Marine Depot Forums / General Forums / The Freshwater Forum

Cloudy Water

Pamala — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:57:17 GMT

Hi. I have had an established tank for a while now; however, I recently cleaned the whole tank right down to changing out the stone. I did however, save 40% of the water and added it back in. At the same time I purchased a brand new Ehiem Filter. The tank has been doing well for a couple of weeks. I noticed yesterday that the water is cloudy. At the same time my angle fish passed away. I have had him for years, so I am not sure if it was due to the coudy water condition or he was just old.

We do not currently have a water testing kit. My Husband is going to the store to get another one. Does anyone have any ideas as to what it could be?

white substance forming outside of tank

bckappes — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:32:19 GMT

hello i have a 30 gallon tank. freshwater. ph is fine. nitrate is fine. nitrite is fine. amonia in fine. i have a uv filter in tank. i run a bio wheel filter. i do 25% water change every month. i am starting to get a white hard crystal substance forming on the outside of the lid cover and filter around the lid cover openings. i have 2 small air stones in the tank. i do not have the air to the air stones on full blast. i guess you could say they are medium to low. could anyone tell me what this substance is cause from. since this white substance has started forming i have lost 3 fish, with no reason that i can find other than the white substance.

spots on my yellow libidochromus

Hslobo — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:49:00 GMT

Just noticed black spots on one flank of my female yellow Lib. Fish added 2 weeks ago, Tank is currently cycling with ammonia spike awaiting nitrite spike. Any ideas? Also, any feedback on when I might expect to see the cycle begin? Using microbe lift to colonize.

Question on RO/DI water

Fishbeers — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 17:43:40 GMT

Hello, I have been in the process of setting up a saltwater tank, and bought an RO/DI unit to make water for it. I have been out of the hobby for a couple months, while I was moving, but now im getting back. It seems like before I got out I remember reading that the waste water from an RO/DI unit was good to use in a cichlid tank. Is this true, or am I mistaken? Would it be better to use pure RO/DI water for them? I dont really have a pure cichlid tank, but I am trying to find a good use for the waste water, so it doesn't just go to waste.

The fish in there are an Arowana, a Tiger shovel nose catfish, Oscar, Flowerhorn, Jack Dempsey, Clown Knife, Pleco, Giant Shrimp and an Oompok catfish.

Thanks for any input,

Rob

Salt to FW: Proper cleaning of setup?

Hslobo — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 19:08:57 GMT

I've got a 55 gallon tank with a wet/dry sump that ran for years as a SW setup. It's all been in storage for 5 years and now I want to get it set up again as a FW tank. I want to use the sump and was wondering what I should use to clean the bio balls up? Any other suggestions about anything else that might help me along would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

What should I replace my goldfish with?

wcboyd — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 09:41:18 GMT

Hello All,

I have a 10g tank with a filter, 3 Neon Tetras and a frog. The tank looks VERY empty w/o my goldfish. On the plus side I have discovered just how MESSY goldfish are. My filter is much cleaner since his passing and so is the tank.

I was wondering what would be a good fish to replace the goldfish with that is not as messy and would still be easy to keep.

Thanks,

Craig

Thanks, Hello and take a look.

gtr — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 14:14:11 GMT

Took a year off from tanks, specifically SW which I'd been doing exclusively for the last 18 years. Couldn't take it anymore so decided to get back in to the hobby only this time planted FW. It's got the same feel and I get just as much satisfaction from it. The major difference is no the time it takes to care for the tank but the difference is it makes the SCE meter spin much less, a lot less.

Anyway, glad MD has been able to meet many of my supply needs so I thought I'd share a couple pictures here.

SteveU

Need help in identifying the murderer of my Arowana

Fishbeers — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:47:07 GMT

I got some terrible new when I came home from work yesterday, excited to see my fish...only to see my Arowana laying on the bottom of the tank, still alive, but completely missing his tail. It was bit off, all the way down to the flesh, and he was unable to move much.

I have my idea on who the culprit is. Whoever it was, they are lucky I didn't see it happen! I want to get another Arowana, as they have been one of my favorite fish for the past 10 years, however I recently set up a new tank and have put fish in it I have no experience with..so I'm not really sure which ones are fin nippers yet.

Some info.

