfortunatley my gourami peace keeper has swim bladder issues now I have moved her to the 30 gallon and am trying everything to save her I have given her peas and antibiotics I have purchased some red rainbows to go with my other rainbows






heres a video of the loaches


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## Canadian Fish

Wow, the tank is looking great. I'm so jealous. Were your plants all that size when you planted them, or have they started growing already?

How long are those clown loaches? They look great! Such an attractive and entertaining fish.

What are the loaches 7 seconds in? Are they the golden zebra loaches? They look sort of like yoyos. How many of each type of loach do you have in there? I love the bottom feeders. 

Is that a power head in the right hand corner? I've heard clowns like them and I was thinking of a Marineland Maxi-Jet Pro Multi-Use Water Pump - 1200. I don't understand the difference between Power Head Mode and Circulation Mode.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Just watched your separate zebra loach video. They look a lot different than my zebra loaches. Bigger too, and I got mine 6 or 7 months ago. 

Did you buy them that size? Maybe they just look bigger in the video.


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## boxercrazy156

Canadian Fish said:


> Just watched your separate zebra loach video. They look a lot different than my zebra loaches. Bigger too, and I got mine 6 or 7 months ago.
> 
> Did you buy them that size? Maybe they just look bigger in the video.


They are golden zebra loaches they were tiny when I got them the biggest are about 4 inches I don't know if they are full grown yet they get to 5 inches


----------



## Canadian Fish

How long have you had them? Were they previously in another aquarium?

Just watched that video again, the rock background looks awesome with the plants. I was talking to my wife on the phone and raving about your tank. 

I keep rainbows and zebra loaches in the same tank and they all swim together.


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## boxercrazy156

Canadian Fish said:


> Wow, the tank is looking great. I'm so jealous. Were your plants all that size when you planted them, or have they started growing already?
> 
> How long are those clown loaches? They look great! Such an attractive and entertaining fish.
> 
> What are the loaches 7 seconds in? Are they the golden zebra loaches? They look sort of like yoyos. How many of each type of loach do you have in there? I love the bottom feeders.
> 
> Is that a power head in the right hand corner? I've heard clowns like them and I was thinking of a Marineland Maxi-Jet Pro Multi-Use Water Pump - 1200. I don't understand the difference between Power Head Mode and Circulation Mode.


The jumbo swords were that size the rest of the plants have grown like crazy the ludwigia and val are at the top of the tank the crypts are 4 times the size

My clown loaches are 3 inches they came that size they grow slow since they live like 30 years.

I have 2 cannister filters one is an eheim the other which i am impressed with is a fluval 405 and I aim it up to the top it acts like a very strong powerhead I will try to add pictures of what this tank looked like in August and what it looks like now what a difference


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## boxercrazy156

Canadian Fish said:


> How long have you had them? Were they previously in another aquarium?
> 
> Just watched that video again, the rock background looks awesome with the plants. I was talking to my wife on the phone and raving about your tank.
> 
> I keep rainbows and zebra loaches in the same tank and they all swim together.


have had them since June I have 9 of them 2 are small I just added 2 new ones because I love them. They were in my 30 gallon untill about a month and 1/2 ago they were not as active in the 30 gallon but do this swim together circle thing in the 120 gallon.

My Tank is all loaches and rainbow and my 2 bolivian rams I also have a queen loach he is my biggest I have videos of him but not uploaded


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## Canadian Fish

Wow, you plants are growing fast. You use special lights don't you? I just have the regular T8 Daylights that came with the tank. 

I am going to start using fertilizer though. So far I haven't, and the plants in my RTS tank look healthy enough, but I'm hoping to promote growth. 

I seem to have a bunch of tiny baby snails in that tank. The parents are gone but I'm going to have to get rid of the babies somehow. They're only a couple of millimeters in size. If that.


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## boxercrazy156

Canadian Fish said:


> Wow, you plants are growing fast. You use special lights don't you? I just have the regular T8 Daylights that came with the tank.
> 
> I am going to start using fertilizer though. So far I haven't, and the plants in my RTS tank look healthy enough, but I'm hoping to promote growth.
> 
> I seem to have a bunch of tiny baby snails in that tank. The parents are gone but I'm going to have to get rid of the babies somehow. They're only a couple of millimeters in size. If that.


loaches eat the snails right up I had tons in my tank from the plants before I had fish in that tank is was covered with them I was taking tons out and they were just multiplying the loaches ate them all haven't seen one in a long time,

I use seachem flourish to fertilize plus excel if you change your lights to 6700k they will do great with the plants they are cheap in t8s I bought a whole new light system that is really for a salt water tank I have just ordered and got the 6700k bulbs for it the one from big als is 100 dollars and I got it from ebay for $17.00 so I can only leave my lights on for some many hours a day they are too strong mine originally came with the t8s but I wanted the fance led lights and such so its blue at night all a learning curve the t8s or my tank are under 20 dollars at big als in the 6700k so for your 55 gallon they would be cheaper and to change them in your 220 would be under 50 dollars


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## Canadian Fish

Is 6700k the wattage? I don't understand the bulbs at all. My 220 takes 4 bulbs. I think the 35 only takes one, though I'm not positive. 

Is that a liquid fertilizer you use, or tablets? Or both?

I can't use loaches to get rid of the snails because it is the red tailed shark tank. 

Here is a new video of my Red Tailed Shark, in which you can see my first four live plants:






Here is a new video of the 220. It's a little dark:


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## boxercrazy156

Canadian Fish said:


> Is 6700k the wattage? I don't understand the bulbs at all. My 220 takes 4 bulbs. I think the 35 only takes one, though I'm not positive.
> 
> Is that a liquid fertilizer you use, or tablets? Or both?
> 
> I can't use loaches to get rid of the snails because it is the red tailed shark tank.
> 
> 6700k is the brightness or the light spectrum the watts are different usually depends on the type of bulb size etc. I have power compact bulbs in mine 4 of them 2 65 watts and 2 95 watts which comes to 322 watts but I can run a 65 and 95 together which is 160 or 322 plus I have 10 blue leds my t8s that came with my tank originally are 20 watts each it came with 2 which I thought was too low for a 120 gallon
> 
> I use liquid fertilizer and root tabs in the substrate that are also made by seachem. Also if you use fertilizer do not add it the day you do your
> 
> 
> 
> water change and dechlorinate wait a day I use prime because it is also good for breaking down amonnia as well dechlorinating
> 
> 
> I see you have some live plants in your 220 looks good


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## Canadian Fish

Naw, those are fakes in the 220. I hope to add some live ones soon.


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## Canadian Fish

Well, the 220 is still cycling. My ammonia has dropped from 1.0ppm to .5 ppm. Nitrites are up to 1.0 ppm and Nitrates are at 15. 

Added some live plants to it today, four amazon swords. They look great, and match our artificial plants really well. If I can keep the swords alive, and they grow high enough, I'll move them to the back of the tank and get rid of the artificial plants altogether. 

My camera takes really dark pics, but in this short video you can see the plants and driftwood:






Some pics:


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## Tankfull Tropicals

Amazon Swords can get like 24" high and wide plus. Should look great in a big tank like that. :}


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## Canadian Fish

Added some Crypts today. Stupid plants, just another thing to blow money on. 

Well worth it if they don't die, and if the barbs don't eat them all up.


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## SeaHorse

Something that you should watch for... I'm old and forgetful... lol... I probably already told you this.... now that I have a fully planted tank and I have removed every single plastic and silk one from there, I can't get over how different the fish act around them. With plastic they straight out avoid them!! Swimming in the front half of the tank cause most of the plants are at the back (sort of) unless there are fry hiding in them. For real plants, the fish swim in and out of them, under leaves, exploring. They certainly don't avoid them and I find my Congo Tetras sleeping wedged into them at night. They seem to swim by and thru allowing the leaves to touch them. Something I did not expect to see and now that I see the difference I will likely never go back to plastic. 
Looking fabulous!!


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## Canadian Fish

Thanks! I like the way it looks too. I hope I can keep the plants alive, I really like them. And hopefully the barbs don't eat them all. I'm almost wondering if I should stock something different with them.


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## twocents

To jakiebabie, interesting observation on the fishies & plastic plants. Don't have any (anymore) in the aquarium. 
I just buy more of the plants that survive. Some seem to do real well right away, even growing, and then fail. 
I just hope this bloody frankenstorm goes elsewhere.


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## SeaHorse

twocents said:


> To jakiebabie, interesting observation on the fishies & plastic plants. Don't have any (anymore) in the aquarium.
> I just buy more of the plants that survive. Some seem to do real well right away, even growing, and then fail.
> I just hope this bloody frankenstorm goes elsewhere.


Agreed, Stay dry!!
3 things with your plants if they are failing. 
What bulbs are you using and are they old? (over a year) Change them!
Get your lights on a timer if they are not already on one. "Daytime" for you fish tank does not mean you must turn out the lights when it gets dark outside. Set the timer so that the lights are ON when you are home so you can enjoy it. Just make sure it is running consistently and that there is a set DAY and FULL DARK. 
Fertilize! Good routine to follow, and you WILL see a difference... Day 1 is Water change, Day 2 and Day 5 are Ferts. SO 1,3,3. Don't de-chlor the same day as Ferts as it wipes out the Ferts and you will be wasting your money. 

CanFish.... What about some Giant Vallisneria? Vals! Mine are about 4 feet long and travel across the top of the tank. They root and travel and send up shoots beside the mother plant. Great for back corners. Check Kijiji in your area for a local grower, it's likely cheaper.


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## Canadian Fish

Jakiebabie said:


> CanFish.... What about some Giant Vallisneria? Vals! Mine are about 4 feet long and travel across the top of the tank. They root and travel and send up shoots beside the mother plant. Great for back corners. Check Kijiji in your area for a local grower, it's likely cheaper.


Will barbs and balas eat these?

Also, do you know of any plants a silver dollar won't eat (I actually started a separate thread about the Silver Dollars.)

I just checked kijiji and there is no one locally.


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## SeaHorse

Canadian Fish said:


> Will barbs and balas eat these?
> 
> Also, do you know of any plants a silver dollar won't eat (I actually started a separate thread about the Silver Dollars.)
> 
> I just checked kijiji and there is no one locally.


Sadly I know nothing about Silver Dollars, never owned them. When I had my Bala's I never tried live plants. But those Bala's need that big tank regardless so give it a try. The big tank was intended for these Bala's right? You still have 5? (I had 2 in a 90G,... it was too small for them.) You are almost cycled right? And with all these new plants your Bala's are likely ready to go in very soon. They are Omnivorous and are more of a scavenger looking for food left on the bottom of the tank. Their habitat is a planted river also. From what I can find on the internet I don't see a problem with Bala's and plants.


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## Canadian Fish

Oh, the balas are definitely going in the 220, lol. I can't wait. I think they'll be ok with the plants I have so far. If not, tough luck for the plants. I was wondering what other plants might stand a chance. 

The barbs, however, are not written in stone. I don't know how bad they are for plants. And which plants have the best chance of surviving with them (besides Java Fern and Anubias). Inexplicably my Big Als rarely has Java Fern. Might have to go to Pet Smart. Yuck. The one and only time I got ick was from PetSmart fish and I have never gone back. 

I know some bala shark profiles actually say to keep them in a planted tank. 

Think those Vals will get eaten? 

When they grow that big, do they not block light from getting to the other plants?


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## Bluydgrl

Canadian Fish said:


> Oh, the balas are definitely going in the 220, lol. I can't wait. I think they'll be ok with the plants I have so far. If not, tough luck for the plants. I was wondering what other plants might stand a chance.
> 
> The barbs, however, are not written in stone. I don't know how bad they are for plants. And which plants have the best chance of surviving with them (besides Java Fern and Anubias). Inexplicably my Big Als rarely has Java Fern. Might have to go to Pet Smart. Yuck. The one and only time I got ick was from PetSmart fish and I have never gone back.
> 
> I know some bala shark profiles actually say to keep them in a planted tank.
> 
> Think those Vals will get eaten?
> 
> When they grow that big, do they not block light from getting to the other plants?


Your tank looks great....I have a planted tank and the plants i have are Water Sprite,Anubias Nana,Anacharis,El Nino,Amazon Sword,Cryptocoryne,Compacta,Ophiopogon Japonica(Mondo Grass),and Cabomba.Mine are doing great.I run Coralife 6,700 and Colormax T5 HO Bulbs.
Can i give you my opinion on what i would do with your tank??I would get more Driftwood and spread out your decor in different areas in your tank.Make it look not so straight lined.And i'd get rid of the plastic PlantsThe real ones look so much better.It will take awhile for them to grow but you will be surprised at how much more natural they will look.
I'd do a back wall of plants.I have gotten most of mine at Petsmart in there fish tanks.I even bought a nice piece of Driftwood with a Anubias Nana on it.And another piece yesterday for my other tank i have.
Even though i work at the LFS we don't sell many plants that i really like
Look at the Roseline Sharks also.They are my favorite along with Black Ghost Knife and Elephant Nose.My tank it way to small to house those.Your's would be perfect


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## Canadian Fish

Thanks for the advice! I'm going to get rid of the fake plants once the real ones start growing. My tank DOES look quite linear right now, I'm definitely going to have to work on that. My problem is imagination, or rather, my lack thereof. 

There are five pieces of driftwood in that tank, which are hard to see in the photos, as they are dark. I plan on attaching plants to all of them.

What sort of fish do you keep with all those plants?


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## SeaHorse

Well I guess yes they sure could. I put mine in the back left corner and then placed my Canister output spray bar on the left end to create a river effect. Input at far right end. Water travels down the tank like a river. I find it funny that Congos, RBF and Swortails all face upstream at quiet times... the Calico Mollies face downstream and much closer to the spray bar. Weird stuff I see!!

Keep checking Kijiji.ca The sellers usually wait till their tanks are way overgrown and then do cuttings and trimming and post a sale. Then start again. And you will get stuff at $2 and $3. Even check down to the Oshawa area... maybe you can get someone to mail you some stuff. I was unable to connect with the Whitby guy... just couldn't get there but he emailed me to say he had a new batch ready to go. Try that too.
As for the Vals.... if you can find a way to get stuff CHEAP... then just jump in and try it! and you will find what works best in your tank/water/situation. You won't know till you try and no one wants to spend a ton of money to watch it all die and melt away that's for sure. 
I just split my Giant Vals into 3 batches. If they continue to do well and sprout more, I will send you some in the mail if you haven't found any by then. JB


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## Canadian Fish

I'll expand my kijiji search to outside the Ottawa area. The prob with Canada Post is a $3 plant will have $5 shipping. Meanwhile, I can get something mailed from China for 99 cents with free shipping. Argh. 

My test kit has run dry so I can't get my water tested until I go back to the store. The last test was Thursday. I am dying to know what my levels are at.

I am not looking forward to transferring the Balas. I suck at catching the fish. I had to move my Rainbows once and it was traumatic for me and the fish. Thankfully they all survived, but I hear the Balas get stressed easier. 

We bought 12 Rainbows in March and they're still all healthy. They seem to be my most robust fish. 
I wish they would hurry up and grow. 

I think some of the Balas are growing already. They were smaller than my mollies, now some appear slightly larger. I may just be crazy. I've only had them for 5 or 6 weeks.


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## Bluydgrl

Canadian Fish said:


> Thanks for the advice! I'm going to get rid of the fake plants once the real ones start growing. My tank DOES look quite linear right now, I'm definitely going to have to work on that. My problem is imagination, or rather, my lack thereof.
> 
> There are five pieces of driftwood in that tank, which are hard to see in the photos, as they are dark. I plan on attaching plants to all of them.
> 
> What sort of fish do you keep with all those plants?


I have been following your thread for awhile now.Very interesting thread.I enjoy reading it.
I'm pretty stocked.I have a 36 gallon Bowfront.I do a 5 gallon water change every day and i run a Rena XP2 Canister Filter also.My water quality is right where it should be.I have 6 Blushing Skirt Tetras,12 Harlequin Rasborus,4 Balloon Angels,2 Electric Blue Rams,2 Dojo Loaches,4 Panda Cory's,6 Rummy Nose Tetra's,2 Dwarf Gourami's,6 Kuhli Loaches,1 Sumo Loach,1 Bamboo Shrimp,3 Ghost Shrimp,2 Hillstream Loaches and a Butterfly Loach.And 3 Otocinclus.


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## Canadian Fish

Your tanks look great! I would love to keep all those types of plants, but the barbs would destroy them.

I'm open to suggestions for tankmates for the balas besides barbs, maybe something a little more plant friendly. But when you ask for stocking suggestions for balas, you just get a lot of "read the profile" 

Profile: "Compatibility/Temperament: Peaceful for its size, but not a normal community fish. Other fish must be large enough not to be eaten, and able to tolerate this fish's very active swimming. This is a shoaling species with a pronounced social structure within the group, and must be maintained in groups of at least five fish. Fewer will result in aggression to the point of death of subordinate fish, and/or aggression toward other species in the tank."

Pretty vague on compatability. Other profiles frequently say barbs, which is why I've been leaning tha way. 

I've also gotten a lot of "you need a big tank for balas" (no poop) and finally, "balas are boring, get [insert other fish type here] instead". 

I want some loaches, clowns or yoyos, I haven't heard much about them destroying plants. Though, I am totally new to plants and to be honest in the past when I have read fish profiles I have focused on fish compatibility and feeding/water requirements. Pretty much ignored the plant part as it never pertained to my tanks before. 

Total Non Sequitur, I just fixed a scratched CD that hasn't played in years. Woo hoo! My kid says it's too loud. He's too old. My wife will be excited when she wakes up. It's an out of print CD from a local band, that I lost years ago, and our first date was to their show and I bought the CD for the second or third time. We left it at a friend's by mistake and the schmuck scratched it in like two days. That was 5 years ago I think. I just ripped it to MP3, FLAC and WAV, and backed it up on multiple drives plus my wife's computer.


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## Bluydgrl

I love Bala's.They do get big and I have read they are a community fish also.If kept with 3-5 you should be ok with Gouramis,Loaches(love to root in the plants)I'm think just about any community fish as long as it's not to small.Look at the Rams.They are so beautiful.I'd look at the Elephant Nose and Ghost Knife,Roseline Sharks also.Just read other profiles out there other then TFK ones.They are a bigger fish but beautiful.I'm a big Loach fan.I just love them.I'd recommend Dojo(weather)Loaches,Kuhli loaches(6)might not see those in your tankI like Marble Hatchet Fish also.They stay on the surface of the tank ank look real neat when in a large group
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Canadian Fish

Bluydgrl said:


> I love Bala's.They do get big and I have read they are a community fish also.If kept with 3-5 you should be ok with Gouramis,Loaches(love to root in the plants)I'm think just about any community fish as long as it's not to small.Look at the Rams.They are so beautiful.I'd look at the Elephant Nose and Ghost Knife,Roseline Sharks also.Just read other profiles out there other then TFK ones.They are a bigger fish but beautiful.I'm a big Loach fan.I just love them.I'd recommend Dojo(weather)Loaches,Kuhli loaches(6)might not see those in your tankI like Marble Hatchet Fish also.They stay on the surface of the tank ank look real neat when in a large group
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Ghost Fish are cool, but a friend of mine has one, and it hides ALL the time. Lame. I'll constantly be paranoid it is dead. 

Elephant Nose, I think I saw those at my LFS not long ago and they were really cool. 
I have a pearl gourami in my silver dollar tank, and a moonlight in my rainbow tank. They seem pretty peaceful and slow, full size balas might drive them nuts with their fast swimming. 

I like loaches a lot too. I have zebra loaches and they are super entertaining. They actually swim with my rainbows. I cycled a 55 gallon tank in April and put my name on a list at the LFS saying I wanted yoyos, and they STILL haven't got any in. I want some in my silver dollar tank. 

Weather loaches are cool, too. I wanted a few for my ryukin goldfish tank, but the tank was too small (only 35 gallons). So I held off. I might get some for the 220.

I really like clown loaches, I think they're beautiful and they're entertaining when they're in a group (from what I've seen on youtube, lol). 

I don't know much about Rams, I'll do some reading. I don't know much about Marble Hatchet Fish either. Nice, my wife will be sleeping for another 4 hours so I have time to look into them.


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## Bluydgrl

Lol...yeah Ghost Knife do come out at night.They like the PVC pipes to hide in.They are a shy fish and should be kept in groups.
To bad u are so far away.I'd order those fish in for u at where I work but I'm in Stillwater Mn
Good job on the CD by the way..lol
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Bluydgrl

HideIn the aquarium

Bala sharks are popular aquarium fish.[3] These fish are generally peaceful and good companions to many other types of tropical fish.[3] The nickname "shark" is used because of their torpedo shaped bodies and long fins. They are not actual sharks. Bala sharks are widely available in most pet stores, but these fish may grow to a size too large for the home aquarium. Also the Bala shark is a jumper fish and may injure itself on the lid of a tank.[3]
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Bluydgrl

Check out Aquabid also
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Canadian Fish

So I just read two profiles on Blue Rams and they both said the care level was difficult. I'm more an easy care level kind of guy. Moderate/medium at most. 

The Bolivian Ram seems a little more speed. Are they very colorful "in real life"? They don't look very colorful in the photos I have seen, but I find frequently photos don't do fish justice. 

I'd like some colorful fish to offset the Balas. 

These are the only two Ram types listed here on site, and on liveaquaria (I just use them to browse fish because my LFS frequently carries similar stock. They don't ship to Canada) 

I am a huge fan of Red line torpedo barb/Roseline sharks, but they're about $20 each at my LFS and it is recommended you buy a school at the same time. That works out to $230 CAD (with tax) for a school of 10. Can't do it. Our Rainbows were only $6 or $7 each and even then we didn't buy all 12 at once. 

Shame because they are beautiful fish. 

Oh, I'd also like a big old pleco, can they co exist with plants? We have a bristlenose in the rainbow tank but I was thinking Sailfin for the 220.


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## SeaHorse

Strangely enough we did 2 Balas (never saw aggression ever!!!0 in with 3 Oscars. You have the space for them and apparently you do not/should not feed them live goldfish feeder fish. They really are not good for them and can be fed pellets apparently instead. They get to lunch plate sized. They are quite comical but a group might find 2 pairing off and then you have to make a decision about the rest. I would do them, they are my favorite. Get a group of small ones.


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## SeaHorse

Sorry I just did the "insert fish here" thing!!


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## Bluydgrl

Rams aren't difficult.U have 2 Electric Blue Rams(24.99)a piece(yikes)but they are beautiful
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Canadian Fish

LOL, the [insert fish here] was people telling me NOT to get balas, to get another fish instead. As opposed to getting something that can go with the balas. Since I already have balas, and really like the balas, I'm keeping balas. 

I assume you're suggesting getting Oscars in addition to (not instead of) the Balas? So you're not doing the [insert fish here] haha. 

Maybe I have been way off base about Oscars. I thought the deal was you could only have one in a tank, and they didn't get along with anything else. 

If that's not the case, I'll start reading more about them. 

So you kept a couple of balas?? How big did they get? I'm incredibly curious as to how long it takes for them to reach 10-12".

Edit:

This is from the Oscar profile onsite:

" This fish likes to rearrange its environment, so plants will not usually survive, and some may be eaten."

Damn plants, making everything that much more complicated.


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## boxercrazy156

Oscars don't do well in planted tanks neither do common plecos but bristle nose plecos are good. My clown loaches started eating some if my plant the soft leaf plants and my Val's I had holes in the middle of my Val's Nd they ate a hole plant so I started giving them veggie plattys and now they are leaving my plants alone I have my new bulbs in my tank now the 6700k and they have a pink spectrum as to the blue spectrum the 12000k ones plus brighter I will try to upload the picture of when I had one of each in my tank to show the difference the mobile version doesn't have a spot to add a picture
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Canadian Fish

Wow, didn't know clowns each plants too. God at least with my Silver Dollar tank as long as the fish fit, and get along, I don't have plants to worry about. They really make stocking a tank trickier. 

I'm wondering if mine are helping the cycle at all. I wish I had a test kit! Last I checked the ammonia was dropping. 

New lights huh? I guess that is something else I have to look into. Yikes. First I'm going to see if the plants I have can live with liquid fertilizer and my existing lights. That would be nice.


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## SeaHorse

You know we had our 90 gallon (in my previous life (husband)!) with 3 Full size Oscars / 2 Bala's all from babies bought at the same time. That tank lasted the longest, was the barest LOL only 2 pieces of big driftwood for the huge Pleco, and some ya.. plastic plants. They got so big that we basically kept taking more stuff out of the tank. But you have 220!! Holy freakin' 220!! 2 and a half times what we had. I think we had those 5 fish for about 10 years. Oscars are a Cichlid and yes are quite comical, big puppies with personalities. We did not have any aggression until we re-homed the Bala's, and one Oscar died. The 2 remaining Oscars played tug of war with their mouths daily splashing water up the walls. I think we donated them to a LFS at that point. By then we had 2 small kids, neither of us wanted to deal with a tank and we sold the whole set up. I miss those Oscars very much. 
The Bala's got to at least 10 inches and had no where to swim in 48 inches of water. They need to be in the Shark tank at Big Al's to truly have fun!! lol. That would be fun to watch rather than the poor shark going round in circles!! JMO! 
Oscars take awhile to grow but also get quite big, about 8", but you can house 1 in a 55Gal min so that isn't huge! That Pleco you are considering will definitely eat your nice new plants!! 

Have you seen the 200 degree tank at the Dusseldorf Aquazoo? 
(perfect for Bala's !!)





My NEW Hubby promises me we will visit it!


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## boxercrazy156

Aponogeton ulvaceus is a soft plant that the clowns were eating as well as the vals but that has stopped since I started giving them the veggie rounds I guess they need it in their diets they haven't bothered the other plants

I have attached a picture of the difference of lights the pink on the left is the 6700k and the blue on the right is the 12000k


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## Canadian Fish

That tank at the Dusseldorf Aquazoo is amazing.

Plants really seem to limit the types of fish you can put in a tank.

Balas seem to get along with anything big enough that they don't fit in their mouths, and anything not bothered by their fast, active swimming. 

It's easier to find fish that coexist with balas than it is to find ones that can coexist with plants, lol.


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## Canadian Fish

boxercrazy156 said:


> Aponogeton ulvaceus is a soft plant that the clowns were eating as well as the vals but that has stopped since I started giving them the veggie rounds I guess they need it in their diets they haven't bothered the other plants
> 
> I have attached a picture of the difference of lights the pink on the left is the 6700k and the blue on the right is the 12000k


Holy smokes, what a difference! It changes the whole look. Which are new, the pink or the blue? Do you have half and half just for a comparison picture, or is it staying that way?

I can't remember, is 6700 and 12000 the wattage?


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## boxercrazy156

Canadian Fish said:


> Holy smokes, what a difference! It changes the whole look. Which are new, the pink or the blue? Do you have half and half just for a comparison picture, or is it staying that way?
> 
> I can't remember, is 6700 and 12000 the wattage?


pink is the new and now its all pink I just took that picture to show comparison of different light the blue spectrum is for salt water tank but my new light fixture came with those bulbs and they were wrong for my tank 

6700k is the light spectum not the wattage


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## Canadian Fish

boxercrazy156 said:


> Just had to share this I went to Peterborough tonight to look at some fish stores ended up at PJs pets and two fish that I'm looking for for my tank where they're really cheap. I bought nine bosemi rainbows and six clown Loches. The rainbows were three for $16 and they are usually 1299 each at big Al's the loaches where the medium-size ones which are on sale at my beguiles for 78 this weekend but I paid three for 18
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


This is from a month ago, but I just caught "beguiles", that's hilarious if it's a play on Big Al's. I missed it the first time, I was too busy being amazing at 3 rainbows for $16.

Does that say Big Al's wanted $78 for a clown loach?


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## boxercrazy156

Canadian Fish said:


> This is from a month ago, but I just caught "beguiles", that's hilarious if it's a play on Big Al's. I missed it the first time, I was too busy being amazing at 3 rainbows for $16.
> 
> Does that say Big Al's wanted $78 for a clown loach?


ha ha no $7.88 most of the time I post from my Iphone and some times I use Siri who has a mind of her own in what she writes and as a matter of act I was there that weekend at big als and the size I bought at pjs were on for $12.88 at Big als I paid 3 for $18.00


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## Canadian Fish

madyotto said:


> have fun its final i am going for the
> 248L 65.5 US gals and 54.55 UK gals
> L 48" X H 21" X W 15"
> ordering tomorrow can't wait


Did you get your tank?


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## Canadian Fish

I have no idea what spectrum mine are. Is it printed somewhere on the bulb?

We started fishkeeping because we thought it would be easy and cheap. Yeah right. 

Are the pink ones the ones you had mentioned were $17 at Big Al's?

When I did a water change on my Rainbow tank the other day I noticed a ton of gross algae on the glass under the light bulbs. Is this normal? Not like that on any of my other tanks. And there's no algae problem in the tank, just on the glass under the lights. It is nasty looking. I assume I should clean it off. Hard to remove the hoods because they're taped to the back of the tank (all the tabs were removed when I bought it used so I cut plastic strips and taped them on) 

Did the phone autofill "beguiles" too? Funny because Beguiles sounds a lot like Big Al's. I'm going to say Beguiles instead from now on, and see if anyone notices. Like saying Meow instead of Now.


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## Canadian Fish

Ok.....Kribensis... who keeps 'em?

They had these in at Big Al's awhile ago and they are good looking fish. 

Do they eat plants as badly as Tiger barbs? I just did a quick read on them, and I don't see why they wouldn't be compatible with Balas. 

If they are better for plants than tiger barbs, I would be totally interested in getting them instead of the barbs.


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## Jayy

Canadian Fish said:


> Ok.....Kribensis... who keeps 'em?
> 
> They had these in at Big Al's awhile ago and they are good looking fish.
> 
> Do they eat plants as badly as Tiger barbs? I just did a quick read on them, and I don't see why they wouldn't be compatible with Balas.
> 
> If they are better for plants than tiger barbs, I would be totally interested in getting them instead of the barbs.


I've had mine for a month or so. They're great fish, they don't eat plants and generally don't brother other unless it's breeding time. Mine have bred in my aquarium, but sadly I lost the fry because I was unprepared. Here's their profile Kribensis.


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## Canadian Fish

Jayy said:


> I've had mine for a month or so. They're great fish, they don't eat plants and generally don't brother other unless it's breeding time. Mine have bred in my aquarium, but sadly I lost the fry because I was unprepared. Here's their profile Kribensis.


Yeah, I've read that about the breeding. How often does that occur? I'm hoping the tank is big enough that each fish has enough territory that it's not a big deal. 

How many Kribs can I keep together, and what should the female:male ratio be?


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## Canadian Fish

So my tank came with 4 Marineland bulbs, which are marked F30T8 Natural Daylight.

I can't find the specs for the color temp (Kelvin?) anywhere. The Marineland site doesn't list them. I tried various google searches. Natural Daylight bulbs seem to vary from 5,000K to 6,500K.

I can't find what these specific bulbs are rated anywhere. Google doesn't usually let me down like this. I am perplexed why this info isn't included on the Marineland site.


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## twocents

perhaps contact marineland themselves...
most sites now have pages where you can send questions.
usually good on answering questions..
Of course, it makes you wonder whose 'daylight' they are refering to.


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## Bluydgrl

Went to Petsmart and Petco again to get more plants and they had lots of Bala's in all sizes.Thought of you!Also remember that Rosi Barbs can be fin nippers.Just a heads up.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Canadian Fish

I noticed on one of the Q & A on the site that the question was 8 months old, and the answer was 7 months old. That's a one month turn around time. I'm gonna ask my LFS tomorrow when I go get my water tested.


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## Bluydgrl

I'm Not understanding I guess
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Canadian Fish

twocents said:


> perhaps contact marineland themselves...
> most sites now have pages where you can send questions.
> usually good on answering questions..
> Of course, it makes you wonder whose 'daylight' they are refering to.


I was responding to this, lol. For some reason I didn't get an e-mail notification to your post.


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## Canadian Fish

Bluydgrl said:


> Went to Petsmart and Petco again to get more plants and they had lots of Bala's in all sizes.Thought of you!Also remember that Rosi Barbs can be fin nippers.Just a heads up.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Did you get any plants? 

Someone pointed out that Rosey's like a slightly cooler water temp, so I have ruled them out. 

I'm not even sure I want barbs anymore, I like the plants so much.

Stocking gets even trickier with plants in the mix.

How big were the balas? I mean, how big were the largest? 

Mine are puny.


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## Bluydgrl

The largest were like 5 inches...the smallest were like 3 inches..So cute!
I got alot of plants.I redid my little 6 gallon long lastnight and added more today.You can see my tanks on my profile.I'm looking at getting a 75 gallon now and getting rid of my 36.I just want more fish..It's so addicting.People that aren't into it just don't understand it...lol...I never thought I would be into it until I went to work at the LFS.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Canadian Fish

Bluydgrl said:


> The largest were like 5 inches...the smallest were like 3 inches..So cute!
> I got alot of plants.I redid my little 6 gallon long lastnight and added more today.You can see my tanks on my profile.I'm looking at getting a 75 gallon now and getting rid of my 36.I just want more fish..It's so addicting.People that aren't into it just don't understand it...lol...I never thought I would be into it until I went to work at the LFS.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


I like that fake driftwood in your 6 gallon. 

Yeah, it's addictive. There's so many cool fish, but you can only put so many in a tank, so you need another tank, and another tank....

No more tanks for us though!! We have drawn the line, lol. 

75 is a big tank, you'll have a lot of fun planting and stocking that.


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## Bluydgrl

Canadian Fish said:


> I like that fake driftwood in your 6 gallon.
> 
> Yeah, it's addictive. There's so many cool fish, but you can only put so many in a tank, so you need another tank, and another tank....
> 
> No more tanks for us though!! We have drawn the line, lol.
> 
> 75 is a big tank, you'll have a lot of fun planting and stocking that.


I no longer have that piece of driftwood in there.Its a new real driftwood now.I need to take old pics off there


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## Bluydgrl

Bluydgrl said:


> I no longer have that piece of driftwood in there.Its a new real driftwood now.I need to take old pics off there


Just took them off and added the new


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## Canadian Fish

Oh yeah, looks way better now! That's a lot of plants. Good assortment, they all go well together.


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## Bluydgrl

Canadian Fish said:


> Oh yeah, looks way better now! That's a lot of plants. Good assortment, they all go well together.


Thank you


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## Bluydgrl

Bluydgrl said:


> Thank you


Now i'm on a mission to find some Shrimp on Aquabid.I love Shrimp.They are so cute and love to eat up all the left over food that falls to the bottom.They do well with Algae also


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## boxercrazy156

Both my marineland tanks came with bulbs that say daylight when I asked the guy in Big Als what they were because I didn't know he said they are just bulbs they are not good for live plants I have both tanks in my family room kitchen and the one without live plants that still has the oriiginal bulbs is alot different not pink like the 6700k alot darker


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## Canadian Fish

Well, tested my water in the 220 today and the Ammonia is at 0, Nitrites are at 1.25 ppm and Nitrates are 5. 

For some reason the nitrates in my 55 Silver Dollar tank are through the roof again. Tested the water on Thursday, they were 80 ppm. They're usually around 5. I've never had them that high in any tank before. Never had them above 20, and the only time they went to 20 was when I went two and a half weeks between water changes once in the summer. 

So I did a water change Friday, tested it today and it's still around 80. What the heck?? Zero ammonia and nitrites, thank goodness. So I guess I have to start doing larger water changes? I usually do a quarter. Maybe I'll try a third. 

Finally, checked out the bulbs at my local Big Al's today. The only bulbs they had rates 6,700 K were T5s, which are no good to me. The had Aqueon Full Spectrum Daylight 25W bulbs, that did not rate the K on the package. I got one of the employees to double check in case I was missing it, but he didn't see it either. 

So I checked Pet Smart's website and they list the Aqueon Full Spectrum Daylight 25W as 8,000K. On their site you can actually see it on the box, but it was absolutely not on the box at Big Al's. I think they're the same bulb though. 

Is 8,000K ok, or do I need 6,700 K?


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## Bluydgrl

I have 6,700 on mine and a colormax bulb.The Colormax provides a full spectrum light for warm glow.And enhances the natural beauty of fish and plants.What kind of fixture do you have again?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Canadian Fish

I need T8 bulbs for my fixture.


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## Bluydgrl

Canadian Fish said:


> I need T8 bulbs for my fixture.


What kind of lighting fixture do you have?Was it a Marineland?How many bulbs?


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## SeaHorse

My 75 gallon has a 2 bulb 48" fixture. while the numbers are identical, the colour of them is not. One is very white, the other looks purplish. 
I have 2.... Coral Life, F28, T5 6700K. My tank is 18" deep tho. Your tank is deeper so I expect you need something brighter. Whatever that means... sorry.


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## Bluydgrl

Jakiebabie said:


> My 75 gallon has a 2 bulb 48" fixture. while the numbers are identical, the colour of them is not. One is very white, the other looks purplish.
> I have 2.... Coral Life, F28, T5 6700K. My tank is 18" deep tho. Your tank is deeper so I expect you need something brighter. Whatever that means... sorry.


So what bulbs are you looking for?
I was going to tell you to check out Leaf Fish also.They are neat fish


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## Bluydgrl

Jakiebabie said:


> My 75 gallon has a 2 bulb 48" fixture. while the numbers are identical, the colour of them is not. One is very white, the other looks purplish.
> I have 2.... Coral Life, F28, T5 6700K. My tank is 18" deep tho. Your tank is deeper so I expect you need something brighter. Whatever that means... sorry.


Your purplish bulb is probablt a Actinic bulb.I switched that one out for the Colormax.I have a Coralife T5 HO Bulbs


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## boxercrazy156

Canadian Fish said:


> I need T8 bulbs for my fixture.


pets and ponds have the t8's big als usually does to maybe they are just out I would stick to the 6700k anything above starts to give off blue I had 12000 on mine and the were no good plus you will have to limit your time on with lights as you go higher


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## SeaHorse

I did have Actinic until Big Al's changed them out for me. 
I stand corrected... they are different. 
F28 T5 BP Colormax is the purplish one
F28 T5 BP 6700K is the white one. 
(could be P28... hard to read it.)

We have yet to sort what all these numbers mean. Time for a Lighting 101 class. If there is a sticky on this I can't find it!! 

Found it!! The Planted Aquarium by Byron, Part 4. Lighting. 
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/...approach-natural-planted-aquarium-part-34862/


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## Canadian Fish

My light fixture holds four 36" T8 bulbs.

Thanks for the link Jakie, I'll have a look at that.

I'm not if I'm less or more confused after reading that.


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## Canadian Fish

Holy Cow it take a long time to do a water change on a 220. Thankfully I'm not using Dollar Store 2.5 gallon buckets like we were on the other four before we got the new tank and the "python". 

Ammonia is still pretty much 0, nitrates are still around 1ppm, still a little bit of nitrates. 

Not there yet, sigh. 

I picked up some 10" scissors at Big Al's today for plant trimming, and got some fertilizer tabs to try in my substrate. 

Time to carve some pumpkins! Hope everyone is safe and dry!


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## Canadian Fish

How do I vacuum my gravel with all the roots and fert tabs in there??


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## Bluydgrl

I just vacuum around them or you can do a circular motion near them that can stir up left over food and waste.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Bluydgrl

You should also look at Elephant Nose and Ghost Knife fish for your 220.I love those fish
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## SeaHorse

Canadian Fish said:


> Holy Cow it take a long time to do a water change on a 220. Thankfully I'm not using Dollar Store 2.5 gallon buckets like we were on the other four before we got the new tank and the "python".


Is that the first time you have used a python style hose or did you use it before on the littler tanks?


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## Canadian Fish

We bought the python when we bought the 220. When it was just the two 55s, the 20 and the 35 we used four 2.5 gallon buckets from Dollarama. It took us an hour and a half. 

I can't believe I am buying another fish tank!

I'm getting a 10 gallon tank with heater, filter, background, light, etc for $20 used because Big Al's is getting dwarf puffer fish this weekend. I am going to fill it with water from my existing tanks and media from my RTS tank (because it has a Tetra Whisper 45 and an Aquaclear 70 on a 35 gallon tank. It used to house dirty goldfish) so it should be instantly cycled. 

Another guy had a 10 gallon setup for $20 with heater, filter and light, and a 20 with all that plus a stand for $40. If he gets back to me and still has it, I'll buy both. 

I also realized a have a sturdy piece of wood furniture in my basement that is 35" long and would fit a 20 gallon long nicely, if I ever see one without a stand. 

Maybe a rainbow crab? Or a newt? Who knows. 

Damn fish tanks, it never ends.


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## keeperofthezoo

I've been following your thread here. Your tank is amazing. I have a (compared to your tank) a small 55 gallon. My question for you is how do you plan to insert your fert tabs?


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## Canadian Fish

keeperofthezoo said:


> I've been following your thread here. Your tank is amazing. I have a (compared to your tank) a small 55 gallon. My question for you is how do you plan to insert your fert tabs?


Ha! Good question! I bought a long claw 

AquaTong - 32"

Mine is actually a little shorter than this one. This is what I use to move the decorations, plant the plants, and insert the tabs into the substrate. This claw is great!

A 55 is the most sensible size. Gear for it is relatively inexpensive, and it is large enough for cool fish and easy to maintain water parameters.


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## keeperofthezoo

Ah, thank you. I went to aquaferts. com that someone recommended and bought the fert tab insert stick. It's definitely homemade, but it works great. At least I don't have to stick my hands in the tank. This is my first time growing real plants and by watching, reading and lurking on this site and the planted tank site, I'm not doing too bad. (except for the staghorn algae that I got from a lfs).


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## boxercrazy156

I just lean into my 120 gallon and get wet with the tabs lol
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Canadian Fish

LOL. 

Well, I found two great deals on small used tanks.

A 10 gallon tank with heater filter, light, etc. for $20 

Also a 10 gallon tank with heater, filter and light + a 20 gallon tank with 2 filters, heater, light and stand for $60

I pick them all up on Friday. My LFS is getting in dwarf puffers so I wanted a 10 gallon tank for a pair of them. The 20 and the other 10 were just too good to pass up on. 

I'm sure I'll find something to put in them.


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## boxercrazy156

Canadian Fish said:


> LOL.
> 
> Well, I found two great deals on small used tanks.
> 
> A 10 gallon tank with heater filter, light, etc. for $20
> 
> Also a 10 gallon tank with heater, filter and light + a 20 gallon tank with 2 filters, heater, light and stand for $60
> 
> I pick them all up on Friday. My LFS is getting in dwarf puffers so I wanted a 10 gallon tank for a pair of them. The 20 and the other 10 were just too good to pass up on.
> 
> I'm sure I'll find something to put in them.


I bought both my tanks on Kijiji I got my 120 gallon with stand canopy lights fluval cannister filter heater and python plus media and stuff for $450.00 it was only used for 1 year and my bowfront also came from Kijiji with stand filter gravel fish heater food etc for $200.00


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## Canadian Fish

Wow, amazing deal on the 120. We bought our 35 and one of our 55s from kijji and we actually had problems with both of them. I had to reseal the 55.


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## boxercrazy156

Canadian Fish said:


> Wow, amazing deal on the 120. We bought our 35 and one of our 55s from kijji and we actually had problems with both of them. I had to reseal the 55.


I was actuallly looking for a deal for a long time this one came up and was actually posted by a friend of the owners and I had to wait a month before I actually got to talk to them I was actually going to buy another one 140 gallon jebo which was twice as much money and then they called went down that night and bought it it was mint condition 

Both my tanks that I bought were fairly new and have been fine I bought new heaters substatre lights and another cannister for the 120 since I wanted a pllanted tank and 2 cannisters

and better lighting


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## SeaHorse

Canadian Fish I'm glad you are enjoying your Python hose on the tanks.... sure beats hauling buckets!! A few tips...I have used one for years!
Emptying:
Once you have the hose connected and the siphon going, you can actually turn off the water and the siphon will continue slowly allowing you to gravel clean (carefully around the plants or in areas with none)
Turn off the valve and move on to the next tank. You can do all the tanks at once and will save a bit of water this way when refilling. 

Filling:
check the temperature of your tank(s). Hopefully they are very close to each other, makes it easier. 
Determine the amount of water removed and add the appropriate amount of De-chlor directly to the tank so it is there ready when the new water is pumped in. It's instant, no need to wait, works fine that way. 
Lock the shut off at the tank and return to the sink. Change the setting so the water flows thru the valve and set your temperature of the NEW water here. I use a marg container under the valve to collect water and take my time to stabilize the temp, thermometers are slow moving. Make the flow not too hard, not too slow but find your temp at a reasonable flow. You can come back and recheck it by opening the valve at the sink temporarily. 
Lock the valve to send the new water to the tank. 
Run back to your tank (water pressure in hose) and open the hose valve. Do not leave the room. Once you overflow one... you will only do it once! LOL. NO it is not funny!
It is ok if the temperature is 1-2 degrees max lower than your tank... it is like a refreshing rain in the wild. 
After, I hang the hose folded over in half over the bar in the shower for the rest of the day to allow it to drain and dry. Hoses can get black inside if left wet. 

