Tropical Fish

[Tinkerbelle]

Originally Posted by mani

and undergravel filter...

We've been having this debate, undergraval or a Fluval.

Which one have you opted for Kipax?

I want the undergravel, I remember how we struggled to keep the water clear last time, mthead has selective memory loss!

[KIPAX]

deffo undergravel .. will be having catfish and leech to do there bit as well.

mani the 3d backgrounds i only discovered too late.. they are brilliant.. would deffo have one in a big square tank.. BTW when I say square i didnt mean corner.. I meant more square on.. as high as it is wide

yeagh marine.. far too expensive

[John_Timmins]

got water tested today at harwood and they say everything is doing greeat and they are shocked by how mature the water seems to be ...they also said that the fish that died could have been killed by certain stuff in tap water such as metals and clorine so they gave me some stuff to treat the tap water.....also got two more fish this time i got two catfisah type fish they are orange and black banded but cant remember the name of them

sticking with the great harwood shop at the moment because everytime i have gone in i think i have been lucky and caught someone who has given me the advice i have needed and got the fish i wanted....saying that though i did go to the blackburn one toget some more plants the other day

[steveo]

If your going for a trip to bolton its worth looking in a little fish shop just before bas its on a corner and the is a sign with an angel fish on it. They have a good selection of fish and are cheaper than bas ive had loads from there and they all been fine..

[mani]

if ur after bogwood - u can get a decent piece for a fiver from pets at home - they have them all same price i got a nice big chunk

the fluval is ok it came wiht the tank i bought - i was a novice so i opted for that one - but now i'd deffo go undergravel - the water is clean and spotless with what i've got now but its always got the risk that somethings' got inside like a shrimp or a khuli loach i once had

[JEFF]

also got two more fish this time i got two catfisah type fish they are orange and black banded but cant remember the name of them

Clown Loach I think

[JEFF]

also got two more fish this time i got two catfisah type fish they are orange and black banded but cant remember the name of them

Clown Loach I think

[mani]

u can get catfishes that colour scheme too

but the clown loachs are brilliant

they love to play dead and lie on their side - as soon as u get close all worried htey jump up

[John_Timmins]

the two i have got now have found there homes inside the two bigger shells in my tank so as soon as anybody walks in the rooms they head straight for the shell and then pop their heads out after about 10-15 mins

[simon]

Originally Posted by Tinkerbelle

We've been having this debate, undergraval or a Fluval.

My choice is Fluval AND a multi layer(plastic,ceramic,charcoal) filter these are much better at keeping your tank healthy and clean, the most important thing in your tank is BACTERIA (i feel like MR bacteria of the advert ) Bacteria eat fish waste and food waste etc, bacteria live in the sponge and ceramic of the above filters. the more bacteria the healthier your tank.

Bacteria will live in gravel but no where near as well as in sponge etc. also the undergravel system tends to pull the food deep down into the gravel where the fish cant get.. then it rots and makes the water cloudy and your fish i'll

I use sand on the bottom of my tanks too......... stops almost any uneaten food getting trapped...

[Tinkerbelle]

Cheers Si, def something to think about.

You can't have sand in with an undergravel though can you?

[simon]

No...............

I like the sand it is nice and light and shows of the fish better.

[Tinkerbelle]

Yeah I have to agree, I wanted half sand half gravel but we really struggled with just a Fluval last time, but if I want it half and half I'm going to have to choose the Fluval. Decisions decisions!!