catshanon

Here's my concept... Move the slate piece towards the left and to the back, and stack the wood pieces on top of it or on both sides of it. I am trying to envision a mountain, (the wood pieces) and the slate piece would then look like a opening. For this to work, the wood pieces have to stick above the slate. If that can be done, then the vals can be placed behind the wood pieces (provided there is room). The crypts can then go on the sides and on the front of the slate pieces, as midground plants.. The echinodorus tennelus can be planted in a curved line , to look like a pathway leading to the opening of the mountain.. If the slate structure can be reduced in height, then I think this concept will work.. I cannot find a spot for your lotus, unfortunately...One of your wood pieces is unique, the one with the 2 holes, so that has to be visible.

Where can I get some glass pieces for my sump ? If any member here has a glass shop, then I can drop by to get 4 or 5 pieces of glass cut. I would also need one glass for a picture frame. Hope someone can help me out. Thanks, Raj

My big angel, 4" tip to tip, suddenly was swimming head down from Thursday night..He couldn't stay upright, and was always in the position with his head pointing down. I guessed it was a swim bladder infection, and thought that it would go away. However, today it has gotten worse, and he is lying on the side..He is still alive and flapping the fins, but has gotten weak and I am fearing the worst.. All other fish are fine and he is the one that suddenly became ill. I haven't switched foods, either, same old NLS pellets. Any suggestions will be helpful. Thanks in advance, Raj

Problem solved, and it was my mistake.. I wasn't including the proper link in the "Insert Image link" field. Thanks to Nicklfire and Tanker for helping out.

Error was: "This type of image is not supported on this board".. I had uploaded my pics to picasa and then was pasting the link to pics..

What kind of picture extensions are allowed on the forum ? eg. .bmp, .jpeg ?... I tried uploading pictures of both the said types before, but got an error.

I removed this stuff today morning and it was slimy and came off real easily. It didn't stink, but by the looks of it, I am guessing it was BGA. I will add some surface agitation as I noticed that it started when I had switched off my HOB filter.

This is how the top of my planted tank looks. Its so unsightly and it keeps coming back. Is this cyanobacteria ? Cyano is supposed to be slimy and blue green, but why is this stuff bubbly ? Any suggestions of removal and identification is most welcome. Conditions: pH probe controlled CO2. pH is at 8.0. Plants are growing healthily, although hair algae is present inside the tank. Irregular fert dosing. 2 39W T5HO, on for 9 hours each day. No surface agitation whatsoever. Side of tank gets morning sun, so sides are covered with green spot algae. Will need to get razors to clean that up and cover the side.

Sherry - Any suggestions how I can get the backround black without having to drain and move the tank, I was meaning to do it before I moved the tank but I was a little to excited and just skipped that step! Also thanks for the reply, Any suggestions on plants to add. I have seen Sherry's tanks and what she has is pretty neat. She has velcro tabs/stickers on the back of the tank and then she has cut out a piece of black cloth and attached it to the velcro tabs. This way, the black cloth stays taut and tight, and is minimal work. I am sure Sherry will let you know what kind of cloth she has. Pointed at both of you or anyone else, I haven't seen my vals send out any runners yet and I don't think they are doing to great leaves arn't as green as I would like them, could this be possibly by burying the rhizome? I tried to pull it up a little I guess I'll check how good it has rooted tonight as well. Vals will definitely send out runners, just give them some time. However, are you confusing this with anything else, as vals don't have rhizomes..Anubias has.. Vals should be planted deeply, and after that it will grow well (if conditions are right) and send out runners.

If you want to sell, then you have to get a membership and you have to tell Michael Pham 2 weeks earlier how many bags you are selling. (Max is 20 bags per person). However, you don't need a membership to buy.

EI == Estimative index.. Its a dosing regime for ferts. google will give you a complete answer. I think the planted tank section has a pinned thread regarding this subject.

pm'd you

You will need bulbs that emit light in the photosynthetic spectrum (red and blue). The bulbs meant for plants usually are labeld as 6700K. Apart from the spectrum, the intensity and penetration of the light is also very important. I had read that the 'twists' in the corkscrew val will fall apart if the light is not very high. The brighter the light, the more compact the plants will stay. You might also want to clear up the water and have the splash guard absolutely clean. A lot of light is lost due to refraction and also absorbed by particles floating in the water. I run my T5s without any splash guard (although having a guard is a very good idea). Raj

So my red lotus is not red anymore and it has sent leaves upto the surface. Is this due to low light ? I have 8 leaves that have reached the surface and are not letting any light through. Is this natural or are they supposed to stay below water with reddish leaves ? The leaves are green with reddish splotches in them. The underside of the leaves are red though. Any thoughts will be appreciated.. Raj

I have a big angel and a congo tetra that have both lost one eye. They have a little trouble feeding as they cannot judge correctly where the pellets are falling from. I just put food close to them and then they can pick up the pellets. They have been like this for 6 or more months now and are doing fine.

I was suggested Jobe's plant spikes by members of the forum and they have worked well for me. I used to break off the spikes in 3 pieces and push the broken off pieces deep into the ground. Do not use too many of them as that would result in an algae spike. Raj

Under Non-Aquatic Items in the Buy/Sell forum.

If you read that it requires nutrient rich soil, then driftwood is not the proper place. The plant cannot get any nutrients from the wood, so you have to put in into the soil. If you want plants going on driftwood, then you should look for anubias varieties, and the different mosses and java fern. Java fern grows really well on driftwood. If you want some Java fern, PM me, and I can give some to you. Raj

Both of you got it correct.. I checked with images in Google and its the Melanochromis Auratus also know as Malawi Golden cichlid. Thanks guys.

This is the best picture I could get of the fish. I will be taking this to the auction, so I need to know which kind of cichlid it is. Thanks in advance, Raj

Looks like you are in a bit of rush to setup a planted tank. I would suggest that you take it slowly and you will definitely have success. Plants will need fertilisers, light and CO2 to grow well. Its the right combination of those 3 that leads to a good algae free fast growing planted tank. IMO topsoil is not too risky for the beginner. You will be better off to buy one bag of fluorite and then mix it with cheap play sand from Home depot. The fluorite will help in the plant growth but you will need to add fertilisers later on. Your lighting looks allright, although its the spectrum of the bulb that is most important. I suggest you buy a timer and set the lights on from 8 - 12pm and then from 3pm - 9pm for a total of 10 hours. Have a plan to add CO2 as this really really helps. Pressurized CO2 works best, but you can start with DIY yeast or excel. Adding CO2 is must for good and rapid growth. If possible try not to plant cabomba in the beginning. I have never had any luck with it (Doesn't mean you also wouldn't have). It needs fairly high light and is a delicate plant. Try some crptocorynes in the beginning. Also, don't start out with too many plants in the beginning. IMO plant some hygro and anubias and java fern and later on add an amazon sword. Amazon swords are very heavy root feeders, so you will need to fertilise them properly.

Not to hijack the thread, but if anyone wants a Fulham Workhorse 5 ballast, I have a spare one which I can sell.

I am inspired too, I have a bag of reef sand and some not so live rock in my cichlid tank now. They will be better suited for a nano SW. What is your lighting on this one ? T5HOs or Metal Halides ?

I am unsure how much aeration I will need.... will just the HOB be sufficient? Even HOBs are detrimental to planted tanks because of the turbulence they create due to their waterfall nature. You should minimize any amount of surface turbulence so as not to drive out the dissolved CO2. The trick is to have a heavily planted tank, so your plants will produce oxygen and your fish won't die of asphyxiation. I have never used an airstone in my planted tanks. I always made sure my tank is heavily planted before adding fish.