DCallele

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to try to learn how to use the Macro mode on my camera. Turns out I have to do a lot of flash compensation then things start to turn out. Still haven't got the digital focus thing dialed in like Sean has though... Jealousy is a terrible thing Most of the shots are of my tire track eel. He is about 15" long right now and a little bit thicker than a large hot-dog, almost approaching a BBQ weiner. Sometimes, the fire eel joined the picture too. Next to my Paratilapia Polleni, the spiny eels have become my favourite fish. David

Great shots Sean, but weren't you supposed to be studying :eh: David For everyone else's info, I live a few blocks away... :smokey:

You might consider reptile temperature controllers. I have been meaning to "buy and try" but have been waiting until I am back in the States again. I have no direct experience so I can't do anything more than post an alternative... For example: http://www.beanfarm.com/cgi-bin/store/agor...=off&ppinc=temp Or, just go to http://www.beanfarm.com and click on the temperature controller link. David

Where did you get it from? How much? I, too, have wanted one ever since Froggie showed me a pic... David

Sean did a great job on the shots, I am really happy he came by. Don't let the turkey baster tip fool you, the opening is almost 1 cm across. The smallest eel in the tank is about 6" and the largest (the tire track) is over a foot and almost an inch across. Darn, but I like that camera :-) David Callele

I have to agree with Big Red, it is the elbows that will hurt the most - you are fighting with the momentum of the water as it is forced to change directions which causes a lot of energy loss. After that, inside diameter modifies things like the type of 'flow' that you get, etc.. I've modded AC300s and 500s with a length of clear vinyl tubing to improve the water flow as you have described. There was a small loss in flow but it does work much better, imho, than just the straight intake below the water return and has less loss than the elbows. Kind of ugly to look at though :P That said, I don't do it any more because my tanks are always in such a state of uproar but I did like it when they were more stable and definitely recommend it. WRT the skimmer action, I found that the water levels were really picky unless you develop some kind of a floating overflow as is used in the commercial version. If you come up with a good idea for a floating skimmer, please share it with us. Good luck! David

I forget all the things that are in coal slag but I remember being scared off when I was looking into it. Plus, it is often *very* sharp which may not be what you are looking for. David

I have seen Phenos take 6 years to get their spots... mine started at around 4". The Phenos at the Vancouver aquarium are around 8" and are half way there. Definitely a fish for those with patience David

I finally managed to source some females for my Chromogynos males, 2 out of 3 have spawned and are holding, and the male was starting to color up tonight for the 3rd one so I snapped some pics. Once he gets more excited, the top half of his body becomes a red much like on his tail. If anyone out there has Paralabidochromis Chromogynos females that I could buy or borrow, please let me know... this species may well be on the brink of extinction so I am trying hard to maximize the genetic diversity in my stocks. Thanks! David

Yeah, it is unfortunate that it does happen... I just got an email from a friend who got hit with an ammonia spike a couple of days ago - shortly after the water coming out of Calgary, etc. crested here in Saskatoon. When I contacted the people at the water treatment plant they swore that we should never see over 1.5 ppm ammonia after treatment (which is still very high I thought) but did concede that in cases of major storms or the like that we might see something higher. A question: I lost a small tank (8 gallons) at about the same time as my friend. Performed a 3 gallon water change in the late evening, the next morning I had two dead plecos with exploded stomachs. I tested for nitrates, very low, but in my frustration I did not think to check for ammonia :bang1: Has anyone ever had a similar experience after a water change? Or, are there any other suggestions as to what might have happened? Thanks. BTW, I use Prime and I am going to use somewhat higher concentrations after reading all the rest of this thread. David

I live in Saskatoon where we sometimes see massive amounts of chloramine. Prior to my 'waking up' and realizing that we *were* using chloramine, I treated my water with a conditioner for chlorine only - neglecting the label's comment stating that it also broke the chloramine bond. On what was possibly the worst day of my fishkeeping life, I did a 50% water change on a 48 gallon tank, 50% on a 72 gallon tank, and 15% on a 110 gallon tank. By the time I got back to looking at the 48 (approximately 30 to 40 minutes), I had approximately 70% mortality. In the 72, approximately 30% mortality (about 20 minutes). Both tanks tested almost 3 ppm ammonia once I had the chance to test them. The day before, both tanks tested 0 ammonia but a little high on the nitrates. In the 110 gallon tank, the water went to a milky white in the time in took me to rescue the remaining fish in the 48 and 72 - worst case of bloom I have ever experienced. So, I am sad to say that I have personal experience with a near instant ammonia spike. I also know 2 other people who were caught in the same day of infamy... none of us were very happy with the city water treatment folks that day. And I was not very darn happy with myself for not paying attention to the chemical characteristics of my water supply... pretty embarassed actually. But, I thought I would share that it *does* happen :grr: its not just some urban legend sort of thing. Sigh, maybe I can cut back on the time with the therapist now that I have finally admitted what a dork I was... David