As to more tanks found on Kijiji.... they are starting a rehab in your area for addiction. I think you should join. :rofl:


----------



## Canadian Fish

Ha! I just hope I can get one the 10 gallons to cycle "instantly" using the water from one of my existing tanks, and some media from the Aquaclear 70 on my 35. Or, can I just take the Tetra Whisper 45 off of that tank and stick it on the 10 Gallon? Or would that be too much power?

So, I hear if there are no fish, the bacteria in the media will die. I need to set up the tank and get the heater going before going to buy the dwarf puffers, so how long do I have before the bacteria is dead and the tank isn't cycled anymore? 

We pick up one 10 tomorrow afternoon and the 10 and 20 in the evening. 

My wife would like to keep two newts in the other 10. I haven't found much info on them, but it seems to be a consensus that 10 gallons is adequate for 2. 

I have no idea what I'm going to do with the 20. I also have no idea where I'm going to keep all these tanks. If we rearrange the bedroom (which my wife always want to do) we can probably put the 20 in there. Then maybe a 10 on the kitchen counter and another 10 in the basement. I'd love to put another tank in the living room, but the only way would be to take the grandfather clock out of there, and there's no way my wife would let me.


----------



## Canadian Fish

FINALLY got my Bristlenose Pleco on camera. He had eluded me for 4 weeks. Every time I'd see him I'd run to get the camera, and when I got back he'd be gone. I kept the camera on the aquarium lid for awhile. 

Earlier today he was sitting on driftwood in plain site, but my son destroyed our camera and now it takes pictures so dark that he was indistinguishable from the driftwood.

But I just came downstairs and he was right on the glass. Again, the pics didn't turn out, but you can see him on this video, until he realizes he is being filmed and buggers off.

CHECK OUT the cool white markings on the tip of his tail! I've been trying so hard to get a photo of them.


----------



## SeaHorse

My understanding is the bacteria is not in the water but on the ornaments, media, gravel. You can take some of your old media out of the larger filter (fully cycled one!), place it in a nylon sock and hang it in your tank till you need it in the new tank set up. Top up the old filter with new media as there are lots of surfaces present and set up to support it. When ready move the hanging media to the new tank/filter. You can move gravel too but it will stir up a lot gunk and rinsing in tap water will kill that bacteria. Use dechlor. I buy new matching gravel to my old existing tank... move some old gravel to the new tank... top up the old tank with the new bag of gravel. Instant cycled tank with good bacteria, fish can go in that day or the next. My belief is 24 hours.


----------



## Canadian Fish

I can't use the old gravel because it's all ugly. The only nice gravel I have is in the 220 and that's not done cycling. 

Doing my water changes right now, before heading to the fish store to do water tests. Also picking up a ten gallon while we're out.

It is taking FOREVER. We started with the 220 and I am draining it with the water turned off at the faucet, which as you mentioned is a slower drain. It has been going for 25 minutes so far. 

I never heard of the nylon sock thing, that's a cool idea. I'll let you know what I end up doing.

I hope it works!! I want two dwarf puffers!!

*Anybody know of any cool fish I can keep in a 20 gallon tank that I don't keep yet? *

This is what I have now:
20 Gallon - Harlequins, Neons, Platies, Guppies, Cories, Nerite Snails
55 Gallon - Silver Dollars, Pearl Gourami, Hillstream Loach, Peacock Eel, Mollies, Serpae Tetras, African Dwarf Frog, Leopard Bush Fish and Bala Sharks (moving to 220)
55 Gallon - Red, Blue, Boesemani Rainbows, Zebra Dainos, Zebra Loaches, Platies, Moonlight Gourami, Bristlenose Pleco
35 Gallon - Red Tailed Shark 
220 Gallon - Black Skirt and Lemon Tetras 

I am adding bleeding heart tetras to the Silver Dollar tank this weekend. My wife has been wanting them since February.


----------



## keeperofthezoo

To make it drain faster with the water turned off, disconnect the hose from the pumper attachment.


----------



## boxercrazy156

I drain my water outside with my python since I live in the country the less water in the septic the better it drains so fast then to fill I put the end back on and hook it up to my sink
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Canadian Fish

keeperofthezoo said:


> To make it drain faster with the water turned off, disconnect the hose from the pumper attachment.


Thanks, I'll try that next time. Just finished and it took an hour to drain 30% of the tank, with the water on the sink running the last 10 minutes because I got impatient. 

Wow Boxer, septic. You are in the country! 

Man, I've gotten so much different advice in this thread, anyone new to the hobby will learn a lot if they read it. I know I have. 

Can't wait to see those puffers. Apparently they're full grown, wild caught. I've read 5 gallons for the first one and 2.5 for each additional, but my LFS said in a 10 gallon, not to put two, better to put 1 or 5 so as to spread out any aggression. I really want to believe them because I'd much rather 5 than 1, and they're only an inch I believe. My LFS usually gives me pretty good advice, not petsmart style. 

The Bleeding Hearts I'm getting are live caught as well.


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## Tigris

Since they are wild caught make sure you drip acclimate them or acclimate the slowly
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Canadian Fish

Tigris said:


> Since they are wild caught make sure you drip acclimate them or acclimate the slowly
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Will do, thanks for the tip!

So the first 10 gallon we went to pick up was actually a 5.5, the owners had no idea. It was brand new with a ton of accessories so I bought it anyway. Going to get our first Betta I guess. 

Tonight we get the 10 and the 20. Going to put 5 dwarf puffers in the 20, I decided, and 2 newts in the 10 eventually. Gonna do your nylon trick Jakie.


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## Canadian Fish

Jakie, how long do I leave the nylon with the media in the new tank?


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## Tigris

I left mine in for two weeks on my 55g, granted I also has decorations from my 75g. 
On my 20g long I left mine in for a month because my kuhlis liked to play and hide under it.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## SeaHorse

If that is the only thing you are moving... no other items then the tank needs time to grow that bacteria on other surfaces... I was about to say 6-8 weeks like a cycle but now I'm questioning that in my head. You know I would still leave it 2 months. It won't hurt it that is for sure.....
Anyone else know that answer...? Sorry Canadian Fish. Maybe Chat room people can tell you tonight.


----------



## Tigris

It shouldn't take long considering the plants in the tabk
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## djembekah

bahaha. knew you'd get sucked into betta land somehow xD


----------



## keeperofthezoo

HaHaHa! It was a Betta in a 3 gallon tank that got me started down this road this summer. Hahaha. And now I have a 10 gallon planted tank for the Betta and my 55 gallon planted tank.


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## djembekah

bettas got me started too, but i still live at home so i dont have space for the big tanks i want


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## Canadian Fish

People are idiots. I get there and it's a 5 and a 10 gallon, not a 10 and a 20.

I bought them anyway, she took $40 for all of it, 3 filters, heaters, plus more.

Still, as if that happened to me TWICE in one day. ARGH.


----------



## djembekah

wow wtf

when i went to get "two fives and a ten gallon" i wound up with two tens and a 29. which i'm not complaining about, but why don't people measure??


----------



## Canadian Fish

2 of the heaters were old and garbage, the other one looked brand new and when I googled it, there's a recall on it. (Marineland Stealth Submersible) So all 3 went in the garbage. 

It came with 2 Aquaclear 20s, but one is missing the part that goes on the bottom of the intake tube.

I previously bought a 35 and 55 used. The 35 heater was garbage, the lid doesn't fit right and there was no glass under the bulb. The 55 leaked and had to be resealed and the air pump was shot. 

The light fixture didn't work on the 10 I bought today, but the 5 I bought earlier came with a spare bulb, as did the 10 tonight, and when I put in the new bulbs, it works. 

I hate buying used Aquariums, it never works out in my favor. The problem is I drive so damn far, that I just buy the crap anyway.

The stand doesn't even fit the tank. It's for a 20. The 10 would fall right through. Garbage.


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## Canadian Fish

So, the Aquaclear 20 is a nice rectangular basket, good old Aquaclear. So I'm going to cut the sponge from my Aquaclear 70 to fit in the 20 filter. I'll still use the leftover sponge in a nylon as per Jackie's suggestion. I'm also going to put some subtrate in a nylon.


----------



## Tigris

I wouldn't trash the Marineland stealth heater because I got one on a Craigslist deal and I called their service line and the replaced. I just wouldn't say you bought it used
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Canadian Fish

So I think I'm going to get 2 female puffers and 1 male. From what I've read 3 should be ok in a 10 gallon.


----------



## Canadian Fish

The seal is even shot on the molding on one of the top corners on the 10 gallon, so condensation will probably drip down once the tank is up and running. Probably needs to be resealed. 

I am NEVER buying used tanks again. Every time it's a headache. 

Boxer, thank goodness your big tank was good and as described.


----------



## Freshcatch

Don't throw away the Marineland heater. They will replace the recalled heater with a phone call. I had two of them and they replaced both, no questions asked. The only requirement is that you send the used heater back.


----------



## Canadian Fish

So I think tomorrow I might buy a 20 gallon kit at Big Al's, depending on what it costs. 

My 35 has the Tetra Whisper 45 filter and the Aquaclear 70, because it used to house 2 dirty goldfish. Now it is home to a single Red Tailed Shark, so it doesn't need all that filtration. 

I'm wondering, can I just take the Whisper 45 and put it on my new 20? Will it be cycled then?


----------



## Tigris

The cycle won't be as noticeable but you could have a mini cycle if you stock it too fast
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Canadian Fish

I'm adding five 1" puffers. I'm also adding some bacteria in a bottle. I could also hang some substrate in nylon as well.


----------



## Tigris

I would do all that and use prime as the water conditioner. Even though puffers are small they are still messy eaters.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Canadian Fish

Just got back from the LFS. I ended up NOT buying a tank kit. After getting boned on both those deals yesterday I just couldn't bare to part with all that money today. 

I did finally get my wife's bleeding hearts. I'll take some pics later.


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## djembekah

oh man that sucks Matt! can you tell if the 5.5s are in decent condition?


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## Canadian Fish

One of the 5.5s looks brand new, as does the filter and the other accessories that came with it. The heater looked new too, but it was the one under recall. 

I put the other two down in the basement. I'll reseal the lid of the 10 gallon in the near future when I have nothing better to do. I think the other 5.5 is fine, just needs a good cleaning. 

I kept the nice 5.5 gallon in the kitchen. Next time i'm at the LFS, probably Monday, I'll grab some substrate, filter media and a heater. 

Charlie says he wants an Orange fish. He always says Orange. He knows that tank is his and is impatient to put water in it. I would have grabbed all the stuff today, but I was planning on getting the 20 and the 5.5 was the furthest thing from my mind. 

So I guess you cycle a Betta tank by sticking a Betta in it? Stupid Bettas. 

I did 4 partial water changes on my Silver Dollar tank, between Thursday Oct 25 and Fri Nov 2 (yesterday). Thursday, Sunday, Tuesday, and Friday, because my nitrates had skyrocketed to 80 ppm. They're back to normal now. Don't know what caused them to jump like that.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Jodie's Bleeding Heart Tetras. She's been wanting them forever. Well, since February when we bought our first 55. 

There's a nice shot of my Leopard Bush Fish on there too.


----------



## Canadian Fish

If I put my Aquaclear 70 from my established tank on the 220, will it speed up the cycling? Or is it too small to make a difference on that big tank? 

I am getting impatient. 








He's camera shy, but I finally got a decent video. I need to get a lighter background, he blends in too much against the dark backdrop. 

I've got two roasts in the oven, starting to smell good. Should be ready just as my wife gets out of bed.


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## Bluydgrl

Does your wife work the night shift?We now have Discus in our Bala tank at work.I want to start a 75 with them.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Canadian Fish

Bluydgrl said:


> Does your wife work the night shift?We now have Discus in our Bala tank at work.I want to start a 75 with them.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Yeah, she usually works midnight to 8 am. Sometimes 4pm to midnight.

Discus are beautiful. Shame they're so expensive. Can they live with balas long term, or will the active balas stress them out?


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## SeaHorse

Great videos. Looking good!!


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## Bluydgrl

If you get them at a young age they aren't to expensive.The ones we have are $39.99.They are just peaceful fish.And need to be around other peaceful fish.Balas might be ok.I will fins out for u tomorrow
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Canadian Fish

Balas aren't aggressive, but they're very active. I think they would bother the discus.


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## Bluydgrl

Yep..you are right..Not a good keep together bus of how active they are(Balas)
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Bluydgrl

Does your wife work the night shift?We now have Discus in our Bala tank at work.I want to start a 75 with them.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Canadian Fish

Pete and Repeat were in a boat. Pete fell out. Who was left? LOL, I think your phone is playing tricks on you Bluydgrl.

Well, off the the LFS again this morning. Going to get the stuff I need for my son to set up his big 5.5 Gallon tank. He is excited. He wants water in it NOW, lol. 

If they still have the puffers (they had them on hold for me, but I took them off hold yesterday because I thought I was ditching the idea) I may break down today and buy a 10 gallon aquarium kit. 

Just waiting for my wife to get home from work, and we're out of here. They're going to get sick of seeing us at that store.


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## Bluydgrl

Your making them moneyThere not sick of that at all..Did my phone post twice?I didn't see that.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Bluydgrl

I'm feeling really bad now about my Puffers.I have 4 in a 5 gallon Nano tank.They are so small and don't really do much.My Mngr said it was fine.Now I'm second guessing it.Your getting a 10 gallon for yours?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Canadian Fish

My point card fell apart ages ago, but the guy at the store knows my phone number off by heart. When I call they answer "Hi Matt"

*MY 220 IS CYCLED!*

Woo hoo!

And the nitrates in my Silver Dollar tank are back to being 5 ppm, like usual. 

The test tubes for the 220 and the 55 looked identical. She asked me if I accidentally took water from the same tank twice, lol.

I already put the Balas downstairs in the big tank!
I stressed the poor bastards out catching them. I suck at it. Hopefully they're ok.

I got a 10 gallon kit for the dwarf puffers today, so now all I have to do this afternoon is set up the 10 gallon, set up the kid's 5.5 gallon, and make a video of the 220. 

I bought plants for the 10 gallon. I'm going to use water, filter media from an establish tank. Plus gravel in a nylon from an established tank. Also got some bacteria in a bottle for it.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Bluydgrl said:


> I'm feeling really bad now about my Puffers.I have 4 in a 5 gallon Nano tank.They are so small and don't really do much.My Mngr said it was fine.Now I'm second guessing it.Your getting a 10 gallon for yours?
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Yeah, I got a 10 gallon and I think I'm going to put in 5. Prob is they are hard to sex and it would be better if I could get 1 male and 4 females to lessen aggression.


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## SeaHorse

VIDEO VIDEO VIDEO VIDEO VIDEO VIDEO VIDEO ohhhhh yaaaa!!!!! video?


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## Canadian Fish

So I got the 10 gallon set up. As usual I was a walking disaster. I took water out of my 35 for the 10. I was siphoning into a bucket and didn't realize the hose came out of the bucket. I was flooding the kitchen and I didn't even notice. My kid noticed, thank God. Before it got out of hand.

Also, slipped getting on the stool and spilled water all over the counter. 

Also knocked over an open can of 7Up on the counter. 

Oh my. Typical. 

Anyway, it's set up. I got 4 live plants in there. That's 3 planted tanks I have now. The water in the tanl was from an established tank. Some people say it doesn't help, some say it does, I figured I might as well. The sponge in the Aquaclear 20 I'm using is a chunk I cut off the established Aquaclear 70 sponge. I also stuck the rest of the sponge in the tank, figured it couldn't hurt. I also put a nylon of substrate from my Silver Dollar tank. I'm also going to add a bottle of live bacteria. 

So hopefully I can add dwarf puffers in the next day or two. 

I put a Betta log (I think that's what it is) in there because it said the more ways you separate dwarf puffers the better. That's also why I got 4 plants. 

Oh, I put one of those ammonia remover packs in the Aquaclear too, to be safe. Dwarf puffers need good water.


----------



## SeaHorse

yes you should put something in there asap because the good bacteria will die off if there is nothing producing poop -> ammonia. Even a platy or guppy or something till you get the puffers or who ever is going in there.


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## Canadian Fish

I'll put a molly. They are dirty. Just have to get the temp right first. 

They easier to catch than the Balas. THEY FAST! Man, they were darting around avoiding me like crazy.

Edit: Ok, the temp in the two tanks was the same so I added a Molly to the 10. Poor little bugger is going to be lonely.

Holy cow, he was easy to catch. He practically swam into the bag.


----------



## Bluydgrl

My Puffers will only eat live Blackworm.They just attack them.Mine won't eat snails tho.I think with Dwarf puffers it isn't as important and the figure 8 Puffers
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Canadian Fish

Hopefully mine eat snails because my RTS tank used to have two adult apple snails. Now it had a bunch of babies. They are TINY, a couple of millimeters at most, as they get larger I hope to take them out and feed them to the puffers.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Bluydgrl said:


> My Puffers will only eat live Blackworm.They just attack them.Mine won't eat snails tho.I think with Dwarf puffers it isn't as important and the figure 8 Puffers
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


How often do you feed them live Blackworm?

How long have you had them? Do you have a lot of hiding spots in the tank?


----------



## Canadian Fish

Just set up Charlie's 5 gallon Betta tank. Well, he did. I helped.


----------



## Canadian Fish

OMG, I posted the runt tank videos and forgot to put up the balas in the 220! I'm an idiot.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Put 3 Dwarf Puffers in the 10 Gallon today!

Woo hoo!


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## Canadian Fish

Congo Tetras!





































Added some color to the 220 today! Congo Tetras!

Unfortunately, they only had three large ones. So I got three big males, plus 3 small males and 2 small females. 

Good looking fish!






This video has some good footage of the Balas too!

Our LFS got in a shipment of clown loaches today, and some Bettas. So we might add some clown loaches to the 220 later this week, and my son can pick out a Betta for his 5.5
Good thing they got some Bettas, as they only had blue ones left. My son is obsessed with getting an orange one, even though it won't show against his red substrate. If they don't get any orange ones in, they've got one in a display tank I think they'll sell us. He might change his mind by then. But he does love the orange.


----------



## SeaHorse

Yeah for Congos. They have a fairly decent personality and will chase each other but I've not seen anything aggressive in my tank. Wondering how your ratio of 6M to 2F is gonna pan out. You have a Rainbowfish tank right? If you see anything horribly aggressive you can always move a couple over there. They get along well with RBF. 
Great videos. Love the Puffers. 

Hope they have an orange Betta!! There is one in our LFS right now. Not very common.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Oops, missed this in the profile:

" The male is the more colourful and a mix of equal male/female is best, though a slightly higher ratio of females is advisable"

I just went with what looked better. Surprised the LFS didn't tell me, they let me know in the past when I bought other fish that required a higher female to male ratio. Hopefully the tank is big enough that the aggression is kept to a minimum. I can always add some females, though they only have them in the smaller size. 

Go figure the kid would want a color that is harder to find, lol. Stupid Bettas.



Jakiebabie said:


> Yeah for Congos. They have a fairly decent personality and will chase each other but I've not seen anything aggressive in my tank. Wondering how your ratio of 6M to 2F is gonna pan out. You have a Rainbowfish tank right? If you see anything horribly aggressive you can always move a couple over there. They get along well with RBF.
> Great videos. Love the Puffers.
> 
> Hope they have an orange Betta!! There is one in our LFS right now. Not very common.


----------



## Byron

Canadian Fish said:


> Oops, missed this in the profile:
> 
> " The male is the more colourful and a mix of equal male/female is best, though a slightly higher ratio of females is advisable"
> 
> I just went with what looked better. Surprised the LFS didn't tell me, they let me know in the past when I bought other fish that required a higher female to male ratio. Hopefully the tank is big enough that the aggression is kept to a minimum. I can always add some females, though they only have them in the smaller size.


I need to revise that profile. I have a group of 10 Congo, five male and five female, in my 90g. Had them for over a year now. The males show basically no interest in the females except when the females are sending out pheromones they are ready to spawn. One or two males will chase the female, and one spawns with her in the plants. Eggs fly everywhere, but are quickly gobbled up by the Black Ruby Barb, Beckford pencils, and Emperor Tetra. But aside from spawning, the males tend to ignore the females. I have races down the length of the tank between two males, sometimes a third will join in. They take turns, like a relay. This goes on for hours every day. The females tend to just hover around, ignored to boredom apparently.:lol:

Back in the 1980's when I last had this beautiful fish, I had five, 3 males and 2 females. My memory is not crystal clear, but I know I did not have any problems. I suspect the main thing is the group, the more the better. Their social interaction is magnificient.

Byron.


----------



## SeaHorse

Exactly Byron, I could not have explained it better. It is easy to see (hear) how much you love this species! I do believe this might be your favorite. :lol:

My 3 females also hover around at the top of the tank in utter boredom. lol. They don't school, and the guys don't bother with them. 
Generally it is always a good rule to follow... 2M/3F but this species is so easy going and fun loving. 
Ready, set,... go!!! The games never end. They race with my Boesmani and Lake Kutubu's who will join in on the fun.


----------



## Canadian Fish

They have some Congos in a display tank at my LFS and they are always chasing each other when we're there. I have often commented on how beautiful they are, and active. Love the colors and the fins. I didn't realize they were congos until last night in chat it was suggested I look into them to add color to my tank. I was pleasantly surprised at my LFS today to learn they were the fish I had been admiring, and they had some in stock.

Anyone have any idea how long it takes for them to grow to the size of the three big ones I got? 

Once I get some bottom feeders, the tank will look even better, though the Balas and the Congos quickly brought it to life. 

I have wanted Clown Loaches ever since we started keeping fish, but never had a tank large enough. I think they're beautiful fish and very entertaining (like the Congos) and I look forward to bringing some home!


----------



## Canadian Fish

twocents said:


> You really sure this will be your last aquarium?


I guess not, lol.


----------



## Canadian Fish

boxercrazy156 said:


> Just had to share this I went to Peterborough tonight to look at some fish stores ended up at PJs pets and two fish that I'm looking for for my tank where they're really cheap. I bought nine bosemi rainbows and six clown Loches. The rainbows were three for $16 and they are usually 1299 each at big Al's the loaches where the medium-size ones which are on sale at my beguiles for 78 this weekend but I paid three for 18
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


They got some clown loaches in at my Big Al's yesterday. I haven't seen them yet but they're probably small, they're only asking $7.99 for them. My store usually sells them for $9.99+

Gonna pick up 5 tomorrow. Can't wait.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Ok, tried feeding the dwarf puffers for the first time. One of them ate a bunch! I don't think the others ate any. Hopefully tomorrow.

I had to edit out half of the video where he's eating because Charlie is prancing around naked on the other side of the tank, which my wife, who was filming, didn't notice.

The little punk had clothes on five minutes earlier!!

One of the fish has been winking at us!!


----------



## Canadian Fish




----------



## Bluydgrl

Yours look so much bigger then mine..Remember to get snail for there teeth also.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Canadian Fish

My RTS tank is teeming with TINY snails 1 mm maybe, maybe 1.5 when they get a little bigger, I'll try feeding them to the puffers. And my loaches. There used to be two adult snails in the RTS tank, before the RTS arrived.


----------



## ninjablackghostknife

Ur basement will look great! What types of fish do u have already? U might want 2 decide if for an ambitious tank like this ur going 2 try a completely new breed or stick with what u know


----------



## Canadian Fish

I have...

10 Gallon - Dwarf Puffers
20 Gallon - Harlequins, Neons, Platies, Guppies, Cories, Nerite Snails
55 Gallon - Silver Dollars, Pearl Gourami, Hillstream Loach, Peacock Eel, Mollies, Serpae Tetras, African Dwarf Frog, Leopard Bush Fish and Bala Sharks (moving to 220)
55 Gallon - Red, Blue, Boesemani Rainbows, Zebra Dainos, Zebra Loaches, Platies, Moonlight Gourami, Bristlenose Pleco
35 Gallon - Red Tailed Shark 
220 Gallon - Black Skirt, Lemon and Congo Tetras (Some nice big colorful ones), Bala Sharks

and tomorrow adding Clown Loaches to the 220






My buddy is hooking me up with an old crappy CPU for the basement and we're gonna live stream every day. Hopefully within the next two weeks.


----------



## Big Fate

Perfect dimensions for a African Mbuna Cichlid Tank! I'm just sayin'!!

Sand and rocks... only prob is you can't have plants as they will eat them


----------



## Canadian Fish

Charlie's Betta!






Charlie finally got his fish today! After all the "orange one" talk, he picked a blue and red one. They had a huge shipment of Bettas in, never saw that many at the store before. I can't believe how much some people will pay for a freaking Betta. Needless to say, we got one of the cheap ones.

I forgot to my camera to get a video of Charlie picking out the fish, but it is just as well, because it took forever. 

He had named it Mary Poppins, for now. But I figure that will change many times.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Clown Loaches!!

We got six.






Not buying any more fish for awhile!!

Though, they did get a bunch of cool weather loaches in at our LFS this week....

At first three of the Black Skirts attacked one of the poor little Clowns, but I chased them off and now they're leaving him alone. I got lots of video of them, good thing too. The next time I went downstairs they all hid under a piece of driftwood.


----------



## SeaHorse

woohoo!! MR Mary Poppins to you!!

Great videos. I wonder if the Black Skirt Tetras will end up remaining in the tank over time growing only to 2 1/4 inches and possibly need to be moved. The Loaches and Balas will get huge as you know... likely the Congo's will then end up the smallest in the tank. Interesting to see where this will go over time. Looking forward to seeing how this all looks a month from now!! Let alone 6 months. Good job!!
I love the "follow the leader" game they play.


----------



## Canadian Fish

The Skirts may get relocated before that, if they pick on the loaches again. I'd like to see the clowns grow up to get a little retaliation. 

I have no idea how fast Balas grow. I know the loach growth slows like crazy after 5 inches or so. I figure the balas have small mouths and the clowns grow slow so if the Skirts behave themselves they should be able to stay in the tank for a good length of time. 

I am loving the look of this fish mix!

Edit: Yeah, Charlie isn't big on Genders specifics.


----------



## SeaHorse

Canadian Fish said:


> Not buying any more fish for awhile!!


Ya ... sure!!! :crazy: :tease:

Keep an eye on that Tetra/Loach issue!!


----------



## Canadian Fish

ICK in the 220!!

Yeah, yeah, I know, Quarantine Tank. I was just talking to my wife about one yesterday, and asking about it in chat. Probably jinxed myself. 

The store called this morning because a couple of clown loaches in their tank have started showing spots. Sure enough, ours have ick too. 

I only had Ick once before, some Silver Dollars I got from Petsmart. This is the first time I got them from Big Al's. At least they called. 

So apparently I can't use salts because of the plants, so it's raise the temperature and treat 'em. Apparently he has something that loaches can withstand, but it turns the water blue. I don't care about blue water as long as my fish are ok. Especially those HUGE Congos. They'd be a pain to replace. Probably impossible around here.

Now, the only question is, will he charge me for the medicine or not? Petsmart gave it to me for free.

Earlier this week, as I mentioned in chat, the switch went in my lightstrip. When we bought it, we got the great deal because it was a display model. The switch was shot, stuck in the "on" position. So we used that until they brought us in a new one. Now the new one is shot! I've heard those switches go, but that fast? So they're bringing me in another one. In the meantime, the tank is on a timer now, and I'll use the timer with the new one too, so hopefully the new one lasts forever. 

What a week! We were really looking forward to NOT driving to Kanata today. We've been there every day for a week. Blech. And not nearly as fun going for medicine as it is for fish.


----------



## SeaHorse

Oh Bummer!!!!
That is awesome that they called you too! It is quite likely considering they are taking responsibility for you having the ich to give you the meds free. Let's hope. 
I remember having ich a couple of times and I do remember the blue water. 
Keeping my fingers crossed that all come thru this. 
Lesson learned on the QT tank. 
My QT is down and empty right now... the leaking tank. I have the new silicone but need to spend time cutting out the old stuff.


----------



## Canadian Fish

I have a 10 gallon I could use, but it has no lights. It had a hood, but it's used and it looks like the lights almost caught it on fire once. I could quarantine fish in it, I suppose, but they will be in the dark. 

We seem to be catching it early so hopefully everyone survives. Who knows, maybe blue water will be cool for a little while. Makes me want to experiment with other colors. JUST KIDDING!

Charlie turned the light on in Mary Poppins tank this morning by himself!

I'm gonna teach him how to feed her later. I didn't feed him yesterday because he looked pretty stressed when he got here, hiding in a corner all day.


----------



## SeaHorse

Would be good to teach him to put the food into a tiny little dish first and if it's pellets you can practice counting. Then feed from dish to tank, more counting. That way he never pours the container into the tank. lol.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Oh, I will always be giving him the exact amount I want in the tank, or he'll probably do it by the handful! 

The Betta is being a little braver today. Which is good.


----------



## Byron

CF, on the ich. Clown loach are notorious for ich. Some fish are, hatchetfish is another that comes to mind. Treatment is important with such fish because the ich is tough and can kill them.

Raise the temp to 85F. I do this partly via a major water change (half the tank) increasing the temp a few degrees with the refill, then adjust the heater for the rest. Given the severity with these fish, I would then add CopperSafe, at the dose on the label. A small bottle will suffice, you only use it once. It is effective for 30 days, so just leave the tank (= no further water changes), feed sparingly but normally, no other changes. After 10 days, turn the heater down to normal and let the tank naturally cool down. After another 4-5 days, do a 50% water change. Everything is normal from there on.

This is the safest method I know, and with my sensitive wild caught fish (including hatchetfish) it has always worked. You can also handle ich with just a rise in temp to 90F, but only if all fish can manage, and some of yours (Congo for one) will have considerable difficult at 90F. The 85F for a week should pose no problem, I have never had "cooler" fish die from this.

A QT is wise these days. For over 12 years I never bothered, and never had issues, except ich maybe once or twice. No days, it seems every fish I bring home has something, and I now have a 20g QT tank with spare plants running that I use as QT. I have had minor ich with just about every new fish these days. But also had things far worse, protozoans. Fish stock seems to be deteriorating, so a QT for 4 weeks is wise.

Byron.


----------



## djembekah

OH NO ICH!!
Jodie came in the chat room and started talking about the loaches but not all her messages came through so i came to see what was up. Hopefully you kick its butt fast!


----------



## Canadian Fish

I'm going to do a water change now and start treatment. They didn't have copper safe but I brought back the free crap they gave me and bought one that is similiar to coppersafe. I only have to add it twice as opposed to 7 times. And I don't have to do a water change after the initial one. 

This sucks. I have been to the LFS twice today and it's not that close.


----------



## Canadian Fish

So I did the treatment. I'll have to keep an eye on my fish and make sure it doesn't look like the medication is affecting them badly at all. If it does I'll do a water change and I guess use some activated carbon to remove the medicine.

Hopefully that doesn't happen because then I'll be back to square one.


----------



## boxercrazy156

Wow get busy for a few days and this threads Gone up seven pages
Sorry about your luck with the use tanks i I know I was I have been lucky with both my tanks they have been fairly new I was by new heater so cause I don't trust old ones

Really like those congo Tetras when I get home I'll have to Google them a bit


----------



## Canadian Fish

Nice to see you back Boxer, was getting worried, lol.

Yeah, the Congos are beautiful. Hopefully they don't get the ick or die from the medication. Sigh.

Quick update on the puffers guys. Two of them ate bloodworms today. The first day only one ate. One of them FREAKS out when I feed them and swims up and down in the corner like a lunatic. 
He calms down when I back off. I am only feeding them every other day. 

The Betta is getting more confident. He didn't spend ALL day in his corner. He came out a bit. The house/castle Charlie put in there is hollow, I had no idea. It has a little opening that is maybe 1.5 CM by 1.5 cm, and he swam in there and sat there with his head sticking out! I hate to admit it, but the damn thing was cute. I ran to get my camera but he was alright out when I got back. I am getting as bad as Xeek. 

I have to admit he looks awesome when he flares up and struts his stuff.

Stupid Bettas.


----------



## djembekah

don't fall in love with bettas. they take over your house.


----------



## Canadian Fish

djembekah said:


> don't fall in love with bettas. they take over your house.


Don't worry, like kids to me. One is ok, but I sure as hell don't need more than one.

And I don't like other people's.


----------



## yyankeeyankeefan

that is horrible. ich is the worst! the stores here don't call you to tell you that you may have ich from them.


----------



## SeaHorse

yyankeeyankeefan said:


> the stores here don't call you to tell you that you may have ich from them.


That's cause you have to spend at least $40,000.00 with them in the past year. Or it feels like it at least!! :lol:


----------



## Canadian Fish

Jakiebabie said:


> That's cause you have to spend at least $40,000.00 with them in the past year. Or it feels like it at least!! :lol:


LOL. We're in there so much they know our phone # off by heart from putting it in the computer for our points. 

We've been there 7 days straight. Today was supposed to be the day we didn't have to go, and we had to go twice. This afternoon the manager said, "Well, you'll be in tomorrow won't you? You can test the water for copper"

Um, no. I will not be there tomorrow. Or the next day, lol. We have all the fish we need right now. And the ick has sucked some of the wind out of my sails. 

Our fav girl there wasn't in yesterday when we bought the icky fish. She came in later. Now she's gone to Scotland for 10 days. Maybe we won't go back until she returns. 

Yeah right, lol. I still don't have a Master Test kit so I'll be back before then to check my water parameters.


----------



## boxercrazy156

Glad you got the Clowns sorry about the ick and to treat a tank that size would be pricy did they supply if for free? 

I am treating my 120 gallon right now I saw a white spot the cotton stuff on one of my rainbows yesterday its gone now probably nothing but I treated anyways since I have the scaleless loaches so I have a yellow tank. 

My clowns are really growing they are the such a cool fish Hopefully the black skirt tetras leave yours alone my sister has discus with her 8 loaches and hers hide all the time mine are with the other loaches and rainbows and are always out

my tank is full now with fish so I won't be adding the dennison barbs at this point everyone is growing and it would be too crowded

I am looking for some fish for my 30 gallon though my pleco is sulking because he is by himself now


----------



## Canadian Fish

They gave me the stuff they use in their tanks for free. They make it themselves. But I had to treat the tank for a week, and do a 30% water change every other day, which would be five 70 gallon changes in 7 days.

Screw that. I couldn't find coppersafe, which I used the one and only other time I had ick. Byron recommended it and you only need to use it once and it lasts 30 days. However, I got it at Petsmart last time, and our location doesn't sell it any more. Big Al's doesn't either. But I brought back the free stuff and bought this stuff that they swear is like coppersafe but even safer (who knows if it is true, they're salesmen. My fav fish room girl is gone for 10 days. Her I trust)

This stuff you use once, then once again in 48 hours, and it lasts for 14 days. The bottle was $23 but they charged me $15, I'm even lazier than I am cheap, and I didn't want to do those 5 water changes. I'll test my water in a week and if it needs it I'll do one 25% water change and add 25% of a dose of medication if needed.

It only takes 11 milliliters of this stuff in a 220 gallon tank. It's 1 ml (drop) per 20 gallons. And it comes in a 250 ml container. So if it doesn't go bad, i"ll have enough ick medicine to last a long time.

I love denisons too, but had ruled them out because they are so expensive, and got the congos instead. However this weekend they have marked them down to 13.88 each. They're usually closer to 20. To be honest, if I didn't have the ick, I would be tempted, lol. But the Congos are beautiful. They really shimmer. 

That's amazing that your loaches are growing already! I have never had much luck in getting fish to grow much, even though I use a variety of foods. My Rainbows have grown some, though I've had them since March. I think my balas have grown a little in the last 5 weeks. The rest of my fish, however, not so much. Actually 3 of our harlequins we bought TINY and they have grown some. And 2 guppy fry made it a small size by hiding in the cracks of the driftwood when they were specks. They're still tiny but they're not meal size anymore.

I hope my clowns survive the ick and the medication. One isn't very active but the other 5 are. I have so many hiding spots for them, it took me awhile to find all six and confirm they are alive. 

Your pleco is all by himself? Is he a bristlenose? I can't remember. 

What do you think you'll put in there? We had a lot of fun stocking our 20. They're all little fish, but it is a very active and colorful tank. Our RTS is all alone and he hides a lot which is boring, but he seems to gradually be getting more bold. As he grows, I'm sure he'll be less boring. I worry he doesn't eat enough, as he always hides when I go to put food in the tank. 




boxercrazy156 said:


> Glad you got the Clowns sorry about the ick and to treat a tank that size would be pricy did they supply if for free?
> 
> I am treating my 120 gallon right now I saw a white spot the cotton stuff on one of my rainbows yesterday its gone now probably nothing but I treated anyways since I have the scaleless loaches so I have a yellow tank.
> 
> My clowns are really growing they are the such a cool fish Hopefully the black skirt tetras leave yours alone my sister has discus with her 8 loaches and hers hide all the time mine are with the other loaches and rainbows and are always out
> 
> my tank is full now with fish so I won't be adding the dennison barbs at this point everyone is growing and it would be too crowded
> 
> I am looking for some fish for my 30 gallon though my pleco is sulking because he is by himself now


----------



## Canadian Fish

I added a poll! I should have done that back in May. 

Everybody Rock the Vote!!


----------



## boxercrazy156

Canadian Fish said:


> I added a poll! I should have done that back in May.
> 
> Everybody Rock the Vote!!


Ha it took you months to figure out that and you want us answer that let me think might take a while alreadey have my rainbowfish tank so I would have to choose cichlid or salt water


----------



## boxercrazy156

BTW I bought coopersafe from pets and ponds have some in case of ick


----------



## yyankeeyankeefan

i took the poll. i would put the rainbow fish, and either bristlenose plecos or a giant pleco in there. i would also do something else... idk what...but i like variety! lol.


----------



## boxercrazy156

Canadian Fish said:


> Your pleco is all by himself? Is he a bristlenose? I can't remember.
> 
> .


Yes he is a common pleco and he would reek havoc in the planted 120 so we didn't move him over he has a molly and sword with him but hes doesn't care for them I think he misses the loaches because they were always under him and stuff and he liked their pellets which I still give him


----------



## Canadian Fish

I would love to have a Sailfin Pleco. It's such a shame they can't go in a planted tank. 

Stupid plants, just one more thing to make compatibility that much more complicated. 

They have some awesome plecos in at my Big Al's right now. I can't remember what it's called. It starts with "A". It's black and has white spots. They have a bunch. They're 45 bucks but they're easily 10" already.


----------



## boxercrazy156

Canadian Fish said:


> I would love to have a Sailfin Pleco. It's such a shame they can't go in a planted tank.
> 
> Stupid plants, just one more thing to make compatibility that much more complicated.
> 
> They have some awesome plecos in at my Big Al's right now. I can't remember what it's called. It starts with "A". It's black and has white spots. They have a bunch. They're 45 bucks but they're easily 10" already.


I have attached a picture of Ernie


----------



## Canadian Fish

Nice! I went and looked at him in your aquarium log because I couldn't enlarge the attachment. He's a good looking fish! Do you have lots of algae for him to eat, or does he eat wafers? I had a bristlenose once, before my tanks had algae, and he would not eat wafers. Not even if I put them right under him. 

How long is Ernie now?

Oh yeah, and Discus? She's lucky! Too expensive for us but SO beautiful! How many does she have, and what colors? I think they're the closest you can get to Saltwater colors in a Freshwater tank.

If they weren't so timid, and if you could keep a solitary one, I would keep one. But my super active fish would drive Discus out of their minds.


----------



## boxercrazy156

He eats wafers he gets one s day plus a few shrimp pellets and I put frozen bloodworm for dinner and I think he eats that too there is no algae in that tank he keeps it clean
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Canadian Fish

How big is? He looks huge in the photo, but it's always hard to tell.

I can't believe I forgot to put Discus in the poll.

Discus, anyone??


----------



## boxercrazy156

Canadian Fish said:


> How big is? He looks huge in the photo, but it's always hard to tell.
> 
> I can't believe I forgot to put Discus in the poll.
> 
> Discus, anyone??


Ernie is 9 inches long

and discus is my other choice its down to cichlid or discus

I will try to upload some videos of my sisters 200 gallon with discus onto youtube they are on my ciomputer her loaches all cram into a fish head bubbler its hillarious


----------



## djembekah

you ALSO forgot angelfish. but they lump under cichlids


----------



## Bluydgrl

I'm going to start a Discus tank when I get my 75 gallon
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Canadian Fish

djembekah said:


> you ALSO forgot angelfish. but they lump under cichlids


Meh


----------



## Canadian Fish

Bluydgrl said:


> I'm going to start a Discus tank when I get my 75 gallon
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Can't wait to see that! They're the best looking freshwater fish in my opinion.


----------



## boxercrazy156

My sisters Discus


----------



## Canadian Fish

Love it! What a great combo, Discus and Clowns!! Jealous!


----------



## thekoimaiden

Canadian Fish said:


> How big is? He looks huge in the photo, but it's always hard to tell.
> 
> I can't believe I forgot to put Discus in the poll.
> 
> Discus, anyone??


ME! Totally. Love my goldfish, but they can do fine in a 75 gal or 90 gal. If I'm going that big it will be a show-stopper! 

Although I do love your little clowns! Always wanted some of my own, but now I get to watch yours grow up! Hope they come through the ich okay.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Thanks Koi! Fingers crossed!!


----------



## Boredomb

I voted for others Canadian, I don't know what kinda water you have but I totally think a large school of Black neon tetra would be awesome!


----------



## Bluydgrl

Nice video..Thanks!We have a Blue Diamond Discus where I work and it black instead of blue.The manager said I could have it but there is noway it would survive in my 78 degree temp.The Red Marlboro died already.I have no idea why he would of ever ordered them in.They are in a active tank.Which they shouldn't be in.With Bala's,Columbian Catfish,Clowns,.They just race around him.He hides all the time
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Canadian Fish

Ick Update

Well, all my clowns are still alive this morning. 5 were schooling together nicely. One was six feet away on the opposite side of the tank playing with himself. Well, by himself. ;-)

So far no ick spots on any of the other fish. How long do they usually take to show? 

Yesterday was exhausting, I feel a little better about it today. So far none of the fish show any adverse side effects of the medication. 

Of course, I have to do the final treatment tomorrow afternoon. If the medication is going to bother them, I assume it would be after the second treatment when the concentration of medicine in the tank is doubled.


----------



## yyankeeyankeefan

thekoimaiden said:


> Although I do love your little clowns! Always wanted some of my own, but now I get to watch yours grow up! Hope they come through the ich okay.


i know what you mean! i love the clowns too! i feel for you cf & jodie i do! i remember when we got ich in my son's tank. i just wanted to cry.sometimes it is hard to get rid of. i hate the stuff..... if only it worked like it does in spongebob..... you get ich....and gary comes and cleans it up! that would be sweet!


----------



## Canadian Fish

Hahaha! I have seen that episode. I've probably seen all of them. Charlie was watching them all morning again today. 

Well, hopefully the medication I used takes care of them. I'm worried about it doing more harm than good. Does anyone know how long it usually takes before the white spots show up on the other fish in the tank?




yyankeeyankeefan said:


> i know what you mean! i love the clowns too! i feel for you cf & jodie i do! i remember when we got ich in my son's tank. i just wanted to cry.sometimes it is hard to get rid of. i hate the stuff..... if only it worked like it does in spongebob..... you get ich....and gary comes and cleans it up! that would be sweet!


----------



## yyankeeyankeefan

i think it depends on how bad it is on your clowns and how quickly you treat the ich. keep in mind that when you kill the ich is when it is in the water it'self. before it hides back into the gravel or it's in the fish it'self. 

The tomont may swim for several hours before settling on and attaching to the substrate, a plant, or some other surface. During that time it is susceptible to chemicals and medication will be effective. Once attached, it begins its reproductive stage. It encysts and begins rapidly dividing. At this point, it is again immune to chemicals. Within a few days, hundreds of new organisms burst from the cyst, sprout cilia and start swimming in search of a host.
~ that is in my notes from a website...sorry don't remember what one. lol. i keep a lot of random fish stuff on my sticky notes on my cmp.


----------



## boxercrazy156

Glad they are all okay. All of mine except one have really grown not in length but height they are all rounder love to watch them 

I have a 4 day weekend this weekend and am trying not to buy fish or dog stuff bought a plant today even though I have 23 coming from a guy from kijiji that was placing a wholesale order for hard to find plants and he had to have enough people for the minimum which he did.

Just wasting time at the dealership my car had a recall
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## yyankeeyankeefan

lol anytime i have a couple days i try NOT to go to a store and i not to buy anything online. lol. i would end up with every fish/small animal/ cat supply known to man. lol. i tend to spoil my pets to much!


----------



## Canadian Fish

Holy cow Boxer, 23 plants? What kind are they? Looking forward to seeing what you get!

What kind did you buy today? 

Hooray 4 day weekend!


