lolx... referring to your signature... didn't realise itwas a signature until after posting. Anyway, how come your tank pic so yellow? Your plants not getting enough nutrients?

No la, I think nezu keeping it secret to showcase at November 2008 competition la. Don't forget the competition is for nano and 2 feet tank size only according to Uncle Stan

waaa.... talk crs... talk cherry la ehehehhehe.... I just uprooted my crypt so I have more space for my Glosso.

When planting for the first time especially the plants with short roots, MAKE SURE you don't have fishes that like to disturb the substrate, example: bandaraya or bottom dwellers (fishes with the mouth facing downwards). If your substrate is light then some fauna with claws will also uproot your plants, when they pick up the substrate to release food entrapped between the substrate.

Nano aquariums are aquariums that are smaller than 1 feet. Look at this

http://www.aquatic-eden.com/2008/01/nano-a...ium-update.html

to get an idea

zoe: I have no idea what mouse fishes are, but I guess they're bottom dwellers. Btw, what plants are those that always gets uprooted?

you shouldn't have problems with both uprooting wat!... I think you didn't cucuk deep enough or your soil granule too big?

and bloody cold water!!! If no chiller, I think can forget about having Marimo ball (moss ball) in your tank. Nezu, true or not?

masterzyie: maybe you go Google for it first to look at the requirements before getting Marimo balls and investing heavy equipment (chiller). Look at it from this point of view, will it add to the aesthetics of your tank? Another point to consider is, lowering your temperature, 25-28C with air-conditioning or fan? Malaysia normal room temp is on average 30-33C. If your temp fluctuates between 25-30 then I guess its a fan you're using. Maximum cooling temp I can get is 25C with fan (and it doesn't matter how many fans I use). More fans means faster water evaporation for me.

the thing about cendol is it needs to grow to a large mass without fauna in the tank otherwise its just gonna be fauna food.

silverwineus: only 1 word to describe ---- Bloody fantastic!!! ehehehhe

good job! and very pleasing to the eye!

Zoe: to get spiky moss bloom until like Silverwineus' tank: must rajin change water and keep the water cold enough, add some fert too. Contrary to popular websites where they say moss don't need much light or nutrients, if you kasi a bit extra stuff sure the plant will be comfortable and grow nicely and bushy. Oh don't forget to give LOVE too...

Zoe: I'm curious "how you agak-agak when your fert going to finish"? You mean you don't follow the instructions by the manufacturer is it?

Amedion: Dude, if you want a planted tank I suggest you stop adding salt into your tank, and also remove the crushed coral. Both these items will definitely lead to "Kiam chai" syndrome. Meaning you planning on having salted vegetable tank is it? Plus you have Cichlids in there, they'll just uproot your plants. On top of that, your Hang On Back (HOB) filter doesn't really work for a 2 feet tank. Ideally, HOB works for tank sizes 1.5 feet and below.

Amedion: Yeah, your tank waaaay tooooo small for the eventual size of your fishes. Most of the commentors so far, presario, nezumitaro and I have long been trying to advice new hobbyists on how to improve and spend less money. The internet is a powerful encyclopedia, if you know how to use it properly. Please read and look for information most relevant to your tank conditions. Don't la follow the advice from hobbyists from colder environments blindly, take it all with a pinch of salt (pun very much intended).

Finally the page loaded with all the colorful picture. Wah Amedion, you terror la!!! Angelfish, cichlid and lobster in a 2 foot tank!!! You can also go google for blue lobster recipe dy. Lobster gonna feed on both your fish species when they sleep coz I think lobsters are nocturnal (ie feeds best at night and in low light, well the saltwater ones does). Your cichlids gonna harass the living daylights of your angelfish by biting on their tail finnage, and you'll be forever doing water changes due to death within your tank.

Try looking at my list of fish shops (http://lfslist.blogspot.com), but the recommended cichlid pro I know is Joe from Slippery Little Suckers, you can find out more if you go to their website http://www.slipperylittlesuckers.com.my Give them a call at their contact number if you get lost trying to get there. Another place you can try (but don't bring your girlfriend or you might end up buying more tanks to house HER choice) would be Xian Leng next to the Wet World at Shah Alam lake.

Jamien: the fish all crowd at the bottom got 2 reasons, one reason the wanna see what the corals look like (NOT!); actually like presario said, they checking out/exploring, the other reason being they sucking up the nutrients from the salt (coz they know salt good for their health). These sucking up nutrients not only can be seen with cichlids but especially so with goldfishes and koi too. It helps keep away scaly diseases like ich and white spots (sorry so long never keep fish can't tell the difference anymore).

Presario: End of the month harvesting time again, you interested ar? And Giles fatty bom bom coming back next Tuesday, wanna go yum char?

This post has been edited by geediver: May 21 2008, 02:57 PM

Don't add moss, in the salty environment, the moss will just DIE!!!!! and contribute more dead material to your tank! End up everything dead!

Info:

If you want to test the water in your tank, THE CHEAPSKATE way -
1. Take a small bottle of tank water, tap water, whatever water that you'll eventually put into your tank. Approximately 100ml will do.
2. Bring it to your nearest LFS, check first if they sell water tester kits.
3. Ask nicely / beg / pay them to test your water for you.

eheheh...

Ame: there's another way... get your gf too chip into the hobby too la. All the I want this I want that, then bf also keliru! eheheh Just kidding. Ask around here, most of the time its the other way around for most of us. Minister of Home Affairs don't approve of our hobbies until much much later.

Surgeon fish and Nemo? lolx... you both share-share the cost of building it la

Amedion: I'd like to know where your tank is situated. My wildest guess would be your room. Your question is:

When to turn the lights on and off?
Well the lights are used to simulate natural light, and an aquarium being an unnatural setting, we can only try to simulate or recreate. Hence, try to turn the lights on as close as possible with nature. Remember in nature light comes on gradually, whereas in your tank the light effect is immediately after you hit the switch. Optimum light penetration during the day in nature is between 10am - 2pm. You can try simulating those times too within your tank. Invest in a timer, to set the on/off times of your lights (the time the light is switched on in a planted tank is known as PHOTOPERIOD)

Hope this explanation helps. Otherwise you know what to do la... Google some more