Oneiroid

Nice shots electronic_brick!

Gr8Blade, that is a very interesting idea. BCAquaria.com serves a very similar function to AlbertaAquatica.com (only for BC, obviously) and has a user feedback forum which seems to work quite well. I have used it myself and found it to be quite helpful. This may be useful to look at if considering a feedback mechanism for AA. Having a forum/thread for each user's feedback also allows the interested parties to praise or criticise in detail, and for the rated user to reply. I agree that a forum such as this will need to be moderately a little more aggressively and the utmost respect for all users strongly promoted. Worth looking into at the very least imo.

I will bring this up again at the next ACE executive meeting. It seems to get discussed a lot, in fact, but I've not yet received complete information to post on the website. I think this has been on the back burner for a while because there hasn't been very many participants or inquiries about it for a while. I will let them know that you guys are asking about it! Thanks, S

Oh, I am sorry to hear. That juvie really did look quite stunning! If anyone knows of any other Vancouver source for interesting Cacatuoides spepcies, I am flying out there this week, and could bring some back... depending how full the fish box has already gotten by the time I fly back, of course!

Unfortunately, my males in particular are showing the same kinds of deformities. The females are looking pretty good, but judging from the males I don't think I will be including any them in my breeding stock. Should have kept my share of the juvies! Jonah - that one male you've posted a picture of looks great.

Bolbitus also looks great on driftwood.

http://www.aqua-blog.com/

Two-pronged timers are $10 and three-pronged (grounded) timers with three on/off settings are $12 at the Home Depot. I use these on all my tanks and have never had a problem. Brand name is Intermatic.

Go talk to Henry at Natures corner. In addition to the store, he runs a professional pond building and maintenance business and he would be more than happy to talk your ear off about your little project. He can also recommend a number of DIY pond kits. Also... he runs pond and water garden seminars starting April 22: http://www.natures.citymax.com/.

Congrats! We want to see pictures!

Yup, this is what I got. Only I got the 'granite' colored ones at Revy. I think they were $35 each and seemed to be build a little more heavy-duty than the HD ones. You will find them in the 'laundry tub' section. I got two of them and installed a single long-necked tap in the middle. I guess if you needed a grow out tub for some bigger fish too.... heh.

Getting my laundry sinks plumbed in the fashion you described, alone, cost just shy of $200. That was after purchasing the sinks and tap. Also, our house has the new fangled vinyl type hose plumbing and the plumber only had to hook the taps up to existing hot/cold outlets. I got a quote from another company who wouldn't touch the vinyl tubing, and preferred plumbing directly into the main copper pipes... his quote was upwards of $400. If you plumb it yourself, taps and a tub will cost about $60 total. Not sure about the 2x4-ing though.

New picture of one of the fuzzy people:

Thanks for the replies. I've been scouring the interweb for some answers and I haven't come up with anything concrete, however, based on what information I have learned (from more than one source), this is what the current score is: - It is not clear whether or not my apisto has a swim bladder malfunction, but because the salt treatment has not made any difference in the fish's condition, I'd suspect that his swim bladder is in working order. I am basing this suspicion on my own experience with discus, and info from the web. - Off-balance swimming, headstanding, and twirling, can be a sign high water toxicity. - Continued from the first point, his swim bladder could be affected by a third party. I've learned that this 'kind of' behavior can be associated with flukes and parasites. Because my apisto is 'breathing' harder than he should, I find this to be the most probable cause, but gods know how he got them if it is the case. There are a huge number of meds that are quoted for this kind of issue (both parasites and general behavior), but the one mentioned most and in the best context was always Prazi. Lucky me, that is what I keep on hand for both preventative and reactive measures. - Should this actually be a swim bladder malfunction (even though I don't think it is), apparently you can help the fish regain its equilibrium by placing it in shallow water. - Skinned peas. Who knows? I've seen this documented in a number of places that skinned peas will help with blockages and some swim bladder issues. I can tell you one thing though, and that is my weather loaches go absolutely crazy over skinned peas - they rip them apart like wolves on a rabbit and chase everyone else away. Soooo.... I doubt that the water is toxic, but I've done a 50% water change anyway. I've not re-supplemented with salt or melafix. I have, however, dosed the tank with PraziPro for flukes and parasites (lucky for me, that is what I keep on hand for both preventative and reactive measures anyway). I am going to keep the water temperature at 78F. I've also placed him in a large rectangular breeding net which is suctioned to the side of the tank and breaking the water surface to alleviate some pressure on his swim bladder just in case. And when I am at the grocery store this evening, I will pick up a nice bag of peas for him. That poor guy just looks exhausted. Here's to hoping. I will update later.

