algae farmer

Fantastic Pics. What kind of equipment did you use to take these photos? camera type and settings lens and settings lighting used and placement of same. Ring flash? I've got an L46 sitting on eggs and would like to document the process. Since this is the first time time I've had any success with this species, I would want to proceed with caution and not disturb him if at all possible. Would you have any suggestions in doing this? Thanks again for sharing the pics and it has been some time since I saw Dons fish room and it is a dream setup. Paul S

At 2 w/gal of light without CO2, they are approaching a fine line of trying to balance the tank. I would suggest that they cut their light down to 1w/gal after they do their blackout proceedure as jvision suggested. I myself haven't had much luck in using ammonia. The few times that I experimented with it I always had algae issues. Use ferts. sparingly in any new setup. Once the plants are acclimated and have started to establish themselves (4 weeks) they can SLOWLY increase the ferts. Since they are new to the hobby the biggest hurdle the will have to overcome is to be patient. Also advise them to stock their tank lightly with fish at the start. take care PS

Clean the inside corners, make sure that there is no oily film left. Use GE1200 or similar silicone and seal the corners well. I've done 50 year old aquariums that had the gray puddy used as a sealant and I was able to get them water tight. Good luck PS

Here is a link to the type of bin that works well for me. http://www.klickitatcounty.org/SolidWaste/.../OscrJunior.pdf enjoy PS

I use 2- 15gal rubbermaid containers one set inside the other. The top container contains the worms and bedding, which is also vented on the top lid and has 1/8" holes drilled in the bottom. The Bottom container which catches the excess fluid has 1/4" vent holes drilled on the sides about 5" up. For bedding I only use newspaper and bury the vegi scraps in it. With this setup you never have to worry about excess moisture. Coffee grinds seems to be one of their best foods, paper filter and all. The bottom container usually has to be emptied every 3 months or so. When you see that the newspaper has been almost totally consumed, just shred some more and put it in dry on top of the culture. I've had this worm ranch going for 4 years without any problems whatsoever. take care

I buy my ferts in 50 lb. bags. Seems to last a life time, but then again I'm running 300 + gal. of planted tanks and I go through a lot. Especially KNO3. You could do a group purchase and then split the order. Check Appache Seeds for pricing and availability. take care. PS

Carbon cartridge for main incoming water from city. I use a very low flow when filling my barrels for make-up water. For extra insurance, one could place two in series just to be on the safe side. take care PS

Congrats. What you should get is a proper cave that you can either build yourself out of tile or get a clay one at Aquarium Enthusiasts. This will allow you to observe the fish better and you will note that the male has a distinct fanning action when he is on the eggs as compared to when he is just resting in there. When the eggs start hatching, that would be the best time to separate the male from his fry if they are in a community tank. The fry can be easily reared in a small container or tank without too much difficulty. enjoy and welcome to the catfish world. PS

Unplug the power to the light fixture and proceed to check ALL connections to see if any wiring is loose. Pay special attention to the socket where the lamp plugs into. When you hear that crackling sound, It is usually caused by a make and break in the circuit. The factory connection is usually a compression type connector and if the wires are not inserted or compressed properly that could also be a source of your problem. Take care PS

Consider boiled carrots, spinnach and lettuce leaves, raw potatoe peels. Also place some aquarium aged wood in their growout tank. Once a week newly hatched brine shrimp seems to be of some benefit. enjoy PS

I've got 10 (L177)of them in a 75 gal tank and as far as eating zuchinni, mine have a preference for the peel only. Make sure that you have some wood for him to chew on. It seems to help with digestion. enjoy PS

Beachcomber in Edmonton was the place I got some last year. I switched to a magnum 350 cartridge filter in conjunction with the DE and works like a charm, easy to clean and recharge. FWIW the Vortex system is nothing but a PITA but I guess it was ok in its day, about 40 years ago.

1. Seems that the solenoid is not shutting off the flow completely. But at 1 bubble/5sec. is not a problem. 2. Your ph swing seems rather large. I run my CO2 the same as yours and I get somwhere between .3 and .4 diff. 3. How much surface agitation do you have, if any? This could acount for the large ph swing. 4. Running your CO2 for longer than the photoperiod is just a waste of CO2

In a fully planted tank (80 gal.) your fry will have lots of food available to them. Unless of course there are other fish that would consider them a snack. They do not require any special treatment as far as feeding etc. If you feed them veggies a couple of times a week they will definately apreciate that along with the odd feeding of mysis or brine shrimp (go easy on the meaty stuff). Once they are 2 weeks and older they have a good survival rate, and you will see them actively feeding 24/7. good luck and enjoy. PS

By injecting CO2 you have increased the nutrient uptake of your plants, and in all probability you are running low on one or more nutrients. You can test for which one it is or use Tom Barr's EI method to bring the tank in balance again. One thing to remember with CO2 is that to keep it at a steady 30 ppm+. I have one tank right now (100gal) That is getting 5+ bubbles/sec ph is 6.0 This tank is about as good as it gets for growth and lack of algae (darn it). enjoy