fishx

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.

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.

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.

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!

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:

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?

Still looking for information on how to get my hands on a diatom filter or UV sterilizer before my new filter arrives - anyone?

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:

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?

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.

--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.

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.