todd3x

To update this thread....where does one go for CO2 in Calgary? I just talked to the Recharge Centre (close to Blackfoot Inn) they charge $22 to refill a 5 lb bottle. They have refurbished 5 lb tanks for sale for $80 (full), is that a good deal? How long will a 5 lb bottle last on a 100 gal FW setup?

Yes, I bought Compact Flourescent Bulbs from them. The shipping was prompt and secure. Todd_3x

I was wondering how you keep your otos healthy. I love them in my tank but I can't get them to survive more than 3 or 4 months. I have enough algae for them to eat but can't get them to eat anything else as they are too timid. If I put algae wafers or Zuchinni in the tank my loaches will eat it instead. BTW, my other fish are healthly and many years old.

I had a 7 year old BN named Hoover I traded in for 10 Otos and 2 Flying Foxes. The Otos are working hard but I don't see the Flying Foxes doing much cleaning...

I recently traded a 10" Sailfin Pleco named Hoover that I bought in 1999 so that makes him about 8 years old. He lived with about 20 cichlids, survived two tank wrecks and still looked great when he left. My record for a guppy is about 15 months!

I cursed my Eheim Pro for the first year I owned it thinking it should have worked better (due to Eheims reputation). Eventually I discovered my model was missing the little plastic connector that seals the inlet on the cover to the canister filter part. For the first year, my Eheim was just taking the water in and then right back out without going through all the filter media! Now that it's together properly it works fantastic. Looking back I'm surprised it worked as well as it did when it wasn't flowing through the filter media! This is my first canister filter and I like how quite it is. I purchased it with a surface skimmer that works good except it can suck in little fish too easily. I have always liked Aquaclear HOT filters but they are noisy when used on large tanks.

Well, I've been watching you people for a few weeks now and I am very impressed with this forum and think it's great that there are so many interesting and enthusiastic local fishkeepers. I have already made a few posts so its more than time to introduce myself. I've gone full circle keeping freshwater fish for over 30 years. I started out with 10 gal tanks full of neons, tetras, etc. I moved up to a couple of 30 gal tanks that were species specific, breeding Angels and Corys for a local pet store. I've had African Cichlids for more than 15 years and graduated to a 90 gal setup with a beautiful oak stand and canopy for display in the livingroom . Last January I had a complete meltdown when the rural power went out while I was away on vacation. I came home to two fish tanks full of fish stew!!! Only a few cichlids and plecos survived. I started up again with only my 90 gal setup and have filled it with community fish...neons, tetras, & rainbows....full circle! I switched back to a community tank for three reasons. Due to their nature, the cichlids were a challenge to keep happy and fully stocked with only one or two tanks. Second, I wanted to try a planted tank...impossible with cichlids! And third, I thought a community tank with a variety would be a better fit to get my two young girls involved in the hobby (they each got to pick out their own fishies and name them!). I personally prefer a tank with only one or two species in large schools but kids want one or two of everything! On a different bent, I also raise Rainbow Trout for angling and eating in a 1 acre pond I have on my property. I have some of the same issues there as in a tropical tank. Algae and weeds are a problem. This spring I added 20 Chinese Grass Carp (20 inches long) to eat down the weeds. I control the algae with aeration and copper added to the water. I look forward to participating in this discussion group. BTW, I'm not too computer savy so I apologise in advance for any blunders I may make.

I recently added 3 clown loaches to my community tank containing a pair of tiger barbs. Interestly enough, the tiger barbs have schooled up with the loaches and are always together. The color patterns are very similar so I am guessing my fish aren't as smart as I thought! BTW, I have several albino tiger barbs that don't have anything to do with this new school.

The best way I have found is to use a 3 gal pail. Put about 1/2 to 1 gal of sand in it, fill it half full of water, stir it around with your hand, quickly pour off the dirty water, repeat until you get clear water. I find doing little batches is faster than all the sand at once.

I just purchased a couple of Clown Loaches for my planted community tank. The main reason is that I have found some snails (probably imported on my latest plants). I read in another post that they may eat plants...I guess I didn't do enough research before my purchase. How much damage will they do? I'm not looking forward to netting them out if I need to remove them.

I pulled apart my Eheim cannister this morning for a rinse and found two little guppies living in the bottom. I'm not sure how they fit through my surface skimmer (the holes are only 5mm or so). They must have had a nasty time in there as the filter moves 240 gal/hr. This would explain the other 3 or 4 missing guppies I blamed my Pleco for eating. I guess I will have to shut down my surface skimmer until the guppies grow a bit. Has anyone else had similar experiences?

Hi, I'm new to this site hence the late reply. I do have some experience with sand substrate. I use a water python to vacuum it but put a 3 gal pail under the discharge in the sink. I can vacuum aggressively and suck a fair bit of sand through the python without it plugging. The sand falls into the pail and settles out while the watertrickles out over the top. Make sure your drain is clear!! When I'm done I can just dump the 2 or 3 cups of sand back into my tank. I also removed the 2.5" tube from the suction end and replaced it with a 1.5" tube and it helps separate sand and gunk better. I finally took my sand out after a few years because I kept scratching the glass when using an algae scrubber (a grain of sand always gets into the scrubber!!