jvision

It's funny; the leleupi have been in there for a month and haven't had much interest in the shell field, but with the ocellatus interested and frisky, these two leleupi figure they need to get in there too

Livestock is coming along. Just aquire some Gold L.ocellatus today. Already displaying to each other... a couple of my leleupi are jealous and decided they're shell-dwellers too!

The dominant ocellatus is squaring off with a male leleupi

I have found that dosing at or below the recommended dosage seems to be OK for Val, but anything over will kill them. If they're still alive and putting out new growth, you may be OK.

I usually get them from AngelFins.com or CanadianAquatics.com... keep an eye out for group orders, you can usually get free shipping.

Maybe I should stick some of my holdbacks up for sale to give people a chance before the ban takes effect . I'm assuming that any that are/were purchased before the ban will be grandfathered in .

I've read a few places that there will be no grandfathering....

Is this the same Lukan as Canada Plecos?

:welcome:

Here's a link on the Method of Controlled Imbalances (MCI) - http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/algae/62516-method-controlled-imbalances-discussion-21.html

Start reading at post #210 and you'll get a good idea of how to control most algae situations.

It looks like what's sometimes refered to "Dust Algae", which I've read is a result of an imbalance between Ca/Mg and PO4. Is there a reason why you're using RO - are you on an acreage? If you're in the city, I'd just stick w. tap water (treated w. Prime, of course) and add your Macro and Micro ferts. Skip the fiddling w. GH, KH etc. Just measure you're KH out of the tap, and adjust your controller so that you'll get around 30ppm CO2 on the CO2 chart... or get a drop-checker, and adjust your controller to it.

I've never used the 2073, but I find that most of those top-enter-top pump cansiters are all pretty much the same. Is there any air anywhere in the intake hose? That'll cause an airlock. Sometimes I give a suck on the output hose to get things going... your tank water is clean, right?

If it's a pretty light shrimp pop'n, you should be fine. If there's a chance someone can pop in once while you're away to add just the tiniest amount of food, that might be better. The worst I could see happening is the shrimp strip the moss and/or pothos root-hairs.

Check www.cichlaholic.com or www.canadianaquatics.com - those guys get them in from time to time, and will be a bit less than the $400 or so in the stores.

They're illegal to collect from the wild, so when you do see wild caught specimens they're usually $250+. Tank raised tend to go for $100-150 at about 1"

Go to Wal Mart and get a cheap desk lamp, and buy a curly fluorescent "Daylight" bulb in the wattage you're looking for. Done & done.

Most South/Central American cichlids leave plants alone, but they dig... African Cichlids tend to be much more herbivorous and will eat most plants.

If you're going with a SA/CA cichlid tank, get a few centerpiece plants going in pots (you can burry the pots to hide them if you want to hid them) - sword plants are great for this. Also, if you're going to have driftwood in the tank, attach some Anubias and Java fern to it - they'll do great!

If you're doing Africans (Rift Lake), I've had success with the Java fern and Anubias jammed into rock crevices and driftwood. Valisneria could work, if you get it going before the fish are added.

I've made plenty out of left over tile - just cut them to size and stick 'em together with silicon. My BNs seem to prefer a triangular tile cave to all of the 'professionally made' caves I have.

When you do 50% weekly WCS, there's no such thing at too hard water. I'd prefer all Tiger Val, so when I find some, I'll completely replace it all. If I would have been at the auction, I'm sure I would have made a few people disappointed when I over paid for a bag.

They're Paracyp.nigripinis. I bought them from Spencer. I just bought some Cyp.leptisoma "Mobo" from him - there areally a couple males in the group, at least. Can't wait for those to color up!

I sold off all of my Tropheus and started a Tanganyikan Community - a mix of Tanganyikan cichlids, some Syno. petricola and my L139 breeding group (there were already a couple of their kids in the tank).

Here's the new scape:

FTS left

FTS right

Alto. compressiceps checking out a new cave

Some N. leleupi and S. petricola checking out the back caverns

Cyps, Paracyps can comps. chillin in the shell garden - hoping to find some blue-stripe ocellatus for the shells

Raising quality fry requires lots of quality food, which creates a lot of waste. If you're not doing regular large water changes, it doesn't take long for the water to become toxic. I know some breeders doing 50% WCs every other day.

Could that be the problem?

This tank is now for sale - check out my ad in the Buy/Sell Forum

I too have used Hydor on the output line of canisters.

Sounds like a great start! Have plants, have fun!!

EI = Estimative Index

For some reason, my copy/paste function on my browser won't work, so check out the "Fertilizer Dosing" thread in the Planted Tank forum.

If anyone from Edmonton is heading down and can bring a bag back from Harold for me, please PM me.

Thanks!

If the leak is small enough for just air to get in, but not big enough for water to leak out you won't know by seeing it - just by the sound.