Oneiroid

Thanks for the link HOSStile!

(My apologies if this is already discussed in another topic… but I couldn’t find one.) I would like to set up a home-brew CO2 kit for my 37 gallon tank. My plan is to keep the yeast formula in a 2L pop bottle who’s cap has been drilled to fit an air line which is then connected to a commercial switch-back bubble diffuser inside the tank. I would be very interested to hear about other people’s experiences with DIY CO2 kits. Also, what yeast mixtures/recipes work best (I’ve seen many on the net!), how often do you change the mixture, and are there other set-ups that work well other than the one described above (using a bubble diffuser and not a bell trap, though)? I have also heard that adding CO2 to your tank can greatly disrupt the pH levels. Is this true? How can I avoid this? Any input would be very much appreciated! Thanks!

Thanks everyone! webmoose - I believe you may be thinking about my post in the Fish and Aquarium Photographs topic on my planted 10g you had responded to. Yes that we me too, but I had not yet properly introduced myself! I am literally taking apart the MacQuarium for a thorough clean-up now, so I am hoping to have fresh pictures ready in not too long a time. I will take a bunch of pictures of what I did to the inside, the custom tank, and other angles too, and post a blurb in the DIY section as recommended. Wow, old technology by the pound. I totally missed out! Actually, I still do have an old LISA... yes, one of the 50lb, $25,000.00 ticket price original Apple products from the dark ages. I cannot decide if I want to make a custom tank to fit inside of that one too, or retrofit laptop parts into it and create a 'vintage' Linux box. Ooohhhh.... I can hear the power tools whirring already! x.

Hello. My name is Sarah, and I have a problem. I am very happy to have found an Alberta ‘support group’ for aquarists, such as myself, who have slipped down the slippery slope. I’d like to claim that I have the addiction under control, but who am I kidding? I always have room for just one more plant… just a couple more fish… another tank that is just too good a deal to pass up… sigh. I count myself lucky that I do not have the cash to sink into a salt-water setup! Yet… With that, greetings! It really is nice to see such a pleasant and active forum for our community of fish-heads. I live in Edmonton with my fiancé, two cats, and of course the aquariums full of… stuff. My little fish hobby actually started out as a silly project: while cleaning out some old tech in the basement, I came across a Macintosh Classic – I was simply going to toss it when my fiancé suggested that I turn it into a MacQuarium. At that point I really had no experience with fish keeping as a whole (unless you count keeping minnows caught out of Fish Creek Park in ice cream pales when I was 8) and I believe the phrase “fish are dumb” may have come out of my mouth, but I thought it was a good excuse to bring out the power tools and build something cool; maybe put a goldfish in it? Yeah right. The project worked out great, needless to say, but it turned into something much more than just ‘cool’ (and my fish are not so dumb!). You can see a picture of it by clicking on the link below. This was taken during the shake-down phase so there are no fish in the tank and there is some more work to be done on it yet (but it is the only good photo I have of it right now… you get the idea). I am currently reworking the inside of this tank, but I will post new pictures when I am done. http://www.unusualbehavior.com/other/fish/sm_100_0333.jpg Anyway, that was the beginning. Then came the fish auctions. And you all know the rest. Currently I have 3 x 2.5g, 1 x ~3.5g (the Mac), 1 x 5g, 1 x 10g, and 1 x 37g tank up and running. I have a couple larger tanks in reserve, but am waiting for us to move into the new house within the next month or two. I seem to have a green-thumb for aquatic plants (which is ironic since I could not keep a land plant alive to save MY life) and I am especially fond of my South American cichlids. I would probably keep large African cichlids, too, if it weren’t for the fact that I like to keep my tanks planted. I do, however, have a small group of Julido chromis Marlieri that are rather laid back: http://www.unusualbehavior.com/other/fish/sm_100_0417.jpg Best, Sarah PS. If anyone has a Mac Classic that they do not use anymore and would like to sell it or give it away, please let me know. I would very much like to customize more cases!

I went searching for a handful of 'splendid friends' fry a couple weeks ago and picked them up at DAD's for $2.99 each. When I saw them at Big Al's, they were $7.99 each (fry as well). -05-

The lace just seems to do what it wants to. I have made no new provisions in the tank for it and now it is taking over (you may still be able to see some the fire-sword under the lace leaves planted near the centre of the tank in the photos)! I think because of the lace's arbitrary survival rate (hence Tropica's prolific 90% failure rate with these beasties), the best one can do is “make it comfortable”. So basically, it was put in the tank when it was completely shaken down and stabilized, the roots were planted (not the tuber), and the plant was given *some* space to grow into. This tank has turned into its own little eco-system: no external filtration, no soft water, no substrate (aside from ye ‘ol gravel), and no CO2 infusion. I have added only a sponge filter, 2 x 15 watt daylight coiled fluorescent bulbs in the hood (that is equal to about 120 watts of incandescent light… a whopping 12 watts per gallon), a couple of Seachem Flourish Tabs, and fish. And to be honest, I cannot remember the last time I cyphened any water in and out of it! I have heard many stories about people giving their lace special treatments like throwing the tubers into a cold room when they go dormant for a few months. I think this is absurd; in Madagascar, where this plant grows naturally, the only reason that a lace tuber will go dormant (that I know of) is if it is monsoon season and the water is too silted up to for the plant to receive sufficient light (add more light to your tank!). I do agree, however, that moving the plant around a lot is not advisable and that frequent water changes could help too (although I’ve never really ritualized water changes as mentioned above, it would be consistent with its natural stream habitat). Thanks for the comments! If I have any ‘ah-ha!’s regarding the care of the Madagascar lace, I’ll certainly post it. Oh, and yes that is one tall Crinum calamistratum on the right-hand side. Funny thing though, despite the long mature leaves on it, the bulb is almost non-existent. Fish in 10 gallon tank: 2 x apistogramma agassizi f. 8 x pencil fish 2 x schubertes barbs 5 x otocinclus 3 x amano shrimp Cheers!

Following are a couple links to images of my 10 gallon tank. This was supposed to be a holding tank for new plants and fish intended to be transferred to other tanks... but it has actually turned into a very stable system! http://www.unusualbehavior.com/other/sm_10g_01.jpg http://www.unusualbehavior.com/other/sm_10g_02.jpg Thanks for looking! Sarah