Osprey

Kind of cool: When I first saw this, the tank lights weren't on yet, and I almost screamed; I thought it was the whole shrimp. The antennae and legs were waving in the current and made it look like a gruesome struggle for survival. Good thing it's just a moult. It took five hours from the time of this picture for the coral to engulf the entire piece. AFAIK, they (t. geoffroyi, the open brain coral) don't normally eat anything this large, and I don't think shrimp exoskeleton is particularly nutritious, so I expect to see it regurgitated later.

I had a few of these come in on a coral frag I purchased a few months ago.. they weren't visible at the time of purchase, but at this point, they have not only grown, they've reproduced like mad. Has anyone had really harsh experiences with these little fellows, or am I just being paranoid? They've thoroughly colonized the glass in my sump and are definitely spreading thoughout the rockwork in the tank, even though most of it is covered with coralline. I haven't seen any on my LPS just yet, but I'm starting to think it's only a matter of time... Any suggestions for dealing with my recent plague?

You actually don't gravel-vac when you use soil; it removes nutrients that you want to have for the plants. If you want high-light plants, then yes, you will need CO2 injection alongside an intensive fertilization schedule. On the other hand, if you have lower-light plants, you can get away without CO2 injection (although Flourish Excel still makes a nice supplement) and a lower fert level (dosing trace and checking that nitrates stay around 20 is still a good idea). Choose your substrate carefully, keeping in mind that many fish (loaches and cories, among others) much prefer a soft sand substrate so that they can dig without injuring themselves. What's good for plants isn't always good for fish. Check out Rex Grigg's no-nonsense guide for some good tips on both low and high tech tanks.

Use the canister filter to run activated charcoal and phosphate absorber. Replace the media frequently to prevent it from turning into a nitrate factory. Are you able to add a sump to this tank? Either with some Tunze overflows or a drilled back wall? A sump will give you some added options; very useful for holding the skimmer, heaters, etc. Without a sump, you'll be limited to HOB skimmers, which really aren't efficient enough for a 90g. You're lighting should be sufficient for some soft corals; decide ahead of time which type of corals you want to keep, and plan lighting and current accordingly. Definitely try to get your hands on Robert Fenner's "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist"; his new book with Anthony Calfo (Reef Invertebrates) is marvelous as well. If you're thinking corals, I strongly recommend reading Eric Borneman's book on the subject. A great place for web research is www.wetwebmedia.com. Elite (Colby's store) is in the south, on McLeod trail... Riverfront and Gold's you'll already know about, I suspect, and Wai's is in the north, across from Pete's drive-in. It's worth your while to check out all the stores in the area. They all have something different to offer.

Some good reading on brackish systems on www.wetwebmedia.com.

Amazing. You can actually see its eyes... Wish I could take pics like that!

This is in addition to all the fish currently crammed into the 29...? Or were you asking which fish to move?

That could definitely cause problems. I'd watch out for ich in the next few weeks... Your root problem is still overstocking, however, and until you're willing to give away a bunch of those fish, you're going to continue to have health problems.

Good news! They've discovered additional locations where 'Celestial Danios' (they'll always be Galaxy rasbora to me) live! Collection has been banned, as well... so it looks like the little guy's welfare is secure. All's well that ends well, right? http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/...m.php?news=1267

I would recommend giving away (or selling cheap) a few of the fish on that list... there are too many social/schooling fish in small groups, and that's not good for them. If the overstocking issue isn't actively solved by you, it will eventually solve itself through multiple fish deaths. I'd recommend selling the tetras, cory, loaches, and glass cats. All are social fish in groupings far too small for their health. It would simultaneously solve your problem with overstocking. What are your water parameters like (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, temperature)? Fin rot is usually caused by environmental problems. Often if you can get the water into good shape, the fish will recover on its own. I have no doubt the cherry shrimp were eaten, and to be honest, I'm shocked that the amanos are still alive. Usually loaches (especially clowns) will make short work of them.

I just snag some old filter media when I start a new tank. The water is irrelevant. Did you take the time to test the cycling process in your tank, or just wing it and assume that everything was fine because the fish survived? When I was a kid, we always cycled with fish, and they lived through it, but that didn't mean it was best for them. No-one should be adding chemicals to a freshwater tank on a regular basis, either, unless they require heavy ferts in the water column for their plants... may I ask why you've been adding salt? Most people don't bother with that, either. Unless you're adding a lot of it, it isn't likely to make a huge difference to your water chemistry. Waste of time.

Hehe... Good timing, as usual, Colby.

Who carries these? Preferably closer to the south, if possible... It's the nitrate test kit that I'm after.

New pics: It keeps growing, and some new colonies are sprouting up from the same rock as well. Might try to propagate it and spread the joy around. It's as pretty as most corals, IMO.

It's grown a bit more, too. Maybe I should take some more pictures... hmmm. It sounds like a lot of red macros go unidentified. Many people never get the chance to see them, because they're so tasty to herbivores. Guess I'm lucky.

Oh, man, that sucks. Most I've ever done was three or four, and that made a heck of a mess... Thirty is hard to imagine. Hope it cleaned up ok.

Does anyone have any pictures of older flame gourami to share? Someone on a different forum has asserted that all flames are dyed, and they always fade in colour. I have no pics of older flames (don't have any at the moment), but I've never heard of nor seen the colour fade in an older specimen. Pics of 'in-between' specimens that show some banding is OK, too, particularly if they display the 'metallic blue' colour that is evidenced on some specimens... I just want to know that the colour doesn't change, and that the flame colour morph is a natural form of the regular dwarf gourami. Naturally, if I'm wrong, and everyone who has purchased a flame gourami has had the colour fade on them a year or two down the road, or if people have experienced a much higher mortality rate among flames in comparison to other dwarfs, I would like to see that, too. Just need to clear the matter up.

I went through this recently; I used rigid piping for the drains and flexible for the return line from the pump... here's some tips for doing the same. Start with the drain lines first. You'll need to pick up bulkheads to insert in the holes. You can find them at hot tub stores and some hardware stores, but it will take some searching. Also keep in mind that bulkheads are labelled according to the diameter on the inside of the pipe... so if the hole is 1 1/4", the bulkhead that goes with it will be labelled smaller. Silicon the part of the bulkhead that fits inside the tank, and use the rubber washer for the outside. Don't put the washer in the inside of the tank with the silicon-it will weaken the seal. Next you'll need the screw-in fittings to attach the pipe to the inside of the bulkhead. When you test-fit them, make sure you use teflon tape on the threads-otherwise, if you crossthread them, it will be a real PITA to get them off again. Teflon tape helps with watertightness too. These fittings will have threads on the male end and a smooth pipe fitting on the female end, which you will have to weld to the piping using PVC cement. When you go looking for piping, BRING THE FITTINGS WITH YOU. Can't stress that enough. Different grades of piping are sized differently, so the size labelled on the pipe is irrelevant. Don't worry about the pressure rating on gravity-fed lines. I used electrical conduit, and it's worked fine for me. Just make sure it's inert PVC. Measure multiple times before you cut your pipe. I used a dremel rotary to cut mine, then carefully sanded the edges smooth and level. If you want to use a saw, make sure the blade is designed to cut PVC. Once the pipes are prepared, and you've test-fitted them dry to make sure they'll work, you need to 'weld' them. Welding plastic involves using a 'primer', which chemically melts the plastic, and then PVC 'cement', which helps fill in the holds and bond everything together. Double-coat the female end with primer to make sure it doesn't dry out... and make sure you have lots of ventilation. The primer can make you higher than a kite. It'll cure in a few hours. Make sure you rinse well with fresh water before even thinking about running system water through. Flexible return fittings are easy... warm up the tubing in some hot tap water (no longer than 30 seconds, too much heat will cause the plastic to degrade), and shove it over the cuff provided as far as you possibly can. Do it quickly; it doesn't take long to lose the flexibility gained by warming it up. Underwater (ie pump fittings), you can use a plastic hose clamp; I haven't bothered with this so far, and it may come back to haunt me. The top fitting (you'll need a professional return to go with the flexible hose; don't know where they'd sell them in your area) can be tightened with a metal hose clamp. Tighten the sucker as much as possible; the last thing you want is for the fitting to come loose. If you like, you can also install a ball valve inbetween; I did this, but now I think it was a waste of time. Make sure that when you turn the pump off, the sump is capable of handling the overflow from the main tank! It's surprising how much water can back-siphon through the flexible hosing. Have you settled on a sump design? Also keep in mind that the size of the pump you choose will be dictated by the size of your overflows (don't want the pump to send up more water than the overflows can drain). How big are the drilled holes?

He might. It depends on the betta. Some ignore shrimp altogether, while others will kill all of them overnight and gorge themselves. Cherries tend to be particularly vulnerable because of their size. Could be worth a try, though. Just keep a close eye on him.

The best way to run a UGF is to run the water flow through a canister filter first, then use the canister to power the water flow through the gravel. That way, you get the increased biological filtration of a UGF with a much lower chance of the UGF clogging with detritus and becoming a nitrate sink. On the other hand... if you're buying an expensive canister, you probably aren't going to bother with a UGF. They do have their uses (QT and fry raising tanks in particular), but few people use them anymore. If you use a UGF in a community tank, supplement the filtration with a HOB or canister filter, and be prepared to completely clean out the gravel after a few years.

Sorry to hop in, but I'd like to ask this again... Does anyone know of a good insurance provider for home aquaria?

Anyone ever seen this stuff? (The red stuff, not the GSP on the left that looks sad because I just moved it). It's only started growing since I upgraded my lighting; somehow it's survived four or five months of cooking and another five months with extraordinarily lousy lighting. It's soft.

It's because they're so tiny; basically they just get eaten. They make great food for filter feeders, though.

Dragon gobies should be kept in brackish water; they tend to develop a strange fungal disease in freshwater. Don't have much suggestions of my own... heard too many BGK experiences gone bad, to be honest (other fish are often attacked in the middle of the night). Nocturnal fish might be interesting, but then the tank would probably look empty all the time. :?

Caulerpa can sometimes pull a nasty... it turns white, and then disintegrates, releasing the entire contents of the algae into the aquarium. All organics spike dramatically, and CO2 levels climb sharply too. In the wild, it can reproduce this way (which is why it's referred to as sexual reproduction)... but in a captive system, it can kill off everything in the aquarium. There have been cases of the stuff going sexual with less than 24 hours warning. That's why many people hate caulerpa. If you keep lights on caulerpa 24 hours a day, it has a tough time going into it's reproductive cycle. Many people keep it in the sump, and just make sure it's lit 24/7. Unfortunately, it's not a cure all, and sometimes the stuff goes sexual anyway. It's a calculated risk...few macroalgae grow as quickly as caulerpa, so it is incredibly efficient at nutrient export otherwise. Here's a link on RC with pics that show grape caulerpa going sexual: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthre...threadid=806397 Edited to add link.