JHG

I haven't been on the forum in ages, partly due to moving around the world and the busyness of life. Hope everyone is well. I've been keeping tropical fish since I was a boy and am currently keeping various South American and West African dwarf cichlids as well a few other species of fishes. I moved back to Canada a few years ago after a stint in West Africa and am now based in Windsor, ON and am a member of the Windsor Aquarium Society and the Michigan Cichlid Association. Hopefully, I can touch base with other hobbyists on the forum who have similar interests. Blessings, Jay.

I had a single "harmless" duckweed <1cm plant that hitchiked along with a Corydoras purchase. Here's what the tank surface looks like 2 months later.

Hey degrassi, My current tank has Java fern on the driftwood and wendtii in the sand as well. It's a great combination. I do have a question I was hoping you could answer. Is it normal for the wendtii to have brown leaves as seen in your tank picture? I have two huge clusters in my tank. One is green and extending very high and doing well; the other is spreading outward and its leaves are brownish (not dead) with new leaves coming in as green. Thanks, J

Easiest way to tell is to look at the above pictures I posted and compare the fish you bought to those shots. Or, take a book to the store with you so you can easily identify them.

I enjoyed keeping both Bolivian (Microgeophagus altispinosa) and German Rams (Microgeophagus ramirezi). The German Rams can be a bit more sensitive to water conditions, however both will readily spawn in a home aquarium if the conditions are right. I've successfully bred both species and they're a delight to keep. Here are a few pictures of some of the specimens I kept. As you can see, these fish can really turn on the colors when they're in their breeding dress. All four fish below had spawned in my tanks. German Ram (female) German Ram (male) Bolivian Ram (female) Bolivian Ram (male)

Has anyone kept this fish locally? It has a real striking appearance and reminds me of a Royal Gramma. Just looking for some feedback on anyone's experience with this fish.

I target feed my yellow polyps from time to time using thawed frozen food and a Dollar Store turkey baster. That pic I posted is a few months old I believe because there are many more polyps that have sprouted up both outside and inside of the pot.

We've had orders with J&L before but are looking for alternative vendors in Canada. And yes, the shipping can be a tad on the expensive side, but then most shipping charges are.

Anyone have any suggestions in terms of online vendors/LFS' that ship across Canada and have decent pricing? I visited Gold's Aquarium site but they don't seem to list much of their stock. How is their marine section? J

Here are some of the corals I'm keeping under the lighting above:

Nice yellow polyps. Here are some of mine that I allowed to attach themselves to a clay pot.

Hey BlkWolfe, I reall like the layout of the LR in your tank. It's given me some ideas. J

Nice looking Nano.

There's always the next cheque.

A 33G isn't really considered in the Nano category, however, it is a very nice size tank to have, IMO. I'd add various snails and blue-legged hermit crabs. You could also go with an Emerald crab, cleaner shrimp, etc. My 10G Nano has been running for just over 2 months and I have hermit crabs, snails, cleaner & peppermint shrimps, etc. Everything doing well. How long has the tank been running? What type of lighting are you using?

Price?

Have been using the two Coralife 50/50's for the past two months and have some softies in the tank. Red mushroom propagating on its own.

Nice shots. What sort of filtration do you have on that tank? I see an Eheim and what may be a power filter.

Not trying to breed anything at the moment; rather trying to get rid of some African cichlids. In the meantime, my Labidochromis hongi spawned, held and spit fry, of which a few survived.

Mbuna - Ps saulosi (my colony has been reduced due to an overly aggressive dominant male wiping out the competition) Haps - Protomelas taeniolatus (beautiful to watch this fish color up) Peacocks - They interbreed too much, would only keep a species tank - undecided.

Your tank sounds like it's the one made by Hagen. That being the case, Hagen used to make the identical tank years ago without a brace and then began making them with the brace. Either or works - I have both.

I've been feeding my ocellaris cichlid formula 1mm and they DO jump at the surface to eat it. J

There's a picture of my 10G tank on my website when I first set it up. Check my sig for the addy.

I'm currently using the universal 25w bulb and a globe 9w bulb. I ordered the coralife and should have them installed by next Friday.

You're welcome. They have a good reputation in their area so I'm sure you'll find what you're looking for with them. J