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Central Air Conditioning (cooling the entire house) isn't a normal thing in Australia? Try putting a De-humidifier in your fish room. Drier air is easier to keep cool than humid air. You might also look for a stand alone a/c unit. They can be put anywhere in the room, no window needed. There is...

   I miss my eels. Used to have a tiretrack eel, and another time a fire eel. But, as I no longer have an aggressive tank, I haven't had an eel for some time.    However, while perusing random aquarium pics online at work today, I saw a couple tanks that appeared to be African cichlid tanks with...

Personally, I don't see the problem. I think it looks pretty good for a newly planted tank. I have no skill with aquascaping at all, so I may not be the right person to say it, but I agree with StevenF; give it some time for the plants to fill out. You may love it.

   Either a lucky jump, or a highly skilled fish! Piscean Olympics maybe?

   If you're certain they're granite, you should be fine. However, if you think it has iron, or any other metallic components, I would skip it. Metal in a fish tank is never a good idea.     Otherwise, most sedentary rock won't dissolve in water, and as long as it's well-cleaned (I boil found...

   Then I must have missed a tiny snail hidden on a leaf, I suppose. Or I have my species wrong. I was told they were malaysian trumpet snails. Was also told that it takes only 1 snail to reproduce. Is this true?

   I have both severums (gold) and Jacks in different tanks. I got my first severum and my first Jack at the same time, and as they grew, both were fairly aggressive (the severum was worse). At the advice of a friend, I added a couple more of both species and the aggression calmed considerably...

   Vinegar is an acid. You can use a diluted mixture to clean your tank, artificial ornaments, and rocks, etc, but be sure you rinse it well.    I agree with fluttermoth, in that your plants are unlikely to harbor any bacteria or fungal spores, but the crevices and hiding places in your decor...

   Even without a photo, we can say it's likely a common or sailfin pleco. They both grow large, sometimes exceeding 24".

   Never heard of a PH controller. It does sound too good to be true. If there is an aquarium club in your area, maybe someone there knows about it.    3 of the 4 LFSs in my area sell RO water for about .50 per gallon, which normally has a PH of 7.0, but it would make for expensive water changes...

   78 Liters is about 20 US gallons. A bit small for convicts, even just a pair. Would work for a short time, if you plan on getting a larger tank.    And yes, if you have a m-f pair, they'll breed like guppies. Then, you'll be stuck with the fry also since- in my experience at least -convicts...

   I like the idea, though I'm no engineer and have no advice on how to accomplish it. When you figure it out, please let us know how. I love under-gravel filters and have them in all my tanks, including my water garden. I also use hang-on-back filters with bio media on all my tanks, but have...

   I really like how you have the rocks arranged. What other fish do you have in with your RTS? I've found them to be too aggressive even with larger cichlids. I think they're beautiful fish, but I doubt I'll ever have another.

   We have a fairly large koi pond- 6,500+ gallons (about 24,000L) -with several koi and a few small (12") catfish that can potentially grow large. I would like to throw some large, local crayfish into it it help eat the detritus that the fish won't eat. As it is, we do monthly water changes and...

   Hello, and welcome to the forum.    Before you go adding fish to your new tank, it needs to be cycled like any other tank unless you plan to keep the filter media and much of the water. Either way, the fish need to be transitioned to the new water before just dumping them in.    Convicts are...

   I'll be spending my Valentine's Day fixing things around the house, then going to dinner this eve at the restaurant of her choice. Per the norm. Being an educated and intelligent man, and being horribly outnumbered in this forum, I should be smart enough to stop talking now. But in the...

Aren't they more closely related to danios than cichlids?

   I suppose it would depend on the size of your water changes. If you did frequent, but small changes, say 10-15% twice weekly, I think it would be ok.

   Nearly all lumber has been treated with something. Even "untreated" lumber has had drying agents used on it in the kiln to prevent warping. I sure wouldn't chance it.    I have kuhlis in a tank with natural rock substrate, and they do fine. I have several sea shells in the tank they like to...

   I think that's as likely a reason as any. The tank was bare bottom with little decor, so not many hiding places. I'm not sure why he was even in there. I should have asked.

