airco02

I think most of the salt mines are shut down now, you might try an adoption agency. Failing that I heard there are still a few spots in Asia or Africa that you could get a few bucks for them.

I live in Lloydminster, the fish are nothing to exotic, 3-4" gts, jds and or texas cichlids, maybe tiger oscars. I want larger fish that are not to picky. The dithers and cats I will buy from the shops here.

deduct 5% from the J&L price to get the Big Al's on line price and there is no shipping charge from Big Al's for that size order. Matters not you still saved some money. I order lots of stuff on line from Jehmco and other places hlwever I have about $800.00 in credits for fish and plants in my wallet so I'll use it at the LFS for whatever I need providing they have it. They take care of me and I take care of them. Rick As I said I try to use my lfs if possible. I will soon have to make a trip to Edmonton because the local shops are not interested in even trying to bring in the fish I want . Not all shops have the same degree of service. I did however go to them first. I believe in buying locally IF it makes sense to. Afterall the money stays in your community.

It depends on how it goes through customs and Canada post, this time they collected when they delivered. It also matters where the goods originated from. If made in the US there should be no duty. I recently bought a mini lathe and milling machine from Clisby in Australia and got clobbered with duty, You have to pay the gst on almost everything. NOTE If you order from the US make sure they do not ship with UPS or any other courier, they will automatically tack on a brokerage fee. Use USPS (mail) if possible.

I just recieved an order today from Pet Solutions. One mag drive seven pump $48.44 Two Hydor Theo 200w heaters $18.99ea Shipping $20.25 Total USD $106.67 X 1.2 exchange = $128.00 CAD +$11.13 gst & customs $139.13 total Big als, pump only $149.95 heaters $41.99ea = $233.93 +gst & shipping JL Aquatics, Pump $92.95 heaters $34.95ea = $162.95 plus gst & shipping Mops, pump$ 104.99 heaters $38.99 = $182.97 plus gst & shipping I first tried the lfs here and one wanted almost $200.00 for the pump alone. Big als and Mops do not carry the Hydor heaters so above prices are for Ebo Jager equivalents. If I assume $20.00 shipping plus gst, I,m saving at least 40% to 90% I always try to buy locally first but if prices get outrageous, it,s time to look elsewhere. Perhaps I,ll take the dollars I saved and buy some fish locally.

Thanks Sara, I,ll give them a try.

Good morning!! I am trying to find a source for Bio Spira in Alberta, does anyone have any ideas as to who might stock it?

Yes, fiberglass is correct. You will probably want to use 4 or 6 oz. cloth. If you haven,t used it before it may be worth your while to get West systems manual ( it used to be free) or go to Boat Craft in Edmonton and talk to the owner, (Ben or Ken?) they are a very helpful bunch there. An email to West Systems will also produce results. You can also email me if you like. Best of luck.

I just replie to a post in diy that probably has the info you are looking for. Boat craft also carries tuff brand 2 part epoxy paint , safe for your aquarium.

The strongest finish for the inside of your tank will be a epoxy/glass laminate such as use on white water kayaks and canoes. Epoxy by itself while it will seal the wood is not particularly strong on it,s own, when used with glass it becomes VERY tough. The brand that has the best reputation is West Systems Epoxy. Use the 105 resin and the 207 hardener for potable water applications. Epoxy paint is a finish and has even less strenght and should only be used as a finish. Boat Craft in Edmonton (780-433-4373) has everything you will need. You can get West Systems how-to manuel from them as well.Ask if they have a stitch and glue handout, it will explain corners and fillets. Laying up epoxy is not hard to do but you should practice first so that you have the technique down pat. If you epoxy/glass your tank and use fillets in the corners it will probably be 2 or 3 times as strong as glue and screws alone.In fact you could probably jump on it. You can also add color to the epoxy when you mix it, tempura powder paint works well. If you would like to know more let me know. RJ. PS. epoxy is not cheap but will last for years and if done right , no floods.

That is probably the first complete drawing and text I have seen on any of the sites. I have some experience using epoxies (built several cedar strip & stitch and glue boats) and have done some research in repsects to its use. I have some tips if you are interested.

The tank itself is commercial, the stand /sump is what I am working on, however I,m building it large enough to switch to a bigger tank in the future. The plywood tanks I see on some of the other tanks appeal to me. Wood and epoxy are easy to work with. I have a digital camera I,ll take pictures as I go and try to post them together in a sequence, might help any who are considering the same thing.

Hello from Lloydminster,(Alta side) After several years out of the hobby, I am setting up a 80gal tank, for sa/ca cichlids. Decided I,m to old to have pets that can walk faster than I can. These forums have a wealth of info. in them and most seem to have very helpful and friendly people as members. I hope that as I reenter the hobby I will have something to contribute. Currently building a stand with a wet/dry/ugj system built into it. Hope to start to cycle the tank within the next week or so. Can anyone tell me if there is an Edmonton shop or breeder that normally has Green terrors,Dempseys and Oscars on hand? Thanks. RJ