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Got the pond running well again this year, but only after a tough struggle detailed in my blog post here: Pond v4 – Stuffisa

The cannister on this 190-gallon tank is on a 5-month cleaning schedule: The substrate gets vacuumed every couple of months or so, and the tank's been solidly stable since inception over 2 years ago. The Oscar started as a 3-inch baby, achieving his now 8" stature in that time. Fish all...

Based on what?

Well, that is it's job, after all - collecting any nasties that get sucked into it. Apparently it's doing a brilliant job, still flowing well after 5 months. Personally, I don't "like" cleaning the filters - more of a chore than anything else. So I'm trying to establish what I'll call for...

I REALLY want to do filter maintenance on the 190, but the Marineland C-360 is now in the "new record zone." It's been 5 months and the water is fine. Nitrate was creeping higher than I'd like last water change, but I think that's only due to the PWC schedule, which I will adjust a bit and...

So is this toxicity a normal state of affairs? If so, cannot imagine why you would keep something like that in your house.

Yeah, never heard of that - what is zoas? It doesn't come up in the dictionary. A google search returns some things about corals, but that's the closest I can get to it.

You guys are making this way more complicated than it needs to be. Refractometers are not that expensive. 1) Dissolve a couple tablespoons salt in a soft-drink pitcher, pour it in. 2) Test salinity the next day. 3) Repeat steps 1 & 2 until desired salinity level is reached. Thereafter...

I'm intrigued by this idea, and mulling it over for a new tank I'm planning in the not-too-distant future. I like adhering to the KISS principle, wherever possible and appropriate. The only really commercially-produced equipment required is a pump and some tubing. Two things I haven't yet...

Where the waste goes or gets processed and how quickly are what affects waste-induced water quality problems. If it's in gravel, sand, the filter or lying on the bare bottom doesn't matter if there's too much hanging around for too long.

I guess my next question might be: How do you clean it after it gets mucked up with detritus and other solid waste material?

What are the pros and cons of using a sump like that on a tank that size as opposed to say, an appropriately-sized canister filter, for example?

The resultant water chemistry is is question based on some unknown variables, so why not try a little test to get an idea what the scope of your issue is likely to be. Select a rock at some small proportion of your intended setup. For example, if your tank is 50 gallons select about 1/10 of...

Hi Jeepman - sounds like you have nice aqua-eco system in your home there. I wouldn't worry about the brown wood water. It took over a year for the wood in one of my tanks to stop tinting the water. Just depends on how sappy it still is by the time you get it.

Is it leaking? It's one of those "cross that bridge when we come to it" type things. If it's not leaking I wouldn't worry about it.

Never had that problem. Once it sticks it stays. But I can see how might happen if you just dump it in there. Careful placing in cracks, crevasse and around edges worked for me.

Assuming proper growth and sustainment environment, Java moss is quite good at sticking to and flourishing around whatever it comes in contact with. There is no need to "tie" it to anything as long as you don't have fish who like to eat it or otherwise mess around with it. That being the case...

That is a pretty nice-looking stand and appears to be a good candidate for an easy fix upgrade to ensure it will hold whatever weight you put on it. The weak point as you described in your test, is the back not providing enough lateral rigidity. Get a piece of 1/2" plywood, preferably marine...

We have an Mbuna adopted last summer from a wife's friend moving. Apparently they decided fish-keeping was no longer their thing. He's obviously aggressive, but being the odd man out in a tank full of larger South Americans, his disposition now seems more like "frustrated" than anything else...

Yes, welcome fellow cichlid keeper! :cool: I have a small assortment of South Americans, with one African exception.

I have 7 goldfish averaging around this size I winter inside in a 125-gal. The main issue, which is not really a problem - just something to be aware of, is they are dirty. I don't know if is their excrement, their constant digging in the substrate or what, but the filters on that tank fill up...

Heat deviation is the least of your worries. So, you have fish in an un-cycled tank? How does this happen during a move? Local move, same-day take-down setup again somewhere else?

An old rule of thumb I heard back in the day was 1 inch of fish per gallon of water as a general guideline. Abundant filtration could support more, but I wouldn't try it. I wonder where that overstocking against aggression thing comes from. Fish just all too terrified to do anything? :(

I would say quite the opposite has been true, in my experience. Don't believe everything you see on the Internet. :whistle:

I'd give it another week, maybe add some ammonia to push it along.