----------



## boxercrazy156

Aluminum I have one already I heard its not a true aquatic but the one I have looks awesome
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## boxercrazy156

I have to place a big online order today for all my water conditioners and supplements from pets and ponds
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Canadian Fish

I love that place! Next time I have some disposable income I'm going to order some powerheads and filters from them.


----------



## boxercrazy156

Bluydgrl said:


> Nice video..Thanks!We have a Blue Diamond Discus where I work and it black instead of blue.The manager said I could have it but there is noway it would survive in my 78 degree temp.The Red Marlboro died already.I have no idea why he would of ever ordered them in.They are in a active tank.Which they shouldn't be in.With Bala's,Columbian Catfish,Clowns,.They just race around him.He hides all the time
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


When they turn black you have to give them special medicine my sister lost a few she buys special pills for them
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## boxercrazy156

Just voted and it took me back to the first post on this thread "this will be our last tank" lol I think you have bought 3 more since your 125 morphed into a 220
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Canadian Fish

Haha. I know. I need to stop. 

I just saw some dwarf water lettuce on the top of Boredomb's tank and I think it might look good in the 220. It's such a high tank, I think the roots hanging down will look nice, as long as enough light still gets to my other plants.


----------



## twocents

Per poll, 220, I would like rainbow fish and empire gudgeons. 
Also, some blue eyed forktails or similar types.


----------



## twocents

fish tanks accumalate.


----------



## Canadian Fish

twocents said:


> Per poll, 220, I would like rainbow fish and empire gudgeons.
> Also, some blue eyed forktails or similar types.



Wow, those empire gudgeons are beautiful! I just googled them, I don't think I ever saw them before. The blue eyed forktails are crazy looking! I'm surprised I've never seen either at the LFS. Are they usually pricey?


----------



## djembekah

Canadian Fish said:


> Meh


meh you!


----------



## Canadian Fish

Still no signs of spots on any of the other fish, and no deaths so far. 

Saturday afternoon I'll be doing the second treatment.


----------



## djembekah

you need like, a twitter feed that posts directly to your thread


----------



## Canadian Fish

djembekah said:


> you need like, a twitter feed that posts directly to your thread


You crazy kids and your twitter. I'll stick to instant e-mail updates like the rest of the senior citizens. I assumed with your 4,000 + posts you HAD such a feed. 




















Or I could just hang out in chat all day and update everybody in real time. :BIGwinky:


----------



## Canadian Fish

Charlie turned the light on his Betta's tank by himself again this morning, and when the fish flared up he said "Mary Poppins has worms on the back" Cute.

That was a tweet right there, wasn't it? I DO need that.

What I really need is a livestream from my basement. Still waiting on that computer.


----------



## Canadian Fish

* Congo Tetras!*


----------



## Canadian Fish

*Bala Shark!*










*Icky Clown









*


----------



## Canadian Fish

Shame we can't edit our own posts after 20 minutes. 

*20 Gallon Community*


----------



## yyankeeyankeefan

Canadian Fish said:


> Still no signs of spots on any of the other fish, and no deaths so far.
> 
> Saturday afternoon I'll be doing the second treatment.


WOOT! glad that your ich seems to be under control.


----------



## yyankeeyankeefan

love the congo tetras! they are so awesome


----------



## Canadian Fish

yyankeeyankeefan said:


> WOOT! glad that your ich seems to be under control.


We'll see. I have to do the second of two treatments this afternoon.


----------



## yyankeeyankeefan

Canadian Fish said:


> We'll see. I have to do the second of two treatments this afternoon.


i have my fingers crossed for you. you prob caught it quick enough.


----------



## Canadian Fish

*Pearl Gourami








 

Peacock Eel 








 

Leopard Bush Fish 








 

African Dwarf Frog 








 

Dwarf Puffer Fish 








 








 

Rainbow Fish 








 

Silver Dollars 








 

Bristlenose 








 

Betta Doing Absolutely Nothing 








*


----------



## Canadian Fish

Just put the second and final dose of medicine in the 220. Here's praying the treatment doesn't do more harm than good to the loaches and plants.

Tweet Tweet

That Betta gif could be a jpg for all the action that is going on. Yawn.


----------



## boxercrazy156

good luck I have never lad fish die when treating for anything


----------



## Canadian Fish

Tonight all 3 of my dwarf puffers ate for the first time. I feed them blood worms every other day. The first time 1 ate, the second time 2 did, this time all 3 did. They were piggies too! I am relieved.


----------



## boxercrazy156

Canadian Fish said:


> Tonight all 3 of my dwarf puffers ate for the first time. I feed them blood worms every other day. The first time 1 ate, the second time 2 did, this time all 3 did. They were piggies too! I am relieved.


Yeah do you feed bloodworm to all your fish I feed bloodworm to all my fish everynight


----------



## Canadian Fish

All your fish every night? Wow. I'm too lazy. I put them in my Silver Dollar tank once or twice a week. I used to do it more but Byron suggested I do it less. My Rainbows get them once a week if they're lucky. The puffers every other day. 

Well, just checked on the fish in the 220, as I did the second dose of medication today. 

All the fish, including the loaches, seem to be acting normal, EXCEPT THE BALAS, which I thought was weird. They're all hanging out in the upper corners of the tank. Strange. The Congos, Skirts and Clowns are swimming around business as usual.


----------



## boxercrazy156

Canadian Fish said:


> All your fish every night? Wow. I'm too lazy. I put them in my Silver Dollar tank once or twice a week. I used to do it more but Byron suggested I do it less. My Rainbows get them once a week if they're lucky. The puffers every other day.
> 
> .


I don't have as many tanks as you do though I was told by my lfs to do flakes/pellets in the morning and bloodworm or brine shrimp in the evening because my loaches weren't growing the queens especially so I have for quite some time now my sister only feeds bloodworm or brine live and frozen shrimp I found that when I fed the brine shrimp that they would poop it out undigested and then eat the poop again so I don't give it that often


----------



## Canadian Fish

Gross!! (The eating the poop bit) 

I started feeding my Silver Dollar tank more than once a day (not every day) and my nitrates started going up, Now I only feed any of them once a day. How often and large are your water changes? Probably bigger and more frequent than me. 

Man, if my Balas die tonight I am going to be really pissed. Hopefully they're just being weirdos.


----------



## thekoimaiden

For only having a point and shoot camera, you've gotten some nice photos of the congo tetra! Hope everything is okay with the Balas.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Thanks Koi! It used to take half decent pics but Charlie messed it all up. It's a miracle I got those pics of the Congos. Usually I just make videos of everything because they turn out better.

God willing the balas are just goofing off.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Just checked and they seem ok now.


----------



## Canadian Fish

All Balas and Tetras accounted for this morning. Balas still appear to be back to normal. 

Only counted 3 of the 6 clowns, but that is not unusual, as there are many hiding spots. The 3 I did see seemed to be acting normally. Didn't see any dead ones. 

So far I haven't noticed any spots on any of the Tetras or Balas.


----------



## yyankeeyankeefan

Awesome. I bet you are happy. No deaths is always a good thing. If something dies in your tank from the iChat that the store gave you, will teu replace it?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Canadian Fish

No, I wouldn't even ask. That's what I get for being to lazy to QT.

Took me a second to figure out iChat was Ich, lol. 

If I don't see all the clowns later I will move the decorations around with the claw. I did that the other day and it's a big job. 

I saw my Betta swimming around this morning, so he must be getting adjusted. The Puffers are awesome and swim out to the front of the tank when anyone approaches. They appreciate the busy kitchen much more than Mary Poppins does. I need some names for them. Jodie has been remiss in her naming of the fish.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Just located the two missing clown loaches. One of them died. I found him face down in the middle of an amazon sword. He was pretty well hidden, held straight up and down between the stems. 

The other one is alive but is spending all his time playing around the 12" air stone. At first I thought he was dead, but then he started swimming around. He stays close to the air stone though, when he's not on it. Perhaps he isn't feeling well either. 

The other four have been schooling normally all day. 

The Tetras and Balas are all accounted for. So far no signs of spots on any of them, and they all seem to be swimming normally, no ill effects from the medication that I can tell. The Balas have not repeated their strange behavior of last night.


----------



## Reefing Madness

Please elaborate in Thread:
SALT WATER TANK!!!


----------



## Canadian Fish

I put the Saltwater option just for you! I made it the second option! I was surprised no one voted for it yet.


----------



## yyankeeyankeefan

*auto correct sucks!*



Canadian Fish said:


> No, I wouldn't even ask. That's what I get for being to lazy to QT.
> 
> Took me a second to figure out iChat was Ich, lol.
> 
> If I don't see all the clowns later I will move the decorations around with the claw. I did that the other day and it's a big job.
> 
> I saw my Betta swimming around this morning, so he must be getting adjusted. The Puffers are awesome and swim out to the front of the tank when anyone approaches. They appreciate the busy kitchen much more than Mary Poppins does. I need some names for them. Jodie has been remiss in her naming of the fish.


i am sorry. lol. i was using my ipod. dang auto correct! teaches me to use my ipod


----------



## yyankeeyankeefan

Canadian Fish said:


> Just located the two missing clown loaches. One of them died. I found him face down in the middle of an amazon sword. He was pretty well hidden, held straight up and down between the stems.
> 
> The other one is alive but is spending all his time playing around the 12" air stone. At first I thought he was dead, but then he started swimming around. He stays close to the air stone though, when he's not on it. Perhaps he isn't feeling well either.
> 
> The other four have been schooling normally all day.
> 
> The Tetras and Balas are all accounted for. So far no signs of spots on any of them, and they all seem to be swimming normally, no ill effects from the medication that I can tell. The Balas have not repeated their strange behavior of last night.


i am sorry one of your clowns didn't make it


----------



## boxercrazy156

Sorry one of your clowns died


----------



## djembekah

oh bummer! are you going to replace that clown when the ich is gone?


----------



## Canadian Fish

Thanks guys. Found another one dead this morning. Stuck to the filter intake. 

None of the remaining four were visible. We moved around the driftwood and caves and three of them came out. We haven't found the fourth. I couldn't see him in any of the plants, and we lifted all the decorations. The only place I think he could be is the big hollow cichlid stone. I lifted it and moved it around and nothing came out. One could be alive or dead in there. 

The remaining three have a lot of ich spots on them. So far no spots on any of the other fish. 

If any of the clowns survive I'll replace the ones who died, because they like being in groups.


----------



## boxercrazy156

Are you keeping them to take them back that sucks after all this time waiting for them I never saw all six of mine at the beginning but now do they are a bit shy and semi aggressive fish will make them hide
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## SeaHorse

CF I'm so sorry to hear of these troubles and the fish that have died. I expect that Big Al's will step in at the end and replace these for you. My hope at least. 

It is very discouraging to say the least. Hang in there. We are here for you, keep us posted.


----------



## yyankeeyankeefan

yeah i would take them back. the clown fish are the original ich fish anyways. and even if you had qted them they would still have had ich. i am sorry you have waited so long for these awesome fish and are having this issue. you will be ok and get this under control. i am surprised that there is so much ich still in your tank. maybe this med isn't working? how many doses have you done now?


----------



## Canadian Fish

I. pretty sure they're all dead now. Jodie removed another dead one this morning, which brings the total to four. Two are missing, I will look for them again later. I assume they are dead. 

The store might replace them or or give me 50% credit as per their return policy. Though I through them out in the trash and did not keep the bodies. 

I hope the medication had some effect, as I do not want my other fish to come down with it. The carbon in my filters was over a month old so I assume it was inactive and did not kill the medicine. I should go in and test the copper levels of my water (or whatever it is they test) but I haven't been in since I had two go twice in one day for the medicine. 

Been a frustrating and tiring week.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Balas showing signs of ich this morning. Going to get my water tested at the LFS to see if the copper levels are where they should be from the medicine.


----------



## Byron

Sorry to hear of the loach losses. This is not unusual, sadly; loaches are highly sensitive fish, and the clown particularly so when it comes to ich which usually hits them very hard. Many aquarists have never had clowns recover.

My advice would be to not get any loaches, whatever species, until the tank is well matured--meaning, about 2-3 months after everything has returned to normal. This will reduce the initial stress somewhat, and ich is caused by stress as we now know. Why some species are much more prone to ich and some others will never get it is something I can't explain.

I wouldn't worry over copper levels, provided you do not overdose the medications. One thing I will suggest though, is do not use liquid fertilizers like Flourish during treatments with copper. I have found that the additional copper will harm plants.

Byron.


----------



## twocents

Canadien: sorry this takes a while. I sometimes do not check in for a day or two. 
There is a fellow here on Long Island that I can pick them up (when he has them in stock). The last batch of Empire Gudgeons I bought online. The empires are hard to find: try Franks Aquarium in Lindenhurst. I am going to continue to search for the place I bought the empires from (the other store). I think 'liveaquaria.com' might have been the place I got them the second time.
Oddballfish.com sell other types of gudgeons and the forktails.
another possibility: http://www.aquariumfish.net/pages/price_list.htm


----------



## djembekah

that sucks matt :/ sorry you lost them all


----------



## yyankeeyankeefan

oh no! i am so sorry canadian! maybe removing your carbon just to be safe. that way you know that it is not interfering.


----------



## thekoimaiden

D: Oh my gosh, Matt! I'm so sorry for this latest development. I really really hope the balas don't succumb to ich, too. Please keep us updated. Wishing you the best!


----------



## boxercrazy156

Fingers crossed your Balas are ok
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Canadian Fish

My concern with the medication was that it might be under dosed, and not killing the ich. I got my copper tested today and it was lower than I would have expected. The medicine calls for .25 ppm in freshwater and I was lower than that. So I added another dose when I got home. 

The water in the dwarf puffer tank showed no trace of ammonia or nitrites, so I guess the media from the established tank worked. The are entertaining fish.

Edit: Didn't see the messages on this page.

Thanks guys. I am not super happy some of the Balas are showing spots. I removed the carbon from my aquaclear and added another dose. I am going to go in Thursday and test my copper. If it is still low I'll take apart the canister and remove the carbon from there. As some of you know I had disastrous results the last time I messed with the canister.


----------



## twocents

sorry about the ich and the losses. I do miss a lot...
I agree: wait until the ich passes and give it time to settle...


----------



## MellC

A natural looking tank is so beautiful looking if done right. I have that log in your big tank lol.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Found a dead Bala this morning. This surprised me because they just started showing spots yesterday and they only have a couple, not covered like the clowns were. 

Things are not looking good in the 220 Gallon Tank of Death. We're pretty discouraged.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Another dead Bala. Again, barely showing signs of Ick. My "dream" aquarium is turning into my nightmare aquarium. 

Those poor Balas were beautiful fish, they got along with everyone in my 55 gallon silver dollar tank, were always active and never shied away from the glass when I approached. 

I've got an appointment this afternoon and afterwards I'm going to try and get to the LFS to test the copper levels in my water. 

God help me, my Congos are probably next.


----------



## yyankeeyankeefan

Canadian Fish said:


> Found a dead Bala this morning. This surprised me because they just started showing spots yesterday and they only have a couple, not covered like the clowns were.
> 
> Things are not looking good in the 220 Gallon Tank of Death. We're pretty discouraged.


oh no! i am sorry that your tank is turning out this way. don't be to discouraged. we are here for support


----------



## boxercrazy156

Oh so sorry to hear this are there any clowns left alive?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Canadian Fish

Nope. The clowns all died first, then the Balas started dying. The Balas started dying one day after ick spots first appeared. 

I REALLY hope the large Congos don't get sick.


----------



## Byron

I am no expert on fish disease or treatments, far from it, but one thing I have learned the hard way--by losing half a tank of rare fish--is to be very careful with medications. Regardless of what any manufacturer tells you, be they Seachem or API or Kordon, whomever, not all fish can tolerate these medications.

I've forgotten the specific product you (Matt) mentioned, but I recall I had misgivings with the loaches.

And I would suggest that it is more likely to be the treatment rather than ich that is causing the fish deaths now. Ich has to be very bad before fish will die so soon from it. When I have lost fish to ich, they have literally been covered with spots.

Ich is always present in our tanks, always. It breaks out when the fish become stressed. Normally, they can fight it off. Adding any medication to a tank is stressful, another reason why one has to be very careful with treatments.

If I were in this situation, I would do a major water change using warmer water, and get the temp up to 85F.

Byron.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Just got back from LFS and the copper in my water is .25 ppm which is what the medication manufacturer recommends. So the carbon isn't a active and killing my meds. 

I was worried about the meds killing the fish. I was told to watch for signs the fish were in distress, having trouble swimming, listing to one side, etc. The Balas seemed perfectly normal until they were dead. 

I thought maybe the problem was when I tested the water yesterday the copper was only at .125 ppm which is half of what the company recommends, so I added another dose to bring it up to .25

Perhaps that is what killed my Balas, adding the meds. Or maybe they died because they were UNDER medicated so the ick wasn't being killed? 

My water temp is at 80 F right now. I will continue to raise it and will do a water change. 

My water parameters were perfect, 0 ammonia and nitrites and 5 nitrates, which is where I try to keep my tanks. Unfortunately that is little consolation when my fish are dying left and right. Time to go and do a head count.


----------



## Jodie Wan Kanoby

oh my cod its so lame i cant hang out in the chat room with the cool kids


----------



## twocents

I am so sorry Canadien. Don't give up on the tank. Buy an API liquid water test kit, buy any other liquids not covered in the master kit (not many) and post the results. Someone here might be able to help.
I don't know if moving the fish back to a smaller 'hospital' tank would do well at this point, just more stress.


----------



## djembekah

post more jodieeeee


----------



## Jodie Wan Kanoby

Me and the boy got sucked into watching gif bin. So he had to take a running step jump off scooby doo's head and jump on to the roof of his house. Monkey see monkey do.


----------



## yyankeeyankeefan

Jodie Wan Kanoby said:


> Me and the boy got sucked into watching gif bin. So he had to take a running step jump off scooby doo's head and jump on to the roof of his house. Monkey see monkey do.


10 more posts and you can come into the chat room with us! wooters


----------



## SeaHorse

Jodie Wan Kanoby said:


> Me and the boy got sucked into watching gif bin. So he had to take a running step jump off scooby doo's head and jump on to the roof of his house. Monkey see monkey do.


Did he hurt himself? Your little guy? omg :shock:

Don't let Matt post any more.... has to be you to get your totals. Sorry you got caught in that. Gotta get your posts. Go comment on Matt's thread.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Jakiebabie said:


> Did he hurt himself? Your little guy? omg :shock:
> 
> Don't let Matt post any more.... has to be you to get your totals. Sorry you got caught in that. Gotta get your posts. Go comment on Matt's thread.


Naw, he never hurt himself. He's tough as nails. 

Saw some ick spots on some of the Black Skirts today. Nothing on the Congos yet.


----------



## Jodie Wan Kanoby

ill be so bitter if the congos get the ick too. My poor babies.  I just want them to be better.


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## SeaHorse

I know this is sickening for us.... I can only imagine what you guys are going thru.


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## yyankeeyankeefan

Canadian Fish said:


> Naw, he never hurt himself. He's tough as nails.
> 
> Saw some ick spots on some of the Black Skirts today. Nothing on the Congos yet.


at least that is two bits of good news. little man is toddler level invincible and so far good with your congos


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## yyankeeyankeefan

Jodie Wan Kanoby said:


> ill be so bitter if the congos get the ick too. My poor babies.  I just want them to be better.


i know how you feel jodie. your congos are so beautiful.


----------



## SeaHorse

Aren't you glad that toddlers bounce and bend rather than us old guys who snap... literally. 
I used to say of my son... "If he makes to 3..." "If he makes it to 4..." I am happy to announce he is 21 and graduated from Police Foundations College course.


----------



## thekoimaiden

Oh my god, Matt and Jodie. I'm so sorry. It's heartbreaking to hear the balas are gone now, too. Those congos are gorgeous. I do hope they can pull through.


----------



## SeaHorse

I'm sorry.... I'm confused.... did you loose ALL the Bala's too???????


----------



## Canadian Fish

No, only 2. 3 are still alive but showing signs of ick.


----------



## yyankeeyankeefan

Canadian Fish said:


> No, only 2. 3 are still alive but showing signs of ick.


oh i thought you lost all of them too. glad you still have 3. lets hope they are able to fight this.


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## thekoimaiden

I'm glad to here that three are still alive. I thought they were all gone, too. Still saddening that they are dying.


----------



## boxercrazy156

are you raising your temperature up at all? I heard it speeds the cycle up and get the ich out quicker

I also have a uv sterilizer for that reason when I put my 120 gallon together the big hold up was tryiing to hook up our uv sterilizer it was a nightmare but glad I have it now


----------



## Canadian Fish

I have raised my temperature to 27 C, around 80 F. 

This is up from the 25 I usually keep it. The temp is still rising gradually.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Well, we had no fish deaths last night. All fish accounted for this morning. Still no sign of ick on the congo tetras. The ick on the Balas hasn't gotten any worse, still just a couple of spots. 

Jodie wants to set up a 10 gallon tank with a pair of hermit crabs. I'll have to read up on them. We have an empty 10 gallon and they have hermit crabs at our LFS.


----------



## SeaHorse

Hey guys... how is the count this morning? How are things? 
I've been thinking..... in light of the amount of money in gas alone you have spent, I personally think, and I know members will agree with me, the next $50 bucks goes to a testing kit of your own. It's not hard to do, just counting the number of drops added to the tubes and shaking the bottles/tubes. And I highly advise if you are not already doing it to keep a little calender by this tank or each tank. A journal of additions/changes/purchases/costs and losses. There are logs in here too but I have not used them... when I'm working on my tanks I'm not signed on here. And I'm more hands on and visual in how I work, not the teki sort. (I am a Treki tho, lol)

Let us know if you do make the move to self monitoring the numbers, there are some tips you need. JB


----------



## Bluydgrl

Good to hear there was no deaths this am...You should get Firebelly Newts.They are so cute.We just got them in where I work.One of the workers put them in with the Albino clawed frogs...Duh!One of the frogs ate off one of the Newts legs..I moved them real quick
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Bluydgrl

API test kits are around $20 online compared to $30-32 in stores
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## yyankeeyankeefan

so glad the congos are still ok and you have not lost any fish. at least one good morning is always great!


----------



## SeaHorse

Bluydgrl said:


> API test kits are around $20 online compared to $30-32 in stores
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


That's good to know... but we also have HST at 13% on EVERYTHING!!! Grrrrrr! and then shipping. Maybe if you are ordering other stuff too to save the shipping if you meet the minimums. Wonder what petsandponds.com up in Orillia charge. 
CF, you and I were posting at the same time this morning so my question looks silly!


----------



## Bluydgrl

EBay and Amazon have free shipping sometimes
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## yyankeeyankeefan

I bought mine on eBay for 22 free ship
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Bluydgrl

Nice
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## boxercrazy156

Pets and ponds are cheaper then big ALS for sure I buy all my supplies there just placed a $227.00 order there on Friday buy all my filter media there too got it on Tuesday with free shipping buy stuff on eBay too though

Matt glad you have no more deaths 

Question for all do you quarantine new plants
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Canadian Fish

Yeah, Pets and Ponds is great, especially if you need $200 worth of stuff, as then shipping is free.

Master Kits aren't expensive (though EBay and Amazon typically charge shipping to Canada), but the girl at our store is better at interpreting the colors than I am. The differences can be subtle and they all look the same to me. 

The last couple of times was for copper, which of course the master kit doesn't cover. 

But we will pick one up, we keep saying it would be nice to have one. With the exception of that one week when the nitrates went up in the Silver Dollar tank, my tanks usually vary between 5 and 15 ppm Nitrate with no ammonia or nitrites. 

It would have been really nice to have had the kit when the 220 was cycling. 

Hopefully my fish are done dying for now, and the medicine will do its job.


----------



## twocents

Good, good no fishy deaths today. Keep your fingers crossed, you may well have turned a corner. Byron had about the best advice yet. The meds may well have been an insult.
The reason for raising the temp is (I think if I remember) is that higher temps speeds the ich cycle up so the meds can kill them quicker at whatever particular stage they are designed to be lethal.
If there are no more deaths, I would not add any more fish for quite a while, and then, only do a few fish at a time. This gives the biosphere in there a chance to adjust.
Myself, when I start a new tank, the only fish I add at the first are platys or swordtails. They are commonly available, hearty fish (usually). Adding fish, recommended to only do a few at a time, 2, 3, maybe 4 depending on the size of the tank. 
Please keep us posted on this. I certainly hope no more die.


----------



## SeaHorse

Oh CF... I learned something at Big Al's this week. I asked if they ever get in the Leopard Bush fish in your pic... Yes occasionally, but he did say they have a hinged jaw so when he gets bigger he is quite capable of eating the Adult Congo Tetras. :shock: Did you know that? Of course the Congos are more "fins" than the Silver Dollars he is with right now right?


----------



## Canadian Fish

The Bush Fish does have a cool mouth/eating method. It was one of the things that I liked about it. However they have a full grown one at my Big Al's and there is no way he could eat a full size Congo. 
This is from the onsite profile:

"this is a predatory species and it can swallow fish up to 1/3 of its own size". The Congos are more like 2/3 when they are full grown. 

This is from another profile from a site I trust, they actually mention Congos as suitable tankmates:

"It’s quite slow growing though, and it can take several years to reach anything like this size. 6″ (15cm) is considered a good size for captive fish.

Not particularly aggressive but is predatory and will eat small fish. Ideal tankmates include other species from the same region. Shoals of congo tetras, _Phenacogrammus interruptus_, yellowtail congo tetras _Alestopetersius caudalis_ and _Barbus_ species, along with catfish such as _Synodontis flavitaeniatus_ or _schoutedini_ make good tankmates. You could also try it with other oddballs, such as the smaller species of _Polypterus_ or the African butterfly fish, _Pantodon buchholzi_. Don’t keep it with anything too large or aggressive as it has a rather shy, retiring character."

Congos are typically 3.5" I think one of mine might be slightly larger than that already. Of course, it's not in a tank with Congos, and if it was in that tank, the Black Skirts would be in trouble long before the Congos. 

However the Serpae Tetras are with him, and will have to be moved if they are still in that tank in a couple of years when the leopard fish has grown. They'll be food for sure once he's big enough. The bleeding hearts, if they grow faster than the bush fish, might be ok. If not they'll have to be moved too. 

Right now the leopard bush is so small his mouth doesn't open enough to eat a neon. More like a blood worm. 

Still no dead fish today, no additional spots and none of the fish seemed distressed.


----------



## Bluydgrl

You can also buy Cooper API liquid tests along with the API test kit.They just are sold separately.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## SeaHorse

Awesome on the 220. Good to know on the Leopard. I guess the lesson as usual is....
Don't listen to LFS staff. hahaha.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Their mouths do open surprisingly wide. A mature one could gobble up a full grown serpae tetra in one gulp. There are some cool youtube videos of them feeding.

They still have some of the ones from when I bought mine, they're surprisingly selling very slowly. I think they still have the full grown one too, and they had him when I bought my little one.


----------



## thekoimaiden

So glad to hear there were no new spots or deaths today! Maybe things have turned around!


----------



## Jodie Wan Kanoby

Still no deaths!! Yea positive thinking!! I am excited for the morning head count.


----------



## yyankeeyankeefan

Jodie Wan Kanoby said:


> Still no deaths!! Yea positive thinking!! I am excited for the morning head count.


it's funny. it's not my tank but every time i hear an update i feel like it is. lol. reading along here with you guys. :welldone::blueyay:


----------



## Canadian Fish

The New Arrivals for my LFS this week. Large Clown Loaches! You buggers! The ones they have are COVERED in ick, and tiny, so maybe they got some nice big ones, ick free, from someone? ARGH. Lord, why do you mock me??


----------



## yyankeeyankeefan

Canadian Fish said:


> The New Arrivals for my LFS this week. Large Clown Loaches! You buggers! The ones they have are COVERED in ick, and tiny, so maybe they got some nice big ones, ick free, from someone? ARGH. Lord, why do you mock me??


maybe you can get some and QT them. in a couple weeks your tank should *crosses fingers* be back to normal. then you could try the clowns again.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Naw, I'm going to wait until the tank has aged some before trying clowns again.


----------



## Canadian Fish

I have GOT to get a lighter background for this tank. When the RTS is swimming around, he blends completely into the background and doesn't show on camera. The only time you can see him is against the ugly substrate.


----------



## yyankeeyankeefan

he looks so tiny! cute! i need to find a piece of driftwood that size and shape!


----------



## boxercrazy156

When I was on my Clown loach hunt I went to this store in Peterborough called Red Fish Blue Fish it used to specialize in Salt Water aquariums now its a African Cichlid store the website was awesome had all kinds of deals on it like different aquariums and additive so one night I drove up there since I wanted to go to the PJ's Pet there and Petarama anyways when I got there it was a tiny store with nothing in it everything was catalogue order he told me he could go to wholesalers and get me what I wanted plants fish etc, I told him that I wanted Clown Loaches he told me that they were the worst fish ever for disease and that all of them come with internal parasites that no matter what If I bought them they should be treated. I ended up buying my loaches that night from pjs with the Bosemani Rainbows they came in the same tank and had been there for a long time this store has a really good reputation for having a good fish guy and knowing how long fish had been there. When stores bring fish in for sales I get really nervous now even more so then ever I have never had ich in my aquariums not sure if its from the uv sterilizers both my tanks have them I always add a slime coat when adding fish also

OK needed a fish break from the newsletter for Boxer Rescue I am working on


----------



## Canadian Fish

Shortly after I bought the clowns the store noticed ick on the remaining ones. Had I only waited a day, lol. Pain in the butt. Hopefully the dying has stopped.

Finally caught the Betta on camera, actually moving for a change.


----------



## boxercrazy156

wow orange and purple and red thats a nice looking Betta I had 3 in the tank at work 2 died now I just have one of the females that does nothing but hide all the time we had 1 male and 2 females I would llike one of the giant males


----------



## Canadian Fish

Charlie sits right in front of the tank when we're cooking just waiting for a chance to push the start button on the microwave or do some stirring. The Betta is just getting to the point where he doesn't hide as soon as Charlie jumps up there.


----------



## yyankeeyankeefan

To cute. How is Charlie liking having his own fish?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Canadian Fish

Good! He's a fan! He likes to turn the light on and off himself. 

I was feeding the puffers bloodworms and he REALLY wanted to give Mary Poppins one, but they're too messy and allergy laden for him to handle just yet. 

I need to buy some Betta food next time I'm at the LFS. I've been feeding him Spectrum pellets. 

I just woke up and haven't been down to the basement yet, but Jodie said there are still 3 Balas and 3 large Congos, and she thinks everyone else is accounted for too. So it has been over 48 since a fish has died. 

That's great news! 

They got a bunch of weather loaches in at the LFS. I wanted to add 3 to my Silver Dollar tank or my Rainbowfish tank, but aquadvisor says I'll be way overstocked. LAME. There are no bottom feeders in my Silver Dollar tank anymore.


----------



## boxercrazy156

Yeah!!!! No fishy deaths
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Bluydgrl

Just know that Weather Loaches need the temp from 70-75.They are cool water Loaches.I have 2 and need to Rehome them because of it.They can grow up to 12".
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Canadian Fish

Bluydgrl said:


> Just know that Weather Loaches need the temp from 70-75.They are cool water Loaches.I have 2 and need to Rehome them because of it.They can grow up to 12".
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


According to the profile on site, and at loaches.com, they can tolerate up to 77 F, which is 25 C. My Silver Dollar tank hovers between 24 and 25 C. 

My Rainbowfish tank is set at 25 C and only increases during the really hot days of summer. I looked at keeping Dojos and Weathers in my cold water Ryukin tank, when I had one, but it was too small, only 36". Since then I have heard from many people who have successfully kept them with tropical fish. 

I love how they react to barometric pressure! One day, when it's not a death tank, I'll be able to add some to the 220. They have tanks full of them now at the LFS so it would have been nice if there would have been room in one of my 55s.


----------



## Byron

Canadian Fish said:


> According to the profile on site, and at loaches.com, they can tolerate up to 77 F, which is 25 C. My Silver Dollar tank hovers between 24 and 25 C.
> 
> My Rainbowfish tank is set at 25 C and only increases during the really hot days of summer. I looked at keeping Dojos and Weathers in my cold water Ryukin tank, when I had one, but it was too small, only 36". Since then I have heard from many people who have successfully kept them with tropical fish.
> 
> I love how they react to barometric pressure! One day, when it's not a death tank, I'll be able to add some to the 220. They have tanks full of them now at the LFS so it would have been nice if there would have been room in one of my 55s.


Here's another profile that requires revision.

This is a highly social fish, and a group of no less than 3 is advisable. But other substrate fish should not be included, so not with clown loaches. Upper fish are fine if they are largish, as the Dojo or Weather Loach will eat very small fish. It needs a sand or very fine gravel substrate in order to bury itself.

As for temperature, it should not be kept above the low 70's. This is a cold water species. And while it can tolerate periods of warmth in the mid to high-70's F it should not be maintained at these temperatures. Doing so will stress the fish, weaken it's internal physiology, and lead to a shorter lifespan. Summer heat increases are fine, but a constant year-round warm aquarium is not.

Byron.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Well, all the fish are accounted for. No signs of ick on the Congos. The Balas have a couple spots each at most. A couple of Black Skirts showed some spots a couple of days ago but it has not spread to the majority of them and the one or two that do show, only have a couple of spots. 

No deaths and no new spots in over 48 hours now. Maybe the worst is behind us.

Thanks for the clarification on the weather loaches Byron!


----------



## Bluydgrl

Canadian Fish said:


> According to the profile on site, and at loaches.com, they can tolerate up to 77 F, which is 25 C. My Silver Dollar tank hovers between 24 and 25 C.
> 
> My Rainbowfish tank is set at 25 C and only increases during the really hot days of summer. I looked at keeping Dojos and Weathers in my cold water Ryukin tank, when I had one, but it was too small, only 36". Since then I have heard from many people who have successfully kept them with tropical fish
> 
> Mine are Dojo's...Thought they were the same.I love Loaches!I have a Sumo Loach.He is so cute
> 
> I love how they react to barometric pressure! One day, when it's not a death tank, I'll be able to add some to the 220. They have tanks full of them now at the LFS so it would have been nice if there would have been room in one of my 55s.


_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## yyankeeyankeefan

awesome news canadian!!! i am so happy for you guys right now.


----------



## Canadian Fish

We're cautiously optimistic. 

So far so good but we know we're not out of the woods yet.


----------



## thekoimaiden

So glad to hear there have been no deaths in the past day! I may not be on very much this week, but I'll be sure to check this thread when I am! Looking forward to more good news.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Thanks koi! Have a great weekend!

We were downstairs a little while ago and I could only see two Balas, but Jodie spotted the third in the cave on the left of the tank under the big driftwood. Eventually he swam out and joined the others.


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## Canadian Fish

No deaths again today, and no new signs of spots. No deaths or new symptoms in over 72 hours now. What a relief. 

Took Charlie to the Santa Claus parade this morning. It was COLD. We almost missed it, they have it so darn early (in the year, not the day, lol) that I'm never expecting it. It was the first one he has seen. Jodie got home from work this morning and told us it was today, and it started in an hour so I just dressed him, grabbed a snack and threw him in the car. He was really good. As soon as we got home I went downstairs and counted the fish. 

Before I realized what he was up to he went upstairs and woke up his mom to tell her he saw Santa Claus.


----------



## Bluydgrl

Awwww.....how cute
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## boxercrazy156

A big day for Charlie I can see why he wanted to tell Jodie My daughter works straight nights too she is in the health care field too they just got their puppy last weekend and she is home alone this weekend and working a night shift all weekend he hasn't been sleeping all the way thru the night so I hope the neighbours weren't up all night

Glad it looks like the worst is over and no more fishy deaths!!

I got my order and was going thru it today and instead of a 2 litre bottle of Flourish Excel I ordered Flourish Nitrogen which I don't use my daughter lives in Barrie and has to go thru Oriillia on her way home I am hoping when she comes up next weekend she can take it with her and exchange it.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Lol. When our neighbor first got his puppy a few years ago, when always knew when they would go out and leave him. 

Hopefully you can get your Flourish exchanged. 

Charlie is passed out on the couch, sitting up. This morning wore him out.


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## yyankeeyankeefan

1st. congrats for the no deaths.... i am super happy to hear that. 
2nd. YAY FOR CHARLIE! i know he must have been super happy to see all of that. though it is CRAZY early for that. couldn't they a little longer? thank god thanksgiving is on the 22nd. i think any parade before then would be just WAY to early. lol.
3rd. sorry for jodie. i know she had to be just dead tired. though i am sure she enjoyed hearing him tell her about all his excitement! 
4th. i can't believe that your son still takes naps. lol. mine doesnt! lol. what i would give for a day when they did!


----------



## Canadian Fish

Well, it is always something. Charlie turned off our freezer, unbeknownst to us, and thawed all our food. So now we have to cook a ton of food that cannot be refrozen. The freezer is ancient but I think I have coaxed it back on. 

ARGH! Charlie!


----------



## yyankeeyankeefan

OH NO! that stinks! good luck on getting it all cooked up. kids never let you enjoy something very long. lol. it's like they have a 6th sense that something hasn't gone wrong yet. lol.


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## Jodie Wan Kanoby

im just glad that he opened the freezer in time, before it all went bad. Yea!!! No Dead Fish!


----------



## twocents

fishies seem to be hanging in there.. very good.


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## djembekah

oh charlie lol


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## SeaHorse

boxercrazy156 said:


> my daughter lives in Barrie and has to go thru Oriillia on her way home I am hoping when she comes up next weekend she can take it with her and exchange it.


Well isn't that funny..... my daughter lives in Barrie too! I'm half way either way I go... Newmarket and north, or to Orillia and west. Grrrrrrr. 

Glad to hear there are no more fish deaths. CF and JWK


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## boxercrazy156

Jakiebabie said:


> Well isn't that funny..... my daughter lives in Barrie too! I'm half way either way I go... Newmarket and north, or to Orillia and west. Grrrrrrr.
> 
> Glad to hear there are no more fish deaths. CF and JWK


im near Port Perry so Orillia is a bit faster for me


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## Canadian Fish

Well, no new deaths today, no signs of ick. Hopefully on the road to recovery. 

I worry about the Balas. Two of them have rough looking tail fins. I have never seen the black skirts nip at them, but I've seen them nip at each other. Maybe they turn it on the Balas after the lights go out? 

I never saw any problem with their fins before the ick and medication. I'm hoping they didn't come down with fin rot when their immune systems were down. 

None of my fish have ever had fin rot before, so I don't know what it looks like. I'll try to get some photos later. 

Charlie got a video from Santa today, telling him he hadn't made it to the nice list yet and he'd better start listening to mom and dad. He didn't like that. Santa also sent a message on his birthday. For all you parents out there, portable north pole lets you create custom videos from Santa complete with pics you can upload. Charlie loves it. He watched his birthday one over and over. It's free. 

The poor Balas. They had such a good life before the Clowns came along. They really seems to like their new home in the 220. They LOVE that big piece of driftwood.


----------



## Canadian Fish

As I mentioned in Boredomb's Puffer thread, my "dwarf puffers" turned out to be Amazon puffers. Which aren't appropriate for the brand new 10 gallon kit I just bought and set up specifically for those fish. Well, the LFS got some actual pea puffers a week later.

So I'm moving the Amazon Puffers to a 35 gallon tank, and buying 3 of the pea puffers for the 10 gallon, so it wasn't a waste buying the 10 gallon kit, as I got what I wanted anyway. They're holding 3 of the pea puffers for me until we're in there tomorrow. Get the water tested while I'm there, see what my copper is at in the 220.

Gotta pick up some flake food and frozen bloodworms while we're there. 

What kind of food do you guys feed your fish? 

I need to get some sort of Betta food and have no idea what is best for them. 

I feed the rest of my fish Tetra Tropical Crisps, Spectrum Thera +A 1mm sinking pellets (one or the other, not both the same day), Omega One Shrimp Pellets for the corys and loaches. Not every day and not when I feed the spectrum pellets. Also frozen bloodworms every other day for my puffers, and occasionally in my silver dollar tank for the African Dwarf Frog (and the SD's love 'em) and once in a while in my Rainbowfish tank for a treat.


----------



## yyankeeyankeefan

Canadian Fish said:


> As I mentioned in Boredomb's Puffer thread, my "dwarf puffers" turned out to be Amazon puffers. Which aren't appropriate for the brand new 10 gallon kit I just bought and set up specifically for those fish. Well, the LFS got some actual pea puffers a week later.
> 
> So I'm moving the Amazon Puffers to a 35 gallon tank, and buying 3 of the pea puffers for the 10 gallon, so it wasn't a waste buying the 10 gallon kit, as I got what I wanted anyway. They're holding 3 of the pea puffers for me until we're in there tomorrow. Get the water tested while I'm there, see what my copper is at in the 220.
> 
> Gotta pick up some flake food and frozen bloodworms while we're there.
> 
> What kind of food do you guys feed your fish?
> 
> I need to get some sort of Betta food and have no idea what is best for them.
> 
> I feed the rest of my fish Tetra Tropical Crisps, Spectrum Thera +A 1mm sinking pellets (one or the other, not both the same day), Omega One Shrimp Pellets for the corys and loaches. Not every day and not when I feed the spectrum pellets. Also frozen bloodworms every other day for my puffers, and occasionally in my silver dollar tank for the African Dwarf Frog (and the SD's love 'em) and once in a while in my Rainbowfish tank for a treat.


i guess i over fed my fish cause i give them a mix of stuff all the time. flakes, granuals, dried krill, frozen blood worms, frozen brine shrimp, (just recently tried frozen plankton....they liked it) i feed the betta pellets to my betta of course. i don't remember the brand name. i try and change it often..... i also throw snails in my large tank for my cories and rts.


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## Canadian Fish

Boxer feeds a lot too, so you may not be over feeding. I may be under feeding. Do you test your nitrates regularly? Do you know what they're usually at? 

I try to keep mine at around 5 in all my tanks, but when I feed more I find it climbs to 20 to 40 in some tanks, so I cut back. 

How big are the snails you throw in? My Red Tailed Shark's tank formerly housed 2 adult Apple Snails, and now contains a bunch of tiny snails 1 mm to 2 mm. I need to start feeding some of those snails to the puffers.


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## SeaHorse

I generally feed flake food to the Rainbow tank and once in awhile, not even weekly do I give them Bloodworms. The tank goes nuts over that. 
I do drop in algae and shrimp pellets for the bottom feeders but once they have softened I find the top swimmers all come down and eat that too. 

That same son who just graduated college also had to have a letter to Santa pinned to the tree stating that unless his behavior improved Santa was not to leave anything on Christmas eve. Gosh I sure hoped I didn't have to follow thru!!...  and I did not ever have to. Thank goodness!!


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## yyankeeyankeefan

Canadian Fish said:


> Boxer feeds a lot too, so you may not be over feeding. I may be under feeding. Do you test your nitrates regularly? Do you know what they're usually at?
> 
> I try to keep mine at around 5 in all my tanks, but when I feed more I find it climbs to 20 to 40 in some tanks, so I cut back.
> 
> How big are the snails you throw in? My Red Tailed Shark's tank formerly housed 2 adult Apple Snails, and now contains a bunch of tiny snails 1 mm to 2 mm. I need to start feeding some of those snails to the puffers.


i just throw pond snails in there. if they are on the back of a plant they are his... also he LOVES the eggs...so i just throw a snail egg plant into the tank sometimes to have it cleaned. he seems to like doing it. i also over feed for my cories and my rts. he doesn't come to the surface like the others. he eats by grazing around the tank. my nitrates are usually under 20. even with the over feed. but i change 50% once a week. so that may be why.


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## Canadian Fish

I threaten until I am blue in the face, but there's no way I could follow through on wiping out Christmas. I will, however, fill his stocking with coal, or partially full, so he knows how close he was and not to screw around next year.

There are three Santa videos to choose from naughty/naughty and nice/nice. I'm hoping he can work his way to nice by Christmas. 



Jakiebabie said:


> I generally feed flake food to the Rainbow tank and once in awhile, not even weekly do I give them Bloodworms. The tank goes nuts over that.
> I do drop in algae and shrimp pellets for the bottom feeders but once they have softened I find the top swimmers all come down and eat that too.
> 
> That same son who just graduated college also had to have a letter to Santa pinned to the tree stating that unless his behavior improved Santa was not to leave anything on Christmas eve. Gosh I sure hoped I didn't have to follow thru!!...  and I did not ever have to. Thank goodness!!


----------



## Canadian Fish

Yeah, I don't change 50% once a week. I find when I do, my tap water contains trace amounts of ammonia that show if I test right after a big change. Plus I'm lazy. I hear Prime takes care of that little bit of ammonia that can be in tap water. I use Tetra Aqua Safe, I should switch to Prime. Does it have the "slime coat" for the fish? I have never used it but everyone here seems to talk about it.



yyankeeyankeefan said:


> i just throw pond snails in there. if they are on the back of a plant they are his... also he LOVES the eggs...so i just throw a snail egg plant into the tank sometimes to have it cleaned. he seems to like doing it. i also over feed for my cories and my rts. he doesn't come to the surface like the others. he eats by grazing around the tank. my nitrates are usually under 20. even with the over feed. but i change 50% once a week. so that may be why.


