Mel

Does the brand of the tube really matter, or are they all just about the same quality? Some T5's are cheaper than others for some reason. Oddly enough the most costly and apparently most reputable brand this shop had didn't even state the colour temperature.

Also while i'm here, is it actually important to replace the bulbs each year or so, or is this a marketing gimmick?

Thanks!

I've already asked this once, but only got one answer so I was hoping to get a couple more opinions

I just bought a second-hand 4 foot setup (finally!). They gave away most of the fish, other than a single clown loach (will get a few more to form a small school, or give him to a more suitable home) and a large sailfin pleco about a foot in length. I know they're generally peaceful scavengers but I just wanted to make sure my little black kuhlis would be safe with him? Mainly because they're also bottom dwellers, and bite size for the pleco.

I did tests on the water the fish travelled in and the tank's definitely cycled, so that's not an issue considering the minimal bioload of the kuhlis. I kept the filter and gravel in water so hopefully most of the bacteria survived.

Also I haven't been able to find out much information about the clown loach being kept with the kuhlis. One person thought the clown would fight or eat the kuhlis, while someone on a fish forum said they've kept the two together without any problems. Very protective of my kuhlis, i've had them for quite a while now

I just bought a second-hand 4 foot setup (finally!). They gave away most of the fish, other than a single clown loach (will get a few more to form a small school, or give him to a more suitable home) and a large sailfin pleco about a foot in length. I know they're generally peaceful scavengers but I just wanted to make sure my little black kuhlis would be safe with him? Mainly because they're also bottom dwellers, and bite size for the pleco. Thanks!

Ps- I did tests on the water the fish travelled in and the tank's definitely cycled, so that's not an issue considering the minimal bioload of the kuhlis.

So from my research the best light temperature for a planed tank is 5000 to 10,000K. I went to one of my local pet shops today and the bulbs they had which were recommended for planted tanks were all 18,000K. How come? I'm not sure if there's any relation but they were T8 lights. They didn't have T5's, much to my disappointment- apparently they have a much better output.

I've just bought a 4ft set up and i'm setting it up as a planted tank. As for substrate i've had a lot of recommendations for a layer of laterite, followed by a layer of canadian/tasmanian sphagnum peat moss and finally a layer of gravel or in my case, sand. I was curious as to the purpose of the peat moss, is it just to soften the water and raise the acidity as preferred by some plants/fish or does it provide nutrients? I haven't tested the hardness of my tap water but it's pH is fairly neutral, and i have access to rainwater if needed.

Stocking-wise the tank is already cycled and will eventually house my rummynoses, angels and kuhlies. Not sure what other fish yet, if any.

Some day I would love to be able to see the night sky looking like this:

http://old.ncastro.org/Star8a-land.jpg

Personally, I think it's amazing. If I were able to travel to anywhere in the world, where would I be able to see the most stars?

Thankyou XD

here is my plan;

i want a plant for my bedroom, just a really small one, and i was going to see if i could keep it alive in a milo tin. i would of course line it with plastic, and drill a few holes in the bottom. i could put it in a shallow plate or something to catch the water.

my question is, what plant would you go with? i have a few ideas;

a mini cactus of some sort

marigolds

bamboo

spider plant (they are easy to keep but not really what im looking for)

aloe plant (so i can use the juicy stuff haha)

african violet

venus fly trap

i would love to hear your thoughts and i am open to any suggestions you have.

thanks :]

I can't find any information on which species of birds are prohibited in Queensland, Australia. Could anybody give me any information or perhaps a link?

Thankyou :)

I was wondering if anyone could tell me what each pencil (HB, 2B etc) is best used for; eg sharp lines, shading, shadows etc. Also, which pencil/s would you use for detailed hair?

Thankyou :)

living in australia, i unfortunately couldn't get my hands on maracyn 2, which i have heard is a very effective treatment. pretty much the only reputable treatment i could get my hands on was Tri-Sulfer Tablets by Aqua Master. i have two short questions;

1) it says on the bottle to use 1 tablet per 40 litres of aquarium water (for mild cases) or 1 tablet per 20 litres of water (for more severe cases). if my aquarium is 34 litres, how would i go about this? would i have to break the tablets into quarters?

and;

2) it doesn't tell you how often to repeat it. should i repeat this dailey until i see results or until the fin/tail rot has cleared up, or is it a one-off thing?

thankyou for you time, it's much appreciated!! :D

http://www.tradingpost.com.au/Pets-Horses/Aquarium...

