thefishdude

Thanks a bunch... Very good articles; will help me alot :smokey:

I'll just be swapping the sponge thats in the bottom of my AC500's to seed my new tank. Should be ok NO??

nice to see the new equipment forum... Will be posting all tech questions here from now on so I can leave the D.I.Y. forum for D.I.Y. questions and topics. :thumbs: :bow: :thumbs:

What type of heater would those with opinions out there recommend, or which ones should I definately stay away from? I will be running a 90 gal here eventually and I was thinking maybe 2 x 200 watt adjustables. Any preferred brands out there. Right now I'm just running a cheapy adjustable in my 30 gal, and it seems to do really well. It keeps the water at exactly what I set it at, and so far (knock on wood) its lasted me about 6mo. I do keep a close eye on the water temp in my tanks as I've heard alot of horror stories that end up with boiled fishes. :boom:

Frequently it seems that any questions that pop up for me are ones based on gear. What about an area set up to answer any harware related questions as well as possibly a rating system to see what kind of products the peeps out there prefer.... An informed consumer is a happy consumer. Discuss..... :well:

Let me be the first to say thank you for adding the link from Golds site to this "official online community"... This is EXACTLY how I ran across this site and have been thankful for it since.

I will be running a 48"x 24"x 18" - 90 gallon tank. I will not be putting any plants into this tank for the time being so really all that Im worried about is how it looks. Currently all I have over my 30 gallon tank is a single 18" 35 watt bulb, and it's fairly well lit. Again, no plants in there currently, but as for aesthetic purposes, Im thinking that the dual 48" T-8's would throw enough light for what Im planning. (Oscars) :smilebig:

Im liking the bare bottom idea... However, wouldn't it take longer for the tank to build up the beneficial bacteria if there is no substrate to hide in? Much less upkeep though.... Ah I cant make up my mind!!! :boom:

What should I be looking to cover the bottom of an oscar tank with keeping in mind the tendency to dig and re-arrange the tank. Is sand a good option? I was hoping to do sand, but Im kinda worried about how much upkeep their is involved in using it. How do you keep from sucking sand up into the water intake on a filter and out of the water change bucket as well?? Would you do sand, small gravel, big gravel, or anything else????

What is all yalls opinion on flourescent bulb lighting fixtures over a 4 ft. tank? I was looking at T-8 high intensity dual 48" ers. I would really like to be able to buy one of the cheapo ones at Can Tire for around $40. Any problems with this. The specialty bulbs that you can buy at the local aquarium shop are T-8's arent they. I was also told I would need an "electronic ballast" to power one of these aqua lights. These lights seem to fit the bill don't they?...... :well:

I'm thinking ahead a little here... Would small to medium sized juvenile swords be a better live food to a larger carnivorous fish than the disease ridden feeders you can buy at the aquarium shop?? The swords in my 30 are breeding like rabbits, and I really have no place to put more of the little guys. I know that mom and dad are both healthy happy fish and when the fry are fed fishy steroids (baby brine) they only take about 14 days to get to a rather large size. Anyone see an issue with doing this???? :well:

I would definately agree with the output on an AC 500... I picked one up second hand for 20 bones and put it on my 30 gal. It keeps the water VERY clean and does a much better job sucking up my sailfin pleco's mile long craps. However, I was really hoping to get away from a "hang on tank" style filter; mostly for aesthetic purposes I guess. That and the canopy I was planning for would have to be cut to make way for this type of filter. I currently do a bi-weekly, 25% water change because I do enjoy clear clean water in my tank just as much as my fisheys appreciate it. Would a cannister, along with my regimented change schedule do the job??? Why is a cannister so much harder to take care of?? :well:

Thanks for the input... I'll take my time and shop around until a group of about 6 stand out as "the ones" Anyone know of anybody that breeds oscars and may be looking to sell some little un's in about a months time????? :bow:

:well: Anyone like to suggest a type of oscar I should pursue for my brand spanking new 90gal. Where is a good place to find them in Calgary? Ive been to Big Al's and Riverfront without being too amazed. Should I start with 6 or 8 of them to try and get a breeding pair, or should I stick to a single. Would any of the stores in town take trade back on the rest of them? :well:

Hey All, New member from Calgary... Brief Bio Have kept various tropicals over the last 5 or so years. Started out with tetras in a small 5 gal tank. Over the last half decade I have purchased many increasingly sized aquariums, and recently I bought a 90 gal tank from a local shop here in the city. Currently my pride and joy are a breeding "pack" of massive red velvet swords. The "Duke", an especially large and brilliantly colored male rules the tank and keeps everyone in line. I started with this group of velvets about 6 months ago with 6 fish. These six swords have bred like rabbits to about 40 fish now. Thinking of doing a "show tank" with my 90. Keep it simple with a group of long fin tiger oscars, along with some loachs to clean up after them. Looking to run a Fluval 404 on my 90... any idea where a cheap guy like me would find one!!! :thumbs: