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I have a 25 gallon tall cylinder aquarium, with a single angel who is content enough on its own. It's 4 years old, pretty healthy and doesn't menace its tank mates, who are: x15 pristilla tetras x2 mollies x1 platy x1 plec x4 large snails My water hardness: 111mg/L; pH 7.4

If anything, your next restock ought to include more cherry barbs. They're schoolers and are happier in larger groups.

Agree with BaylorPerez - tank crash was what I thought at first too. I had a similar death rate some years ago before I fully comprehended the implications of changes to each chemical parameter. If testing shows any unusual readings then a short-term solution would be daily 25% water changes...

If you want lower pH water, it's worth seeing if your LFS sells RO water. It might be more economically viable (I pay roughly $7 equivalent for 25 litres) than your own RO.   Also, I think it a fair generalisation to assume that the majority of those involved in this hobby always eventually want...

Does your LFS not provide cheap RO water? I buy 25 litres for £2.50 at mine. It's made my fishkeeping a lot easier, considering I like in a hard water / high pH region.

Agree with AmtotheBurr. It's not clear what you mean by cleaning the filter, too. If you're giving it a total clean with tap water then you'll kill the ammonia-eating bacteria that's needed in a cycled tank. If the tank is uncycled, then do daily water changes with conditioned water until the...

The light unit died, so I ordered a new one from Amazon which took 3 weeks to arrive. My aquarium denizens were not in complete darkness, being in a living room, but got no natural light. Now the new light unit has arrived and I see one of my platties has a white patch above an eye (in pic). Is...

My tapwater is in the low-mid 8s in pH. I have tried a variety of additives like peat and almond leaves, to little effect. However, a few months ago I started buying RO water from my LFS and through controlled dilution am gradually lowering the pH each water change until it reaches the same...

Your pH sounds like mine. I've put up with it for years, with the result being that my stocking has been restricted to tolerant species only, like mollies.   I've tried peat and almond leaves (which my 6 y/o plec seems to enjoy nibbling), to no great effect.   I'm currently lowering my pH by...

Thank you both for very comprehensive responses. It's immensely frustrating to be living in a very hard water area (SE England) with naturally high ph levels. I really don't get why our LFS sells so many fish species suited to friendlier water, but I guess high fish mortality keeps customers...

My 110 litre tank has a high ph of 8.2. I'd like to increase its small population of fish but only after bringing down the ph. I'm considering putting peat pellets in the filter, and dropping some almond leaves into the tank, as I've read that this can be effective. Apart from water...

My swords were lethargic at first but plant tabs and weekly dosing with plant food seemed to do the trick. Some thread algae started to appear on leaves but I bought a timer for the light so the plants get just eight hours of light a day (with a three-hour break in the early afternoon). Algae's...

What am I looking at? It looks like a fossil.

Don't worry son, fishes are peculiar. Run along now.

Wow, they're gorgeous, the blue ones especially.

The usual stuff: too many nets; collection of fish pharma liquids; flake food; catfish pellets; large bags of filter floss; test kit; strap on dildo; water conditioner; plant tabs; liquid plant food; two siphons; plant scissors; planting prongs.

Colouring inspired by Avatar

To nourise them I use plant tablets buried under the gravel, and add aquarium plant food (liquid, from King British) to my weekly water change. So far, so good.

If its name is hugh then it's probably a boy fish

Excellent post, and very helpful with the pics. I'd like to try this, but have no place indoors where I could leave a brine shrimp bottle. Would they still survive if this process (without artificial heat or light) were carried out outside?

Hang on now, I don't get this. Those of you who use a hose to refill your tank - if it's coming straight from the tap, how do you get the dechlorinator in before the water reaches the fish?

Check that your home insurance policy covers you for escape of water... just in case.

Is that a cylinder tank?

On another forum I've seen claims that having deeper sand runs the risk of toxic gas pockets developing, and that one should stir it up every week to help prevent this. I wouldn't know from practice, though, having only gravel in mine.

Acrylic, that's the way to go. Light as a feather.

From a purely aesthetic perspective, I'd have thought a larger shoal of neons would be an impressive sight.

Which one's a fish?

Newer version is definitely nicer.

Only if you take the alligators out first.

Blimey, that blue-faced one looks like a coelacanth!

I had a long-lived pleco who I weaned off eating the plants (swords, vallis, Java fern) by treating him to a chunk of potato every now and again. RIP Colin the Catfish.

Your £100 starting budget aside, I expect you'll find that you'll be paying £5 here, £10 there, and so on for accessories, treatments etc. I wonder if other members have a means of forecasting their annual spend on their hobby.

I quite like that big slab. It would look impressive with moss, perhaps?

I'm not experienced enough to offer advice, but I sympathise. That's a sad series of pictures. I have a cory and love its energetic swimming patterns.

I agree with KittyKat. I've seen advice that says agitating the surface is a more effective means of oxygenation than a bubble feed. Perhaps you can direct the flow of the filter/pump outlet towards the surface?