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## yyankeeyankeefan

Canadian Fish said:


> Yeah, I don't change 50% once a week. I find when I do, my tap water contains trace amounts of ammonia that show if I test right after a big change. Plus I'm lazy. I hear Prime takes care of that little bit of ammonia that can be in tap water. I use Tetra Aqua Safe, I should switch to Prime. Does it have the "slime coat" for the fish? I have never used it but everyone here seems to talk about it.


yes it does have the slime coat...and i use prime... LOVE it. i don't have anythign that shows up on my tests. so it's super good for me.


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## Bluydgrl

I feed Blackworm to my Pea Puffers,dwarf frogs and Betta.I also feed the bloodworms and Brine shrimp as a treat to all my fish 2-3 times a week.And Omega One flakes and Spectrum Thera + A.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Bluydgrl

I also use Prime
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## boxercrazy156

I also use prime and have a fluval cannister and put in the ammonia remover carbon and as Canadian already knows I over feed do a 30% water change weekly
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Canadian Fish

I do about a 30% water change too. Seems to be enough to keep nitrates down.


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## Jodie Wan Kanoby

woot go team skinner our fish are looking good . weather loaches are awesome but they have creepy tendencies when they burrow and leave their head sticking out


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## Canadian Fish

Plus they're cool water.

But they were creepy at our LFS. They were all under an ornament with their heads' sticking out, looking like a house had landed on them and crushed them, like the witch in the Wizard of Oz.


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## Canadian Fish

Victims of nipping? Fin rot?






First Bala has a piece missing from his top tail fin. It looks white on camera but is really translucent. Second Bala has a notch out of his lower tale fin. 

Any idea what could be the cause?

I hear they can sometimes get fin rot when their immune systems are down and water conditions are poor. They just had ick, and there was medicine in the water, so not ideal water conditions and weakened immune system. 

The Skirts are nippy, but when I observe them it is pretty much isolated within their own species. Perhaps at night they turn on the Balas? My Congos' fins seem intact.


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## Byron

Fin rot and nipped fins can look identical. I recently had what I thought was a bacterial fin degeneration issue but it turned out to more likely be fin nipping at night by my nocturnal woodcats.

Any fish prone to nipping can often do so very sneakily. I was watching an Emperor Tetra one day, attempting to nip the Congo's fins. Emperors are not "nippers" like Black Skirts are, but given the temptation many tetra will try it, once anyway. It was quite an ambush tactic. I watched the tank for over an hour, and the Emperor gave up after maybe 40 or 45 minutes. I was tempted to net it out, but I didn't; I've never seen this again, and the five male Congo all have intact fins and caudal extensions, so I am assuming the Emperor has shown no further interest.

I would observe the tank very carefully; sit absolutely motionless in front of the tank for a good period, say an hour or more. This is not as silly as it may sound; fish do react differently when someone is in front of the tank, for one thing they associate it with food so their minds will be focused more on eating, plus with movement outside the tank there is a natural instinct to be cautious. I often see things I would never otherwise observe when sitting motionless [and I sometimes dose off:lol:]. The video was quite short, but I did spot some of the Black Skirts "eyeing" the Bala and Congo, and that is the first step. You get to notice how they sort of sidle up near the target fish, waiting the chance.

If it is the Black Skirts, it will be during daylight as they are diurnal and thus inactive during total darkness. Perhaps the RTS, and I believe this species also is diurnal.



Byron.


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## Canadian Fish

The RTS isn't in this tank, just the skirts and tetras, and the clowns for a week, could they have been the culprits? Tomorrow I'm going to put my laptop down there and see if I can stream in good enough quality that I can keep an eye on them all day. 

A couple of the Balas showed an ick spot or two on their tail fins. I assume that is a coincidence. 

None of the fish have any ick spots anymore.


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## Byron

Canadian Fish said:


> The RTS isn't in this tank, just the skirts and tetras, and the clowns for a week, could they have been the culprits? Tomorrow I'm going to put my laptop down there and see if I can stream in good enough quality that I can keep an eye on them all day.
> 
> A couple of the Balas showed an ick spot or two on their tail fins. I assume that is a coincidence.
> 
> None of the fish have any ick spots anymore.


That reminds me, after a bout of ich I often seen those sort of white areas on fins, so that is another possibility.


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## boxercrazy156

When I moved my dwarf rainbows into the 120 one of them looked like it had white spots on its tail I didn't know what it was knew it wasn't ick so I treated the tank for fin rot and body fungus the spots went away after a while but the tail is all funny still the fish is fine its been months but the tail looks weird still so I don't know what happened maybe it was always like that and these lights are brighter I think it was from stress from the five foot move from tank to tank maybe it was nipped and grew back funny the dwarf rainbows where alot more stressed then the other fish when we moved them over


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## PhilipPhish

If I had a 220 gallon tank.......

Ultimate planted female betta sorority! lol! Maybe some cory cats in there too (love those little guys), but definitely a betta sorority!


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## Canadian Fish

No fish deaths or signs of ick today. Did a water change on 6 of the tanks and did water tests. Nitrates were 10 and under in all of them. 

My LFS gave me full credit for the clowns. Which is nice because they usually have a 5 day, 50% credit policy. Some of them took seven days to die. Also, you have to bring in the bodies, and I threw them in the trash. 

We moved the Amazon Puffers to the 35, and I got 3 pea puffers for the 10 gallon. Put a piece of sponge over the water intake of the Aquaclear 20 so they won't get sucked up. They are tiny! Also picked up another 5 lbs of substrate for the 10 gallon, as it was barely covering the roots of the plants. I'm going to get more plants for it soon. 

Jakie, Boxer, Fellow Canadians, *Big Al's is having a HUGE sale this weekend*. We picked up a flyer. They have deals like buy a cichlid, get a second one for $1. Buy a tank kit, get the stand for $1. Buy frozen food and get a second one for $1, Buy 2 plants, get 1 for $1, etc. 

Oh, and we got some Catfish for the first time! Well, we have corys, they were the second fish we ever got, after some platies. They're still together in the 20 gallon. 

But we have no bottom feeders in the Silver Dollar tank, so we added 2 x Chocolate Talking Catfish (look like Striped Raphael catfish, I think) and 2 x Banjo Catfish. Reading up on them, it seems the former prefer groups of 4 or more. My LFS swore this was not the case. So I may pick up a couple more this weekend. Also maybe a couple of whiptails.


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## Canadian Fish

Here are the dwarf puffers. You can see the blue sponge I stuck on the intake of the Aquaclear so the tiny puffers don't get sucked up.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Banjo Catfish, and Chocolate Talking Catfish 

Cool! 

Maybe I'll get a couple of whiptails too.


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## Canadian Fish

Amazon Puffers!


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## yyankeeyankeefan

those cat fish rock! and your pea puffers are so tiny and cute! 

i can't believe your lfs is having such nice sales...wish we had the tank one going on here! lol prob a good thing it isn't though..... i can't fit anymore tanks in here. lol.


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## yyankeeyankeefan

those cat fish rock! and your pea puffers are so tiny and cute! 

i can't believe your lfs is having such nice sales...wish we had the tank one going on here! lol prob a good thing it isn't though..... i can't fit anymore tanks in here. lol.


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## Canadian Fish

yyankeeyankeefan said:


> those cat fish rock! and your pea puffers are so tiny and cute!
> 
> i can't believe your lfs is having such nice sales...wish we had the tank one going on here! lol prob a good thing it isn't though..... i can't fit anymore tanks in here. lol.


This reminds me of the time Pete and Repeat were in a boat.


----------



## Boredomb

Canadian Fish said:


> Pea Puffers! - YouTube
> 
> Here are the dwarf puffers. You can see the blue sponge I stuck on the intake of the Aquaclear so the tiny puffers don't get sucked up.


Your Puffers look good! LoL its hard to get a video of them cause they NEVER stop moving for long. They love exploring and are curious lil guys. BTW they will tank surf (going up and down the glass) less when there is more stuff in the tank for them to explore. These guys get bored easily and tank surf lol. Glad you finally got some and best of luck with your new fish!!!


----------



## Canadian Fish

I'm going to get some new plants later this week, for both the puffer tanks. The little dwarf puffers are hard to spot! They blend in with the leaves. They're really tiny.


----------



## djembekah

looove the catfish!
i think i need to visit the pet store...havent been in awhile


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## Canadian Fish

Yeah, they're neat! So far they are visible during the day, so that's cool. The Talking Cats are way more active than the Banjos, which is exactly what I would expect after reading about them. I would add floating plants to dim the tank a bit, but the Silver Dollars just annihilate them.


----------



## Canadian Fish




----------



## Canadian Fish




----------



## SeaHorse

Wow... VERY COOL looking cats!! I've never seen or heard of either of them!! Thanks for the heads up on the sale. I better not show my face there tho... vet bills today.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Oh no, did dog Jakie end up having to go in? Did you end up going in on Sunday or Monday? 

How is he?


----------



## Jodie Wan Kanoby

i think our next tank will be cichlids! today was a New Fish day, finally got some bottom feeders for the silver dollar tank.


----------



## Canadian Fish

What does she mean, next tank?


----------



## SeaHorse

You two are well matched. Made for each other..... one is as bad as the other, 2 peas in a pod, crazy as the next guy,..... oh.... was that out loud? :tease: :rofl:


----------



## boxercrazy156

I just came on here to talk about the black friday sale they have the redline sharks on buy one get one for a loonie and the frozen food I have to go to whitby on sunday to pick up my plants and was going to head on over to Big Als I would like to buy some redline sharks and put in with my Pleco for now but the fish nazi my husband wants me to only have the 120 and to sell the other tank which I'm not planning on, we also have a large goldfish pond outside with lots of Goldfis, h the only thing is is that we don't see the goldfish all winter they go down low into the mud and bury themselves and then my pond freezes over. I will have to upload a video of my pond from this spring when I first saw them its always exciting the first daytheyb come to the top. They are all still swimming around right now usually by now they are low for the winter but the last 2 years they are out longer


----------



## Canadian Fish

Wow, you have a goldfish pond too?? Crazy! I can't believe I've never seen pictures. You should make a log for that sucker like your aquariums. 

How deep is your pond? How many goldfish do you keep, are they huge?

You've been holding out on us!


----------



## Jodie Wan Kanoby

boxercrazy156 said:


> I just came on here to talk about the black friday sale they have the redline sharks on buy one get one for a loonie and the frozen food I have to go to whitby on sunday to pick up my plants and was going to head on over to Big Als I would like to buy some redline sharks and put in with my Pleco for now but the fish nazi my husband wants me to only have the 120 and to sell the other tank which I'm not planning on, we also have a large goldfish pond outside with lots of Goldfis, h the only thing is is that we don't see the goldfish all winter they go down low into the mud and bury themselves and then my pond freezes over. I will have to upload a video of my pond from this spring when I first saw them its always exciting the first daytheyb come to the top. They are all still swimming around right now usually by now they are low for the winter but the last 2 years they are out longer


i would love the have a koi pond. but i don't think its big enough


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## boxercrazy156

Canadian Fish said:


> Wow, you have a goldfish pond too?? Crazy! I can't believe I've never seen pictures. You should make a log for that sucker like your aquariums.
> 
> How deep is your pond? How many goldfish do you keep, are they huge?
> 
> You've been holding out on us!


It was 8 feet deep but has silted in to around 5 feet at the deep video of fish pic of the pond attached

endGold Fish Spring 2012 - YouTube


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## SeaHorse

boxercrazy156 said:


> It was 8 feet deep but has silted in to around 5 feet at the deep video of fish pic of the pond attached


OMG Boxercrazy that is gorgeous!!! Yes I too would love to see pics of the building of this. :notworthy: 
Now we also know we have a pond expert among us. Hmmmmm!!


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## Canadian Fish

That is gorgeous! As is that yard! 

Wow, you're right on the water, do you or your husband fish?


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## Canadian Fish

dctatts on USTREAM: 220 Gallon Freshwater Aquarium. Fish

Livestreaming the 220 for the next 11.5 hours, until the tank lights shut off.

Still just a temporary setup with my laptop. When I get a tower permanently in the basement I'll be able to set it up at a better angle, and hopefully the webcam I buy will be better than the one built into the laptop.


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## Canadian Fish

Well, I can see all 4 of our catfish today. The Banjos are laying out, next to the glass. The other two cats are next to a piece of driftwood. I should add another piece of driftwood.


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## boxercrazy156

My husband fishes we have a boat and we boat a lot in the summer my kids used to wakeboard a lot 
We just fenced the yard this fall for the boxers so there is a fence that runs right by the pond now which doesn't make it look as nice but the blue herons won't be munching on them
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## SeaHorse

Have been watching the tank.... man those Bala's must be small, I have a really had time even figuring out which one's they are. They are smaller than the Congo's aren't they? 
Hard to believe looking at the tank now that you had a week of hell in there.


----------



## Sanguinefox

Wow right now the tank looks really nice. Great job on getting that stream up!


----------



## Canadian Fish

Thanks SF!

When I get an actual web cam down there, I'm going to try to get the big piece of driftwood framed better, as the Balas hang out around it a lot. I'll probably focus closer on one portion of the tank so the fish can be seen better. I can't show it with the laptop without filmed at an unfortunate angle. It's just not as easy to position as a good stand alone webcam and has no zoom. 

Jakie, the Balas are much smaller than the large Congos. They don't even show up as well as the small Congos, because the Balas are darker. 

They hang out around the driftwood a lot, the large piece but also in the smaller pieces along the bottom of the tank. Because of the darkness and angle, you can't really see the rest of the driftwood. There are four pieces of driftwood along the back that provide many caves and hiding places, leaning on the rocks and caves. Which is why every morning it's a while before we find all the fish.


----------



## Canadian Fish

I just raised the laptop and moved it closer to the tank.


----------



## yyankeeyankeefan

how do you watch it?


----------



## Canadian Fish

It doesn't work if you click this link?

dctatts on USTREAM: 220 Gallon Freshwater Aquarium. Fish

Do you have flashplayer?


----------



## yyankeeyankeefan

didn't see the link. lol


----------



## yyankeeyankeefan

the way the black skirt tetras move it's like they are almost fake. lol. they look so insanely tiny. beautiful tank. green for the congos!


----------



## boxercrazy156

How do you do this I would like to live stream so I can watch my tank at work
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Canadian Fish

boxercrazy156 said:


> How do you do this I would like to live stream so I can watch my tank at work
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Yeah, I like it because I can keep an eye on the fish when I'm upstairs, which I usually am. 

I just signed up for u stream. It's free. You just fill in the blanks. It automatically detected my web cam, asked for permission to stream, I clicked ok, and that was it.

It was way easier and less complicated than I would have imagined.


----------



## Canadian Fish

I just moved the laptop again, so that it at a different angel to tank. Now you can see the Balas swim back and forth sometimes Jakie. 

dctatts on USTREAM: 220 Gallon Freshwater Aquarium. Fish

Charlie just jumped in the living room and FREAKED OUT the poor Silver Dollars. One of them took a nose dive into the substrate. They need to relax. They've been edgy since I fished the Balas out of there that time. They HATED that I was messing in the tank that long. 

Then, shortly after I went through that issue where the nitrates were high in that tank. I did 4 or 5 changes in 7 days. They really hated that too. 

Maybe I'll get them some Duckweed. When I first got them home they spooked easy. I got them some duckweed to provide shade, and by the time they ate it all, they weren't as shy anymore. They made a real mess of the tank with the duckweed though.


----------



## boxercrazy156

I made a channel it says its off air and when I go live the link doesn't work I am doing something wrong I made a channel for my tank it just says off air and when I can only see the go live button but the link when its live doesn't work


----------



## Canadian Fish

When you press go live, does your browser ask for permission to send the info? What browser do you use? 

Is another application using your webcam? Can you see the what is in front of the camera on the screen, or is it just black?


----------



## Canadian Fish

Tried to feed the Pea Puffers for the first time. They saw the bloodworm, followed it, sniffed it. Did not eat it. 

Fed the Amazons with the Red Tailed Shark. He is gonna love being with those guys. I never gave him bloodworms before. He loves them. I have to get Jodie to tape me feeding them next time. The Amazons come up right away and pick off the food before it sinks. The RTS scours the bottom grabbing what gets through. 

No aggression from anybody. The puffers are less aggressive towards each other while eating too, now that they have more room.


----------



## boxercrazy156

Canadian Fish said:


> When you press go live, does your browser ask for permission to send the info? What browser do you use?
> 
> Is another application using your webcam? Can you see the what is in front of the camera on the screen, or is it just black?


Got it working but my laptop is to far away my daughter was watching it on her tv when I have it set up right I will post a link


----------



## boxercrazy156

Canadian Fish said:


> Tried to feed the Pea Puffers for the first time. They saw the bloodworm, followed it, sniffed it. Did not eat it.
> 
> Fed the Amazons with the Red Tailed Shark. He is gonna love being with those guys. I never gave him bloodworms before. He loves them. I have to get Jodie to tape me feeding them next time. The Amazons come up right away and pick off the food before it sinks. The RTS scours the bottom grabbing what gets through.
> 
> No aggression from anybody. The puffers are less aggressive towards each other while eating too, now that they have more room.


I will have to video bloodworm feeding in my tank its like a bunch of piranhas devouring meat in a horror movie they are piggies especially the rianbows they are really fast


----------



## Canadian Fish

I meant to say I forgot to buy Betta food the other day, but he is eating my Spectrum 1 mm sinking pellets.


----------



## boxercrazy156

Canadian Fish said:


> I meant to say I forgot to buy Betta food the other day, but he is eating my Spectrum 1 mm sinking pellets.


Did you give him some bloodworm mine love it


----------



## Canadian Fish

boxercrazy156 said:


> Did you give him some bloodworm mine love it


Yeah, he gets one every other day when I feed the puffers, and pellets the other day. But today I forgot about him when I was feeding bloodworms, so he got pellets. Which he went right after for a change. 

It's crazy how they can squeeze themselves into the smallest space.


----------



## Bluydgrl

Try giving your Puffer's live Blackworms.That's what I feed mine and they love it.I get a teaspoon for $1.00 or Tablespoon for $2.00.You have to refrigerate them in a Tupperware container and poke holes it it.I just use a KFC container for mine~Didn't want to ruin my Tupperware.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Canadian Fish

LOL. I don't blame you. I don't know if anyone sells them around here, but I'll certainly have a look.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Ok, so we got the fish a computer. We figured they were old enough now we could trust them to be on line. 

I made a webcam stand out of Charlie's high hat. He was not impressed. But he was 2 when we got him a drum kit and it was a stupid idea. I need to think these things through.

So I was more than happy to silence that thing for the cause. 

These pics are horrible. My camera no longer takes pics in the basement. Even though all the lights are on and there is a window. It wasn't even dark when these were taken, and you can barely see anything. 



















So we'll be streaming when the tank lights are on, which is approximately 9 AM to 9 PM. I'll know better now that we're streaming. Before I was never down there exactly when the lights came on and went off. 

The only time we won't stream will be when I'm doing tank maintenance and when Charlie is skyping with his grandparents. Which is why Jodie wanted a computer in the basement. 

Now that we have one I will be more inclined to spend more time in the basement with the fish too. 

So it's at the same URL as before dctatts on USTREAM: 220 Gallon Freshwater Aquarium. Fish

I'll move the camera around to see what the best angle/distance from the tank is. I like this shot, but you can't quite see the right corner, where a lot of fish hang out. Usually the Balas hang around the driftwood on the left, and the tetras hang out on the right, when they're not swimming back and forth.


----------



## Canadian Fish

So basically the catfish are my favorites right now. 

The Banjos lay around in the open all day, and the Chocolate's hide. 

Then I went to feed them. Nothing special, just sinking pellets.

The chocolates went mental! They went all over the tank for ages! I grabbed the camera and recorded while they covered every inch of the tank. The Banjos were unimpressed. 

After all the food was gone, the Chocolates went right back to hiding under the driftwood. 

This weekend my Big Al's has buy 1 catfish, get the second for $1. So I'm going to grab two more on Friday when I get some plants for the puffer tanks. 

I was going to get whiptails but apparently they live mostly on algae and my tank really only has enough algae for the Hillstream Loach.


----------



## boxercrazy156

Nice stand I need to by a wireless webcam is there such a thing?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Canadian Fish

They exist. Here is an example:

Adesso CyberTrackV10 2.4 GHz Wireless 1.3 Megapixels Webcam: Amazon.ca: Electronics

But I don't know anything about them. This one says it is only good up to 10 feet. Have no idea what the quality is like. I assume since the technology is available, you can probably get better ones for more money.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Happy Thanksgiving Americans!

The rest of us look on with Turkey Envy.


----------



## SeaHorse

Banjo and Talking Catfish video...... very cool.... but... um...... shouldn't it have Banjo music? :guitarist: ya I know we didn't have one playing a Banjo!


----------



## Canadian Fish

OMG I have to make one of the Banjos just sitting there with the music from the Deliverance banjo bit playing in the background. 

Shouldn't be too hard to get a video of them just sitting there.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Went to Big Al's Black Friday sale. 

I got a spotted raphael catfish to hang out with the chocolate talking catfish. He's the same size and was schooling with them at the store. 

I got 3 BIG Catfish for my other tank. They're in with the Rainbows now, but if they grow any larger they're going in the 220. Got two striped raphaels and one spotted raphael in the big size.

As soon as they went in with the Rainbows, they all went into the hollow log together. They haven't come out. 

Hopefully tomorrow they come out to feed so I can get some pics/videos. They are AMAZING. 

AND I heard them talk today when they came out of the tank at the store! They croak like frogs. Now Charlie keeps asking for the fish to talk. 

I got 3 new plants, put one in the pea puffer tank, and two in the amazon puffer tank. 

Jakie, one is a Val, like yours that I love. I think it's a giant val, though I'm not positive. It's in my 35 gallon with the RTS and the puffers. It's so tall it's already bending at the top. 

I don't know what the other two plants are, other than low light. I'll post pics tomorrow and maybe someone can identify them. 

We also bought this, which is not a fish tank, but I'm a sucker for a good deal:










$80 for the enclosure, stand and dome light thing. I don't know if that's a good deal in the States but here I'm basically getting the stand and the light for next to nothing. 

I haven't actually brought it home yet, we had too much in the car and had to get home because we have family in town, which is why I have no picture. We'll bring it home next week some time. 

What to put in it? Who knows. A gecko or a frog? It was just too cheap to pass up. God knows where we'll put it. 

I also got some freeze dried bloodworms because their pea puffers preferred them to frozen ones, but they don't seem interfered. They sell live white worms. They're tiny. Guess I'll pick some up and try those next.


----------



## boxercrazy156

my vals are growing like crazy the always have new shoots i won't be going to big als till sunday thats when I get those plants i ordered in Whitby also


----------



## Tigris

I would try to get them on the frozen bloodworms because I read the freeze-dried isn't that healthy.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Canadian Fish

They don't seem interested in either so I think I'm going to try the live white worms. I am going to keep trying frozen ones because I feed them to my amazon puffers and it would be nice if I could feed them the same thing at the same time. Thanks for the heads up on the freeze dried ones, I did not know that. 

The white worms are $4.99 for roughly 2500 and the girl told me they multiply quickly. 

Boxer, they have some sweet deals!! Where did you order the plants from? What are you getting?


----------



## twocents

always seems to be some fishy project to get involved in...
looked at methods of 'growing' one's own white worms, fruit flies...
all of which fish may (or may not) like to eat.
however, 4.99 for 2500, that is probably the easiest method..


----------



## Canadian Fish

She said if I separate them into two margarine containers they'll double in quantity, and if I keep a little piece of bread in the container, I can just pick them off the bread. 

I'll give it a try. I really like the pea puffers and I want them to eat.


----------



## twocents

maybe google the critters. I've seen some instructions out there on maintaining colonies of these worms. apparently even 'Cheerios' make a good meal for them.... for the worms that is..


----------



## Canadian Fish

You talkin' to me?


----------



## djembekah

make it your new avatar!!!


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## Canadian Fish

Good idea! Jodie actually got this shot, it is a frame from a video she made. It's her first fish video. She chose to film rather than being the one getting wet moving the decorations around.

Edit:

Jodie was going to use it as her avatar but she is graciously letting me use it since I'm on more. She says she is the best wife. It's true. And not just because she always wants another fish tank.

Edit: And there is my new avatar. 

Hey, that substrate is natural. He's on Mars.


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## Jodie Wan Kanoby

Canadian Fish said:


> Good idea! Jodie actually got this shot, it is a frame from a video she made. It's her first fish video. She chose to film rather than being the one getting wet moving the decorations around.
> 
> Edit:
> 
> Jodie was going to use it as her avatar but she is graciously letting me use it since I'm on more. She says she is the best wife. It's true. And not just because she always wants another fish tank.
> 
> Edit: And there is my new avatar.
> 
> Hey, that substrate is natural. He's on Mars.


hey that's my avatar!


----------



## Canadian Fish

Here is an awesome catfish video:






We moved all the driftwood and ornaments twice and still haven't found the big spotted catfish. 

I think he is just staying hidden in an ornament even when we move it. I'm going to stop trying to find him in case I inadvertently stress him out.


----------



## twocents

Looks like Canadien did...

Yep, you're loookin' at me ... and everyone else...

'here's looking at you, kid...'


(bring it on!!)

p.s.: he's gorgeous


----------



## Canadian Fish

Here are the new plants I added to the puffer tanks yesterday. 

I added this thing in with the pea puffers:










And I added these two to the amazon puffers:




























The two tanks look like this now:




















I think we're going to the LFS tomorrow, and if the 220 tests negative for copper, I'm going to buy some big vals for it. I'm also going to get another 3 plants (if they have any left, they go so fast), one for the pea puffers and two for the amazons again. Soon we'll have enough plants in the amazon tank that we can remove the fakes.


----------



## SeaHorse

Are you aware.... ever been to.... a member of..... OVAS The Ottawa Aquarium Society? Check out the tabs... there is one for Auctions!! Ours in Whitby, the DRAS has monthly meeting and the club members auction off fish and plants all the time. Then there is the big annual auction in May held in Ajax. Later in the day you get plants really cheap!!


----------



## Canadian Fish

I should join, I looked into it before. The giant piece of driftwood in the 220 that I bought used, was purchased by that guy at the auction. 

I saw on their site this summer that they had a picnic at a park a 5 minute walk from my house. 

Members get a discount at Big Al's, though there is a long list of items that do not qualify for the discount. I'm sure we'll join at some point, though where they hold their meetings is a HUGE pain to get to from here, and who knows if I would ever get up the gumption to actually attend. We lived downtown for years and I hate going back. They used to let anyone use their forums for classifieds but my account doesn't work anymore, I think they switched it to members only.

I really hope they still have some big vals tomorrow for the 220!

Edit: Reading about the OVAS Xmas meeting, it seems they no longer do the mini auctions after each meeting, but not have a swap meet. Could still be good. I'm sure they still have the annual large auction.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Silly 20 minute edit limit. Just adds to double posts. 



> but not have a swap meet.


I meant now, not "not". They do have a swap meet, just not an auction.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Something else I "need"

OMG, in the 220? Yes please.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Just saw this tool in another thread on site:

Design your Fish Tank | Aquarium Tools

It is a tool to help you design the aquascape for your aquarium. Is aquascape a noun or a verb? Maybe it just helps you aquascape the aquarium. 

Anyway, you get my meaning, you can pick different plants, rocks, wood, and move them around the tank without getting wet!! You can rotate and tilt the tank and everything. Awesome! You can size the plants, change their color. I've just started playing with it, but so far it seems pretty versatile. 

As a cute bonus, if you move your cursor around the top of the page, the little fish follow it.

I am going to waste WAY too much time on this when Jodie is at work.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Tested the water on all the tanks today. Nitrates 10 and under in all of them. Only the Silver Dollar tank was at 10. The rest were 5. 

No trace of copper in the 220, so the medicine is all gone. How long should I wait before I add fish to that tank? 

Shame they have no Balas and don't know when they are going to get more in. I feel bad that there's only 3 in there. I know they like larger numbers.

Since the copper is gone, I can start using liquid ferts again, so time to add some plants!

My plants in the 220 are looking a little brown. I'm hoping this is not because of inadequate light, but rather because I haven't used liquid ferts in 3 weeks. 

So here is how the tank looks now:










I am really liking it. 

Added some big Vals on either side of the tank:





































Added these two stalky things:






























Also added the wispy thing behing the congo:


----------



## Canadian Fish

Added another plant to the pea puffer tank. How long do I have to leave the established media I added to this tank to avoid a cycle when I set it up? There is still the sponge and bag of substrate and it is officially in the way. My plants are all bunched in the middle, and the sides are wide open because of the media. Pea Puffers like a heavily planted tank, so I want to get that crap out of there and replace it with plants in those areas.

This is the new one:



















The one in the middle, between the cichlid stone on the left and the other plant on the right.











Added two new plants to the Amazon Puffer/RTS tank. One like the wispy thing in the 220, and this one:


----------



## Canadian Fish

Quick video of the new plants. I did a shout out to Jakie for putting me on to the Vals, which I love.


----------



## Byron

Even with fewer fish/plants, that is still very lovely. The plants will grow back.

To the question you asked about the length of time before you can add fish: I strongly suggest a QT tank for any future fish. You have seen how decimating it can be to treat even something as simple as ich in a large tank. A QT period of no less than 3 weeks, preferably 4 or even 5 weeks, is sensible. After years of never quarantining, I now do this and I have saved myself some grief already and probably saved fish too.

Once the fish have been in QT for 4-5 weeks and all is well, it will then be safe to add them.

Another strong reason for QT in this case is due to the ich in the main tank. It is still there, I can assure you. And the fish were stressed and thus weakened by the ich and treatment, which means they should be spared even the slightest chance of bringing all this back.

Byron.


----------



## boxercrazy156

Just got back home from getting my plants I ordered them with a guy from Kijiji he placed a wholesale order and 29 of us went in on the order we Had to place a minimum of a $25 order most of the plants for $2.50 each There was a list of 100 plants to choose from I ordered 20 plants and got three free 

Then I went to big Al's and I bought four of the Dennison barbs they only had four so I couldn't by six but they were on sale for buy one get one for loonie I am Quarantining them them in my 30 gallon right now
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## boxercrazy156

My new small dennison barbs in the 30 gallon they will stay there till they grow a bit so far so good there doesn't seem to be an aggressive one yet fingers crossed
Sent from my iPhone
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Bluewind

You poor dear! I know I got upset when I had a ghost shrimp die, so I can't imagine how hard it was to loose so many pretties! I hope you never have to do it again 

Well, since the survey said to post if you chose other, I have a thing for small fish. I would have a mixed tank with a school of Cory Cats like Juliis, small loaches or shrimp, and something flowy and beautiful like a veiltail betta or something. Maybe even some Neon Tetras. I think it would be more beautiful and alive for me. 

Oh! and plants. Lots and lots of edible plants for all my babies to enjoy. Water Sprite, Anubias, and Marimo Balls for sure and something that fry could hide in. Hamster tubes for everyone to swim through. Glass jars and corse sand. Betta hamocks, ping pong balls, and all sorts of fun stuff! *gets lost in a daydream*
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Canadian Fish

Thanks Byron, I really do need a QT tank. Is a 10 big enough? I have one with a slightly wonky top molding that I need to re silicone. 

When I started my pea puffer tank, I cut a hunk of an established Aquaclear 70 sponge to fit the Aquaclear 20 on the puffer tank. I put the rest of the sponge, and a nylon full of substrate, into the tank. How long do these need to remain in the tank? I need to get them out so I can put some plants in their place.

ONE (of three) of my pea puffers ate today. None of them touched the frozen bloodworm I tried. One of them ate a freeze dried one (I understand they're not the best).

I was supposed to pick up live white worms at the LFS today and totally forgot. I also forgot to get a 5 lbs bag of substrate to help with planting the 220. 

Byron, do you think the brown spots on my plants are due to inadequate light, or simply because I had copper medicine in the tank and didn't use liquid ferts for a few weeks?

Thanks again!

Matt



Byron said:


> Even with fewer fish/plants, that is still very lovely. The plants will grow back.
> 
> To the question you asked about the length of time before you can add fish: I strongly suggest a QT tank for any future fish. You have seen how decimating it can be to treat even something as simple as ich in a large tank. A QT period of no less than 3 weeks, preferably 4 or even 5 weeks, is sensible. After years of never quarantining, I now do this and I have saved myself some grief already and probably saved fish too.
> 
> Once the fish have been in QT for 4-5 weeks and all is well, it will then be safe to add them.
> 
> Another strong reason for QT in this case is due to the ich in the main tank. It is still there, I can assure you. And the fish were stressed and thus weakened by the ich and treatment, which means they should be spared even the slightest chance of bringing all this back.
> 
> Byron.


----------



## Canadian Fish

You and your fancy QT tank! Haha, just kidding. 

WOW, that is a great deal on plants!! I need to find that kind of socialism in action somewhere in the Ottawa area. We certainly don't get that kind of variety or those kind of prices, what an awesome idea. 

So are they all planted? Can't wait to see some pics!! That is a lot of plants. Do you know who the guy ordered from? That's way more variety than I ever see at our LFS, and WAY better prices.Good score!

AND Dennison Barbs! Big day! I love those suckers! They're so expensive I could never get a group, though that sort of deal makes it totally doable. How much was the full price? Here the last time they had them they were 19.99, and they had them on sale one weekend for 16.99

The looney sale cuts that in half, amazing! They are such an attractive fish, I am jealous!

Also jealous of your non-icky clowns and your QT setup. You tank is coming along so nicely!



boxercrazy156 said:


> Just got back home from getting my plants I ordered them with a guy from Kijiji he placed a wholesale order and 29 of us went in on the order we Had to place a minimum of a $25 order most of the plants for $2.50 each There was a list of 100 plants to choose from I ordered 20 plants and got three free
> 
> Then I went to big Al's and I bought four of the Dennison barbs they only had four so I couldn't by six but they were on sale for buy one get one for loonie I am Quarantining them them in my 30 gallon right now
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Canadian Fish

Thanks, I'm over it now but my house we really depressing for a week there. We were very discouraged. 

I'm a huge corydoras fan. I recently got some larger catfish and they NEVER make an appearance during the day. The false julii corys in my other tank, on the other hand, are always out and about, they never stop! Not sure what bottom feeder I'm going to go with in the 220. Not anything nocturnal that I will never see. Not sure how I feel about clowns anymore. 

I love the idea of the hamster tubes, I have never seen that done before. Do you have anything like that set up now? I'll have to search you tube and see if there are any videos of fish swimming through them. 



Bluewind said:


> You poor dear! I know I got upset when I had a ghost shrimp die, so I can't imagine how hard it was to loose so many pretties! I hope you never have to do it again
> 
> Well, since the survey said to post if you chose other, I have a thing for small fish. I would have a mixed tank with a school of Cory Cats like Juliis, small loaches or shrimp, and something flowy and beautiful like a veiltail betta or something. Maybe even some Neon Tetras. I think it would be more beautiful and alive for me.
> 
> Oh! and plants. Lots and lots of edible plants for all my babies to enjoy. Water Sprite, Anubias, and Marimo Balls for sure and something that fry could hide in. Hamster tubes for everyone to swim through. Glass jars and corse sand. Betta hamocks, ping pong balls, and all sorts of fun stuff! *gets lost in a daydream*
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Byron

> Thanks Byron, I really do need a QT tank. Is a 10 big enough? I have one with a slightly wonky top molding that I need to re silicone.


A 10g can work, provided not too many or too large a fish are put in it at one time. I happen to have a 20g that runs permanently with some "spare" plants and a sponge filter. It is just easier for me to have this than having to set up a "new" tank if I come home with fish. But a 10g can serve too. 



> When I started my pea puffer tank, I cut a hunk of an established Aquaclear 70 sponge to fit the Aquaclear 20 on the puffer tank. I put the rest of the sponge, and a nylon full of substrate, into the tank. How long do these need to remain in the tank? I need to get them out so I can put some plants in their place.


Why are they in the tank? For cycling? If you have live plants, this isn't necessary.



> Byron, do you think the brown spots on my plants are due to inadequate light, or simply because I had copper medicine in the tank and didn't use liquid ferts for a few weeks?


The brown blotches on the leaves of the Echinodorus in photos 5-9 of post 691 are iron deposits. This can obviously happen if iron is being dosed in excess, but it is more likely due to a lack of calcium. I had this issue until I started using Equilibrium to increase the GH. What is the GH of your tap water?

Another thing, the excess of copper might also have thrown off the balance. My recollection is that the copper just melted some of the plants, but the proportion of nutrients required by plants is such that when any one nutrient is in excess it can cause issues with other nutrients. Your GH may tell us more.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Byron said:


> Why are they in the tank? For cycling? If you have live plants, this isn't necessary.
> 
> The brown blotches on the leaves of the Echinodorus in photos 5-9 of post 691 are iron deposits. This can obviously happen if iron is being dosed in excess, but it is more likely due to a lack of calcium. I had this issue until I started using Equilibrium to increase the GH. What is the GH of your tap water?
> 
> Another thing, the excess of copper might also have thrown off the balance. My recollection is that the copper just melted some of the plants, but the proportion of nutrients required by plants is such that when any one nutrient is in excess it can cause issues with other nutrients. Your GH may tell us more.


The media was in the tank because I set that tank up brand new for the puffers, and put them in a day later. I added the plants gradually, so when the fish were initially introduced to the tank there was only half the plants that are there now. So I should be able to remove the used media now? It's an eyesore, and taking up plant space. Some people suggested leaving it in 4-6 weeks. 

As for the GH, I have no idea. I read these PDFs and tried to find it, 

City of Ottawa - Britannia Water Purification Plant

But all I could find was a rating for Calcium Hardness, Magnesium Hardness, and Total Hardness, not General Hardness. Odd. Tomorrow when my LFS is open I'll call and ask them. Pretty sure we have the same water.


----------



## boxercrazy156

Canadian Fish said:


> You and your fancy QT tank! Haha, just kidding.
> 
> WOW, that is a great deal on plants!! I need to find that kind of socialism in action somewhere in the Ottawa area. We certainly don't get that kind of variety or those kind of prices, what an awesome idea.
> 
> So are they all planted? Can't wait to see some pics!! That is a lot of plants. Do you know who the guy ordered from? That's way more variety than I ever see at our LFS, and WAY better prices.Good score!
> 
> AND Dennison Barbs! Big day! I love those suckers! They're so expensive I could never get a group, though that sort of deal makes it totally doable. How much was the full price? Here the last time they had them they were 19.99, and they had them on sale one weekend for 16.99
> 
> The looney sale cuts that in half, amazing! They are such an attractive fish, I am jealous!
> 
> Also jealous of your non-icky clowns and your QT setup. You tank is coming along so nicely!


My quarantee tank is my pleco tank it also has a uv sterilizer in it and the temp is at 82 they also seem healthy and ate their supper lol

I planted all the plants can find the red tiger lotus though will take some pics after the tank clears up a bit when I was mucking around in it I move some substrate that still had dirt in it and a big cloud of dark came out. 

The man that put this together has 40 tanks in his basement he had to have a minimum to place the order and he paid it up front so you didn't have to put any money out he didn't charge for a few plants that he thought were not in good shape and the red tiger lotus I ordered wasn't the greatest so he gave me an extra reg tiger lotus here is the link

http://www.limchareonaquarium.com : : tropical fish and discus exporter thailand : :

the poor guy hadn't slept for 3 days sorting all the plants out and he was mailing some of them but to tell you the truth some of mine were at there limit of not being planted so if you couldn't pick them up by the time you shipped them they might not have made it but he gave you the option 

Him and his son love the hobby and his wife really wasn't into it but they have a whole basement full soon you will too. I had to go my myself my husband is in Kingston coaching hockey today I told him if he didn't hear from me then I was made into a lampshade, but the neighbourhood was nice and wife was there so it was all good it was really nice of this man to go to all this trouble for planted tank lovers

One of my clown loaches isn't growing like the others he seems weaker and a little concaved but he loves me the whole time I was planting he was attached to me like he was sucking on me he was freaking me out a little

All the loaches are excited about the new plants looking for snails lol

BTW the Dennisons were $19.99 regularly they have never come on sale in the last 6 months but some big Als have them on for $9.99 so yes this was a big score I was glad there were some left they weren't marked on sale but they were in the pictures of sharks on sale since they are also called redline sharks


----------



## Byron

> The media was in the tank because I set that tank up brand new for the puffers, and put them in a day later. I added the plants gradually, so when the fish were initially introduced to the tank there was only half the plants that are there now. So I should be able to remove the used media now?


Yes, with fast-growing live plants there will be no ammonia issues, and especially with only 3 puffers.



> As for the GH, I have no idea. I read these PDFs and tried to find it,
> City of Ottawa - Britannia Water Purification Plant
> 
> But all I could find was a rating for Calcium Hardness, Magnesium Hardness, and Total Hardness, not General Hardness. Odd. Tomorrow when my LFS is open I'll call and ask them. Pretty sure we have the same water.


The total hardness tells us what we want to know, and the calcium and magnesium support this. At 30 or 31 mg/l, which is equivalent to ppm, this is very soft water. About 1.6 dGH. This explains the swords. The calcium is insufficient for proper cell structure, and the plants assimilate iron to replace the missing calcium, and as the iron increases the leaf slowly dies, and eventually the entire plant will die. As I said, I had/have this very same issue.

The soft water is ideal for the fish, but the plants will struggle and some not manage. I tried a few options, and the only one that worked was Equilibrium. Seachem make this, and you can buy it from Pets&Ponds. I buy the large tub which is almost $70 but this is much less expensive than buying the small containers in stores. I go through two tubs a year. I add enough to raise my GH up to around 5 or 6 dGH. I have less than 1 dGH out of the tap. Equilbrium also contians the needed magnesium, and additional potassium, iron [this won't hurt anything] and potash. The calcium and magnesium in Flourish Comp is insufficient, as this fertilizer is designed more for those with some hard minerals in the source water.


----------



## Canadian Fish

That UV sterilizer is an awesome idea. I love that your clown followed you around, hopefully he makes it. I actually hate it when fish nibble at me, it freaks me out. I dread fish touching me when swimming at the beach too. 

That link is amazing! What a selection, and what a great idea! Thank God it worked out for you, when you first mentioned it, I was thinking it was good you didn't get ripped off (that was before you said he made the original payment), but "lampshade" is even scarier, haha. I didn't even go there. 

His wife is not really into it, and he has 40 tanks? Haha! Now that's a good wife. 

Looking forward to the pics!

I have to say, I enjoy planting the 10 gallon way more than the 220. I can reach in with both hands to move the substrate around while looking in the front of the tank.

With the 220, I have to use the claw to hold the plant, a glass scrubber to move the substrate, while TRYING to lean off the stool and see in the front of the tank, because it's totally distorted looking though the water. I fell off the stool twice. 




boxercrazy156 said:


> My quarantee tank is my pleco tank it also has a uv sterilizer in it and the temp is at 82 they also seem healthy and ate their supper lol
> 
> I planted all the plants can find the red tiger lotus though will take some pics after the tank clears up a bit when I was mucking around in it I move some substrate that still had dirt in it and a big cloud of dark came out.
> 
> The man that put this together has 40 tanks in his basement he had to have a minimum to place the order and he paid it up front so you didn't have to put any money out he didn't charge for a few plants that he thought were not in good shape and the red tiger lotus I ordered wasn't the greatest so he gave me an extra reg tiger lotus here is the link
> 
> http://www.limchareonaquarium.com : : tropical fish and discus exporter thailand : :
> 
> the poor guy hadn't slept for 3 days sorting all the plants out and he was mailing some of them but to tell you the truth some of mine were at there limit of not being planted so if you couldn't pick them up by the time you shipped them they might not have made it but he gave you the option
> 
> Him and his son love the hobby and his wife really wasn't into it but they have a whole basement full soon you will too. I had to go my myself my husband is in Kingston coaching hockey today I told him if he didn't hear from me then I was made into a lampshade, but the neighbourhood was nice and wife was there so it was all good it was really nice of this man to go to all this trouble for planted tank lovers
> 
> One of my clown loaches isn't growing like the others he seems weaker and a little concaved but he loves me the whole time I was planting he was attached to me like he was sucking on me he was freaking me out a little
> 
> All the loaches are excited about the new plants looking for snails lol
> 
> BTW the Dennisons were $19.99 regularly they have never come on sale in the last 6 months but some big Als have them on for $9.99 so yes this was a big score I was glad there were some left they weren't marked on sale but they were in the pictures of sharks on sale since they are also called redline sharks


----------



## Canadian Fish

Byron said:


> Yes, with fast-growing live plants there will be no ammonia issues, and especially with only 3 puffers.
> 
> The total hardness tells us what we want to know, and the calcium and magnesium support this. At 30 or 31 mg/l, which is equivalent to ppm, this is very soft water. About 1.6 dGH. This explains the swords. The calcium is insufficient for proper cell structure, and the plants assimilate iron to replace the missing calcium, and as the iron increases the leaf slowly dies, and eventually the entire plant will die. As I said, I had/have this very same issue.
> 
> The soft water is ideal for the fish, but the plants will struggle and some not manage. I tried a few options, and the only one that worked was Equilibrium. Seachem make this, and you can buy it from Pets&Ponds. I buy the large tub which is almost $70 but this is much less expensive than buying the small containers in stores. I go through two tubs a year. I add enough to raise my GH up to around 5 or 6 dGH. I have less than 1 dGH out of the tap. Equilbrium also contians the needed magnesium, and additional potassium, iron [this won't hurt anything] and potash. The calcium and magnesium in Flourish Comp is insufficient, as this fertilizer is designed more for those with some hard minerals in the source water.


