jvision

I'm pretty sure the first one is Hammer coral. I agree with fatpuffer on the rest

The fact they're on stalks makes me question the snail egg theory as well. If you didn't have pics, I would have said it's hydra, but those pics are not hydra. If you touch them, what happens? Give them a squeeze - like ckmullin said. If they're gelatinous, they're snail eggs, if they shrink back when you touch them, they're a type of hydra.

I've ordered Poret Foam from AngelFins and from Spencer Jack - both were around $100 for a 40"x40" sheet, if I remember correctly

I've seen a few guys in town have success w. carbon. I imagine you'd just have to change it more often than just chlorine

No source of carbon is one of the main issues. It's the most important nutrient plants need, but it's often the last thing people provide. Adding CO2 will not only help your plants grow, it'll also reduce/eliminate your battle with algae.

It's in Edmonton water, and I've been using it for 25yrs, breeding many different spp.

Yeah, the doming is the only time my clients have ever lost any fish, but it's usually just a couple. I've seen people use straw inserted vertically in the pond so that it reaches both the water under the ice and the surface - that'll allow for gas exchange even if the pumped water domes over.

This would have been the perfect winter to leave them in... it's hardly been cold at all!

I doubt it'll wreck silicone; once cured silicone is inert.

I've built a few Ponds for people over the years and most of them overwinter their fish in their ponds

With plants... probably 50+ adults. Once your babies get to be around 1/3 size, you might want to start slowly culling your adults... start with the least colorful ones.

Muriatic is a strong acid (vinegar is a weak acid), and will react immediately upon contact until it's completely exhausted. Wear gloves, and do it in a well ventilated area... and don't wear good clothes. It's essentially very strong bleach, and will discolor or even eat a hole in whatever clothing it touches, even if diluted (ie, if it splashes when rinsing it off).

The nice thing about it being a strong acid, is that there will be no residue - it will react until it's completely exhausted. At worst, you'll have slightly acidic water.

Are you fertilizing, do you have CO2? If YES to both, here's how you get rid of it:

1) do a 50% WC, sucking up as much as you can

2) Double dose KNO3 and black out for 4 days

3) after 4 days, do 50% WC, sucking up as much dead crud as possible

4) Double dose KNO3, and make sure your CO2 is at least 20ppm

If you're not adding fertilizer or CO2, you should start... and you can use H2O2 to spot treat it.

www.canadianaquatics.com carries them, too

If you just put the sponge in there, it'll likely take a couple weeks to get full of bacteria.

April 10

Head to a pond supplier, or landscape supply place. The pumps they use for bubbling rocks or small(ish) waterfalls might fit the bill

If misting leaves, you have to dilute the crap out of it - emergent leaves can't handle what the roots can. Think how the submerged leaves have it - it's like diluting the mix you have right now with the entire volume of the tank.

If you're just setting them on the tank, the simply drill out holes in one end-cap for the cords. If you don't like the white color, pick one you do like from Krylon's Fusion paint line. I've painted PVC using it, and the paint holds well... even under water.

A lot of people believe the beneficial bacteria in the tank live in the water, so they think you're taking all the bacteria out... I don't know how many times I've heard someone say that they're going to save all of their water when they move. It makes sense for SW tank people b/c salt water can cost quite a bit to make, but FW is pretty cheap for us in Canada.

The white raingutters are actually pretty good for reflecting light; however, if you want more (all?) of the light being reflected, you can pick up reflectors at any store that sells Sunblasters.

Go get the gutter before it gets cold again, you'll probably have to have the trunk up (does it go thru?), or stick it partially out a rear window... oh, us DIYers... we'll be as foolish as we need to get it done on the cheap!!

I've built quite a few plywood canopies: a simple box w. a piano hinge - make the interior at least 5" high, and you can screw the gutters right in. I like to leave a 2" overhang, so that the canopy covers the trim of the tank... I'll try to remember to take pics when I get home

Discus keepers will do 90% WCs several times per week. I know quite a few breeders who'll do at least 50% twice per week. The reason for all of that WC is to keep waste at a bare minimum; there's also evidence to suggest that larger juvies produce a growth-inhibiting hormone, so the WCs will help ALL of your baby fish have decent growth-rates. I do 50% WC/week because I kept planted tanks for years, using the Estimative Index method of fertilizing, which makes sure you have all required nutrients in excess for the plants - the 50% WC resets the tank each week so that unused nutrients don't overwhelm the tank after a while.

If you're doing REGULAR WCs, I don't think there is a max; however, if you're lazy and only change the water once in a while, it's best not to do huge changes. That could cause the fish to go through a shock; even though you're giving them a nice new, clean environment, the drastic change could be too much for them.

:welcome: back

If it is a 5lb tank, that should last you around 6-8 months on your 55gal... if it's a paintball tank, you're probably looking at a couple months. A 5lb, I would get hydro-tested... a paintball canister I'd upgrade.

I know a guy who has 2 55gal drums in his fishroom that he keeps rainwater in. I believe he aerates it, and will throw a HOT Magnum with carbon on it for a day or so, to remove any possible contaminants (ie. from shingles).

I also know a guy who was one of the first to breed sterbai corys locally. In his frustration to get them to spawn, he did a big WC and threw in about 3 gal of snow (on a 40gal tank)... the shock stunned the fish, and he thought he killed hundreds of dollars (that's what wild sterbais cost back in the day!), but w/in a few hours they were going crazy, laying eggs all over the place!

If it were mine, I'd put some kind of coarse mechanical filter media in where your bioballs are, and fill the middle chamber with biomedia (nylon scrubbies from the dollar store work well)