It just states that it is 3.5 feet long, there are no other dimentions. It looks like a high to me, but i'm not sure. What do you guys think? How many gallons, about, do you think this aquarium would hold?

Thankyou! :)

The tank I am getting (at about the end of the month) is 56 gallons and 4 feet long. I was wondering if the following fish would be compatible. If not, can they at least co-exist, given the size of the tank?

3 black kuhlie loaches (already have)

5 rummynose tetras (already have)

20-30 male guppies (I already have these, I used to breed them)

2 gold angelfish (i'll probably buy 2 that have already paired off)

6 or so Australian rainbowfish (wild)

2 German blue rams

2 kribensis

It's a little overstocked but in the future i'll get a second filter, plus it will (eventually) be well planted. My main concern at the moment is if the angelfish, rams or kribs decide to spawn, will the other fish have enough space to retreat?

Thankyou! :)

At about the end of the month i'm getting a 42 gallon tank (3ft). At first it's going to be freshwater, but sometime in the future it would be great to convert it to a marine tank. My question is, do I have to drill a hole in the bottom of my tank in order to install a sump? I don't have any experience in marine tanks as of yet. i'm a little worried that if i decide to go back to freshwater later, i'll have to deal with a big hole in the bottom of my tank.

Thanks :)

I currently have a 18g tank up and running. By the end of the month or so I will be getting a 42g. If I got a filter for the 42g and put it in the 18g, how long would it take for the bacteria to spread to the new filter?

Thanks :)

Every now and then me and a friend of mine travel to Cedar Creek, Queensland, Australia. So far we have seen wild guppies, some sort of shrimp and Australian rainbowfish of some sort. The Aussie rainbows seem to be rather drab with no distinct colouration, though they could just be young. The largest I have seen was 2 inches. I know this isn't much information to go on, but does anyone have an idea as to what type of rainbow this could be?

Thankyou! :)

Well, the aquarium is most likely to be a 3ft (42g), but it could also be a 4ft (56g) or a 5ft instead. What I can't decide is what to keep in there. Do i keep various Lake Malawi cichlids, or do I plant the tank and keep various species such as angelfish, rainbowfish, tetras etc.?

Thanks for your time :)

A month ago i got a new aquarium, a 9g Aqua One AR-380, and I am slowly adding live plants. At the moment I only have a small amazon sword and dwarf hairgrass. They seem to be surviving, but they don't look as healthy as they could be, and i'm assuming this is because of the light the tank came with. I was hoping someone could figure out the wattage of the light. I think it's a compact flourescant. At the base of the light is printed "FSL 220V 55HZ". Not sure if it's possible to figure out the wattage from this information or not.

Thanks :)

okay, so i would like to breed bettas, but i'm not sure. make no mistake, i'm not a begginer fish keeper. here is my plan:

i am currently cycling a 9g tank. i was thinking of keeping 1 female betta in there (assuming it's too small for 3 females) and getting this huge bowl-type thing at the pet store. it's not really a bowl, it's like one of these:

http://direct.tesco.com/pi/Product/2/100-4262F.jpg

only 10x bigger. i would say it holds at least 5-10g. i could get a 25-50w heater for it to maintain the temperature, i probably wouldn't bother cycling the tank, as i'm not going to be able to put the filter on very often seeming it would destroy the bubble nest. i also have a breeder net i could put in my (up and running, well established) 18g. would it work if i kept 1 (or 3) female/s in the 9g, and 1 male in the 'bowl', used the bowl to condition + spawn, moved the female back to the 9g and later the male to the breeding net, then once the fry have grown a little put them in the 18g and the male back into the 'bowl', then once the fry have matured a little more put them in jars on my shelves untill sold, then start over.

would it work? do you see any problems with the plan?

to anybody who has had experience, how did you maintain/clean the spawning tank? would a small gravel vac suck up the fry? how did you clean the cups, a turkey baster?

thankyou sooo much to anyone who answers me.

do you have to scold it in hot water as you have to with lettuce?

thanks :)

i'm in the early stages of planning out my tank. it's hopefully going to be 36" long x 15" wide x 18" high. here is how i hope to stock it, very roughly:

2 kribensis

2 german blue rams OR two bolivian rams

3 male swordtails

3 female bettas

5 rummynose tetras (already have)

3 black kuhlie loaches (already have)

1 male dwarf gourami and 1 female dwarf gourami OR 1 golden gourami

could i add 4 or so male guppies? i already have them, i used to breed them. however i do have a separate tank if they are not compatible.

your time is greatly appreciated :)