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It could be that being acclimated to the new tank is being very rough on them for some reason. Perhaps the conditions at the store are quite different from your tank conditions. I think you'd find it quite common that most fish that die within the first week or two of going to a new home is...

I've found brine shrimp nets to be a useless marketing gimmick. Majority of the BBS go right through. Paper coffee filters work extremely well, though. I get 100% caught with these. I stick them in the chopped top of a 2L bottle to use as a funnel and catch the runoff in the lower portion of...

I don't think there is anything that really could go in there. Oto's prefer to be in groups and SAE's get too big for a 2.5G. I think a better option would be an interupted light cycle. While I have never done this, I understand that algae hates to have interupted light cycles. You'd set you...

Would this be the plant you're referring to? I bought 3 several months ago. They did a complete meltdown losing all of it's leaves within a couple weeks. They are still alive, but by no means thriving. One of them started to show some new growth a couple weeks ago. I bought three more a...

It coiuld be the bulbs are past there prime. Typically you should replace your bulbs every year as they can lose efficiency. I wouldn't bother with it unless you can change the lights to a spectrum better suited for plants at a reasonable price. yes, it sounds like a good price, but it's not...

The closest I could find to Florida Killi is Fundulus heteroclitus, aka Zebra Killie or Mummichog ( :blink: ). They're supposedly one of the most commonly found small fish found on the Atlantic Coast from Canada to Florida. They can get up to 20cm (or so I read). Search here and google the...

:blink: :blink: :lol: (not to be taken as rude ;) ) Don't get your hopes up on getting too much for them. I can get between $1-$2 each, depending on size. Mind you this store typically sells them at $4 each unless they are a nice size and colour. Right now I'm changing my breeding focus to...

Acclimating them can be a pain. Other than that, keep your tank COMPLETELY covered and don't keep any fish in the tank that will fit in there mouths. I lost about 18 small fish to one killie (see my avatar). It committed sushicide later on via an opening at the back of the tank. I lost 3...

You can try the method I used to recently acclimate some apistogramma cacatuoides from the breeders ~4-5pH to my 6.8pH. I picked this up from a post somewhere about someone acclimating stingrays. You slowly drip tank water into the bag to acclimate as gently as possible. I floated the bag in...

I had some (not a lot) of my 4 month old fry already displaying a pinkish belly. I just sold 45 of them to a LFS on Saturday and still have 20 left from that brood. Colin

Here's a bit of general info on your plants, courtesy of http://www.tropica.com . Hygrophila corymbosa ''Stricta'' Family Acanthaceae Continent Asia Region South-east Asia Country of origin Height 30-50 cm Width 15-20 cm Light requirements medium-very...

You can still save some more money and get the light bulbs at the hardware store as well. I know at my home depot there is a poster showing which ones are good for different applications, including Plant & Aquarium and Daylight bulbs. You should be able to find some that are 6500K at the...

You hang them so they're inches away from the top of the tank. You can buy appropriate weight chain at any hardware store by the foot. You can always build a canopy to go over the top of the tank, but this may really limit your ability to get in and out of the tank if needed. Colin

Hmm, the 48" fixtures available here are for 40W maximum bulbs. I suppose there's probably a few different powers available. I'd just look for the daylight (or anything in the 6700K range) 40W bulbs. Colin

OK, true enough the lighting intended for planted tanks often requires one to assume an uncomfortable position to pay for them. There is a very cheap solution for you, though. You have a good tank size for a cheap and simple DIY setup. At any hardware store (Home Depot, Lowes, Walmart...

I do have a suggestion. Not to be rude, but don't bother adding any nutrients or CO2. Your light level is 0.54 Watts Per Gallon. This is extremely low. Low light for growing plants in an aquarium is usually considered to be in the neighbourhood of 2WPG. Java ferns and mosses can survive in...

I'd suggest before adding any chemicals to treat algae, determine the source of it. Chances are it will continue to be a problem until the source is eliminated. If you can, test your phosphates. What is the size of your tank in US gallons and what is your lighting? If you are going to add...

