Melody

According to the site it has to be sent to the plant (its a parts & labour thing) and the shipping to and back is the responsibility of the customer. I think I'll write directly to them. J&L has been less than helpful from the point of purchase, including delaying the delivery for a couple of months on 'backorder'. Thanks guys .

Dear Mr. Brown, The tape was ok, then I sealed it with gooey stuff after that didn't work - three times. Then I noticed that it looked like it might be leaking from ... the area above the hose connection, whatever that is. So I sealed the entire thing above it with the gooey stuff too. That looked like it might work, then it started leaking again. Its driving me insane. Even moreso than I already was, which medically speaking, is impossible. I could send it back to the manufacturer, but the thing is up to my... er... armpits in height, so it will cost a fortune, and I have to pay the shipping back too. I thought that by buying one of the most expensive models on the market I'd be alright, but its been a pain since day one. Its huge, awkward and the directions were horrible even for someone who knows what they're doing. I suppose I could get someone from the club in here to look at it, but I only know them from online and I have a blanket 'no internet guests' policy - over-protective Mother U C. They may be able to look at it on the nieghbour's lawn after I throw it there though... Thanks for your efforts .

I have had it up to HERE with this *#$^$$&! UV Sterilizer! It has leaked since I set it up. Unfortunately for me, I didn't set it up for a couple of months so I couldn't take it back. I have tried sealing it with ... stuff, clamps, sealing tape, etc etc etc, and it still leaks. Its a Pentair Lifegard 40W, which set me back almost $250: http://www.jlaquatics.com/phpstore/store_p...uct_ID=uv-pa40w I am such a GIRL, which is frustrating alone . I'm a disgrace to feminists everywhere, perfectly content to yell for a man when these things happen. Problem is, nobody comes running now....lol...so I cry instead - is that pathetic or what? But seriously though, I can't think of anything else to try, so any advice from you handy types would be appreciated. Otherwise I'm going to put a plant on it and call it modern decor... EXPENSIVE modern decor. Thanks!

Freezing them will soften them too - I do both for the non-plant-eating snails. Watch the amount of the vegies high in oxalic acid, such as Spinach. I have never had polution problems, but I do make sure they're removed within 24-48 hours, depending on the vegie. Granted, I have a LOT of vegie-lovers so its almost always eaten right away. Kale is supposed to be horrible for the smell alone, and anything high in phosphates should be avoided. Those plant clips are awesome - I have at least one in every tank, Nemo ones even .

The one and only time I talked to a vet about a fish condition, I only wanted to know if it was bacterial, viral or some obscure parasite. I basically needed him to look at a slide. I swear to God, he GOOGLED IT! He did offer to send it out for me ... can't remember the price but it was well over a hundred dollars. I said "No thanks". He didn't charge me... I guess something about my look said "I dare ya" lol. So my advice is to call and ask for the extent of their experience, if nothing else.

Glad to hear that you're off to a positive start. <Patiently waits for pic's> Got any pic's yet? How 'bout now? :P

I'm so sorry to hear that. Try not to let it discourage you - there are a million reasons these things happen and a very good portion have nothing to do with the keeper.

Paludarium section? Would that cover everybody who inhabits both? Pardon my ignorance. I'm still trying to get over the lack of an aquatic invert section. 'Freshwater Fish' are SO last week. Tanker - you made me say it, I hope you're happy now... definitly one of those fun words, like doily. :smokey:

Ah those hubby people do come in handy on occasion . Awesome job!

Really? Maybe I feed my fish too many vegies so its a preference thing... and they're smallish as a rule. I only had Anubias and Java Moss in with the monstor Silver Dollars that I fish-sat for two months without a prob, but seeing how they ripped into fresh Romaine Lettuce & other vegies, I can see your point. If the Severums seem to do it for the sheer helluvit, then increasing the fresh vegies in the diet won't help by the sounds of things. If you have vegie lovers by nature, I find they'll prefer the tasty vegies we eat over all but the most yummy aquarium plants (like Watersprite). If something is eating a bitter ol' plant like Java Fern, I take it as a craving . The Lab had Java Fern & Anubias in the tank and didn't bother with it - she likes peas . I'll leave it to you Cichlid experts though :bow: , having no experience with the specific ones mentioned myself.

