Zoban

When draining/cleaning tanks I run the hose either to the basement laundry tub or out the back step into the flower bed depending on how much rain we've had.. When filling is the only time I connect to the Kitchen sink.. Let gravity do the work when cleaning/draining/water change etc vs. pouring good water down the drain to suck the bad from the tank.. Really easy to start the syphon too specially if yer python has the lil shutoff valve near the working end (tank side) Close the valve and place the cleaning wand section in the water so that it fills up ( on it's side or inverted on an angle) Raise it out of the tank so that the water doesn't pour out but the air between the valve and the water level is now gone repeat if any air left. turn the cleaning wand the noraml operating direction (open end toward gravel lol) and open the valve.. Gravity will do the rest..

Kribs can be very territorial when they start breeding mode. A long tank with defined areas/territories would be a better option to try more then a pair. Make sure to give extra caves as well so they don't fight over a single cave etc.. ie, for two pairs give 4 possible caves (two at each end) or more.

Agreed .. more likely the assasins are the angels and the BN just the cleaner. Have kept BNs with all sorts of fish that are really tiny and a easy snack without issue. Any time I added tetras to my Angel display tank when I was breeding Angels they were gone in a day or two.

How I prime my classics when they are "dry lined" from cleaning etc etc or new. Setup all lines as per normal but not connect the filter yet.. Fill cannister (half full will work nicely) itself with tank water or pre-preped/declorinated water (make sure the in/out valves are off) Connect the intake to the tank (lower line on the unit) Open valves and blow into the output line, this will force the water in the bottom of the cannister up the intake line and thus the air out. Watch the air bubbles coming out of the intake and once all air is out shut off the valves while still holding presure on the out line Connect the output as normal and open all valves. gravity will do the rest, then turn on the unit. No mouth fuls of water or stale cannister air to worry about.

Could use an eggtumbler I would think. How long between spit and moving the mother back did you wait as she might have picked them up again, too late now for that though more a note for next time.

Just me or does that nopt sound right as Platies are livebearers not eggs, never seen a platy fry with a yolk sac. That aside conjoined twins what ever you want to cal em are not likely to survive as mentioned in the aquarium. Either let time pass and see what happens or cull em and have thier pains etc over.

The 36x6x6 was given to me in rough shape originally. Lot of vinegar and water to clean it and resealed with GE Silicone I W&D. Orginal owner had two dividers in the tank making 3 12x6x6 sections for bettas. A friend and fellow DRAS member picked it up yesterday to make an emersed plant tank. Can't wait to see the end results.

I think part of the difference between Excel and Co2 injection is in the delivery method. Excel being a liquid already and broken bits of carbon already disolved vs injection that has to be defused etc into the water. I am probably off but I think the basic idea is sound. What I know for sure is that Excel worked to extinguish my BBA problem when I did massive lighting upgrade while back.

Well I decided to upgrade one of my "oddball" tanks. It's rather a weird size at 36"x6"x6", has fit great and been home to a single pair of A. cacatoides but I'm thinking they would like a larger home at this point. Based on the space and plants I went looking for a tank 36Lx18Wx12H to just clear the spider plant above with a small trim. Well didn't get the 36Lx18Wx12H, snagged a 36Lx18Wx15H instead:) Still lot of airbubbles on the glass from filling yet but swapped everything but the filter over from the old tank as it wouldn't fit over the trim lip of the new tank. I did take the filter media and added it to the top basket of the Fluval 204 though . (had also run the 204 on the bow for last 4 days to seed, should have been longer but there are only a pair of cockatoos and two very tiny goldspot ancistrus in the tank) For the time being I have just used the side and end of the box it came in as a background and sidewall. Will decide if I will paint it once the bubbles have cleared. Had to move the Philidendrium (spelling) so added the corner shecf that is now infront of the tank and down a few inches. Also took the spider plant that was directly above and moved it out of the area completely as 12" tall would have fit but the 15" looked way crowded and didn't want to trim the spider that much. Anyway here are the pics of the tank and corner as it sits now.. Will have to add more plants and the Co2 ladder is waiting to be installed yet. For lighting I just added the 36" fixture that was originally on my bow-front.

