Osprey

Paul, just to give you an idea on comparitive pricing... My 90 gallon tank is going to cost a ballpark range of $4000...and I bought some of the equipment used. A freshwater tank of the same size would have costed $900 at most... and that's if I had used a sump as a freshwater filtration system (more expensive than HOB filters by far). Those 'wierd plantie things' are corals, and certain types would require an even more expensive system than the one I've got. If you are serious about saltwater, you need to do some involved research and prepare to empty your pocketbook. Get 'The Concientious Marine Aquarist' by Robert Fenner to start with. Also do some research on the various saltie sites online, and www.wetwebmedia.com (my fav website for reference material). Keep in mind that saltwater fishkeeping requires patience...you can't just throw a bunch of fish together in a new tank and expect it to work out. Good luck. Spellcheck edit!

The thing is, that although the fish are very small right now, they will grow. They don't stay the size you bought them. And with that increased size, comes increased bio-load. You'd be better off weeding through your stock list and increasing the number of each individual species of schooling fish, instead of trying to introduce new species. Cories, tetras, white clouds and hatchet fish are all schooling and need to be kept in groups (3-5 for cories, 6+ for tetras, WCMM's and hatchets. More is better when it comes to schooling fish). You'll see a marked change in behavior if you allow these fish their proper social environment. They'll be out and active more often, and the tank will look fuller. Your clown loach is already going to outgrow (or become stunted and unhealthy because of) your 30 gallon tank...it will grow over a foot long, needs 3-4 loachie companions, and requires a 150 gallon tank to be happy in the long run. You should aim for that size tank if you can. Then you can keep a shark, like the Red-tailed for example, happy for its full lifespan in a tank that won't cause it to become stunted or deformed.

Are you keeping corals? If so, what kind?

The thing is that the size of the tank will either open up more options or limit your stocking. For example, I would recommend congo or columbian tetras for a 55 gallon, but not a 20g. The size of the tank makes a huge difference, and so do your preferences regarding loners or schooling fish. Also, what is your substrate like? Do you plan to keep any bottom dwellers? If it's for the 30g in your sig, I wouldn't recommend anything. That tank is already heavily stocked.

It was from Canadian tire that I bought them, and they did not fit. I found fittings that did work at the HH building center here in town... since it's not a pressurized line (just the gravity-fed flow from display to sump) I used electrical conduit PVC. I like the gentle corners the stuff has too. Should reduce noise and increase flow.

Wendy, I have parrot's feather if you want it. I live in Okotoks, though (kind of a PITA). Here's an article on silent cycling. http://www.aquahobby.com/articles/e_silent_cycling.php

What size is the tank? Are you looking for schooling fish or something a bit larger?

Does your dog do that too? I thought mine was the only one... Anna's a fanatic when it comes to algae pellets, flake food, bottom feeder tablets, nori... well, you get the point. If I leave them out, she eats them. She grabs them off table tops and counters too!

I'm bringing the fittings with me to the store next time... decided to write on them so I don't get accused of shoplifting or anything. It's a real pain finding this stuff in Okotoks, so I'm heading into Calgary tomorrow. Thanks, guys!

I bought a used tank a few months ago and decided that I wanted to upgrade the sump (had an L-shaped one custom built so I could fit 30 gallons and a big-@$$ refugium under the corner stand). Perhaps foolishly, I also decided to completely redo the plumbing at the same time. I have had problem after problem. It's like the tank from hell. Not that it's the tank's fault... I don't know much about plumbing. Anywho... past problems aside, here's the current one. I was given some fittings that screw into the bulkheads I installed (no problems there... not now, anyway). One is labelled 3/4", the other 1". I assumed that the labels would correspond with the diameter of pipe required to fit into the female end of the fitting (if nothing else, because the inner diameter of that end was slightly more than the dimensions on the label. It seemed to make sense). So I purchased a suitable amount of piping of those diameters (along with corresponding elbows, ball valves, yada yada). Piping and fittings are pictured here: It's not PVC, I couldn't find any that small. It's CPVC, which should still be inert, as it's a food-grade plastic. They look like they should fit into each other, don't they? They don't. The fittings are just a tiny bit too big for the pipes... or perhaps it's the other way around. I wondered if maybe I was supposed to buy 1" for the 3/4" fitting, so I tried that too... No soap. There's no way the pipe would fit inside the fitting. What am I supposed to do? As far as I know, no-one sells 7/8" diameter PVC pipe, do they?? Has anyone worked with these fittings that can tell me what I'm doing wrong? I'm getting very frustrated, and very tired of banging my head against the wall. Help!

From WWM:

Gobies, like the dragon (violet) and bumblebee goby do well in high-end brackish, too. They can survive short term in fresh water, but their lifespan will be shortened. Love WWM for this kind of stuff: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebI...bracsystems.htm

I don't have a QT for freshwater, but I do have a QT set up for my saltwater fish. Never had a freshwater tank wiped out (don't add new stock very often), but with the saltwater, I have to stock over several months. It's not worth the risk not to have a QT tank. My SW QT is a 33 gallon, and I plan to QT for a month w/o any signs of disease.

I know Elite has had it in the past, but I can't remember if they had any the last time I was in.

Practical Fishkeeping They kept the collection site a secret for a long time, now we know why. Anyone who has bought them should try to breed them.

I prefer glass. They're cheaper and don't scratch as easily. BUT acrylic is supposed to last longer, and apparently, minor scratches in acrylic can be repaired. I have no direct experience with acrylic, that's just what I've read. Bob Fenner recommends acrylic, I believe.

Algae pellets and nori (sushi seaweed) usually go over well. Ditto for cooked zucchini and cucumber, shrimp pellets and bottom feeder tablets. They'll eat almost anything.

My MTS survived and multiplied in a tank with three clown loaches. They're indestructible. They aren't huge algae eaters, though, unfortunately. Mostly they eat leftover food.

Shouldn't, so long as the hose is the same width.

Hopefully the temperature increase will do the trick. You do know how big these fish are going to get, right? Five inches is small for a clown loach. Over a foot is starting to edge towards the 'large' zone... How big is the tank? That could easily be a source of the stress, as they are very active fish.

I'm keeping rummy-noses and neons in Okotoks water: pH 8.3, KH 14 (according to the books, I should only be able to keep African cichlids in this water). They adapt to it. Just make sure the pH is constant, that's the important thing. DON'T use pH down, whatever you do; it'll make the water change too rapidly for the fish to handle, and you'll have to muck around with the water all the time. If you're really worried about it, you can add some peat to the filter, but I've never had any problems with my tetras in this water.

Welcome! GP rocks, BTW (I'm originally from the north and prefer the weather up there to this in-between nonsense we get so close to the mountains). Sorry about your platy. Good luck with the rest of the fish!

Thanks, guys! I love him to bits and pieces. He's so obliging, too... hangs out in the front of the tank all the time, posing.

Some pics of my new twig catfish, Farley: I just brought him home Saturday, so he's still settling in, but I love him already. He's so passive; one of my snails started crawling all over him and he didn't react until the snail started climbing his dorsal fin. *flick*...one apple snail goes shooting across the tank. He's been much more active today. Always hangs out on the left side of the tank, under the filter stream. (the silvery things are bubbles).

Mmmm... you sure they aren't red bristleworms? I've examined a number of these little guys in the rock (bought from Tim as well) up close and personal. Could be mistaken for copepods if they were moving fast, I think. Believe it or not, I had some aiptasia survive all those months of cooking. Nasty bastards are poking their heads out of the rock now. I couldn't believe it. They're supposed to be dead after two months!