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Great - thanks for the explanation mate. All in all, including the hoses and postage costs it looks like it will cost a little under £50 to get this up and running. On that basis I'll PM an offer, depending on location.... not had a response yet. Irf.

Where in Surrey are you? I'm a bit confused as to what you have and what extra bits will be needed. Irf.

I am only guessing that it was the copper tank used to store hot water. I can't think what else caused such problems, as I was properly using mains fed water with dechlor. Anyway that was my personal experience and the assumption I dae as a result - I could be entirely wrong, or just unlucky...

Hiya mate, I've been in the same boat as you but with a slightly smaller tank. Firstly, don't use the hot water supply from your tap unless you have a combi boiler which heats the water on demand. With my system I have a hot water storage tank (made of copper) and it did the fish no good at...

Thanks all for your replies. I wasn't going into the production of complicated meds - just Melafix. As far as I can see it's just water and Melaleuca (tea tree), in a particular concentration (2% or whatever the bottle says). Thanks for the suggestion Inchworm. For a while I thought you were...

Hi all, I have recently treated my tank with API Melafix and it was a shock to find the price and what's actually in it. Has anyone ever heard of poeple making their own? I'm simply talking about making up some tea tree water using the oil available locally and water at the same...

OK cheers mate - I'll keep looking around.... Irf.

Hi mate, Have you got anything bigger than those I just got off you? It's for my uncle's tank who I'm visiting at the weekend. Cheers, Irf.

Hi mate, Just a quick note to say thanks for the plecs - all four are happy and doing well in their new home. Cheers, Irf.

Mate, I could take three off you if you can give me larger ones. Ideally I'd like a male/female pair but it's too early to tell yet isn't it? I'll take some, and offload any I don't need. Price? Address? Cheers, Irf.

I'd just echo the previous comments about the weight you are planning to move upstairs. When I get my 6x2x2 tank it will either be on the concrete floor in the extension or I will be taking up the floor of the rear reception room and doubling up the joists. I don't think your plans for...

I wouldn't change the water. You don't want too many things changing in the cycling system until the bacteria activity stabilises.... Irf.

Just wanted to check - these are regular BNs, not starlight by any chance? Irf.

Oh, OK then. I kind of thought that either clever filter positioning or some other bit of kit that I didn't yet have was necessary. Does that mean that with lots of large rocks in place those really great looking tanks would constantly be shifted around so that all the gaps could be hoovered...

Hi all, I have had an african cichlid tank now for about two years, with two plecs in it as well. I started out with lots and lots of rocks and cobbles and a small amount of bogwood on a bed of sand, but quickly thinned out the ornaments because I couldn't clean the tank properly. I found...

Thanks to all that have posted. I'm gonna look for Anubias Congensis, and also try some Salvinia Natans (floating). Failing that I'll try plastic, but the ones I've seen and the few I've tried look quite poor really. Regards, Irf.

That's interesting. Which variety of Anubias did you use? Irf.

Yes, so far I've had similar results. I've tried java fern and anubias (the small leaved one), and also tiger vallisneria. I'm going to try some other type of Vallis (possibly the giant one) because I've been told that if the leaves are thicker and tougher they don't bother. I was also going...

Hi all, I'd like to put some plants into my African Cichlid tank, but I'm having trouble selecting types that the fish won't rip to pieces! What sort of plants do people use please? Thanks, Irf.

Hi all, I'm looking around for quotes for a large malawi/plec tank from various custom tank builders. But regardig filtration i was initially planning on using 3 large canister filters, but I'm not certain the tunrover will be enough. Can you please help? The tank i am planning on getting is...

Great - thanks for the pointers. I will get some. No problem with the aeration.... Irf.

Wilder - that is a fantastic article...... thank you for the link. Having read it from start to finish I can see that problem is exactly as described here, and it's not slime or fungus but Flexibacter. I will come up with a traetment plan immediately. Unfortunately living in the UK I don't...

Yes, the growth is a bit fluffy looking - not really slimy I guess. I will check the gills later on when I am home. No flicking and rubbing (but have seen this in other fish that are not currently sick - what does that mean?). Also the laboured breathing seems to come on later, when the...

OK, no responses so far..... I've just done a massive clean-up (removed most of the rocks), and a 80% water change. Irf.

I'm not an expert, but it could be a swim bladder disorder. Do a search for "swim bladder disease" or something similar..... Irf.

Hi all, Here is a pic of one of my sick fish: It's the golden one at the right of the pic. The fins and tail are disappearing, and also there is some sort of whitish growth/slime on their body. There are two fish who have this problem, and I have lost two the same way in the last month...

Hi all, Excellent post and very useful replies and links! I just wanted to add that my FE is now empty and I was faced with either getting a new one and sending this one for refill (for later) or just binning it buying another new one. Instead I ordered a 3.15kg CO2 cylinder from London Beer...

We mostly used new water, apart from what the fish were transported in. Not sure if that is good practice or not, but it worked for us. Irf.

Hi all, Further to my post on Friday regarding moving of a large tank, I thought I'd report back on how it all went. You never know - some of the lessons/messages may be of use to others planning the same sort of thing. The object of the entire exercise was to transport a 1.5m x 0.7m x 0.5m...

Thank you all who took the time and trouble to respond! We've now completed the move, and I thought I'd report back on how it all went. However so that the messages don't get lost in this thread, I've started a new one. I hope that is allowed! I will edit this post to add the link when it's...

Thanks to all that have responded so helpfully! :good: My basic plan now looks something like this: 1. pick up van tomorrow morning and see what kind of base it has. 2. depending on base, buy something suitable to sit the tank on. The polystyrene idea sounds good as does plywood, perhaps...

Hi all, Just thought I should ask: I'm travelling up to Wales tonight to help my sister pick up a used tank she's buying tomorrow. Are there any pitfalls I should be looking out for? We've got the obvious ones covered like keeping the filters full of water so they remain cycled, bagging of...

OK, so first off your sponge needs to be in contact with his while in your filter for the best colonisation results. That's the bottom line requirement. I don't know the ins and outs of your filter arrangement, but I'm sure you can work that out. Alternatively just putting his sponge piece...

Thanks for comments - I will try the cleaning/swapping technique..... didn't think that was possible! Irf.

Hi all, I'v had some experience of glass/ceramic diffusers from ebay and while they are OK, the ceramic disc almost always gets clogged and eventually just lets out quite large bubbles from the glass/ceramic joints. This results in the bubbles rising quite fast and thus not getting the chance...

Thanks mate - will take the advice. I bought the plec I wanted and will try it in the tank today. It's a Green Phantom (L200), and it's beautiful. Bigger than any of the cichlids at the moment. If things get nasty in there for him, I'll put him in my community tank wher it's all generally...

OK, so I guess I must be alone in wanting to do this.... or no one knows?

Hi all, I already have a Starlight Bristlenose in my african tank, and it is doing fine - been in there around 4 months now with no problems at all. I wanted to add another plec, but can someone please advise if there are any types that i should steer clear of? I don't want any common plec...

Anyone have any experience with these? A colleague wants to get some cichlids from them, but was wondering how good they are. Thanks for a

Sorry - no idea on the specks. I never had that when fishless cycling, even though I also had an internal filter at that time. Just a thought on the cycling though - I'd get it going with ammonia if I were you. It takes a while, so the sooner you start the sooner you finish, etc. Also...