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I used to be in this hobby about 15 years ago when there was no such thing as fishless cycling. When I cycled then, the key (I found) was a huge amount of patience, i.e., starting with a very light stocking--I used to start out with about 10-15% stock. Sometimes I would barely even see a rise...

Hey ZoddyZod, I am inadvertently in the middle of a fish-in cycle as well (50 US gallons). I have had all sorts of wierd occurrences, namely the fact that I kept getting 0.0 readings for ammonia alongside 0.0 readings for nitrites and nitrates. I mean, fish and food waste produce ammonia, and...

Thanks for the insight and the links. I've been looking around for an inexpensive upgrade--cheapest I've found so far is around $60. I think, if I do decide to go with real plants, that I will go ahead and up my wattage enough to decenlty support some low light plants, but not enough to...

Yes, they are! Even though they aren't as full finned as the males, I have still noticed many with very vibrant, gorgeous coloration. I've been spending quite a bit of time reading through the Betta forum for some ideas and proper care. Still undecided though :rolleyes:

That would be great, and I wish I could do it, but I've only got an 18" hood so I'm stuck with 15 watt max with a T8. :sad: The tank is pretty much in the only spot we have room for, and it is nowhere near a natural source of light. I think I'm down to looking for a good deal on a lighting...

Thanks for the great ideas Curiosity101. I like the Paradise Gourami--in fact, we were looking at putting one in another tank. The Angel is still a good possibility as well! We are looking into the Bolivian Rams for another tank as well. One thing that caught my eye in your reply was the...

Well, I actually expected this response. I was, however, hoping to find something that would do well in the amount of light we had. Perhaps I need to explore alternative lighting methods, or just stick with plastics. Thank you for the reply Jallen--much appreciated.

Thanks Curiosity101, it's good to be back into fishkeeping--I had forgotten how fun and rewarding it is. I love Discus, but I'm not feeling quite "that" adventerous as of yet :D Right now, we have two cichlids with very unique personalities--a Blood Parrot (my wife's baby girl) and a Green...

We recently went to the pet store to pick up some fish food, and due to a severe case of MTS, now have an additional 44 US gallon tall tank in a fishless cycle. I have never tried my hand at live plants in an aquarium, but my wife would like to have some in this one. I have been reading posts...

Well, after being out of the hobby (hobby? hah! more of a lifestyle isn't it?) for over 15 years, I have fallen victim yet again to the dreaded disease known as MTS, only this time I'm dragging my wife down with me too! After "running to the store real quick" to pick up some fish food Friday...

I was just browsing through posts this morning, and this one made me laugh out loud in reminiscence. I kept an Oscar about 15 years ago and he both frustrated and entertained me to no end. My first scare was when I heard a huge bang from another room, and when I came to inspect I found him...

I believe I did see a post here about Synodontis eupterus or Synodontis decorus being able to coexist with a Green Terror, but that was after a couple of hours of searching with really no definitive results. I figured it would just be easier to start my own thread. Hopefully some of the...

Thanks minxfishy--in fact, I believe you were the one to suggest the BN to begin with. I was afraid that my choices would be severely limited, but was hoping just the same.

Currently I have 1 ~2.5" male (it appears to be a male at least) Green Terror (Gold Saum) and 5 Giant Danios in a 50 gallon (48"W X 12.5"D X 18.75"H). I would like to complete this tank with a bottom presence. It has been suggested that a BN Pleco would do well in this setup, and if that is my...

You're absolutely correct about household sponges--I typed that in my reply before I thought about it. The sponges I attached to my intakes look as though they have a very similar, if not the same, cell structure as the one in your picture. And, of course, they are designed as filter sponges...

Of course, I have to be atypical--it's just my nature :rolleyes: The bottom of my tank actually sits 56" above the floor, and my sink is 36" standard height (about 38" where the Python hose connects). I wish I had a garden to nourish with the old tank water--I've done this before and the...

Thanks for the tip with the sponge OM. I took your advice, and that's exactly what I did--well, kind of. I purchased 2 internal sponge replacements for a MarineLand filter--they were a little more expensive than a household sponge but not by much and they are aesthetically pleasing. I slipped...

I got a reply from Tetra this afternoon, and they state that their carbon filter packs contain neither zeolite nor any other ammonia removing/neutralizing ingredients. I've got magic fish! :hyper:

I'm not buying it! Well, I'm not buying the fact that this will support a decent bacteria colony at least--I did buy the filter! I actually have two of these running on a 50 gallon, with plans to add a large sponge filter as well.

Well, since I got tired of guessing and could not find anything on the Internet regarding the contents of the filter packs, I decided to just call Tetra. Of course, I missed calling them during business hours by about 5 minutes, so I sent them an email instead. I will share what I learn as...

