Thank you all very much for your replies, I think I will try vegetable oil first.

Hi,
I some times have trouble with O rings can anyone recommend a safe lubricant that I can use?

Thanks

I have a 500 Ltr tank being filtered by two 1500 Ltr / hr canister filters, I have two large Royal Plecs ( Panaque ) who eat wood like it's going out of fashion, My question is because my filters get so dirty with fine sludge type mud would it be ok to clean one filter thoroughly with high pressure ...

I am moving from a soft water area to one with a reading of 117 mg/L as calcium, 16.38 German. I have keep South American catfish for years. Now it is now about to change what are your recommendations as regards Catfish that will be at home in Hard water. On the proviso that that don't grow huge, do...

thank you Richard, It did cross my mind this might happen. Oh well another species tank.
Thanks once again.

I have six Akysis hendricksoni and I wonder would they be safe in a 5 x 2 x 2 foot tank with a large platydorus hancockii
and two Bunocephalus coracoideus . I don't want them gobbled up in the night.
Thanks

Pterygoplichthys multiradiatus http://i1241.photobucket.com/albums/gg515/Prickle1900/sickcat_zps6e731613.jpg My sailfin is looking very sorry for it self, the discoloured flank is a pale grey as though its lost its natural colour. I am having to treat a couple of Angels with Malachite green and copp...

http://i1241.photobucket.com/albums/gg515/Prickle1900/IMG_0043_zps021f5e41.jpg http://i1241.photobucket.com/albums/gg515/Prickle1900/IMG_0039_zps8854be47.jpg Can you please identify this Whiptail, is it Sturisoma or a loricaria, could you also explain how to tell the difference between to two. P.S....

Thank you Rob,

Most helpful, I have had this wood eating machine for a year now and he /it has trebled size,
also loves courgettes.
thanks

Can anyone please identify just which panaque this is.
Thanks

Thanks for all your replies, As you can see by the photo my tanks is well planted and I have two 1500 ltr filters running. It was a purely academic question, my mains water comes in at about 15 - 20 ppm Nitrate and my tank is about 10ppm No3 . I wondered if a trickle filter to produce anaerobic cond...

Is it possible to run a heavily plant tank with fish at zero Nitrate? and / or is it desirable.
Thanks

I have a small 3" Ancistrus.sp. who is a right little thug, he attacks Sailfin Pleco's twice his size and they run away.( As it were ) Question as the Ancistrus grows bigger will his aggression get worse.

Thanks Guys,

That's what I wanted to know, I also feed Blood worm, White mosquito larvae, Black mosquito larvae, Prima, tetra flake, catfish pellets and Dr Bassleer Biofish food. So as you see they get a varied diet.
I was worried about the vast amount of cucumber that was being consumed.
Cheers

Hello,

Can you over feed cucumber? I have 2 sailfin pleco's, 1 bristlenose, a Royal pleco and a couple of Banjo's
each day I place a piece of cucumber about 1-1½" Dia and about ¼ thick complete with skin, by the next morning it's all gone skin and all. Should I limit the amount being fed?

http://i1241.photobucket.com/albums/gg515/Prickle1900/pleco_opt_zps33dd2165.jpg Hi Barbie, thank you for your reply, My tank is 100 gallons 5' x 2' x 2' there are 4 caves and lots of holes in the wood, the fish get fed twice a day and the cats get catfish pellets and Algae wafers. I guess this migh...

Hello, No doubt many of you will have seen this, so please forgive me for asking this question. I have two Sailfin plecos about the same size 4"long so very young. Today they were laying very close together and one of them had lost all its colour, so much so you could see through its fins. I di...

A big thank-you, to you Silurus. Now I can sit back and enjoy and not go into panic mode.
Thanks once again for taking the time to reply.

I have a couple of Bunocephalus coracoideus and today for the first time one of them is in its usual place half covered with sand but appears to be panting, is this normal and I have missed it before or is there a problem ? they are in 100 gall tank, 2 x 1500 ltr filters and zero on all water tests....

Thank you once again Mats,
I guess if a fish dies or the cave gets dirty I will have to use a big bottle brush ! I will give them a go, if it becomes a problem I can always block the entrance.
Cheers Mate.

Thanks Mat.
I thought I could use different sizes, so that say Bristlenose could use one size and say platydoras costatus another,
I had not thought of cleaning the inside of the tube, does it need to be done often?
Cheers.

I am setting up a 110 gallon tank for South American Catfish, I would like to build caves into the terracing walls, do you think it would be safe to build them without an exit as in nature ? as in, you swim in but have to back out.
Thanks

Namaskar Shovelnose, thank you so much, it just goes to show you can't trust the supplier and my own eyes.
It's a great little fish and such fun to watch.
Thank you once again.

http://i1241.photobucket.com/albums/gg515/Prickle1900/akysis.jpg Can someone please put a name to this Akysis and tell me please is there a vast colour change between fish of the same family as I bought 3 from the same tank yet a couple are much lighter in colour, yet the size and pattern is much t...

Thank you for the information chaps, I have looked as best I can in a heavily planted tank, but can't see any eggs.
I guess with 3 large Peppered Cory and 3 Akysis the chance of survival is pretty remote.
Thanks

Hi, I have a couple of Otocinclus, one large and one small they are the last out of eight I bought last year, today they were swimming close together then the larger fish stopped attached itself to the glass and the smaller fish seemed to rap it's body over the head of the larger fish, they moved af...

Hi Guys, Can some please help me, I have just received the analysis of my local water, Can someone please explain it to me, I want to know what the total hardness in dGH and how you got to the answer. My Calcium is min 33.30 to max 37.00 mgCa/l Magnesium reads min 4.0 to max 6.40 mgMg/l P.H 7.4 to 7...

Thanks Victor for your reply and all the others who have taken time to write, well I did a tank test this weekend all back to normal, I had a report from the local water supplier and they say their water is on average P.H. 7.6 Nitrite 0 and Nitrate 17.07 mg no3 / l. I just wonder if it was a one off...

Sorry lads and Lassies, I am a bit behind with my response. I think one of my problems might be I am not used to tiny tanks, the one I have the problem with is a Fluval Edge 41 ltrs http://i1241.photobucket.com/albums/gg515/Prickle1900/tank2_opt.jpg I have been doing 50% water changes every week som...

Thank you all, for your feed back. As was advised I will leave it a couple weeks before I put any new stock in my tank
Thank you once again