wah bro... wat u do leh? actually the test tube can be substituted with any container as long as can read 5ml

i'd say 50-50 bio ring n filter. the place that sold u the filter shld have the replacable parts. if not, u can just remove the wool and then use the coarse filter will do.

actually i have the same no 4 question. but i think i will just remove the old wool and then put the new wool behind the old catridge. no need adhesive. the old catridge frame will keep the wool from falling into the tank.

the master test kit is worth it. u need ammonia n nitrate (the last of the nitro cycle). once u have nitrates, then the others will be 0 (unless special circumstances).

moss also need light + nutrients to grow. even though i failed on many occasions to grow moss properly which is really a lot of ppl say is the most hardy plant, i'm at loss with this plant.

to your question, the moss will die if the water temp is too high. if too much light n no nutrient also it will not grow. i don't think they will die from too much light.

*pls take this with a pinch of salt*

This post has been edited by jctasoga: Feb 21 2013, 03:17 PM

I guess u need to monitor the moss responses.

what i notice is that moss will try to adapt to your water parameters first. they may seem stationary with no growth (not going brown ; coz brown means dead). then maybe a few days later, they will start to give our small n brighter green tips. these bright green tips is the new growth.

so i would think that if ur mosses are going brown, means they are not good with the light, u shld move them away to lower brightness area (move light upwards or the moss further down the tank...

if anyone got a better experience, i stand corrected.

do the science project!

beware : curiosity kills the cat!

just joking!

put a glass of water or pail of water with fan that u r going to use n measure the temps in both areas. from there u will get an idea of the water temp for your future tank.

my guess is that u will end up @ upstairs.

i call it test water before dunking urself into it!

yes, different volume will affect the end temp. but if u calculate it pro-rata basis, u will get a rough idea. we're not scientist so any value we get is just a rough idea only...

its a hobby dear... dun be so frus abt it.

otai deric is here....

how do u tell which is male n which is female?

oic... my tank got molly nia.. but i think like wat u said, its almost similar. will check more info on websites.

tetra is expensive now. used to be rm0.80/PC last year....now is like RM2.50/PC... scary..

varial : depending on your canister, there should be 1 or 2 baskets inside. i would recommend to put the bio ring on the bottom and cover with a wool filter.

there are a few other combos:
1) bio ring + wool filter
2) activated carbon + coarse foam filter

more bio ring is always a good choice.

i don't put in activated carbon after 2 weeks of tank start up. i only put it in when i feel the water is very dirty or needs polishing to look clear.

i don't think you should put other things into the filter because it will block the flow easily...

i read somewhere the best is still ceramic bio rings. it has more surface for the good bacteria. of coz best is still seachem matrix or the substrat pro from eheim. for normal usage, the ceramic bio ring is good enough

$ issue.. hehehe

instant yeast is ok. the mixture might need to modify until it fits ur purpose.

i used to make is 1/4 tablespoon yeast + 2 cups of sugar. it will take abt 2hrs to get the co2 to start up and start bubbling. then it will last about 1 week. i got 2 bottles which i kept swapping. this gone on for about 6mths until i get a compressed co2 tank. 3 mths only top up... hehe..

more yeast = faster fermentation = more co2. more sugar = longer the bacteria can keep fermenting. it depends also on your sugar water tank volume.

please get a good co2 tube and then seal the cap and tubing properly with sealant. that is the weakest part of the DIY co2. i used 1.5ltr coke/pepsi bottles n seal the top with cement glue + arcylic sealant. no problems of leaking etc.

i'll leave it to u emily. since u bake, u know more abt u than i do.. hehe

qz: spray n pray? u mean pray n pray is it?

emily, i only used instant yeast. i put them into a cup with warm water like ur method to activate the yeast. then mix it into the sugar water. toss it n mix it then leave it to the water to bubble

qz: thanks for the clarification. is that idiom in english or cantonese or... coz i never heard it before.

emily : inconsistent co2 will result in imbalance growth n to a greater extend invite algae to ur tank. so once ur co2 runs out, u have to replace it pronto.
for smaller tank, u might want to use less yeast to start off. u have to be careful coz if you use a large number of yeast culture, u will provide too much gas into your tank causing ur fish or shrimps to go heaven...

i used 1 bottle method. everything (yeast + sugar water) into the one bottle.

that's what i did for my 2ft. when i got my 4ft, i went to 2x the power ( use 2 bottles to power the co2) and then swapping the changes as the yeast dies off.