Recent content by mishi8

Check out the "Malawi tank recipes" at Malawi Mayhem. This site has lots of great info. :)

As mentioned, the sponge filter will do the trick. Do keep an eye on how your fish interact though...two males and two females aren't the ideal mix. You may find your females will be harrassed an awful lot, and the males may fight. One male to two to three females is a better choice.

They do tend to be constantly grazing! However, I have found that they pick at stuff at all levels of the tank, not just at the bottom. If they're always at the bottom, then I would be concerned...especially if they have clamped fins, are glancing off objects, and/or breathing rapidly.

Of course it's a YMMV thing, but my 4 platies have managed, in only a couple of months, to gobble up two broods so far. I managed to save most of another brood, but I had to be fast. If the fry didn't drop to the gravel fast enough, the mom turned around and snapped it up. If one did swim free...

Apparently, according to staff at my LFS, the balloon mollies they sell are sterile. (Something to do with the way they are bred?)

At just over a month old, your tank is still very new, and could very well still be cycling. Have you been testing your water at all? How often have you been doing water changes? Your fish could very well be stressed from water quailty issues. Healthy, happy platies typically swim all over the...

Yuck! I wouldn't recommend sucking on the hose to start the syphon...getting a mouthful of tank water is gross. Even worse if you're syphoning water after treating the tank for disease (antibiotics, antifungals, etc.) Instead, look at buying a syphon bulb for starting a regular gravel vac, or...

I like using a Python, even for my 10 gallon. True, it can be quite powerful for gravel vacuuming, but you can adjust the suction either at the tap end or with the shutoff valve on the tube. Although I prefer to use a traditional gravel vac and drain the water into a bucket. I can then use the...

Well, the thing with dosing ammonia rather than using the shrimp is that you know how much ammonia you're using, and thus can accurately assess how well the biofilter is doing. It still can take just as long as a fishy cycle, but you don't have to worry about deadly NH3 and NO2 levels and water...

Guess impatience got the better of you, huh? :lol: Just be prepared to do lots of water changes.

id10t, are you saying you can get flourescent bulbs to put into an incandescent hood? Do those flourescents produce enough light for live plants? I would love to replace my incandescents just to keep my 10 gal tank temp from rising so much...if I can replace them that easily, then I will!

There is no problem with doing gravel vacs during the cycle. Just don't go too deep into the gravel. Gravel vacuuming is important for removing waste that can contribute to high ammonia levels.

Well, I did, but I was also quite vague with talking about pH "too low below 7"...that'll teach me to be more clear with my wording. :wink:

I have recently read that a pH below 6.5 will slow the growth of bacteria, and further below that it can stall the process. As well, a pH higher than 7.8 can cause a slow down as well.

I have found, with both fishy cycling and fishless cycling, that the pH does tend to go up during the early stages of the cycle, and then will fall as the KH is consumed. The pH can fall quite a bit over time. Keep an eye on both levels. If you see pH go too low below 7, it can stall the cycling...