I have found that Java Fern and Anubias work very well with vegie-loving fish. The former doesn't taste good and the latter is too thick - they didn't tell me that but its as logical a reason as any...lol. In a Cichlid tank they do well as it can be tied rather than planted so you don't have uprooting issues. Have fun planning the new occupants!

L202 is another one that goes by the common name, but the pictures I saw didn't have the defined striping on the 'snout', for lack of a better word. Maybe the dot pattern isn't standard though.

If I recall correctly, there's something like three or four Pleco's that have the "False Zebra" common name, so it could very well be something else. Considering how bad I am at ID'ing them, its highly likely even...lol.

I'm not the greatest at ID's, but I wanted this one once and decided it looked most like Hypancistrus sp. L199: http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/speci...?species_id=222 Great shots! Love the Gudgeon colors.

I've got exactly one huge Almond leaf. I'm not familiar with that method, but if one is enough I can chuck a stamp on it and send it over. I have no use for it so there's no sense in you buying some if its enough .

Pfffttt! Like hundreds of Bettas leaves you knowlegable....lol....seriously though, I should specify that my finnage experience is largely with other longfin species/varieties. I only keep female Bettas, so I'm sure you'll do far better for listening to the above gentlemen first.

If its black, its healing ammonia burn. If its white, its probably fungal. If it has red streaks, its probably bacterial finrot. Fins will usually recover with some TLC, but I'd keep the conditions extra clean until they do. They may not return to their former glory as mentioned above, but they'll be healthy. A bit of aquarium salt will speed things along and keep the bateria levels down, but if he doesn't seem to be suffering I'd stick to just keeping things clean. Lucky fishie! Nice work Tammy.

What, and leave me with nothing to do but the work I'm supposed to be doing in the wee hours? Perish the thought .

That would be refreshing - parental care rather than protecting them from being eaten by dear ol' Mom all the time....lol. I think the worse that I've ever owned are the B. Holdridgei. I'm telling you those things will birth it and turn right around & eat it. They don't just eat fry, they hunt them. I found some babies at the right time once but it was late so I just grabbed a breeding trap and put them in there for the night. It was one of those floating ones that is a good space above the water. I found an adult in the trap in the morning with no fry to be seen. Granted, I had a Platy do that once too but they're just piglets. I lectured them both but I don't think they listened :mad: . Now I just keep the Plumetails & some Hifins in the Platy category.. They do have a certain charm, so don't be too hard on the wife .

You just need some floaters - they favour the top of the tank for feeding and rumour has it that they dart to the surface at birth to inflate their swim bladder. Some say they do, some say they don't. If there are tall and/or floating plants, the brooding female will also favour them as a place to give birth, which further protects the newborns as they drop & straighten out. I find that once the initial birthing frenzy is over, the adults pretty much leave them be. The Goodeids have the good sense to stay hidden farther down, but most of the common Livebearers head straight to the surface at feeding time, whether there's cover there or not. Not the most intelligent instinct in captive situations, I agree....lol.

Should have a high fry survival rate in that one!

Just this one .

This site explains it much better than I could: http://thegab.org/Articles/SedateFinquelCloveOil.html Good luck!

I like how this community works that way - lots of back-scratching but hey, scratch me back when the opportunity arrises, no worries. We panic when we consider the Goldfish and how messy/large they can be, but small ones are just fine in smaller tanks with diligent maintenance, in my limited experience and from what I'm told. You just have to be prepared for where the commitment might take you, or find someone who can accomodate them. Either way, they're better off where they are I'm sure. I managed to maintain a 10G tank, overstocked by several inches of Goldfish in my early days, until I unloaded them in the Spring. It wasn't ideal and I wouldn't recommend it, but they were very healthy, if not ultimately happy, fish - spawning at a very early age even. Spoiled creatures. Lotsa filter/waterchanges & an airstone. They would have suffered eventually of course, but they did well in the temporary quarters for the time they had to be there. So pat yourself on the back for giving them a better life, even if its temporary. :thumbs:

Any hatch-rate above zero is a success - the rest depends on too many variables to even nail with any certainty... several of which have to do with divine entities and who are we to argue with that? Ya done did good. Best of luck with them!