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I am a contract software developer, working on anything anyone will pay me to create, but mainly web based business applications on Microsoft platforms.

I used to work in an electroplating shop and regularly had to start siphons to empty tanks filled with acid based, cyanide based or caustic soda based plating/cleaning solutions. Trust me you don't suck on the end of the pipe! What you did was learn a load of different low risk ways ways to...

All aquarium test kits are a pretty blunt instrument they give a very rough guide although pH kits are generally more accurate than the Ammonia/Nitrite/Nitrate ones. Best to pick a kit you like and always buy that one as that will give you a good idea of changes in your water which is usually...

Er the water in a 350l (freshwater) tank weighs 350kg, its a fairly simple calculation which you may have managed to overcomplicate :whistle:

If that is indeed it then enough research to convince you that buying them was a big mistake is not hard: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/20...tcatfish_2.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mekong_giant_catfish From what I can see here if these were wild caught catching them was...

I think the idea is you have two, the one in the heater stat normally does the work but if it fails the external one (set to a slightly higher temperature) takes over. I have often thought of doing this but never seemed to get round to it but it is the right answer, you will find the same thing...

As someone who has spent twenty years working in a technical capacity for a company that deals in sand (amongst other things) I can say with confidence that building sand does not contain chemical additives of any kind, the price is so low no supplier could afford to add them even if there was a...

The active ingredient is a simple stable chemical, I should think it would still work just as well in ten years, or a hundred.

Sounds alright to me but you might like to consider leaving it for a few weeks and then adding your fish with a bit more confidence and here is why: There are a lot of misconceptions about how populations grow until limited by resources, bacteria populations in filters are no different. It is...

It is not true that everything that is plugged in uses power even when it is switched off. Any appliance that has a mechanical on off switch that opens contacts in the supply to the system uses no power at all when that switch is open (off). This is how the cheaper heaters work, they have a...

The more often you do routine water changes the less they change the water chemistry. This is because (in a stable tank) your chemistry will gradually drift at a more or less steady rate and then make a step change (hopefully for the better) when you do your water change, the more often you do...

I think they are pushing the limits of acceptable practise but as long as they are not dyed or abused I wouldn't boycott a shop for selling them or be upset that someone should keep them. Aesthetically however I find them extremely ugly and would certainly not want to keep them myself.

Won't be much nitrogen cycle as you say but as the 'normal' cycle starts with a trace of bacteria contaminating your chlorinated tap water or perhaps getting into the tank from the air, even your filterless axolotl tank will have a bacterial population millions or maybe even billions of times...

I understand where you are coming from, animals that are currently living long term with no filtration should find even fish (axolotl) in cycling better than what they are currently experiencing and the end point will be a properly cycled filter and a much better environment for them. As you say...

Glad you seem to be settling down with your new camera now. I bought the exact same model from ARGOS last Sunday and I am very pleased, got some of the best fish pictures I've ever taken with it too (although as you can see my tank ws dusty when I tried it out :angry: ). In case you havn't...

And like the best cults there are many theories :blink: . One big effect is that over time you accumulate a wide variety of organisms living in the biofilm which is a living slimy film produced by bacteria that covers all the wet surfaces in your tank it is home to nitrifying bacteria, algae...

Wow lots have gone on since I looked at this thread. I would agree with the other poster that you want to stick to XHTML for your pages as far as possible, flash is a great technology in it's place but that's where you need to keep it! Only use flash for things that really need that technology...

I tend to take the view that water changes should be driven by the need to maintain an acceptable nitrate level or the need to maintain dissolved minerals/buffering capacity, For a given setup and a given supply of tapwater one of these will normally dominate the other which can be ignored as...

Except that the thread refers to pipes and fittings for central heating systems which I guess is not potable water although I'm no expert. I personally would have no reservations about anything designed for drinking water but I am not so sure about central heating systems.

People often advise a rearrangement of the tank decor to break up the offenders territory and this has already been mentioned. I can vouch for the fact that this can be surprisingly effective. I had a rainbow shark/bridled minnow/red finned shark call it what you will in a community tank and he...