The tank is a 135 gallon all glass, set up about a month and a half ago. Rock substrate, 2 36" fake plants, and 2 24" fake plants, driftwood and small caves litter the bottom. The tank looks really nice, and all the fish in it seem happy and comfortable. There is plenty of places for any of the fish to hide. I also have 2 breeder nets in the tank, one with feeder guppies, and the other with a couple electric blue jack dempseys, Flower Horn, and irridescent shark, that are too small to mix with my other fish.

Now for the fish. These ones I do not believe were the culprits.

Red Tiger Oscar 5" (will eat anything it seems)

Jack Dempsey x2 3"

Electric Blue Jack Dempsey x2 (small and in a breeder net)

Flower Horn (small and in a breeder net)

Tiger Shovel-nose Catfish 6" (hand feed him, because with all the voracious feeders in my tank, its hard for them to eat, since guppies disappear so fast after I drop them in)

Red-tail Catfish 6" (just started hand feeding him, really cool watching)..tried to feed them at night with guppies, but my other fish still ate al the guppies before the catfish even knew they were in there.

Clown Knife (could have possibly been him, but he shows absolutely no agression towards any fish, aside from guppies) 6", eats pellets and live/frozen food

Black Convicts x2 3"

Clown Loach x2 2-3"

Large Pleco 8"

Dragon Goby (i think thats what its called...wierd fish, I dont really like him) 6"

Irridescent Shark (small and in a breeder net)

The following are the fish that I think did it....these are also the fish that I have never had before, so I didn't know much about them

King Kong Super Red Parrot Fish (the arowanas back end had a chunk missing in the shape of a triangle, and his mouth is triangle shaped, however I dont really see how he could have done this, as his mouth seems so oddly shaped.) Ive never had a Parrot Fish, so I dont know if they are fin nippers, or even if they can nip fins, due to their mouth. Fairly Large 5-6"

Red Pacu Fairly large 5-6" (I think the pacu did it...he is large, eats a ton, and a few days before this happened, he discovered that he has a taste for guppies...he seemed to accidentally inhale a guppy....after that, all hell broke loose, it was almost like the guppy was crack to him, now he destroys guppies as soon as i drop them in) My father, who has always had fish thought it was the Pacu, as well as the local fish store.

I just want to make sure I get the correct fish out, before I buy another Arowana. The Arowana was only about 4" long, so next time I will buy a larger one. Right now I am thinking of putting the Pacu and the Parrot Fish in my 55 gallon tank, however i like both of them, so I would rather keep them in my main display tank, but not if they are going to be killing my Arowana. I realize any fish COULD have done the damage, and could possibly bite any fish, however if Pacu's have a history of doing this kind of thing, that would be good to know.

So who do you guys think is the culprit?

Thanks for looking!

Rob

I need information on setting up a FW tank

BORINIC — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 18:50:57 GMT

I'm new to the hobby and i would like if somebody tell me all the equipment that i need, as well as the type of test the i have do to the water

Switching Back to FW

KTSDAD — Tue, 12 May 2009 21:56:01 GMT

Hello All

I have been reading the saltwater forums for years, so I am confident I can get some good answers here.

I currently have a 225 gal saltwater tank that is overrun with green hair algae that I have been fighting for months.

I am ready to give up and go back to a freshwater tank but need some information to help make my decision.

Current tank equipment:

225gal tank with overflow feeding 30 gal sump (drip tray and bio-balls) with Little Giant 4-MDQX-SC return pump (approx 1200gph)

Aqua C EV240 protein skimmer

2 x 250watt MH fixtures

1 Little Giant 4-MDQX-SC return pump (approx 1200gph) closed loop system with chiller

1 Little Giant 4-MDQX-SC return pump (approx 1200gph) closed loop system with Nu-Clear canister filter

Here are my questions:

1. Should I leave the protein skimmer in the system? I know it won't actually pull out anything from the water, but would it be good for oxigenating the water?

2. If I decide to go with a planted tank, are my lights too much? Do I need to run them as long as I do for my soft corals? I am hoping to reduce the time the lights are one to reduce the amount of time the chiller is running. I can live with 4-6 hours a day if the plants can live with that.

3. If I leave the "live rock" in the tank (after a good boiling and rinsing) would that raise the PH too much for plants? I am also thinking maybe going to a cichlid tank and I hear they like high PH water, is that correct?

4. I use only RO/DI water to make my saltwater. I have heard the waste water from a RO/DI unit is great for cichlid tanks, is that true? I have had FW tanks before in this house and they did fine with water from the tap but I know there is clorine in the water I would have to treat for.

