fishx
Edmonton & Area Member-
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I recently also had a major cause of GW. Thanks to the members of this forum it is now gone thanks to a diatom filter I bought. Once you think your tank is completely cycled you are welcome to borrow the diatom filter to clear your tank and start fresh. In the mean time I have 3 left over Algone pouches you can have. They're quite expensive but I would like to give back for the help I've received. Algone is the only safe algae remover I know off. It didn't work for me because I had no flow in my filtration system to put it in so it was a waste of money for me - you should be fine if you put it in the Fluval. Once the water is clear you could also try adding plants - it'll help compete for nutrients with the algae. The taller the plant the better from what I've heard.
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The older coconuts tend to taste oily, but I still like it. I don't know much about alum, but can't you just use salt to get rid of the snails? I made the caves for my Electric Yellow and shrimps - and just so that any fish can find a place to hide (I have a community tank). As for the brown water I boiled my three times then I let it soak in water over night and then I boiled them again. So far I think I'm safe. I wouldn't try and wait for the water to be completely clear as it might take a while, just as long as it's only slightly brown after you boil it and you soak it over night it should be fine.
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Yes I "defuzz" it. I just used a sharp knife to try and remove it - you're supposed to angle the knife up and towards you and scrape it upwards, come off real good that way. Unfortunately I don't have a camera to show you the cave. It's just laying bare in the tank but it looks decent. BTW - I drained mine also, that's why I had to use a saw. If the juice is still in it you just need to whack it once. My knife was also banged up pretty good before I took out the saw. How come most people say "eeeewww" to the coconut juice - I love the stuff.
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I just recently made 4 caves out of two coconuts. Used a knife to peel off everything. Used a hacksaw to score it and them a hammer and chisel to crack it. I made the mistake of emptying the juice before cracking it open - you're supposed to just whack it with a hard edge and it'll split easy, it's a pain if you empty it first but not as messy since you won't get any spill. Then i used a small hack save to cut out the entrance and drilled a few holes with a regular large sized drill bit. After that I boiled it a few times to get rid of the tannins (the stuff that will color your water brown) - make sure you do this!! Done!
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Thanks everyone for your help. I got myself a used diatom filter and just finished using it. Works great!!! :smokey: I'll have to do another run tomorrow to get it totally clear - now I can't wait to get my new filters!! :boxer:
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Thanks for all your input guys/gals. I just called Trident Wholesale and they said their 8Watt lifgard is $2??.00 (two hundred something - I forgot). That's a little pricey for me given that JAQUATICS has them for $147. Regardless, I'm actually not looking to buy anything new as I won't be using it much if at all. I just need it this one time - so if anyone can lend one to me (I'll give you $20 for 1 day) that would be appreciated. Toirtis - just for informational purposes, where are these places that I can find them?
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Still looking for information on how to get my hands on a diatom filter or UV sterilizer before my new filter arrives - anyone?
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Wish I knew that earlier - it's too late now as I paid for it last week. This is my first time buying from the US - now I know better. I did a lot of research after I realized all the horror stories about UPS and I would not ship with them again!! I'll share a couple tidbits for those who are given a round about when talking to them: 1 - You DON'T have to have a broker - you can be your own. And it doesn't matter if is your personal possession or commercial goods or whether it's a personal purchase or a business purchase. 2 - If it's a business purchase they have to call you to ask if they can be your broker. If it's a personal purchase YOU have to call them if you want to clear it yourself or have your own broker - they can't say no, Either call them when you get the tracking number of tell your shipper to inform them (better to call them as some shippers won't do that). 3 - It is illegal to be someone's broker without their written consent/agreement - so technically any customer who has paid for their brokerage service without them asking could sue them. Although I hear that they have what's called "automatic power of attorney" for personal shipments which allows them to act as your broker - I don't know which law would overrule the other. 4 - Anyone can be a broker, so if you have a friend at the point of entry to could just allow them to clear it on your behave - you would have to give proof that they have you permission (a simple letter with your signature will do). 5 - You can save your self some money buy calling them and prepaying for their brokerage so they won't charge you COD fees when they collect money on arrival (it's about $5). That's about it for the important stuff. The M-6 is quite a beast indeed - way overkill for a house unit. The one I bought is 27 inches which is still too big to put under the tank so it's have to go outside. The good thing is that it will look kinda cool I guess :thumbs:
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I bought the Pentair Aquatics Rainbow Lifegard (long name I know) series filters (double size) with the FB600 fluidized bed filter. I got everything except the heater and UV module. I also got 2 spare filter cartridges and some media for the filter. As a side comment, anyone know how to deal with UPS regarding their brokerage fees? Those fees are quite unfair I think. I might clear customs myself but it might prove difficult since the package will be in Vancouver and not in Edmonton. I really don't want to go to the air port, so any one have advice on either waiving the fee or at least reducing it?
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Just for your info, Sil Industries on the east side of Edmonton sells a variety of sand including play sand. I bought a 100 lb bag of Granusil 3.4 for $15 - well worth it. As for sand blasting sand being dangerous - I removed all the fine particles and sharp flakes with a fan. I tried washing it and scooping the flakes with a fine mesh net but that takes too long. So what I did was take 2 buckets and poured the sand from one to another several times while placing a fan in the path of free fall - worked great. Now I have very nice looking sand with consistent grains.
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--Have you tried Daphnia? I wanted to but I don't know where to get it. I called Big Als and Nature's Corner but they said nothing is available anywhere. Where do I get daphnia in Edmonton? --I covered the tank with a cotton sheet I've read about black outs but don't want to try it as it might be stressful for the fish. And I do have live plants in the tank - they seem to be dying. --Not sure how your algae problem started. I'm not sure either, but I just think it's the filter not working - that's why I bought a new one, it should arrive this week. For those who want to know, the aquarium is a 70 bow front from Aqua Giant - if you buy these you should buy a separate filter as the equipment they give you will not be sufficient for the tank.
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Hi people. I have a major case of green water. I've been trying various things over the past month including using algone and have had no luck. I need to either borrow or rent a diatom filter or uv sterilizer to get ride of the algae. I heard that Aquarium Enthusiasts rented them in another thread, but I called them and they said they don't rent anything out. I just bought a new filter system for 4-5 hundred from the US and wanted to clear it out before using the new system. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.