Thanks for looking into the hardness for me Byron, and explaining it. I appreciate it. 

Can I use the Flourish Comp in addition to the Equilibrium in the same tank? If so, can I add them on the same day, or should I alternate? Or should I just switch to the Equilibrium and stop using the Comp?


----------



## yyankeeyankeefan

oo byron i have a question for you. i upgraded my 10 to a 30 and am running both filters at the moment. i took all the gravel out of the old tank, mixed it with the new and have the old filter running with the new. it is planted and i was wondering how long should i leave it like that? i would like to retire the old filter and keep it just in case i start up my 10 again. it's been up for... maybe a week and a half. but it has a lot of plants in there. and did a water test today and everything was at 0. i stirred the gravel so it was all mixed in not like the new is on top or anything. how much longer does it need?


----------



## Chesh

Canadian Fish said:


> With the 220, I have to use the claw to hold the plant, a glass scrubber to move the substrate, while TRYING to lean off the stool and see in the front of the tank, because it's totally distorted looking though the water. I fell off the stool twice.


This really made me giggle . . . I just got such a vivid image of you falling off the stool - completely oblivious - right up until you hit the ground. I know I would have been! Hope you're okay?!


----------



## Canadian Fish

Oh yeah, fine thanks. But lets just say it's a good thing I don't have sound on my live stream, as there was some very "colorful" language as all this was going on. 



Chesherca said:


> This really made me giggle . . . I just got such a vivid image of you falling off the stool - completely oblivious - right up until you hit the ground. I know I would have been! Hope you're okay?!


----------



## Chesh

Oooooh! FUNNY! Does it record? Can we play it back and watch over and over? Loop it with some hardcore music, perhaps? JK, glad you're okay


----------



## Canadian Fish

Chesherca said:


> Oooooh! FUNNY! Does it record? Can we play it back and watch over and over? Loop it with some hardcore music, perhaps? JK, glad you're okay


Actually, I can record with the push of a button. I really should have. Maybe next time. Lol. 

I'll soon have enough live plants in there that I can remove the 5 fake ones that I started with. That is my goal with the Amazon Puffer tank as well. There are still two fakes in there. 

Now I have 3 tanks with real plants and 4 without. Only one tank, the pea puffers, is exclusively live plants.

My Silver Dollar tank will obviously always be fake plants, but I think it is time to better research the fish in my 20 and 55 gallon tanks to learn if they can co exist with plants or not. We are enjoying the real plants. 

Here are the fish in the 20 and 55:

20 gallon Harlequins rasboras, Neon tetras, Platies, Guppies, Cories, Nerite Snails

55 gallon Rainbowfish, Zebra Dainos, Zebra Loaches, Platies, Moonlight Gourami, Bristlenose Pleco, Striped & Spotted Raphael Catfish

Anyone know if any of these fish will eat or otherwise destroy plants? Or can I start gardening in these tanks too? Darn fishkeeping. Now I'm a hippie farmer. :-D

I don't know if there is any point putting plants in my Betta tank. It just has a "regular" bulb in it, not a florescent one.


----------



## keeperofthezoo

Add plants to your Betta tank. I switched out and "Fred" my red fantail was estatic. I even threw in a couple of lily bulbs that actually sprouted and he sleeps on the leaves. He really enjoys swimming through the plants. When they were plastic he wouldn't go near them. I went and bought him a floating log for feeding to keep the food in one place. Hope it helps.


----------



## Canadian Fish

keeperofthezoo said:


> Add plants to your Betta tank. I switched out and "Fred" my red fantail was estatic. I even threw in a couple of lily bulbs that actually sprouted and he sleeps on the leaves. He really enjoys swimming through the plants. When they were plastic he wouldn't go near them. I went and bought him a floating log for feeding to keep the food in one place. Hope it helps.



Will plants live with the non florescent, regular type bulb in my 10 gallon tank? I would have put plants in there but I didn't think there was any point. I think it just basically a regular light bulb shaped like a tube.


----------



## Bluewind

My little Julii is crazy active during the day. I feed him alternating algea waffers and sinking shrimp pellets. I am hoping to get more soon. He was the last one they had when I went to PetSmart. I couldn't leave him all alone. I keep trying to get more, but they stay sold out. My little Todo is healthy and happy at the moment though. I can't wait to get him some friends :-D

The hampster tube thing is actually quite popular in the Betta forums. I hope when I eventually get my dream tank, I can have some of them in it. I've seen pics and it was beautiful and the fish loved it! :-D
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## keeperofthezoo

They make a florescent plant light bulb (found it in the light section at the pet store) here in the states for about ehhhh, $10.00. I put that in the hood. I started with a LED light, but I personally didn't like it. To each his/her own I guess. The plants grew OK with the LED, but slowly. I went to The Planted Tank forum and studied up on lights, plant and nutrients, and my plants are happier now.


----------



## Canadian Fish

I said 10 gallon earlier but it's actually 5.5

My hood doesn't hold a florescent light and I am not interested in shelling out the extra $$ for a new hood (I bought the whole thing used, a new hood costs more than I paid for the tank/filter/hood together). The Betta will just have to make do without real plants. 

If there were any plants that could grow with a regular bulb I would do it. 

I assume when you say you bought a fluorescent plant light bulb, that you already had a hood that used fluorescent bulbs, not regular screw in bulbs. 



keeperofthezoo said:


> They make a florescent plant light bulb (found it in the light section at the pet store) here in the states for about ehhhh, $10.00. I put that in the hood. I started with a LED light, but I personally didn't like it. To each his/her own I guess. The plants grew OK with the LED, but slowly. I went to The Planted Tank forum and studied up on lights, plant and nutrients, and my plants are happier now.


----------



## keeperofthezoo

No, my hood holds the tube shaped regular light bulbs. Not the long skinny things. It's made ( the florescent bulb) in a tube shape light bulb. Sorry, sometime what I write doesn't come across right. Just wanted to pass it on to you. No biggie,


----------



## Canadian Fish

Well that's cool. And it just screws in the way a regular bulb screws in?

I may have to order one, I don't think they have them at my LFS. I asked if I could grow plants with my setup and they just said no. They're always looking to sell, sell, sell so I would hope they would have told me if they sold such a bulb.

Do you know what it is called? I just tried finding one with google but had no luck. 




keeperofthezoo said:


> No, my hood holds the tube shaped light bulbs. It's made ( the florescent bulb) in a tube shape. Just wanted to pass it on to you. No biggie,


----------



## Chesh

I have regular bulbs in my 10g AND my 5g - they screw in. . . but they're twirly bulbs. Got 'em at Home Depot - full spectrum, and the plants love 'em.


----------



## Canadian Fish

LOL. Twirly bulbs. That terminology I can understand. I know exactly what you're talking about. We use them in all our light fixtures. So if I can find fullspectrum, small twirly bulbs that fit in my hood, they'll grow plants?


----------



## Canadian Fish

keeperofthezoo said:


> No, my hood holds the tube shaped regular light bulbs. Not the long skinny things. It's made ( the florescent bulb) in a tube shape light bulb. Sorry, sometime what I write doesn't come across right. Just wanted to pass it on to you. No biggie,


Was it something like this:

Colormax Mini Compact Fluorescent Lamp - 10 W

If it is, my LFS dropped the ball. They could have sold me one of these, and some plants to go with it.

That's not like them. They're cross selling machines, lol.


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## keeperofthezoo

What I put in was this - Zoo Med Ultra Sun Daylight Compact Fluorescent Bulb 

Zoo Med Ultra Sun Daylight Compact Fluorescent Bulb at PETCO


----------



## keeperofthezoo

What I put in was this - Zoo Med Ultra Sun Daylight Compact Fluorescent Bulb


stupid double post. sorry


----------



## Chesh

Yup!!! These are the exact ones that I have in my 5g and my 10g (2 in the 10g) They're twirly, but have a kind of bulby thing on the outside *shrugs* I just got 'em cuz' I needed them to be the right size to fit in the plastic space around the bulb, and the normal sized lights were too fat. The right sized ones had screwy things that were tiny, though - these came with screwy thing adapters. *nods* so they can have FAT screwy things and STILL fit into the casing around the light in the tanks. . . 

did THAT make sense? I fail at terminology! 

BTW, welcome to hippy fish farming! It's a wonderful world, neh?


----------



## Canadian Fish

keeperofthezoo said:


> What I put in was this - Zoo Med Ultra Sun Daylight Compact Fluorescent Bulb
> 
> Zoo Med Ultra Sun Daylight Compact Fluorescent Bulb at PETCO



Niiiiice! Thanks for the heads up. My LFS sells Zoo Med bulbs too. I am shocked they didn't sell me this when I asked if I could grow plants in the Betta tank. Not like them to miss out on a potential sale. 

I'll totally get one of those and add some plants in with Mary Poppins (that's my son's male Betta)


----------



## Chesh

keeperofthezoo said:


> What I put in was this - Zoo Med Ultra Sun Daylight Compact Fluorescent Bulb
> *nods* Those are good, too! I went the cheap route! It was 3 bulbs for around $7 ;-) I'm poor - but those tanks are filled with greeeeeeen!


----------



## Canadian Fish

Chesherca said:


> Yup!!! These are the exact ones that I have in my 5g and my 10g (2 in the 10g) They're twirly, but have a kind of bulby thing on the outside *shrugs* I just got 'em cuz' I needed them to be the right size to fit in the plastic space around the bulb, and the normal sized lights were too fat. The right sized ones had screwy things that were tiny, though - these came with screwy thing adapters. *nods* so they can have FAT screwy things and STILL fit into the casing around the light in the tanks. . .
> 
> did THAT make sense? I fail at terminology!
> 
> BTW, welcome to hippy fish farming! It's a wonderful world, neh?


I think you just like to say screw.

:jk:


----------



## Chesh

Canadian Fish said:


> . . .Mary Poppins (that's my son's male Betta)


My daughter's male betta is Princess ShimmerBlue. . . um. :-?


----------



## Chesh

Canadian Fish said:


> I think you just like to say screw.
> 
> :jk:


maybe! I prefer words like 'twizzle' but. . . I wasn't sure YOU would understand those ;-)


----------



## Canadian Fish

Fo shizzle. :shock: (Couldn't resist, I tried)

I should rename this thread "the things I still need to buy" thread. Tonight I have Equilibrium and Screw In Florescent Bulbs. And more plants. 

Well, my kid is bad enough that if he gets nothing on Christmas morning we can say he was on the naughty list. 

Haha. Seriously though, I have go into Santa mode soon and put the fish on the back burner. I'll need to get the Equilibrium though, because I don't want to lose the plants I already bought.

I won't start planting the other tanks until 2013, after Santa comes. It's just around the corner.

Does anyone know if I can use Equilibrium and Flourish Comp at the same time?


----------



## Bluewind

Princess Shimmer Blue and Mary Poppins?!? What names they got stuck with! XD

Speaking of poor fish, I have a family friend that I regret helping the other day. She said she had a tank and wanted me to pick up 5 of the little goldfish they sell at PetSmart. I even brought her a jar of flakes I didn't need and some water conditioner. I did it all in good faith only to find out that her "tank" was in fact one of those mini 1.5 gallon corner ones! I explained to her the rules of fishkeeping, but she said she knew what she was doing as her mom had a large tank when she was growing up. Besides the small tank, she doesn't think they need pwc because they can just breath air and they can live off dry oatmeal! She obvously
doesn't know the first thing about taking care of fish and wouldn't listen to anything I tried to show her. The poor things don't stand a chance. I really am hoping someone can get through to her as I had no luck at all. :-( _Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Canadian Fish

That is REALLY unfortunate. I wouldn't even keep a Betta in a 1.5 Gallon tank. Even the 5.5 seems small.

Those poor goldfish will no doubt have short, miserable lives.


----------



## Bluewind

You must have posted while I was editing! My my, you are fast mister! XD

Yeah. I can't imagine what kind of hell they are in now. I kept my Betta Gus in a 1.8gal for about a month until I could get him a proper home, but I did pwc every day! I think hers is smaller than mine was, so it might just be a 1 gal. And to make matters worse, I also got her a few Ghost Shrimp. At least I saved the Black Tetra she was supposed to get! I know they are schooling fish, but he will just have to deal with being in a happy community. I don't know anyone locally who can adopt him so he can be with a school, but I think he will have a happy - if not ideal - life in my tank. Better than the alternitive I tell you that!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Byron

Canadian Fish said:


> Thanks for looking into the hardness for me Byron, and explaining it. I appreciate it.
> 
> Can I use the Flourish Comp in addition to the Equilibrium in the same tank? If so, can I add them on the same day, or should I alternate? Or should I just switch to the Equilibrium and stop using the Comp?


This thread moves along so fast, I'm not sure if someone has already answered this, but doesn't matter. Yes, you use both, as they are supplying different nutrients, or in different quantities. You can use the Equilibrium right after the water change, as the nutrients it contains are not heavy metals (except the iron, but that doesn't matter). It takes a bit of fiddling over a few weeks to get the amount to where you want it. The day following the water change I add the Flourish Comp. Then two or three days later if a second dose is needed.


----------



## Byron

yyankeeyankeefan said:


> oo byron i have a question for you. i upgraded my 10 to a 30 and am running both filters at the moment. i took all the gravel out of the old tank, mixed it with the new and have the old filter running with the new. it is planted and i was wondering how long should i leave it like that? i would like to retire the old filter and keep it just in case i start up my 10 again. it's been up for... maybe a week and a half. but it has a lot of plants in there. and did a water test today and everything was at 0. i stirred the gravel so it was all mixed in not like the new is on top or anything. how much longer does it need?


If there are fast-growing plants, such as stem or even better floating, you don't need to wait at all.


----------



## Byron

Canadian Fish said:


> Well that's cool. And it just screws in the way a regular bulb screws in?
> 
> I may have to order one, I don't think they have them at my LFS. I asked if I could grow plants with my setup and they just said no. They're always looking to sell, sell, sell so I would hope they would have told me if they sold such a bulb.
> 
> Do you know what it is called? I just tried finding one with google but had no luck.


If you have an incandescent fixture [= one that takes screw-in bulbs rather than fluorescent tubes with prongs] the best and cheapest bulbs are the Daylight CFL with a 6500K rating. GE, Sylvania and Phillips all make them, I happen to use GE. Thney come in various wattages, so this depends upon the tank size. I have two 10w bulbs over my 10g and 20g tanks and the plants grow very well and interestingly I've had no algae issues in these tanks.

Any of the so-called aquarium or plant CFL bulbs may or may not work, or they may distort the colours.


----------



## yyankeeyankeefan

Byron said:


> If there are fast-growing plants, such as stem or even better floating, you don't need to wait at all.


there are some stem * easily 20 stems left in that tank atm*, some crypts, some rooted pygmy swords, and some red melon swords. also some java moss and peacock moss. should i add more stem plants and take out the old filter? i mean there are a lot of plants in there.... but i do have a bare area that i am going to be filling in with crypts and stems when there is more growth in the tank. waiting for it to grow more, so i can do some trimings and replant them to spread it all out. but i have a couple i can snag from paco's tank.


----------



## yyankeeyankeefan

Canadian Fish said:


> That is REALLY unfortunate. I wouldn't even keep a Betta in a 1.5 Gallon tank. Even the 5.5 seems small.
> 
> Those poor goldfish will no doubt have short, miserable lives.


my betta paco is in a 10 gallon and i feel guilty sometimes that he shares it with ghost shrimp. lol. but he doesn't seem to mind and neither do they. i always feel bad for those fish who get bad owners who have NO idea about a fish's needs. i hate the "know it all type" who haven't the first clue how to take care of fish. i hope that someone talks some sense into her and she moves her fish to a larger tank asap. lets hope that this is a very bad qt tank......


----------



## Byron

yyankeeyankeefan said:


> there are some stem * easily 20 stems left in that tank atm*, some crypts, some rooted pygmy swords, and some red melon swords. also some java moss and peacock moss. should i add more stem plants and take out the old filter? i mean there are a lot of plants in there.... but i do have a bare area that i am going to be filling in with crypts and stems when there is more growth in the tank. waiting for it to grow more, so i can do some trimings and replant them to spread it all out. but i have a couple i can snag from paco's tank.


That is "planted" and there should be no issues.

I was going to mention it last time, but didn't, so I will now. I never mess with "cycling" using old substrate, filters or filter media in new tanks. I plant it fairly well. I admit that the wood and plants from the existing tank will carry bacteria on their surfaces, so this is probably benefiting somewhat. But I have set up tank after tank with new substrate, new filter media, and in go the fish with never an issue. Just don't overdo it.


----------



## SeaHorse

I agree. Poor Goldies. 
What really disgusts me and disappoints me is Big Al's, Petsmarts etc and the local Mom/Pop fish stores still to this day promoting sales on the .5 gallon and 1 gallon double Betta tanks with the divider. I expect it from Walmart. I am flabbergasted that Big Al's promotes it. You know I love my Big Al's!!!.... but make a stand and quit selling that stuff. I even stopped by mine and was looking at replacing the Betta that went off to College in his 2.5gallon (max 3 gallon allowed in Dorm) with a new Betta in a 5 gallon... The Big Al's salesman tried to tell me they like the tiny cup sized tanks. :shock::evil::evil::evil: Snaps fingers left, right, left.... talk to the hand.


----------



## SeaHorse

Byron said:


> That is "planted" and there should be no issues.
> 
> I was going to mention it last time, but didn't, so I will now. I never mess with "cycling" using old substrate, filters or filter media in new tanks. I plant it fairly well. I admit that the wood and plants from the existing tank will carry bacteria on their surfaces, so this is probably benefiting somewhat. But I have set up tank after tank with new substrate, new filter media, and in go the fish with never an issue. Just don't overdo it.


CF you can likely from what Byron has said then take out your filter media from that small tank as you have lots of live plants in it now. I say go ahead if you haven't already.


----------



## yyankeeyankeefan

Jakiebabie said:


> I agree. Poor Goldies.
> What really disgusts me and disappoints me is Big Al's, Petsmarts etc and the local Mom/Pop fish stores still to this day promoting sales on the .5 gallon and 1 gallon double Betta tanks with the divider. I expect it from Walmart. I am flabbergasted that Big Al's promotes it. You know I love my Big Al's!!!.... but make a stand and quit selling that stuff. I even stopped by mine and was looking at replacing the Betta that went off to College in his 2.5gallon (max 3 gallon allowed in Dorm) with a new Betta in a 5 gallon... The Big Al's salesman tried to tell me they like the tiny cup sized tanks. :shock::evil::evil::evil: Snaps fingers left, right, left.... talk to the hand.


they actually make half gallon tanks that are not even shaped to allow for decent room. the tanks are shaped funky to fit "fun shapes" like batman, or grinch.... tetra makes them. i have started to order most of the things i used to get from petsmart online or trying to get the lfs i now prefer to go threw to order them. they are really pushing them in petco and petsmart. i refuse to shop there right now. well not like i shopped at petco anymore anyways. they are HORRIBLE here. i just want to liberate all the pets in that store every time i even think about them. 

so many people are under the misconception that bettas live in these less then half gallon pools of water and LIKE to live like that. that is like saying hey...you were born in a womb about the size of a watermelon...so you must like small spaces and this 4*4 room would suit you nicely..... the bathroom is in the corner there, and there is stove. the petsmart lady here tried to tell me that bettas don't need plants and actually don't like them because they get into way for them. lmfao! pet store employees just make me laugh so hard. thank god she was only filling in for pets that day! wish that you would have to have some sort of real training to work in a pet store. like you should have to study up on the pets the store sells. that way you can give EDUCATED responses to questions not just a poorly thought out educated guess. the ignorance is just baffling sometimes.


----------



## yyankeeyankeefan

Byron said:


> That is "planted" and there should be no issues.
> 
> I was going to mention it last time, but didn't, so I will now. I never mess with "cycling" using old substrate, filters or filter media in new tanks. I plant it fairly well. I admit that the wood and plants from the existing tank will carry bacteria on their surfaces, so this is probably benefiting somewhat. But I have set up tank after tank with new substrate, new filter media, and in go the fish with never an issue. Just don't overdo it.



thank you. i will have to try it and take out the original filter. should i put the older media in the new just to be safe? i tend to be a worry wort. lol. plus if i kill my shrimp i will literally cry! lol.


----------



## boxercrazy156

We have a pet store in the small town where I work and the lady there is the fish nazi she won't sell you a fish unless she knows where it's going she actually hit me with the papers on her hand when she found out how Much bloodworm I fed my fish on one hand she can be really hard to deal with but on the other hand there's less fish dying out there or leading miserable lives
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Byron

yyankeeyankeefan said:


> thank you. i will have to try it and take out the original filter. should i put the older media in the new just to be safe? i tend to be a worry wort. lol. plus if i kill my shrimp i will literally cry! lol.


From what you've told us, I wouldn't bother. As I said, live plants gobble up ammonia, and provided the fish are not too many for the plants to handle, there will be no cycling issues. Plus, you have had this old filter in there for a time already.


----------



## yyankeeyankeefan

Byron said:


> From what you've told us, I wouldn't bother. As I said, live plants gobble up ammonia, and provided the fish are not too many for the plants to handle, there will be no cycling issues. Plus, you have had this old filter in there for a time already.


ty


----------



## Bluewind

yyankeeyankeefan said:


> my betta paco is in a 10 gallon and i feel guilty sometimes that he shares it with ghost shrimp. lol. but he doesn't seem to mind and neither do they. i always feel bad for those fish who get bad owners who have NO idea about a fish's needs. i hate the "know it all type" who haven't the first clue how to take care of fish. i hope that someone talks some sense into her and she moves her fish to a larger tank asap. lets hope that this is a very bad qt tank......


Well, I didn't make it. She said it jumped out of the tank! :-(
I'm calling it. He committed suicide rather than live in that! :evil:

I'm not sure, but I believe that this was the tank she has the half hexagon shaped one. Poor fishies 

By the way, I wanted to ask yall a question. After hearing about your ordeal, I decided to quarantine my next fish. It will be 2-3 Juliis (does anyone breed them on here?). So far, I have had no luck catching them at PetSmart, but I', hoping to get them next month. I was going to quarantine them in my old 1.8gal tank for 3 weeks, but then I realized that it has no heater and I can't buy them AND another heater! The fish alone are gonna cost me (number of Juliis)($6.50 + tax) + $12 gas! That's about $34! So, my question is can I quarantine them in a wide mouthed quart jar left to float in my tank as long at I do pwc 2x a day?


----------



## Byron

Bluewind said:


> Well, I didn't make it. She said it jumped out of the tank! :-(
> I'm calling it. He committed suicide rather than live in that! :evil:
> 
> I'm not sure, but I believe that this was the tank she has the half hexagon shaped one. Poor fishies
> 
> By the way, I wanted to ask yall a question. After hearing about your ordeal, I decided to quarantine my next fish. It will be 2-3 Juliis (does anyone breed them on here?). So far, I have had no luck catching them at PetSmart, but I', hoping to get them next month. I was going to quarantine them in my old 1.8gal tank for 3 weeks, but then I realized that it has no heater and I can't buy them AND another heater! The fish alone are gonna cost me (number of Juliis)($6.50 + tax) + $12 gas! That's about $34! So, my question is can I quarantine them in a wide mouthed quart jar left to float in my tank as long at I do pwc 2x a day?


I wouldn't do this, primarily because of extreme stress. The fish will be closely confined, ammonia will rise rapidly and corys are particularly sensitive to any ammonia above zero. I realize you said twice daily water changes, but this is not going to be close. Plus there is the issue of the fish in that confined space, with other fish and open water beyond the jar which they can see but can't get into. This isn't much different from new fish in the bag floating in the tank, and most of us know how stressed out they become.

When I have had fish in a bare QT of 10g, it highly stressed the fish. But for medicating a health issue, this has to be done. With new fish, I have a 20g semi-planted tank running all the time and they spend 3-4 weeks (sometimes much longer, I think 3 months was the longest) in this. They settle down very fast, they are alone (so no other fish to intimidate them), and they have a couple bits of wood and plants for security.

BTW, in case you don't know, the so-called "Julie" corys are almost never true Corydoras julii, but most often Corydoras trilineatus. This is explained in our respective profiles.

Byron.


----------



## Bluewind

I would LOVE to be able to get to the profiles, but it doesn't work on moble and clicking on the hilighted name (like in your post) just takes me to a white screen. :-(

How can I tell which kind I have? They sold them to me as Julii Cory Cats, but then again, it is PetSmart.

And if I can't qt them, what should I do!?! Just throw them in the tank and hope for the best? It's what I have been doing and I guess if they look healthy, I can do it, but it worries me. :-(
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Byron

Bluewind said:


> I would LOVE to be able to get to the profiles, but it doesn't work on moble and clicking on the hilighted name (like in your post) just takes me to a white screen. :-(
> 
> How can I tell which kind I have? They sold them to me as Julii Cory Cats, but then again, it is PetSmart.
> 
> And if I can't qt them, what should I do!?! Just throw them in the tank and hope for the best? It's what I have been doing and I guess if they look healthy, I can do it, but it worries me. :-(
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


If you already have the new fish, introduce them to the tank. Float the bag (open top), add maybe a cup of tank water to the bag, leave for 10-15 minutes; then add another cup and leave for same period. Then net the fish out of the bag and into the tank. Do not tip any of the water into the tank.

Hopefully the corys will settle, and hopefully there was no disease in them or the store tank.

I guess using a mobile device affects the site somehow. I'm attaching a photo below [smaller photo] of the Corydoras trilineatus, which at Petsmart is almost certain to be what they will call "julie." The second photo [larger] is the true C. julii fish.


----------



## Bluewind

His body shape and eyes match the trilineatus, but his markings don't. The spots are a tad larger than the ones on the Julii, but save for the stripe along his side, they don't connect.

I don't have any more yet. I'm still searching and waiting until they get more at PetSmart. Would anyone on here sell me any or am I too new to fishkeeping for someone to be willing to sell to me?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Byron

Bluewind said:


> His body shape and eyes match the trilineatus, but his markings don't. The spots are a tad larger than the ones on the Julii, but save for the stripe along his side, they don't connect.
> 
> I don't have any more yet. I'm still searching and waiting until they get more at PetSmart. Would anyone on here sell me any or am I too new to fishkeeping for someone to be willing to sell to me?
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


You can't see the profile I take it, but the text therein explains that both species can be very variable in their markings, and especially C. julii; the fish in the two photos in the profile for C. julii are so different some might question if they are the same species. But when considering the two species, they are usually easy to distinguish. The head is probably the most obvious. On the true C. julii, the marking is quite obviously dots or spots, whereas on C. trilineatus they are obviously not dots/spots but more reticulated--squigly lines of varying length, though all usually quite short, but clearly not uniform spots. The lateral dark line along the side is always distinctly present in C. trilineatus, but may be present, or indistinct, or almost completely missing on C. julii, and if present only extends mid-body as a distinct line.

Just to add to the confusion, there are two other species that are also sometimes confused with these. But when it comes to so-called Julie corys in stores, almost in every case they will not be C. julii unless the store imports from Peru.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Jakiebabie said:


> I agree. Poor Goldies.
> What really disgusts me and disappoints me is Big Al's, Petsmarts etc and the local Mom/Pop fish stores still to this day promoting sales on the .5 gallon and 1 gallon double Betta tanks with the divider. I expect it from Walmart. I am flabbergasted that Big Al's promotes it. You know I love my Big Al's!!!.... but make a stand and quit selling that stuff. I even stopped by mine and was looking at replacing the Betta that went off to College in his 2.5gallon (max 3 gallon allowed in Dorm) with a new Betta in a 5 gallon... The Big Al's salesman tried to tell me they like the tiny cup sized tanks. :shock::evil::evil::evil: Snaps fingers left, right, left.... talk to the hand.


Byron, thanks again for the info!

Jakie, I agree. I love Big Als, but my peev with them is my location brings in fish that requires VERY large aquariums, and then sells them to people that couldn't possibly house them properly. Why even bother bringing in a fish that grows to 2 or 3 feet? And when they bring them in, they get a tankful, and sell the fish when it is tiny. 

...and LOL "Talk to the hand" Haha


----------



## Canadian Fish

Jakiebabie said:


> CF you can likely from what Byron has said then take out your filter media from that small tank as you have lots of live plants in it now. I say go ahead if you haven't already.


I will the next time I buy a couple of plants to replace them. Until then the fish seem to like swimming around them. 

They're ugly so I am looking forward to getting plants to replace them.


----------



## Canadian Fish

yyankeeyankeefan said:


> they actually make half gallon tanks that are not even shaped to allow for decent room. the tanks are shaped funky to fit "fun shapes" like batman, or grinch.... tetra makes them. i have started to order most of the things i used to get from petsmart online or trying to get the lfs i now prefer to go threw to order them. they are really pushing them in petco and petsmart. i refuse to shop there right now. well not like i shopped at petco anymore anyways. they are HORRIBLE here. i just want to liberate all the pets in that store every time i even think about them.
> 
> so many people are under the misconception that bettas live in these less then half gallon pools of water and LIKE to live like that. that is like saying hey...you were born in a womb about the size of a watermelon...so you must like small spaces and this 4*4 room would suit you nicely..... the bathroom is in the corner there, and there is stove. the petsmart lady here tried to tell me that bettas don't need plants and actually don't like them because they get into way for them. lmfao! pet store employees just make me laugh so hard. thank god she was only filling in for pets that day! wish that you would have to have some sort of real training to work in a pet store. like you should have to study up on the pets the store sells. that way you can give EDUCATED responses to questions not just a poorly thought out educated guess. the ignorance is just baffling sometimes.


Pffft. Bettas. I keep mine in a shot glass.

:jk:


----------



## thekoimaiden

Woah!!! I'm gone for a few days, and you guys write 10+ pages!! (well gone and sick lol!)

The live stream looks great, Matt!! So glad that things are looking up for you and all of your tanks. 

I love your pond, Boxer! So glad the herons aren't getting the goldfish any more.


----------



## Canadian Fish

thekoimaiden said:


> Woah!!! I'm gone for a few days, and you guys write 10+ pages!! (well gone and sick lol!)
> 
> The live stream looks great, Matt!! So glad that things are looking up for you and all of your tanks.
> 
> I love your pond, Boxer! So glad the herons aren't getting the goldfish any more.


Welcome back Koi, sorry to hear you're not feeling well. 

I love Boxer's pond too.

More good news, my Pea Puffers finally ate some food today! Frozen blood worm. Finally. I haven't been back to LFS so I haven't gotten any live white worms yet. 

Bad, or at least mysterious news, as I mentioned in a stand alone thread, I have completely lost a pretty large catfish. 

I think maybe the Aliens came and took him. He's probably getting probed right now.


----------



## Chesh

Oh my! Poor catfish. . . I hope you solve that mystery quickly! HUZZAH for the Puffers! Food is GOOD, guys - all the OTHER fish like bloodworm. Sheesh. . .


----------



## yyankeeyankeefan

sorry that your catfish got abducted by aliens.... but glad that your puffers are munching down on some tasty grub! tell the truth...you gave them spam didn't you?


----------



## Canadian Fish

My Betta won't share the Spam. 

Damn Catfish. He better not be dead in there somewhere, fouling up my tank. I haven't seen him once since he went into the aquarium. 



yyankeeyankeefan said:


> sorry that your catfish got abducted by aliens.... but glad that your puffers are munching down on some tasty grub! tell the truth...you gave them spam didn't you?


----------



## SeaHorse

what kind of catfish was he?


----------



## Chesh

Jakiebabie said:


> what kind of catfish was he?


lol, the NINJA kind!!!

(sorry, dude. I couldn't resist. Honest. I hope you find him...)


----------



## Termato

If I had a 220 Gallon tank, and this is in response to your pole, I would do a 220 Gallon replication of the Amazon. That's my dream tank. I just had a warm up on it. Hard.

I would stock it with the main fish being Discus. Cory Catfish and maybe 2-3 other kinds of catfish including some kind of pleco. Bolivian Ram. and a nice school of something tetra or other fish.



I love Amazon style tanks.


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## Canadian Fish

Jakiebabie said:


> what kind of catfish was he?


Spotted Raphael, though Ninja works too, lol.

Termato I love Discus, I remembered them 10 minutes after I made that poll.


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## twocents

unbelievable how fish, even large ones, can go completely missing. they are GONE!!! Sometimes, the mystery is explained later... find the fish on the floor, under an ornament you never thought they would fit... 
Unnerving and exasperating.


----------



## Freshcatch

Could you imagine a school of Discus in a 220? Sweet!


----------



## djembekah

i would want a school of angelfish. all different colors!


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## boxercrazy156

Maybe ninja catfish is in the filter I lost a loach just disappeared one day about 3 months ago gone never to be found
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Canadian Fish

boxercrazy156 said:


> Maybe ninja catfish is in the filter I lost a loach just disappeared one day about 3 months ago gone never to be found
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


I checked in the filter, in the ornaments, I poked around the substrate and I checked the floor behind/around the stand. 

This was a big catfish too, the same size as the striped raphael in my video and my avatar.


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## boxercrazy156

I was just reading up on this catfish seems They like to hide and like to come out at night maybe he's Fooling you I watch one of my loaches bury himself into the substrate one day, Could he be buried in the substrate? Is there a tight lid on the tank?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## yyankeeyankeefan

lol bad fishy....share the spam!


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## SeaHorse

My Raphael lived in the base of my Pirate ship and only came out at night to inhale all the algae disks I dropped in and return to the hiding spot. I set up my camera on night vision on a tripod, dropped in the disks and turned out the lights on tank and room. Took him about 20 minutes to come out.
Other than that... I never saw him, no one would know he was in the tank.


----------



## twocents

For myself, I have cats. If any fish manages to make it out of the tank it would ultimately end up in the litter box. Anyone who has seen my feed (www.twocents.name) will notice the boxy like contraption on top of the tank. This is for everyones protection, the fish as well as the cats. 
The only exception is the 5.5 gallon which I try and keep as a decoy for the cats. Small enough openings at the end to let the power & air lines in and big enough for cat tongues. (They absolutely love to drink the water... yrrrch). I suspect the female betta I had must have taken exception to this. She disappeared, but i'm not totally convinced it was the cats. I have a male in there now, something of a rescue.. he cannot swim well and he is as laid back as regular fish. He does not seem interested in defending his waters against the cats.


----------



## Canadian Fish

boxercrazy156 said:


> I was just reading up on this catfish seems They like to hide and like to come out at night maybe he's Fooling you I watch one of my loaches bury himself into the substrate one day, Could he be buried in the substrate? Is there a tight lid on the tank?
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


The lid is super tight. When I bought it used, all the tabs were out of the back of the hood. I cut plastic to cover all the holes, and taped it down. So the hood is actually taped to the aquarium. I still searched around just in case. 

I rooted around a little in the substrate, but not everywhere. My substrate is not super deep, so I would think I would see a bump or something. 

I'm wondering how I could catch him at night, assuming he is still in the tank and is still alive.


----------



## twocents

if you ever do see him again, i would nickname him the obvious.. "Houdini"


----------



## Canadian Fish

Jakiebabie said:


> My Raphael lived in the base of my Pirate ship and only came out at night to inhale all the algae disks I dropped in and return to the hiding spot. I set up my camera on night vision on a tripod, dropped in the disks and turned out the lights on tank and room. Took him about 20 minutes to come out.
> Other than that... I never saw him, no one would know he was in the tank.


The two striped catfish I can find are in an ornament. 

There is another ornament, a waterfall, in the tank. It has a hole in the bottom, but the hole is sitting on the substrate, I can't see how he could get in there. But I still took it out of the tank and looked inside, couldn't see him in there. I also listened for the croaking sound, I heard nothing. 

I had a baby video monitor and camera with night vision in Charlie's room when he was young, because he was a climber and his bed is a volkswagon bug, so we were worried about him falling of the roof, or opening the window and falling out. It has night vision (my regular camera and video camera do not). 

Jodie is looking for the charger for the handheld monitor right now. (we haven't used it in ages). She found it, it is working. NICE. It doesn't record, but I'll just watch it live. 

Tonight when I turn all the lights off I'll drop in a couple of algae wafers. The camera can rotate, move up and down and zoom in from the monitor. If he's in there, and alive, and comes out to eat, I should see him tonight.


----------



## Canadian Fish

twocents said:


> if you ever do see him again, i would nickname him the obvious.. "Houdini"


LOL, that's what I called him in the other thread.


----------



## twocents

thanks.. but this also is a prime example of what someone somewhere else in this thread also said...
'go away for an hour and there are 10 more pages of posts...'


----------



## Canadian Fish

twocents said:


> thanks.. but this also is a prime example of what someone somewhere else in this thread also said...
> 'go away for an hour and there are 10 more pages of posts...'


Haha. It was a totally separate thread I made titled: "Lost a Catfish" or something like that. Looking to catch the eye of those that do not frequent this thread.

Two or three days ago I was away for a day and when I came back there were a few pages to sift through in this thread.


----------



## twocents

well on the way to becoming a record buster..
'call Guiness'?


----------



## Canadian Fish

twocents said:


> well on the way to becoming a record buster..
> 'call Guiness'?


----------



## boxercrazy156

To funny cant wait to see if Houdini shows up
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## twocents

this thread is really taking on a life of its own.


----------



## yyankeeyankeefan

lol those are great pics of you and jodie. i would be wondering where the heck your catfish is too. lol. i remember the video that you took trying to find it. lol. crafty little buggers. one of mine likes to chill in the lava rock. he is a sly little devil


----------



## Canadian Fish

It's funny, the two I can find are the striped, but I can't find the spotted. The last time I saw him was when he was released from the bag. 

I just hope the night vision comes in clear enough to see him. He is mostly black, except for his spots. 

He isn't in the video we originally made of the catfish, because he was already hiding. 

Jakie, what kind of food did you use to lure them out at night? I was going to use a couple of algae wafers.


----------



## thekoimaiden

And this is one of the reasons I'm not fond of catfish... They love this disappearing act. But I hope that camera does catch him! 



Termato said:


> If I had a 220 Gallon tank, and this is in response to your pole, I would do a 220 Gallon replication of the Amazon. That's my dream tank. I just had a warm up on it. Hard.
> 
> I would stock it with the main fish being Discus. Cory Catfish and maybe 2-3 other kinds of catfish including some kind of pleco. Bolivian Ram. and a nice school of something tetra or other fish.
> 
> 
> 
> I love Amazon style tanks.


Haha! That's what I would do with a 220 gal! Discus and tetra and cories! Instead of a pleco I'd probably go with a farlowella instead.


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## SeaHorse

I just used ordinary Algae disks. Try to drop them right out in the front if you are going to video tape and it might take a while... you have several large cats in there. He should smell them tho and come out if he's hungry even if it is just to swim by... you may have to waste a few disks or over feed the others tonight just to see if you can get him to come out. Sit quiet in front of the tank... I checked my video... took him 5 and a half minutes to come out.... and 20 seconds later he was gone. Took an algae disc right off of a large Pleco. I tried to upload the video but I think it's too long. Wish I knew how to cut it down.


----------



## SeaHorse

Here's a link to the video. It's incredibly grainy... go to 5:15 and watch for about 30 seconds. 

MOV04636.mp4 video by Jakiebabie1 | Photobucket


----------



## Chesh

LOL! That's fantastic, Jakie! You're so clever. . . I love the little satisfied laugh you give when you see the sneaky little guy come out of hiding *giggle*


----------



## SeaHorse

LOL. Thanks!! Satisfaction!! The Pleco and the Raphael got to a size that the Raphael would get really aggressive and I sold him first. By that time it was just an aggravation to the tank. The Pleco was more peaceful but it also went a few months later. I learned from my Big Al's that those big Plecos that people sell back to the store get "rented" to people with ponds in the summer and then they take them back in for the winter. They have a ton of huge ones in a tank together in the winter. Funny eh?


----------



## Chesh

Rented Plecos. . . like hiring a housekeeper, neh? Wonder how much they charge a season, lol!


----------



## yyankeeyankeefan

sneaky little buggers. suprised that the pleco was so nice about it. lol. mine would have smacked it around a little lol.


----------



## Bluewind

Congrads on finding your invisible catfish! I still say he is a new breed that escaped a science facility and can turn invisible at will! His weakness? SPAM! ;-)


----------



## Canadian Fish

Bluewind said:


> Congrads on finding your invisible catfish! I still say he is a new breed that escaped a science facility and can turn invisible at will! His weakness? SPAM! ;-)


I haven't found mine, lol. Jakie found hers. Hilarious video Jakie.

I didn't search last night because I forgot to get the camera out of the boy's room before he went to bed. It is still on his wall.

I got my new light strip for the 220 today, because the switch was already shot on the other one.

Also brought home the terrarium. Still don't know where it is going to go. We don't have many outlets left.
The cops are going to think I have a grow op.

Byron, I got my GH tested. It was "5" which he said equates to 90 ppm.


----------



## Bluewind

Oops!  Well, glad she found hers! :lol:

I bet little man looked adorible all snuggled up for the night. They are so cute when they sleep. When their awake? Now THAT'S a different story! :lol:

Your switch gave out already!?! Man that's anoying! :evil: Glad you got then new one though. Ahhhh, new stuff 

Sorry in advance for all the useless advice, but my dad worked with electricity my entire life, so it's kinda been drilled in my head! Feel free to skip my rambling  
It's not so much the number of outlets, but the max load per outlet and for your house. Low energy items can be pluged into a power strip, but high watt items need direct outlet connections. Also, check the max load each breaker can take before it flips to save yourself the trouble of a burned out breaker. Figure out what items in your home go to what breaker (plug lights into each outlet, turn on lights and flip each breaker to see what goes where) to spread the load out between them. You might be surprised to see what breaker goes to which outlet. My dad has been in some CRAZY wired houses where one breaker only went to a single outlet! If you need to use an extension cord, make sure to use one with a good load capacity (the size of the cord doesn't matter! Plenty of "thick" cords can only cary a low load!). 
Also, electronics suck electricity when they are plugged in regardless of rather their being used or not! A phone charger, a gaming system, that lamp you never use... all add to the load on that breaker. Also, overloaded breakers don't always flip off which can also cause problems. 
Your house also has a maximum amount of watts per minute that your electric line can carry (like a river can only sucessfully hold so much water) and can also become overloaded. The effect (usually caused by not enough electricity getting to the house because of a down trasnformer or an electric line with a tree on it) is called a brown out. The electronics are still getting electricity, but not enough to power them fully. Every had a light that kinda gets a little dim, but the bulb is still good? That's the brown out effect. It causes the device to work harder than normal and can cause it to burn up! Can't tell you how many people lost their refrigerators over just that. 
Anyway, once you find out what your breakers go to, the load each breaker can take, and the load your house can tank, you can figure out where to plug in each tank and all your high watage items and avoid flipping breakers and brown outs all together! :welldone:

Hey, does anyone on here sell plants? I'm needing a few more , but not really wanting to spend the gas to drive to PetSmart. The online places charge CRAZY shipping! Like $30-40! I want a floating plant that wouldn't be messy (edible plants prefered) and Anubias, Water Sprite, or something that would enjoy my soft water. Any ideas? :-?

You can see the empty spaces. I'm currently doing a bit of rearanging, so please excuse the crappy pic. Trying to figure out how much room I have for more plants 
http://www.bettafish.com/picture.php?albumid=4906&pictureid=31109


----------



## SeaHorse

Great advice to everyone!! Thank you Bluewind!! Don't crap out and buy stuff like extension cords from the dollar store, get one at a proper store with the proper seals of approval. And don't forget your drip loops. Water if it leaks should run to the floor, not down into your power bars!!
Ok I'll stop!! Can't help you with plants, I'm in Canada. But once I get my plants to the point that I have too many, I can send some to CF & JWK.


----------



## Canadian Fish

That IS useful. I'm surprised that as I have added tanks, my hydro bill has not gone up.

The switch problem was mechanical, not electrical. There's a part in the switch that physically wears down. A friend of mine who keeps fish warned me it would happen. He has replaced the switches on his. This is the third one I've had, because the aquarium was a display model and the first switch was show before we brought it home. It's on a timer now, so hopefully it will last forever.