I have never seen one which is a general web design forum although I know a few specialist sites that deal with specific aspects. Are you after help with the technical side or is it more to do with the graphic design aspects and making a site look good as that is something I tend to leave to...

Nice to know a few people are interested, as I said in my first post I will let them grow on a bit before passing them on but I'll come back to this thread and PM everyone who is interested when that time comes. I'm pleased to see there are some who would can take them though.

Rugby

No, to be honest I'd rather pass them on to my LFS than post them, But for choice I'd give them to one of you guys if anyone who wants them is close enough to collect.

I have a group of Peppered Cories that are spawning every other day in my community tank (which is my only tank). Although many of the eggs get eaten there are currently somewhere between 8 and 15 young at various stages of maturity and no doubt more are on the way. Its a mature tank with plenty...

Be interesting to see if it shows up in male offspring where it might be more striking.

I think there are a number of Aqua one in hood filters so my comments may not apply to all. The one I have in the AR 620T is designed in the same way as the sump you describe, if the first chamber clogs the water overflows to and through the second so is still 'seeing' most of the bio media...

In answer to your questions: My view is that your filter is only there for two things, mechanical filtration and to house those all improtant bacteria. For the bacteria you want media with a massive surface area, sintered glass or ceramic media is the best (better than sponge). So my setup has...

Just thought I'd chip in to give a little balance to this thread, I know you have a problem with noise in your setup and I can only think there is something wrong with either the power head or it's mounting. However I wouldn't want you to go away with the impression that the aqua one tank top...

Hi The 'foam' is actually one of the sponge layers that came with the tank. For the floss I use any make of loose filter floss, my current box says Marina on it. It looks like the same stuff used in many cushions and soft toys although personally I stick to the stuff sold for aquarium filters...

I have the 620 and I have as much sintered media as will fit in every compartment except the first. In that first compartment I have some floss on top of a thin sponge to keep the floss and the ceramic underneath seperate. My thinking is that it's the sintered media that harbours the bacteria...

13727 plus 5 peppered cories 1 bridled minnow 11 green neons 5 male endlers 1 clown pleco 1 gold ring sucker 1 male betta =13752

I think you will find it is the manufacturers of the lights who recommend that they last 10,000 hours which is why I quoted it here. It is not true that the electronics are sealed, they are not exactly hanging out in the breeze but sealed they most definitely are not, at least not in most CFLs...

While I hear what everyone is jumping in and saying and respect the fact that it is based on your experiences I think a little caution in terms of where CFLs are used is appropriate. I am a great fan of them and every light in my house is a CFL except, the bathroom because of the risk of damp in...

I wouldn't get too paranoid, if it's already got some vents I'd bung your CFLs in and try it but when you first switch it on see how much heat builds up under there, the bulbs should be no more than warm to the touch, definitely not too hot to touch or you will find they don't last long. I'm no...

Although I agree that it will probably be ok you should be aware that in some types of fittings it is very easy to destroy Compact Flourescent Lamps because of overheating. Although they put out far less heat than old fashioned incandescents if you are going to get a good life out of them they...

I use Windows Server 2000, Server 2005 and XP Professional at work. I use XP Home, XP media edition, Ubuntu and Fedora on my own/family machines. They are all good at what they do although as others have said I can never understand why there isn't just one XP. I actually try not to get excited...

Must be having finger trouble today, meant to vote No salt but somehow voted salt. I don't know if anyone can change it but as I've just doubled the votes for that option you need to allow for it if you want a meaningful result :blush:

I think it could be a real goer with the right marketing. Call me cynical if you like but one of the reasons so few beginners do fishless is that the lfs doesn't push it and they don't push it cos there's no money in it for them. Give the lfs a kit with a starter (ie not many tests) version of...

I too have an Aqua one tank, a 620T which is pretty tall. The black band round the top is very narrow and I soon learnt that filling it to that level was aking for spillages! I have extended the black band by running black plastic electrical tape round immediately under the plastic band and I...