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I am not an expert! But I have been keeping fish for 25 years. I have always used UGFs. Most of that time I have had very good plant growth; throwing away cuttings or old stems at almost every water change. Maybe I'm just out-of-touch with modern tank equipment, but I think they do a good...

As I said earlier, the filter is mainly to remove floating debris. I buy a larger size than my fiter and cut them in half to save costs. The Interpet 5 does not add bacteria, it reduces levels of (harmful) background bacteria that is always present to some extent. Not the good filter...

I will do as you suggest. The dechlorinator does neutralise heavy metals. The filter has two sponges, and room for a carbon sponge. I replace them alternately, rinsing the used one in tankwater. My main filter is undergravel, the box filter is more for clear water and carbon (when I use...

I haven't asked this LFS what they do to their water, but I did with a previous shop (which has now, sadly, closed). They said they just remove Chlorine and Chloramine from the tap-water they use, so essentially it should be the same for local fish-keepers. Perhaps a longer aclimatisation...

I agree, it is frustrating. I don't trust the water company. Twice this year the water has been brown out of the tap. Once due to an eight-engine fire locally (the volume they pump stirred up sediment in the pipes), and once due to some maintenance work where they reversed the flow and it...

At most water changes, I use Interpet Liquisil General Tonic. From the box "Reduces background levels of bacteria, fungus and parasites". Is there something better? EDIT: How are your fish now?

You lot are like buses :) I agree, a weekly water change of 10% would be better, but a busy lifestyle... Maybe that's no excuse. This tank is about 4 years old. Water changes approx every three weeks (every two weeks lately). 25% each time. I syphon the gravel at each water change. pH...

Thanks for your reply. 15-20 mins in the closed bag floating upright in the tank to equalise temperature. I then cut off the top of the bag and use a mug to transfer tankwater into the bag, a little at a time over about five minutes. When the volume of the bag has doubled (ie I've added...

I am experiencing high mortality rates for new fish. A couple of weeks ago I bought three Sunset Platties and three Golden Sucking Loaches. The loaches died; one on the first day, one on the fifth, one on the 8th. Two of the Platties looked rough for a couple of days, but are now okay (one...

Old thread, I know, but Well Done Jenson. He won his first race last week in Hungary. It was a wet race, and very interesting and exciting. If you're interested, I have a blog about my racing activities (and other stuff), and I post about F1 too. Don't forget to look at the comments section...

I've used a kettle to heat my new water (adding hot to a lot of cold), but now I just use the mixer tap to get aprox the right temperature, and add the water a little at a time. I don't have a hot water tank, it's heated 'on demand' by one of those fancy boilers, so it comes straight from the...

Hi. Sorry for such a long post. Want to give all info. Long story short; twice in the last month our tap water has been brown. "Safe to drink, it's just sediment" says the water company, "Not safe for my fish to live in" says I. I noticed it as I was just about to refill the tank during a...

Sadly, the plec died overnight. Thanks for all the advice though, it gave him the best chance of surviving. Guess I'll be cleaning the algae daily from now.

Thanks everyone.

Do you mean the liquid No 5 Liquisil General Tonic? I didn't know that contained salt. There's nothing on the box about being careful about adding this and salt. I was trying to get Aqualibrium. I think that's Interpet's brand of salt. Anyway, here's an update on the plec. The red marks...

Another quality product from Pets at Home.

Ah! Thanks for the heads-up. I've put about 1/4 of the recommended dose of salts in already. I'll stop there. I've been a bit nervous about adding salt. It just doesn't feel right. Especially as all I could get was "Doc Wellfish", which doesn't sound professional enough to me.

... and I still have no clue! My Dad kept fish, then so did I. I learned from experience mostly, so I guess I get a lot wrong, so don't expect much advice from me to start, just in case. My setup: Freshwater tropical 120cm x 43 x 60 deep tank (4ft x 1.5ft x 2ft), approx 270 litres Undergravel...

Breeding guppies? Here's my guide: Get a bucket, fill it with warm water, throw in a male and female, sit and wait! :) My Mum has a tank with Guppies, it's small and not well maintained, but the guppies keep breeding. They're from stock I had when I lived there, with additions from other...

Thanks again. Reading further on this board, it looks like antibiotics are not available over the counter in the UK. However, Interpet No. 9 Anti Internal Bacteria specifically targets the bacteria responsibe (according to Wilder's 1st post). Since I've had a few other unexplained deaths in...

Thanks for the quick repsonses. I did suspect septicemia, but only from what I've read here today. The photo makes him look worse than he is. He has always been a pale brown underneath. How long he's had the red rash, I don't know. The tank's in the dining room which is seldom used, and...

Hi, newbie here. Looks like a good forum. I need some help please. Here's a lot of info to give you the best chance of helping me. I've lost two or three Plattys in the last few weeks, without apparent illness, they just became listless and died. My concern now is for my (approx) 8 year old...