clockwork

im sad i didn't get to go... not that i have any room for tanks or fish. question to those that did go: do you have to be a member of ACE? was there a fee to get in? does anyone know when the next one will be? sounded like a lot of fun. thanks, adam

dwarf puffers? can probably try 2 of those, maybe a dwarf african frog or a couple otos too. if you are getting more than one dwarf puffer make sure there are tons of plants in the tank. some puffers are out right viscous and others go about their own (the viscous variety being more my experience) and may pester any other tank mates you put them with. dps are some very interesting fish to watch and keep and could easily handle your 5 gal tank. here is a very useful forum with tons of info on dps

there are lots of place in the city that give it away. look for landscaping stores/lots or cement/rock companies, call them and ask for slate remnants.

Hi all, I am wondering if anyone has ever built a custom inline heater for canister filters? I was looking at some today at a certain Big store and was astounded at their price (isn't everything in this hobby expensive?). I was thinking of using a design similar to a DIY inline co2 reactor. Basically the idea is this: PVC pipe, hose in and out at either end, with heater of adequate size inside. This would be split into the outflow hose of the filter. There are a few obvious problems that are presented by this... 1. Can I effectively seal the hole that would be required to run the power cable out of the device. I am thinking of epoxy or some sort of plumbing adhesive, does anyone have any thoughts on this? 2. Can I mount the heater on a curved surface... thinking of using more epoxy instead of the usual suction cups. 3. Will this actually heat the water as consistently as (or more) an in tank heater? Any comments, thoughts, experiences, advice, dos/dont's would be greatly appreciated.