----------



## Bluewind

Wow! I'm so glad yall enjoyed the info! :-D

Well that's good about the switch, but sucky that you have had to buy so many! It is neverending stuggle for profection isn't it yall?

And I wish you could send me plants! But alas, it's not meant to be. Maybe I will get lucky and find someone on here who can hook me up. Thinking of starting a thread somewhere to ask, but not sure where or how.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## twocents

I may put my lamps back on timer. I miss going to bed to the blue glow of the leds... before the timer shuts them off.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Bluewind said:


> Wow! I'm so glad yall enjoyed the info! :-D
> 
> Well that's good about the switch, but sucky that you have had to buy so many! It is neverending stuggle for profection isn't it yall?
> 
> And I wish you could send me plants! But alas, it's not meant to be. Maybe I will get lucky and find someone on here who can hook me up. Thinking of starting a thread somewhere to ask, but not sure where or how.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


I only purchased the original one, they were all under warranty. 

The timer is great because that's the tank I livestream, so it is consistently on the same hours every day. Also, that is the only tank in the basement, so I don't need to make a special trip at bedtime.


----------



## boxercrazy156

Jakiebabie said:


> Here's a link to the video. It's incredibly grainy... go to 5:15 and watch for about 30 seconds.
> 
> MOV04636.mp4 video by Jakiebabie1 | Photobucket


Was hoping this wasn't one of those videos where you concentrate hard to see something and then a scary face jumps out and screams at you and scares you although the catfish was scary looking close up funny how erie a fish tank looks in night vision


----------



## Canadian Fish

boxercrazy156 said:


> Was hoping this wasn't one of those videos where you concentrate hard to see something and then a scary face jumps out and screams at you and scares you although the catfish was scary looking close up funny how erie a fish tank looks in night vision


----------



## boxercrazy156

Canadian Fish said:


>


to funny


----------



## Canadian Fish

So I set up the camera and it was too crappy to see in the tank. So I turned the light on in the next room so I could just barely see in the tank, and sat and watched for 15 minutes. Well, the Rainbowfish LOVED the algae wafers. No Catfish. I know where two of them are, and they didn't come out. 

I figured this was a good day to use the wafers since tomorrow is water change day anyway.

I tested the water in all the tanks today, and the nitrates were higher in that tank. So maybe there is a dead catfish in there somewhere. 

My next plan of attack is to remove the two big ornaments from that tank. They'll still have driftwood to hide under, but I'll be able to keep an eye on them.

I came upstairs after my failed surveillance mission and Charlie puked all over the bed. He has a slight fever. He got flu and booster shots yesterday. Now he says his eye is hurting. He may have a headache.


----------



## Chesh

Awww, rough day. Good luck with finding the fishy, and I REALLY hope little man feels better. Sick kiddos are so pathetic


----------



## yyankeeyankeefan

hope he feels better


----------



## Canadian Fish

Found the bugger!!

We took the two large ornaments out of that tank. The catfish still have driftwood and a log to hide it, but now we can find the buggers. 

The tank looks huge and empty now, but the Rainbows seem to enjoy the extra swimming room. In the new year when we have money again I will put live plants where the ornaments were. We don't have any live plants in that tank yet.

So we did that when we did water changes on 6 of the tanks today (we do the 220 a different day, otherwise we run out of hot water). First we checked the Silver Dollar tank, and moved everything around to find the small spotted raphael, couldn't find him!! So now, the big one is found, but the little one is missing. Like the large one, haven't seen that one since we brought him home. We see the Chocolate and Banjo cats every day!

Jodie finally believes me that there is a spotted catfish in the Rainbowfish tank. She was seriously doubting me, as she had never seen it.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Charlie is much better today guys, thanks. His fever went down over night. We kept him home from school today, just in case.

He still has no appetite, and we've made all his favorite foods, but he hasn't puked all day, and he has not had a fever.


----------



## Canadian Fish




----------



## boxercrazy156

Where was he
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Canadian Fish

boxercrazy156 said:


> Where was he
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


He was up inside an ornament with the other two, but for some reason we couldn't see him, he blended in more I guess. Don't know if he was in there the whole time, we had checked it a couple of times previously.

I lifted that thing right out of the water and they still didn't want to come out. The stick out there fins to hold on.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Canadian Fish said:


> Charlie is much better today guys, thanks. His fever went down over night. We kept him home from school today, just in case.
> 
> He still has no appetite, and we've made all his favorite foods, but he hasn't puked all day, and he has not had a fever.


He FINALLY asked for food. Pizza, go figure. 

Then he passed out halfway through eating it:


----------



## Chesh

lol! I KNEW that sucker was in there somewhere! SO glad you found him - _ALIVE_! He - and the other two - are really PRETTY! 

I wish you lived closer, I'd love to come over and do a portrait series . . . on your fish tanks. You have so many neat fish in that house... Plus? My husband is a tattoo artist. Not sure if you have any skin left, but I bet you two would get along, lol! We have a live-bearer tank in our tattoo studio that his clients swear help


----------



## Canadian Fish

Chesherca said:


> lol! I KNEW that sucker was in there somewhere! SO glad you found him - _ALIVE_! He - and the other two - are really PRETTY!
> 
> I wish you lived closer, I'd love to come over and do a portrait series . . . on your fish tanks. You have so many neat fish in that house... Plus? My husband is a tattoo artist. Not sure if you have any skin left, but I bet you two would get along, lol! We have a live-bearer tank in our tattoo studio that his clients swear help


Now I just have to find the small spotted raphael in the Silver Dollar tank. Haven't seen him since we brought him home either.


----------



## Chesh

LOL! I'm really hoping I don't have this problem when I put my loaches in the 55. . . I'd be a nervous wreck if I lost one of my babies! Good luck with that one. . . Perhaps you should reconsider the cats. They seem to be a sneaky lot!


----------



## Chesh

Forgot to add - REALLY glad the little one is feeling better! I'd have kept him home today, too. Hopefully the extra day plus the entire weekend of rest will have him 100% by Monday. Poor thing. Sick kids are so. . . pathetic!


----------



## Canadian Fish

Chesherca said:


> LOL! I'm really hoping I don't have this problem when I put my loaches in the 55. . . I'd be a nervous wreck if I lost one of my babies! Good luck with that one. . . Perhaps you should reconsider the cats. They seem to be a sneaky lot!


I know, I considered bringing them back earlier today, before we found him. I have a natural piece of driftwood shaped like a cave. I think it was probably a knot in the wood. It's not on the video, but I think all 3 are jammed in there now. One is sticking his head out. At least now I can see them a bit, and if I ever want to find them, I just have to move a few pieces of driftwood. There are NO ornaments in there now, just one fake plant, and a few pieces of driftwood. Can't wait until be get some live plants in there. We bought it used for my birthday last February (which is when and why I joined the forum) so the bulbs must be crap, I'll need new ones before I can add plants. 

Oh, and there's a diver in there. Charlie loves divers, he thinks they are astronauts. 
Not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but we love him. 

I'm glad we got rid of the other ornaments. They came with the tank. 










They're the big ones on the far left and the far right. The one on the right is where all the catfish were. This was when the tank just had platies and dainos. 

They ornaments are hideous. They came with the used tank. They also take up a lot of swimming room. 

Did you see the size of that one catfish in the video? I wish I had a camera that records with night vision. Our video monitor was no good through the glass. The only time we see them in action is for 2 minutes after we ruin their peace and uncover them.


----------



## Canadian Fish

ARGH. 20 minutes on the dot and it wouldn't let me edit my last post.

This is the tank now:




























This is the "cave" they are in. You can't see in the pics, but they're in there.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Chesherca said:


> Forgot to add - REALLY glad the little one is feeling better! I'd have kept him home today, too. Hopefully the extra day plus the entire weekend of rest will have him 100% by Monday. Poor thing. Sick kids are so. . . pathetic!


I'm pathetic when I'm sick too, lol. He is still passed out. Hopefully he'll eat something when he wakes up.

*Can anyone ident**i**f**y what is going on with my drift**wood? *

First it went dark brown, now there is white stuff:








































You can see the difference in color between the bottom and the top.


----------



## twocents

glad you found fish, the other one has gone missing?? probably hiding as well..
lesson: I guess it would pay to really REALLY check out ornaments, driftwood, and the like before taking them out of a tank permanently...
Glad kid is feeling better
nothing like chicken noodle soup. it is the best
ginger ale, 
zweibach also was nice, but unfortunately no longer available.
and, sorry, no idea what is wrong with driftwood


----------



## Bluewind

twocents said:


> ...Glad kid is feeling better
> nothing like chicken noodle soup. it is the best
> ginger ale,
> zweibach also was nice, but unfortunately no longer available...


Are you kidding!?! Potato soup is the best! ;P

My mammaw use to care for me when I got sick. She use to say that anything that spoils eaily outside the tummy will spoil easily in the tummy as well! That's why most of my meals while I was sick were vegitarian. Her potato soup was my fav! She also made the most amazing tea sweetened with fresh honey. Yum! 

Ya for finding a fish! Boo for sick kido, missing other fish, and driftwood problem. I hope it all works out for you hun! 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Canadian Fish

They came out of the ornaments before I took them out, lol.


----------



## twocents

yes, veggie would be good
but I think chicken soup has the tradition behind it..
anyway, I will consider potatoes next time I'm not feeling good


----------



## Canadian Fish

Bump!



Canadian Fish said:


> *Can anyone ident**i**f**y what is going on with my drift**wood? *
> 
> First it went dark brown, now there is white stuff:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You can see the difference in color between the bottom and the top.


Anybody know what is going on with this driftwood? Should I be worried?


----------



## Chesh

I've never seen DW go black like that - is something growing on it, or just natural coloration?
I've had wood get 'moldy' in the tank, and it's hard to say. *some* DW blooms are natural, expected, and harmless - others can be deadly. *I* don't know how to tell them apart, so whenever I've seen my wood do weird things, I rip it out. . .

I get really paranoid about stuff, though - I'm notorious for it. So when I've had issues with wood I take the piece out, scrub it with a clean wire brush, spray it with peroxide, rinse it off, drop it into boiling water, and let it dry in the sun for a few days before putting it back in the tank. Never had anything come back after that, though I'm sure all of that isn't necessary - I'll do it every time JUST to keep the babies safe 

You have a giant tank, though - how big IS that piece?

Trying to get a better look at the shot - aside from the darkness- it doesn't look like what I've typically seen from a 'bloom' which is kind of a mouldy, webby, look - are they little white specks? Do you think they could be eggs or something? Odd...


----------



## Canadian Fish

That piece is about 2 feet tall, and a foot and a half at its widest. 

I just went and poked around at it, because the white stuff seemed to have gone down since I took those photos.

I am now 99% sure the white stuff are bubbles. I gave them a poke, and they disappeared in a very bubble like manner. 

So I guess the only question is what is up with that discoloration. It's not black in person, it's sort of a maroon/brown. And it attracts (produces?) bubbles.

We'll see if the bubbles return now that I have chased them off.


----------



## Chesh

that's just so WEIRD, dude!!!









So yeah, too big to boil. I'd still hit it with a scrub brush and some peroxide and rinse in hot water to kill whatever weird junk is living in there, lol! I'm sure - whatever it is - that it'll go away with time. I guess as long as the fish are okay, it's fine? I've read stories about weird stuff appearing and the entire tank going down, like, 29 seconds later, so I'm pretty nervy about stuff like that. Most people don't seem to be, though - keep us posted on the monster in your tank! (any eyeballs yet?)


----------



## boxercrazy156

There's Malaysian driftwood that changes colors not sure if that is it
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Ogre44

Is it sap being forced out of the wood?
Is it sticky or slimy?
Does it have an odor?
Do you have an abnormal film on your water surface?


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## Canadian Fish

Ogre44 said:


> Is it sap being forced out of the wood?
> Is it sticky or slimy?
> Does it have an odor?
> Do you have an abnormal film on your water surface?


Gross. I was like a girl at her junior high prom. I touched it, but I didn't want to. I couldn't wash my hand soon enough afterwards. Now I'm just glad it's over. 

No odor, no film on water's surface.

Definitely slimy. Blech. But nothing seemed to rub off on my finger.

Could it be form of algae?


----------



## twocents

Canadian Fish said:


> Gross. I was like a girl at her junior high prom. I touched it, but I didn't want to. I couldn't wash my hand soon enough afterwards. Now I'm just glad it's over.
> 
> No odor, no film on water's surface.
> 
> Definitely slimy. Blech. But nothing seemed to rub off on my finger.


---> Now I have to go wash my hands... brb.


----------



## Nilet699

Whilst obviously having to be done on a much smaller scale (unfortunately!!!) i dont think something this stunning is overly undo-able in a tank your size. its at the sumida aquarium and if you take a peek on the tube there is a full video of how they assembled it, which you can obviously take from. On their site, they also have a range of beyond stunning natural looking tanks, any and all of which would be a dream to have but im sure could spark up some interesting ideas for your tank.

Something along this kind of lay out would also provide you with great 360 views


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## Byron

Canadian Fish said:


> No odor, no film on water's surface.
> 
> Definitely slimy. Blech. But nothing seemed to rub off on my finger.
> 
> Could it be form of algae?


Yes. At least, I would think it is. That close to the surface means close to the light, and that is where a brown/black algae frequently appears. Also on filter spray bars a lot. The "slippery" is due to the natural biofilm that forms, trapping various bacteria.


----------



## Ogre44

Sounds like the stuff that grows on the baffle I put under my filter outflow.
When it gets bad I drop a couple of snails up there, make 'em earn their keep.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Byron said:


> Yes. At least, I would think it is. That close to the surface means close to the light, and that is where a brown/black algae frequently appears. Also on filter spray bars a lot. The "slippery" is due to the natural biofilm that forms, trapping various bacteria.


Nice, thanks. True, it is close to the light. And the only other heavy algae build up occurs on the glass on the top center of each side, right where the light is. I've been scrubbing it off. 

Maybe I should get some sort of alga eater in there, after the tank has aged a little more. I'd like a Saillfin Pleco, but I know it won't work with my plants. Maybe a few bristlenose?

I could put snails in, though it would be with the understanding that one day I will be adding loaches to the tank and they will become food. Hey, loaches need to eat too.


----------



## Byron

Canadian Fish said:


> Nice, thanks. True, it is close to the light. And the only other heavy algae build up occurs on the glass on the top center of each side, right where the light is. I've been scrubbing it off.
> 
> Maybe I should get some sort of alga eater in there, after the tank has aged a little more. I'd like a Saillfin Pleco, but I know it won't work with my plants. Maybe a few bristlenose?
> 
> I could put snails in, though it would be with the understanding that one day I will be adding loaches to the tank and they will become food. Hey, loaches need to eat too.


If this is what I think it is, there is no fish or snail that will eat it, or do more than nibble.

Leave it on the wood, it is natural and will provide microscopic food for all and sundry. On filter tubes/spray bars, you just clean it off periodically. An old toothbrush can get it, if not left too long. My filter tubes don't get cleaned as regularly as the filters are rinsed, so by the time I get to this I usually need a scraper tool, such as a putty knife.


----------



## Chesh

Byron said:


> My filter tubes don't get cleaned as regularly as the filters are rinsed, so by the time I get to this I usually need a scraper tool, such as a putty knife.


Not to derail from the uggy topic at hand, but how often DO you clean your filter tubing? *ahem* Better question, how often SHOULD you clean it? I've been wondering about this, though I'm sure it will depend on stocking and such. . . is there a normal recommendation? Everything I read pretty much just says 'when output is reduced,' but I want a rough idea of when that will happen!


----------



## Termato

Chesherca said:


> Not to derail from the uggy topic at hand, but how often DO you clean your filter tubing? *ahem* Better question, how often SHOULD you clean it? I've been wondering about this, though I'm sure it will depend on stocking and such. . . is there a normal recommendation? Everything I read pretty much just says 'when output is reduced,' but I want a rough idea of when that will happen!


It will completely depend on stocking, plants, what kind of plants, feeding and many other variables. Assuming you clean your tank every week, this would most likely occur either bi weekly or on a monthly basis in my tanks.


----------



## Ehlectric

That's a sweet setup. Did you get that at the Ottawa West store?


----------



## Canadian Fish

Ehlectric said:


> That's a sweet setup. Did you get that at the Ottawa West store?


Yep, at the last Giant Tent sale they had in September. 
You shop at that location?


----------



## Ehlectric

Canadian Fish said:


> Yep, at the last Giant Tent sale they had in September.
> You shop at that location?


I do, generally it be the one in Newmarket, (from Markham area) but I'm up here for school. I'm trying to get my hands on a 55G or so for home. Kijiji is tough haha.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Ehlectric said:


> I do, generally it be the one in Newmarket, (from Markham area) but I'm up here for school. I'm trying to get my hands on a 55G or so for home. Kijiji is tough haha.


I got one of my 55s, with stand, from kijiji. It had to be resealed, but the sealant is cheap. I got the other one at that west end Big Als when they had the whole kit on sale, stand, filter, heater, everything. 

Are you going to be staying in Ottawa for awhile, or are you going to have to tear this down after the semester and move it to Markham?


----------



## Bluewind

Canadian Fish said:


> Gross. I was like a girl at her junior high prom. I touched it, but I didn't want to...


Bwahahaha! This actually made me lol! :lol:

I love little sayings like that. My dad has a billion of um. Like "They drive like grandma pees! Slow and all over the place!" XD

So, were they all right about the driftwood? And how about little man? All better I hope 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Canadian Fish

Bluewind said:


> Bwahahaha! This actually made me lol! :lol:
> 
> I love little sayings like that. My dad has a billion of um. Like "They drive like grandma pees! Slow and all over the place!" XD
> 
> So, were they all right about the driftwood? And how about little man? All better I hope
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Oh yeah, Charlie is great now. Thanks. We're Christmas decorating today, and baking.

I'm pretty sure Byron is right and it is algae. It isn't fouling my tank and my fish are showing no signs of stress, nothing unusual in my water tests, so I think it is all good.

I see my catfish from time to time now. All three can go in that little hollow log and it is still almost impossible to see two of them. They cling too, and blend in with, the dark inside of the ornament so well. I can usually find the striped ones, because of the stripe, lol. But the spotted one really blends in. I see now why I couldn't find him before.


----------



## Byron

Chesherca said:


> Not to derail from the uggy topic at hand, but how often DO you clean your filter tubing? *ahem* Better question, how often SHOULD you clean it? I've been wondering about this, though I'm sure it will depend on stocking and such. . . is there a normal recommendation? Everything I read pretty much just says 'when output is reduced,' but I want a rough idea of when that will happen!


We're talking canister filters here, since they have extended hoses/tubes that can reach 5-6 feet or more. And this is certainly a case of "do what I say, not what I do," because I do not clean mine anywhere near regularly.

My canisters get rinsed (all the media, under the tap) usually once every 2-3 months. The hoses may get rinsed once a year if they are lucky. They should be done when the filter is done.

As mentioned by both you (Bluewind) and Termato, rinsing (= cleaning, but involves rinsing everything) of the filter somewhat depends upon the tank and the filter. I find the last-stage white pads in both my Eheims and the Rena will really lose their shape when rinsed, and water can get around/through them so I replace these at every cleaning. And probably to save some money, I make them last longer than they should before doing this.

Cleaning the filter monthly is not going to hurt anything, and it is better than going too long. I once had an outbreak of cyanobacteria due solely to the additional organics in the dirty filter. I know this was the cause because as soon as the filter was throughly cleaned, the cyano disappeared.

Byron.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Thanks for the info on the canister. I guess it is almost time to clean mine, it has been running two months, though with a pretty small bio load for most of that time. 

Does anyone know if tiger barbs can go in a tank with Rainbowfish, Zebra Loaches, and Striped Raphael Catfish? Or are they too nippy to get along with any of these?


----------



## Byron

Canadian Fish said:


> Does anyone know if tiger barbs can go in a tank with Rainbowfish, Zebra Loaches, and Striped Raphael Catfish? Or are they too nippy to get along with any of these?


You should be OK, as you have a large tank (6 feet I believe?) and you can get a good sized group (no less than 12 Tiger Barb, 15 would probably be my aim) as the larger group confines nipping within and may even reduce it almost completely. And the rainbow are active swimmers too, much different than long-fin fish that are sedate which is too easy a target. I wouldn't worry about the loaches, they are nippy too you know, though again with sufficient this remains minimal and within the group. And the Rafael I suspect will remain hidden most of the day, so he/she should be safe.

Now, ahving said all that...TB are notorious for fin nipping so it is always possible it will occur.

Byron.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Byron said:


> You should be OK, as you have a large tank (6 feet I believe?) and you can get a good sized group (no less than 12 Tiger Barb, 15 would probably be my aim) as the larger group confines nipping within and may even reduce it almost completely. And the rainbow are active swimmers too, much different than long-fin fish that are sedate which is too easy a target. I wouldn't worry about the loaches, they are nippy too you know, though again with sufficient this remains minimal and within the group. And the Rafael I suspect will remain hidden most of the day, so he/she should be safe.
> 
> Now, ahving said all that...TB are notorious for fin nipping so it is always possible it will occur.
> 
> Byron.


Unfortunately the Rainbowfish are in 4 ft 55 gallon tank.


----------



## boxercrazy156

I clean my cannisters every other month since there's 2 I clean one, one month the other the next month haven't cleaned the tubes yet they Run through the rock wall it will be hard
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## twocents

I have said it before, I'll say it again. I do not think canister filters are really needed. I am doing very well with my air-driven foam block filters. One large air pump will drive a good number of these type of filters. My one luft (the larger one that is available) runs 8 of these foam block filters; they are even throttled back with inline air valves. 
My water parameters are all good. 0 ammonia, nitrites. Ph runs about 7.4. Nitrates stay around 10ppm. (they are 10ppm from the tap).


----------



## Canadian Fish

Well, so far the Amazon Puffers are getting along great with the Red Tailed Shark. Maybe that will change as the RTS ages. We actually see him more now than we used to. When he was alone in the tank he would just hang out under the driftwood all day. 

At feeding time, he stays out of the Puffers way, not the other way around. He gets whatever scraps they miss. The Puffers are fond of attacking the same bloodworm at the same time, literally bumping heads with each other as they go for it. The RTS wants none of that. 

One of my pea puffers is eating very well. The other two are eating, but not regular enough for my liking. I still haven't grabbed any live white worms. 

I never did find the small Spotted Raphael that I put in the Silver Dollar tank with the Chocolate and Banjo cats. Now that I see how well the big one hides, it really doesn't surprise me that I can't find the small one. 

Everyone in the 220 seems content and completely over the ick and subsequent treatment. I really like the look of all the new plants, and I no longer think it is the tank of death. 

How long should I wait before starting to add fish to the 220 again? Hopefully my LFS gets in some small Balas so I can replace the ones who died. 

Not sure what kind of bottom feeders to get now. Turned off the clown loaches a little, lol.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Last night one of my small Banjo catfish was hanging out on the water intake of my filter. I thought at first he might be dead or stuck. But then as I watched he moved around to a different spot on the intake. Usually these guys Just find a spot on the bottom of the tank and don't move around often. 

This morning, he is still on the intake, but on the other side. He is not wrapped around it, he doesn't appear to be in any kind of distress.


----------



## Chesh

I don't know much about these guys, but I hope he's okay!


----------



## twocents

He's probably ok. I have had plecos, ottos, use them as a 'kinda' hiding spot. They use the tube itself to provide cover. 
As for adding more fish, do it slow. Add only a couple or so at a time. This gives the tank time to adjust.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Well, the Banjo Catfish is dead, sadly. They don't move around much, unlike the Raphaels, so I wonder if maybe he starved to death. 

Shame, I like them, they're highly visible, they don't hide like other cats, they just pick a spot and hang out all day, and they are really cool looking. Hopefully the other one makes it.


----------



## Freshcatch

Sorry for your loss. We all hope the other one does better.


----------



## Chesh

I'm sorry, hon. . .


----------



## Bluewind

I'm so sorry you lost your baby hun! It's so sad when we loose one of our babies. :-(

How are the RTS and puffers doing? I wouldd love to see a pic of them. :-D
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## twocents

am so sorry Canadien. 

is this the one that was hanging out by the water intake?

sometimes we can do everything right and it just does not work out. and the nature of things are such that sometimes we never know what happened.


----------



## boxercrazy156

Sorry for your loss my one clown loach that never grew is dying he will probably be gone when I come home from work I moved him to the other tank before I left for work I had treated for internal bacterial but not parasites
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## SeaHorse

Oh bummer!! Sorry you have lost another!!


----------



## boxercrazy156

no one posted on this thread for a few days seems weird I came to catch up after not reading for a few days thinking I would have to read for an hour and catch up and no one has posted. hope all is okay cf
my clown loach passed and after ready up on what I think was going on with him skinny disease I have purchased some parasite medicine and am going to treat everyone in the 120 gallon tomorrow after my water change the other five look good one is a bit smaller then the others but I noticed some 2 of my golden zebras are growing as big as everyone else so will treat its says to treat for bacteria and parasites taking turns I have just treated for bacteria one of my rainbows looked fuzzy so will treat for parasites now


----------



## Byron

boxercrazy156 said:


> no one posted on this thread for a few days seems weird I came to catch up after not reading for a few days thinking I would have to read for an hour and catch up and no one has posted. hope all is okay cf
> my clown loach passed and after ready up on what I think was going on with him skinny disease I have purchased some parasite medicine and am going to treat everyone in the 120 gallon tomorrow after my water change the other five look good one is a bit smaller then the others but I noticed some 2 of my golden zebras are growing as big as everyone else so will treat its says to treat for bacteria and parasites taking turns I have just treated for bacteria one of my rainbows looked fuzzy so will treat for parasites now


I don't have time to go back through this thread (or novel, more like:lol to check out what has been going on with your fish, so this is just a caution about using any medications. Always make sure they are applicable to the issue. All medications stress fish to some degree, some more than others. If there is something in the tank, the fish are likely already under some stress in fighting it off, and any further stress make weaken them and lower their resistance, making the issue even worse. Unless you can be sure of the issue and treat with the appropriate product.

The general over-the-counter preparations can be dangerous, and even lethal. I speak from experience.

Second point is never use more than one product unless a knowledgeable microbiologist or similar confirms, or you do a massive water change to remove any trace of the prior substance. Two products can sometimes interact and be lethal, or more stressful at best.

Final thought, if the actual fish are not showing distinct signs of a disease, it is always best not to treat the tank. Antibiotics can kill bacteria including the good ones, and harm plants, in addition to the fish issue above.

It is amazing how often just a few good water changes will clear things up. The fresh water, provided parameters are close to the tank water, invigorates fish and helps to strengthen their immune system.

Byron.


----------



## boxercrazy156

Byron said:


> I don't have time to go back through this thread (or novel, more like:lol to check out what has been going on with your fish, so this is just a caution about using any medications. Always make sure they are applicable to the issue. All medications stress fish to some degree, some more than others. If there is something in the tank, the fish are likely already under some stress in fighting it off, and any further stress make weaken them and lower their resistance, making the issue even worse. Unless you can be sure of the issue and treat with the appropriate product.
> 
> The general over-the-counter preparations can be dangerous, and even lethal. I speak from experience.
> 
> Second point is never use more than one product unless a knowledgeable microbiologist or similar confirms, or you do a massive water change to remove any trace of the prior substance. Two products can sometimes interact and be lethal, or more stressful at best.
> 
> Final thought, if the actual fish are not showing distinct signs of a disease, it is always best not to treat the tank. Antibiotics can kill bacteria including the good ones, and harm plants, in addition to the fish issue above.
> 
> It is amazing how often just a few good water changes will clear things up. The fresh water, provided parameters are close to the tank water, invigorates fish and helps to strengthen their immune system.
> 
> Byron.


ok I will hold off and monitor that Clown Loach very closely I don't want to loose another I know internal parasites are quite common in them


----------



## Byron

boxercrazy156 said:


> ok I will hold off and monitor that Clown Loach very closely I don't want to loose another I know internal parasites are quite common in them


If this is an internal protozoan, the only safe and really effective treatment is to feed medicated food.


----------



## boxercrazy156

So if it is prazipro will not work? I haven't been able to find medicated food
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Byron

boxercrazy156 said:


> So if it is prazipro will not work? I haven't been able to find medicated food
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


I've never used that product, and I am not a microbiologist, so I won't hazzard a guess on effectiveness. But this is going in the water, and internal parasites are best dealt with internally, via food.

I have had two types of protozoan in the past couple of years, brought in on new fish, and both times on advice I was successful using metronidazole which you mix with prepared foods. Aquarium Solutions make a product called Metro+ that works well, and there is another by Seachem called simply Metronidazole. I have used both. You mix them with flake foods and sinking foods in a zip-lock bag; the longer they remain together the more the food with its oils with take up the metronidazole. Then feed normally. This does not stress the fish further than what they are already handling, and it gets inside where it is needed.

Byron.


----------



## boxercrazy156

Thanks I will try to get some
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Canadian Fish

Thanks guys. Sorry to hear about your clown loach Boxer. I have been away from my computer for a couple of days, Christmas shopping/decorating. We got our tree up and decorated, along with the rest of the house. 

Man, one of my Silver Dollars may die. The strangest thing just happened. 

I was sitting here in the living room and all the sudden I hear this loud clunking noise from the fish tank. I go and open the doors to the stand, and my Silver Dollar is laying on my power bar. I have no idea how he made it out of the tank. I couldn't believe my eyes. The clunking must have been him flopping around. I picked him up and put him back in the tank. He is swimming around, for now. But that is a long time with no water, (less than a minute, but more than a couple of seconds), not to mention the stress he must have felt. I doubt he'll make it through the night. We'll see. 

I have NO idea how he got out. They splash around sometimes, but must have gone out the back, since he ended up inside the stand. One of the hoods has ALL the tabs still in place. The other hood only has a small amount of space between the filter and heater. And these are BIG Silver Dollars.

Twocents, it was the catfish who was stuck on the water intake.


----------



## boxercrazy156

Cf add some stress coat or slime coat Protect to help
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Canadian Fish

My tetra aquasafe that I use for water changes has some of that in it. Can I just add that? Even if I'm not changing the water tonight? The Silver Dollars freak out when I do water changes, so I want to keep the tank stress free.


----------



## Byron

Canadian Fish said:


> My tetra aquasafe that I use for water changes has some of that in it. Can I just add that? Even if I'm not changing the water tonight? The Silver Dollars freak out when I do water changes, so I want to keep the tank stress free.


I wouldn't add this unless you are doing a water change. See my new article on Total Solids for the reasons.

I never fuss if fish jump out like this, I just put them back. If they are otherwise healthy, they will be fine.

Most water conditioners contain some form of "slime coat protection" as they call it. Some are supposedly natural, some are more likely chemical substances or aloe vera or something similar. Not everyone here thinks these "slime restorers" are good for fish--my concern is more with the TDS from them.

Byron.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Last night I added some Aquasafe before I saw your message Byron. It's a 55 gallon tank, and I only added enough to treat 20 gallons of water, so hopefully that will be ok. 

All four of my Silver Dollars are all alive (and hopefully well) this morning. 

Fingers crossed he makes it through this.


----------



## SeaHorse

Believe it or not they can bounce right back. I found a fuzzy dry goldfish on the carpet one time.... put it back, very gently rubbed the fuzzies off and held it upright and gently moved it back and forth to get water thru it's gills. Fully recovered from it. It's tail fin was a little wonky lookin but it lived! He'll be fine, especially since you found him right after he jumped.


----------



## twocents

fish can be tougher then we think..


----------



## cpwebsite

Many little fish, with lots of live plants, and driftwood. Sand substrate, sump filtration.

8 Neon Tetras
4 Bristlenose Pleco
8 Emperor Tetra
8 Danios
4 German Blue Ram
8 Cardinal Tetras

increase those numbers as you want, but I would put those type of fish.


----------



## twocents

Not everyone can 'get away' with this, but I have to add water to one of my betta tanks frequently because the cats like drinking water out of it. I just do it straight from the tap and no one has a problem.

When I was refilling all the tanks, after a water change & direct from the tap, I was using API tap water conditioner. According to the fish guy over at Selmers petland, and he is a fish person, it is a very forgiving additioner and does not require mucy.


----------



## Chesh

Oh no! Matt! I hope he makes it through okay :/ Poor thing!


----------



## Canadian Fish

cpwebsite said:


> Many little fish, with lots of live plants, and driftwood. Sand substrate, sump filtration.
> 
> 8 Neon Tetras
> 4 Bristlenose Pleco
> 8 Emperor Tetra
> 8 Danios
> 4 German Blue Ram
> 8 Cardinal Tetras
> 
> increase those numbers as you want, but I would put those type of fish.


Nice! I'm thinking of adding some Bristlenose Plecos actually. I would like a big Sailfin Pleco, but cannot do it with my plants.


----------



## Canadian Fish

twocents said:


> Not everyone can 'get away' with this, but I have to add water to one of my betta tanks frequently because the cats like drinking water out of it. I just do it straight from the tap and no one has a problem.
> 
> When I was refilling all the tanks, after a water change & direct from the tap, I was using API tap water conditioner. According to the fish guy over at Selmers petland, and he is a fish person, it is a very forgiving additioner and does not require mucy.


Wow, I can't believe your fish doesn't kill your Betta. That's awesome. You should totally get a video of that.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Chesherca said:


> Oh no! Matt! I hope he makes it through okay :/ Poor thing!


Thanks! So far so good! They're uber skittish today, so no water change for sure. The don't even like it when I approach the tank to count them. I tested the water today and the nitrates were 5. So I don't think any weird behavior is from bad water conditions. I thought about getting them some duckweed as a treat, they like the cover it provides and they love eating it. I ended up going to the fish store and completely forgot to get some.


----------



## Chesh

Thank goodness he made it through this far! He's a fighter for sure. . .wonder why they're so skittish? Odd for them, isn't it?


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## twocents

keep meaning to get duckweed and forget about it..
nitrates @ 5, that actually is not bad.


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## Canadian Fish

Chesherca said:


> Thank goodness he made it through this far! He's a fighter for sure. . .wonder why they're so skittish? Odd for them, isn't it?


No, they're skittish a lot. They were super skittish when we bought them, and didn't even come out to eat. I put some duckweed in, and that emboldened them. Even after is was gone, after that they were braver and always come out to eat, even aggressively.

But a couple of months ago the nitrates were up in that tank and I had to do a lot of water changes. I think I was over feeding. They hate water changes and having a bunch in a row, they got sort of skittish. Not as bad as when they were new. I have been meaning to get duckweed but always forget. They have been very skittish since the one jumped out and came back.


----------



## Chesh

Ahhh, gotcha - poor things! Do you think getting a few more of them to add to the shoal would make them feel more comfortable? 

Of course, now that one of them vanished and came back covered in dust bunnies, they probably think you're a mad scientist and are wondering which of them will be next to suffer through your wacko experiments. . .I know I would be 

Well, I hope they settle down again for you, and that the little escape artist continues to be well. Can you even imagine what that must be like for a fish?  He must have hit the hood at *just* the exact right place *shakes head* Foolish fishy. . .


----------



## Canadian Fish

Chesherca said:


> Ahhh, gotcha - poor things! Do you think getting a few more of them to add to the shoal would make them feel more comfortable?
> 
> Of course, now that one of them vanished and came back covered in dust bunnies, they probably think you're a mad scientist and are wondering which of them will be next to suffer through your wacko experiments. . .I know I would be
> 
> Well, I hope they settle down again for you, and that the little escape artist continues to be well. Can you even imagine what that must be like for a fish?  He must have hit the hood at *just* the exact right place *shakes head* Foolish fishy. . .



I have four. I think they're just skittish fish. I have read that about them. When they haven't been recently traumatized they patrol the tank all day, as opposed to hiding under their favorite fake plant. I'm sure if I add some duckweed they'll come around. 

I had another fish escape today, believe it or not.

Man, I tried staying away from here for a little while so I could focus on Christmas. Hanging out here really makes me want to buy fish stuff. LOL

Went to the fish store today for the first time in awhile (Not that long, a week or two at the most) and I got suckered in to buying fish because they had....

ROPEFISH! Which I love and wanted but the last time they had them in my tank was still cycling. 

Of course everytime Ropefish are mentioned, the first thing people say is they are great escape artists. I had never put the plastic inserts along the back of my glass lid. So I did this while the fish acclimated. I cut the gaps around the equipment as small as possible. Then I covered ALL the gaps. You can see the lid at the end of this video.

So when ALL the holes were covered, I put the fish in the tank. One escaped before I even got him in the tank! He jumped out of the bag the second I opened it! I had to pick him up and throw him back in. And I am sketched out by snaky fish, Shudder. Jodie was filming when it happened but missed half of it in the confusion. 

So after never having a fish escape, we had two escape in one 24 hour period. The 7 inch Silver Dollar escaped from a 3" gap. 

Also, even though I forgot duckweed, I finally remembered white worms for the pea puffers! Gonna try them when I feed them tonight.


----------



## twocents

actually, Canadien, the bettas are in a tank by themselves. 
1 red double tail who can't swim well. he has a bulge near his tail
the other is a blue crown, with red finnage. very striking, but no 'mr cheeky'. he'll come over and look at me, but does not make any threats towards me. Occasionally he will flare at the residents in the 29 gallon next door. of course, they ignore him completely.


----------



## twocents

watching ropefish escape... 
looks like you float and at least temp acclimate.
do you try and acclimate by adding water to the bags gradually..

I wonder: has anyone had a fish escape and go under something where you could NOT get it back?


----------



## Chesh

OMG!!! Well, lets hope this is the LAST fish escape for quite some time to come! Yeeeesh!!! Very cool fish, I really love Ropes, too - hope they do well for you, they're gorgeous!


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## Canadian Fish

twocents I did acclimate some fish by gradually adding water, when my LFS specifically told me to, though I can't remember which ones. Usually I just float the bags. 

Chesherca I hope so too. I need a net or something to put over the opening when I am doing water changes because the lid is open for an hour by the time I drain and refill the 70 gallons I usually change.


----------



## thekoimaiden

Dirty mouth there, Matt! :lol: 

I love your ropes!!! Makes me wish I had a tank large enough for them. Let's hope you don't have any more fishy escapes!


----------



## Canadian Fish

Now I have to watch it again to see what I said. If it was when the fish jumped out, I can only imagine. 

They have quickly become my favorite fish. Right now they are very active. I hope after they've been there a couple of days they don't settle down and hide all day. I've been down to the basement numerous times today to watch them. 



thekoimaiden said:


> Dirty mouth there, Matt! :lol:
> 
> I love your ropes!!! Makes me wish I had a tank large enough for them. Let's hope you don't have any more fishy escapes!


I am worried about my pea puffers. Only one came out to eat. Usually all 3 do. Yesterday all 3 did. One didn't eat much at all, one ate, but not as much as I would have liked. One has been eating fine and I assume that is the one I saw today. I finally got the white worms. I hope they're just hiding. They do that.


----------



## Bluydgrl

I now only have one Pes Puffer left out of 5.Three jumped out at different times through the smallest opening possible.One I found eaten and the other died the day I got him home.Now I have one lonely Puffer.I was gping to get him some Ghost Shrimp to eat today but couldn't bring myself to do it.
If this one goes then I will find some other micro,pigmy..ect.. fish to put in it.They have to be small tho.It's a 5 gallon Ecoexcotic tank.Love it tho
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Freshcatch

Always exciting around your tanks... wish I could have been there for that one!


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## Canadian Fish

Freshcatch said:


> Always exciting around your tanks... wish I could have been there for that one!


I need less excitement. Like all the fish staying in their tanks, and alive, lol. 

The Silver Dollar is still alive. I slept in and haven't been to the basement yet, but Jodie said all Rope Fish are accounted for.

Bluydgrl, sorry to hear about your pea puffers. I have to go in the kitchen in a minute and see if I can find the two of mine that are missing. 

Koi, I went back and watched it, I heard Jodie exclaim "S!%@" once, but I managed not to swear throughout the whole fish escaping episode (that I noticed). I was expecting some F Bombs when the fish jumped out. 

Since I quit smoking almost two years ago, swearing is my only vice. I'm amazing I was able to hold it in under the stress of a snake like fish writhing around at my feet.

Jakie, it is almost the big boxing week sale!! Are you still thinking of getting a big tank?

I hope I have some money left for the sale. I think I am going to get a Master Test kit. Finally, lol. 

I am NOT going to buy a new tank. We still have to set up the terrarium.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Here is another video of the ropefish. They are awesome, I'm so glad my LFS got them in again. 






I didn't get much on here, but they spend a lot of time slithering around the driftwood and rocks all around the bottom and back of the tank. They really like the caves and hollow cichlid stones. 

Here are updated pics of the 220:









































































I am getting some algae buildup. A lot near the top of the sides where the lights are, and some on the front. I don't want to scrub it all off because I want some algae eaters. 

What can I have beside bristlenose? I know the larger plecos can't go with my plants (unfortunately, I wanted a Sailfin).


----------



## boxercrazy156

Those rope fish scare me if one jumped out I think I would scream hysterically usually when I video there's usually my dog drinking water or someone swearing in my house of sailors
220 looks awesome. I'm hoping to put my dennison barbs in the 120 soon they look disease free
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Canadian Fish

LOL. I usually have Charlie shrieking in the background. The ropefish definitely freaked me out. Charlie was at school. Too bad, that would have been even funnier.

So I am considering a Rhino Pleco. They have a decent size one at my LFS. It is in with some plants right now, and is not destroying them. 

I am also considering Siamese Algae Eaters and maybe a Gold Algae Eater. 

I have to read up on all three, I don't know much about them. These are just what my LFS recommended. 


Can't wait to see your denison barbs roaming the 220. They're such good looking fish. 

I am pleased with how the 220 is looking. After Christmas when we're caught up on bills, I'm going to add more plants to it and also to the Rainbow tank and maybe the 20 gallon community aquarium, for the first time. 

Soon I will be able to remove the 5 fake plants from the 220. There are 15+ live plants in there now. They get nibbled on a bit, but for the most part are left alone. Sometimes a piece of Val will get hacked off.


----------



## djembekah

i LOVE the tank!!! THE ROPE FISH ARE SO CUTE I'm so glad it's going well


----------



## SeaHorse

IMO... hold off on the algae eater... they can get very nasty over time. All the LFS push them but I'm not sold. Do a bit more research... and be wary of the Flying Fox too. There are several forms of fish that resemble this guy and most LFS don't know what they have because they all look the same. I have a False Algae Eater which was sold to me as a Flying Fox. I can send you the link how to identify them if you want more info. 
I have heard that the Bristlenosed Pleco is the BEST of the tank cleaners. Haven't owned one myself yet tho. Still have the Chinese and the False in the 75... maybe after they are gone.


----------



## Canadian Fish

See I have had and currently have bristlenose plecos, so I want something different. I also have a hillstream loach.

You ruin all the fun, lol. 

Right now this dude is in a tank with Discus, and has been there awhile. He hasn't bothered the other fish or plants. The last time we were in Jodie saw him swim by, that is the first time we have ever seen him move. 

I have read they can get aggressive with other bottom dwellers, especially those of similar shape, if they don't have adequate space. The footprint of the 220 is 72" x 24" x 24" and there are tons of hiding spots, so space shouldn't be an issue. 

I should try and find someone who keeps one. All the various types of plecos seem to vary as per temperament and destructiveness. 

Semi good news on the pea puffers. I only saw one all day, but at feeding time a second one came out. So only one is missing now. Hopefully he is not dead. I fed both of them white worms today, and I think they both ate. I split my white worm culture in two, added soil and a piece of bread. He said to use damp bread so I did. 

Also, my Silver Dollars are back to swimming around patrolling the tank tonight. All four seem fine, I can't even tell which one made the Great Escape.


----------



## boxercrazy156

Jakiebabie said:


> IMO... hold off on the algae eater... they can get very nasty over time. All the LFS push them but I'm not sold. Do a bit more research... and be wary of the Flying Fox too. There are several forms of fish that resemble this guy and most LFS don't know what they have because they all look the same. I have a False Algae Eater which was sold to me as a Flying Fox. I can send you the link how to identify them if you want more info.
> I have heard that the Bristlenosed Pleco is the BEST of the tank cleaners. Haven't owned one myself yet tho. Still have the Chinese and the False in the 75... maybe after they are gone.


I have heard the flying foxes can be nasty unless they are in groups of 6 or more not a fish I'm interested in I know some one who has just one and it is harrassing everyone even the dennisons are supposed to be 6 I have 4 because thats all they had left which look like flying foxes with a splash of red but my 4 have been fine so far I am noticing one hanging by himself sometimes that will change when they move to the 120 gallon there is a bit of chasing but not that bad


----------



## Canadian Fish

Siamese Algae Eaters and Flying Foxes are of course two different fish. I have read that the Siamese Algae Eaters are not typically aggressive. But they're all different, like any fish. I have read the Gold and Chinese Algae Eaters are more aggressive than the Siamese Algae Eaters. 

I haven't uncovered a ton of info on any of these, a few profiles, but not as many as I usually find to compare.


