amedublu1

I am replying to my own post with an updated question about these lovely pencil fish. Unfortunately I have had a few fatalities a few months ago that affected only my pencil fish.  The surviving three fish are doing great but I am left with only 1 female and 2 males.  These males torment the lady all the time and I feel bad for her. She is always darting away from one of the boys to hide.

As this is my first tank, I'm curious what you do when your fish school depletes to a number that is not really ideal for the species?  I have thought about stocking up again, but if I don't do that, would you suggest I keep the last few until the very end or re-home to someone with a larger school? Or any other ideas?

Thanks for the info.  I'm in Calgary and chatting with some folks here too to get me on the right track.

Hi all, I have a 30 gal tank I am looking to add a CO2 system to. Note I have fish too. I have a few very newbie type questions to ask for your ideas on, and because I'm not super handy person.

1. So basic but...how do you change out your CO2 bottle?  Meaning...

• Can your tank go a few days without CO2 or should I worry about pH changes killing my fish?
• Do you have a place that will do a same-day refill?
• Do you have two CO2 bottles or can I get away with one?  I was planning on having a 5lb size because that is what will fit in my cabinet but I've read enough forums about problems finding a place that will refill because that size is not worth their time. 

2. At what tank volume/pressure do you get your tank refilled?

3. I have a second hand regulator that is set up for two aquariums.  How should I convert this for use to one aquarium?

• it has two outlets after the solenoid for tubing to attach. I think each outlet has it's own needle valve. 
• It looks like one of the outlets and it's valve could be removed and plugged with a brass fitting, not sure on size of plug or where to buy one. But it looks to be well sealed, tight! I'm worried about doing damage by trying to take it off. 
• Or is it better to keep the regulator set up for two tanks and not mess with the brass connection, and use a hose "tee" to take the CO2 from two outlets down to one hose?  If so, does the tee have to be brass or rated for pressure, or could I use the basic plastic airline type tees found at a pet store?
• Do you have an idea I have not thought of!

Looking forward to reading your ideas. I know I have a lot of questions, but I appreciate any that you can help with.

Hello, I have had my first 30 gal community tank fully stocked for about 6 weeks now.  It has 6 Pristella tetras, 8 Ember tetras and 6 Golden Pencilfish (Nannostomus beckfordi) (2 males, 4 females).  All seem to be doing really well...eating, growing.  The pencilfish are my favourite as they are so interesting to watch as they move around, find hiding places and interact with each other and their environment.

I'm interested to hear your thoughts on what I will call fish fighting behavior, as I have observed the 2 males recently really colour up. They are now posturing and rubbing against each other at all sorts of swimming angles (Youtube if you want to see it). They do their posturing then "fight" for a few seconds and take a break for a bit to chase the females swim around before coming back to do it again. I'm mostly home in the evenings to watch this so not sure how long it happens during the day, and it does stop after the lights go off. I'm wondering if there is ever a point where you separate fish acting this way? 

Note that I am not trying to breed fish at this point, but the pencilfish and pristellas seem ready.

Thanks. Hadn’t thought to use 3M hooks.  Good idea. 

I'm also curious about leaves...are there any leaves from local trees, like poplar, that can be used if dried.

The unit certainly gets hot, by my definition, but without having anything to compare to it is hard to judge.  Cables do not have any warmth in them so that seems to be okay.  Will check with the store or manufacturer just to be sure. Thanks for the tips.

Yes it is a brand new unit.  Thanks for the tips.  I will watch for warm cables and decide if the adapter is too hot.

Hi Everyone,  I have just set up my first aquarium over the weekend and all is good so far, but I am on a big learning curve despite all the research I did before getting started. Looking for some advice on the following:

1.  The power supply box for my light gets really hot when the lights are on their daytime setting.  Is this normal, how hot is too hot?  The unit stays warm, but I would not call it hot, when the lights are in the nighttime mode. I set it up on a brick behind my aquarium stand because I'm a bit worried about the heat.

2. Somewhat related to the above.  Where do you put all those plugs-in and cables?  Do they all hang behind your cabinet or is it safe to bring them inside the cabinet where the canister filter sits and put a power bar inside the cabinet?

These are basic questions but not well answered anywhere I have read.

All your info is much appreciated.  I've quickly learned there is lots to know in this hobby and getting it right the first time makes things much more enjoyable...and that everyone has different ideas. I'll look at trying the root tabs you mentioned for my plants rooted in fine gravel.  And yes, it is very small <2mm. There was good selection at a store in Calgary if you are willing to pay the pet store price.

Can the plants you suggested be planted in a fine gravel substrate or do they need a proper plant substrate/soil? I wasn't planning to use plant growing substrate, maybe I should?

I'm just planning my first aquarium and am mostly interested in plants that will attach to rocks or driftwood.  Other than Anubias and Java moss that I have read about, any other suggestions.

Thanks for the info.  I will be having plants so good to know my water softener may actually help and it's not a cichlid tank.  Will start testing pH as soon as I get everything set up and then make some decisions from there.

Hi everyone, I am just setting up my first tank and have a question that seems really basic but haven't found a good answer in my research.  All the taps in my house have water softened by the system in our basement. The cold water tap in the kitchen is the only unsoften source of water. Does it matter if I use softened water or should I look to use the water as is arrives from the City (SE Calgary).

Hello everyone, I am new to the hobby and just setting up my first aquarium so I will be posting around the forum for some ideas.  30 gal tank, fine gravel substrate, with drift wood and rocks.  Planning to put some live plants that will root on rocks and wood.  Still undecided on fish but thinking some sort of small tetra school and maybe something else. Interested in your ideas.