Ripley

Awesome fish! Awesome pictures!

Thanks BettaSlave - my ctenopoma's are my favourites (even though I'm very particular to all of my fish). I'm looking forward to many more years with them!

Thanks all!

Hey all, Snapped some new pictures of some of my fish yesterday. Here are some of the better ones. 'Lil' one of my leopard ctenopomas. 'Spot', my original was being very shy - which is the usual. (She, uhm... Likes her superworms.) My knifefish. (Chillin' out in my large piece of driftwood.) The barbs. The fat one(s) I've had since January, the small skinny ones I just got late last week. Spotted Hillstream Loach. Mystery Snail. Thanks for looking! (And I promise, the aquarium wasn't that dirty, it's the air bubbles from the filter output.)

Thanks guys! I was thinking a plastic container of some sort would be my best bet, so glad to hear that should work. They're between 3-4" right now. I will keep the bucket in mind for next time - right now I don't have a bucket I feel comfortable transporting them in. (Don't need them sloshing around too much.) Lol, FCG!

I'm planning on transporting three rather large upside-down catfish soon, and I'm wondering the best way to do that. The lovely buggers poked holes in two bags (and my finger) when I was switching my tanks over - so I'm thinking some sort of plastic container would be the easiest. But, what kind of containers are okay to use, and which ones aren't? Thanks!

Went to feed the fish tonight, and found this on one of my ctenopomas: She ate her dinner with no problems, and otherwise seems fine (being saucy with her buddy like usual). All the other fish in the tank look fine as well. (Stocking in my signature.) Any ideas on what it is, and how I should treat it? Thanks in advance!

Nice pics! I too have a bumblebee catfish - his name is Milo. He made his home under a stump-like piece of driftwood I have in my tank, and I pretty much only see him when I lift the wood up - and then he freaks and goes 100 miles an hour until he finds some place to hide temporarily until I put the wood back down and he dives back under it. I do sometimes see him come out when I feed with the lights off though, but then it's the same thing - race around like a lunatic, stop, eat, race around, then dive back to his hidey hole.

Thanks Raj! Another very thoughtful post. I had thought about the mixing of the two over time and water changes and whatnot. I do know this tank will be moved at some point, just when depends on when I finally venture out on my own - but that is something I will have to cross when I get there. Ah yes! I remember seeing the bags of fluorite at NCS. Thanks for the link on fertilizers! I will check it out a bit later - I like the idea of spending less money. Thanks CBG - I looked at the Fluorite link. I'm liking the red stuff from the picture. Werner - That's what I was thinking when I checked the bulbs. I was a bit surprised, as my tank always looks so bright, so I was expecting a higher wattage. I am (hopefully) going for more of a jungle look in the future. I think my perches and knifefish would appreciate that. I will be starting slow, as was mentioned and as was my initial thought, and get a feel of it all before I go crazy. To all: Seeing as how my lighting will definitely needed to be upgraded, and I already have light fixtures... Can it be as simple as going to a store (NCS, most likely) and purchasing two new bulbs? I was doing some reading at Big Al's on the lights they have there, and some were specifically for growing plants (same ones I believe that NCS has). I really cannot afford to buy whole new light fixtures at this time (nor can I justify it when I have two that work fine). The fixtures are pictured in my first post, if you want to take a peek at them.

First off - thanks all for taking the time to reply! You've all been a big help. I do have a few more questions that your information has sparked. Of the suggested substrates (Fluorite, Eco-Complete, and Aqua Soil, other?) is one better than the other? (I know Raj suggested Fluorite, but I just want to check the general consensus!) And a stupid question, but do they come in any other colour than black? Heh, just because my sand is so light coloured. As well, where is the best place to buy this stuff? Big Al's, or...? What brand of fertilizer is a good one, and one I should start with? (Do these fertilizers contain enough of an added source of carbon?) Excel has been mentioned already. Checked the bulbs that I have - I have two 15W bulbs. (Well, that's what the one says, and I'm assuming the other is the same.) Thanks all, and hopefully I don't sound really stupid asking these questions. I do realize that they have been mentioned, but just want to make sure! And CBG - Awesome picture! Definitely an inspiration!

A spotted climbing perch AND a knifefish!?! Way cool! I have three perches and 2 african black knifefish in my 75g. I love them.

Thanks guys!! I'm going to go back over what you wrote Raj, tomorrow when it's not so late. :P I may come up with some more questions, but you did a great job answering the ones I have at the moment. And Werner - I actually found that link last night searching the forum and had a read over the pages. It was definitely informative, but I was still a bit overwhelmed - I plan on going back to it a time or two more as a reference.

As the topic states, I'm a totally clueless newbie to the whole idea of planted aquariums. I've always loved looking at them, but just have never taken the initiative to go beyond fake plants. Well, with my new 75g tank and a stocking I'm fairly happy with, I'm going to dive into the deep end. Or well, hopefully the shallow end and doggy-paddle my way to the deep end. I've done a bit of reading, but still feel pretty overwhelmed by the whole concept. While I live in the country, my tank water comes from the city (Spruce Grove, specifically if that makes any difference). Last I'd checked my pH was about 8 and the water was pretty hard - I can get more specific numbers tomorrow if you need them. The lighting is whatever comes standard in the kits (using the same lighting from the 55g kit I purchased a couple years ago). The substrate is sand(ish) - puchased from Pj's if anyone is familiar with the brand they carry. Stocking is: 3 leopard bushfish, 3 upside-down catfish, 2 black african knifefish, 1 bumblebee catfish. (I am thinking about switching out the upside-down cats for some cories [but that's dependant on whether or not they'll get eaten], and am leaving space for some denison barbs when they come down to a more Christine-friendly price.) What I'd love is sort of a step-by-step guide on what to do! What lighting should I use, what plants are good starter plants, do I have to worry about carbon dioxide, what about substrate, fertilizers? Ack! I really have no idea where to start. (And I'd love to keep my costs down, as I'm pretty poor at the moment.) Here's a picture of the tank as it is right now. I'm not doing much with it, as I'd love to get started with the plants fairly soon. Thanks for taking the time to help me!

Robin - haha, yep. It wasn't until I had to catch them to switch tanks that I knew for sure that I still had three. Hoping this will change a bit when I get the tank well planted.

Thanks all for the welcomes! Sherlock - yay! Someone knows where the heck I live.