----------



## twocents

I like bristlenose and 'ottos'


----------



## Canadian Fish

twocents said:


> I like bristlenose and 'ottos'


I like both of those as well, but I'd like something bigger for the 220.


----------



## keeperofthezoo

I second the otto's. They need to be in a school, so you need at least three, and the more the merrier. I have them in my 55 and they stay together as a group. They're not flashy, and they spend most of their time on my plants. But they're very active and fun to to watch.


----------



## SeaHorse

CF do you have any algae in your 220??


----------



## Canadian Fish

We got algae on the rocks pretty quickly, and then a month ago it started forming on the sides near the top where the lights were. I scrubbed it off a week or so ago, but now it is worse. Within the last couple of weeks it started forming on the front glass, though not to the extent of the sides. 

That's why now I want some algae eaters. I know some of the larger plecos don't eat much algae, I just like them. But that's why I'm looking at algae eaters in general.

I made this video today, of the Ropefish repeatedly swimming against the current of the water output. You can REALLY see the algae on the side.






It has more (way more) algae than any other aquarium in our house. My Hillstream loach keeps one of the 55s clean, and a bristlenose keeps the other 55 clean. A couple of nerite snails look after the 20.


----------



## SeaHorse

They really love swimming in the current don't they? Maybe he thinks he is headed upstream. lol


----------



## Canadian Fish

I think that he plans on escaping if he can make it into the outlet. Good luck fellas. 

They do really seem to enjoy it. I read somewhere their natural habitat is slow moving water, but if that is true, you wouldn't know it from these guys.

Did you see the crazy algae?


----------



## Canadian Fish

Well, I decided to take my own advice, which was to take people's advice when you ask for it.

I did NOT get the Rhino Pleco, magnificent though he is. I wimped out and succumbed to peer pressure.

That turned around and bit me in the butt, however, because they were out of siamese algae eaters, they sold them all yesterday. I hadn't put them on hold, because I wasn't sure they wanted them. So I grabbed Chinese Algae Eaters. I had heard they were more aggressive but the LFS assured me it wouldn't be an issue in my big tank. However then I got home and read about them, and apparently when they age they can get really mean. They're very small now, but at the first sign of aggression towards another fish, they're going back.

Geez, I try to do the right thing, and instead of getting something that can terrorize my plants, I get something that can terrorize my fish. Not now, but eventually, down the road. Argh. 

The Rhino was gorgeous, too. 

I do like the look of the Chinese Algae Eaters against the dark substrate and driftwood though. 

I did, however, get a full grown bristlenose pleco, which I am quite pleased with. He is WAY bigger than the bristlenose we have in the 55 with the Rainbows. He is tiny. 






Our crappy camera FINALLY died today. It was a slow, painful, gradual death.

This video was made with one of our two backups, which are really only useful outdoors with natural light. Indoors there is just not enough light for them. So this video looks horrible, is what I'm getting at. Now we have to buy a new camera BEFORE Christmas, instead of after. Argh. Luckily we have all the boy's gifts now, just need some stocking stuffers. Thank God for kijiji (craiglist)

There was a Tiger Pleco there, a good medium size pleco between the size of the bristlenose and the rhino. I wanted him, but he has a sketchy bump. They quarantined him for three weeks, and medicated him, and it didn't come off, so they think it is scar tissue (he previously lived with cichlids at someone's home) as opposed to a fungal or bacterial infection. 

After the clown loach incident I was paranoid, so I passed. I wish we had a cell phone so I could have taken a picture, and you guys could have weighed in on what it is. It is a cool looking fish.


----------



## Chesh

Lovely new additions! The bristle-nose got right to work nomming that glass for you *giggle* He looks happy enough already! 
Looks like you got the 'golden' form on the CAE? Gaaaah! LOVE them! Such_ GORGEOUS_ fish, aren't they? And they seem to me to be very smart - aware of their surroundings - and whomever is at the tank - at least the one I knew was. I had to rehome one of these guys who was in the kindy tank that I take care of. I felt bad because of all the fish in there, he was the only one who was fit and happy. These guys are so tough, they can survive pretty much the worst environments and come through healthy as can be - which was exactly the case in that tank with off the charts nitrates and phosphates in a tank that hadn't been maintained for MONTHS - and badly before that. I was so sad to send him away, but I found marks on one of the Mollys in the tank that HAD to be from his suckers. He was 1 year old and just about at the 3-4 inch mark, so. . . he had turned. Bummer that such an amazing fish has to be so NAUGHTY! I was tempted to keep him and try to build the tank around him, but there wasn't enough room in the 29g, anyway. . . I bet you'll really love those guys and get attached. Maybe start thinking of a new setup for them, so when they turn to the dark-side you can keep them anyway - I KNOW I'd get attached to them if they were mine. I was attached to the one in the Kindy tank, and we'd only just met!!!! Woah. Ramble. . .sorry 'bout that! Really love those guys!!!

Bummer about the camera. . . but. . . HOORAY FOR NEW CAMERAS!!! Trying to feel sad that yours finally gave up and died, but actually I'm just jealous that you're getting a new one! Can't wait to see some new and even fantastic-er pics!!! Happy shopping!


----------



## Canadian Fish

Thanks. New camera doesn't mean fancy however, lol. Gonna pick it up tomorrow while I'm getting my snow tires put on.

Man, I hope my algae eaters don't go mean that soon. I would have been better off with the Rhino Pleco.


----------



## Chesh

ANY new camera is subject to jealousy on my part 

I hope not! From what I've read they get grumpy right around the 4 inch mark, which is also when they stop eating algae so well, but I didn't really look into them THAT deeply - just enough for me to (sadly) figure out that the one in the kindy tank needed to go. The TEACHER said that she had him for 'around a year,' but I'm not sure if he lived somewhere else before that, or if her memory is correct. She really didn't pay close attention to the tank until I got her interested.

Either way, they're beautiful! I hope they do well with you, and stay NICE!!!


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## boxercrazy156

Your new bristlenose is very active not like your other one hes cute I want one I want an albino one. I saw the video on youtube decided to come on here and comment


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## Bluydgrl

Where I work at the LFS.People have returned there CAE just for that reason.They grow big and mean and I have heard they also like to try and eat the slime coat of of certain fish.I usually steer them toward the Otocinclus.I love those little guys and they do a great job at cleaning the algae.I have 4 of them.They won't eat your plants like alot of Pleco's will.
By the way...I LOVE your rope fish.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## SeaHorse

All fixed. I'm waiting to see what my "false" SAE and my Chinese AE do to my big tank too. First sign of trouble and they are out of there.


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## Canadian Fish

Well, the CAEs and/or the bristlenose did a great job on my caves in the last 24 hours. Cleaned them right off. Also took a lot of that brown off the top of the big driftwood. 

Boxer, that was a horrible video. We got a new camera today and hopefully I'll get a new video of him. We actually see our original bristlenose now that we removed those two ornaments when the catfish was missing. But this big guy is much more active. He was all over the big driftwood tonight, I can see that becoming an issue when the CAE's get ornery, as a couple have already staked out that spot.

I like the Ottos too Blu, just wanted something bigger for the tank. I should have waited for Siamese Algae Eaters, Shame they sold out the day before. I would have waited had I realized how volatile the CAEs are.

Here is a new photo from the new camera:










That's the best pic of the Leopard Bush that I ever managed to get. I need to learn how to use this camera. The flash works, so we can take pics of people inside, woo hoo. The flash also seems to let me get pics of the fish in their true colors (our old camera was kind of orangish), when it doesn't cause a horrible glare. Now that I have a camera that works, I'll have to do some reading on taking photos of fish behind glass. 

This camera EATS batteries. The flash seems to go off multiple times for each pic, but it is not on a burst setting that I can find. The manual that comes with the camera is woefully inadequate. I should see if there is a more compressive one online. 

The Rainbows look better in these pics too, the old orange camera never did them justice. When I have batteries to spare I will snap away all day until I get some truly stellar pics (after I clean and top up the tanks)


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## Canadian Fish

BTW I never found that pea puffer so he must have died. I can't find his body anyway, but he is so small, and there are so many plants, he could be anywhere. 

The two remaining LOVE the white worms and are eating very well now. I fear the third might have lived if I had gotten the white worms sooner. I forgot to get them at least twice when I was at the LFS. 

I am relieved the two survivors have a taste for the live worms.


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## SeaHorse

Funny I knew the minute I saw the pics that you had a new camera... before I read it.!! Woohoo. Nice pics!! Does it have a video setting? Night vision? 
Get some rechargables for that thing.


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## Chesh

Yesh! Nice shots of some VERY pretty little fishies  Congrats on the new camera - super sad about the missing Puffer, but I'm relieved to hear that the others are finally eating. Are they LIVE white worms? I've never seen white worms. . . hrm.


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## Canadian Fish

Are rechargeables any good? I read the ones it uses lose 20% of their charge the first day if it is unused, and 5% every day after that. 

It has a video setting, I haven't really played with it yet. We already need a truckload of batteries for Charlie's toys at Christmas, we'll just have to get a boatload to go with the camera too. 

We actually had the old one working a bit last night, but with his Christmas pageant next Wednesday, and Christmas soon after, we couldn't take the chance and had to buy a new one. It's...

Crash.

That's what I just heard as I was typing. I don't know what I was going to say after "It's". A heard a small crash, sounded like Charlie hit the fish tank with something. He says he didn't do it. I notice the thermometer floating on the top of the tank. The Silver Dollars must have knocked it off. I actually moved it because where it was before, they hit it all the time. This is the first time it got hit since I moved it weeks ago.

And it broke. 

But the mercury or whatever they use now stayed intact. Just the outer glass broke. Some of the little silver balls (they look like tiny bearings) got out, and some broken glass. So I just scooped all the substrate out of that end and tossed it. I think I got all the glass. It's pretty shiny in the water and most of it was in two big pieces. I'll have to vacuum what substrate is left. HOLY SMOKES it is literally always something. 

It was like this. (similar)










Now it is like this:



















Lord, give me strength.


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## Canadian Fish

Chesherca said:


> Yesh! Nice shots of some VERY pretty little fishies  Congrats on the new camera - super sad about the missing Puffer, but I'm relieved to hear that the others are finally eating. Are they LIVE white worms? I've never seen white worms. . . hrm.


Yeah, they're live and they're tiny. I put a piece of bread on top of their dirt, and now when I turn it over it is covered in them (which makes it easier to grab one with the tweezers without getting a bunch of dirt too). I split the culture in half. The LFS said they'll probably multiply fast enough that I may never need to buy them again. 

I was sad about the puffer, but also relieved because the day I brought the white worms home only one puffer came out to eat and I didn't see anymore all that night, so I thought for sure two were gone. Thankfully it was only one, and now they're both eating. They're so cute. Unfortunately I cannot replace the dead one, they have no more at LFS. That 10 gallon tank is perfect for them now too. If they ever get any in again, I will get a third.


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## twocents

that is always the problem there canadien.. 'what if'
try not to beat yourself up over it... very easily could have been something else.. these fish go through a lot before we home them..


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## Chesh

interesting . . . so you split the culture and. . .? Half went into the tank with the Puffers - where'd the other half go? Are you feeding them in the tank with bread? I'm all curious, sorry - been looking into different ways to feed live foods for a while now. Problem is that none of MY shops carry the stuff, except Brine, and I won't buy anything from that place, anyway - much less live foods. You'll have to let me know how it goes! Will the Puffers eventually feed themselves? Or will you always have to use the tweezers? Interesting stuff!

Bummer about the thermometer - it DOES seem to be that something is always going wrong in one tank or another - at least this was minor. To be honest, I somehow manage to break those things all of the time - but not usually INSIDE of the tank. Glad you got all the bits, and that everyone was okay. 

Can't wait to see what kind of video you can get with your new cam *ish jealous some more*


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## twocents

apparently it is rather easy to keep and culture white worms..
and they do like bread, and cheerios, and other things that makes you wonder..


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## Canadian Fish

Yeah, the white worms are super easy. I split the dirt and worms in half, into two separate containers. I added soil to both, and put a small piece of damp bread in each one. 

I just put the worms in the tank one at a time with tweezers. I have to drop each one so they see it wriggling around.

When I feed 'em tomorrow I'll get Jodie to make a video, if I have batteries left by then.


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## boxercrazy156

Nice pics my camera has a museum setting that let's you take pictures behind glass I take more pics and videos with my iPhone since its easier to post from
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Canadian Fish

Museum setting eh? Awesome. 

The CAEs cleaned off all that brown algae on the top of the really big piece of driftwood that I posted awhile back. They work really fast. 

One of them has claimed the giant driftwood as his own, and chases off the other CAE who continues to return, just to be chased off again. I may have to remove these guys sooner than I anticipated. My bristlenose likes the lower part of that log, the CAE is on the top, but if he starts harassing the bristlenose, or the balas, who also like that driftwood, than all the CAEs are going to go. So far he's only harassing the other CAE.


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## boxercrazy156

So I went to Petsmart today wasting time my girlfriend And I were at the movies With our sons and their Movie was an hour longer anyways they had some Dennison barbs there so I thought well you know I still need a couple more but anyways they were 20 dollars each and they were Not Denison barbs they had no red on them they were flying foxes
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Canadian Fish

boxercrazy156 said:


> So I went to Petsmart today wasting time my girlfriend And I were at the movies With our sons and their Movie was an hour longer anyways they had some Dennison barbs there so I thought well you know I still need a couple more but anyways they were 20 dollars each and they were Not Denison barbs they had no red on them they were flying foxes
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Sketchy! Wonder how many people bought them thinking they were Denisons?

They have some at my Big Als (Denisons) if they go on super cheap for Boxing Week Madness I was thinking of getting some, but with these mean chinese algae eaters, I don't know.

The dwarf peas LOVE the white worms. Now they both come front and center when they see it is feeding time.


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## Bluydgrl

I sure wish my one and only (now) Pea Puffer would come out to eat.I ALWAYS have to look in the tank for him.He never just swims around.Just hides all the time.I wish there was something else I could put in with him but I know there really isn't.He has to be lonely I would think.Being all alone!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## stetez

I envy your tanks there all great set ups. keep it up


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## Canadian Fish

Thanks Stetez. They are looking better with the addition of the live plants. I'm glad everyone here peer pressured me into trying them. 



Bluydgrl said:


> I sure wish my one and only (now) Pea Puffer would come out to eat.I ALWAYS have to look in the tank for him.He never just swims around.Just hides all the time.I wish there was something else I could put in with him but I know there really isn't.He has to be lonely I would think.Being all alone!
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Blu, what do you feed him again? 

Took a quick shot of the 220 to test the new camera. Got a good clip of a bala, the ropfish, and the britstlenose. He is huge! I had no idea my other bristlenose was going to get that big.


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## Bluydgrl

I feed him Live Blackworms
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Canadian Fish

I'm surprised he won't eat. Mine started eating as soon as I got the live worms. Now when I come to the tank, they come out expecting to be fed. I used to have to stare at the tank waiting for them to show. They're so small they can really get lost when they want to.

Jakie, Boxer, (any Canadians), I got the Big Al's boxing week sale flyer in the mail today and it has some AWESOME deals on food, test kits, display stands, everything. A lot of stuff is 20%-75% off including fish and reptiles, ornaments, driftwood. 

I hope we have some money after Chirstmas!

And it's not just boxing day, it's from boxing day until new years eve. 

They have my terrarium on for 59.99, the stand for 44.99, and the dome light for 9.99

At the Black Friday sale I got all that for 79.99, and my dome light is bigger. So I feel vindicated for buying it when we really couldn't afford it, lol.

We got all our Christmas shopping finished today, including everything for Christmas dinner, and Jodie is off until Friday at midnight, so we can just relax and enjoy the holidays.


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## thekoimaiden

Haha! You miss a few days and you miss a lot! Love the new camera!! Glad you guys got one in time for Christmas. And it takes amazing photos through the glass, too! We'll be expecting a lot more pictures now!


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## Canadian Fish

thekoimaiden said:


> Haha! You miss a few days and you miss a lot! Love the new camera!! Glad you guys got one in time for Christmas. And it takes amazing photos through the glass, too! We'll be expecting a lot more pictures now!


I changed some settings and am getting better battery life now. We needed it for today because we took Charlie to see Santa. 

The problem with the new camera is now you can see how dirty my glass is. I had no idea there were so many water spots. 

The algae eaters are doing a great job on the algae, but the tanks are dirty on the outside as well. Argh. Tomorrow we're doing water changes and I will try to clean them up to get some nice pictures.


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## Chesh

Have you ever noticed that some water stains are invisible to everything but a camera?! LOL! You got some nice shots, gorgeous fish - and those new ropes really seem to have settled in quickly. I'd love to see some video of those little puffers coming out for their dinner, if you get the time whilst enjoying the laid-back time before the holiday


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## Canadian Fish

Chesherca said:


> Have you ever noticed that some water stains are invisible to everything but a camera?! LOL! You got some nice shots, gorgeous fish - and those new ropes really seem to have settled in quickly. I'd love to see some video of those little puffers coming out for their dinner, if you get the time whilst enjoying the laid-back time before the holiday


I bought a 20 pack of AAs today (the camera isn't that hard on batteries, but I need them for toys too.) so I'll make a video of them feeding tomorrow night. 

We're doing water changes tomorrow morning so the tank should look a little better than it does now.


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## boxercrazy156

Moved my dennisons last night 3 of the 4 one is having some issues they went right to the top gasping for air I put a line of oxygen in one passed this morning I guess the co2 was to high for them in this tank the other 2 are fine
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Byron

boxercrazy156 said:


> Moved my dennisons last night 3 of the 4 one is having some issues they went right to the top gasping for air I put a line of oxygen in one passed this morning I guess the co2 was to high for them in this tank the other 2 are fine
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Will need more data, but I would suspect CO2 is not an issue, nor oxygen. Significant differences in TDS, GH or pH are more likely.


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## boxercrazy156

Byron said:


> Will need more data, but I would suspect CO2 is not an issue, nor oxygen. Significant differences in TDS, GH or pH are more likely.


I moved them from a tank with no live plants a bublbler and a HOB to a planted tank with 2 cannister filters I use the same water conditioner and cycle in both same water the ph is lower in the planted tank but the kh and gh are the same there are no nitirtes in the planted tank but the nitrates were up to 10 PP I have been over feeding maybe a bit int the 120 gallon the other 2 dennisons are fine now could it be just the stress they are very fast fish and hard to catch but I wanted to quarantine them I have had them for a month in the other tank


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## Canadian Fish

Sorry to here about your denisons Boxer. I'm glad the rest seem to be doing ok now. 

Ches, I haven't taken a video of feeding the dwarf puffers yet because I didn't do water changes yesterday, and our kitchen in an embarrassing mess. "Tis the season.


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## Chesh

Canadian Fish said:


> I haven't taken a video of feeding the dwarf puffers yet because I didn't do water changes yesterday, and our kitchen in an embarrassing mess. "Tis the season.


haha, I SO know the feeling! :roll: No worries! I won't be buying any Puffers any time soon, I just swoon for them!


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## Canadian Fish

Boxer, how are the denison's doing now? Are you going to the Big Al's Boxing Week sale? 

Are you going Jakie? Still looking for a big tank? 

We FINALLY did our water changes today, and Jodie cleaned the kitchen, so we made a video of feeding the dwarf puffers live white worms, and feeding frozen blood worms to the Amazon Puffers, Red Tailed Shark, and Silver Dollars.






You can hear Charlie being WAY too excited in the background. 




















As soon as I have money again, which won't be that soon, lol, I'm going to add more plants to both of these, and we're going to start planting the 20 gallon and the 55 gallon Rainbowfish tank. Eventually we'll only have fake plants in the Silver Dollar tank. Right now there are fake plants in six of our tanks, and real plants in three of them. Only one tank is all live plants.


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## boxercrazy156

The two Dennisons in the 120 Gallon tank Are doing
great They are swimming around and blending and are healthy the one that I didn't take over to the big tank yet is still swimming all jerky i other than that it's fine I'm not ready to put that one over there yet
I received my big Al's flyers today the Boxing Day special plus I got the email Lots of great deals Aceta 120 gallon tank is on For 599 that's a great deal Hoping to go to buy some media maybe some more plants and maybe a few more Dennisons If they are on sale
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## boxercrazy156

December 20 2012 dennison barb rainbows and loaches - YouTube

A video from today one of the dennisons plus others the clowns are growing
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Canadian Fish

Tank is looking great Boxer, the loaches and rainbows complement each other nicely. Lots of color in there. Hopefully your dennisons will all be back together and healthy soon. 

I was also hoping dennisons would be on sale (apparently all the fish will be) and they had some last we were in. I also need plants, and food. But we went overboard on Christmas for Charlie so we'll probably have to skip the big sale this year. And I was finally going to buy a master test kit, lol.

I have NEVER tested my own water. I'm like the Queen like that.


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## Canadian Fish

Jakiebabie said:


> All fixed. I'm waiting to see what my "false" SAE and my Chinese AE do to my big tank too. First sign of trouble and they are out of there.


I have already seen my CAE's fighting with each other over the giant log. Jodie said once that one chased off a bala, but didn't pursue him once he took off. Sketchy. 

I may return them in January once the Boxing Week madness is over. I have never brought fish back before.


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## Chesh

Wish there were a DISlike button, cuz' I didn't like reading that last post! I'd take them back, too. At least it's just chasing, and they're keeping those suckers to themselves. I saw first-hand some of the damage they can do with ripping scales and sucking on other fish. . .It's such a shame that they have to be so snarky, though. They're such beautiful fish, and seem so aware of the world around them. I suspect they're pretty smart. . .and you have to give 'em credit - it IS a clever way to survive, lol. Maybe you can trade them in for a testkit! 

Thanks for posting the videos - OMG! Those little Puffers are. . . just. . . so CUTE! And so is Charlie, lol! Too excited? I think EVERY kid is too excited about everything right now - Christmas is coming!!! *squeeeee!* Funny to watch them battling over the poor little worms. Their 10g is really looking nice, too! Also enjoyed seeing the red-tailed shark, and those gorgeous silver dollars. . . They ARE huge! Wow!


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## Canadian Fish

Yeah, it's a shame about the Chinese Algae Eaters, the LFS has never steered me so wrong before. The 2 employees there that I trust the most both recommended the CAE, even after I said I heard they were mean. They said in the big tank it wouldn't matter (it does, lol) 

Eventually I want something else that color, because they really stand out against the dark substrate/driftwood. 

Thanks, I really like how the 10 is looking. That old media can come out now, the sponge and sack of substrate. The only reason I haven't removed them is because I didn't have the money for new plants anyway, and I don't want those two big open areas for the puffers. I'll remove them as soon as I buy plants. Then it will look sweet! My LFS is always buy 3 plants, get 1 free, so I'll get two for each puffer tank. 

Jodie was lamenting last night how much the Rainbow tank needed plants too, lol. It's always something. 

Now that we're all ready for Christmas, we can't wait for it to get here. We had a foot of snow last night, so Charlie wants to go out and make "Frosty the Snowman", and I want to stay in where it is dry and warm. 

The Silver Dollars are huge! I'm SO happy the one guy survived his trip out of the tank. Still amazed he made it out a hole the size of the top of a heater. 

Damn dirty test kits. I don't trust my interpretation of the colors, especially since I am always on the side of paranoid. I'll probably always worry there is something wrong with my water. Plus, I will hardly feel like royalty if I am testing my own water like the rest of the plebs. 

Did you see Charlie pop in at the last second in that video? Hilarious. I'm surprised Jodie didn't fall over. 

Now the question is, how do I change the water in my 220, without the ropefish jumping out? It takes over an hour to remove and replace the 70 gallons I need to change, and I don't want to be picking up ropefish and throwing them back in the tank the whole time. 

Also, what's the best way to make sure ropefish get food, when they are in a tank with a lot of fast moving eaters? Feed in the dark after the lights go out?


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## Bluydgrl

I use a turkey baster to feed some of my fish and I use it at work to when I feed the Stingray,Dragon Goby's and dwarf Frogs.It works well.But only with live or frozen food.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Canadian Fish

That I would love to see a video of!


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## Boredomb

Great Video Canadian! I am glad that my puffer isn't the only that seems to pay more attention to me at feeding time then he does of the food going into the tank. LoL I have to move my hand down the tank a lot of the times to get him to follow it and then he sees the food that he missed. Silly lil fish!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Canadian Fish

Thanks Bored. Jodie made the video. They sure love those white worms. I wasted my money on the freeze dried ones. 

I can't believe I have fish that require live and frozen worms. I used to be too lazy for that, I avoided all fish with special diet requirements. Just used blood worms as an occasional treat. 

I'm still lazy, but I just had to have those puffers. Glad I got the amazons by mistake the first time, because they were a great addition to the Red Tailed Shark tank. 

Playing around with the new camera today. Still learning to deal with the flash (that museum setting sounds amazing, wish I had it Boxer) 

Here are the tanks. This is much closer to their natural colors than my old camera took. They're at an angle because otherwise I got a lot of flash glare.





































The Rainbow tank looks empty now that those two big ornaments are gone. Can't wait to start planting it. 



















This is the claw I always recommend for for people with high tanks, short arms, or both like me. 











This pic I took the other day, it's that terrarium I bought. Still haven't unwrapped it. Obviously it is not staying in the laundry room. 










It's nice to be able to take pictures in the basement again. They never came out with the old camera.


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## Boredomb

I have never tried the freezes dried ones before as I was told it was best to get them wet (let them soak in water for a lil bit) before feeding them to fish. If I have to do that I figured I might as well go with the frozen ones lol.


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## Canadian Fish

My LFS got some Balas in this week. If they still have some after the holidays, I'll replace the two that died when I had those icky clowns that time. 

I hope they get some pea and amazon puffers in again, as I only have 2 of each, and would prefer 3. 

I got lucky with the amazons, the LFS told me most of the people who bought them lost them all. I lost one of the three. The other two have always eaten well and seemed healthy. 

Still playing with the new camera, trying to figure it out.


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## Bluydgrl

Thought i'd share some pics i took today of my Aquarium.I just got 3 new plants yesterday.Java Fern,Kyoto,Ozelot.I'm addicted to plants now.They say you get just as addicted to plants as you do fish.Since i can't buy anymore fish i might as well buy plants


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## Canadian Fish

Looks gorgeous. I hope some of my tanks fill out like that one day. What kind of lights do you have on that tank?

I am jealous! And plants ARE addictive like fish. Damn plants. Always something to buy.


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## Bluydgrl

I have a Coalife T5 HO and run 31wt Colormax and a 31wt 6,700K
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Bluydgrl

I started my tank Sept 1st.It's so funny to look at the before and after pics.What a difference.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Canadian Fish

Bluydgrl said:


> I started my tank Sept 1st.It's so funny to look at the before and after pics.What a difference.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


You people and your fancy T5s, lol. Too rich for my blood. The results are undeniable though. 

It has come a long way in a short time! I think our problem is we're always working on so many tanks at once, they progress slower.


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## Bluydgrl

Your tanks look good..Wish I had that manyI love shopping for fish.You have so many options for that 220.Lucky you~
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Canadian Fish

I find even the 55s allow for a great many different types of species. The stock in my Silver Dollar tank is one of my favorites. 

Of course, the silver dollars preclude plants. 

I love checking the fish specials at the LFS every week, and new stock, and seeing if any of the cool ones can fit in any of my tanks, as far as temperament, water parameters, size, and how they get along with plants.


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## Bluydgrl

That's good that you check all that before buying.So many people come in to where I work and want to put Golfish with Tropical fish...DUH!!!!!Or cichlids with community.These people have no flippin clue..I just laugh and ask them if they are for real..LOL..I never had a clue about fish until I started showing an interest for them.Now I have subscribed to TFM and read all I can on fish and plant.Just don't ask me about Saltwater cuz I have NO clue
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Canadian Fish

I dropped the ball on the Chinese Algae Eaters, but my LFS steered me wrong for a change. I had read on them, and knew they were ornery, but believed them when they said it wouldn't be an issue in the 220. 

But yeah, I usually do the research and take the advice I get here before buying fish. If I have to return the CAEs, it will be my first time having to do so.

I went to get Siamese Algae Eaters that day, and they had sold out the day before.


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## Bluydgrl

Yep those do get mean.I steer people away from them.We have had a few people bring them back.I'm not about how many sales I can make in a day.It's about the well being of your fish and animals to me.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## twocents

again, all in the learning curve. sometimes fish will also act contrary to usual nature. there is always the oddball. 
I should know.


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## Canadian Fish

Hopefully after the holidays I can return them, and replace the two Bala Sharks. 

I am not looking forward to trying to fish them out of the 30" deep tank. If they swim to the back corner I doubt I'll be able to reach them with my net from the front of the tank. 

Charlie! Get in there and get those fish!

Also, I hate having the lid up for any length of time, because of the ropefish. 

I'm still looking for advice on how to stop the ropefish from escaping when I do a water change on the 220. It takes over an hour to remove and replace the water. They'll jump out for sure, in that amount of time.


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## Nilet699

Buy yourself one of these.....

Eheim Compact Pump 1000

Mine will also refill the tank firm floor to approx 150cm high and into the tank through a 4 m tube - as when emptying 4 m length will pump it JUST straight into my garden. I went from an hour to 15 mins


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## Canadian Fish

Nice. That's a lot faster. I can actually empty it faster than I can fill it. I replace about 70 gallons at a time. I'm particularly worried about when I have the lid open so I can run the vac along the gravel. Jodie will just have to stand guard, ready to toss them back in. 

Just went downstairs and a Congo Tetra was swimming around with a leaf stem hanging out of his mouth like a punk in a bad movie. He did it so long Jodie had time to go get the camera. 

Hilarious.


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## Freshcatch

At least he's not smoking... yet.


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## Canadian Fish

He totally reminds me of someone with an oral fixation from trying to quit smoking. Anything to replace that cigarette. 

He learned it from watching Jodie. I quit almost two years ago.


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## Freshcatch

:thumbsup:


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## Nilet699

Haha. Patrolling the centre of the tank..... "This. This is MY leaf!"

As for the pump., 3 buckets, one being pumped into tank, one filling from tap, one dechlorinating, on a constant rotation. Works damn efficiently for me! And it has a variable flow so can go as fast or slow as you like.


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## Canadian Fish

Dear Lord it would take me all day with buckets. I drain straight to the sink, and fill straight from the tap, just add the dechlorinator to the tank. I do that with all my tanks. I used to use buckets. What a hassle.I do water changes on seven tanks, mostly weekly. That's a lot of buckets. I gave up on buckets when I got the 220.


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## SeaHorse

And never went back!! Bet if we took your water change hose away from you you'd cry! :tease:


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## Nilet699

Haha, I'm 'lucky' I have nothing so big then.... :-(

It's easy as pie with that for my 55 and 10 G's but I think I'd have to join you on straight from the tap if I had a 220 And a total of 7 tanks. God that must suck for you!

(Walks off mumbling under his breath..."moaning about his 7 tanks and his changes the lucky [email protected]#$&#@!. The cheek of it")


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## Canadian Fish

Nilet699 said:


> Haha, I'm 'lucky' I have nothing so big then.... :-(
> 
> It's easy as pie with that for my 55 and 10 G's but I think I'd have to join you on straight from the tap if I had a 220 And a total of 7 tanks. God that must suck for you!
> 
> (Walks off mumbling under his breath..."moaning about his 7 tanks and his changes the lucky [email protected]#$&#@!. The cheek of it")


LOL. I used 4 buckets and did weekly changes on 2 x 55s, a 35, and a 20. I got the 50 ft hose when I got the 220. Prob is, I recently added 3 ropefish, and after sealing all the holes in my lid, one escaped before he even made it in the tank.






I react accordingly.

I haven't changed the water in this tank since, as there is always one swimming near the top of the aquarium.

Edit: ALL the algae in this video, on the rocks and glass, was completely gone 2 days after adding the CAEs and big bristlenose.


----------



## Nilet699

Just drill a hole the same size as your pipe, buy 2 inches of black pipe to use as a stopper then u can simply thread a pipe in to fill/extract. Your only prob is hoovering, though this would at least solve your water changing difficulties


----------



## Canadian Fish

Nilet699 said:


> Just drill a hole the same size as your pipe, buy 2 inches of black pipe to use as a stopper then u can simply thread a pipe in to fill/extract. Your only prob is hoovering, though this would at least solve your water changing difficulties


That would certainly help with filling. I could just cut a hole in the plastic on the back of the hood, rather than drill the glass. Easier and cheaper to replace the plastic strip rather than the glass lid down the road. Extracting is when I do the hoovering over the substrate. I think I may try to drape a towel or something over the lid to block the gaps when it is raised. This may or may not help. I was thinking a net but when the girl at the LFS was netting them for me, there was a tiny hole in the net, and one kept escaping through it.

A couple of weeks ago I had a 6 or 7 inch silver dollar escape out a hole the size of the top of a heater. 

Tricky bugger. Scared the crap out of me. But survived.


----------



## Nilet699

Wow your fish really don't like you at all do they.... haha

What about the rubber like stuff. Where all the flaps meet in the middle to create a one way hole for your arm to go then through. Tell me you know what i mean.......


----------



## Canadian Fish

Nilet699 said:


> Wow your fish really don't like you at all do they.... haha
> 
> What about the rubber like stuff. Where all the flaps meet in the middle to create a one way hole for your arm to go then through. Tell me you know what i mean.......


Seriously, my fish are dying to get away from me. 

Those are the only two jumpers I ever had and I think they were only days apart. The ropefish I expected, but the silver dollar surprised the crap out of me. Thank God my son and I were in the room when it happened, and heard him clunking around inside the stand (he ended up inside the stand, laying on the power bar) He seems fine now. Incredibly. 


"Where all the flaps meet in the middle to create a one way hole for your arm to go then through."

I think I know what you mean. Something like that would be great for when I'm filling and emptying. Then I would just need the ghetto towel trick (if that will even work) when I am doing the vacuuming (which is only a fraction of the extraction time). When I change the 55s I vacuum around the substrate the whole time, but the 220 takes so long to remove the water, I am only vacuuming for the first 5 or 10 minutes. The rest is a waiting game. 

Damn jumpers. I was warned. I love the ropefish though, they're really active and make a lot of appearances during the day for a nocturnal fish.


----------



## Bluydgrl

Can you maybe get a piece of glass cut to use as a tank divider and just put it in the middle of the
Tank with the rope fish on one side while Your cleaning the other side then take it out.Coax the rope fish
over and put divider back in and clean the other side?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Canadian Fish

Bluydgrl said:


> Can you maybe get a piece of glass cut to use as a tank divider and just put it in the middle of the
> Tank with the rope fish on one side while Your cleaning the other side then take it out.Coax the rope fish
> over and put divider back in and clean the other side?
> _Posted via Mobile Device_



To get it in I would have to completely remove the 72" light strip, and an entire section of hood (which is taped down in the back, because of the damn ropefish). Even coaxing them all to one side would be tricky in the giant tank.

I would love to get a pic of that, with one betta on either side. It would be hilarious.


----------



## Bluydgrl

Ok..Darn...Hmmmmm...put the rope fish in a big 5 gallon bucket with a lid?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Canadian Fish

I should just get Jodie a pair of gloves for Christmas and tell her they are for grabbing the ropes when they jump out, and throwing them back in the tank.

She wouldn't be impressed, they're like snakes slithering around on the ground. 

I can't believe how active the site is this early on a Sunday. Are you guys in different time zones? 
I'm EST. 

If I didn't have a kid I would still be asleep.

Edit: Hey, I see this was my 1000th post. Apparently that is the criteria for senior member. Woo hoo. I was wondering yesterday if you had to be around years to get bumped up. Apparently it's quantity over quality. Well all right.


----------



## Bluydgrl

I'm in CST..I have no kids but 4 dogs and 4 tanks
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Canadian Fish

Bluydgrl said:


> I'm in CST..I have no kids but 4 dogs and 4 tanks
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


You're an hour earlier than I am. 

That's a lot of dogs! You must do a lot of walking. Keeping fish reflects my laziness as a pet owner.


----------



## Bluydgrl

We have a English Bulldog,Coonhound mix with Rot(13yrs)a 5 lb Chihuahua and a Chihuahua/Min Pin mix.To cold and to much snow for Chi's right now but Coonhound want her elks everyday.She will bug u until u take her.It's my other halfs dog so he walk her mostly.Not me:/
The English Bulldogs like to go on walk but in exhaustednby the time she getaway down to the end of the driveway.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Bluydgrl

Guess I should read what I write before I send it.Using my phone to type while drinking my coffee and watching HGTV.I LOVE SUNDAY'S.When I don't have to work.UGH!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## boxercrazy156

Do you think with all th commotion they will stay down lower I have my lid down open just a crack when I am draining and refilling its open when I am vacuuming the way my cannisters work is all the vacuuming needs to be done in one spot
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Canadian Fish

I need to get a powerhead or two so that most of the crap ends up in the same spot. The way I'm set up now, my water movement is stronger in the upper half of the tank. They've been on my list of things to buy for awhile. I want one for my Rainbowfish too, but just for their amusement. 

A crack is all they need. I taped up every little hole in the back. The girl at LFS said eventually they will calm down and spend most of their time at the bottom of the tank. As it is now, at least one is usually patrolling the top. I have to wait for him to go away before I open the lid to feed. It only takes them a sec to get out when they're that close to the surface.

SF mentioned that for some of the process, the water is so low it's not an issue. I could do the vacuuming after I have already removed a lot of the water, lowering the level to the point where it will be hard for them to jump out.

When removing the water, before vacuuming, I'll try hanging a towel over the lid to cover the cracks, and hopefully that will keep him in.

Crap, now I have to do a water change, no more excuses. Except CHRISTMAS is my excuse. No more water changes until after Christmas. We just did the rest of the tanks a couple of days ago.




boxercrazy156 said:


> Do you think with all th commotion they will stay down lower I have my lid down open just a crack when I am draining and refilling its open when I am vacuuming the way my cannisters work is all the vacuuming needs to be done in one spot
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## boxercrazy156

Ha ha just do it Jodie will pick it up and put it back in lol then you can stop worrying and enjoy Christmas I'm just waiting for my husband to finish making dinner we are having a seafood dinner here tonight he does all the cooking and he has to coach a hockey game this afternoon so he is preparing it now then I can do a water change in the 120 my son and his puppy flew in yesterday plus my daughter and her puppy were here so my 3 and their 2 equals a lot of dogs and people I want to get my water change done before its crazy again there were a lot of people here yesterday and will be back later this afternoon
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Canadian Fish

Jodie will NOT put it back in, I don't think lol.

Wow, that's busy! We have no family in town, my parents live in Florida in the winter and Jodie's folks are 8 or 9 hours away in Elliot Lake. Thank God. So it's just the three of us (as always). Jodie just got home from work 2 hours ago, so she'll be asleep all day. She's off tomorrow, so we're having Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve, and then Christmas day she has to be at work at 6pm. Then she works every day between Christmas Day and New Years, inclusive, except Dec 30. 

So it's going to be a QUIET and boring holidays around here, with the exception of tomorrow and Christmas morning. 

Jodie would love a seafood dinner. I'm a weirdo, from Newfoundland, but the only seafood I really like is scallops, cod and my favorite, cod tongues. Nothing in a shell for me. Fish & Chips is about it. 

Your husband coaches a lot, do you have a kid on the team? Charlie went to his first hockey game when his cousin was in town playing a month or so ago. It's a shame the World Junior games are on at 4:30am most days. I was looking forward to watching with him. We can watch the repeats but with the internet it's impossible not to find out the score before you watch the replay. 

I can't wait for turkey tomorrow and for gift opening Christmas morning. We blew so much at the fish store in November (and even December a little) that Jodie and I aren't exchanging gifts this year, we spent it all on the boy. Tonight after he goes to bed we're going through his old toys and scrapping a lot of them. We just finished givings bags of them away. Thank goodness for kijiji, that's where we get almost all of his junk.


----------



## SeaHorse

Hey Congrats on the 1000 post. which mean nothing really  What is important is this thread with da..da,da...DA!! a 1000 posts. I might be 997 with this one. Epic!!
I'm part Newf too. No wonder we relate to each other. Probably really do, haha. Mom was from Cornerbrook, have family now in St. John's and Gander. I think she was originally from Pasadina. We might be cousins!! lol


----------



## Canadian Fish

Jakiebabie said:


> Hey Congrats on the 1000 post. which mean nothing really  What is important is this thread with da..da,da...DA!! a 1000 posts. I might be 997 with this one. Epic!!
> I'm part Newf too. No wonder we relate to each other. Probably really do, haha. Mom was from Cornerbrook, have family now in St. John's and Gander. I think she was originally from Pasadina. We might be cousins!! lol


I was in St Johns as a child, until I was 8, and then we moved to Steady Brook, which is just outside Corner Brook, on the way to Pasadena. I went to school in Corner Brook. 

Ever since I got the new camera, I have been trying to get a good pic of the Hillstream Loach. I have tried several times and failed, as soon as I approach the aquarium he goes behind this airline that ruins the shot. Same as the Red Tailed Shark. Now that I have a flash, I might be able to get him, but he takes off as soon as he sees the camera and hides behind driftwood. 

The Pearl and the Leopard aren't shy at all, and I inadvertently got a good shot of them both, with a bleeding heart:











Still trying to get a decent photo of the Bristlenose. Seconds before this shot, he was on the cave, and was super visible. Another one who is camera shy. The ropes LOVE the camera. I'm watching one on the livestream right now, showing off.


----------



## Nilet699

Your not exchanging gifts? I hope you got her something at the very least as you Know she will have done. Women think they're sneaky. But they're not. Haha

I'll leave you to post #1000, I was going to steal it, haha


----------



## Nilet699

Yeah I stole it.

#1000 posts and 20k views. That's dam impressive for a thread.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Yeah, the thread has been going since May. And I was gone most of the summer, camping. It covers my new tank from the day we put money on the 125, to present where I am procrastinating changing the water on the 220 until after the holiday. We started two other, smaller tanks since this thread started. 

It morphed into a journal of all my tanks. Between the seven of them, this thread has seen many deaths, new additions, some births, and a crap load of water changes. A couple of escapes, and countless pics and videos, and not just of my tanks, but of others. And one bout of ick that really sucked. 

The entire choosing, purchasing, planting and stocking of the 220 is documented here, and I got tons of advice on every step along the way. I've made friends in this thread, in a nerdy, 2012 kind of way. But as I am a stay at home dad, nerdy 2012 online socializing is it for me. Which is why this thread also journals a lot of our household shenanigans as well. The trials and tribulations of dealing with a wife, and kid, and a bunch of fish, lol. It always gets back on topic. 

I'm curious if the poll will ever reach 100 voters.

I didn't get her ANYTHING for Christmas so she better not have either. We made it pretty clear a week or so ago we were serious this time, not trying to surprise each other. We didn't budget any $$ for each other. 

Last year we got each other the bare minimum. She got me a battery tester (I needed it and use it daily, as our kid mixes new batteries with old all the time) and I got her a decent bath pillow and radio, as the inflatable ones kept popping. This year I didn't buy so much as a card, but our kid is going to do all right.

Our Christmas video from last year has almost 20,000 hits on youtube and climbing.

We have six more fish tanks this Christmas than we did last.

For the record, I have written 423 of the 1,000 posts in this thread. So it's not all a giant soliloquy.  

The total thread count always seem to be close to my personal post count.


----------



## boxercrazy156

I've been following this thread since May it sparked my interest cause at the time I was looking 125 gallon myself But then decided I wanted the 120 gallon because it was taller and not quite as long Since We both live in on Ontario Canada And shop at big Al's a lot It's been learning curve this thread 
By the way that one Dennison that I didn't move to the 120 is missing today I assumed he has passed away
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Canadian Fish

Oh no! Well, hopefully he turns up. They're tricky sometimes. How many are in the 120 now, two? Or three?

You had your setup at home long before me, I think. I took the summer off making payments to camp. You also made that amazing background. 




boxercrazy156 said:


> I've been following this thread since May it sparked my interest cause at the time I was looking 125 gallon myself But then decided I wanted the 120 gallon because it was taller and not quite as long Since We both live in on Ontario Canada And shop at big Al's a lot It's been learning curve this thread
> By the way that one Dennison that I didn't move to the 120 is missing today I assumed he has passed away
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## boxercrazy156

The dennison is back now I did a water change in the 30 gallon today I noticed some decorations were a muck maybe he was trapped now he is swimming around as we'll as he can I fed him he was hungry he looks like he is bent. I will take a video but I have 2 healthy ones in the 120

Dennison with issues - YouTube
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## boxercrazy156

That's the one with issues he has been like that for 3 weeks
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Saphira101

Other.. Betta sorority!!


----------



## Canadian Fish

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope Santa visited everybody!

Boxer, how is that bent fish? 

I had another Bala die. No idea what happened to this one. The other two died when the ick was visible in the tank. None of the fish were acting sick this time, that I noticed. I checked the carcass and didn't see any signs that the Chinese Algae Eaters were munching on him. Could he have been weakened by the ick over a month ago, and just died now? 

