patrick

Then what is Edmonton taps Gh reading? I haven't measured kh or Gh in a LONG time and can't remember what it was.

Last time I checked was about a year ago and if I remember correctly both readings were between 8-10 and the PH 7.7-7.8

Also, I was looking at the Epcor reports and was wondering is "conductivity" is GH. http://www.epcor.ca/pages/water/WaterQuali...ly/wqdaily.html

What does conductivity 368us/cm mean? How much is that in degrees?

In short conductivity is the waters ability to transfer electricity. The GH does effect the conductivity but so does many other disolved solids that can't be measured with GH and KH test kits. Sodium being the most common one. You can get a TDS meter since what the TDS meter actually reads is conductivity.

Here are some pics of our current setup.

The rack with 9x45 gallon tanks.

From the top left.

Tank #1: Breeding tank with Pyxichromis orthostoma, Haplochromis sp. "Ruby Green".

Tank #2: Breeding tank with Paralabidochromis chromogynos.

Tank #3: Grow out tank with Lipochromis sp. "Matumbi hunter", Paralabidochromis sp. "Redfin Piebald", Xystichromis sp. "Flameback".

Tank #4: Breeding tank with Lithochromis rufus, Neochromis omnicaeruleus, Ptyochromis sp. "Hippo point salmon".

Tank #5: Breeding tank with Xystichromis sp. "Flameback", Paralabidochromis sp. "Rock kribensis".

Tank #6: Breeding tank with Xystichromis sp. "Kyoga Flameback".

Tank #7: Grow out/breeding tank with Astatotilapia nubila, Paralabidochromis chromogynos.

Tank #8: Breeding tank with Xystichromis sp. "Dayglow".

Tank #9: Breeding tank with Paralabidochromis sp. "Redfin Piebald".

To the top left a 10 gallon "spit tank" with dividers, currently inhabited by 2 Xystichromis sp. "Kyoga Flameback". Underneath the 10 is a 30 gallon fry tank with Xystichromis sp. "Dayglow". Top right is a 90 gallon with Lipochromis sp. "Matumbi hunter". Below the 90 is a couple of 20's with fry from Lithochromis rufus and Xystichromis sp. "Kyoga flameback"

Four 20's with fry from Pyxichromis orthostoma, Paralabidochromis sp. "Redfin piebald" and Xystichromis sp. "Flameback" to the top left. underneath are fry from Haplochromis sp. "Ruby Green". In the top right I am growing out som Paralabidochromis sp. "Redfin piebald" that later will be used for breeding. Underneath is an EMPTY 20 gallon tank lol. Actually it does have a few feeders that I keep there so the tank will stay cycled...

A couple of 20's to the left, one with Pyxichromis orthostoma fry and the other is quarentine/hospital tank and is currently housing 5 juvenile Astatotilapia latifasciata that I recently aquired. To the right is a 75 where all my Lipochromis sp. "Matumbi hunter" will be kept.

Homemade brine shrimp hatchery, a few Betta tanks, some 10's with betta's, guppys, shrimp, bristlenose. Below a couple of tupperware cointainers with guppys and betta fry.

A six pack of Betta breeding tanks.

Thanks guys. Yes it is hard to beleive that he is so small when you look at the pictures. He is very active with the females as well. I always try to keep track on when each female is due but with 6 females in the same tank with this guy it quickly gets out of control. I can see on their stomacks how long due they are but trying to net the rigth fish is a real challenge, so I just scoop up all the holding females and open their mouths for a peek to figure out which ones are ready or not lol. Thankfully they are good mothers not spitting the eggs/fry despite my rather stressful examination.

I bought a Jager and I was disappointed to see that it really should not be totally submersed...

other than that, no complaints. Just FYI

They can still be fully submerged. Not sure on the exact reason but I believe they have to put that on the packaging. Its been talked about before on the board.

Side note: does anyone else not like how Stealth heaters don't have a on/off light? How are you supposed to know its on and working. Thats why it took so long to figure out they had stopped and my tank was cold.

Same thing with the Elite, it has a max water level mark but can be submerged. I think there is a special standard that has to be met for them to be listed as fully submersible (UL?) but they are still waterproof.

If I had to pick a heater it would be the stealth. It can be dropped in the cement floor and still work

RD, what control unit do you have?

