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I'm not going to pretend that I'm a great scape artist, but I would like some feedback so that I can become a better one :D Have a look at my hardscape and please make suggestions. I want this tank to look great.

Rorie, I paint mine with FLAT black Krylon (name brand in the US). With it being a matte finish on both sides (the side stuck to the glass and the exposed side) there is zero added shine and it is a deep black. Definitely looks the best outside of 3d backgrounds. If you are talkign about the...

Wow Mark! You certainly have come quite a ways with your tanks and fish. Those look superb, possibly even show quality. Nice work!

I'm no expert on apistos, but the first picture looks to be a female/juvenile male and the 2nd and 3rd look to be males.

Unlikely yes, but not impossible. In my case, both are >1 degrees and I have to take special steps to ensure that I don't experience a crash.

Before a mod steps in, please keep on topic. This is a forum to discuss aquaria and related, not to argue or take pot shots at each other.

I really like the way diamond tetras shimmer and shine, plus they get to a decent size. Diamond tetra species profile

I have tried this on my own (I didn't even know that this design was in use elsewhere). I'm not sure what exactly they are using for media, but I am using green scrubby pads (the kind that don't have antibacterial properties) cut into small irregular pieces and allowed to free flow and tumble...

My 30 breeder is 36 inches long by 12 inches wide by 16 inches tall. They aren't that difficult to find here in the US. Usually they sell used for $1 per gallon of volume or less.

You could try a pvc shower pan liner. Shower pan liner They sell the whole roll or by the foot and it can be joined using pvc cement.

It's worth about 1/3 of the cost. Used setups just don't bring much unfortunately.

I didn't say it was a good way to keep fish. In fact every time I visit, I try to explain the proper way to keep fish. But having a shallow well skews his view on the whole water change idea. This statement is common sense. I disagree with most of that. Nitrogen is nitrogen whether it be...

Crushed volcanic rock is great for a black substrate, and rich in minerals for plants. However, cories wouldn't last a day.

I agree. This is also a common tactic in getting fish to spawn. It is far better to change you water with cool water than it is to use too warm of water. Fish can adapt to changes in water temperature fairly easily as long as the change takes place slowly enough. With so little water being...

Have you tried taking the stone out and soaking it in a 50/50 solution of distilled vinegar and water? This would remove any hard water/limescale deposits.

+1

I tend to agree with Bignose. I know that the nitrifying bacteria are the main features in keeping your tank nontoxic for fish, however there are many microorganisms that develop in a healthy aquarium that breakdown any organic matter. But I have seen with my own eyes a 55 gallon tank of...

It's pretty common if you live in an area where they haven't replaced the old main supply lines, your pipes are the old type and they have corroded a little, or they have done some work in your area and you are seeing the sediment as it is flushed out of your tap. We went camping this weekend...

I sometimes paint the back of my tanks, and I use Krylon flat black (dark blue looks great too). It gives a very clean and even look with no shine or wrinkles. If you change your mind later, you can get the paint off with a razor blade easily since flat paint doesn't stick to glass very well.

In the short: No. Rainbows are social fish in that they need at least 6 in their group, and they get large enough to eat neons (and they will).

I am using 6500K daylight compact flourescent bulbs. I got a two pack of them for $10 at the local Home Depot.

Hey plant people :D So I started a 10 gallon project a few weeks ago, and started with 1 bunch of red ludwiga and some shabby looking java fern (the rhizomes still looked good though). The red ludwiga has really taken off, I am having to trim and replant the cuttings every 5 or so days. I...

You could always buy a large poster board and cut it size. This would give you a deep black with no wrinkles or shine from the bin liner.

I think the light will still function, but the intensity wouldn't be the same.

I've done a bit of experimenting with food over the years. I've found that pretty much any reputable manufacturer's food is just fine for keeping fish healthy. Tropical flake food is formulated for a wide variety of fish, and Tetramin is a good one. My cories used to like sinking shrimp...

Hi Rorie. This is true DIY project I see forming here. What I have used in the past is a series of so called "clamp lamps" suspended from a crossbar and use those curly CFL bulbs. This allows you flexibility in how they are arranged (or rearranged) and once they are in place, a few zip ties...

In my last fishless cycle, that's exactly what happened. Then one day, the nitrite solution turned purple at the bottom of the test tube. I didn't even need to shake it up. They were off the scale, and it happened overnight. Little anomalies such as these are normal.

Yes. Benjamin Franklin once said,"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." It's always a good idea to be ready in case something doesn't work (or in my case with a carton of activated charcoal since I found bits of cheese in my planted project tank. My daughter is 3. I'm sure you...

It's ok to skip pH tests because the bacteria will function at a wide range of pH values, and when it drops to ~6 on the scale you will notice that your ammonia processing has slowed significantly. If you know what you are looking for, you can predict how long you can go before you need to test.

I'm happy that you are seeing results (and a little surprised, but then I never tried that particular product either). I will be interested to see how this matures now.

Thanks for the great info! I really like the stones you have in those pictures, they give such good contrast. I was hoping to use some local stone but mostly there is salt and pepper granite around here and that would be too light in color to provide great contrast.

I have a 30 gallon long sitting with no substrate, stock or anything in it and I was looking at some really nice Iwagumi style tanks. I want to set this tank up in this style using 7 stones of different sizes. More than likely I will build a custom lighting system for this tank, advice would...

I wouldn't keep Odessa barbs in a 90L tank. These fish display typical barb behavior, that is they are very active and can be nippy and aggressive if you keep too few of them. My males got to 3 inches within a short time, and you need to keep at least 5 in the group. You can't use the inch...

Agree. I use Prime as well.

If it does, that's okay too, the green is still quite lovely.

Here's a link to my thread in the pictures section. In post #3 you can see a video with them actually spawning. http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/359459-new-fish-today-for-my-planted-project/

I was surprised today to find them laying eggs! Supposedly they are difficult to breed. I got some of it on video (in fact, they are STILL at it): And here's a full tank shot (keep in mind, this tank hasn't been set up long and the Java fern are starting to put on new leaves as the old...

I noticed my rasboras earlier displaying to each other, so I decided to watch. Sure enough, they are laying eggs in my red ludwiga, and I haven't done anything special... I've only had these fish a short time, and in that time my females grew plump, almost to the point where I was starting to...

So I figured I would try a new challenge for me: Plants, on the cheap. This of course leaves the question of lighting. The tank is 10 US gallons and I have made a light fixture using a double output standard screw in type adapter, a clamp lamp with the bell removed, and two 13 watt 6500k...

Its quite possible that he has picked that spot, but the females aren't receptive.