Recent content by Werebat

I have a 55 and a 75. There is more room for aquascaping in the 75 due to surface area. 55G [48x12] 4sq ft surface area 75G [48x18] 6sq ft surface area Actually a 40G[36x18] is 4.5sq ft so even that is bigger than a 55 when it comes to surface area.

Loaches are funny like that. Does he snap to attention when you are feeding the tank? If so, he is probably ok. Mine lays on its side, upside down and vertical against a plant sometimes. Also if his color is ok he is probably ok.

I switched from gravel to sand in two tanks, a 55g and a 75g. Left the fish in both. Lost my catfish in the 55g during the process most likely due to the insane amount of sludge under the filter plates. So if you have filter plates, it might be worth transferring fish to a bucket first. if...

I just used rocks to hold it down. Specifically I have a lot of creek rock that is flat like slate but heavy. Lay it over the wood while on its side until the wood becomes waterlogged where it will not drift anymore.

usually i cycle a tank with a single fish. he should be fine by himself, i never lost one when it was solo. as for testing the water, most pet stores will test your water for free when you bring them a sample. if it were me, i would move him back in the main tank and then a week from now take...

I used a toothbrush and hot water to scrape off old deposits. I think the most important area to clean would be the impeller housing, otherwise it could make a lot of noise during operation.

For fill operations you would need to get a 2to1 faucet adapter from a hardware place. For drain operations you could just hook up to the cold tap. I only use my python for fill operations, I dont like the idea of wasting water to drain water.

Starvation most likely. I had the same issue as they got larger. Even tried feeding the algae pellets but not enough I guess. So I got 2 chinese algae eaters instead, they are not as efficient but wont starve to death either.

My favorite has always been the Geophagus Jurapari. Love the way they sift the sand [or gravel]. Very hard to find where I live but I keep looking for more to join my single one. When the sunlight hits their scales it has a cool effect visually. You can look em up on the web to see pics...

My local shop had Estes brand. Think the bag was labeled as Stony River. Bought it in 5lb bags across 3 different stores in the same day, lol. I think they make a 50lb bag as well but my stores only had the 5lb bags so I got a bunch of those. The grain size was perfect, and it was nice and...

I love sand. Color is up to you. I have one tank with black sand and the other two have natural color (tan or beige). I have convicts in the black sand tank but since they are black and the sand is black, it just doesnt look right. So I would not recommend black sand with black fish, lol.

I use a HOT Magnum 220 I got off eBay for my 3 RES. The water is clear and ammonia free and that is in a crowded tank (20L). Currently scouring craigslist for a 55G or 75G.

I have three Marineland HOT 220 and all are quiet. Its the only brand I will use.

Geophagus Jurapari Had a pair then my heater malfunctioned one night and one died as a result. Still have the one but have been scouring the local LFS for another to no avail.

I just scored a 55g tank, stand, Magnum 350 filter and other accessories for FREE!!. All I had to do was drive about 25 miles to pick it up. Anyways, I set it up in my finished basement and added a 50lb bag of Quikrete Premium Play Sand to it. Bought some decor for it and will place that...