Blue Ram

I talked to the fish manager - turns out the tank was mislabelled. They were in fact juvenile blue fin dolphin cichlids. Go figure!

I spotted tank at Petland last night labelled "Brevis Katabe". They were beautiful fish but looked quite blue in the tank. All of the pictures I have looked at on the net do not really show any blue colouring. Now I'm suspicious that they have been ID'd correctly. Anyone keep these fish or can confirm that they can have blue colouration??

I have used melafix & pimafix many times with various plecos (including albinos) with no ill effects on them.

What size of a tank do you recommend for a 75 gal set up. Where is the best place to purchase in Calgary?? Thanks in advance,

I'm assuming the cherry shrimp eat algae as well? Will shrimp leave the live plants alone?? Are there any fish they should not be with??

Any others that do not get that big?? The ones I saw were only about 1" - maybe they were not full grown??

I'm interested in getting some of these - however, know very little about them. What kind of algae do they eat?? Are they safe in a community tank with non-agressive fish?? Anyone seen them in Calgary for sale?? Any info appreciated. Thanks in advance

Just wondering if there is an advantage to running the tubing into the intake of a powerhead. I was intending to run the tubing down a hagen diffuser ladder. Another setup described to me as "2 litre bottle running into my tank through an airstone under my powerhead uptake". Not sure about the mechanics of this. Would this be a better setup than the ladder?? I currently have a powerhead running on my tank to create some additional water movement and also to help with the skum on the surface. The output just barely skims the water surface.

Thanks for the great tip!! I just purchased a 20 ml bottle of 100% tea tree oil (melaleuca alternifolia) from a local health food store for $12.99.

Update: over the weekend, started dosing with Excel, Seachem potassium and also started some DIY C02. I'll keep this up for a couple of weeks and see what difference it makes. However, someone mentioned that it looked like sediment settling on the plants rather than algae. The java fern (windelov variety) is mounted on the side of the tank directly below the Eheim spraybar. It gets the most of the brown fuzzy stuff although the bolitis (not heudelotii variety) also gets it. As I mentioned the tank was set up mid May. For substrate I used 2 inches of Schultz aquatic soil and approx. 1 1/2 inches of small river rock. Both of these substrates were incredibly dirty and dusty even though I rinsed them well. There are several bottom fish that keep the substrate stirred up quite a bit and hence the amount the sediment in the tank. Anyone experience this problem before?? Will the sediment eventually subside? Any thoughts, anyone??

OK - I'll try the Excel - I have a bottle at home. Are you thinking that by adding Excel, the plant growth will excelerate and out-compete the algae? I'll try dosing it for a couple of weeks. The reason I didn't start any C02 in this tank is because of the low light.

I purchased two of Tropica's planted ornaments at the Edmonton show in May. The Java fern is mounted on driftwood and drilled with suction cups and the bolbitis is rooted to a large lava rock. The plants were placed in my 50 gal in May (which by the way was a newly set up tank). I attached the java driftwood to the side of the tank in the upper half and the lava rock sits on the gravel. They have continued to grow and have very good colour. The tank originally had 110 watts on it and I changed the lighting down to a double T5 fluorscent strip. There are several crypts and anubais in the tank as well. The problem, after all of this background, is that the java and bolbitis are covered in brown fuzzy stuff that grows in big tufts. I have searched the net looking for an algae that looks like this - cannot find one. It is only on these two plants. The glass, gravel, other plants - all good. Over the weekend, I removed the two pieces, gave them a good rinse/shake in clean treated water. The brown stuff is very soft and came off instantly with a good rinse. However, after 3 days it is back and makes the entire tank look ugly. What is it?? All my tanks are planted and I have never seen this stuff. After reading BluePenquin's recent topic "GreenWater - Hopeless" I had an idea. If I remove the two pieces and set them in treated water in a covered pail in my basement for several days will it kill whatever this is??? Would it be harmful for the plants to be without light for several days. I'm wondering if in fact it is algae but unfortunately at the moment I cannot post a picture. Any thoughts would be appreciated. More background - tank has a 30% water change weekly, no C02, light as above, some indirect sunlight in the morning, eheim canister filter, powerhead. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I want to replace the Hagen C02 setup on my 35 gal planted tank. This tank has the Coralife 96 watt lighting fixture and the plants are growing great. However, the Hagen setup requires me to mix up a new batch of sugar/yeast/baking soda every week (this setup is only rated for a 20 gal tank). I do not want to go to a pressurized system because the tank is doing well with the C02 it is getting. What equipment is required so that I can replace the Hagen canister which only holds approx. 2 cups of liquid to something bigger so that the C02 lasts longer? Where can I purchase the equipment in Alberta??

Sorry, I meant the input. Are there any adjustments that need to be made so that it does a better job on the surface??

