timbruun

Actually I really like having snails in the tank. They only reproduce as much as they are fed. That way it compensates for my overfeeding while keeping the tank clean and dead plant material out of sight.

Before I was reconstituing distilled water for my shrimp they would always die. Part of the reason being I have very soft water with low Ca and Mg. My pH is also around 8.5 which doesn't help either. I have green and cherry shrimp. I agree with Jason that you can't look at pH and know what your hardness is. There's more to it than that. With my snails I found that the Ramshorn snails shells deteriorate quite quickly while pond snails and Malaysian Trumpet snails not so much. I assume it's at least partly because the Ramshorns have quite thin shells. When I start reconstituting distilled water I also started somewhat fertilizing my main large tanks to get the Ca and Mg up while somewhat fertilizign my few plants. It's alot easier to do this than to get large amounts of distilled for big tanks. I have noticed that the fish are happier, the plants grow better and the snails shells don't fall apart while doing. I have also noticed that if i dont' keep up the water changes and adding my mix then everything starts doing worse. I would guess that what I'm addign gets used up slowly and needs to be added back into the water on a regular basis through water changes since my water isn't originally like that.

Last I was there they did.

All Seasons just south of whyte ave a block and east of gateway a block or 2.

Rinse the canister a with a bunch of water after you take everything out. You might have to take the impellar apart if something is either stuck or broken. You can try and put a bit of water in it and see if the impeller is working while it's apart also.

I've read a max of 8" but I doubt most fish reach max anyways. That brings me to my other question actually. Both my Ornate and Wolf eat like pigs when I feed them but does the same rule apply as for fish. With the all they can eat for 1-2 mins kind of idea? I do notice after they eat they are fatter.

I've picked up an Ornate Birchir around 7 inches and a Rainbow Wolf Fish around 4 inches. They are both in the same 55 gallon. The Ornate can be pretty aggressive towards the Wolf and I was just wondering if this will affect the Wolf Fish long term. I've heard Wolf Fish are supposed to be pretty aggressive and I don't want mine to become timid just because it gets harrassed every once in a while by the Ornate. Will the Wolf Fish be fine as it gains size since it should grow faster than the Ornate? I could take the Ornate out and put it in my other tank for a bit while the rainbow grows but would ultimatly like them to share a tank in the future if possible.

Very important to have the plastic tab on the bottom so the filter leans into the tank. Otherwise it wouldn't take much for it to overflow. As for sponge coming up, sounds like you need a new sponge. My sponges fit in the basket nice and tight.

You're probably feeding too much.

I've had great luck reconstituing distilled water. Although unless you buy a distiller than you still have to carry water all over.

So it's true what they say. Nothing is safe with oscars.

Haha. I think I'd rather have clear water in the tank than have green water with daphnia. And I see you have daphnia Jason. Would you like some green water.

I've been trying to get the parameters in shape. It's tough to fix the problem when it's there and easier to maintain a healthy tank when you start healthy. It's just the one tank that is causing me issues while my other tanks are incredibly clear. I was trying to make the one tank somewhat planted but the silvers dollars and plecos just destroy the plants I've been putting in there. I'm thinking I might purchase a UV sterilizer just to have on hand anyways. Like you said, I'll use it to clear up problems when they arise but otherwise keep the tank in check with proper maintenance. Just curious which diatom filter Ruadh has. most of the ones I've found are pretty expensive other than the HOT Magnum used as diatom which I might look into getting to have on hand. I've actually read that daphnia will clear up green water fairly quickly as long as you can keep them seperate from the fish and then just let the fish eat them when the water is clear.

How does the vortex hang on the tank?

There are alot of empty shells also. And there isn't anywhere for the snails to hide really. At least not for the amount that I've dropped in there.

What's actually my best bet. Will the uv clean up the green also or is diatom best. How does the diatom work and what do you mean by pound.

He somewhat tries to eat them but leaves them alone after he finds out that he can't do anything about the shell. Unless he's doing something different at night...

Just wondering if anyone has one that I could borrow/rent for a short period of time to get rid of my green algae in the water. That or if anyone has one they want to sell or can recommend a good one for a decent price from somewhere. Thanks in advance.

I'm just wondering what would be eating the snails I add to my tank. I've got a 90 gallon with a 4 inch oscar, 5 small silver dollars, a 7 inch watermellon pleco and a 3 inch vampire pleco. I've been adding ramshorn snails from my other tanks since I find they do a great job of keeping everything nice and spotless and they just don't stay alive. Would any of the fish be eating them?

The aquaclear sponge is exactly what I did. It's the onlything I tried that didn't plug up and reduce flow quickly. Keep in mind that it will have to be clean also though.

All I did was use some spare filter sponge and cut it to a square that will fit over the intake of the AC filter. Then cut the middle a bit so it slides right on. Very easy and very cheap.

I actually have biomax or similar in all three trays and just the pre filters that come with it around the edges. I tried the finer polishing and coarse pads but found I had to clean more often.

So far so good. I'm amazed since really if you think about it, most new hot tubs will only go up to 104 and the tank was at 98. Although I'm sure they didn't enjoy it like I enjoy the hot tub.