James (Western Canada)

Man!!....I really need to start looking at the date(s) on threads before responding:)....this thread goes waaaaaaaayyyyyyy back! sorry James

Val: I don't know if you saw the cad drawing in my gallery? http://albertaaquatica.com/index.php?act=m...=si&img=464 Your dads layout, with the tubes on end will be VERY robust. I don't see any mention of what wall thickness of 2"x1" you intend to use?? I'm guessing 0.100 wall, as it is the easiest to obtain. Using 2"x1" "on the flat" would still be plenty strong enough for the dimensions of your stand, and if you use the perimeter style as in my stand design, you also cut down on the load on the floor (which again for the size/weight of your stand is not a concern as it gets to be with 90g or larger tanks) Either way, you will have a very stout stand, and with the plywood shelves removed, will still be light enough to be moved by one person. If you want to calc the weight of your stand: 2"x1"x0.83 wall is 1.54lbs/ft 2"x1"x0.100wall is 1.82lbs/ft 2"x1"x0.125wall is 2.21lbs/ft 2"x1"x0.150wall is 2.56lbs/ft 2"x1"x0.188wall is 3.04lbs/ft If your dad is going any heavier than 0.125wall, in a pinch you can also use it as a hurricane shelter !! LOL JAMES

There are frequently barrels of this type advertised in the Edm Bargainfinder, might take a little searching (as far as what category they are under), but I have seen them often for the last few years...... James

Yup, as the others have already mentioned, the more the merrier I had my group of five for over six years untill an incident last fall cleaned my tank out As with many fish, they will come out and explore much more if they have the security of a safe retreat to take refuge in when they feel threatened. Having lots of plant cover, caves, etc will go a long ways to making them feel more secure. And, if you can't wait untill Henry gets more, I believe that Family Pet in Sh Park (East of Save-on on Baseline, north of East Side Marios) has some as well. HTH James

Yup, snail eggs, ridding yourself of the eggs now will mean a lot less problems ridding yourself og the snails later James

A friend just e-mailed me asking where to get a replacement 13000K Metal Halide Bulb. My knee jerk answer was the hydroponics store ....anyone have any sources for good quality bulbs at a decent price (in Edmonton) ?? Thanks ! James

DUNL: Several things need clarification.... Can you better describe what was used on this setup for the overflow and also on the pressure side ? BTW: did you look at the different setups listed (as sub-pages of the POPULAR MODIFICATIONS page) on the durso site?? James

DUNL: You don't say weather this is for another SW tank, or a FW tank. I have no idea what kind of tunrover rate is required on SW, for FW, typically you would want 3x/hour or more. So, your pump needs to be sized to provide enough GPH for 3 or more turnovers per hour....BUT, aside from JUST the GPH rating, you must also consider what the pumps GPH rating is for a given head pressure. (eg: if the pump is located 24 inches below the discharge into the tank, you have two feet of head pressure) . You could get fancy and start calculating line loss for piping, elbows, etc, but it ain't that critical. Usually you go a little bigger than you think you need on the pump, and just choke it (on the pressure return side only) if it's output is excessive. I will read this again later, and see if it still makes any sense:)....and edit if required! lol PS: As far as noise goes, I recall seeing a link for a fellow making standpipes that are supposed to be quieter, but you don't have a standpipe in this setup. But for others, here is the link. looks simple enough to build.... http://www.dursostandpipes.com/ EDIT:PS:Make sure you check out the POPULAR MODIFICATIONS sub-pages on the durso site. James

I notice there are occasional posts about amphibians, terrariums, paludariums,etc....and wonder if it would be easier for those who are interested in such things to find past threads, etc if they were all in one place ?? This is a topic that mildly interests me, but not to the point (yet) that I am ready to step up and build/stock one. But interesting non the less just thinking out loud....... James

Pop Eye: Sorry to hear that, and having had a similar experience last fall, can fully understand:( It is only recently (since discovering this site:) that I have even thought of starting up again...................... James

While the population (at the currently only known locale) may be in decline, I still am sceptical that these fish are THAT LOCALIZED. I am hopeful that their distribution includes other locales that have yet to be discovered. In any case, if the reports of how easy they are to breed are true, I would expect that within a year or two, between the Germans, Czechs, and all the Asian fish farms (Singapore,etc), availability should get better without further impacting the remaining wild populations...... James

DUNL: Being as I have known of Kamphol Udomritthiruj for 6 or more years (from his contributions to and participation in the Loaches Online website and forum), anything uttered by him holds some credibility with me. I guess if I read something written by a fellow I had never heard of previously, it would be a little harder to buy into what that person was saying, but with the history I have, his words carry some weight. Just my $0.02CDN James