Hi sjolliff, That is from a Tetra Whisper EX45 hang on the back power filter--they call it the "bio-scrubber."

Is this what you are talking about? If so, I do not trust it either. That's why I cut the poly filter to fit the frame where the carbon filter is supposed to go. I cannot speak for its ability to populate bacterial colonies as of yet, but it seems to do a good job of mechanical filtration...

Yeah, I totally ignore the timer gimmicks as well. Well, if there is no zeolite in them, then I am baffled. Maybe I did find a new strain of magical fish that excrete pristene water?!? :hyper:

The filters are designed to hold filter packs inside plastic frames like this (mine is the blue one): The frame snaps open so you can insert the filter packs: The only type of filter packs they sell (as far as I could find) are the carbon ones in the picture. I have one filter running with...

Thanks Andy. After reading your reply, I dug a little further into the forum and found a lengthy discussion on zeolite. I in no way plan on using zeolite for an extended period, but this just might be the helping hand I need to keep my fish healthy until my 36 gallon has finished its fishless...

You aren't the only one! I have another topic dealing with this in much greater detail, but suffice it to say I'm quite perplexed by this. I have yet to perform a water change--mostly for fear of disrupting my ammonia level. I am now becoming less perplexed! This would make perfect sense, as...

Hey, you guys need to lay off of betta527! I know exactly where she's coming from. Just the other day I was in Best Buy and was talking to the sales associate there. I told him I had a 15 year old tube TV and a 4 head VHS player and asked him what I needed to be able to watch movies in 1080p...

Hi Geoff and thanks for the welcome! Right now I have: 1 Green Terror ~2" 1 Blood Parrot ~2.5" 5 Giant Danios ~1.5" to 2" Again, due to my prior and much outdated knowledge/experience as well as advice from what used to be a very reputable and knowledgeable LFS 15-20 years ago, my first...

Hi OldMan47 and waterdrop (again), I find it interseting that you brought up the use of pot scrubbers as filter media WD, and that you stated that you currently use them OM. I recently returned to fishkeeping after about a 15 year hiatus, and based on prior experience, I bought 2 Whisper EX45...

Hello everyone, I would like to deeply and genuinely thank not only the people who run this site, but also the many knowledgeable fishkeeping members here that take the time to help those less experienced in this wonderful hobby! A month ago, I considered myself a fairly knowledgeable...

Hey waterdrop, I should have been more precise in my ammonia comment--I have a tendency to under-explain myself sometimes :blink: I have a good sized bottle of Stress Coat+, which like Prime, also removes ammonia. I beleive both products do this by converting the (toxic) ammonia to...

Hi mayurkirti, I notice you live in Falls Church, VA, so you should have either a Lowes or Home Depot somewhere nearby. I would suggest picking up an inexpensive lamp timer for your light(s)--something like this is all you need. I will state, however, that these types of timers are not deadly...

Hi waterdrop, you're right around the corner from me. Thanks for taking the time to read over my questions and address each one. 50G Fish-In tank questions: 1) Could the SeaChem Stability be holding these levels in check and providing a slower, yet entirely more safe, cycle? We generally...

Hello all... I have just recently gotten back into fishkeeping after a 15 year hiatus, which is why my 50 gallon is currently being cycled with fish--there was no such thing as fishless cycling when I was last into this hobby. After setting the tank up and MUCH additional research (most of...

I usually just hand mince garlic for recipes so I do not own a press, but I can't imagine they would cost very much. Anybody have any suggestions as to how much garlic I should add to the recipe I used?

I never considered garlic salt--I figured it would be bad for the fish. I would use McCormick (it's the brand my grocery store carries), and it contains (per their Web site): SALT, GARLIC, CALCIUM SILICATE (ADDED TO MAKE FREE FLOWING), AND GARLIC OIL. Perhaps garlic powder would be okay...

I considered adding a bit of garlic as most recipes I saw included it (in some form or another). I didn't use fresh garlic because I was afraid if I'd have left too big of a piece in there that it would harm the fish. I looked for liquid garlic, but all I found had additional ingredients, so I...

I just finished bagging up my first batch of homemade fish food for freezing. What I used: 1 pound - frozen large shrimp (tails, legs, and shells - grocer did not have any with heads still on) 1 pound - frozen cod 1 pound - frozen green peas .5 pound - frozen broccoli 1 - medium zucchini 1 -...

Thanks for the quick reply ~~waterdrop~~ I had a feeling it would end up being more of a trial and error process, but I believe I will steer clear of the fishy roller coaster. Thanks again, Jon

Well, one BP and one GT have been returned. We also purchased a 36 gallon corner bowfront tank with a Fluval 305 (260 GPH). I told my wife we may be pushing the bottom limit on size for the BP with that size tank, but if nothing else, I will have an excuse to buy yet another tank down the road...