Blue Ram

The only way to reduce your nitrites is by doing large daily water changes. If you don't, I suspect your fish will not survive with that level of nitrites. They will of course convert to nitrate but it may take too long for the fish to cope in the meantime. What type of filter are you running. I can probably spare a bag of cycled bio media or at least seed a sponge for you. I have to clean a couple of large filters over the weekend so will have lots of media loaded with bacteria.

Don't think you'll find any of these in Calgary. I lucked out a year ago and bought 4 from Nature's Corner in Edmonton. I've never seen them since. My 4 are in a 90 gal with discus.

Did you not quarantined these fish first?? Wild caught fish can bring in all kinds of issues you do not want to expose your other fish to. By quarantining them first, you can treat them and get them eating well before putting them in your display tank.

There are hundreds of species you could keep in a tank this size. Just remember, you will have to add them slowly since 4 danios will not have built up a large enough colony of bacteria for you to stock it all at once. Also, if you go with a tetra species, make sure you buy a "school". Tetras or barbs would certainly look nice in a planted tank. If you buy male & female guppies, you will most likely end up with babies and more babies which eventually you will have to find a home for. You will probably want a small algae eater (ie a bristlenose pleco) and maybe a clean up crew - small school of corydoras.

Have you tried Spencer Jack in Winnipeg or Canadian Aquatics in Vancouver. Either of them may be able to order them in for you with their suppliers. Don't recommend ordering directly from the US. The import certificate and shipping will be very high.

Tropical Fish Hobbyist published two very good articles on the potential demise of this fish in the wild. These articles were in the last two editions of the magazine. Good to see that a ban is finally being put into place.

Thanks for posting. Very sorry to hear about the loss of your beautiful fish.

Does hagen make a prefilter to cover the intake tube? Anyone know? If not, what is the best material to use. I have a aquaclear mini and a 150 that I have to cover the intakes with. I tried covering it yesterday with a piece of very fine fish netting but overnight it reduced the flow to a dangerously low level.

Setting up new 15 or 20 gal tank over the weekend for moss & crystal red & snowball shrimp. I'm planting 3 different mosses - xmas, flame & star. What do you suggest the best light to use. I was thinking the 24" coralife T5 that comes with two lights - one 6700k and one colormax or the Hagen Glo HO T5 with one bulb. If HO - what bulb to use? Would it be too much for this size of tank? Will the mosses benefit much from CO2? If so, I will set up DIY.

I would lower to your temperature to no more than 78-80 degrees. Anything more than this is excessive for rainbows. The temperature may be causing some stress to some of the fish. If your heater is not keeping the temperature consistent at what you set, I would be investing in a new one.

Most likely good to go. Just make sure it is level and the stand is well made.

I'm a big fan of Ken's Tropical Fish Food in the states. There are many varieties to choose from depending on the species of fish you are keeping. The flake food comes in large bags for a very reasonable price. I feed my tropheus and my africans different flake from him and they are thriving. If you need his contact info, send me a PM.

Will be setting up a 15 or 20 gal tank for shrimp & fancy guppies soon. I would also like to plant it. What substrate would be best for the shrimp AND the plants?

Very good photos & nice tank setup. 40+ fish in a 55!!!

Keep in mind that both cories and ottos are schooling fish and will be very unhappy kept singly. A 10 gal is large enough to keep a school of 4 or 5 cories and some ottos with your betta fish.

Does anyone know of a good fancy guppy breeder in Alberta or Canada?? I'm thinking of setting up a couple of 10 gal tanks if I can acquire a very good strain of breeders.

You definitely need to get a nitrite test. All pet or fish stores will carry them. Nitrite is the second stage of cycling a tank so even if you have no ammonia, you may have high nitrite readings which are dangerous as well. If you cannot pick up a test kit right away, I suggest doing a daily water change until you can. Your nitrites should be 0 - no exceptions.

What are your nitrites reading?

There is no benefit to using water from an existing tank. The water itself contains nothing beneficial. Using the gravel and established filter media should cycle the tank as long as it is stocked appropriately.

You can get Target's play sand at Home Depot. It is a very nice clean sand.

The biggest help for "waste control" is water changes & proper feeding. IMO, nothing in a bottle is going to take care of it!

Not sure why you are experiencing odors with regular water changes. You could try running carbon in your filters to see if it eliminates odors. Make sure to replace the carbon on a regular basis.

I've successfully raised 50+ fry from each spawn! Lots of water changes as they grow! Very messy!!

I believe Golds carry these for a good price. Call first.

Even though you are running enough filtration, you have to keep in mind that fish need as much space as you can give them and overcrowding the tank is not always a good idea.