I was cruzin da classified on my lunch hour, and was sruprised how many listings there were.... http://www.usededmonton.com/classifieds/aquariums-fish EDM BARGAINFINDER http://www.buysell.com/root/search/25/600/...riums_Fish.aspx

Valerie: If you can still see that sponge (which I'm assuming is against the back glass), then that's a sure sigh that your tank is not planted heavily enough!! :) I periodically give mine a dip in water w/bleach, as the stack of clean ones may end up one or another tank, so to avoid cross-contamination, I disinfect. The reason I mention this is that after one or two trips throgh the bleach & water, they turn a golden brown colour...... Anyways, just plant the tank heavier, and no one will know what colour they are !! lol James

Chantell: If you want to see one (that might even run soon:), ring next time your'e coming in to make sure I'm around. If I'm home you are welcome to come have a look. James

Blade: I'm no saltwater guy, so WTF do I know ??....but AH Supply has Compact Flourescent kits with electronic ballasts, your choice of bulbs from 5500K to 10000k. Their prices are decent, and Kim is very knowledgeable and more than willing to answer questions. I Think I talked to him three times before I finally ordered:) http://www.ahsupply.com/ HTH James

Dean: thanks ! I grew up in GP ...and ironically, the welder friend I mentioned is out west of GP on the LaGlace Hwy James

Nick: I built the orig, but not the second. And yes, I have all the toys for playing with molten metal, mig, tig, and o/a James

Nick: If you view it slide show style, all you get is pics, but if you open the pics individually, there is text as well (not sure if the text not showing up in slideshow view is a GALLERY preferences set-up thing, or just the way it is ??) Anyway, I built my original stand, but when I got the wet/dry, it wasn't tall enough to allow the transition from the bulhead fitting in the bottom of the tank over to the top of the wet/dry. So.....in the interest of saving time, I got a friend who is a welder to whip me up a second stand, same as the orig, but 4" taller. As far as the cabinet goes, that is partly my hndiwork, and partly my bro's ( he was running the router for cleaning up all the edges on the arborite used to cover the plywood. James

Hey boyz & gurlz ! here is a link to my gallery, where I have posted some pics (c/w comments) on the Aq stand and cabinet for my 90g.....have a look !! http://albertaaquatica.com/index.php?autom...um&album=77 James

Try Ceratopteris thalictroides aka Water Sprite http://www.tropica.dk/productcard_1.asp?id=005A It gets big !!

Chantell: if you want to try CO2 on a small tank, you could do a 2 litre Coke bottle yeast reactor. Go to THE KRIB http://www.thekrib.com/ or the Aquatic Plants Digest http://fins.actwin.com/aquatic-plants/index.php Both of these are excellent resources, but you will have to dig to find what you want to know:) My only concern with CO2 on a tank this size is that as you add CO2, your PH goes down, and it is very easy to overdo it and have your PH crash. The smaller the body of water, the less stable. It is do-able if you are conservative and take your time getting everything sorted out, but beware that a PH crash can take out all your fish in short order. James

I hate to be a wet blanket, but I think if you investigate the temperature requirements of Cory's vs: your Clowns, you will find that a tank set to the temp preferred by clowns will be far too hot for Cory's. Sorry James

OK, to start with, I have a 90g, and it takes two good men to move it empty:) (Well, OK....me & Henry:) Lets do some math: My 90g is 48"Long x 24"High x 18"Deep, and IIRC is constructed from 1/2" glass. So (48"*24"*1/2"*2 for front/back panes)=1152 cubic inches (18"*24"*1/2"*2 for end panes)=432 cubic inches (48"*18"*1/2" for bottom) =432 cubic inches Total =2016 cubic inches Density of plate glass is 0.09031823lbs/cu in 2016*0.09031823=182.1lbs, not including silicone or trim. Thats a good lift!....and my 90 was heavily planted, I figure close to three bags of gravel @40kg (or 88.2lbs) each ( for tot gravel weight of 264.6lbs.... , not including any water that brings us to 446.7 lbs !! Even if you were up to the job of carrying it ( and if you are, I won't try to stop you :).....an aquarium is designed only for STATIC LOADS....and being carried while holding 3 bags of gravel + an undetermined ammount of water would stress it in ways it was never designed to handle. Do I need to go on....or do you see by now that NOT EMPTYING it would be a BAD IDEA....... 'nuff said James

For all things shrimp, try this yahoo FRESHWATER SHRIMP group. http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/FreshwaterShrimp/ HTH James