Recent content by matthewvl

thanks for the good info. how much water to change out at a time? And is there anything else to properly stabalizing?

I have recently procured a 50g tank from a neighbor. He has told me that the tank hasn't had the water changed in 3-4 months and the filter (fluval 405) has not been maintained in that time period either. The tank actually looks in pretty good condition, the decorations have some moderate...

Two 6 inch cichlids, 1 pleco, 1 pictus, 1 leporinus in the the 50g tank. Thinking of a critter. Cichlids will eat most anything like shrimp and adf's. Crayfish are like 1.50 at the lfs so if they get eaten no big deal. Only fear is if it will be a problem for the pictus catfish who hangs by...

Anybody ever built a canopy for a 40g hex tank? I have a hood but obviously wanting something that looks a bit better.

Extremely nice, excellent color on the discus. Your stand is great, obviously looks like a sweet custom job. Ever consider doors or anything to hide the guts for a refined look? What are the deal with freshwater muscles and/or clams? They are filter feeders right? Will they be pestered by...

I'm definitely going to up my water changes to 40%. Will this help the fish grow and flourish faster? I think for the moment that I'm going to stay away from the live plants. Seems to be more of a hassle that I care to concern myself with at the moment. The reason why I asked about the...

I'm pretty amatuer at this whole aquarium thing. I've had this 50g for 4 months now and I feel like I have been doing great. Tank cycled successfully and easily. No deaths at all, water is always clear and of good quality. Tests are in the sweet spots. Good setup with hiding spots and such...

thanks a lot for a lot of great info. the tank is 55g. that one blue cichlid that was indentified looks very similar to the one JustOneMore20 pointed out including the stripes which are hard to recognize in my picture. But that site says the max size is 2.5 and those are already 5-6 inches...

I apologize for the ambiguity, some of the pictures are repeats of the same fish. I took multiple shots to help identify more easily. I understand that those are plecos but upon researching I have noticed that there are many different kinds of plecos, or so I think. I'm curious to know what...

could somebody please help me identify the fish in my tank. this tank was given to me by a neighbor who was moving. I know I have two cilchlids but dont know what kind about 5-6 inches, one pleco 5-6 inches dont know what kind, one catfish with wiskers 3 or so inches dont know what kind, and...

thats a lot of good info. I'm glad you were blunt. I'll definitely stay away from these guys. I am a beginner and do not pretend to have enough knowledge to keep these from what it sounds like. Also space is limited and I do not have any other setups in case I need a plan B for these guys...

So I was at my lfs and I saw some crayfish for only $1.50. All of my fish pretty much only swim at the top level of the tank besides my pleco which is about 7.5 inches and sometimes hangs on the bottom. I've always had a fascination with inverts/critters and would like to have one and these...

Here are some pics of my first ever setup which I was given from a friend who was moving. I'm only moderately pleased with the setup, I would love some suggestions. people seem to have creative rock structures they have built or unique drift wood setups. i feel like my tank is pretty generic...

I love critters and inverts, what kinds of critters would fare well with each other in a 40g hex. I currently have a dragon goby. Will an african dwarf frog be ok with him? what about a small crab? crayfish? freshwater clam? small newt? snail? shrimp? What combination of the two, three or four...

The lfs had him in slightly brackish water. I put in the required 8 table spoons of salt for a 40 gallon tank (I was told some salt can be beneficial for most fish regardless if they are freshwater or not) I'm not sure what you mean by cycling asside from the inital starting the tank phase...