jvision

It really is a dream job... you'll cry when you find out what I actually do for work

:welcome:

Pygmy chain sword

Have you checked AquaGiant? Ask there. If you want larger pieces, Architecture Clearing House near the old Muni airport has lots

Just buy a submersible mag-drive pump rated for 2000-4000ghp. You could go bigger, but it might push too much water thru the tank.

Pinned Thanks Jay!

None of those plants require the additives you're putting in and likely won't use them w/o added Carbon (CO2 or Excel/Metricide). And like Fishclubgirl says, the color temp is somewhat important. If your kit was meant for FW, then it's probably OK.

At work, I have a couple tanks beside each other - one is a 75gal, the other is a 90 with a 33 sump. The sump has an overflow that I've attached a hose to that leads to the drain. When it's time for WCs, I put that overflow hose into a drain, then drain 1/2 of the 75gal into the sump of the tank beside it. All of that water goes down the drain. Then I get a garden hose from the tap, dose the 75 w. Safe (concentrated powder Prime) and refill the 75; then I dose the 90gal w. Safe and put the hose in the 90. I let it run for about 1/2hr, dosing Safe one more time at about the 15-20 min mark - I figure I end up adding about 80gal in that time, so it works out to be a big WC.

And, in Edmonton, our water is not treated with Chlorine which easily dissipates from the water - we have Chloramine, which is a b*tch to get rid of w/o chemicals. I would definitely pass it through a carbon and paper filter first. I think there is one member here who also injected Prime to their auto WC system.

If you Google "aquarium glass calculator" you'll find a page on garf.org that'll tell you everything you need. Seems 1/4" is good enough for that size tank

https://youtu.be/47mRCbUVksACheck out this guy's system https://youtu.be/47mRCbUVksA

If you're going to be ending up cutting and gluing glass together anyway, why not just get the glass you need for a cube tank from a glass shop, or use old windows from one of the building recycling stores? You do not want a seam in the middle of a tank wall - only in the corners.

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/algae/62516-method-controlled-imbalances-discussion-21.html Start around post 210 and it'll tell you exactly what you're missing/imbalanced in for each type of algae

String aglae is usually caused by a deficiency in CO2 and/or nitrate.

S. petricola are schoolers and prefer lots of company of their own kind. Give the fry some good care and you'll have that taken care of in no time!

Tank - get the biggest you can afford and have space for... we always end up going bigger Filter - an FX6 will blow a 30gallon away! While that's a decent price for the filter, I wouldn't use it on tanks smaller than 90gal - it's just too much IMO. That being said, canister filters are my preferred method of filtering planted tanks. Lighting - If you're going to go high light (and I love Finnex!), then you'll want CO2 BEFORE you get carried away on lighting... more below. Substrate - expensive substrates seem to have made a big come back lately. Back in the early 90s I was all about Flourite and Eco Complete to make sure I could grow plants. Then I read a lot of Tom Barr's experiences and dropped the expensive substrates for ever. I've grown just about everything in plain old PlaySand. I'll add a fert tab near heavy root feeders like swords, Crypts, lotus, etc. Heater - warm the water for the fish you plan to keep, not for the plants - the plants will be fine w/o extra heat. Substrate or inline heaters are great to keep things from site. I've also hidden heaters by using black Aqueon heaters and painting the back black - can only see the heater when the light is on (and that's hidden by turning it to the back!) CO2 - Carbon is the MOST NECESSARY nutrient for plants - it's what they use to build their cell structure. If you're not going CO2, then you'll need to supplement carbon somehow - lots of us use Excel or Metricide 14 (same active ingredient as Excel, except 2x more potent and about 1/3 the cost). The rub with this stuff is that some plants are sensitive to it (Valisneria, Riccia, some mosses), but it's a great algaecide... tho, if your plants are growing and healthy, you won't see much algae. IMO, save yourself the expense of high-priced substrate and invest that money into a pressurized CO2 system. Welding suppliers (Praxair, OxyPro, etc), online and/or LFS will have everything you need (bottle, reg, needle valve... bubble counter, if you like), shop around for best pricing. Plants - keep an eye on this and other aquarium forums, you'll get the best deals from fellow hobbyists. There are many different kinds of mosses available that grow in different ways (ie. Christmas moss grows down in the shape of a Christmas tree, Flame moss grows up in a flame-shape, etc). Do a little research on how you want your trees to look in the end. You missed something.... FERTILIZER - if you want your plants to grow, you'll have to feed them; if you don't, you'll end up growing a lot of algae and getting frustrated. Dry ferts from a hydroponics store/online are the cheapest way to go, but you can get everything you need in bottles at the LFS. I use the Estimative Index method of fertilizing - it's the easiest for me - but, there are many ways to get a lush jungle. Do a little research to figure out what's going to work best for you. Cheers! Driftwood - Check the river valley and woodland parks for driftwood if you're not finding what you want in stores/online. If you don't have a pot big enough to boil it for a few minutes, put it in a big tote and add a tonne of salt and let it soak for a week. If it's dry when you find it, it'll likely soak for a while (sometimes forever). There are a lots of DIY ways to make it sink, so ask around if you're looking for help. Up here in Edmonton, there's someone on a local FB Buy/Sell group selling a tonne of driftwood - maybe there's someone in Calgary doing the same. Check Kijiji, FaceBook, etc. Rocks - hit up the landscape stores (that's where the LFS get their rocks from!). You'll find anything you can think of - slate and granite are great for building walls/hills. If you want more color, use fieldstone. If you have access to Muriatic acid (available at pool supply stores), take a bit along with you and put a few drops on the rocks you're looking at. If it bubbles, the rock will (slowly) dissolve in your tank and increase the hardness of your water. Vinegar works, too, but not as well.