Thanks for any responses, I know I will have more question as I travel down this path but I am hoping to get a few answers to help guide me before I make any changes.

Thanks

Newbie-Philippines

mujacko2002 — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 19:33:59 GMT

Mabuhay!

Whoa! Its been awhile since the last time i posted my tanks. I've already dismantled my 25g and 10g to make way for something bigger? hehehehe (wishful thinking)

So, what i have right now is just my 75g aquarium-pond. I have placed all my plants from the tanks i dismantled in these tank so as you can see its almost filled to the brim. hehehehe. Then, I am also placing some bog plants (plants that can live between water and land something like it) on top of my aquarium to completely have the "pond feeling" to it. I want to have a pond (ponds actually) someday, i can't resist the beauty of a lotus plant coming out of the water its just orgasmic (hehehehe)

Here it is now : (the setup is almost 6 months old)

As bog plants, I have some peace lily, some philodendrons, anthuriums, HCs, mosses. The peace lily has a very extensive root system below..its just so nice to look at.

I have quite a growth of cryptos, i guess they really like the soil substrate

This part of the aquarium receives a lot of sunlight so what i put here are easy to grow stem plants and a number of echinodorus species

Some of my underwater ferns and anubias are tied to a tree-fern stick, i guess they like it there.

My lotus plant somewhere

Emerged HCs

My white anthurium

Don't mind the scape kasi as of now i just don't have the skills yet for those jaw-dropping na aquarium designs. As of now, i am happy with my setup, the plants are somehow thriving and hoping to have more in the future. But of course, i am open to questions,suggestions, advises, criticisms or whatever you want to air-out about my setup.

take care now everyone.

Godbless

please help

angleman — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 10:01:44 GMT

Hi, I'm new at this, so hang in there with me. I have a question about myfresh water aquarium if you don't mind. I have this white stuff growing mostly on the glass. It seems to start at the bottem near the gravle and work upwards and across the glass.It kinda looks like a tree growing with hundreds of branches (like little veins) and moves from place to place.I tried useing fungus treatment but it didn't seem to help. All my fish seem to be ok. What is this stuff and how do I get rid of it ?

Post #96962

aquascapeing

drumsoft — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 17:16:06 GMT

Okay so I was wondering what type of plants were best for beginners?

Would I need any special gravel?

Would there be any fish that I should avoid like plecos?

Any chemicals that I need?

Lighting?

I know that plants need carbon dioxide for photosynthesis so I gonna buy a CO2 system.

thanks

-Ryan

Live plants...Good or Bad?

MsBehavn — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 00:28:20 GMT

I'm running an 85 gal. brakish water tank with 7 fish and I just bought some harty plants. Will the plants help reduce Nitrites and Nitrates? I have a canister filter, skimmer, and 40w flouresant light. Do I need more equipment or am I ok. Do I have to feed the plants? Is there literature that I can read that can inform me of the good and bad of live plants and how to keep them healthy?

Your help is greatly appreciated.

im a noob

drumsoft — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 21:54:12 GMT

After many months of my dad’s death I’ve decided to start working on his old aquariums

He had 2

1^st he had a 30 gal

2^nd he had a 90 gal

For the 30 gal I was gonna do freshwater with plants

He had a whisper 40 gal bubble maker, ugf , and a emperor 400. what are some books, advice, etc you can give me on fresh water

The 90 gal can wait to a later date because id like to only work on 1 at a time

Gold Barb blown out guts what is it? Help

sandraxicana — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 20:27:47 GMT

I have a 20 gal. freshwater fish tank, (my first) i have 1 gold barb, 2 red tail sharks, 2 minature guamimis, 3 red eye tetras, 3 phantom tetras, 2 chinease algea eaters, 1 molly..

ON friday of last week a gold barb died. by its belly it had like a blister like thing on it, so it died. Well today the last gold barb has a cut and red blood coming out of what appears to be his anal area, I called petco and they suggusted it might be parasites, but they did not know on how to help me on what to do with the gold barb and I want to prevent the other fish from being infected..

PLEASE HELP..

Welcome to the Freshwater Forum

argi — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 05:06:47 GMT

Hi folks!

Welcome to our new freshwater forum

If you have any questions relating to all things freshwater, from planted tanks and ponds, breeding and spawning, to large predator keeping and husbandry,compatibility issues,etc., please don't hesitate to ask 'em here

We have folks here with a wide variety of experience, and if we don't have direct personal experience with your particular issue, we'll do our best to find out where to direct you for the right and proper information.

