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I suspect you mean Matrix. Depends a whole lot on where they're getting it from. Analyse it properly and it's likely to be safe and probably cheaper to mine than to make. Commercially it's a viable option, a hobby level, it's almost certainly low risk, but not risk free, and alfagrog isn't...

Alfagrog is a byproduct of some glass making process or another, and chemically is very similar to pumice. It probably has the advantage of being slightly more sure what went into it, my other half (geologist with an interest in volcanoes) pulled a face when I mentioned pumice as a filter media...

It's a fairly standard tube type, and shouldn't be all that bright.   Options for keeping the fish from getting too upset would generally start with providing enough cover. Counter productive sounding, but if the fish have places to hide that they know then they tend to spend more time in the...

Ah yes, the word filter can get overzealous at times, but at least it works.   It is indeed nice wood. The price on this stuff seems to have come down quite a bit recently locally to me, so I picked up a few bits as well.   I agree totally with the comments about anubius/moss etc, that's crying...

It does, of course, depend on how good the landscape section of the garden centre is. We have some good ones locally, so I guess I'm spoilt.

Personally I'd hit the garden centres for rocks.

You have wider scope with a Mbuna tank, as they like harder water you can go with both the limestones and slate/granite types.   Basically avoid things with lots of odd colouration or veining that may be heavy metals that may leech (there are veined rocks that you can buy that are safe if you...

Many of them are. Of course, a deliberately hard water tank such as a Malawi cichlid tank would actually benefit from the addition of limestone rocks, but it really depends what you have planned.

Rocks depend. Occasionally you'll find one with heavy metals in it that will leach, bigger problem is with limestone containing rocks that will essentially dissolve slowly in soft water tanks, buffers them nicely to a pH of about 8.2, but not really ideal for many fish. Generally hard slates are...

Elmo, take a look at this form http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/416375-sales-form-required/ and see if you can fill in what you haven't told us.   You'll never get many bites on something as big and heavy as a tank without things like location.

You'll struggle at £80.   To give you the price idea, if you're paying 12.5p per unit of electricity then your APS 1400 will cost you £38 (35W x 24 hours x 365 days /1000 to make kWh x £0.125) per year to run.   Something like an ecco pro 300 at 8W will cost you £8.76 a year, saving you £30. If...

There is no doubt on one bit. Purigen will indeed remove the tannin appearance.   You don't need the purigen, it's good for clear water, but it's not compatible with blackwater.

I've got the 2000 on my 20 gallon, if you can push to it, go for it.   Only points I will make, be aware that they're huge filters, great for media space, but you do need to make sure it'll fit in the cabinet, also they're power hungry on the old electricity, worth doing the maths if you're the...

Indeed, 100% with star4, removing the Salvini was a good idea but a new pecking order is now being established.

I give my pumps an occasional clean down with cotton buds and some lubricant on the seals. Media gets cleaned if it gets too dirty or the flow is impaired.   Internals I find need cleaning far more frequently than externals, but that may simply be flow rate in the filter mixed with size.

I have a convenient plumbing point not far from my biggest tank, which has a direct drain plumbed as per a washing machine drain. It makes draining down simplicity as it's simply a couple of valve changes to divert the pump into the drain line.   Refilling still requires a bit of carrying. I...

Definitely water sprite. Grows like a weed, and often classified as one, make sure it stays in your tank and waste water doesn't get to a watercourse if you're in part of the US with the weather for it (I believe California may be the issue), it'll grow from almost nothing sometimes. It does...

There are a lot of write up's on DIY LED's. They've become less popular recently in the UK with the changes to the pound making the import of parts more expensive and the slowly dropping price of the pre-made ones.   Essentially you need some LED's, ideally good quality ones. Genuine CREE's are...

Aye, tie moss to bog wood, it's not a great carpet on substrate.

Firstly, moss isn't all that good as a carpet for substrates, it tends to compact and die back in places or simply refuse to spread in that fashion. If you're going for low tech carpeting then the dwarf saggitarius types are often the best bet.   Secondly, you don't clean the gravel in a carpet...

Can't offer much help on feeding them, I've not got a huge amount of experience with the African cichlids.   As for selling them, it depends a whole lot on who wants them and how far away they are, plus if you're willing to deliver. Generally they'll need to be about an inch before they're...

Indeed, with moss it depends what look you're going for. The classic moss ball is actually a form of filamentous algae, so behaves differently. The aquarium classic of java moss is a more disordered looking moss that some of the others, but cut into small pieces will grow on most surfaces or...

I don't use one because of the price, but they are reckoned to be the gold standard method of controlling CO2.

I have a similar experience to Daize. Once established it grows like crazy, until it reaches the potential of the space and starts to starve itself of nutrients, CO2 or light. I filled and entire 20 gallon with it once by accident. Well, it wasn't really an accident, just more than was intended.

Indeed, a good scrub and a good soak and it good to go.

I've heard good things about prices from Poseidon's palace, but have no idea what the tanks are like.

Whichever colour you prefer to be honest. I'd personally just get 2 daylights, but that's just me.   I'd also hang fire on the reflectors. It's by no means a 100% increase, but you may well have plenty of light there already without adding more, and too much light is a good cause for algae.

  In that case, there's nothing on my essentials list. Which gives a wonderful excuse to buy something off the non essentials list, because it's great value for money when you factor in the free postage :)

Spares.   Heaters and internal filters (or even just air driven box filters to keep some media going) are potential life savers when a primary goes down on a holiday weekend.   Also a great excuse to get kit set for a hospital tank.

Stripped the sump on the 65G. Mainly because it kept spraying water everywhere if a pipe shifted more than a millimeter, and rearranged it the way I've been meaning to have it for ages.

May simply be a change to the pecking order, particularly if he's subordinate to the female, as there'll be less spreading of the aggression. Hopefully it'll sort itself out as they sort the levels out, but keep an eye on him.

Round here (UK climate) they make for a good live food source in summer. I have a large bucket in the garden, it fills with leaves and rainwater in spring and them blooms with mosquito larvae in summer.   A shallower bowl tends to fill up with bloodworm with the same care. Just keep them...

They need good flow, otherwise the thick carpet can trap debris (as you've noticed) which also then reduces the access to the fresh CO2 in the water. Better flow keeps the debris clear and also provides a fresh supply of the CO2 that you're carefully adding to the water.   Egreria densa is a...

Well that's certainly a lot of light.   You're going to want CO2 supplements and a good fertiliser regime with that light.   Any good micro and macro fertiliser will work, or EI method   Personally, on a 36 gallon I'd go for pressurised CO2, as it'll work out cheaper in the long run, although...

http://www.eclecticproducts.com/_msds/e6000_english.pdf   There's a nice long section on aquatic toxicity of it's primary ingredient. Tells you toxic levels and duration of exposure for 50% life loss.   It also lists as mildly water soluble.   Personally, I'd tend to avoid, but it may be my...

I worded that badly, not on full form today. It should have read something more along the lines of there being nothing wrong with passing on collected wisdom, so long as you're open to being challenged by new ideas, but try to keep those discussions in the scientific section as it clogs up...

Stuff you put on the ground to stop weeds but allow water through. Good under gravel.

Nice idea with the landscape fabric. I may steal that one, have a roll of it lying about. I generally use black bin liners, cheap and easy, but can be a pain to get the wrinkles out.

Ahhh, it's gotta be for the beach barbecue, it's legendary!   The crab claws are amazing.

Personally, I'd start with the local water, then look at the options that suit a tank size and find something that you really like the look of, then stock around that.