Recent content by rabbit

check out local thrift stores (goodwill, salvation army, etc). There is one near my house where you can get all sorts of furniture for extremely cheap. For a few dollars you can get a very servicable end table or some such and with a minimum of effort, it can be cleaned up and (if necessary)...

oh there's been dark green algae on the plants (particularly the older leaves) for a looooong time, but never this smell. THe smell actually started soon after I removed a bunch of plants (vals that were overwhelming the tank to be precise). Thats why I was wondering if there might be something...

no clue about the nitrates but according to the tests the NO2 was less than 0.1 the NH3 and NH4 where below zero so I think that's ok. As for the bio load, wasn't it (roughly) a square inch of surface area per inch of fish? Cause all the fish in the tank (with the exception of the rubber nose)...

Ok, have a 20gal tall tank fully planted which is emiting a rather disturbing "fishy" smell and I'm hoping someone can tell me why. Currently has 3 chinese algae eaters, 1 rubber nose (about 2 inches long), 6 black widow tetras, 1 dwarf gourami, and 6 zebra danios. Other than that there's...

actually, I have the cabomba growing quite well in warm water in another tank. Apparently all you really need is VERY clean water and LOTS of light. (Which the little tank has apparently).

Its a large fixture over both tanks, 80 watts total. :) As far as the Java fern is concerned, been growing for a while in both tanks. (they're over a year old). Also the Java fern seems to have what looks like a black mold and holes. :(

Alright, I have two tanks side by side, one a 20 gallon (tall I think, it's 23.5" in height) and a 10 gal. Their tops are even (with a support under the 10 gal.) 20 gal has: A stand of Bacopa moineri, several Vallisneria (or maybe sagitaria subulata. Sold as Val, but hard to...

ok. How do you do that? What concentrations, etc? (should mention that there are 2 other gourami there eating the same feed, etc, nothing wrong with them). Anyone?

Ive had them breed a couple times already, Im pretty positive that its not due to eggs. (least Ive never seen any of the females near as big as this).

well the male has been after her a whole lot, and she shoulda laid them by now. If she was listless or weak looking Id be more inclined to think illness, but she just swims around, looking perfectly normal so no idea. (well normal if one doesnt count the fact that she's 3 times wider than she...

oh, never. I like to give them privacy. :D Actually I don't really notice unless its pretty blatant. The tank is very planted, so they get to hide a lot. (I tend towards "natural" looking including tall plants in the foreground. Lets them hide from the front of the glass).

well I did think of using a submerged heater but the problem is that its already a well established planted water garden. Id have to dig everything up in order to do that. I would REALLY like to avoid that since its taken a long time to get the plants to the level they are at now and the last...

not a clue, but the quantity of water is quite a bit. Definitely over 10 gal. Its an old terrarium Ive converted into a watergarden/aquarium. (That is, its mostly plants but there are a few fish in it). I used to have a small 50W heater sort of laying horizontally along the bottom, and it...

Hi, Im wondering if there are any plans out there for making a DIY heater. I need something that will go into a relatively shallow container with curved sides (so it can't be easily attached in the usual way). Anyone?

well she seemed to really enjoy peas (as did the other fish and the snails) but still balloon fish. (Scales still look ok, fish still swimming ok). Maybe I should just not feed her at all for a few days?