uwish

I believe from my experience that heater failures are the number one cause of tank losses. Because they almost always stick in the on position. That is why I don't use them and never will, I have the titanium heaters that are always "ON" when powered and use a controller to monitor the temperature, so it is the power outlet that goes on and off and controlled by my APEX. I have redundant temp probes in both of my tanks and programming such that the window for the temperature is very tight. Once you have had an controller, you will never go back to not having one....

I have been keeping Bol. Rams for years, never had that happen. I take it you have good surface adjitation for CO2 exchange? (just a guess since rapid breathing seemed to be a symptom). No strange temperature issues? spikes? Could be what Jayba has described..kind of an unknown unknown.....

http://s1016.photobucket.com/user/Udowish/media/Freshwater_1_zpsen6leeqo.jpg.html

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Ron, I sympathize however; this is posted in the SALTWATER section of this forum....there are many of us that rock both flavours of tanks so I don't see this question as being offside at all. Kevintran: I 'think' you are describing a 'euro braced' tank, I have the same style of tank for my FOWLR set up...I love euro bracing from a structural point of view but also it helps contain some splashing when cleaning the glass with my magnets etc. The big draw back is...you can't 'hang' anything off the glass (generally). So from the limited information I can get from your post, the answer would be no or not easily. Skimmers are not completely required, I run one but I have a sump, they keep the water very clear, clean and help with the gas exchange and I tend to overfeed so it helps with my nutrient export etc etc; you do not have to run one, but that could mean more frequent water changes etc depending on how your feeding schedule will be. For your other question regarding pumps I am assuming you are referring to circulating pumps or power heads?? Since you are going to be running a canister filter I think you mean power heads, well this is open to some discussion. If you wanted to attempt to simulate an underwater reef style environment with currents etc or are we just talking water agitation for gas exchange? I do have another question for you, what kind of fish do you want to keep? and are you going to put sand in the tank?

been keeping Bolivian Rams for years, no issues...

I have two tanks from Conecpt, one 250 Gal eurobraced and a 130 Gal rimless. Great price! Didn't find much wrong with the tanks beyond a small scratch, it can take them some time however, they are just super busy.

Two years ago I set up this monster in my newly developed basement. It has been through some challenges with livestock but I think we are on the mend! 250Gal FOWLR tank... poor quality photo, it was taken as a still shot from my fishcam!

Just a quick photo of my new tank. This replaced my older 100Gal non drilled planted tank and all of the inhabitand made it over to there new home. Work in progress but very happy so far! This is a drilled dual overflow tank, all the equipment is now hidden in the 35 Gal sump. I am also running an Apex controller on this build for more ease of mind, if you have the means to get a tank controller, I would highly recommend it. I put one on my salty water tank set up and since then, I won't go back! 3 new Gen 3 Radion with their RMS mounts. I have a friend who is going to custom built panels to skirt in the metal frame. Home to 11 clown loaches (2 of them are 10 years old), one 12 year old common pleco, tons of corys, some Bolivian Rams, and 5 x SAE. I also still have 4 otto's from a batch of 8 I bought 3 years ago, all fat and healthy.

for a quick reference...

While I am not sure in your case because I have no experience with that type of cycle bacteria I am surprised at the response of some members. http://www.drtimsaquatics.com Do some reading on his nitrifying bacteria, I read his phd thesis on his bacterial supplement and was so impressed I used it to seed my saltwater tank when I stood it up almost 2 years ago. I know why people are skeptical because the common cycle additives were not using the right nitrifying bacteria, but that was a decade ago. There has been significant progress in that regard since then. In short bottled bacteria is not 'bunk' or witchcraft, I would ask members to read first before stating otherwise.

sometimes it just takes a few hours for the old occupants to get used to the knew ones...

looks fantastic! nice work...

Which species was just introduced? In a tank that size and considering that blue rams are half the size of Bolivian rams I find it surprising that they would be intimidated by them. I have many Bolivian Rams in my planted with much larger species, no issues. I don't think there is much to do right now, let them all get used to each other.

fair enough wasn't meant as a 'trigger' or poking the bear kind of response. There is still much to be leaned about this parasite, in the end it is finding what may work for your particular situation. Just as a question though, you initiall stated 86f (30 C) and in your response it was 90C.. I don't know many organisms that would survive in that kind of heat (90 C)in general never mind a parasite!

Conecpt will make you a custom stand for less than you think. And it's guaranteed to be level etc.

remember just because you don't see spots doesn't mean it's over. That is the only visible phase of the disease, and if one fish has it the tank is infected, increasing temp won't get rid of them either, it just speeds up the cycle of the various phases of the disease. I am sorry but they live just fine about 86 F in both Marine and Fresh water environments. If you search on reef central for ich (and there are plenty of search suggestions) you will likely run across a very detailed posting done by a marine biologist who has done some basic research on this type of parasite. It also goes into the facts vs. myths regarding the disease and why so many people fall into misinformation. They can only be treated after the visible sign of infection, then the free swimming parasite is vulnerable to chemicals.

Re-mineralized water from RO/DI to me is a bit pointless from a drinking water POV. I have had kidney stones in the past so I have been all over when it comes to what is the 'best' type of water. And it's 0 TDS, zero! I have a zero water filter that I pour my softened tap water into and I get nothing in my water but H20. If you have a 'normal' diet you don't need to worry about getting your minerals etc from water, you will be enough from a healthy diet. It should be noted that it isn't recommended to consume regularly DI water, RO yes but not DI. Now from an aquarium FW / SW POV 0 TDS is excellent then you know where nutrients must be coming from if you have issues. FW Planted tank, 0 TDS isn't good as the plants require some base minerals to be healthy and grow (along with other things). I wouldn't 're-mineralize' your water for drinking, I think it is an unnecessary step.

I also have been using conditioned tap water on my FW tank for years. Though, I do have a water softener, but that as we know does not remove all the solids from the water. I checked with my TDS meter and my tap water (after softening) is around 155. I don't find that I have exessive algae issues but I do run carbon and GFO on my FW setup. I am reluctant to use RO/DI water simply because it is a planted tank and the plants benefit from some of the other minerals in the water. Are you just getting green algae or is something else going on?

I know several people that only run their skimmers for a specific time period for a variety of reasons. I can't see it being an issue other than it could be slightly 'harder' on the pump (on / off cycling) and of course the fact that you won't be skimming for a good part of the day. what size is the set up ? (more out of my own curiosity than anything to do with the skimmer)

Looking good guys...

looks great!

Ph is the killer on most planted tanks, injecting CO2 combines with water to form carbonic acid which drops the PH. I would recommend monitoring PH levels while injecting CO2 until you reach a nice stable equilibrium. Once you get the right balance a simple glance at the tank and you will know if something is out of equilibrium.

yes surface agitation is the key to gas exchange. It doesn't even really need to be a strong powerhead just enough to keep the surface of the water moving.