WAHOO! the waters clearing up!

[walls]

Originally Posted by mpgt

Well they used filters in the controlled study. Some filters remove nitrates too.

I dont buy it. Aside from live plants there is no other way to remove nitrAtes from a FW tank. I have seen de-nitraters for sw tanks but they are very expensive and have yet to be proven more effective than regular small water changes.

I normally do 25% water changes on my 75's and 150. But they are "lightly" stocked and I do not over feed. There is nothing wrong with 50% water changes as long as you dont interupt too much of the benificial bacteria. The bacteria are not free swimming so really you could change more as long as the water you put back in is the same temp. and PH.
On my ten gallon "nano" planted tank I never change more than about 10%. But it is heavily planted so nitrates do not tend to be a problem.

Also the upgrade from a ten to a twenty would be "OK" as long as he gets one of the 20 long varieties. His fish will still outgrow that but at least they will have more surface area to work with.

One more thought. If anyone here still believes that the "fish will only grow to the size of the tank" theory is tryue then set up a ten gallon tank and go to the pet shop and buy ONE OSCAR. Feed very little and just top off the evaporated water. I would be willing to bet my house that that Oscar will FAR outgrow that ten in less than three months if its not dead yet.

[walls]

Originally Posted by mpgt

That's the point. It's not a total myth, that aquarium size limits growth. It's based on proven science, but it's not absolute because we do water changes in our aquariums.Changing the water prevents these phemones and undesirable organics from getting too high.

But that "proven science" has one HUGE flaw. Doing this for an extended amount of time WILL stunt the fishes growth. Causing the fish to suffer physical deformities. There is no way around that.

Dont believe me.......try the Oscar theory I laid out in the last post.

I am of the mindset that a any size tank should only house fish of appropriate size and numbers. This way the animals THRIVE and the keeper has less trouble. Why make it harder on the animals that you take home to enjoy??

[mpgt]

Believe whomever you wish Spike (put your name in your signature). There are plenty of sources for you to base your research on if you so desire. I'm not going to argue this unless someone wants to start a debate thread.

[spike06]

is that yellow one a yello lab. or a yellow zebra?
i can't really tell from the pics.
i think i can see the black on the fins of a lab. ... but i'm not sure.

its an electric yellow.

The shrimp pellets are bad for your Malawis.

y are they bad? i dont put those in for the cichlids. i put those in for the corys and plecos. i give the cichlids this Omega One flake stuff, and once they get a bit bigger, i have Spirulina(sp) sticks,

[New_BP_Guy]

Originally Posted by mpgt

I think 50% is a bit much, and might work against efforts to "establish" and maintain a stable environment. Any more than 25% is usually viewed as a pretty aggressive water change. 10-20% should be fine if done on a regular basis.

I do 50%-75% once or twice a week without any problems... there is a filter media you can get it is pretty much like peat most and it uses the niterates but it is only got for a month or so...

[spike06]

just an update. the water completely cleared. the 4 cichlids and 2 plecos are doing great. i have only had 1 fish die at that was an albino cory. and my regular cory looks like hes gonna bite the dust soon. i think they just cant handle the high pH. also, im looking for a 55 gallon plus tank right now. im kinda sick of having a small 10 gallon

[mpgt]

Originally Posted by spike06

its an electric yellow.
y are they bad? i dont put those in for the cichlids. i put those in for the corys and plecos. i give the cichlids this Omega One flake stuff, and once they get a bit bigger, i have Spirulina(sp) sticks,

Most Malawis in captivity are grazers (Mbuna), and have evolved to eat mainly algae. Too much protein offered on a regular basis can kill them.

Glad to hear things are going well.

[spike06]

i dontk now if they are malawis or not. i just know they are africans. they really dont eat the pellets. i drop them in after they get their flakes and they suck them into their mouths, spit them out, then go back to watever they were doing