Search results

Here's a REALLY easy way to start a siphon with a gravel vac. It sounds more complicated than it actually is. I did it once, and never forgot. Here's the method: 1) Hold the small end of the tube a foot or two above the water level in the tank. 2) Dunk the big end of the gravel vac...

When getting started in aquascaping, I found this article to be helpful: http://www.aquabotanic.com/aquascapingprincipals.html. It's a little simplistic, but will help you get started with the basic principles. I noticed that the look of my tanks improved dramatically after i started...

I'm throwing in a rummynose vote. I'm looking forward to seeing what it grows up to be. Tangentially, something weird like this happened to me a few weeks ago. Bought three platys, from a platy tank, and I had a mystery fry after I added them to my tank at home. Platy fry, obv, right? Not...

At what height are your plants growing laterally? On my tank, once they get to the top, my stem plants bend inward and forward. This is because (1) the back corners of the tank don't receive much light, and (2) they've hit the surface, and have nowhere else to go but out. So, in my case, I...

Kuhli Loaches are a little obnoxious. (I should know; I just spent most of my night attempting to catch a trio of from one of my tanks.) Since I was rather successful, I thought I'd share my methods, for the benefit of future loach-catchers. Kuhli's are hard enough to get out of the bare...

Tank pics rkilling generously sent me some clippings earlier this year -- thanks Randy! -- and I promised him I'd post the pictures. I finally got my friend to come over with her digital camera, so here are a couple of photos. The tank has grown out quite a bit since I got the clippings, you...

Whenever I've heard about rocks exploding during boiling, it has been in reference to pumice, lava rock, or another visibly porous rock. The idea is that these rocks might have trapped gas pockets inside, and, when boiled, those gases heat, expand, and cause the rock to explode. From what I've...

I recently set up a 29G planted tank with DIY CO2, and went through a lot of these same questions. After unsuccessfully trying a bell, and not wanting to go through the effort of building a DIY reactor, I settled on the powerhead diffusion method from this thread. (I'm also rather new to the...

Thanks for the advice and links, everybody. I'm starting to get a pretty good grasp of my wish list. Pretty soon it'll be down to pricing, buying, and (finally!) setting things up. The lighting suggestions have been well-taken. I'm looking into some new fixtures other than my current...

Hi guys. Long time lurker, first time poster. Nice to meet you all. I've been out of the aquarium hobby for about 10 years, and I'm setting up a 20 gallon tank after Christmas. There's information all over the web about how to set up an unplanted tank, and I've read a good chunk of it. I've...