Recent content by Laurence

I have two young albino Oscars, about 5 weeks old. They both have a bad case of ick, probably picked up at the pet store where I bought them. What is the best treatment. Is there a strong medicine I can use that will not harm the three other fish in the tank. (Tank is about 185 gallons).

One of my young Oscars had a gill cover torn off by another cichlid. Will the gill cover grow back, like a torn fin, :confused:or is that a permanent injury? Will it affect the Oscar's future health? (The fish seems healthy and eats well despite its injury. )

I am having a problem with blue-green algae coating the gravel on the bottom of my tank. The tank receives dim light. Is there some kind of fish or snail that will eat this algae? I have a plecostmous but it does not touch this slimy algae.

Anyone know teh most reliable ultraviolet sterilizer available? I've had a lot of trouble with green water and such in my tank. I bought one of those diatom powder filters but they are messy and a hassle to use. What about the UV sterilizers instead. Who has had experience with those, and...

Check out Marine Depot for a large selection of heaters, filters, etc. I have done business with them in the past and they have been prompt and reliable when filling orders. Go to www.marinedepot.com for a big selection of products.

To calculate the gallons in a square or rectangular tank, multiply the length times the height times the width in inches and then divide by 231. That will give you the exact gallons. Multiply the gallons by 8.35 pounds to give you the weight of the water itself. According to the dimensions...

I have a 180 gallon tank mounted on a stand made of red oak plywood sheets. Oak plywood is supposed to be very strong, but to be safe I added some extra 2" x 4" vertical braces inside the stand and held them in place with Liquid Nails, an extremely strong adhesive. If your stand has lasted...

I continue to have a problem with green water and have tried almost everything. Water changes seem to actually stimulate the growth of the algae, and cutting the light does not work. Diatom filters are somewhat effective, but are messy and a nuisance to use. I have been told that UV...

To be safe I would put a sheet of 1/2 inch plywood under the tank, and a layer of styrofoam or felt on top the plywood to cushion the glass and relieve stress. Three-sixteenth of an inch of glass does not seem sufficient to support 300 pounds of water, unless the glass is laminated for strength.

I am considering installing a Fluval inside filter in my large aquarium. Anyone have any experience, good or bad, with this brand of filter? Any problems with underwater filters shorting out or otherwise failing?

Water weighs 8.35 pounds each gallon. Do the math. Yes, with the glass tank added it will weigh more - probably too much for the narrow legs of the stand.

A 55 gallon tank weighs 459 pounds, and that stand looks a bit flimsy to support that much weight. If you want to use that stand I would reinforce it with some 2 x 4s or 3/4-inch plywood sheets. Also, there should be a pad of styrofoam or other cushioning material to ease the stress.

I notice there is an overhang which could cause serious stress if the plywood should warp. Is the plywood 1/2-inch or 3/4-inch? 1/2 is not likely to be strong enough for a heavy tank. Also, there should be a pad of some kind under the tank to distribute stress. And, keep in mind that if...

The simplest way is the one I use - just locate a local distilled water company - the internet is the quickest way - and buy the water in 5-gallon jugs, and use that for water changes. The osmosis filtered or distilled water costs about 20 cents a gallon, at least in my area - a negligible...

A 75-gallon tank weighs 626 pounds, and that's just the water. If your tank is made of glass a 2-inch overhang will cause serious stresses that could crack the tank, or warp an acrylic tank. I would enlarge the stand with extra 2 x 4s and then put a 3/4-inch sheet of marine plywood on top...