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  1. Steve Smith

    Ideas for stocking a 55 gallon? Maybe a fish w/ the personality of a dog?

    I'm not sure about compatibility, so please research first, but Puffer fish have great character and are amazing to watch. Again, I don't know if a fresh water puffer would be compatible so check them out.
  2. Steve Smith

    Butterfly plec/hong kong plec

    Or, in the words of Clive - "fix the cause of the algae" :)
  3. Steve Smith

    Butterfly plec/hong kong plec

    Not really. They're generally a colder water fish and they like high flow, high oxygen water to thrive. They're originally from fast flowing rivers (hence their shape, so that can attach to large pebbles and stay put). Great info here: Hillstream Loaches - The Specialists at Life In The Fast...
  4. Steve Smith

    What's wrong with this Gourami?

    A quick google suggests it may be a result of breeding colours/maturing - dark discoloration of dwarf gourami
  5. Steve Smith

    Pair of fish...!

    It'll depend on how big your tank is as well :)
  6. Steve Smith

    lake malawi cichlids

    Can't help you on which cichlids, but I'd love to keep some some day :)
  7. Steve Smith

    Black Ottos

    Almost looks like a plec of some sort in those photos :) I wonder if my local MA could order these in...
  8. Steve Smith

    Fish for 60x20x20 tank.

    Thanks for the info Tom. Perhaps not suited to what I'm thinking in that case, but I'll have a read non the less :)
  9. Steve Smith

    Fish for 60x20x20 tank.

    I saw today that my local Maidenhead Aquatics (Coventry) has some lovely Licorice Gourami (Parosphromenus deissneri) in. Very tempted to use some of these in a new setup which will be 40x20x20 (so only two or 3 perhaps, depending on research about what they need)
  10. Steve Smith

    Shoaling fish

    Green Neons are lovely little fish :)
  11. Steve Smith

    sparkling\croaking gourami

    Great Matt :) I love these fish. I've had several over the years. Currently have one loan male in my 60cm tank. I had fry at one point last year, but they didn't make it unfortunately. This is a photo of one of my originals from a few years back: http://deviant-uk.org/pics/aquatics/Liv...
  12. Steve Smith

    Rio Nanay fish

    Loving the P. Scalare George :) Someday I hope to have a group of similar, in a suitably large setup :)
  13. Steve Smith

    Sparkling Gouramis - They spawned!

    Thanks for the tips Darrel :) Hopefully some mozzie eggs on their way from Gill. I've started with the egg yolk idea tonight. I'm trying to be careful not to over do it though. I had a shock when I got home tonight. I couldn't see any fry, and the bubble nest was gone :jawdrop I saw the...
  14. Steve Smith

    Sparkling Gouramis - They spawned!

    Thanks for the info Pard :) It was interesting last night. I watching the dad zipping around the tank and thought he might be stressed or excited about something, but after I watched him for a while I realised that he was actually zipping around inspecting every bit of floating...
  15. Steve Smith

    Sparkling Gouramis - They spawned!

    Well, after a couple of hours of trying, I managed to catch and move the young male and the female and they are now in my 60cm community scape. They seem to quite like it in there! They even spend time together now, after the female being quite nasty in the smaller tank. The other male is...
  16. Steve Smith

    Sparkling Gouramis - They spawned!

    I've got enough bits to put together another tank, but I need to spend some time this weekend sorting stuff out really. Like, I need to clean out a 2213 and try to find a spray bar (which I don't remember if I have or not).
  17. Steve Smith

    Sparkling Gouramis - They spawned!

    Re: Sparkling Gouramis I had a bit of a surprise about an hour ago. I popped into my bedroom on the way out of the front door to get something and naturally stopped and oggled the fish for a few moments. The gouramis all came out as they seem to do now that they've settled in (expecting food...
  18. Steve Smith

    Sparkling Gouramis - They spawned!

    Re: Sparkling Gouramis OK, thanks for the info :) I'm not sure if they'll get separated out to their own tank to be honest (assuming I even get any young). I'll see what happens!
  19. Steve Smith

    Sparkling Gouramis - They spawned!

    Re: Sparkling Gouramis Is that for the nursery tank, or for the gourami tank in general?
  20. Steve Smith

    Sparkling Gouramis - They spawned!

    Re: Sparkling Gouramis Thanks for the information Darrel :) I have some floating plants already, a little Limnobium laevigatum and another which I'm not sure of the name (looks a little like pistia, but the leaves seem to stay the same size as limnobium, and the edges are rounder - it has a...
  21. Steve Smith

    Sparkling Gouramis - They spawned!

    Re: Sparkling Gouramis My original post about when my last sparklers spawned is here: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=2438#p26118 I think they prefer good plant cover. I wanted to give them a nice amount, hence the massive bolbitis! The smaller fish, which I think might be female, keeps checking out...
  22. Steve Smith

    Sparkling Gouramis - They spawned!

    Just bought a trio of these, though I suspect I have 2 males and 1 female looking at their behaviour! I've kept these before, and even had them breed, though I had no surviving fry as they were in a small community tank. I had spotted these three in my little LFS (Rosedale Aquatics in...
  23. Steve Smith

    UKAPS premiere of 'Jack' 2

    Beautiful fish and a great story :) Glad he's settled in well :thumbup:
  24. Steve Smith

    Ruby Tetras

    A quick google on the latin name brings up more info: http://www.google.co.uk/#sclient=psy&hl ... b20c34b3dd Fishbase reckons 20 - 26deg C, but I'd read around some more.
  25. Steve Smith

    30 litre/6 gallon could I get a pair of dwarf cichlids?

    Sadly, no. This tank was some years ago :)
  26. Steve Smith

    30 litre/6 gallon could I get a pair of dwarf cichlids?

    +1 to the sparkling gouramis! I had some a while back and they are fantastic little fish.
  27. Steve Smith

    Shoaling/Schooling fish?

    Can't go wrong with the good ol' Hengeli Rasbora (Trigonostigma hengeli).
  28. Steve Smith

    Something very very weird

    How are their colours? If they're stressed out they'll likely be pale looking? Has the tank been established for a while and everything running OK? Anything changed lately?
  29. Steve Smith

    swordtails

    Are you sure they're females, and not juvenile males?
  30. Steve Smith

    Fish ID please

    Worth seeing if they'll send you the otos free ;)
  31. Steve Smith

    Fish ID please

    definitely! Cute fish, but not otos! Might be worth more ;)
  32. Steve Smith

    Fish ID please

    The pygmy corydoras act differently to larger cories generally. They tend to be mid swimmers as a pose to bottom dwellers.
  33. Steve Smith

    Fish ID please

    You know, looking closer, that could also be a Corydoras pygmaeus Hah, beat me too it Darrell :lol:
  34. Steve Smith

    Fish ID please

    It's got the same markings, but looks quite stocky? There are several different breeds I believe
  35. Steve Smith

    Whos eggs are these?

    Sounds like snail eggs to me.
  36. Steve Smith

    Where can I get Chocolate Gourami's??

    Glad they made the journey home safely Matt :)
  37. Steve Smith

    Where can I get Chocolate Gourami's??

    The Green Machine (Wrexham) had some in on Saturday. A1Matt bought 6 I think, so not sure if they had any left after that... Might be worth a PM to him :)
  38. Steve Smith

    my new kuhlis

    With the filter, any internal would probably be OK. It does depend on how "high tech" you want it to be. If you're not dosing much and not using CO2 then any small filter should surfice. It does depend on how large the tank is though. It would be worth looking for something with a good flow...
  39. Steve Smith

    my new kuhlis

    Erm, not sure. 11w light and probably something like 5 - 10w filter. Then whatever heater (if you use one, which you probably wouldn't need too for shrimp).
  40. Steve Smith

    my new kuhlis

    Have you seen the Superfish Aqua Cubes? The 25 litre ones cost a little less than £50 depending where you shop :) I believe Saintly's lovely little scape "purple rain" is based on one of these. They come with filter and light unit (don't think they come with a filter). Either that, or look...
  41. Steve Smith

    Transporting fish from LFS...

    :shock: :lol: must... think... clean... thoughts... :angel:
  42. Steve Smith

    my new kuhlis

    Don't know a great deal about these fish, but they're pretty cute! I've been told in the past that they like to hide out and like to come out at night. The seem to like to bunch up and cram into caves or corners etc.
  43. Steve Smith

    Nannostomus mortenthaleri

    Not got the space for them at the moment. Wouldn't be fair to cram them into my 90cm holding tank with it's other inhabitants. I'm hoping to set up an 80x45x45 soon. They should suit the scape I have in mind nicely :)
  44. Steve Smith

    Nannostomus mortenthaleri

    I've loved Beckfordi's since I first saw them in TGM's 10ft display tank. Really do want to keep some soon. My new LFS has them in quite cheap and it took a lot of effort to resist buying :)
  45. Steve Smith

    can i keep gobies?

    Are any of your fish aggressive? If not, it's likely that you'll have no issues :) My only question mark would be the kribs, but I've not kept kribs before, so I have no idea how they behave.
  46. Steve Smith

    Catfish nut..

    I quite like them :) Maybe a little plain, but in the right scape I think they'd be an interesting alternative.
  47. Steve Smith

    Food for Ember Tetra

    As Jase says, I do this with Tetra flake. I have also fed my mosquito rasbora (and my ember tetra when I had them) on tetra prime granules, which are very small.
  48. Steve Smith

    Can you keep Chocolate Gourami with Shrimps?

    Agreed, I want to see them Matt! :) And maybe your socks too :lol:
  49. Steve Smith

    corys

    Hey Ad. I was talking purely from an aesthetic perspective. I'm sure they'd be fine in a 60cm from a husbandry perspective :) Great looking fish though. I've seen the Sterbai cory in TGM's long tank in a large shoal and they look impressive. These are pretty similar aren't they? On the...
  50. Steve Smith

    corys

    Hey Ad. I have no experience with these personally, but on a quick search they look like they'll get to around 5cm. Would they be too big for a 60cm? I mean from the point of view of scale, and not in terms of tank space for the fish themselves :)
  51. Steve Smith

    Filter off at feeding time?

    Excellent Paul! Glad they've settled in :) Now all we need is pics! :lol:
  52. Steve Smith

    Filter off at feeding time?

    I've started doing exactly this after moving my remaining group of fish to a temporary setup. Seems to work well, and I'm actually seeing them feed (they're quite timmid little micro rasbora). I'll stick to doing it this way when I get them setup in their new home :)
  53. Steve Smith

    Filter off at feeding time?

    It might take them a few days to settle in before you see them actually going for the food. They'll need to get used to the idea :) I don't normally turn the filter off on my tanks. The fish will happily hunt out food on the substrate/plants when they want it. I'd say, if they aren't taking...
  54. Steve Smith

    super red harlequins

    I think it's either Hengal's or Hengali, as a pose to Hengli :) I think Hengal's Rasbora is the common name. It could just be that you got some particularly nice wild caught fish. It may be worth trying to breed them to see if you get the same strong colouration :)
  55. Steve Smith

    Transporting fish from LFS...

    It's Rosedale Aquatics, in Whitnash :) I had the (dis)pleasure of moving my remaining fish last night. Got them in a temp setup while I find time to re-scape their normal tank.
  56. Steve Smith

    Transporting fish from LFS...

    Now that's just too darned clever :lol: There is a bus service, but I do like getting around under my own steam. When it comes to the welfare of the fish though, taxi might be the answer... I have access to some small thermal bags from some supermarket or other, might be too small. I'll...
  57. Steve Smith

    Transporting fish from LFS...

    Just wondering if there was any advice on this slightly different situation. I visited my new "LFS" yesterday to get a feel for them. Quite oldschool but great fish selection which all seemed in good condition. I want to buy some fish soon, but here's the kicker - it's a 3 mile cycle from the...
  58. Steve Smith

    The most unhelpful/friendly otto ever?

    Hah, excellent :)
  59. Steve Smith

    Puffer Floating Face Down

    That's a shame mate :( Maybe your filter crashed and went into a cycle? Any other livestock in the tank?
  60. Steve Smith

    New Goby for my tank* edit Prolific algae eater!

    Re: New Goby for my tank Gorgeous fish :) I've had a soft spot for gobies for a while, but I've never owned any. I like the red guy, with his snake skin pattern :thumbup:
  61. Steve Smith

    Bristlenose Dropsy recovery

    Great stuff! Worth bearing in mind. I recently lost a female guppy to dropsy.
  62. Steve Smith

    Cardinal Tetras - Unexplained Deaths

    I'd be concerned that 10 gallon might be too small for housing that many fish for any length of time, without regular water changes. Any amonia readings?
  63. Steve Smith

    Recommended Stocking - what would you choose

    The Fluval FX5 is an imense filter! Something like 3000lph or more flow rate. The problem with lily pipes and the FX5 is the hose size on the filter is huge! I believe the internal diametre of the FX5 hosing is 22mm, and I've only seen a max of 17mm lily pipes. You could use a reducer, but...
  64. Steve Smith

    Recommended Stocking - what would you choose

    An FX5 would be great, but difficult if you wanted to use lily pipes and such. If you don't mind having a powerhead or two in the tank, then an EX1200 or Fluval 405 would be fine (though I'm not a big fan of the design of fluval range). I've heard Harlequins will jump also, but with a tank...
  65. Steve Smith

    Recommended Stocking - what would you choose

    Welcome aboard Simon :) My one bit of advice would be to get a larger filter if you can, or be prepared for a large powerhead. Circulation is critical in a planted tank, to get a good distribution of nutrients and CO2. A Fluval 405 would be a bit underpowered for this size tank I feel...
  66. Steve Smith

    Dwarf Neon Blue Rainbowfish Gasping

    Sounds like Dropsy. If the scales are sticking out, like a pine cone effect then it is. It's an internal bacterial infection and is quite hard to treat. It's not contageous though, but it can be caused be poor water quality. I lost a guppy to it recently :?
  67. Steve Smith

    saintly's "Autumn Blush" gets a cat fish

    Looks like a Studio Ghibli monster lurking over a mountain hill side :lol:
  68. Steve Smith

    Stocking Advice

    I'd say a shoal of 10 would be a good number :) What filtration will you be using?
  69. Steve Smith

    fish for 2 foot cube (ish)

    Emerald Eye Rasbora might be quite nice. They shoal really well! A little bland looking, but in the right light they have amazing blue eyes.
  70. Steve Smith

    Fin Rot?

    Has this happened recently or been a while? Is it possible another tank mate has had a go at him?
  71. Steve Smith

    Fish are at the top of the tank.

    Do you have much surface movement? I realise this goes against CO2, but it's sometimes necessary to have some movement, as well as CO2! :)
  72. Steve Smith

    Woo! My galaxy Rasbora have spawned!

    Congrats! I've wanted galaxies for some time but I haven't got anywhere to put them at the moment. Fingers crossed for them surviving :)
  73. Steve Smith

    Sparkling gouramis and Hara Jerdonis

    They can be a little agressive with each other when pairing up. I have kept 4 in the past, and there always seemed to be one dominent one. They also "croak" in the evenings when feeling frisky, which freaked me out the first time I heard it, untill I figured out what it was :D Mine have...
  74. Steve Smith

    Stopped Eating

    Not sure about not eating, but they're clearly not happy. You should have no amonia reading so I'd suggest some water changes as a first. Have you noticed if they are lethargic etc? Can you give more information about your setup, ie size of tank, fish stock, filtration etc? How much do you...
  75. Steve Smith

    white spot

    Grr. I too have a few fish with whitespot now :( I've increased the temp, and am going to add some salt tonight. Thankfully it's not on my big tank! Flippin' guppies! :roll:
  76. Steve Smith

    sae's tail/fin damage.

    Are you sure it's not the SAE's themselves? As I understand it (not from personal experience mind :roll: ) SAE's are quite aggressive with each other. From what I've read it's best to keep them singularly or as a large group. Can anyone confirm this?
  77. Steve Smith

    Sawba Resplendens (ascian Rummeynose)

    I've never kept rummy noses, how do you find having significantly more males than females? Any agression issues? Good luck with spawning them! :)
  78. Steve Smith

    50 of what tetra?

    I went with a shoal of Embers at the weekend. Lovely fish. Not had time to appreciate them fully yet.
  79. Steve Smith

    Algae Eater Q

    It is normal, but with ottos it normally takes longer :)
  80. Steve Smith

    Algae Eater Q

    I understand BN's can be plant eaters if not kept fed on lettuce/spinnach etc. I think Ottos should be fine as long as you take your time aclimatising them. They really need a good hour or so of gradually adding a little of your tank water to their bag/container. SAE's don't grow massive, but...
  81. Steve Smith

    white spot

    Awesome! It's sounding promising then.
  82. Steve Smith

    white spot

    Fantastic :mrgreen:
  83. Steve Smith

    white spot

    That's aweful :( Sorry it's not going well. Hopefully the parents will make it and have another go in the future.
  84. Steve Smith

    Botia Striata and Nerite Snails

    Send me the nerites :p
  85. Steve Smith

    Pigmy Corys

    I find this too, to a certain degree. They like to hang out on broad leaves at most levels of the tank but still hang about on the substrate too. Which have they got? Habrosus, Hastatus or Pygmaeus? Lovely little fish :)
  86. Steve Smith

    white spot

    Good to hear :)
  87. Steve Smith

    white spot

    Just an after note... Adding carbon to your filter after running a course of esha should help get rid of it from the water (as well as water changes of course...) Fingers crossed :)
  88. Steve Smith

    Catching fish! Amusing, yet anoying!

    Interesting idea with the pop bottles :) I'm not sure my Pentazona barbs would go for it though, they're pretty shy at the best of times, darting to get food as it sinks to the bottom. Probably work with the harly's :)
  89. Steve Smith

    jumping fish help. quick reply needed.

    It might also be worth saying that if you find fish do jump, it might be a water quality issue. If you're going open top, bare in mind that things like spray on deodorant used nearby can cause problems. I think Garuf had this problem at one point with lampeye killies. Mind, lampeyes will jump...
  90. Steve Smith

    jumping fish help. quick reply needed.

    I think you'll be OK. The neons I'm not sure about, but I currently keep harlequin's, ottos and pentazona barbs in an open top. I had apple snails too until recently (sold, not escaped!). Never had any problems :) Apple snails I believe leave the water to lay eggs, someone may correct me on...
  91. Steve Smith

    Catching fish! Amusing, yet anoying!

    That's what I do too :) Got down to a group of 5 harlequins, who were being stubourn, then I remembered I had the "big" net. It's about 12cm square! One carefully aimed swoop and I had 4 of them :D After starting the process of draining the rest of the water, and syphoning out the detritus I...
  92. Steve Smith

    Catching fish! Amusing, yet anoying!

    Stripping down a tank at the moment, and having a quick break. I've just been trying to catch my fish and they're just being down right difficult! Just thought I'd vent my frustration while the remaining fish swim about mocking me :lol: I'm using the double net technique, but it's bot working...
  93. Steve Smith

    Unhealthy Fish....

    It should be pretty common, but any broad antibacterial med should do it.
  94. Steve Smith

    Unhealthy Fish....

    I don't tend to test either, though I've got a few test kits kicking about. Is it just the one fish affected? Might just be as Behold says but you never know. May be worth looking at a broad medication just in case. Esha 2000 is a good general one I believe. Be careful with an snails/shrimp...
  95. Steve Smith

    MicroRasboras Unhardy?

    Odd Andy. They are very cute little fish. I have Coffee beans (maculatis). I started with about 12, and after several purchases should have about 26, but from counting them I think I have about 20 or so left (hard to count too!) Maybe they're just fragile, being quite small compared to other...
  96. Steve Smith

    Unhealthy Fish....

    It could be a symptom os columnaris... This site says the following: Have you checked your water stats? Could be your filter has uncycled for some reason? Hope it's not mouth rot, it's pretty much fatal I believe :(
  97. Steve Smith

    New additions :) Pygmy cories

    Great info Graeme! I might well give it a try. They can be a bit difficult to catch I found when I moved them from one tank to their current tank.
  98. Steve Smith

    New additions :) Pygmy cories

    I just bought 7 Corydora Hastatus (one of the pygmy cory species) from my LFS. Quite cheaply too, I think - £4 a pair. Naturally I bought all of the ones they had! I paid £20 for my 6 habrosus earlier this yeat, and that was a deal with someone I knew at theat shop. I have 4 habrosus left...
  99. Steve Smith

    Espei pencils

    I really like the beckfordi pencil :) Those look quite cool though. Almost as if they've been on a griddle :lol:
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