jvision

I have grown pretty much every plant you can get in Playsand, using the Estimative Index method of fertilizing. Playsand is available at just about any hardware store for about $8/50lb bag. Quickrete brand at Home Depot seems to be the cleanest here in Edmonton. Just make sure to get a bunch of Malaysian Trumpet Snails to keep the substrate turned and aerobic.

What is your lighting like? If it's relatively high, you'll want to start adding ferts - both macro and micronutrients. Look up Estimative Index for a super-easy way to keep your plants healthy, or Method of Controlled Imbalances for a little more involved method.

Finding a precise reading isn't important... as long as there's enough. If you're adding KNO3 and KH2PO4 for fertilizer you're probably adding enough potassium. You'll know if you're deficient if you start to see pinholes in mature leaves. If you need more you can add potassium sulphate

I used to spend a fortune on "Plant substrates"... now, if I want a high CEC under a sword or Crypt, I'll add a few clay balls, but still just use $8/50lbs playsand and Estimative Index fertilizing.

PlaySand... check out my journal threads

I've built a few ponds with wetland filtration, which is what I picture you're wanting to build here - if I understand your plan correctly, you'll have a wetland/aquaponics area in the middle to act as filtration for the system instead of an outside source (like canister, HOB, etc). You'll want the middle section to have some decent flow through the substrate, or you'll end up with anaerobic sludge... not at all what you want for true aquaponics, which relies on high O2 getting to the roots. However, in a wetland, you do use anaerobic activity to denitrify the system (but, that's what the plants are for in the aquaponics system). The easiest way to have flow through the middle would be to lay down some bubble wands and run an air pump... I would set up some kind of shelter (like PVC cut in 1/2 and drill a bunch of holes) for the bubblers or else you'll have to dig up the whole thing when they get clogged. You could also use one of the pumps to flood the middle - pump water to the surface and have it seep down through the substrate - but the challenge may be in making it look good. With the bubbler, you can hide everything easy enough. You'll want to heavily plant that island to cover all of the surface, or you'll eventually have algae covering it... laying down a layer of (Java, flame, Chritmas, etc) moss or Riccia would be a good idea. I would use a porous substrate like 3/4" lava (cheap at landscape suppliers like Burnco or Canar) or Hydroton (expensive at hydroponics stores) - it'll house a TONNE of beneficial bacteria. I don't know anyone who's actually done this... the closest I've seen to this type of concept tank is in zoos/aquariums. I'm curious to see how/if it works!!

Try soaking food in garlic, or Thera+A by New Life Spectrum - that usually gets them eating, and the Gaelic seems to have a bit of an antibiotic agent to it.

NLS Cichlid is great. I tried NorthFin Veggie, but their colors tanked w/in a couple weeks - they loved the stuff, but it ruined their colors. I also ran a can of NLS Algae Max through them, and they gobbled it up and looked awesome! They also LOVE snails... kept the population of MTS and Ramshorns down when I had them... when I moved the Trophs, the snail population took off until the Synos got a bit bigger and now keep them in check.

Get your money back and return the fish.

I'm fairly certain that's duckweed... normally, it's more of a lobe-shaped leaf, but I've seen that show up quite a few times. It loves light and nitrogen... it will spread, and is quite hard to get rid of b/c it can regenerate from a part of a leaf or root. Under it's best conditions, duckweed can double every 4 hours!!!

I think it's a stunted mature female regular BN.

Check out Spencer Jack's list, he usually brings up some good SA fish. He's in Winnipeg, but it's usual pretty easy to get a group order together to split shipping costs... his shipping price is quite reasonable, any way

I've done a lot of biotopes over the years - I tend to focus mainly on fish species, but have also kept tanks with plants specific to the regions as well. Right now, I have a 125gal Tanganyikan cichlid tank - not what I'd call a true biotope, as the tank isn't quite big enough for the true separation of rock-dwellers and open-water fish.

They're a lot like rams. Clean water... they may need RO for the eggs to hatch

Pretty much all of our fish have evolved somewhere where there's light and most of our fish ancestors in the wild have pretty close to a 12hr day. Their circadian rhythm is inherently set to about a 12hr day; however, like us, that can adapt to whatever the day becomes. That all being said, YES, your fish do need at least some daytime. I always use timers on my tanks so that I can be sure they're getting some light during the day... and also some darkness at night (also important) if I forget to turn the light off.

Once water goes through an RO filter, it should have 0 GH, 0 KH and typically has an acidic pH (due to CO2 dissolved in the water). Remineralizing RO water will change all of those parameters, but at least you know what they started from. You'd have to test each parameter to know what it's value would be after remineralizing.

The Geo's look like sp. 'red top Tapajos' From how active all of the fish are, I'd just keep doing what you're doing. Lots of big WCs often does a lot for fish health. Like John said, the Pimafix and Melafix will help w the fungus and will help take care if any secondary infections from previous wounds. A good quality food - maybe w some garlic (Thera+A from NLS) - could help with any gut problems if present, but from this quick look the fish are looking well fed.

Buying diseased fish is a sure way of losing all of your fish.... If they don't look good at the store, you probably should expect them to survive long.

I'd start w. at least 12, but if you have enough rock work and filtration you could probably go up to 30. If you want to add as you go, it's best to add new fish right before lights out and rearrange the decor so that when the lights come on in the morning, everyone is in a new home.

I would start with young fish and more than I think will fit. Keeping them crowded will limit bullying on any one specific fish. Ideally, your gender ratios will be something like 1M/3F. Ps. saulosi seem to be seasonal on lists - sometimes EVERYONE has them, other times it's like they're the most rare mbuna on the planet! If you can't wait, try some of the different zebras (Metriclima spp.) - they'll get to a similar size as the demasoni, too. If you go through my journal, you'll see how I've set up some mbuna tanks. I like to stack rockwork almost all the way to the top of the tank. When stacking, try to set rocks so that they don't shift or rock before adding another on top of it. This will prevent collapse. And put the bottom row right on the bottom of the tank (a layer of eggcrate is often used to keep the rocks off the glass), not on the sand, as your fish will dig.

I think you'll be seeing them on AA soon, as well. Might be on vacation if they didn't respond

I think that's my favorite part of Rainbows! They already look great, but when the male gets that stripe, they look AMAZING!!

Run a dehumidifier hooked up to a drain, or set it up high enough to drain into one of the tanks. That should take care of the humidity problem. I have one in my fish room with RH set for 35%, and it doesn't run continuously in the winter.... barely runs at all in the summer I'm moving my fish room to the garage this fall, and that's my plan in there; however, I won't be using the overhead door at all during the winter.

If you have some rock work some rock dwellers would be nice - Julidochromis, Neolamprologus. You could probably get some young N. leluepi from the same place as your similis. Cyprachromis leptisoma would be a nice mid-water addition. They come in lots of different colors. Synodontis petricola would be a nice add, too.

I had some plecos that were never bred in North America before and I drain 50%+ then fill it back up w. RO right from the tap (just cold) and it didn't hurt them.... I tried several times over the course of a couple years before giving up. Of course, the guy I sold then to had them spawning w/in a few months...