Aquariums

Got a 10 Gal. glass with seamless front edges and plan on getting another to set beside it. The big reason are the African Blue Chiclids which don't get along with many other fish and I was beguiled by them immediately (they school, also). I might add a third so that will be about four foot of tank along the back of the dresser (a very long grey laminate contemporary dresser that looks like lacquer).

man..I hope it wasnt the via aqua seamless front 10 gallon...but, they are planning to do better with the supplies and stuff in the future Im told.
Yeah, those Chiclids pretty much get everyone going then you realize theres pretty much not a whole lot you can put in there with them hehehe...its okay..you can get another tank..which looks like you're doing..thats fabulous.

Quinn -- You had bad luck with an undergravel filter? I had such great luck with mine, but then, goldfish are the easiest things in the world to keep. I liked them because they don't take up much room.

okay..goldfish would probably do well. I mean...you can put goldfish in a ppuddle of a pond and outside and all that and they'd do well.
Then again, bettas are basically warm mud puddle fish too.
Anything else, I just wouldnt recommend it.
If you like fish but, arent very knowledgeable or not sure how much time and/or effort you want to put into them..I would suggest goldfish or betta.
If you like the idea of finding out more about fish, spending a fair amount of time and energy with them, heck..go for it.
If you're really insane you can do salt water and dive for your fish....
I actually have known people to do this, and while I PERSONALLY wouldnt go to that extreme, I think its a grand idea.

Do you know the joke -- I have a giant seashell collection?... I keep it on all the beaches of the world.

I guess I feel that way about saltwater fish...

It's is the Via Agua 10 Gal. but the aquarium specialty store where I bought it said there would be no problem with the filter material (if that's what you meant, as all other supplies are standard including the heater). At $59.95, it was hard to pass up. I think I should mix the blue with the gold chiclids and not bother to introduce any other fish into that tank. When I had a 40 gal. show tank, I used an undergravel and an outside filter which cut down the maintenance of the tank dramatically.

oh...ahem.
Ask the store if they have the light bulb..and if they do...buy a couple.
I recently bought the same one...its a lovely tank and all...and actually the filters for the eclipse systems fit. The bulb has blow twice in a few months on mine and each time they are on backorder. I have replaced the starter with a GE starter, and one of the places that can get the bulbs...not many people have them...thinks itll be about a month till I can get another one...I shouldve gotten two..dangit.
The thing is this tank type was actually made for US novelty use but, reef systems have blown it wild as well as the popularity for fresh water....so, they havent been able to keep up, the quality was poor....and the electrical was not standard...GE doesnt even make a 10" fixture. Some of the tanks at the store have needed ballast replacement.
Ill keep my fingers crossed you either dont have lighting problems, or you can purchase a great deal of bulbs
BTW..if hes got extras...send me his phone number!
Its a quiet tank that runs well and looks good though in a nice size...I like the idea of putting them side by side.

The thing about under gravel filtering is that you may be cutting down in general on your maintenance however, you are polluting your gravel..as your gravel becomes the filter.
Since those lovely organisms which balance out a tank (but if disturbed when moving around the gravel) are usually present in gravel..using your gravel as a filter simply increases the masses. The chance of promoting ill health is greater, as is your gravel quality and the time it takes to properly clean the gravel when you do get to it. Having a double filtering would decrease that, and thats a possibility for those wishing to completely clean out their tanks less often I suppose.

I don't think I'll have a problem buying the bulb wholesale but I'd have to add it onto one of my other orders. The best filtration is undergravel which also has an outside filtration system. If one has a larger tank with a lot of fish and is feeding them a lot of live food, that is mandatory in my estimation. The 10 Gal. tank should be fine -- they sold me some 50 micron filter material which I used instead of what came with the tank. I bought the second tanks as they are nearly out of them. Probably because of a redesign? I put two blue and two orange medium size Chiclids in the tank and as they are very aggressive, that's all I'm going to have in that tank. I am butting the seond one up directly beside it as a community tank. Don't think it's enough space for the large discus and I still remember dreading the protazoa desease they were susceptiple to. I imagine there's new anti-biotics or other medicine which would now keep that under control. Anybody know about that?

