Recent content by cwmont13

I've had 6 zebras in my 25 gallon tank for about a year now at 77 to 78 degrees with no issues. Sometimes during a WC the temp varies a bit 1 or 2 degrees either way but overall the tank temp is stable. I'm in AZ and the cold water tap temp is in excess of 82 degrees during the summer. I...

I was just wondering since he has an 18 gallon tank, if he's kind of under filtered with just the Aqueon 10 on there?

Rivercats Thanks for the advice I'm going to look into that. I'm thinking the snails might be a good choice as my 6 yr old daughter likes them. How many would you suggest? I was thinking about 7 or 8 is that good?

HELP more diatom advice needed ! I'm still having diatom issues and getting worse. I added my spare filter loaded with a single sponge and a packet of Fluval clearmax roughly about a month ago and have done a couple of 50% WC's since then plus I've been doing 10 to 15 gallon water changes...

Thanks for the replies so far. The diatoms are definitely getting worse. Tomorrow I'm going to scrape the sides, brush off the plastic plants and ornaments, do 50% WC's weekly. Then wait a while and see if it clears up. If not move to plan B. Add my spare filter loaded with Fluval clearmax...

Would that be something like Fluval Clearmax Phosphate Remover I know that sell that at the petsmart close to my house. By keeping nutrients low do you mean not overfeeding? Thanks

Thanks that's what I thought they were but never hurts to get another opinion. Probably clean them up a bit on my next big WC.

I'm starting to get quite a few brown spots on my tank decorations and wanted to get an idea what's going on? Tank is a 25 gallon tall and has 6 zebra dainos in it since September with 10% WC's weekly and 25% WC's monthly treated with Prime. All param's are good no ammonia, nitrItes, and...

the advice the LFS is giving you about the safe start is not the way tetra recommends using it. here's a link that has some pretty good information about using safe start. Q & A With Tetra about Tetra SafeStart | 58116 they say not to use it with pure ammonia however I used TSS with ammomia...

The only thing I would suggest is when you get your fish home check the PH of the bag water from the LFS and compare it to the PH of your tank water. Use the "drip acclimation" method when adding your fish. if there's a big difference I'd suggest dripping slower and for a longer time to give...

With a 66 gallon tank you're looking at roughly 550 lbs filled with water not counting substrate and decorations. that's quite a bit of weight. if the crack is on the bottom of the tank that might not be good. Maybe not so bad if its cracked on the sides or front/back but still a crack is a...

I once built one for a 55 gal long show tank that a friend had. I used 4 2x6 turned sideways for the legs held together with 1x6 glued and screwed for the frame at the top and bottom. I used 3/4 plywood for the bottom shelf glued and nailed into the 1x6. For the top and doors I used 3/4...

This is the method I use to drip and so far it works good and not hard to set up. http://www.ratemyfishtank.com/articles/97

I'm leaning towards the fact that the fish just were not healthy when you bought them. I had the same thing happen with some of the Zebras that I bought at a local Petsmart. I did drip acclimation on them and the last few that I bought I dripped for a lot longer time about an hour. One...

it won't hurt as Tetra states that you can't overdose with SafeStart. You would be adding more bacteria so it should speed things up a bit however you would still have to wait for the bb to establish itself. if you stock light at first you should be OK. Tetra FAQ HERE Tetra Tetra...