patrick

Wish I'd noticed this thread before you won the bid. I bought an FX5 from Gold's in Calgary for $265 incl. GST. A good deal and none of the ebay risks. Good luck with it. I checked the retailers ratings before I ordered it and the reviews were excellent both in terms of support and shipping. I did not buy from an individual but an actual retailer posting on eBay, so I am not too worried. My total cost including all charges, shipping and GST ended up at CAD $251. So how does the FX5 work out for you? How big is your tank?

Wish I'd noticed this thread before you won the bid. I bought an FX5 from Gold's in Calgary for $265 incl. GST. A good deal and none of the ebay risks. Good luck with it. I checked the retailers ratings before I ordered it and the reviews were excellent both in terms of support and shipping. I did not buy from an individual but an actual retailer posting on eBay, so I am not too worried. My total cost including all charges, shipping and GST ended up at CAD $251. So how does the FX5 work out for you? How big is your tank?

Well, I got it. Now I just have to wait for it to arrive in the mail!

Yes I am aware of the additional cost. The shipping is US $35 so the total is still way below retail and not terrible more expensive than for example the Rena xP3. It would also provide excellent current in the tank which the cichlids will appreciate.

I have placed a bid on a brand new FX5 CAD $182.64

I see one potential problem with the stand. It appears that the top piece is not sitting on top of the end pieces but is only attached with screws on the ends. To be safe I would add plywood panels on each side as syb65 suggested. To further strengthen it you can apply wood glue as well. Another option is to just place a solid pine bord on the top that covers the entire stand. You can pick one up at Home depot for about $20.

Does anyone know anything about this one? http://www.aquagiant.com/product_info.php/...roducts_id/1091

The FX5 is a bit expensive. Appears to be very powerful though, should almost turn my tank into a whitewater river... I'll check on e-bay..

Thanks! Are you from Sweden?

Thanks! Yes I do have something in mind. I am looking for 12 Cyprichromis leptosoma (preferably young adults), and 6 Julidochromis marlieri (hoping to end up with two pairs). I am also considering some shell dwellers for the center section of the tank that have no rocks, but have no particular species in mind. The tank is setup with a rubble of rocks on each end going half way up to the surface. The Cyprichromis will have the full 4ft to cruise. Yes I guess I have to post some pictures, if I can get my camera to work properly. I actually know someone that have a breeding pair of leptosoma, but I would prefer more than just two of them so their true nature comes out. I might consider ordering from this place http://www.reservestockcichlids.com/ since they seem to have pretty good quality fish and lots of their fish is F1. It's the shipping that sucks, it's about $60 US.

Thanks guys. I also have an Aquaclear 402 that I will use to add some extra circulation and it has the pre-filter which works pretty good for sucking up larger particles.

I have always used canister filters for my larger tanks. I've had Fluval, Rena and Eheims. I am just about to set up a 75 gallon African Cichild tank and was thinking of getting the Rena xP3 when I read an article about the Emperor 400 biowheel. It stated that because the biowheels are in constant contact with the air it provides the bacteria with much more oxygen, allowing for higher efficiency. On the other hand, because the canister have much greater surface area, should not that compensate? I have never had a hang-on filter because they seem flimsy and have very little filter media but I would love to hear some opinions on the biowheel filters.

You can get a single strip at Canadian Tire for $20. Then get a piece of plywood 48"x24" from Home Depot for about $10 and make the box, paint it black and hook up a power cord :shifty:

Thanks! Yes I do have something in mind. I am looking for 12 Cyprichromis leptosoma (preferably young adults), and 6 Julidochromis marlieri (hoping to end up with two pairs). I am also considering some shell dwellers for the center section of the tank that have no rocks, but have no particular species in mind. The tank is setup with a rubble of rocks on each end going half way up to the surface. The Cyprichromis will have the full 4ft to cruise.

Hi everyone! After not being active in the hobby for many years I'm back again! It's been over 10 years now. I grew up in Sweden, and started with this hobby when I was 9-10 years old. I held on to it until about 10 years ago when I moved to Canada. I've had all kind of setups ranging from 5 gallon up to 150 gallon tanks with fish from all around the world, both fresh water and salt water. Now I got hooked again when I got an 8 gallon tank for work. I have it in my office with a pair of Apistogramma cacatuoides and a young bristlenose. The female laid her first batch of eggs 3-4 days ago, so I am hoping to see some fry anytime now. Unless they get sucked into the filter intake (she decided to lay her eggs about two inches from the intake....). My wife have a 10 gallon tank with some guppies, apple snails and an African dwarf frog. We also have two more 10 gallon tanks in the basement, one hospital tank and one fry tank. Yesterday I set up my latest addition to our "fishroom", a 75 gallon tank where I will keep Tanganyikan cichlids. I added 85lbs of Tufa rock that I have shaped with my reprocriating saw, put them on styrofoam to prevent any unpleasant accidents, and I used aragonite mixed with coral sand for substrate. I use well water and it's very low on minerals (>1GH - virtually no calcium, potassium or magnesium is present) but has an incredible buffer (38KH - all bicarbonates) with a PH of 8.7, and a high sodium count as well. I will use Seachem's Equilibrium to bring up the GH. Tonight I will pull the garden hose through the basement window and fill it up. I am glad I found this forum, there is a lot of very useful information here :thumbs: