I agree, great tank ....and how DID you get that driftwood to stand up so nicely??

OK folks, ya talked me into to it...or should I say OUT of it. Good points about test kits and about my current "system" working well for a long time.....If it ain't broke why should I fix it?? Thanks for your input..........

I do agree about test kit accuracy, although since I don't use them my skepticism may be unfounded. I'm an electronics tech, by trade, 30+ years, so accuracy in testing is something I expect, at work anyway. In my early years as an aquarist I tested everything faithfully...and drove myself crazy ...

OK folks, I've been keeping fishies since the mid 80's and I confess, I don't test ANYTHING. Many if not most of my fish live for many years and I still have 3 of my original "cats". I guess I've just been lucky. I do heavy water changes weekly, (usually) at least 50%, and clean my aqua clear ...

Good Morning All. I got a reply from DOW. They say that "styrofoam" is manufactured as an insulating material and is also used in food packageing. They say it's "generally considered to be inert", but they haven't tested it in aquariums.....so they won't say if it's safe or not. To my way of ...

To All. I've sent off an inquiry directly to DOW Corning, the folks that make styrofoam, about this subject. I'll let you know what their answer is...One thing I did realize is that all "foam" isn't "styrofoam". That is a patented brand name by DOW. Apparently LOTS of people make similar products ...

Thanks Bas and Amanda. Doing more web research I see that a LOT of folks do use styrofoam in various ways in their tanks.....That said, Amanda scared the stuff outa me with that cyanide story!! Yes, that's my concern, many times things are labeled alike, i.e., styrofoam is styrofoam is styrofoam ...

I would like to use styrofoam under some of my heavier rockwork to protect the glass bottom and give a good base to the rocks. I used it once before in an older tank, since torn down, and had an unusual number of fish deaths that I couldn't determine a cause for. It may have had nothing to do with ...

I have a 75 gallon with two peckoltia sabajis, three queen arabesques, a syno petricola and a young(small) leopard pleco, L-114. For dither fish and to get some movement in the tank since my cats are like vampires and only come out at night, I added a dozen fancy guppies and they do fine. They're ...

I typically use store-bought driftwood in my tanks, for safety reasons, but as the size and number of tanks grows I find that I don't like a lot of what the stores sell these days and it's expensive. I live in the mountains on wooded property. I have plenty of oak and maple trees to harvest from ...

Thanks Bas, that's useful info. The pump I'm looking at, a MAG Drive 950, puts out about 93 watts, which may raise my tank temp a bit higher than I want. I'm keeping South American cats and I know they're comfortable up to at least 80F/27C, but perhaps not much beyond that. If you're getting a 5C ...

Again, thanks for the feed-back folks. It's very helpful to be able to talk to fellow hobbiests. I like to do as much "homework" as possible BEFORE I set up a new tank to try and anticipate any problems. As my plan takes shape, I'm thinking to run a 900-1200GPH pump through a manifold of 3 3/4" PVC ...

Thanks for all the feedback folks. I feel better about "sponging" my tank now. Next question, and it's related. I want to run high turnover flow rates in this tank, 10x plus. My plec's seem to love that and are often parked in front of the nearest PH or filter outflow. Anybody have a feel for just ...

My thoughts exactly. The stuff ON the sponges would be fine. The sponges themselves, not so good. I'm trying to figure some way to cover the sponges that won't impede water flow or be esthetically unpleasant but that will keep the plecs from getting at them. Yes, I could go to an external canister ...

I'm in the planning stage of a new 75USG tank and I'd like to use a high volume pump with sponge filters. I have it worked out on paper, but I have read that sometimes plecos like to munch on sponge filters. I can see why they might once it's been in the tank a while. Covered with bits of food ...

Hello, I'm new at the site, but a long time fishkeeper, about 17 years. I want to set up a new 75 gal. tank using the river tank manifold system I just discovered online. It looks like a perfect way to bring more natural water flow to our catfish. My plan is to use a pair of Aqua Clear 70's, 400gph ...