Vanterax

I agree with the above. Get an injected CO2 setup with a solenoid on a timer. DIY CO2 rigs keep producing even when the lights are out which is a waste. Overtime, a CO2 tank will cost you less and will be much more reliable. There's a fire safety store in NE Calgary (close to McKnight and Deerfoot) that I go to for refills and hydrotests. They are very helpful and inexpensive.

On my smaller tank, I bought a 24oz CO2 paintball tank and use an Aquatek regulator I got for cheap on eBay. Works very well. Lasts for about 5 months and costs $8 per refills. Purchased and refilled at any Canadian Tire.

What is a good easy plant to start with as I have never used real plants before and just moved up to a 55 gal tank now

I started with an Anubias on a piece of drift wood. Very hardy with low light requirement. Very difficult to fail with it. As it grows, it is easy to propagate. I started with one in November 2012 and now I have four. Very soon, I'll have to prune and compost. Got no more room to expand it.

I see you're from Edmonton... Could this be at the root of the issue?

http://albertaaquatica.com/index.php?showtopic=38752

I received the same invite by email today so it's real.

I had that happened once to a Gourami. Then one day, I moved the chair next to the aquarium to vacuum and there she was. She jumped out of the tank through the only small hole she could (I have a glass top with two small openings at each side for water lines) and went to die under the chair.

Could be a radican sword???

I googled it and I think that's it. Echinodorus cordifolius. Thanks!!

Got it 3 weeks ago and it's grown a few new leaves since. You can see a big green one top-left. It's growing surprisingly fast. The brown leaf you see bottom-right is from the store.

Can you identify this plant? Bought it 3 weeks ago and I can't remember for the life of me what it is. Oh and don't mind the mangled leaf. That's how it came from Big Al's (I don't know what they did to it)

Thanks!

Are you using those LEDs just for the sake of lighting up the aquarium? Or do they rate well for plants?

I'm still learning here and I thought a specific wavelength and lumen for light is targeted for the content of your aquarium. Do those LEDs fulfill the requirements?

After running my Fluval 306 for 3 months with the goose-neck nozzle, I decided to make a spraybar out of the spare PVC I have in the garage. However, all I have is the standard cement glue and I'm not sure if it is aquarium safe.

What is a safe glue to use along with PVC?

Thanks everyone for the good info! It is completely clear now.

I've seen bulbs rated in wavelength or color temperature. Never both.

I was thinking of getting two Coralife Colormax (350-750nm) and it seems to be a good choice based on the chart above. Then again Coralife also has 6700K "plant lamp" bulbs for the same price. Are they both roughly the same?

I'm a bit new to this so be gentle with me... please...

I received a new light fixture that came with 4 T5HO bulbs. 2 10000K and 2 Actinic bulbs. Sounds to be like this setup is more for a reef tank than a freshwater tank. Although I like the blue glow of the actinic bulbs, will fresh water plants benefit from those lights in any way? Also, is 10000K the right temperature for fresh water plants? I did some reading and the consensus seems to be that the 6700K range is preferred.

I'm trying to figure out if I should be replacing those bulbs. My tank is 46g bow front.

There is a product out there with good reviews called "No More Algae". I looked at the label and they say to not use where there are live plants. They will die. That pretty much kept me away from any chemical treatments. Read the label of the product before you buy.

I've had this heater on two aquariums. Fully submerged for 3 years. No a single problem. It keeps the water at the set temperature on the dial.

I have a 3rd Elite Heater that I use occasionally in a tub to do my wine making and keep the juice at a specific temperature for fermenting. Fully submerged too.

An update. I found Orion Safety (http://www.orionsafety.ca) very close to Pisces Pet Emporium that do refills and hydro testing. Very close to my work too so I guess it'll do.

The place is called Leisure Dive. Called them up and they don't do CO2.

Where the "Grape Experience" wine making store used to be? I'll go check it out! Thanks!!

I have my sight on a 5lb tank with regulator, solenoid, etc... But I'm wondering where in Airdrie someone can get a refill. I don't want to have to travel to Calgary everytime. Canadian Tire next to the Superstore only refills paintball tanks.

There must be someone on this forum from Airdrie who has figured it out. So share the secret!

I noticed is your Java Fern's rhizome( the thick lumpy bit ) the leaves are growing out of shouldn't be planted in the gravel

That's why I love this forum. I should've googled about the java fern first so Mea Culpa. It came in two rhizomes. So this morning, I attached one to the rock using white sowing thread and I gently wedged the other between two driftwoods. When I purchased it at Big Al's, they ripped a leaf off which hasn't died yet so I'll let it float to see if it will develop into anything.

My two anubias are producing new leaves so at least I'm doing that right...

Thanks for the tip. I promise to google better next time.

I feel bad posting mine in the middle of everyone's awesome looking tanks. I'm new to the hobby and even newer to plants. I started this the wrong way with a fancy shell and treasure chest that open up from an air pump. Shell is gone now and the chest is about to go soon.

The tank has:

Fish:

3 black tetras.

2 diamond tetras.

2 mollies

2 panda cories

1 suckermouth catfish

1 opaline gourami

Plants:

1 Java Fern

2 Anubius

Java moss tied this weekend on the tree-like driftwood

There's more embarrassing fake stuff that will be replaced over time. As I said, I started this all wrong.

You can see two thingies at the water surface. They're LED spotlights shining down in the evening after 8hrs of bright light just to give a nice glow.

I was just at Big Al's today... Didn't know Franco's was across the street. I'll make sure to check it out next time.

I wonder if a Python is enough to do a water change on that one....

i had the same issues with a few of my digital timers where they seem to forget what to do when a trigger time occurs. And it's not just for my tank. I got so tired of their unreliability over time and I reverted to the mechanical ones. Same goes for my Christmas lights.

I also started with a 10g. Once you get the sting and your mind start going wild with ideas, you quickly regret starting so small. Moved to a 46g bow front and I'm loving it! It is such a beautiful decoration on our main floor. And if you're into gardening, the waste fresh water from the tank will give you tremendous results.

I have to stop myself at 46g, though. I can easily go too far.