Smokey

Welcome to AA rompergoddess; Yes, we are rumored to be a very excellent source of knowledgable people/!!! lol...who've been there and done that... learn by error/ the best educater around. Actually, most members have a long history in the hobby/ varing types of species/fresh/salt/brackish/extreme hardwater/extreme soft water. It is new members who offer the growth and insight that keeps the site alive/. Smokey

Welcome pengu to AA. It is nice to hear from our northerly residents (I'm only 30 miles from the U.S.border/as the crow flies.). You must have soft water up your way/? Ideal for south americans. I have been through that area, lots of bogs, great ground water, correct me if i am missing something. OH Ya 10 months of winter Lol... where as we only get 9 months! Kidding aside; welcome to one of the most informative sites around. Best in Alberta/ why/ because of it's members. Smokey

OK..OK.. I bow to peer pressure.. I am but a humble fish feeper.

Hello Lionheader: you certainly have come to the right place... This is one of the best sites around, certainlly the top in Alberta, to grow/learn. Ya... dead water/live water!!! Dead (tap) water is for sterlizing stuff. Live (tank) water is, well, alive with bacteria and all kinda good stuff that make fish happy. After all you wouldn't wash your fish under the tap, would ya?? Same with your filter media; wash the bio-media/sponge(s) with water from the tank. If it is an AquaClear filter you have room to run 2 foams in the basket. etc... welcome to Alberta Aquatica smokey

All I can say I did mine first!lol 1992/93 I believe. Although Aquarium Lab looks more complex & detailed (i did my own claculations/ finger by finger). Smokey

G'day SpateD Excel is a very flexiable program. I use excel as the recording sheet for my auarium(s) information. The colums are for the indivdual specfic topics - e.g. pH, KH, GH, temp, wc%, plus anything I think may be usefull (breeding infor, etc...). I can average a coloums numbers to give me an idea as to when or how often a w/c is necessary/ or the percentage amount. The average fry success rate - food/fry //w/xc/no3's ppm/time The rows are the date lines. The nicety of excel; one can add "hidden" notes/information for any given topic. I find it neat, concise versitile program. Have a great day Smokey

G'day my frosty feathered friends:(sweeping off the snowflakes) I must say that this is a timeless articale; perhaps more suited for the dedicated hobbiest(?). Thank you to the Members who have offered insights & updates about the use of ammonia, as a resoure, to start a "clean" new tank. Thank you Neal for mentioning Septo-Bac, another great fishkeepers secreate. HOSStile quote "found Septo-Bac - 8 packets - enough to treat the Atlantic Ocean". Mykiss quote "ooopppsss.... I learnt quick what I was doing wrong. So it goes to say....get the Ammonia AND nitrite test kit when doing this". Qattrra quote "IMO the seeded fishless cycle is the best way to go, my tanks are usually ready for stocking in 1-2 weeks". T DWAG - How do you get your tank up above 85f? I must have cheaped out on heaters. Two alternatives T DWAG; 7teen 250 watt ebowjaggers, or change the C to an F.LOL As i understand Bio-Bacteria like warm aireated water. VERY IMPORTANT ... A large water change (50-70%) should be done before adding any fish to the tank to lower nitrate levels, which can be a pain to bring down later. Smokey in the Canadian Rocky Mountains

T DAWG ... did you cycle your tank with or with out fish? how did it turn out? p.s. reading instructions aren'tnecessary.

Great. Thanks for the advice. A tablespoon is about 15ml, and I put about 5 in tablespoons. I think we are at about 4ppm, but the offical tester says 5ppm. Now to wait for her to go to sleep so I can raid her tank for more gravel... :welcome: T.Dawg n.n ammonia has a higher concentation off NH3 than show brands! To achieve the high amount of NH3/4 is necessar so the N02 bacteria can colanize the media's. Which allows the N03'S to enter the pictuer (tank) ... much sooner than in natural (4 - 6 week time). Water X/C's will now regulate the N03 content in a mature tank. :thumbs:

Yes,water changes do make for a happy aqarium! :welcome:

Hi My early days of heaters failed becaus: 1- the tube was hot when i refilled the tank. 2- the tube was hot when I grabbed it. 3- the floor was harder the the glass tube.(see $3) 4- The Oscar "Did Not" like the flavor off that particular brand!! AM I RIGHT FOLKS. 5- The contact points fused together. 6- The contact points rusted together. 7- The top was not water proof. 8- My Geophagus threw a big rock at it. Actually it did work until the house break went. hahahaha 9- Even after taking the Ebo J apart 3x I still had parts left over??? 10- Add youe own ...... Have a Vent .. I just did. and I feel BETTER Smokey

Add 4- 6 corys, they will liven up the tank. AND add a plant to help conrol those Nitrates! You will be surprised how much No3's plants require. Good Luck Smokey

Ah ha the step-ladder- syndrome! It really never ends. LOL...

Very nice tank setup! The pictures are stunning for such a small package. Any updates on the units progress? Smokey

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