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I'm currently using a Fluval and one I got from Maidenhead Aquatics - can't remember what it was called but it was effectively an own brand. It was quite cheap and I was a bit wary about buying it but it has performed superbly for several years now. I've had the Fluval for 18 months and that too...

I've never had any issues with mine, but the last time I bought some Denisoni's my LFS asked about my tank before selling them to me. They also told me not to float the bag for very long but release them as soon as possible because they are particularly sensitive to water conditions. They said...

Sorry to hear that Colin. Do get your booster when you can though. It doesn't stop Omicron but it still gives massive protection against its effects. The stats here in the UK are that most people who end up in hospital are unvaccinated, and of those that have been, most have only had two shots...

Agreed - salt doesn't cure dropsy but it can sometimes appear to ease the symptoms. When fish become sick they lose their ability to regulate their absorbsion of water through the process of osmosis and as a rest they swell up - the classic symptoms of dropsy, but also possible a possible...

Aquarium salt is pure sodium chloride, whereas regular table salt will contain an anti caking agent to ensure that it pours evenly. Aquarium salt which is used as a freshwater remedy is also not the same as marine aquarium salt which is used by marine keepers to recreate sea water. The latter...

20g does mean 20 gallons. However, tanks can be shorter and deeper or longer and shallower but hold the same quantity of water. As exact dimensions aren't standard these tend to be expressed as 'long' for the shallower type and 'short' for the deeper type. For small active fish such as zebras...

I work in a foreign exchange bureau so get to see loads of weird notes and coins! People sometimes come in with stacks of notes that they have found during a clear out and it's fun trying to work out where they're from. Some we can exchange, but not the really old ones. We have a charity box for...

Yeah, don't use those pyramid blocks! I too use the Ehiem and it works well. I had a really old one and it was rubbish so I tried various other makes before I realised that the Ehiem one had been updated, so I bought one and it's great I totally agree that fish can survive without food for...

It can be hard to work out what you are lacking or what you have an excess of because we can't test for every nutrient. I have had similar issues to yours which I eventually put down to high nitrate, something you can easily test for. I find that many plants grow poorly if nitrate is above...

Just realised, I don't know how big the main tank is but you imply that it's bigger than the one in the picture. If there are no signs of disease you don't need to isolate those two just because they aren't eating as well as the others. It's quite normal when fish have been stressed by a move so...

Agreed. 20 gallons is absolute minimum for giant danio's and your current 'tank' is like trying to keep them in a puddle. I suggest you take them back to the shop if you can't rehouse them in a proper aquarium with a filter right away. Your current arrangement will never cycle, particularly...

Indeed. I once had an infested tank. Tried everything including removing 50 a day but still made no impression after a month. Eventually I added some Botia loaches (not specifically to eat the snails) and over the course of several months they ate all the snails. I didn't actually see them for...

How big is that tank? Hopefully just the pictures but it looks tiny.

Check the nitrate level of your source water too. Plants grow well in my tank and keep nitrate very low, often zero, despite my tap water being at 35ppm. Although nitrate is an essential nutrient, I have found that once it gets to higher levels, plant growth is stunted. This in turn leaves...

I once rented a villa in Hawaii which had a 100 gallon cichlid tank in it. I guess most guests wouldn't have bothered by I was interested to look at the filtration system and when I did I also discovered some youngsters in the sump. I assumed they wouldn't survive if I left them there and the...

Actually could also be Apistogramma macmasteri It's clearly a gold variety of an Apistogramma species. I'm not an expert on these but have seen them from time to time.

Apistogramma viejita 'Gold

Give the filter a shake to dislodge any air pockets, make sure the pipes aren't touching anything that might vibrate. It shouldn't be noisy - sometimes just shifting it an inch will stop a mysterious hum.

I think commercial microwaves are more powerful than domestic. We used to have ones rated at 2000w and above in the kitchen at my last office. These carried stickers warning that they would cook faster than domestic ones. Yorkshire every day of the week for me. I always take a supply whenever I...

There was a time when it was said that if you fell in the Thames you would be more likely to die of poisoning than drowning! But that was years ago and cleaning up the river has been a massive success story. We have many species of fish, even salmon have been found and there are seahorses in...

Must be 12 years ago I bought 4 red scissortails on impulse. I never much cared for common scissors but the reds looked nice and I knew they grew larger. They got to nearly 7 inches and they were stunning when they were adult. I wanted more but have never seen them on sale since. I've lost 3 of...

Fair enough but bear in mind dechlorinator takes at least 10 mins to work so add it to a bucket and wait. I agree though, if it's just the intake sponge under the tap is fine.

Very entertaining thread, but I sympathise! I once bought some plants and when I got them home I found a yo-yo loach hitchhiking amongst them. I knew their reputation so I took it back! Botia's in general are like this. I have a group of 6 pygmy chain loaches and they behave just like this. When...

The water where I live is quite hard, so I avoid soft water species and I also avoid using any substrate or decor that would increase it. It's too much hassle to try to change it, so I accept what I have and as such I haven't tested the hardness of my water for a long time. Yours sounds like it...

For those in the UK, a GFI adaptor is what we know as an RCD adaptor. Even more important for us too as we are 220v !

I have experienced similar symptoms from time to time and the issue hasn't always been what you might think! I use a fert that doesn't contain nitrate as my tap water is already high nitrate at 35ppm. Although nitrate is an essential macro fertilizer, I have found that some plants grow poorly if...

Seven hours is quite a long time to starve a filter of oxygen, so if you do have a canister filter I would be inclined to remove it and keep the media in a bucket to keep it oxygenated. Insulate it as best you can but the bacteria will survive the drop in temperature OK, so it's more to avoid...

I would increase your temperature by a degree or two. Certainly I agree with Colin - make sure you use a gravel vac every time that you do a water change, though personally I'm not a fan of large changes. If your parameters are OK, and yours look fine, I believe 30% per week is ample, unless of...

Sorry if my test result photos were confusing. Yes, the high nitrate result is the tap water. The water company says the supply is 35ppm so the API test comes out as expected at 30-40. The 'virtually zero' result is my tank water. I then photographed the two side by side to illustrate that the...

OK, I managed to take some pics. This is a 260l tank with 15 medium sized fish between 4 and 6 inches plus a group of 5 pygmy chain loaches, fully grown at about 2 inches. So I reckon about 10% overstocked. The last fish introduced were the Alestes Tetras about 18 months ago. As you can see...

Hi Abbysdad, I'm one of those people who advocate smaller rather than larger water changes because I find that large water changes can up the balance in a tank. My tank is overstocked by about 10% and I change only 15% per week. I always use a gravel vac and I clean my Juwel Bioflow filter every...