The next time I go to LFS, I'm bringing the CAEs back, if I can catch them. Another snow storm here today, our second in a week. We are buried now, so I won't be going to LFS until next week sometime. 

We made a resolution for 2013, NO NEW TANKS OR TERRARIUMS!! This Christmas was tight because we blow so much at LFS. Charlie made out great, but Jodie and I didn't exchange gifts. Too bad we didn't have the cash, she was going to get me a master test kit, FINALLY, lol.


----------



## SeaHorse

Well it was a crazy rush driving twice from Uxbridge to Barrie, and down into Toronto. An hour here and back and another hour there and back... oh, and then boxing day we did it all again. crabby, tired, grumble, grrrrrr. Oh sorry was that part out loud? 

Well I got to Big Al's. Their big sale inventory did not come in in time... so I paid for a Turtle dock only for their stock to arrive 3 hours after I left. Grrrr another hour's drive back will be required to go get it. I told them to hold it till I came back to town for something else. I'm not wasting my sale savings on a tank of gas to go get the stupid thing. Nubbin's dock is still hanging on and they sell for $29 here in town but I got one for $22 less 20%.
And Dad was so tired he did not write the Christmas cheques, (he's 85 god love him) he's allowed to be tired, so no new tank for me unless I put up 25% and put one on layaway before the sale ends. I still managed to spend about $120 bucks on the dock, and large containers of turtle food, plant food, fish food, 3 good sized Amazon Swords for $21 less 20%, and 2 Anacharus. Everything was 20% off. Got 3 more Corys so now have 3 green and 3 or 4 Albino. They are all the same breed anyway, those 2. And I got a weighted silk plant for Nubbins tank. whew.
I'm sorry, I'm crabby today. No left overs either since we didn't do any of the cooking. :-( That's the part that really really sucks when you go visiting for Christmas... no left overs, no turkey sandwiches. :-(


----------



## SeaHorse

I have to correct myself... not an hour there and back.... it's an hour each way and with the snow storm last night it was almost 2 to get home one way. We have about 6 to 8 inches. 
I hope you guys had a wonderful day with "the boy". What treasures did you find on Kijiji for him?


----------



## Canadian Fish

Bah, sorry to hear about all the driving. Was the weather ok? 

Sounds like you got a lot of cool stuff. I love swords, but they're the only plants my water/lights don't seem to grow well.

Christmas cheques from my mom basically made Christmas for us. Every year she sends 3, one for each of us, and every year we use them all for Charlie. 

He insists "It's still Christmas". I think he is scared he'll have to go back to school and not be able to play with his toys all day. He doesn't understand he is off for two weeks.

We might go to our LFS to say hi this weekend, but we have NO money to spend. Charlie outgrew his ski boots and skis this year, and lessons aren't cheap, so we'll have to take it easy at the LFS for at least a month. Since 3 Balas have now died, hopefully I'll have enough money to replace them. Can't understand why that one died today.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Jakiebabie said:


> I have to correct myself... not an hour there and back.... it's an hour each way and with the snow storm last night it was almost 2 to get home one way. We have about 6 to 8 inches.
> I hope you guys had a wonderful day with "the boy". What treasures did you find on Kijiji for him?


I hate driving in bad weather. I didn't mind when I was younger but now I hate it. Especially with Charlie in the car, and I don't go anywhere without him.

Kijiji was awesome this year! He saw a pic of a remote controlled spider man, and thank God we got it ($20) because for a month he went around telling everyone (even strangers) that we wanted a Spider Man Remote Control Robot. 

They sell a new one in stores, but it climbs the walls and is for older kids. This one is from a few years ago, from the SpiderMan 3 movie, and it is better suited to kids his age. He brings it to bed with him. 

He also got a big basketball, football, golf, etc ESPN sports centre, and those people gave us a train table for free that was going to the Salvation Army, and he loved that. He got a couple of racetracks. We bought one new because it was 55% off at Canadian Tire. We also got mickey mouse, calliou, and monster truck stuff from kijiji, and some Cars (McQueen, Mater) R/C cars (2 for $15), and an art easel.

If he gets older and decided he wants new toys in the box from the store, we're screwed. He would have had two or three toys if we bought them all new, but he got a ton of stuff.

I might as well show you:






It's kinda long, (it's really long, for the grandparents), but you can flip through until the end. You can tell all the stuff we got from kijiji, as it's in the wrong boxes. So funny, he unwraps a plain box and says "Oh Wow" before he knows what's in it. Haha. After talking about the Spiderman toy for a month, he forgot about it in all the excitement Christmas day. We worked it so he opened that last, as otherwise he wouldn't have opened anything else. 

They had a "shopping day at school" where they bought stuff for dimes, and wrapped them for family members, so Jodie and I each had a gift to unwrap. He hid mine in the kitchen cupboard and Jodie's behind the couch. I got a boat wall decoration and she got hand cream. He told me I was getting a boat a hundred times. I'm shocked he didn't tell Jodie about the cream. He loves hand cream. He covers himself in it. 

It was a great Christmas. 

I hear ya on the leftovers, I would miss them if I didn't have any. We're making turkey pot pie and turkey soup with the leftovers. I am also a big turkey sandwich guy.

Edit: Oh, and we got him a Buzz Lightyear costume from Kijiji and he just happened to open it second and he wore it all day. So cute!


----------



## Canadian Fish

I have to add, a giant snowplow just went by, and Charlie is in the window (naked, of course, sigh) freaking out like it is the most exciting thing he has ever seen. 

I wish I could get that excited about dirty winter. The very first day it snowed (just a little) he wanted to go sledding and skiing, lol. Last Christmas he got an inflatable McQueen sled that he still has, and we have a small hill three doors down from us. Probably do that tomorrow. Today we just made the crappy snowman. 

Stop screaming Charlie! God. Jodie is at work. Must be nice.


----------



## SeaHorse

Awww.. thank you for sharing your video with us. My 21 year old son sat on the couch beside me and we watched him open every item. Have to say he panicked a bit when he saw all the balls on the big game wrapped separately!! lol. We enjoyed guessing what each item was as it came out of the wrapping. My son loves kids so it didn't surprise me one bit that he sat with me and watched the entire video. Charlie is SO polite!! 
Enjoy my dear!! They grow up way too fast!


----------



## Canadian Fish

I like how he would say "Thank you Santa Claus" to the camera. He assumes Santa is going to see the video, lol.

Yesterday he made me watch that video half a dozen times. He misses my parents, they live in Florida six months of the year, and he doesn't understand why we can't go see them, so I had to watch our Canada Day video of them between showings of the Christmas video. 

He had a blast and we had a very good Christmas. 

Holy batteries. Between the camera and the toys, it's crazy how many batteries we installed. 

Last year our tree was where the Rainbowfish tank is. Before we got the tree Charlie kept saying it was going "behind the fish tank" which I assume means he expected us to move the tank. 

Right now he is insisting on wearing my jeans, which is just ridiculous.


----------



## Nilet699

Haha your jeans. I'm lay in bed posting as I can't sleep and I just got massive evils off my Mrs for laughing at that. She was asleep as its 4.30am. Oops 

That video is awesome, I skipped a bunch, it's long and it's late, but I'll watch the full length tomorrow, but all I could think was OMG I WANT A BUZZ LIGHTYEAR CHILD!!! Haha. I also thought get your tattoo legs out of the cute video. Ha!!!

But seriously, I love that you post stuff like that up it's really nice to see.


----------



## Canadian Fish

I'll have to put a pic of him in my jeans and shirt later. Hilarious. Looks like a clown. 

Happy to say I went to the fish store to drop off some Christmas chocolates and cookies (better late than never) and I managed to not spend any money!

Sucks, because they have balas, and I need 3, and I'm going to need some new pellet food soon, and everything is 20% off right now. But Charlie had to grow out of his skis and boots, and lessons start Jan 22 (not paid for yet) so it is tight tight. 

It was busy in the LFS! Wow, everyone was buying accessories for their new tanks, and getting their water tested, and by the sounds of it, finding out they can't add fish yet, lol. 

They had Chinese High Fin Sharks (or something like that) there today, and they were awesome. Unfortunately they don't fit into my tank, personality and temperature conflicts. Lame! 

They also had a ton of plants for a change. Hopefully they get more in when we have some cash in a few weeks, looking forward to planting the Rainbow tank and the 20 gallon.


----------



## Inga

Canadian Fish said:


> I hate driving in bad weather. I didn't mind when I was younger but now I hate it. Especially with Charlie in the car, and I don't go anywhere without him.
> 
> Kijiji was awesome this year! He saw a pic of a remote controlled spider man, and thank God we got it ($20) because for a month he went around telling everyone (even strangers) that we wanted a Spider Man Remote Control Robot.
> 
> They sell a new one in stores, but it climbs the walls and is for older kids. This one is from a few years ago, from the SpiderMan 3 movie, and it is better suited to kids his age. He brings it to bed with him.
> 
> He also got a big basketball, football, golf, etc ESPN sports centre, and those people gave us a train table for free that was going to the Salvation Army, and he loved that. He got a couple of racetracks. We bought one new because it was 55% off at Canadian Tire. We also got mickey mouse, calliou, and monster truck stuff from kijiji, and some Cars (McQueen, Mater) R/C cars (2 for $15), and an art easel.
> 
> If he gets older and decided he wants new toys in the box from the store, we're screwed. He would have had two or three toys if we bought them all new, but he got a ton of stuff.
> 
> I might as well show you:
> 
> Opening Presents Christmas Morning 2012 - YouTube
> 
> It's kinda long, (it's really long, for the grandparents), but you can flip through until the end. You can tell all the stuff we got from kijiji, as it's in the wrong boxes. So funny, he unwraps a plain box and says "Oh Wow" before he knows what's in it. Haha. After talking about the Spiderman toy for a month, he forgot about it in all the excitement Christmas day. We worked it so he opened that last, as otherwise he wouldn't have opened anything else.
> 
> They had a "shopping day at school" where they bought stuff for dimes, and wrapped them for family members, so Jodie and I each had a gift to unwrap. He hid mine in the kitchen cupboard and Jodie's behind the couch. I got a boat wall decoration and she got hand cream. He told me I was getting a boat a hundred times. I'm shocked he didn't tell Jodie about the cream. He loves hand cream. He covers himself in it.
> 
> It was a great Christmas.
> 
> I hear ya on the leftovers, I would miss them if I didn't have any. We're making turkey pot pie and turkey soup with the leftovers. I am also a big turkey sandwich guy.
> 
> Edit: Oh, and we got him a Buzz Lightyear costume from Kijiji and he just happened to open it second and he wore it all day. So cute!


 
Holy crap! I want to be a kid at your house, when can I move in? Lucky little boy and very very cute too. LOVE his little voice.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Playing with the camera again. Some pics of the Rainbowfish tank:










































and the 20 gallon...This little guy is one of two guppies that survived from the fry stage by hiding in the little cracks in the driftwood:










They're almost impossible to get pics of because the won't back away from the glass most of the time.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Any word on the bent fish Boxer?



boxercrazy156 said:


> The dennison is back now I did a water change in the 30 gallon today I noticed some decorations were a muck maybe he was trapped now he is swimming around as we'll as he can I fed him he was hungry he looks like he is bent. I will take a video but I have 2 healthy ones in the 120
> 
> Dennison with issues - YouTube
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Canadian Fish

New Pics of the Silver Dollar Tank.

You can kind of see the Hillstream loach in these:
















































And the 220:


----------



## Canadian Fish

Off topic (other than it's still Christmas), for those of you that watched some of my Christmas video, I realized tonight I never uploaded our 2010 Christmas morning video to youtube. I actually forgot we made one. So I uploaded it tonight.

Charlie has grown so much! And he was SO slow at unwrapping gifts. Also, not talking at all. (Making lots of noise, though, lol). I forgot how much he jumped around! 
Also, the walls in our basement aren't even finished in this one. Too bad I never showed where the 220 ended up in this video, there wasn't even a wall there back then, it was just open to the laundry room. We bought almost all his toys used that year, I think, all from two different people. 






This was last year:






You can actually see the Batman toy from 2011 in the 2012 video, he still loves it. The Tonka dump truck from 2010 is still one of his favorites. We have to bring it with us everytime we go camping. And there is no room in the car.


----------



## boxercrazy156

Bent fish is fine watched your video on youtube one day before it was posted on here we bought a 3d smart tv on boxing day busy installing it and buying a new bracket for it then went out and bought a 3d blue ray player no big als this boxing week spent too much on electronics plus we have a puppy for a week 2 for a few days busy with 5 dogs here so didn't get any more dennisons barbs plus the weather has been not so great snowing again today yesterday was nice so we went shopping again I had some gift certificates it was a zoo my husband was at future shop at 6am on Boxing day to grab the tv

but bent fish is still active eating I used to have a guppy in that tank that hasn't been seen for a long time my daughter asked where it was and I think it disappeared around the time the dennison barbs went in that tank. can't remember when I last saw it


----------



## Canadian Fish

Merry Christmas Boxer!

Glad to hear bent fish is fine, other than being bent, lol. 

Congrats on a 3D TV! I just watched Dredd and I hear it is amazing in 3D (ultra violent, I'm not recommending it unless you grew up on the comic like I did, or love slow motion blood splatter. Or Karl Urban, he's awesome. But he's Dredd, so you only see his chin). We bought a projector and a 120" screen a few years ago, right before 3D really got big, and there's no way we could go back to watching a small TV. (Mainly because we have a 10 ft diagonal screen fixed to the wall) So I am patiently waiting for this projector to die so that Jodie will let me get a 3D one. That would be amazing. I've never even seen a 3D movie in theatres (other than Jaws 3D in crappy anaglyph red/blue when I was a kid), I have seen exactly two movies in the theatre since Charlie was born, Puss in Boots and Wreck It Ralph, and Charlie will not wear 3D glasses for more than 5 minutes, so we went to the 2D showings. 

I tried one of those 3D TV displays at Futureshop and it blew my mind. You can see so many scenes in newer movies that were obviously filmed with 3D in mind, I am jealous. 

I didn't even check for dennisons when I was at the LFS because I really need to not spend money right now. Boxing week is irritating, all those great deals, right after blowing all our money on Christmas. And right before rent is due.

Your husband is a brave man for going to an electronics store at 6am on boxing day. Have you watched any 3D movies yet? 

Do you know if you got active or passive 3D? Let me know how it looks! 

Missing fish are frustrating. Are they dead, are they alive? Some of my tanks have so many hiding spots, it's impossible to tell. I have a big hollow cichlid stone, and every time I can't find a fish, I assume he is in there dead (I can't help but fear the worst). The thing is big with two little holes, so it is impossible to know for sure.

Edit: I just watched the video of the bent fish again. Was he like that ever since you got him home?


----------



## SeaHorse

I love when he gets to the end and carries the big box around.... ow, wow, wow!... cause it is so heavy! Wonderful memories!!


----------



## Canadian Fish

He's so funny, he LOVES watching himself. He woke up at 7:30 this morning, I had only been asleep a few hours. Jodie was still at work, so I desperately wanted to sleep some more. Sometimes he comes and gets into bed with me and I put on movies for him and go back to sleep, but some days, like today, he just wants to go downstairs (where if I fall asleep on the couch he will get into endless trouble) so I told him I had a new Christmas movie of HIM to watch. He LOVES watching himself to the extent that he is probably a narcissist. I made a playlist of the three Christmas videos from 2012 to 2012, plus his Christmas concerts and stuff, and he watched it and left me alone until Jodie got home at 9am. Once she gets home, he gets ultra excited and goes nuts, so we have to come downstairs so Jodie can sleep. 

I love that 2010 video. He was so cute. 

So now our dilemma is, once skiing is all paid for, do we spend on planting the tanks, and maybe new fish, or do we set up that terrarium? There's a half a dozen outlets roughed in, in our basement, I am thinking of asking our landlord if he can hook one up to the juice. Otherwise I don't know where to put the thing. Might be too cold down there anyway. The terrarium is more Jodie's thing, I like fish. I'm not really into pets with legs (or snakes, either, bad enough I had to pick up a rope fish). I dread having to clean the poop. Hopefully Jodie will look after the damn thing.

Still not sure if she wants a frog or gecko, which I think are the only things that can go in an 18x18x18 environment. I am leaning towards gecko.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Anybody in Canada or the colder States ever notice faster evaporation in the winter? I don't know if it's because the furnace is going or what, but I find my tanks are evaporating faster the last month or so. 

I don't know squat about evaporation, it's been decades since I was in a science class.


----------



## SeaHorse

Totally!! The air is much drier in the winter... that is why we have Humidifiers on our furnaces in the winter, and de-humidifiers in the summer. Those of us with fish tanks will notice huge drops in water levels quickly.... remember that concentrates the minerals and we need to step up the water changes to dilute it. 
If your house was incredibly dry you will notice cracked hands and trouble with the inside of your nose, sore and bleeding. Most of us with fish tanks don't experience it as bad.


----------



## Nilet699

That's really weird..... I always have cracked hands..... but looking at them now, and thinking about it, I'm sure your right and mine have been much better this last month since having the tanks......


----------



## Canadian Fish

MORE water changes? Yet another reason to hate Canadian winter. I already long for the spring, now I'm even more impatient. When we were out in the snow with Charlie the other day, Jodie started counting the days until spring. 

Last March we were skiing in T Shirts. I doubt we'll be so lucky this year. 

Jodie is SUCH a weirdo. While I was typing this the phone rang, I had left it upstairs where she is sleeping after working all night. I get up there, and she answered it and is doing a bloody survey, on a Saturday morning, after they just woke her up. I never do those bloody things, regardless of circumstances. 

With the exception of polling during an election. I'm all over that.


----------



## SeaHorse

Nilet699 said:


> That's really weird..... I always have cracked hands..... but looking at them now, and thinking about it, I'm sure your right and mine have been much better this last month since having the tanks......


You might notice that there is condensation on your windows in the rooms with the tanks.... there's your lost water! :lol:


----------



## Canadian Fish

Jakiebabie said:


> You might notice that there is condensation on your windows in the rooms with the tanks.... there's your lost water! :lol:


That I haven't seen yet. But my tanks are definitely going down faster. You can tell without even looking at them, just the different sound of the HOBs gives it away. 


Check out what Jodie did with our turkey leftovers:



















Her first time, turned out PERFECT. That crust is like a tea biscuit. Best pot pie I ever had. 

Today I'm boiling the carcass to make soup. (Sorry Jakie, I know you had no leftovers this year)

This thing turned out so well though, I had to give her credit where credit is do. She got the recipe from her work at the crazy house. Now I'm hungry.

Wow, after stalling at around 77, the poll is really on the move right now, up to 81 this morning. I'm wondering if it will make it to 100 voters. (And Bala Sharks went from 10 last night, to 12 this morning, nice. They don't get enough love)


----------



## Canadian Fish

Boxer, have you seen this thread:

http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/...ackground-planning-stages-123649/#post1362612


----------



## boxercrazy156

Canadian Fish said:


> MORE water changes? Yet another reason to hate Canadian winter. I already long for the spring, now I'm even more impatient. When we were out in the snow with Charlie the other day, Jodie started counting the days until spring.
> 
> Last March we were skiing in T Shirts. I doubt we'll be so lucky this year.
> 
> Jodie is SUCH a weirdo. While I was typing this the phone rang, I had left it upstairs where she is sleeping after working all night. I get up there, and she answered it and is doing a bloody survey, on a Saturday morning, after they just woke her up. I never do those bloody things, regardless of circumstances.
> 
> With the exception of polling during an election. I'm all over that.


Ottawa gets way more snow then us we get the end of the georgian bay lake effects but ottawa gets more then us we are 1 hour from Toronto

We got the passive 3d I just wanted the smart tv at first but always wanted 3d too when I found out that they had both in one well I had to have one I don't think our living room can handle anything larger then a 55 inch, we have a larger one in our rec room but I never go down there thats the one our kids game on and its just a tv this tv came with a wireless keyboard so I can watch tv and read this forrum lol


----------



## Nilet699

boxercrazy156 said:


> this tv came with a wireless keyboard so I can watch tv and read this forrum lol


Sheer Genius!


----------



## Canadian Fish

boxercrazy156 said:


> Ottawa gets way more snow then us we get the end of the georgian bay lake effects but ottawa gets more then us we are 1 hour from Toronto
> 
> We got the passive 3d I just wanted the smart tv at first but always wanted 3d too when I found out that they had both in one well I had to have one I don't think our living room can handle anything larger then a 55 inch, we have a larger one in our rec room but I never go down there thats the one our kids game on and its just a tv this tv came with a wireless keyboard so I can watch tv and read this forrum lol


That TV sounds awesome. I like the passive. I like the idea of a bunch of cheap glasses in case people come over. I have never even seen a Smart TV, but it sounds wonderful! 

At night I have a laptop in my bedroom hooked up to our TV, and it is networked to my tower, which acts as a server for the other 3 computers currently in the house, plus mine, which is hooked up to the projector (my landlord just offered me a free one, so soon we'll have another one in the kitchen, Jodie's idea) so when we're in bed I put some of Charlie's crap on half the TV, and I surf the net on the other half. 

Check this out:






I have way too much time on my hands Saturdays and Sundays when Jodie sleeps all day after working until 8am.


----------



## boxercrazy156

Canadian Fish said:


> Boxer, have you seen this thread:
> 
> http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/...ackground-planning-stages-123649/#post1362612


Thanks CF posted on that thread


----------



## Canadian Fish

I particularly like how you hid the tubing.


----------



## Canadian Fish

Ok, got some pics of the Hillstream Loach on the glass. I have yet to get a good pic from the other side, but this angle will do for now. Kinda creepy looking. 





















Also, got a couple of decent pics of the small bristlenose in the rainbowfish tank. I love the white on the tip of his tail. That's how I spot him when he's completely on the driftwood.





















I can't get a decent photo of the big one in the 220 because he sits in a groove in the huge piece of driftwood and completely blends in. If you look, you can see him with the naked eye, because he is a little more jagged than the wood, but the camera doesn't pick him up at all. He is 100% camouflaged. 

If I had hideous colored substrate in the 220 I would get the occasional shot of him. He blends into the black substrate too.


----------



## MemawsFish

WRT filters, you may want to consider a couple of JBJ 45 ultraviolet canister filters. They have done wonders with my 135 gallon freshwater tank.


----------



## boxercrazy156

Cool looking fish 

I really need some algae eaters in the 120 since its live planted I'm getting bba now

Not getting the Chinese ones though
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## boxercrazy156

I see the Bala Sharks are on sale at the Ottawa West Store is that the one you go to CF?


----------



## Nealbo

boxer is the dennisons also called a redline shark


----------



## boxercrazy156

Yes dennison barbs are redline sharks
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Canadian Fish

boxercrazy156 said:


> I see the Bala Sharks are on sale at the Ottawa West Store is that the one you go to CF?


Yeah. I think that sale was actually from before Christmas. They didn't update the online flyer for a couple of weeks because of the boxing week sale, and just left the old one up. They had all the fish on 20% off, but we had no cash. 

I had another bala die this morning, so I only have 1 left. 

Jodie thinks she may have seen an ick spot on a black skirt tetra, and maybe a rope fish. Not positive though, it was literally one spot. I haven't seen it. 

Are rope fish "scaleless" fish, like loaches? If it is ick, am I going to be able to treat for it with them in the tank? 

I seriously hope she's being paranoid, and that it isn't ick. 

I think I'll be returning the chinese algae eaters to the store the next time we go in. They have some weird brown discoloration on them, I wonder if they've been sucking on each other. 

That tank is stressing me out. The rest of the tanks are fine.


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## Shewbert

I have placed a link showing the Aquarium in our reception area,,,might give you some ideas.

best viewed full screen.






or my daughters Home Aquarium:
best viewed full screen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddir8ftOYFE&feature=youtu.be


----------



## Bluydgrl

*My Hillstream Loach*

I just love these guys.Its funny when they chase eachother around.They are so cute


----------



## Bluydgrl

Bluydgrl said:


> I just love these guys.Its funny when they chase eachother around.They are so cute[/quot
> 
> shows it sideway's..Ooppssss


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## SeaHorse

Shewbert! Those are spectacular Oscars!! The coloration is gorgeous.... and don't get me started on all the other inhabitants!!
Thank you for sharing. How many gallons?


----------



## boxercrazy156

Sorry about your bala hope ick hasn't returned bent fish passed away started swimming on side today's ago yesterday he was stuck to the inlet pipe barely breathing so I set him free my other two dennisons still doing great in the 120 my husband went to buy some Siamese algae eaters and they told him they only has large ones they don't eat as much which makes me think they were the false ones I am paranoid now about buying the right ones not the flying foxes or other fake ones I think I will have to take on that task
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Chesh

Ug! Sorry to hear you've been having such a difficult time over there. . . I hope it isn't ich, but keep a close eye out - it's way easier to get rid of when you catch it very early on. I'm not positive, I feel like the ropes are scale-less, but unsure. Either way, you can treat for Ich if necessary with temps and some meds are okay for them. I'm familiar with treatment options on loaches, though - and assuming the same would be true with the ropes, so you'll have to do more research to double-check. Hopefully it won't be necessary. Sad about your sharks - wonder what's going on there? I agree on taking those suckyfaces back. They're such neat fish, too bad they're scary!

Personally. . . I ALWAYS find it very nerve-wracking to stock a new tank. Hate it, actually! But there's much to be learned, and you'll work out the kinks and end up with a spectacular tank, I'm sure of it! *hugs* Good luck!


----------



## Shewbert

450ish gallons, it is the show aquarium in the reception of our quarantine center.
It has been established for almost 5 years.
Here is a link to my daughters Aquarium at home
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddir8ftOYFE&feature=youtu.be
Ray



Jakiebabie said:


> Shewbert! Those are spectacular Oscars!! The coloration is gorgeous.... and don't get me started on all the other inhabitants!!
> Thank you for sharing. How many gallons?


----------



## Canadian Fish

Well, my last Bala died today. None of the blackskirts have died (and I cycled with them) and none of my Congos have died, but the balas just died one after the other. 

Now my big decision is do I replace them, or do I go a different way. 

Any suggestions for a large fish that can get along with ropefish, tetras, and plants?

Wish I had some idea what killed the balas.


----------



## Nilet699

Ah that's really crappy :-( You figured out Any reason for it?

What about clowns?


----------



## Canadian Fish

Nilet699 said:


> Ah that's really crappy :-( You figured out Any reason for it?
> 
> What about clowns?


I was going to keep clowns with the balas. The day after I brought the clowns home, the store called to tell me theirs had the ick. Sure enough, mine did too. They all died. That's when the first two balas died.


----------



## Nilet699

Ahhh your really not having any luck with these fish are you!!! Such a shame as their both such great fish! I'd say don't give up on them!

Unless there's something else you really have your eye on? It's a Big tank so your not exactly short of options!


----------



## Chesh

I agree with Nilet! Ich - and the treatment for Ich - is really stressful for fish. Add that to the stress of a recent move, it may have just been too much for them to handle. Really think about this one - if these are fish that you really want to keep (and it seems to me from some other posts that the Bala are), you may find yourself regretting not giving it another go sometime down the road when you're fully stocked. Of course, if you've had your 'fix' and have decided that these aren't the fish you hoped they'd be, well. . . there are plenty of fish in the proverbial sea, lol! Will the shop give you credit or replace those fish, since they know that they came to you from them with ich already? Worth asking, I'd think. . .


----------



## boxercrazy156

I would make sure that there is no disease in your fish tank really check to see if there is any ich there and I would go with more Balas and even clowns if that's what you want
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## boxercrazy156

My husband is bringing home my Siamese algae eaters I made him ask if they were sure that they were not the false ones and they told him they sent back 4 batches of them one batch didn't even resemble them the others were ones that were close
He has hockey in Whitby every Sunday afternoon till 5 and big Al's is open till 6
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Canadian Fish

Ches, the clowns were awhile ago, and they gave me a full refund. I didn't even have to ask. I wasn't going to ask because they have a 5 day guarantee and it took them a week to die. 

So today our car finally died. Getting it scrapped, can't afford a new one. So trips to the fish store will be few and far between. Cost $200 for the computer test to find out it was a write off, only getting $180 to sell it for scrap, lol.

Get back from the fish store, we've got water leaking in the basement, can't find from where. Not a fish tank, thank God.

Found a dead Rainbowfish, had them for a year, first time one of them died. What a day. Then my computer crashed. 

Catfish was out and about for a change, got some video. Will post later. 

The boy will be sad, no skiing this year. He doesn't understand why the car is gone. He's only 4. I feel horrible for him.


----------



## Boredomb

Oh man what a day Canadian! Sorry to hear about the car. My wife and I only have 2 vehicles. One's on its last leg. Actually its sitting in my driveway with a dead battery. The other one is our family vehicle and its starting to act up. So we are going to have to figure something out in the next couple of months about transportation. Anyways feel your pain as we don't have the money for a new one either. I am the only one in my household that works as my wife is a stay at home mom. It is hard to explain things to young kids and I hate having to explain things to my daughter that she doesn't understand. She is only 3. Though she has gotten better about it as I have had to have a couple of talks with her about why we can't get certain things or go certain places. She might pout for a little bit which makes me feel like a horses a.. but generally she moves on and is okay with it later on. Which still makes me feel like a horses a...!
Anwys hope things start getting better for y'all!!!


----------



## thekoimaiden

Oh my god, Matt. I'm so sorry to hear about your run of bad luck. Look on the bright side.. not as many trips to the fish store means you won't spend as much on the fish! 

Looking forward to your videos of the catfish!


----------



## Bluewind

Oh my God! What terrible luck hun. I was coming in to let you know tbat the woman I told you about finally killed all her goldfish and then I saw this. I hope things get better for you hun :-(
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## boxercrazy156

You could probably buy a car if you stay away from big Al's for 6 months lol hope you luck changes soon I can even imagine how many thousands I have sunk into my fish tank this year you have way more then me. 
I hope some one will give Jodie rides to work since she works nights when my daughter was working nights she had a girl that worked with her that didn't have a car and she always drove her.

My Siamese algae eaters are all alive still and eating algae they sure have their work cut out for them
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## boxercrazy156

Hi matt its been days since you posted hope everything is ok


----------



## Nilet699

Yeah I have been thinking the same waiting for posts :-/


----------



## Chesh

I jumped when I saw this thread had a new post - I haven't seen it fall so silent for ages. I'm with everyone else - hope everything is okay over there, Matt. . .


----------



## Nilet699

he better turn up soon as well, he's been wanting the poll to get to 100 votes for so long too, and its so close....

HINT hint people....


----------



## Freshcatch

Yes, I agree that it's been too long. We are here waiting with baited breath (whatever the heck that is).


----------



## SeaHorse

Freshcatch said:


> Yes, I agree that it's been too long. We are here waiting with baited breath (whatever the heck that is).


Waiting with bated breath implies waiting with such suspense that one is hardly breathing. 
However...
If you don't come back soon I'm gonna hold my breath till I turn blue! :shock:

Hoping he's just too busy to come on here and that they are all not sick with the flu... or sick of us. :-(

Who would have thought such friendships could be found on a fish forum.


----------



## avraptorhal

Absolutely, get the best equipment you can afford. That said, the price is not a guarantee that a particular item is the best.

I've found that what I think is the best may change as I get more use of a piece of gear. One of the criteria I have developed for me is the flexibility of apiece of gear. That has led me to buying a canister after3 different HOB filters. If I had just realized that flexiibiliity is so important I would have had the canister and saved some money.

Enough. Whatever you decide to do *ENJOY it.*


----------



## Chesh

He _DID_ say that his computer crashed. Obviously he got it up and running, since he posted about it, but maybe it crashed _AGAIN_. . . and since his car is broken, he can't go get stuff to fix it right now? I really hope everything is okay!!! I'm getting worried!


----------



## Bluewind

Don't worry you guys! We all know how RL can get in the way sometimes. His computer might be down like you said. Or he has the flu and needs to be offline for a while *passes out happy thought hugs* 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## twocents

ditto on hoping he's ok. run of nasty luck there. Hey Canadian, we're rooting for you.


----------



## madyotto

Canadian Fish said:


> Well, my last Bala died today. None of the blackskirts have died (and I cycled with them) and none of my Congos have died, but the balas just died one after the other.
> 
> Now my big decision is do I replace them, or do I go a different way.
> 
> Any suggestions for a large fish that can get along with ropefish, tetras, and plants?
> 
> Wish I had some idea what killed the balas.


just out of curiousity how small where the balas when you got them ?


----------



## Bluydgrl

It's weird not getting emails from when Canadian responds to his post.I hope all is ok with him and his family.
This thread got pretty popular in the last few month.Kinda miss it


----------



## madyotto

oh yes canadian just an update on an old chat we had about my balas not touching plants she was measured at 7" last night and still isnt eating my plants my molly's wreck them but not my two bala's i am amazed that nowhere online does it state that they only eat plants when they get to a cirtain size 

i got myself 4 java fern this morn to hold the mollys back a lil but still keeping respawning plants for my main tank to see how long it is before they shred plants maybe i feed them too well and they have no intrest in plants the flake food i mixed has lots of algee in it so it could be that


----------



## madyotto

Chesherca said:


> I agree with Nilet! Ich - and the treatment for Ich - is really stressful for fish. Add that to the stress of a recent move, it may have just been too much for them to handle. Really think about this one - if these are fish that you really want to keep (and it seems to me from some other posts that the Bala are), you may find yourself regretting not giving it another go sometime down the road when you're fully stocked. Of course, if you've had your 'fix' and have decided that these aren't the fish you hoped they'd be, well. . . there are plenty of fish in the proverbial sea, lol! Will the shop give you credit or replace those fish, since they know that they came to you from them with ich already? Worth asking, I'd think. . .


chesh you hit the nail on the head there just reading back not been keeping on top of this post lately 

i asked what size the bala's where because my friend had a very small baby go missing the only thing is his tank that would eat it even if it died is his clown loach and plec but his plec is mighty small and a doubtfull suspect try to get them at a bigger size also DO NOT add new fish 2 weeks either side of adding the bala's as bala's get extreamly stressed for some time after moving home and are very prone to infection of many kinds after they have settled in and like there home you would have a very hard time to kill them.

I hope this helps and hope you do try again and susceed with the bala's as they are truly one of the most facinating fish in the FW world


----------



## Chesh

Wonder what's going on over there. . . still hoping everything is okay! I jumped when I saw this thread pop up, but still no sign of our fishy friend. *worries*


----------



## Boredomb

Ches I was like you I Jump when I say this thread back up. Just to find out still no Canadian. Hope everything is okay!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Nilet699

Boredomb said:


> Ches I was like you I Jump when I say this thread back up. Just to find out still no Canadian. Hope everything is okay!
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


+1 constantly on this one!
I then jump to last poster and am always disappointed :-(
Id been here only a month when CF last posted and i already loved him.......come back!

Glad were keeping it going for him though.......only bad thing is we'll have to wait an extra few hours for posts whilst he catches up here! lol


----------



## boxercrazy156

I myself have not been able to post since I changed my email address we have recently finally got real high speed internet and I changed my email for this forrum but never got an activation email so I could post finally figured it out and can post again so I can see how you can dissappear for a while I have also lost my main browser when I did an update on my virus protection which had all the short cuts so its been an internet experience.
glad tyou guys are keeping this thread going untill he returns


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## Chesh

Glad you've gotten it all sorted out, Boxer! I bet you were going through TFK withdraw!  Welcome back!


----------



## Nilet699

I was a little confused though........i hit Canadians profile...

Send Message 
User Lists 

Last Activity: Yesterday 08:23 AM



Read more: View Profile: Canadian Fish


----------



## Chesh

WHAAAAAA!!!? Has he turned NINJA on us?!!!  Something fishy's going on around here. . . pun TOTALLY intended!


----------



## Boredomb

Chesherca said:


> WHAAAAAA!!!? Has he turned NINJA on us?!!!  Something fishy's going on around here. . . pun TOTALLY intended!


LMAO!!! Ninja Style......


----------



## Bluydgrl

Says on Canadians profile that his last activity was yesterday at 3:23am???Why isn"t he posting here??


----------



## Freshcatch

Are you guys creeping? Shame on you....!


----------



## Boredomb

LoL its not creeping when you are just curious and concerned!
Oh Freshcatch do you live in the Southeastern part of TN? I have been looking for a good fish store for awhile now.


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## Freshcatch

Middle Tennessee. I live just South of Nashville. The best fish store around is Aquatic Critters in Nashville.


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## Boredomb

Ohh Nashville is almost 3 hours Northwest of me. The next time I am there I will look up Aquatic Critters.


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## boxercrazy156

Chesherca said:


> Glad you've gotten it all sorted out, Boxer! I bet you were going through TFK withdraw!  Welcome back!


Yep Frustrating reading threads and not being able to post


----------



## Bluydgrl

Has anyone heard where Canadian went?Still so weird..Not the same anymore without him on here all the time
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## SeaHorse

No not at all. I've heard nothing. I know I've taken a month or 2 long break from here a couple of times. Sometimes I would sign on and just get overwhelmed by the threads that needed answers. I totally get the need to step away for awhile. 

And this place can be VERY distracting from the things we should be doing!


----------



## boxercrazy156

Yes I don't have time to go on the forums very often it was nice to follow this thread and see what people were up to even catching up on this thread when I was not on for a week or so was challenging I usually have one morning a month when I can actually sit back and read a bunch off threads and the rest of the time read postings from threads I am following when I get an email alert that someone has posted on my phone
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Canadian Fish

Well, after a LONG and boring winter we are finally back to adding fish and plants to our tanks. Got a little overwhelmed with the car troubles, etc, but everything is all good now. 

Charlie is talking a lot more, finally, and is close to the end of his first school year (JK). 

We had some fish deaths over the winter, but not too many. Both our bristlenose plecos died again, even though I had lots of algae built up this time. So we've given up on keeping them. Our hillstream loach, which we bought around a year ago, is still thriving. We thought that would be the harder one to keep. 

We had two of our ropefish pass away. I think they just couldn't compete with the faster fish in the 220. This is the current stocking of the 220:

11 x Black Skirt Tetras 
8 x Congo Tetras 
1 x Chinese Algae Eater 
3 x Banded Leporinus 
1 x Blood Red Parrot 
1 x Ropefish 

No aggression so far from the algae eater, Leporinus or parrot fish. I think the tank is large enough that it won't be an issue. I would have gotten 6 Leporinus, as per their profile, but they only had the three biggies, which were returned. If they ever get more, I will buy them. 

Will take some videos later after the fish have all woken up. The 220 used to be lit up from 9am to 9pm, but it went to 10am to 10pm after the time change. 

The pea puffers died, and I recently replaced them with some tetras and some shrimp. 

The amazon puffers are still going strong and cohabiting nicely with the red tailed shark. 

The Leopard Bush, Bleeding Hearts, and RTS have grown more than any fish we have ever owned. I think the bush has doubled in size, as have the Bleeding hearts, which started smaller than the Serpaes, but are now much larger. The RTS started small and is not a better size. 

Charlie's dirty male Betta, Mary Poppins, is still alive, incredibly. She was in the dark for a little while when her bulb burned out and we weren't getting to the LFS recently. 

Today is the last day of the Big Al's big sale, if anyone is in Canada and near one. 25% off all fish and plants here. We FINALLY started planting my Rainbow tank, we'd been talking about it since December. Looks a lot less empty now, and I'm sure it will help with water conditions. My nitrates are usually a little higher in my two 55s, which are unplanted. 

Hope everyone is well. We are relieved to be back in the swing of things.


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## Chesh

*GLOMPS*

So happy to see you back again, dear!!! I was afraid you'd vanished for good!


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## Tarutan

If I had such a large tank I would feature a more uncommon fish, like a barracuda. Oh yea, I saw one of those at the fish store down here and they were scary and interesting. Well, it was labeled a barracuda, but it actually does not look like the barracudas I tried to google after that. It has these fins like a centipede or something.


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## Canadian Fish

Chesherca said:


> *GLOMPS*
> 
> So happy to see you back again, dear!!! I was afraid you'd vanished for good!


Never for good, lol. With so many tanks questions are always bound to come up. We went so long without adding anything to the tanks, I had nothing at all to update. 



Tarutan said:


> If I had such a large tank I would feature a more uncommon fish, like a barracuda. Oh yea, I saw one of those at the fish store down here and they were scary and interesting. Well, it was labeled a barracuda, but it actually does not look like the barracudas I tried to google after that. It has these fins like a centipede or something.


Something like that would be cool, for sure. A friend of mine keeps a single piranha. I just enjoy checking the LFS for new arrivals and adding to a community, I find a lot of the fun is stocking, so I try to keep mostly passive to semi aggressive fish.


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## thekoimaiden

So glad to have you back, Matt!! We were worried about you! Can't wait to see your 220 grow and change again!


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## Canadian Fish

Thanks Koi!

Here is a short video of the 220:


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## thekoimaiden

Your plants look great in there! Glad that turned around for you! Any chance we could get a whole tank shot?


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## SeaHorse

Matt and family... Welcome back!! You've been dearly missed! Yes agreed, would love to see how the whole tank looks now!!


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## Freshcatch

Glad to "see" you back.


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## Boredomb

Hey Canadian, Glad to see ya Man! Its been awhile and I am glad you are back! 

Sorry to hear about the lose of some of your fish! Hopefully that's all behind now and the ones you have and any future ones you get will do well for ya.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Canadian Fish

Thanks everyone. We haven't had a fish die in months. We keep thinking the ropefish is dead, as he'll disappear for a couple of days, but then he'll show up out of the blue. Since we added the big fish we see him a lot more, as they frequently go in the cichlid stones, where he used to spend all his time undisturbed.









































































Here's a video of my Silver Dollar tank. The Leopard Bush fish and the Bleeding Heart Tetras have nearly doubled in size since we got them. The big Silver Dollar I took in for a friend of mine who had him in a big tank with some really aggressive fish. I've had him since around Christmas and he's still a little skittish. 






Finally got some real plants in the tacky rainbow tank. Eventually we'll replace all the fake ones with real. My big catfish makes a rare appearance in this. Well, his tail anyway.


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## ColoradoUtah

You asked for my two cents about the 220? What little I know now which is zip leads me to want discus. I know that will change by the time I have the experience and $ to have a 220.


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## Canadian Fish

ColoradoUtah said:


> You asked for my two cents about the 220? What little I know now which is zip leads me to want discus. I know that will change by the time I have the experience and $ to have a 220.


Discus are beautiful fish, and if I had the money I would love to have a school of them on their own. But they retail here for $60 for small ones to $100+ for larger ones. I'm just too cheap. We usually spend less than $15 per fish. I think once we spent $20.00 

Discus colors are amazing. Some of the patterns are stunning.


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## thekoimaiden

Your 220 is looking amazing!! Those plants really filled in! Your "small" tanks are looking great, too! Funny to think of them as such because that's the largest tank I own, but they are small compared to your monster!


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## Canadian Fish

The banded bastards ate my plants. Grr. LOL



thekoimaiden said:


> Your 220 is looking amazing!! Those plants really filled in! Your "small" tanks are looking great, too! Funny to think of them as such because that's the largest tank I own, but they are small compared to your monster!


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## avraptorhal

I'm sitting here drooling (it's not age, LOL). I couldn't shoe horn in a 2 gal tank let alone 220. WOW!!!


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## twocents

heck Canadian, I've seen some that are up in the 'K' category. 
I like fish I really don't have to putz much with, aside from the standard water changes and gravel vacuum.

I see the Bosmani, I think I even saw a madagascar rainbow. they move so quick it is hard to identify them.


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## boxercrazy156

Welcome back I've been really busy and not on here as much only had one death one of my red rainbows so I added 2 more and I bought another dennison barb so no I have 3 will catch up and follow the thread again
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## boxercrazy156

Love the leporinus I like them and your parrot fish has nice colors
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Canadian Fish

Thanks, I am disappointed they ate my beautiful plants, but they are cool fish and add a lot to the aquarium. The guy who sold them to me knew about the plants in my tank, argh. I should have researched more prior to purchase. They were just so big and cool I wanted to believe I could add them to my tank when he said I could. 

My ropefish is out more lately, and yesterday I saw the small spotted catfish we added to the silver dollar tank. He was swimming all over the tank. That's only the second time we saw him in over 6 months.


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## boxercrazy156

Do you feed them the algae disks my clowns now that they are getting big like to eat plants I give them algae wafers and they prefer them
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Canadian Fish

boxercrazy156 said:


> Do you feed them the algae disks my clowns now that they are getting big like to eat plants I give them algae wafers and they prefer them
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


I haven't been, but I have a whole bunch of those that my bristlenose never ate, so I can try them. 

Those banded buggers eat everything I put in the tank and STILL eat my plants. I knew it might happen after I bought them and then read up on them. Oh well, they're really cool. I'll try different plants. Hopefully I'm not stuck with all fakies now.


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## thekoimaiden

Have you tried the hardy plants like anubias and java fern? I've had great luck with goldfish not eating them. And goldfish eat _everything_...


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## djembekah

welcome back!!!!!!!! i can't believe i missed your return! Tank is looking AMAZING!


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