a1foxes

What's a girl? We come with extra hardware -roll- or software, depending on how you look at it

Small, though...even for 2 small retics....and I would consider motos for a first ray. Thats what I'm planning on, some small motoros. I'll get a bigger tank after I move this spring.

I keep them within an inch or two of the top at worst

The tank is 60x18x16, about 75 gallons. I thought about 2 AC 110's, is that too much? I'm not a fan of canisters, at least with 2 AC's I can put one on either end of the tank. Are powerheads ok or not?

As good as the AC's are, the need to prime them every time there is a blip in the power supply is starting to really get to me.....My eheim HOB's are no problem, but geez I had to prime about 75% of mine after my space heater blew the breaker..... Is this a common problem? I like the Eheims, but I like the AC's cause I can tinker with the media how I see fit. How long can they run without priming before the motors blow? I've got a 150 with that prob already.

Malachite green or copper are for more lethal than salt, and ich itself can be very lethal especially with catfish /bottom feeders. In general salt and heat are the safest, I've never heard of plecos or catfish having problems with salt.

not a bad start for my first ray tank then....I need to know that for the filtration and heating issues! I'm even considering moving some things around and putting it upstairs, cause the things are so amusing to watch. I'll take out my tape measure and see what works...with that size, there is 1 spot for it downstairs, just in case....

I'm really really bad at the math concepts around figuring out gallonage using measurements so I'm hoping someone can help me out! 60"l x18"w x16"h

All I've read says to build up to 5 tsp per gallon over a few days, and keep there for 10-12 days, along with temps around 88

A fishroom to a fishnut is like a garage to a mechanic- a necessity. Most of us who have fishrooms do have decorative tanks elsewhere as well. However, if you have alot of tanks, that is not practical- think about the complications with water changes alone. Alot of us breed, and the fish really don't take it as well if they are put in a really busy area. I would love to put a chair in my fishroom if I had the space, but now I just wander around peer into tanks etc. My community tanks upstairs I will sit on the couch for hours and watch. The benefits to a fishroom- everything is in one place, not scattered around.

try burnco, look for virginian slate- its awesome stuff. very dark, no iron or other minerals in it, tends to be thinner than some other stuff so its nicer to work with. thats where I get mine!

I KNOW I'm getting some rays...just a question of exactly how soon. I've got my eyes on some, but I'm waiting to get paid first!

Been there done that. I've been doing water runs almost daily for 5 months!

Ya I know, it costs me either way- I either pay more with some extra hassle to set up extra heating, or just leave things as they are.

I've thought about the room heating, problem for me is, that this is an old house and the basement- where the fish are, is the coldest part of the house. There are a couple of roof vents, and thats where I keep the bettas so they stay warm. The furnace room itself stays warm so more bettas live in there. I cant up the heat down there without doing it to the rest of the house. Being older, it already costs a fortune to keep it at 76-77. Because of the tanks, the fishroom sits at more like 80, but I've found that I cant get the tank temps up past 72 without heaters. Heating is going to cost me either way, but I think there may be less wasted heat by keeping heaters in the tanks as opposed to heating the otherwise cool, and not well insulated room. So that still leaves me with the electrical issues. What I really need is for someone who knows what they are doing to at least come take a look and see if anything can be done with the breaker box that is there now. I'm not willing to replace it, I will have to move in June so there is no point in spending alot of money.

would a really fine gravel work?I have some, just wasnt sure what their preferences were. Most I've seen use sand

Ok, no brainer on the sand part, but yikes the different types of sand! I have some onyx sand, and some Seachem meridian aragonite. are either of these ok? if both, can they be mixed?

I have 3 of them in a 55 gall community tank. I have had no problems with them at all. If there is any 'fighting' it is usually amongst their own species. They like to hide, so if you have hollow ornaments, be careful taking them out of the tank when you clean- chances are you will find a fish in there! Good burrowers too. I've had mine probably 6 months now, I have no issues with them at all. I find them rather amusing actually.

giant plakats actually is what they call them- I do have a few here for sale, pm me if interested.

Actually I know someone personally, who has bred wolf hybrids for years. He started out with a husky/shepherd cross female, had it bred to a timberwolf(captive one), and the offspring were again bred back to a timberwolf. Most of his animals are 3/4 to 7/8 wolf now. I would never own one, and I really don't see the practicality, but its not new to peoples in northern climates who have used sled dogs for centuries. Most of them are bigger and stronger than most domestic dogs, however, much harder to handle also. Lets just say, I wouldnt want to leave ANY kid alone with even one of those hybrids, never mind have one living in the same house as kids. He has grandkids that visit, but he's smart enough to know not to leave them alone with the kids. Its the idiots who just get them without fully understanding what they are, the novelty I guess...