Last night I added 2 teaspoons of aquarium salt to the 10g and raised the temperature a bit to 78F. This morning, he is still alive and moving, but he is still headstanding and rolling about quite a bit. Not sure what to do from here. I haven't seen him eat either - probably too dizzy from spinning around. Anyone?

Yesterday I moved an apisto from a 37g to a 10g because he looked really stressed out. He hid in a cave for the last day looking quite ill, but as of an hour ago, he has emerged with somewhat better color and he's moving around a bit, but he has got a pretty bad case of headstanding. Basically, it looks like he can't get his nose off the bottom of the tank and the rest of his body floats upwards. I have treated discus for this problem using aquarium salts. Can I do the same here? How much salt do I use for the 10g? Incidentally, I did treat the tank (10g) last night with a dose of melafix to help with the stress. Do I do a water change be fore adding salt? Thank you!

Vinegar works wonders. I pat the vinegar on the problem spots, let it stand for a little while so the vinegar is 'absorbed' by the deposit, then scrape it all away with a razor.

Yes. CRT monitors can hold hefty charges for years. Unplugged.

Hey jvision -could you tell us what kind/brand of paint you use? Just standard glass paint? Do you find that it chips of easily - or is it fairly permanent? Thanks!

Sorry to hear... I know what you mean about getting attached to your fish. And its a real downer to have something happen to them that is completely out of your control.

I also custom build MacQuariums with Classics and SEs etc. Here are some photos of the early model. Note that these pictures have not been updated for a long time... http://www.unusualbehavior.com/other/MacQuarium/ New models are not built with undergravel filters, no air-lift in the viewing pane, and no visible water line with the face-plate on (and no duct tape, hehe). If you are looking for a unique little cube tank for your desk, I would also suggest modifying a Mac Cube. Very cute, and way more functional than in its original state (as with all macs turned aquariums IMHO) :smokey: *** Please do not try disassembling any computers with a built in monitor until you learn how to properly ground a CRT. Seriously... very dangerous.

Hideo - He's learned that stepping on the keyboard is not a good idea but he'll often end up groping the touch pad or the buttons underneath it during a stretch which leaves me wondering what application or monitor I am on and where my cursor is! nevchewy - If he had his way, I would be spending ALL of my time entertaining him. I wish I were a cat.

You don't need to obey the laws of gravity when you're that sexy :smokey:

Apparently I have more *important* things to do other than work.

I tend to plant the heck out of all my tanks with fish in them, and I find that 3 inches of substrate usually does the trick. If you've got some depth to work with, you could even build it up higher in the back for larger plants (around 4 to 6 inches as suggested by jvision). Terraces also work well for this purpose and can be constructed simply out of slate (or other rock) and silicone. I suppose you could fill a terrace with a gravel substrate for rooty plants and use your sand for the rest of the footprint as well. If you are putting together a strictly plant tank for propagation and such, you can conserve substrate by planting in clay pots or other containers (depending on your substrate and size of tank, covering the bottom with 6 inches worth could cost you a kidney). Note, though, that the thicker the layer of sand (in particular) is in your tank, the higher the risk of anaerobic pockets forming. Sand is regularly used in African tanks, and the fish will move the sand around themselves. You may wish to think about using other types of substrates which are also more plant friendly. Are you thinking about this tank for your new puffers? If you are just looking to plant wisteria, val, and the like, I bet you could get away with just a couple inches or even a tiny bit less – enough to stabilize the plants.