It might be, incidentally, that the ballast isn't isolated enough away from the moisture created by the tank. I'll check it out and possible use some silicon and some plastic to protect it. With that clear plastic covering under the lamp housing, condesation could be a problem.

I noticed that with the ballast as well...bad design but, an update might be coming after all the problems.
ahem...NO ONE can get the lights. commodity axis has recently updated their web page for ordering however, Helios lights (and the two others available Ive found to support the fixture) are noted however, its notaccessible on the site.
Also, they arent answering the phone...probably because most people are calling about the same thing.
Hopefully by the time yours goes you wont have this problem, maybe even a good design, or some useful handy tricks and tips before it gets to that point.
I havent had a problem with the filter material as of yet, but I was also thinking of changing it to a finer...first time working with this type so, I thought Id give it a shot.
If the dual filtration system works for you..then stay with it...in my eyes..whatever works for whos takin care of it. However, I just shy away from recommending it to people, unless they'll dual filter.
regarding the anti biotics..well, probably 95% on the general market I wouldnt put any great evidence in but, with Discus, I dont know...they're warm water fish arent they? Wouldnt quarantine and temp control help avoid spreading or intensity like others? I have no insight so, eh...maybe someone else does.
Good Luck...sounds like you are well on your way...lovely that you have a few tanks and are starting the process...enjoy most of all.

Discus like a higher PH but I always treat the water anyway for PH. I have placed the 50 micron filter on top of the ceramic permanent filtration and the black foam rubber washable filter. I'm getting some clouding and can't figure out why. I've been feeding twice a day -- the Chiclid pellets. I'm putting in eight pellets and they don't quite eat all of them. I'm going to call the aquarium store about the clouding.

Don't tanks usually cloud up a little when you first set them up?

Do you know about this forum? It looks like a2k, but fishy:

Aquarium Advice

is this the dawning of the age of aquariums?

Auto Web? Your link is a car search site, Piffka. I did run the filter for 24 hours before I introduced any fish. It was after I put in the fish and fed them. I'm not sure what caused the cloudiness.

Bummer that it's cloudy. Everything was rinsed really well, right? How 'bout feeding them lightly for a day or two -- skip a meal, maybe?

Here's a pretty photo from that forum. The link worked for me.

I failed to wait for the ad to cycle out. A good site, thanks Piffka. I'm going to skip this morning's feeding and I changed the foam filters so we'll see if that works.

I hope your plan works.

There were Chiclid pellets still in the tank from last night and when I turned on the aerator (I turn if off at night as I had to buy small pump which is a little noisy for trying to sleep!), they began circulating around the tank. This could be it or I think I forgot to wash off the gravel which is a greyish white. I may be in for having to change the tank water if the 50 micron filter won't filter out the rock silt (if that's what it is).

I have a water purifier although I filled the tank with regular water which I buffered with 70 ph additive (we have a water softener which I turned off). I understand you can use soft water but that it can cause its own peculiar water problems. Our softener used salt and then purges out the salt. I was wondering if there is any problem using the purified water as I wouldn't have to wait for the chlorene to filter out (I'd have to move the fish to the second tank temporarily). Oh boy, I didn't remember how delicate some of this can be!

I use bottled water although I've seen warnings telling people not to. I get 6 gallon bottles of spring water delivered to my house regularly so when I need extra for the tannks I jusrt call and they deliver a few extras. After filling the tank I add stress enzymes and let it run for at least 24 hours before adding any fish back into the tank. Never had any problems doing this myself...

I am adding to the tank out of the purified water tap and the tank is now beginning to clear up. The bag says to feed a small amount several times a day and I always stuck to twice a day with an occassional feeding or live worms or brine shrimp. Apparantly Chiclids aren't suppose to do well on live food and I'm adding just eight pellets for four fish on each feeding. I'm going to set up the second tank today and run it for 24 hours. If the Chiclid tank continues to clear up, I won't have to do a transer and exchange of water.