I think alot of what I am reading is some confusion around terms and definitions. I'm not going to look in a dictionary cause I don't have one handy, but, the term crossbred is used typically where you are breeding to animals of the same species, just different breeds within that species. Dogs, horses, etc- happens all the time. I must say breeding labs with poodles seem really stupid considering the difference in structure and traits, but there are alot of people who can't think about the long term health implications of their 'experiement'. Hybridization is used similarly to crossbreeding- generally refers to breeding of 2 animals within the same genus, as already stated nature does it all the time. Its when you take 2 different species that might not procreate on their own, and 'make' a whole new species, that I do start to wonder, and thats what people often worry about. They think, if its fish now, what will it be later- people and chimps? An example, wolfs, dog, coyotes etc are all the same genus, just different sub-species. Wolfs and dogs are close enough genetically that it happens naturally, but it's human intervention that typically keeps the offspring alive. Coyote and dogs can breed, but its not desirable to us or to nature, so they tend to die off. The average person doesnt think about chromosonal differences. People think all rabbits are the same and can be bred together- BIG myth. Domestic rabbits today are an entirely different genus than north american wild rabbits and jackrabbits, they are chromosonally incompatible and while many have tried nothing, even scientifically, has been successful. There are breeds of domestic rabbit that resemble these other species, perhaps the source of the confusion? When we talk about fish, I admit I'm not as well versed there as I am with mammals in general, but the basic things like chromosones remain. Species like cichlids, some will breed with others than their own, and a hybrid is created. Its not so bad when it works well, but not so nice things can happen as well. As long as we are not introducing them back into the ecosystem, then the impact is limited to our aquariums. Yep, its an ethics thing, and that comes down to personal beliefs and comfort levels. One theory I've heard, is that if the 'hybrids' are not sterile and will breed amongst themselves once created, then chromosonally it works so why not? Any ' new' species/hybrid that is sterile, well, personally that to me means incompatible so I wouldnt do it. Thats just my opinion, and I certainly wouldnt tell someone else that having them was wrong. Just doesnt work for me! Its fine to explain to someone why you don't agree, but let them make their own decision.

Sorry for being so long winded, it's just such a complex subject, that in all honesty, can't be summed up in one sentence. As many of you know, I keep alot of different fish. I still wouldn't try to cross species, however, I do breed halfmoon bettas to other halfmoon bettas of different color varieties. Guppies, well, i don't mess with them, a strain is a strain and I wont mix it with something else. I know others do, thats their thing not mine. Lets face it, if a person were to condemn fish that are not wild, from their tanks, then your variety goes down, but stays pure. If thats what you desire, go for it! No one here is going to argue with that, thats a personal choice. Takes some strong beliefs to pull it off, and I'd congratulate it. kudos really!I'll do what i can, and see where things take me, who knows what may change? I've spent SOOO many years batting PETA- yes our worst enemies it seems. their 'members' still eat meat, they still wear leather and silk and wool- animal products. Down filled jackets, leather shoes belts wallets etc. . They have nothing better to do than argue and condemn people for their beliefs,because we don't buy into their crap. They are all responsible for acts against some animals and various parts through their lives, whether they admit it or not. I don't mean to compare anyone here to them, gosh, NO ,, we need to be much better than that. Final note, I'm really NOT trying to insult or cut down someone based on their opinions, just tryiing to get some of the rest of the info out there.