Sick Albino Cories

circuits — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 04:15:57 GMT

Hey guys, I have a small (10g) freshwater community tank and up until now, my fish have been living in harmony, I even have a baby platy swimming around, but the past couple of days, Ive noticed erratic behavior out of my albino cories.
Yesterday, one of them went belly up. he is still alive, so I put him and his brother into a medical tank so they can not spread whatever it is they have. They don't swim around at all, currently are just lying on the bottom not moving. and their tail sections are covered in what looks like internal bleeding, or lots of red spots.
if anyone has some information, please help, I really love these guys

top of the tank

joeboi — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 08:50:59 GMT

can anyone help me out i dont know what i can do..... i have a 60 gallon tank and the piece at the top of the tank that divides the tank in to so you have to lids and two lights. it broke can i replace that?

NEW FEED

SKYLORD — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 08:26:30 GMT

Please check the latest feed in Europe . They have it for discus, algae eaters, marine, tropical and goldfish.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrNsHBhty7Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyVnCNOeayg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifaXG5nWBNs

wet/dry filter?

jordan000redfish — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 17:46:32 GMT

I have just moved my oscar to 55 gallon tank and was trying to find the best filter for the job. I was told that a wet/dry filter would be the best and the easiest to maintain. I am sort of new to this whole thing , but i had seen at the fish store a freshwater tank that had sand in stead of rocks, will this work a wet/dry system? Also, what exactly comes with the system i had read something about an overflow b/c my tank is not drilled at the top.

If you would please point me in the right direction b/c the people at the store just are not that much help. thanks

Lighting for open freshwater tank?

umoran — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 16:07:32 GMT

Hi,

Does anybody here have experience with open freshwater tanks?

I'm planning an open freshwater tank with plants that grow out of the water, maybe also with a corner area for bog plants where the water is not the full depth but just an inch or so deep.

I want to hang the lighting either from the ceiling above or from a bracket on the wall behind the tank.

What lighting should I use for this tank? There are so many options (and some very expensive :w00t and I am not quite sure what to use. Also, how far above the water level should I hang the lighting? Should I plan one where the height can be adjusted as needed so I can raise it up when the plants grow higher?

The tank size is 30" L x 18" W x 12" H.

Thanks in advance for your recommendations!

Ursula

Rock from Saltwater tank to Freshwater???

Richmond98 — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 19:53:22 GMT

Ok so i checked out the 4 pages here in the freshwater section and didnt see anything that would answer my question so here it is...

Can you use the "live rock" from a saltwater tank in a freshwater tank? Now obviously not yank it out of one and toss it in the other but after a clean scrub rub-a-dub bath

clown loach

johnrx — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 20:52:28 GMT

Will clown loaches become more reclusive if the number for fish in the tank increases? I recently bought a few more fish to fill out the tank and they seem to be hiding more.. do they come out at night? I have two of them and Ive had them for maybe 3 years? they are about 3-5 inches long and I really enoy watching their behavior.

Scrubber bugs in FW?

SantaMonica — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 08:48:02 GMT

Here's an interesting reply from somebody; anybody know anything about this...

"There is another Question you have failed to address with freshwater scrubbers, and that is the insect colony's that grow on the scrubbers. They feed on the algae and morph into flying insects that will go all through your house. How have you delt with those?"

What do ou think?

plchacker — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 15:40:25 GMT

http://forum.marinedepot.com/Attachment2716.aspx

This is the basic design of my home tank. It is a 55 gal, old glass, drilled in one place. A stand pipe reduces flooding in case of piping failure. There is a undergravel filter, designed around a full length planter, and a powered canister filter underneath. The tank is built into the wall between dining and livingroom.

I am adding water level controls. Lighting is florescent from a built in fixture.

Plants loved it until my wife went shopping for fish, long and familure story....

First Aquarium

sfull006 — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 06:35:41 GMT

Hello!

I'm starting my first aquarium and could use some tips.

I have a 55 gal tank but still need a filter. Any suggestions for a tank that size? (preferably under $100)
I'm wanting to stock it with South American Cichlids. What might be a good variety of Cichlids? I was thinking of a couple firemouth, a couple of convicts, and a couple angelfish. Is there any reason why this setup would not work?