Very nice. That piece of driftwood would look *very* good in my spiny eel tank David

Well, thanks for the non-juvenile anyway I'm going to Edmonton on the 30th. If someone could take them from me, I could bring you some... David

I agree wrt the tiretrack pattern. I even saw one post where the respondent asserted that they were just a baby tiretrack... The body width certainly is different though: my (known) tiretrack is twice as long and easily 10 times as thick. I got mine at Petland here in Saskatoon - $12 a piece, plus taxes - maybe they have some at one of their stores in Calgary? Thanks! David

Has anyone run across a spiny eel called a "Starry Night"? I am trying to get a definite species ID on them. I found a couple of pictures at: http://www.aqualandpetsplus.com/Oddball,%20Spiny%20Eel.htm They are the last 2 pictures at the bottom of the page. I picked up one about 4" long and about as wide as a ball point pen refill on the weekend. Very pretty, but he is going to have to grow a lot before he can go in with the others... he looks too much like a skinny earthworm with bad complexion right now. Thanks. David

She'll hold without eating for about 3 weeks. Then, assuming that she feels it is "safe" to release the fry, she will let them go on her own and start eating again. Just nature's way... I don't know what kind of rock cover you have, but a small pile of lava rock (of the type used in BBQs) makes a great place for the fry to hide. You can sterilize them first by baking in the oven for an hour at 400 F. When they are done, drop them (while still hot) into a pail of water from your tank. They will spit and sizzle and suck water in through the pores in the rock and sink like, well, stones... Otherwise, some of them will probably float rather than sink. Mom will find the pile and spit the fry into the cracks. Works every time for me. Plus, it is also easy to deliver some finer foods into the pile with a funnel or turkey baster. Good luck! David

The stand plans look nice, at least the part that Shutterfly allows us to see. However, for tanks of this size, you really do not need steel tubing for the frame unless you like working with steel. 2 by 4 frames would be more than adequate. When you work with the wood, I suggest that you coat it at least once, if not more times, with some sort of waterproofing (something like SPAR outdoor or marine varnish) *before* you assemble the stand (the ends of each piece of cut lumber, or edges of plywood are especially important). That way, when the water gets spilled, as it always does, the wood "in the cracks" that you can't dry off with a towel is also protected. Hope you have fun building! David

The tank is 180 gal (6*2*2). I was going to put some Paratilapia Polleni Fianarantsoa Green Spot in with them but they are doing so well by themselves that I am considering leaving the tank just for spiny eels, loaches, and other long skinny fish I need to add more rock work and caves though, if I am going to add any more of them. The fire eel, the tire track, and the black spotted eel can all grow to about a meter long and 10 cm across. Of course, that will be years from now, but it should be *quite* a sight when they are fully grown. By that time, the peacock eels will just look like snacks to them... The tang eels were around $50 each if I remember right but they were part of a rather large order I made so I think I got a bit of a deal on them. Armke's, when they have them listed, usually charges around $45 USD each. To everyone, thanks for the compliments. David

I got mine from Old World Exotic Fish via Big Al's in Edmonton (talk to Michael Pham, their livestock manager). You could also talk to Albert at Gold's in Calgary because I know that they also order from Old World. Old World only sells to licensed pet stores and has a minimum order of around $1,000 CDN so you might have to have a little patience until the rest of an order can be put together They *are* very cool though... out and cruising around a lot. Once I added them to the tank, everybody else came out a lot more too - even coming out for a little "aquatic ballet" on a fairly regular basis... David

If you use HOT filters like AC500, make sure you have room to pull the filter tray out too - one of my stands was about 2" short before I moved - took advantage of the move to set it to a better height. David