I have 12 Stealth heaters and no problems, some have been running for about a year and a half and some for almost a year. I also have a couple of Elite that I can not complain about. Then there are some misc petsmart brand ones still running but a few of those got stuck on max and ended up in the garbage.

Recently I have purchased I think 6 Cascade heaters from Natures Corner. They are cheap and I was a bit nervous but I have to say that after a few months I am quite pleased. Good accuracy and no hickups so far. I think the 100W is less than $30.

Welcome to Alberta Aquatica

Welcome to AA Kelly

Welcome to Alberta Aquatica

Awesome Nick How do you carry out water changes? I practice the "Loud Classic Rock and Beer" method. It turnes water changes into a party :beer:

Does anyone know how much BA's charges for their plain tanks (no starter kits, just a bare tank)? Is it close to $1 a gallon?

I'd say at least $2 per gallon, and you probably want lids as well. Check with Aquarium Enthusiast, I have seen that they have tanks in the store and the pricing was not bad.

Astatotilapia nubila male approx 1.75". In a matter of seconds he can change from pale grey to dark blue or pitch black.

This is one of my male baby Paralabidochromis chromogynos at almost 2" now. This guy is special since he has almost no speckles whatsoever. Occasionally this species will produce fry like this, but it is rare. A have a few that I kept that are like this, and I have sold a few as well. The rest have the normal piebald look.

This is a Lithochromis rufus fry from my WC pair, not even half an inch in size. Fry from this first batch will not be for sale as they are impossible to find in North America and my WC male is old.

Neochromis omnicaeruleus vs. Lithochromis rufus. The Lithochromis rufus is bigger and still dominant, but the Neochromis omnicaeruleus is like a bulldog and it's only a matter of time before he takes over.

This Paralabidochromis sp. "Redfin piebald" fry only 1" in size has the WB pattern rather than the OB. This is common but rarely pictured. The dorsal will turn blueish as he matures.

Welcome to AA

Okay guys, these will be the last pics before I add the fish. Bigger and better than the previous ones.

Awesome Taylor!

Here are a few more pics. This guy never stops. I think he has spawned with a different female every day this week...

I know some of you have asked for these, don't worry there will be plenty...

In the rigth light and angle this guy looks amazing, and he is only a bit over 2 inches

Very nice as usual Taylor I would like to see a shot of an adult Pearl Dace if you have one.

Wicked! Congrats Kyle

I picked up a couple of Anubias nana at Natures Corner. The water has cleared up a bit as well.

You really do justice to the Aquaterra backgrounds... Is the wood bought from the LFS ? I think not, my hunch is that you got it from the woods.. How did you prepare it? by boiling and soaking it in water ?

The murkiness adds depth and a sense of realism to the tank. It adds to the "rock wall" atmosphere.

Hope you fit more tanks with backgrounds so we will be able to see your creations. :bow:

Thanks The wood is actually from the new pet store in Leduc common. It's a sand blasted grape vine and is meant for reptiles. It took 1-2 weeks for it to sink and I have had it in another tank with fish for a while to make sure it was safe.

In my next project I will show you how to build a filter behind the background that will save you enough money on not having to buy a canister filter to justify spending the money on a background instead

Welcome to Alberta Aquatica Dave

Thanks everyone!

Very nice tank, What did you use as the substrate?

I used Quikrete Playsand that I got from Home Depot (they did not have Target). It's slightly darker and a bit finer. I also used Target 3/8" gravel for drainage and ponds etc. I mixed 4 parts sand with 1 part gravel to get a natural look.

Excellent tutorial and photos. The tank is really going to look stunning when it's finished! You make it look really easy. : )

Thank you

It's filled with water now. It's still a bit murky, and I might tie some anubias to the wood.

Wow Patrick, you did such a good job on that. Thanks for posting it, now everyone is getting ideas! I have been thinking about the canyon rock since it is so much cheaper than the Rift Lake backgrounds, does it's colour match the modular rocks?

Thanks Taylor,

Yes the modular rocks match all backgrounds of the same color. The modular rocks are also available in grey to match the new grey Malawi Rock and Tanganyika Rock. You don't have to use a slimline on the back either, you can just paint the back glass black and glue a couple of modules on it.

what kind of materials were you using, and did you paint it? I have be planning on doing this with my 112 and 75. dont know where to start. wicked stuff by the way.

Hi Callie,

Those are all AquaTerra products and you can view them on www.gillsnfins.ca