I looked on Eheim's website - this accessory is actually called a "surface skimmer". Here's the link to what it looks like http://www.eheim.com/skimmer.htm

I recently set up a 50 gal freshwater tank with an eheim professional series canister filter. This is the first tank that I have used a canister filter on. I have the output directed approx. 2 inches below the water level. There has consistently been a skim on the surface of the water. First, can someone pls explain why this happens. I have an eheim protein skimmer attachment (which I acquired from another eheim model (2213) which I connected to the filter (this is just an attachment to the output). However, I have no manual on how this is supposed to work. It does not appear to completely remove the skim so I'm thinking maybe it is not adjusted properly. Is anyone using this equipment and can explain how to properly set it up?

Thanks Valerie & Jason. I will take your advice with the exception of a 4 ft tank!! Not going to happen. Can the bristlenose (an albino juvie) stay in for algae control? Now that we have the fish sorted out, back to my original question - what rocks would be the most natural that I could use for some rock work. I'd like to create a small wall since the tank has some height.

Just wanted to clarify the earlier comments - I am successfully keeping the cories, apistos & bristlenose in Calgary water. I am not doing anything to alter the water chemistry, however all of these tanks are heavily planted. So unless the rocks I place in the 25 gal would alter the hardness, I can't see why this fish combination would not work. Will the multis not do well in regular Calgary water? I can move the cacatuoides and cories into another tank. I was thinking of picking up a couple of marlieri that are for sale on the forum if this would be a better combination with the multis. Keep the suggestions coming - more info is better than none! I realize how important it is to have a happy group of fish with no stress.

I'm moving my trio of N. multifasicatus into a 25 gal. They will be sharing the tank with a couple of cories, a bristlenose and a pair of cacatuoides. I am planning on using tahitian moon sand since I think the dark substrate will really show off the fish. I have several shells for them. I'd also like to make some rock caves/structures in the tank. In an effort to make the tank as natural as possible, what types of rocks can be used for a tang tank that are available in Calgary. I thought I'd build up part of the tank with some rocks even though they are shell dwellers. Any other suggestions for aquascaping a 25 gal. This will be my first tank without plants!! PS I picked up some small pieces of lava rock with holes in them big enough for the fish to swim thru - they seem to like those. I know there are tons of cichlid tanks in Alberta. If you have any suggestions, pls reply. Thanks,

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I have had no success with these fish. I went thru several males who all died. They all had mouth problems - never was able to determine what it was. They did breed and the eggs hatched but none of the fry survived - very small. You might want to try gold cacatuoides. I have two young pairs from a breeder in Edmonton and have had them since Nov 05 and they are great fish.

I recently drained a 30 gal so I could move it. Once I had it moved and filled again, I took advantage of it being fishless and plantless to treat it with coppersafe to try and kill off most of the MTS. I know a small population are beneficial but there was simply too many for my taste. I added the recommended dosage of Coppersafe on Wed p.m. - how long should I wait for it to work. Will a complete water change, gravel vac & adding carbon to my filter remove it. How soon can I replant and add the fish in?? Thanks in advance for your advice,

I got mine at Oasis Pools & Spa - 6103 Centre St. SW

I second adding some apistogrammas or other dwarf cichlids and a small school of corydoras. The tank is a good size for them and they love a planted tank. I'd keep the rainbows though - they get along very well with just about any fish and have lots of colour. The SAE would probably have to go. I had to get rid of mine after it got to about 3.5" - too nippy. Would not leave my rainbowfish alone. The good thing is several ACE members breed various apistos and dwarf cichlids. You could also get a small school of colourful tetras.

I am planning on moving my fish from a 35 gal to a 50 gal tomorrow. The 50 gal was set up on Monday, May 22nd with 100% clean dechlorinated water, new gravel, live plants and some existing driftwood and rocks from another tank. I started an aquaclear 300 filter on the tank on Monday to keep the water moving and clear up the cloudiness (the river gravel was incredibly dusty even after rinsing well). The filter had all new media in it because it is not the filter I plan on using. To avoid having to cycle the 50 gal, I added an eheim canister filter (which will be the filter for the 50 gal) on the 35 gal on May 8th to establish the filter media. I'm planning on simply moving the eheim to the 50 gal tomorrow. Hoping I don't have any cycling issues!! Has anyone ever added Bio Spira to a tank when cycling. Read some good reviews on this product by Marineland Labs. Not sure if it is even available in town??

I have contacted Consolidated Compressor in Calgary about purchasing some sand from them for a 50 gal tank. I want to use a dark colour to show off my rainbows. They have a black sand which he indicated was actually copper slag. Is this appropriate for a freshwater tank. I do not want it to alter the water chemistry at all. The tank inhabitants will be rainbows, bolivian rams, cories & two fancy plecos. Can anyone confirm this is OK. Anyone used it before?