I've never heard mine at night. They can make a rather loud buzzing noise if they want to though, as illustrated when my large CA cichlid bit onto ones tail and tried to carry it around like a dog carries a stick. The catfish had gotten too fat to fit in the hiding holes, so I moved it off to anothe...

I'd argue that the snails do not increase the bioload, for reasons I will explain. If someone can explain differently, please do. When we talk about bioload, we usually refer to fish, in order to keep a fish alive though, we must feed it. Its not the fish that is the cause of nitrogen waste (While i...

Mine is a 55gallon with 2 AC 802s running though a pair of hydrosponge Vs. It really needs more intake area though as it tends to whirlpool itself. The sponges are inverted, attached to pvc which runs the lenght of tank to the powerheads. Current wasnt that strong either, I have some midsized cories...

Well, do you have any test numbers? Nitrate in particular is a good indicator of water change needs. Is regular weekly, monthly, or something in between? Anything else in the 125? Its seems like a reasonable stocking, if its just 2 oscars, but you would still likely want to increase the water change...

They turn into golf balls if you feed them too much. Its likely yours is just eating a lot, and getting very fat.

Looking at the habitat though, I would guess they lay eggs in a mass of plants. I've got 3 in a tank over run with java moss, so I'm just going to keep my fingers crossed and wait.

Red Tailed Cat, of the SA variety. Still have not figured out how to house one, but I'm trying! Parents are not looking at a 8x8 indoor pond too fondly. I guess I will have to move out first. (plus- I can get a saint bernard then!) I do like many of the cories, plecos (rubbernose types in particular...

Bronze cories... ie aeneus. One of the bigger species, but not the largest, lucklily. I'm actually considering over summering them in a kiddie pool,outside, with a really big school, like 30+. The only problem is moving them back in over the fall, so I wonder how many I can have in teh 55 ;) My conv...

So, I'm not quite sure what I'm doing yet, but here it goes. I have 12 cories (11? 13? I have to count) in a 55 gallon, with some rubbernoses and my striped raphel trio. Would they adjust to a 20 long (30x12x12 inches) If I wanted to use my 55 for something else? It would be pretty well stocked, was...

Fidlers are brackish and require access to air as they actually live on mud flats. I did not have great sucess with them, even in a marsh habitat, my 4 died 1 by 1 over the course of several months.

I might try them again, but a marsh in your bedroom does not smell nice!

I may run a sump setup. Even small plecos make big waste, and a 20 long isnt that big (especially when you go and add some large river rocks!). Since the 20l will be completely torn down (sand removal!) it wouldnt be too hard to add a bulkhead. Depending on the sump tank, I can then run a wet/dry as...

I've pretty much decided my rubbernose plecos (sp still unkown) into a 20 long, after I sell off my Julidochromis. The 55 is just too tall to get the right "look". I've spent a lot of time around streams for class this fall, so its made me rethink this tank. Whats the most efficient way to...

Sticky?

Who would have thought that its a good idea to stick eggs to the sand? Never would have suspected synos laid sticky eggs. [let me guess, its in the cat-elog...]

Try an undergravel filter? It would be hard to get it in, but it might work. The eggs might settle in, below the thing (along with sand of course)and prevent midnight snacks. You could then siphon it out like normal UGF gunk, through the riser tubes. Of course it wont filter a thing, so you would on...

I dont think shrimp shells are actually carbonates. Things like clams are, and the shells are very different. Even clams would have a minimal effect unless the tank was very small and very soft water. (but then you wouldnt be feeding whole clams anyway)

Most fish adapt readily, and unless its a delicate species I think pH (and hardness to a lesser degree) are overrated in importance. Its a pretty good fit otherwise, so I thought I'd mention it. Has anyone had problems with the higher pH? (I would love to know, before I get myself a Chaca!)

Chaca!

Pretty rare, utterly bizzare, and not too big since it doesnt move much.

Where are you finding these guys?

I'm looking for a robust (big, tough and looks like a catfish catfish but I think I'll have to start looking into catching a bullhead instead of buying rhamdia. [with fishing licence pricing, it would probably be cheaper to buy the imported rhamdia!]

I've never seen a listing for a 18 incher, nevermind 24 inches. Can I see a citation, or at least a change in the Catelog? I was basing that on the 12-14 inches one sees listed everywhere. I also usually consider that 2x front to back to be very generous, although with these active fish, it probably...

So, these are pretty interesting fish. Aside from the basics, the behavior isnt very well explained. What would you do to create the ideal tank? Since they are active should they have a 6 foot tank, or would a 4 footer (ie 75gallon) work? Do they remain peaceful to each other as they grow? Would 4 o...

Arent Corals made primarily of aragonite? Thats CaCO3. I'm not sure where you are getting K2CO3 or Na2CO3, as I've never seen those listed in any geology class I've taken, nor are they listed in my geochem book on anything to do with reefs or limestone.

I had a hyspotomus in a 26 (no one ever mentions they grow 2 feet, nor nitrogen cycling!)for almost 2 years. It was around 5 inches when it went into a 75. Its now, less than a year later, 7 inches or so. It is being outgrown by a smaller L. Pardalis though, so I dont expect it to reach full size. I...

Yes, I've read that several times. I believe they are the smallest fish in the tank, or atleast, cant get their mouths around my larger convicts! They do need to learn to hide better though, the Uropthalmus did catch one, until they made that noise and spiked the poor cichlid ;) I'll add some big dr...

I was thinking about my current arrangement of my Platydoras Costatus (sp?) trio. And ideas on which tank would be preferable.. They are currently housed in a 75, with CA cichlids. A Convict pair, a Uropthalmus, and some tinfoils that are getting too big. Its a heavily stocked tank, and there is som...

You may find some brackish snails will do the job. Ghost shrimp will also live in brackish water, and may eat the other types of algea.

Albino or pink? Quite surprising that they lasted in the wild.

I'm a convict whore... what can I say

I'd have to put convict at the top of my list. Even without specific feeding, the small fry still find enough food. That may be due to my house keeping though... algae infested plants are ok, if it tried to grow. [But low light means not much in the way of green algaes.] Livebearers can be easy, by ...

As for catelog sizes, I like what Cichlid-forum did for their cichlid sizes. There are too many values to do the entire list that way, but perhaps the most common types. They listed the most common adult size, what you would expect. If the common pleco reaches 24 inches max, but 95% of them only rea...

Perfectly safe ;) I went to Iceland last summer and did some of the same things, only on volcanoes a bit more active that average. Dont mind the sulfur fumes, you get used to those! We "skied" down Hekla (another mouth of hell!) by jumping in the pummice, although we never reached the top ...

After watching 100 eggs fungus, after I removed the parents, but did not treat for fungus. I'm stuck with a question, how the heck do cories reproduce in the wild? Why do eggs go bad so quickly in the aquarium? Short of fungicide, is there any way to minimize it? ie, I have 11 Bronzes, and I really ...

Not specifically catfish, but of Mexican habitats. Does anyone know when the Blind cave form of the tetras begin to displace the seeing mexican tetras?

Anything else about them? I'm just thinking of a rather odd biotope type set up... but details seem rather sparse.