That algae is probably from the new wood. Does it look like a transparent slime on the wood? I've had this happen everytime I've added new Mopani wood to an established tank. I believe it's totally harmless. It just looks kind of gross. You can rub it off with your fingers if you want. I...

Your lighting is probably why the plants aren't looking so good. What plants do you have? Some will grow with very little light whereas others almost need the sun right above your tank. You have just over 1 watt per gallon. CO2 would be wasted at your current light levels. I think the extra...

Has anyone here done business with Ottawa Aquatics? I placed an order with them over a month ago and have sent 3 emails to them and had absolutely no response. Not very encouraging considering their great selection... Colin

Before you spend a ton of money on new lights, what double's are you looking at and where from? When I first "upgraded" my lights I dropped about $100+ CAD into a new double normal output fluoro, only to find it wasn't enough light for what I wanted. I've since purchased a Coralife Freshwater...

What sort of lighting do you have? What wattage? Without knowing this, it is difficult to advise on whether or not supplemental plant food is necesary. Do your plants currently look healthy? If it ain't broke...... Colin

Thanks for all the replies so far, everyone! Does anyone else have any DIY Carbon dioxide recipes to contribute? I'm having a tough time deciding which one to go with first... Colin

Welcome to the world of planted tanks! It's good that you're asking before buying anything. First important factor in a planted tank is lighting. Fluorescent lighting is most typical for planted tanks (compact fluoro included). In lighting there are two important factors: 1) The wattage of...

When you check out that link, click "Show All." All I have to say is :drool: Colin

That's possible. I'm trying to remain optimistc and give them the benefit of the doubt. When I ordered on Dec.13, it was charged COD, as they had no instant payment options. If I had payed instantly on my credit card or some other instant method (which they don't offer, presumably for fraud...

Most things I can get locally, but plants is another issue all together. The nearest LFS with a good plant selection is about 45 minutes away, but they are qute expensive plus they don't have half the plants I want. Ottawa Aquatics has just about everything I am after, but I find there lack of...

Anything big enough to handle a bit of snorkeling/scuba diving! Colin

Not posting for the competition, but here's my desk. The fish that currently occupies that tank can be seen close-up on this thread here. Colin

Thanks! I think he's one of the great philosopher's of our time... :shifty: :huh: :blink: :lol: :rofl: Colin

Has anyone here ever dealt with Ottawa Aquatics ( http://www.ottawaaquatics.com )? I've been searching for a Canadian online aquatic plant retailer for quite a while, and they are the only ones I have seen with a decent selection as well as other products. I tried placing an order with them on...

I filter mine through a funnel with a paper coffee filter in it. I swear by this method now after wasting money on a "Brine Shrimp Net," as well as trying women's nylon stockings and a cotton rag. The Brine Shrimp Net was completely useless, the other methods worked better, but I found a cheap...

Sure, Kribn's can live with guppies, however I'm not sure how long the Guppies will live with the Krib's, especially once they pair off. As for what size for them to pair, I recomend mking sure that your male is about double the size of the female. In the wild the younger females are generally...

If you're asking if an individual "banana" can be broken off and planted, I think the ansewr is no. I've had many get broken off indivually and they've started new growth. If you had a whole bunch of them break off, I believe that is how they propigate. There's a good article here at "The...

Dat's purdy! :kewlpics: Colin

I came to the same conclusion (1 male per tank) after talking to an apistogramma-cichlidiot at the big LFS. He showed me a huge (250G?) display tank he put together with some blue rams and a really nice cactuoides triple red pair. The guy told me that there were other males in there before...

That's a nice red! Let's see a shot of the whole tank! Colin

You don't want too many dither's, or they actually will be a threat to any future fry. I'd expect a couple of danio's or tetra's would suffice, but I wouldnt go with more than a them. Colin

I think that having a dither in with the (hopeful) breeding will help build a bond between them. The pair will see the dither as a threat and stick together to protect their territory and fry from the threat. Without a dither, the pair will often see one another as a threat which may result in...