Any help on these questions is apreciated. If you have any extra tips feel free to share.

Switching Tanks

DHess090 — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 17:07:53 GMT

I am in the process of setting up a 125 gal tank i bought awile back it needed some tlc but it was a steal at 200$ with sump setup now that i have all my piping setup and am about to begin cycling i am wondering how to make the switch between tanks i would like to take the sand from my 75 and use it for my 125 as the bed in my 75 is about 3-4 inches thick i figured it would work out having about 2 inches in my 125 but i know that adding the sand usualy makes it cloudy so my question is is it safe to move the fish temporarily to a 40gal cooler wile doing this how long can they stay their? i plan on moving the filter to the cooler with them could this be a shock or will they be alright for a few days
Fish:
1 green severum
1 ghost knifefish
1 emerald pleco
2 snakeskin gouramis
6 Barbs

Listed in order of concern I know my knife fish is sensitive so any tips to help make the trip pleasant would be great

Fresh Water Aquarium

iamauser — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 23:22:08 GMT

It's not a good idea to deliberately introduce snails into your tank because they'll make a meal of your plants before they even notice your algae. However, you'll probably end up with them anyway because snail eggs sometimes come attached to purchased plants.

Blackness on my plants but clear water

KAMGoleta — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 17:17:36 GMT

I have a 1 1/2 year year old freshwater tank. It holds 12 gallons with live plants and guppies. Over the past several months I have noticed a blackness accumulating on the leaves of my plants. I can remove it by scrubbing the leaves with my fingers but I'm afraid of damaging the plant because of how hard I have to scrub. The water is crystal clear and has never been cloudy though I do scrape green algae from the tank walls from time to time. Is this blackness another form of algae or could it be a plant disease? It doesn't appear to be affecting the fish at all. This is my first big tank and don't know what to do. Can anybody help?

Cichlid help please..

willk — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 17:35:53 GMT

I'm selling all the other fish to a friend and I want to know if there is anything in specific I should know about these fish, other than of course that they are very aggressive, also, how many could I put in there?

t5 ho lighting requirements

miata — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 21:09:35 GMT

Hello everyone, I'm setting up a planted freshwater 75 gal tank (48x18x20Deep). I want to make it a high tek tank. What wattage should I be using over this tank? I am also adding a pressurized Co2 system with Ph monitor/controller. The light I am thinking of is the Current USA Sundial T5 HO 48"L with 2 54W 10000k daylight bulbs and 2 actinic bulbs. Depending on what wattage I need for a high tek tank, I could switch the actinic out with 2 Giesemann midday 6000k bulbs. If the two 54w 10000k daylight bulbs are enough I could keep the actinic and use it as a dusk to dawn light fixture. The deciding factor in choosing this light is that it has 2 internal rear exhaust fans which allows me to put it in the wood canopy & vent out the back. I'm also thinking of replacing the 2 54w 10000k daylight bulbs with 2 Giesemann midday 6000K t5 HO bulb. I have also read that if I do switch to these bulbs I should also switch the 2 actinic's with 2 Giesemann powerchrome actinic bulbs. I'm ready to order but need some lighting guru's input to convince me this is the right light for me. Please help!

miata

Hagen Glo

willk — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 20:50:18 GMT

Ok so, I'm looking to upgrade my lights for my planted tank and I've been looking at the Hagen Glo t5 system for my tank. If anybody's had some experience with this system I'd really appreciate it. My tank is a 55 gal., about 18 in. deep

low tech Leiden style tanks.

beaslbob — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 11:02:40 GMT

I may use the wrong term when I say Leiden tanks. The idea is just a tank, substrate, plants, water, fish and low (or even sun) light. And nothing else. No water changes also just replace the evaporative water.

Just wondered if anyone else doe that?

my .02

Bob

Planted tank

ajb21130 — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 19:00:48 GMT

Hi i am new to the planted tank and i have a 44 corner tank and as of now it is compl. empty.

My question is can i use sand in a planted tank or do i have to use gravel ? I know absolutely nothing about planted tanks . Is there anything special i need to use ex. sand , gravel, i saw somewhere something about Flourite? I have no clue what that is. If anyone can recomend any good sites or advice that would be great. Also i have a small power head from a saltwater tank should i use that in a F/W planted aquarium for water flow or is that too much water movement? Keep in mind this is a 40 something tall corner tank. I do plan on adding some tetras once tank is established and posibly some rock an driftwood.