For sand maybe try "sandblasting sand" or Homedepot should have it. Most hardware store should have the "waterbed unit" Personally I just went with the short Python ie cheapest one. so that I had the two ends then use garden hose to extend..

GE Silicone I "Window and Door", cheaper then the LFS and works a treat.. Pick it up at just about any hardware type store.

Umm obvious question now is .... WHERE ARE THE PICS? hehe Gratz on the job well done.

Pretty much any livebearer as suggested.. Is also good for the digestive tract aswell for most fish as a treat now and then..

On at least 3 occasions now where I was bringing home Mollies and swords I have arrived at the house taken bags out of the cooler and found that my purchase had quadrupiled. Gratz on the fry!!

Looking around I found a stand not quite what I was looking for but more then capable of doing the needed job and very sturdy. So home came the stand and it was put together in came the tank and misc filter parts required from the garage and here is what we have now. Slightly different angle. The whole corner shot showing 3 tanks and equip drawers. Oppostite corner as a bonus shot showing 3 tanks there. The entertainment unit completes the rest rest of the wall between the two corners shown. The unit is not exactly small (8 feet long and taller then me) but I still need a bigger house!!!

True and I did consider making the caves more of a flow through hide away but also considered that many cave spawners don't like the second entrance. Also the tank is a bit small to get too fansy with the condos. Was a few thoughts I had while planning / thinking this all out and then making the pieces and setting in place had to adjust thoughts as space didn't really allow for it. Example being I was gonna put little balconys betwwen the cave entrances for planting riccia and pygmy chains but seeing the structure as it was being test fit decided it would just take that much more space so settled for just the two top terraces.

For the most part this one is a test project and you do raise valid points about "cleaning" the caves. Main thought at the moment to cleaning is to direct water into caves when refilling water changes. As to drilling and cutting all straight cuts were done with a wetsaw, can be picked up at Princess Auto for about 50 bucks CDN. The holes were drilled with standard cordless 18v and a hole saw that I use at work for cables to run through metal studs. run the drill slow as to not heat up the bit or the slate and cause splits. Hole saw being the type that make lil donuts of the material when you are done.

The tank 15Gal that needed major cleaning when I was given it. Slate floor in place. Top down showing the main structure. Front view of structure. One of the face plates drying after drilling the holes and rinse cycle. All assembled fron view Top view showing the two "garden" areas. Painted tremclad black two coats. Front view. Top View. Side view to show paint wrap around. Plan is for a couple Ancistrus and Apistos. More of a "test project" till I have the space to try similar with a larger tank and thus larger structure. Main trick is to get this into the house without the wife killing me for adding "yet another tank". What you think?

Not sure on size between endlers and killies cause it wil depend on the killie you compare to. common killie breeding setups for pairs and trios are 1.5-2 gal so a 3 gal will be perfect. http://www.aka.org might be a good spot to take a peek at some different species to see if you like any.. Feel free to PM or ask here for some more links to diff species if you need to..

3 Gal is a perfect Killie tank.. Lots of colour options there too.

Used to use a slate floor tile with holes drilled in two corners to hang it inside the tank for egg laying and then move the slte to another empty tank for nature to do it'sa thing. Less stress on the adult angels and you trying to catch em. Quit breeding angels when we had that whole power outage thing happen here in Toronto area lost way too many fishes as I couldn't keep tanks cool enough even in the basement

Agreed Plecofanatics.com is another awesome site, as is zebrapleco.com for more specific L046 info. I regularly "haunt" both sites Hell probably see me logged in all over as Zoban on different boards.

Best resource I have found and as mentioned above for Cat's/Plec's is http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/index.php Great database with lots of ways to search, L#, Common Name, Latin etc etc.

I would think it should do the trick .. Personally I would add some side to side support across the back though. (better safe then sorry and wet/electrocuted) IKEA - Idiots Kan Even Assemble. Sorry just a tag that rolled out one day when doing some work in the sales office of the local radio station and IKEA came up in the conversation.

Tremclad peels nicely when you want to change it, but I typically use what ever is on hand or inexpensive.