blink

Oh my... all of those fish are stunning, I don't even want to ask how much the red lazers go for locally because no matter the number I still might be tempted.

I have a couple fluval 206s that have never given me any trouble, a used ehiem 2215 that was nothing but trouble and a Rena xp3 that seems ok but is brand new to me. Most any filter from those 3 brands is going to give you years of trouble free service unless you get one of the rare lemons, then you get to test out the warranty

The big question.... Do you mind telling us how much?

Marineland double bright if you can find one used for cheap Current USA satellite+ Never used the finnex yet but based on what the internet tells me the ray2 will need co2 or very careful management to keep algae at bay so the fugeray may be a better choice

This is a good option, they are cheap enough and small but there is absolutely nothing wrong with ceramic discs. I'm using the same diffuser that came in your fluval kit and none of my bubbles reach the surface because I have my filter return blowing over the diffuser which blasts the CO2 all over the tank quite nicely. You can also put the diffuser underneath your filter intake or under a powerhead as has been mentioned.

JL Aquatics or Angelfins or Pets and Ponds

Just buy off ebay? If you've been driving around looking you've probably already spend $16 in gas.

Get a Maxi-jet 1200, the new ones that can be used as a powerhead or utility pump. Set it up as utility pump and get some hose that fits on the end and hose clamp it on there, drain to sink or outside. I have yet to use a python that can drain 300 gph reliably, mine sure can't. I do use a python to fill though, I just really prefer the maxi for drains.

Sooo, long time no update and it's time for a big one. This tank has been taken down and replaced with a Fluval Studio 600. I loved the little cube but I didn't have the floor space for some of the plants I wanted and it was always cramped looking so even though the new tank is still 18" deep it's a full 18" without the overflow compartment in the way and it's 24" wide which really freed up a lot of space. I also found the filtration was never really what I'd call good in the cube, the water always seemed dirty and even daily changes of the filter pads would leave them black by the next day. Cutting back feeding right to the point that I'd feed a couple kibbles at a time and make sure the fish ate them all before tossing in more and vacuuming the substrate didn't help so I figure I'll give the Studio a try... Expect a new Journal tomorrow and this one will probably become a nano reef soon.

The hydroponics store on Fort Road is indeed still there and they DO sell Sunblaster brand T5HO bulbs, I think they were $7 last time I bought some. I can't remember the store's name but I seem to recall they're open till 6pm most days.

Petland overcharged compared to the other sources for Aquaflora, but they also overcharge on most everything else, perhaps that was part of the problem.

A heavy dose of excel or glut will kill BGA quite well. Since the tank is empty already it's easy. Get a small powerhead or a fluval internal filter (remove media), cover the tank with a garbage bag, fill with clean water and give a huge dose of excel then turn on in filter/powerhead and cover the tank. Let it run for a day, add more excel, let it run for a day and so on... I did it for two days when I was cleaning out a 27 gallon and it killed off all the BGA and BBA like a boss.

Proper dose of Prime is 2 drops per gallon, so 1 drop into a liter or however much you use for a water change is a pretty heavy dose. I'd cut back on the Prime and monitor, if it still happens it's not the prime but it probably wouldn't hurt to keep them on the lower dose. And guppygirl, wth? Half a cap is about 2.5mL which is 50 drops. You should really cut it back to something close to the recommended dose and if the water is so bad it needs more, dose again in 24 hours.

I only seem to get snails lol

Go to Red Coral on Fort Road and talk to Steve, he's good stuff and will steer you right. Also, check on Canreef for tank shutdowns, you can get smoking deals on live rock, livestock and equipment. I'm going to jump right in here with both feet and disagree with pretty much everyone and tell you not to get dead/dry rock, at least for not the overwhelming majority of your rock. Live rock helps establish a tank and establish it FAST. You don't want to use that as an excuse to start stuffing it full of livestock but the faster you can get a tank established the sooner you can start learning how to keep it stable and maintain it properly. Trying to learn how to maintain a tank when it's growing in and changing daily is a real pain in the arse IMHO. If you were talking about a 120 gallon, sure, get dry rock because who can afford 100+ lbs of liverock at $10/lb for a starter but on a 25 gallon you can get enough live rock from a shutdown to jam that tank full for maybe $100. $100 to jumpstart right into a stable tank is more than worth it in saving yourself the frustration and boredom.

Imo a 55 isn't going to be big enough for overflow in case of a power outage but depending how you set up your overflow in the tank you may be able to get it to work. For a 240 I'd go with at least a 90 gallon sump. For setup, I'd look at two 8" diameter socks, plenty of biomedia in tge second chamber with good baffles that force the water through it, imo most freshwater sumps have too much bypass but I'm picky about making sure the water flow makes the most of my media. Heaters in the third chamber along with CO2 if you are using it then a bottom pass baffle into your fourth/return chamber to maximize capacity.

I like the first layout with stones and no wood but I'm not sure about the bridges. To me they look ok, but artificial.

I've been looking at brilliant rasboras for my 90 gallon, I'd like to add some fish which will complement my rainbows and I think these would look great but all the fish profiles I read suggest they might not be well suited to Edmonton's water, seeing as they come from an area with soft, acidic water. Does anyone here keep them or have experience keeping them?

Duplicate

I wouldn't worry about paying extra for aluminum at Oxypro, I bought a green painted steel tank and on my first fill the service guy asked if I wanted an aluminum one instead so of course I took him up on the offer.

Having called pretty much every welding gas supply house in town (and a brother who works at one of them) I found the best price at Oxypro, plus it was just up the road from work so I can stop on the way home. $126 filled for a 5LB and they do exchange filling. That being said, if I bought another in the future I'd probably buy one from JL Aquatics (great people and great prices) because they're around $100 and as long as you are buying $100 worth of stuff you get free shipping. The 5LB is $90 and the 10LB is $130, if you add a fill for $19-25 your still coming in a bit cheaper than local places and you own the cylinder and it's brand new.

Sunblaster brand at hydroponics shop will set you back about $45 for a 36" two bulb t5ho last time I looked

To figure out wattage for the LEDs in the strip you are looking at just count how many emitters are in a 50cm length then divide 3.6 by that number, will give you watts per emitter. Just a rough guide, anything below 1w/emitter is going to have a hard time penetrating much deeper than about 12-16" of water, that is about the same power as the Marineland DoubleBright lights which do work ok on shallow tanks but are pretty useless once the tank gets deeper. (plus they have issues with spotlighting and other problems, but that's beside the point) Even though I think the only way a flexible LED strip light will create high light in a 65 gallon is if lightning hits it, I'm not going to tell you not to do it because sometimes you just gotta experiment. But I wouldn't bother using the LED string for an aquarium when a Finnex Ray2 will do the job for you with proven results. Granted, the Ray2 will run you somewhere between $150-200, but it's also going to give you reliable, consistent and predictable high light right out of the box. Or you could pick up a used T5HO fixture for way less, go get some nice new bulbs from a hydroponics shop for about $6/each (vs. the $20-30/each at a LFS) and not worry about the rather negligible cost of changing the bulbs once a year.

People have tried this before and unless you are using a much higher power product than everyone else the consensus seems to be that its only good for providing accent lighting.

Paintball action games, I think is the name. 4804-90 ave