Silver Dollars

jayrider2000 — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 18:35:48 GMT

My silver dollars start dashing all over the tank when i turn the light on. After a minute or so they all hang around in one particular corner so I have to feed my fish when the lights are out. Is there a reason thats happening?

Reference help books, articles, tutorials etc.

slakker — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 13:38:24 GMT

this is my first foray into aquariums. I picked up a used 10g at a flea market. I was in a hurry and the results are nearly

comic. However the fish seem happy. Next I was given a 55g tank and stand, and the grandiose plans blossomed like algae. Yet this one shall go slow with every detail researched to the best of my ability. We want to do a totally natural tank with live plants. Right now my two biggest concerns are terrain design, colors- things of that nature, and the question about C02. I do not work am on a fixed income and would rather do something with moderate effort and maintenance rather than spending hundreds on an auto system, if such is even necessary. As for design and color selections If anyone knows of a website with aquariums, one after the other to view. I think for me at this stage that would be the best option. Advice?

I am also totally ignorant about the uses and benefits of much of the equipment advertised. Although most of that stuff can be retro-fitted and i will learn in time. As u can see i woefully lack knowledge and would like to know where to go to get the most--fastest

Thanks, I like this site,

Slakker (mark)

Setup for a Dragon Goby (Gobioides brousonnetti) Aquarium

clsanchez77 — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 20:24:02 GMT

Hello everybody.

I am breaking my 90g reef tank down for a couple of years (long story ending in Hurricane Gustav). I would like to do something simpler for a few years until we move out of the apartment and into a house.

While debating about either a planted freshwater tank or a brackish water tank, I came across some information regarding Gobioides brousonnetti, aka the Dragon Goby or Violet Goby.

Information for this fish is limited and generic. Nonetheless, I was able to put a few ideas together and was wondering if anybody on this board was at all familiar with this fish. The tank would be an approximation of a brackish estuary/riverene.

1) Tank: I would re-use my reef setup, which includes 90g tank, 30g sump.

2) Lighting: I would keep my VHO and MH combo. The VHO bulbs would be changed to 110w daylight bulbs. The MH bulbs would be changed to 175w 5500-6500K bulbs.

3) Filter & Equipment: The main tank circulation is only 500 gph (5.5x). The skimmer is removed. In its place, I am thinking to retrofit the sump to a wet-dry. I will continue to run the chiller and the dual carbon chambers.

4) Substrate: The substrate is controlled by several factors. First, the dragon goby is sand sifting. Second, I want to be able to grow brackish water tolerant plants, so the substrate must be plant nourishing. Third, I would like the substrate to have some buffering capacity. Finally, I would like the substrate to be a dark grey-brown mud or similar. I will likely use primarily Eco-mud or similar mixed with some aragonite to buffer and lighten the color. I am not sure what I can use to provide a brown coloration. Would silica sand (play sand or pool filter sand) work or is this too hard for the goby? Any recommendations?

5) Aquascaping: Plenty of driftwood and some occasional large stones. I would like to arrange it to appear as though there are three old tree stumps with some branching near the top.

6) Plants: This is an area of big question for me. Obviously, I need to stick with brackish tolerant plants. I also would like to stay true to South/Central American/Gulf of Mexico plants. The only one I can come up with is Sagitaria sp.. Any other suggestions?

7) Tank mates: Again, staying with the brackish and Gulf of Mexico requirements, I am thinking of a school of mollies. Maybe 7 black mollies and 3 red mollies. Overall fish load will remain light. Any other suggestions?

8) Final issue is the dragon goby itself. If possible, I would like to keep more than one. However there is no information as to whether this is doable or not.

I appreciate any input that could be provided.

Thanks.

canister rena xP3

twinston — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:05:02 GMT

my canister filter is spraying tiny bubbles. it just started about 2 days ago. how do i stop this? i think it started when i had to take the carbon out to treat the tank. when i turned it back on it sprayed the tiny bubbles for about 2 seconds and stopped, but every couple of seconds it sprays more water with tiny bubbles in it.

need help.

twinston — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 21:33:21 GMT

someone gave my son a gold fish. i have no experience in freshwater since my tank is sw. i got a bowl, some gravel and flakes for it. the water seems cloudy every day and i seem to be changing about half the water every day. is that normal or am i overdoing it? i'm used to being meticulous with sw, but isn't constant water changes going to stress out the poor fish? need help.