Cap'n

Calisto (black) and Io (siamese) lounging on the couch. They are named after the moons of Jupiter I was reading about in National Geographic when we got them. Here they are again hanging out in the tiny kitchen of our old apartment. As you can see, they are pretty good buddies.

Nice, clean site. I like it.

Really? Shite!!!!!!!

After an intro like that it would be nice to see a picture... Not working for me Albert.

You see, that's exactly what I did NOT want to get into. The idea was to get people to use their own noodles, and make some decisions on their own. It's for that exact same reason I left out brand names in the article I wrote for C-F. At the time I was writing that article Eric (admin at CF) told me he could hook me up with a few of the major players in the fish food circle, including Pablo Tepoot, but I told him that I did not want to endorse *any* manufacturers in that article, I wanted people to read it, learn from it, and make their own educated decisions. Most people already know what my favourite food is, that's a given, but that thread was never meant to be a 'review' on every brand of food on the market, good or bad. (the last thing I need is a lawsuit on my hands) If you read the initial comment, and the info in the various links provided, you should have a good understanding of what you want to see in the first 4-5 ingredients in any given fish food, and what you do not want to see. Ah, nope, sure didn't miss the point of the initial post. I thought it was a good one. Very informative, as I stated before. It was just that the thread lost objectivity from there. Your reluctance to mention any brand names you felt were inferior was overshadowed by your exuberance to mention the one brand name you approved of. If your ethics forbade you from posting negative comments about particular products, they should have had the same effect on mentioning others in a positive light. Kind of hypocritical. Just my opinion. So, you going to nominate me for LMOTM? :smokey:

RD, Thanks for addressing the issue, but my complaint was more about the lack of info on other brands, not the promotion of NLS. This was especially obvious when Albert asked for recomendations on foods not to use, which was ignored in favour of a plug for NLS. Not to mention that this thread, which does focus on your favorite fish food, was already in progress. I don't want to disparage you enthusiasm for NLS. Sounds like a great product and I plan to try it myself. I was just trying to point out that the final exam in a course entitled "Nutrition 101" would not be completed with the single answer "New Life Spectrum".

I would suggest focussing on your carpentry skills. You should be able to find something in a "helper" or "labourer" position from small, self-emplyed operations. Your youth could be an advantage here as they won't have to pay you as much, in relative terms. Or you could head to one of the department stores like Canadian Tire, Revy, Home Depot, Winsdor Plywood, Big Dog Lumber, etc... Another tip, don't wait for someone to tell you they are looking for employees. Drop off resumes anywhere you might want to work (and always call back a couple days later), go through the yellow pages and make a few calls, stop in at companies close to home and tell them you are looking (even if they don't need anyone they might know someone who does). And don't get discouraged. You're going to get turned down more than you'll be accepted, that's just the way the odds work. If all else fails, go to a placement agency; Bowen Personnel, Diversified, Labour Ready, etc. Not always the best jobs and you might get switched around a lot, but good experience and you can often find permanent employment at one of the locations they send you. Looking for a new job is seldom fun but can be a very rewarding experience.

Any idea how soon that might happen, RD?

Any suggestions for the perfect fish for this little tank?

Yeah, didn't think so. Thanks for the confirmation.

Mildly contemplating trying my hand at discus. Not breeding, not raising champion show fish, just keeping a couple beautiful cichlids. Would it be at all possible to keep a pair in a well filtered 15gal hex tank?

Yep. Start it up, Ty. I'm in, as I'm sure others will be. How much could we order without going over the weight restrictions of the cheaper freight?

Regardless of the operating costs of the tank, get a job! Great way to meet people, gain valuable work experience, and, well, make money. And none of this "if" stuff. There is no reason why anyone shouldn't be able to find a job in Alberta's expanding workforce, especially at the entry level.

Since you already have the runners and just need the glass,I would go to a glass shop (Cascade, etc.) with your old lids, tell them what you don't like about them and have them make you new ones.

RD, great thread with lots of useful info. I'm sure many of us are swayed by marketing and don't take the time to do the proper research to ensure our fish have the most complete diet possoble. However, your extreme bias for NLS makes you appear more of a salesperson than an enthusiast. As good as it may be, I'm sure there are others that could be considered competition. Why don't you add a few brands to the previous post of yours and make it an actual list. Thanks again for doing the extra legwork that help benefit this hobby and community.

In the thread I started "Plant in a Pot" Garhan provided a link to a site called Tropica. I was looking through there and found a couple articles devoted to setting up and maintaining a planted discus tank. Probably worth checking out.

So would it be worth it for me to try a potted plant at all or just stick to some of the varieties suggested and start adding ferts?

I second the Cpt on this. :thumbs: Hey muck, what brings you over to this side of the hydrometer?

If there is the possibility of a group NLS food order count me in.

Hey ihayat, Check out his site, http://www.canreef.com/ You'll find lots of useful SW info from lots of neighbours.

I was planning on using a 4" clay pot as it will be easier to hide than a 6". If it is necessary I will use the larger size. I have lots of each on hand. My tank is already decorated with shale so I will also be hiding the pot with leaning pieces of the rockwork; doubt if I will need to silicone anything to the pot, but it may come to that. If all I need is regular potting soil than I'm good to go. But this layered approach sounds like it is designed for underwater plants. What exactly is florite? and where would I get it? Peat pellets I'm assuming at a gardening supply house, same for the florite? Will I need to add any special additives to the tank? I really don't like the idea of adding something that is designed for the good health of something other than the fish. What kind of plants would be a good candidate? All I have ever grown so far are jungle val, java fern and java moss. I keep hearing about anubias nana and african swords, how about them? Doubt if the fish will dig in the pot, all my tanganyikans only dig where they are nesting, usually in front of a shell.

This is actually more of a trickle filter. True sumps with baffles, bulkheads and drilled returns are more along the line of the prices FishManTy paid. Actually, I think you got a pretty good deal.

I would like to have a med to large plant with broad leaves in my Tanganyikan tank but do not want to go through the trouble of adding the proper substrate, additives, etc. Would it be possible to use a well camoflauged pot with the necessary medium(s)? Do you have any recomendations for species of plant?

What they can eat in 5 minutes, same general rule of thumb still applies in SW.

Are you melting the cube before you feed it to the tank? One fish shouldn't be fast enough to get all those morsels before everyone else. I use a shot glass, add a bit of tank water, wait 5 minutes, stir and feed. Get a variety of foods. Mysis shrimp are great (keep your eyes open and get in on the next bulk buy). Bloodworms, brine shrimp, squid, veg and fruit mix, all can be used occasionally. Check the freezers at the LFS. Freeze-dried and pellets are also useful. BUT DON'T OVERFEED! They always look hungry. Crushed coral will be harder on the starfish in the long run but will have no effect on it eating all the microfauna, that will still happen.