There's a very good chance (assuming she's in with other mbuna) that she was hit hard by another fish and damaged her swimbladder... also may just be a swimbladder infection. I wasn't able to watch the vid, maybe it's set to Private?

At 3/4", those tips on the tail may go away when it gets bigger.

That's a Bristlenose pleco

I agree with ckmullin, if you keep the tank in balance, you don't necessarily get algae. The most important nutrient in CO2; when using DIY CO2, I recommend setting up a 2nd bottle a week or two afterward. You never want CO2 to reach 0ppm, so when one dies, you'll still have CO2 going and can replace it. If you can, get a pressurized system, do so as soon as possible. Your Flourish Excel is liquid CO2, follow the instructions on the bottle to make sure your plants stay healthy. The other macro (most important) nutrients are Nitrogen, Potassium and Phosphorus. If you want healthy plants, you'll have to supplement those nutrients - fishfood is not enough. Micronutrients aren't as necessary, but still important. You can usually find them all mixed together as a trace mix. Add more plants that grow quickly - stem plants like Hygrophilla spp. Rotalla spp. Hydrocotyle spp. etc. rosette plants like sword plants, grasses like Valisnera and Sagittaria in addition to your lotus plants are all good. Lots of healthy plants will keep algae at bay. Once we have a good, healthy system you'll want to up your light schedule to 10-14hrs (12 is great, but changing it during the year can cause plants to flower). Have plants, have fun!!

There's a thread somewhere around this site with a list of aquarium-safe silicons with pics of what the tubes look like. I think ckmullin started it, but I can't seem to find it - I thought I pinned it... maybe my eyes are broken today. I use stuff from Home Hardware that actually says "Safe for Aqauriums" on it and is like $10 for a 3-pak. I've used that stuff on aquarium builds, repairs, ponds, making pleco caves, etc. etc.

Lots of people are breeding Cherry Shrimp - you can usually find a member selling them for $2ea or less. I know of at least a few people around who are/have breeding Celestial Danios as well, tho not nearly as common. Keep an eye on the Buy/Sell threads, or even post what you're looking for.

It's been a while since I've kept plants, but in a small tank like that, I'd go for some corkscrew Val (how tall is the tank?) in the back or sides. You might do well with some bushy stem plants for a back drop. I'd tie some mosses to the "tree" - maybe flame and/or fissidens. Finally, there are a lot of carpet plants that would work. I've always been a fan of Glosso, but really, there are dozens that people on this site use. Keep an eye in the Buy/Sell forum for plants for sale. Update your Profile so people know where you're from.

If you plant it fully, first, you won't have a cycle - the plants will use up all nitrogen given off by shrimp/fish. If you plant first, and let them get a week's head-start, you can probably fully stock the tank right from the get-go... especially, if you're just doing shrimp

I would try calling a plumbing supplier like Wosely, or a Pool company. Clear PVC is installed on many pool filters so they can see how long they need to backwash. The stuff's not cheap, tho.