   Most cichlids prefer harder water and higher PH, so if you want cichlids, you probably won't need to lower your Ph or soften your water. Most rainbows, on the other hand, seem to prefer softer water and a more acidic PH. They may not be a good mix in your tank. But, of course, there are...

   Looking at the pic full-sized, I think Akasha is likely right, and your "pleco" may be some type of Farlowella. If so, it will appreciate very soft and acidic water, and the company of it's own kind. If you can get better pics and post them in the catfish forum, there are far more...

   What kind of plants did you get? Some plants, such as most species of anubias, shouldn't have the roots or rhizomes buried in the substrate, or they'll rot from the roots up, clouding your water badly.

   I have 4 yoyo loaches in 1 tank. 3 have been in the tank for several months. The 4th, I added a few weeks ago because he was alone in a tank at a LFS with African cichlids, and I felt bad for it.    For several days now, I've noticed it periodically laying on it's side in the tank, always...

Very cool fish!

   Is your tank planted? Live plants- if you have fish compatible with them -do much to keep nitrates down.

   What type of wood are you using? If aquarium driftwood, I have it in one of my tanks, and it hasn't made any marked difference in either PH or hardness for quite some time. I have well water, so it's quite hard (GH 260) and quite base (PH 8.2) straight from the tap. I mostly have cichlids and...

   You could increase hardness by crushing a few cuttle bones into smaller pieces and adding them to your filters, or hang them in a media bag. They'll dissolve slowly and ad minerals to your water. Replace as necessary.

   I use only fully submersible heaters, yet - like Jeremy - never fully submerse them. I've never had a heater malfunction like that, but I'm sure it can happen. IMO, throw it out and buy a new heater, just in case.

   I had a Malaysian Trumpet snail infestation a few months back, due to hidden snail eggs on a live plant. I moved a few kuhlis from another tank to take care of them, but they didn't touch a single snail. I finally had to add yoyo loaches and assassin snails, which eradicated most of the...

   I have 3 jacks and 3 oscars in my water garden, where they happily co-exist with an eclipse catfish, a bichir, and 3 red-eared sliders (yeah, I have to do frequent water changes). The jacks, at about 6", are smaller than the oscars, but are just as ravenous and piscivorous as the oscars. I...

   I agree with fluttermoth. Convicts will breed like crazy, and you'll be stuck with fry no one else wants. There are all most as many American cichlids as African. Did you want Central American, or South American?    Firemouths are pretty fish that stay fairly small and breed rather easily...

   I've never had gill flukes, so I can't speak to that. But, when all other remedies and meds fail me (Pimafix for bacterial and Melafix for fungal usually work great for me), we usually use Maracyn, Maracyn-2, and in severe cases, FishPen.

   I agree with Baylor. Although personally, I would go with a 75 instead of a 55. The space they take up is about the same as they're the same length, and the cost difference isn't that great.    However, if you want different types of fish, separate tanks is the way to go. 

Thanks, Eagles and tcamos. Personally, I like the crystal red shrimp better than the banded shrimp.

Hello, and welcome.. I haven't been a forum member very long, but have already had a lot of useful advice from the very knowledgeable people in the forums. To answer Akasha's unspoken question, 118G converts to about 445L, roughly.    IMO, the redtail shark will be far too aggressive for your...

Thanks, tcamos. Not quite sure what to do now, as the only reason she wants a saltwater tank at the moment is that silly shrimp. She fell in love with them when she first saw them. Go figure. Are there any small, colorful fish that would do well in so small a tank and still be safe from the...

   This post probably belongs in several forums, but I'm going to condense it into 1; I hope no one minds.    In addition to our aquariums and ponds, we have inside the house: 3 guinea pigs, 1 cat, and 4 dogs, ranging from a 6 lb pomeranian to a 120 lb giant schnauzer. Outside, we have 5 hogs, 6...

   Thank you all for your advice. Had another look at the LFS she saw them in, and they're coral banded shrimp. I think we're going to go with 2 shrimp, a few firefish, 20-30 lbs of live rock, and some artificial coral to start. Hoping to get the tank up and started within the month. If we like...

   Most goldfish are pretty hardy, and would survive the stress of multiple moves, though unhappily. I would probably recommend a larger tank though. Even a single goldfish will quickly outgrow so small a tank.    Instead of an aquarium, maybe you could recommend a small terrarium.