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Hi Merlin, The old rule of 1" of fish per gallon is way outdated. It takes into no account of how stocky or deep bodied a fish is or how messy a species can be. AqAdvisor website is a good way to work out stocking levels. It's not perfect but a good indicator. As for your choices, I would...

Hi. If your friend is keeping goldfish as an easy introduction to keeping fish then a gentle nudge towards more manageable tropical fish would be a good idea. Smaller tanks, smaller fish, a huge choice. Don't be put off by the word tropical, it simply means adding a thermostat/heater, no big...

You can buy a clear plastic evaporation tray to fit on the rim of your tank. This keeps the moist air away from the hot lights and the moisture condenses on the tray and drips back into the tank. You might not be able to get tray specifically for your tank but a little engineering could be used...

When I kept discus I had a pretty powerful canister filter but ran the outlet through a spray bar. I drilled the holes a little larger so that there was less of a spray action. I found that whilst discus didn't like a strong directional water flow that they didn't hide away in the slow water...

The main thing is to get your water nitrate low. Do repeated 25% water changes every 2 hours until you have a good solid 10-20 ppm reading. Test your tap water to ensure you're not just swapping high nitrate water for high nitrate tap water. Clean the tank gravel the best that you can, do not...

Firstly choose a top notch dechlorinated and it seems that Seachem Prime comes out well. It's pricey but not when you see the tiny dosage required. Some dechlorinators seem cheap but soon run out with the heavier dosing. I add the dose to a 2gallon bucket at the sink, swirl it around to mix it...

They look like freshwater limpets. I have them in my tank. They do no harm to fish or plants but can be unsightly in large numbers. Over feeding the tank will cause a severe outbreak. I use it as an early warning system. I freshen the water, clean out the filters to improve water circulation...

My peppered corys change colour when I cut back the plants and allow more light to reach the substrate. They lighten up. I have noticed that the pandas do the same. Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice

If it's of any help, I hold the test tube about 3" in front of a white card and use a natural light source (near a window is good). Holding the test tube against the card creates shadows and holding so close to the colour strip confuses the eye. After a while you know when yellow is yellow...

Thanks for the replies. I have decided to keep him on his own. As for the shrimp, almost half the tank is solid moss and the little shrimp keep clear. He doesn't bother the bigger shrimp and they steal food from him. Strange set up, but it works. Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice

I have a male GBR in a 10 gallon tank. It's well planted and well established. His only companions are a few dozen cherry red shrimp who he seems to ignore. He feeds well and always comes to the glass when I talk to him (no, I'm not a nutter). I am an experienced fish keeper and keep the tank...

Personal opinion here, but in your circumstances, if ammonia is not an option, then I would go for fish in tank cycling. Not my first choice but using flake or shrimp is not easily controlled. You shouldn't have too much trouble using a few fish to cycle a 40g tank, it would be quite stable and...

BNP like most plecs like to hide in the daytime. Have you provided a dark spot for him to hide in? Plecs often go for the filter or filter outlet as hiding places, albeit not very successfully because they can still be seen. Mine has a cave in the bogwood and its defo his home, no other fish...

I would reduce Redding to the minimum (we over feed at some time) which which control the rise in nitrates. Then only water change to keep the nitrates at your chosen level, mine is 20ppm or less. It's then a waiting game. Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice

Water agitation is by far the best was to disperse the oily film. In the short term I float an absorbent kitchen paper on the surface for a second or two and pull it out slowly. The initial contact of the paper with the surface water will soak up the oil and improve the situation until extra...

Hi Fox 1, I would syphon out the gravel with a large bore pipe so it doesn't get stuck. This removes debris in the gravel as well. Do a third a day until bare bottomed, the tank not you ?. The amount of bacteria in the gravel in these early stages of cycling is minimal. If done carefully the...

Hi. If the water line is out of sight, covered by the top frame then I wouldn't worry. If it shows I would use shims to raise the lowest level. Shims can be home made and can be the whole length of the tank to give a good appearance if they are visible. None of my tanks are perfectly level but...

Ignore diatoms and they will go away eventually. I think buying a fish to rid a problem that sorts itself out doesn't make sense , unless you wanted one of that species already. Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice

My neighbours come in every other day when I'm away and they love doing it as they don't have a tank of their own. I leave a measured amount for each day in small containers, labelled up for the day they should be fed. I HIDE MY FISH FOOD so hungry looking fish don't get over fed by well...

Hope that helps. Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice

I'm currently have a mixed tetra tank, heavily planted, and I have been very pleased with the result. This is my first venture into smaller shoaling fish and have been really surprised at how attractive and interesting they are. Big fish you see as an individual, small fish you see as a group...

From personal experience you can keep shrimp with small fish if the shrimp have enough places to retreat to, not necessarily hide, moss is probably about the best solution - lots of it. The shrimp colony needs to be well established as the fish will pick off some of the baby shrimps but will...

My fish disappear during maintenance but my cherry shrimp are all over my arms. It's hard to withstand them as they tickle as they walk around. Ain't fish keeping grand! Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice

You can keep a tank running without fish in it by either adding fish food to keep the bacteria in the filters alive or by adding ammonia, as if you were cycling the tank. About 2ppm ammonia once a week would do. Of course you would have to do do a massive water change before adding fish but I...

The OP was referring to my QT, which is bare bottomed but has a lot of plants, Java Moss and Java Fern mostly. I keep a fair size colony of cherry shrimp in there all the time. I agree with Mebbid but I have chosen a different route from the norm. The tank is constantly running and the...