My PC will be 3 years in August Still, I intend to get 2 more years out of it, as I managed from its predecessor You're better then I am :D So the Ehiem Pro 3 2080 isn't electronic? That's good to know as it also has the largest volume for media. Great comparison on discusforums, very helpful. Shaun

Thanks guys...Ehiem seems to be the vibe I'm getting. Have to save just a little bit more, but I think it'll be worth it. I have 2 Eheim 2217's that are now over 10 years old and a few other Eheim filters that are approaching the 4-6 year mark. I had a Fluval 404 that I thought was great, but only g...

Which of these should I get? Not really worried about cost...more quality and value for money.
I need a big filter that produces a really good current and has a large media volume.
Shaun

I always thought "low tech" meant a planted tank without fancy lighting or CO2...at least that's what the books and magazines tell me? And most of the recent planted tank literature I read refers to large frequent water changes to cope with the extra ferterliser/nutrient loading. And all m...

I'd have to agree with Mats and Barbie too. The amount of different things besides Nitrate that build up in aquariums, even in a short space of time, are pretty astronomical. Phosphate is probably the worst as it's common in most fishfoods, not to mention aquatic plant fertilisers. Some fish even se...

Welcome, you won't find a better fish forum
Shaun

I had no idea they were such a large species. I've seen them up around 18-20cm very rarely, more commonly 12-15cm. Maybe some populations grow larger then others and both are present here? Not sure. One bad thing about them in Oz is that more and more seem to be showing deformities, bent tails most...

The fish sold in Australia as "Peppermint Bristlenose" is L071/L181/L249: Ancistrus sp(l071) Age is probably a bigger factor in breeding readiness, but I'd say they'd have to be 12cm or larger as most breeding pairs I've seen were at least this size. Also, they are notoriously difficult to...

I think I'll go with a big canister and a large internal power filter for current. Anyone know anything about setting up a Rio Tapajos biotope? I'm guessing similar to the much more common Rio Xingu biotope tanks I've seen? Rocks, caves and a few large pieces of wood. But if anyone can give me somet...

I listen to Radio Australia at night and it was tough to hear everyone going through that.

Thanks
They've only just re-opened some of the areas this week, nothing left of a few towns unbelievable.

it's NOT raining here in the UK!

its rained here all day.

Thanks Mats, thinking about going for a very large canister (fluval405 or a large eheim pro), relative to tank size, coupled with a large internal power filter such as a fluval plus 4 or it's equal in another brand. Kicking myself for not getting this tank drilled when I had it made, would love a tr...

I'm fair dinkum, bonza...drinking VB etc
Shaun

I wish to setup my L134 tank as a display, the tank is 90cmx45cmx35cm shallow, 141Ltrs. Was wondering about some less "view cluttering" filtration that would still allow for maximum flow rate? I find most canisters to be fairly slow flowing, but what if I went for a ridiculously oversized ...

Just at the very end of summer here, some of the hottest days on record. The day the bushfires ( :cry: ) started was 49c or thereabouts, I got an aquarium thermometer up to 53c in the sun. Anyone else had weird weather? Aside from the hottests days ever, the wheather's sort of been up and down, hot ...

The fish being sold as "Chocolate Plecos" in Oz are, as everyone has said, P. pardalis. Just a line-bred colour variation... The bad news is: yours isn't even one of those! Its just a regular P. pardalis :( I'd have a word to the shop. The "Chocolate" ones seem to have dissappear...

Amazing, the way the spines are developing. Beautiful pics
Shaun

Thanks for that, I'll check it out. A few species are quite common here, but most are hard to find...
Shaun

Nice pics. A few Geo sp are available here, but not really any of the "special" ones...Biotodoma, Guinacara etc
Shaun

Congratulations! Keep posting pics as it grows.

There must be someone breeding this sp. for the Oz trade on a commercial scale, hundreds available and they're not an allowable import. I'm assuming someone up north in the tropics must be farming them...
Shaun

This one is also very good:

Shaun

Contacting the breeder or previous owner is impossible due to circumstances, I do know for sure that they've been knocked around a bit and probably haven't fed very well for at least a week before I got them. Aside from that they're very good quality fish. Bellies were a little sunken when I first b...

I'm having trouble getting some newly purchased L134 to eat. 180Ltr Tank, lots of water movement and aeration, temp 26c, ph neutral, soft water. Tankmates are a trio of Zamora Catfish and a few small Pencilfish. I know the Zamoras are probably not an ideal tankmate. I've been trying them on sinking ...

I'm pretty sure the Ancistrus sold as "Peppermint Bristlenose" in Oz are , L183.
Shaun

[Mod edit: replace italic with clog tags --Mats]

Ancistrus sp. 'Rio Ucayali'?
http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/sp ... ies_id=638
Shaun

Thanks for the replies :D I am not planning on housing my potential purchase with any other plecos, probably just a school of Cardinal Tetras. Would Corydoras be safe if I added them? Or would an L091 view them as "shelled crustaceans"? The specimen I'm thinking of buying is 7cm, and I'm p...

Can anyone give me some info on this species? I have read the Cat-E-Log & COTM entries. Anything to add?
Thanks,
Shaun

It is possible they weren't acclamitized properly, they came from my work, but I didn't unpack them in the shop, just properly acclimatized them when I took them home.
Shaun

Just bought another 5 under the same name, larger size then the last lot. There seem to be vaious differences on some individuals: the black mark sometimes extends to the top of the dorsal fin, the spotted pattern seem uniform on some and then irregular on others and like the spots are organized int...

Thanks :D Yeah, apart from swimming funny there's no other obvious signs of ill health. I've added a large dose of cooking salt to the tank already, thought I might as well try something. Haven't lost any yet, so I'll see how they go. I suspect ammonia poisoning, judging from the condition of the wa...

Could this be a swim bladder problem?
Shaun