Oohh I haven't had a debate on this kind of stuff in a LONG time. Ethics is as much personal as it is scientific, that's why these things get so heated. Just like religion and politics, people can turn a blind eye to the worst behavior, and even justify it to some degree, based on their feelings or beliefs about a person etc. That aside, I grew up in a family of professional, scientific/fact type parents. Things like faith, spirituality,etc, was left up to me to decide. My grandparents were farmers, I've been one to some degree most of my life. I've been breeding animals for 25 years. Most people might point to dogs and horses for examples, but mammals and the process of evolution is the same for all of them. Nature itself hybridizes every time a plant cross pollinates. Wolves breed with dogs because nature decides they are compatible. Since man domesticated animals, breeding them to enhance certain traits was important to the survival of people as we know it. The chickens we eat, are all hybridized. Even breeds that may be 'true' for hundreds of years, trace them back far enough and they are ALL hybridized to some degree, whether it was intentionally done by man, or the progress of nature. Hybridizing everything from grain to insects, to mammals and yes even viruses and bacteria, is the reason we humans are as 'successful' as we are. We all know this has come at a price. Species continue to be rendered extinct, often a result of man's progression into their territory. However, its important to note, that long before man came along, species would go extinct at alarming rates, a result of climate changes and yes, evolution. Where nature is concerned, the strong survive, the weak do not. Species that are able to adapt and change are what survive. I am not opposed to trying to save species that are dying off. These days, mans encroachment on these habitats are a large part of the problem, so actuallly, I do support saving these species. However, I don't think its right to 'guilt' someone into doing it by laying blame for other mens' deeds. When I got into a rare breed of rabbit, 20 years ago, people who had been around for a while figured I was a typical teenager and the novelty would wear off, and the animals would disappear. One of the reasons the breed is in existence right now, is my dedication to saving it. My years of work and commitment to these animals paid off, and I was able to spread the bloodline all over the continent, at a time where 'purebreds' were hard to come by. Never once did I outcross intentionally. I have to admit, that accidents did happen and hybrids did occur, but they were never used for any reproduction purposes. On the other hand, breeders who's specialty is meat animals, deliberately hybridize stock to get the best grow-out ratios, meat to bone ratio's, litter size and reproduction capabilities. This doesnt make these people monsters, they are trying to earn a living, and these days, farming the old way doesn't make ends meet anymore. Its practical. Still, like me, there are many diehards that will not outcross a breed. Most of us will not say that hybridizing is unethical, because we know better. We do what we do because of how we feel about it, and we respect the fact that others do not always feel the same way. There IS some practicality to crossbreeding sometimes, but even I admit there is a line there for me, yours may be different. I do not believe in hybrids where looks or esthetics are the primary concern. That to me is egotistical, self centered and not least of all, vain. Its one thing to try and breed OUT a bad or undesirable trait, such as temperament, bone structure problems etc, its another to tamper with 2 very different species, and throw them together to see what happens. Things like trying to cross humans and chimps- is ridiculous and for sure impractical, and I honestly dont know a human that would be willing to partake in something that twisted on their own. Crossing different breeds of cattle is not wrong. It happened long before people came into this world. Typically, it was man that went with the whole 'purebred' thing. Funky crossbreeding has been going on by itself for a long time. How do you think the species on this planet got so diverse in the first place? The difference between man and nature is, that nature is unforgiving. If the offspring are not hardy and not capable of survival on their own, they die, as do others like them. Man on the other hand, contributes to the perpetuation of such 'weak' species because they 'like them' (oh that vanity selfish thing again). They feed them, care for them, and encourage them to produce more of the same, thus we have a whole lot of really useless species of 'things' out there. This is not always that simple- the other side of the coin... in order for our population to grow and thus feed itself, we have had to come up with new ways of growing our food. Less than ideal climates, more variety of product, more overall production, etc are all factors leading to this. Thats why things like wheat, tomatoes, potatoes, and yes, cattle, are hybridized. Higher crop production, better flavour, more nutrional value and the ability to grow things in colder climates, are the result. If that is a bad thing, well, if all that were wiped out, so would a lot of people be wiped out. I'm not so sure that is going to save any species that are already dying out, and I for one am not going to condemn man for trying to survive. That all having been said, once again, ethics are fairly individual, what's right for one isn't for another. What people need most of all, is a healthy respect for the beliefs of others. Being open to other perspectives is ALWAYS a good thing. When I decided to get into breeding zebra plecos, it was due in part, to the fact that I really do like them alot. It was also due in part, to their rarity and near extinction in the wild. Yes, I have them because I like them. I breed them because I want to save them. They arent disappearing due to 'nature'. They are disappearing due to habitat destruction by man. If i were doing it for vanity, well, that would make me shallow and typically in cases like that the novelty wears off and people give up, then the animals just 'disappear'. I can't say it won't happen, but I hope there are enough people out there who feel the same way I do, that won't give up. I just hope to help increase the odds, even if just a little bit. The thing is, it won't work if you don't care, and you can't MAKE people care, by guilt, blackmail or by shaming them into it. Its great to talk about it, hey with any luck, someone listens and takes it seriously, and decides to help out. There is no harm in that whatsoever, just be sure the reactions are going to be positive. If you tick people off by condemning them for their 'beliefs', well, lets just say you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar right?

I've got 60+ tanks, and I heat them all, so here goes.... As good as EBO is, I really do like them, but I"ve got what seems like a disproportionate number of totally dead ones hanging around. Stealth is good, but one alot overlook is RenaCal. I've got a few and if it weren't for my budget being so dang tight I'd probably buy more of them. I have mostly Penn-Plax thermatec submersibles, and despite their cheap price, they work better than the Elites I have. I have a few other oddballs, Neptune, Marineland, Guardian etc. I prefer submersible just because of the safety issues with water, but the non-sub ones I have(Elite) work really well and I don't have any problems with temps all over the place.

I had a look at them, and problems like warranty/service came up. Unless there is a dealer up here, you have to send the whole works back to them at your expense. I got the Coralife, because its very well known, dealers all over the place so service as well. Coralife has been around forever it seems, couldn't much background on the other guys. Glad I don't have to pay for shipping every time I need a cartridge too.