Recent content by src

Sounds to me like you are in the wrong place. You will find that most of the members here are pretty die-hard fish care advocates - they wouldn't think of trimming fins any more than you would think of giving your dog a boob-job, and consider it mistreatment. If you are trying to convince...

Do a bit of research into Customs first. Sending plants across the border may be an issue if any of them are on an embargo list in Canada. Also, there are frequently delays in clearing mail from the States.

Cherry barbs are great community fish, as are most tetras (of course). I really like Pristella and Rosey tetras. My wife likes Congos and Columbians. Skip the tigers, especially if you are putting angels in. 6 would be a hard minimum to try to control their nipping, and if any die you need to...

I never found my XP's that hard to prime, but if I had to fill the cannister by hand, I would fill it with a bucket/glass, then install it and prime the tubing with the funnel. Regarding the air inside, try this: Unplug the power then release ONE of the latches. The air will be forced out as...

Personally, I don't worry too much about the low side reading, as long as I am getting the bubble rate I want.

I saw something similar with my wife's Congo Tetras a while back. We had been very busy (and out of town a lot) for several weeks, so we hadn't done a water change in a while. Unfortunately, we then performed the normal 70% change without testing the parameters first. ALL of her Congos died...

I frequently get a lot of air trapped in one of my XP2's (it has a skimmer intake). The simple fix is to unplug the filter and release ONE of the latches holding the top on. The air will escape, replaced by water from the hoses. Once the body is full again (you might get a trickle of water)...

More and/or bigger holes on the existing spraybar will also help. While it won't change the flow rate, it will reduce the force of the output from the individual holes. I've heard of some people offsetting a second row of holes (i.e. they don't point in the same direction). That could help...

I used Hydor 300's on all the tanks that have cannister filters. I put 2 on my 110G (2 filters, a heater on each) and one on my 55. They are MUCH more stable and reliable than in-the-tank units have been, at least in my tanks.

My wife has schools of Congo and Red & Blue Columbian tetras in her 55. They have grown nicely, and school reasonably well. But they also spend quite a bit of time spread all over the tank, too. Just remember that fish that are happy and secure school less - don't expect miracles as far as...

Worst advice ever. If you "just do it", then you are exposing yourself to HUGE liability claims. Eviction would be the least of your worries. Structural damage, damage to the units below you, damage to the possessions in the units below you, charges due to the "loss of use" to the damaged units...

I'm pretty sure he said that the dwarf corries might not be best for a 55, not corries in general.

You can't trust other people's experiences, because they weren't in your building, and you have no idea how their apartments were built. With a 125, if you can't guarantee that you are perpendicular to the joists against a load bearing wall, then you shouldn't set it up. The exception would be...

I have my angels in with schools of Cherry Barbs, Pristella and Rosey Tetras and Raspbora Hets, as well as corries and a BN Pleco. They all seem to be doing quite well together.

It's not aggressive chasing, just playful - they never nip. Think 19 year old male in a pick-up bar. Every girl is a potential target, and all the guys are competition to be warned off. I think it helps that I have a couple more females than males, and they are happy enough to have spawned twice...