pure amonia buy where, and used driftwood ok?

[mrmike]

2 questions where do i buy pure amonia? And i know someone selling some driftwood they only had it in the tank for a month, should i be cautious of it as far as diseases? Its not soft.Should i rinse in a light bleach solution first?

[AngelMom]

You should be able to get pure ammonia at hardware stores (I think someone mentioned ACE Hardware at one point).

Personally, I wouldn't consider using driftwood someone else has already had in a tank as you have no way of knowing if you are transferring disease, mildew, fungi, etc. If you decide to use it, bleach would be a bad idea ... no way to be sure you've gotten all the chlorine out of the wood. Instead, I'd boil it for 15 or 20 minutes.

[mrmike]

thanks i'll try the boiling. And boy is it hard to find and SA dwarf cichlids, i found a store nearby, AWESOME Africans, cleanest stock tanks i've ever seen, their livestock is amazing!! But they have very few SA Cichlids, mostly angels. And what do most people do, buy stock at small sizes, or buy the larger species, i'm i right, if you buy older species then they will live shorter, cause they are older, not just bigger, right? They had large beautiful angels but way more in cost, won't the small ones get that size in time also?

[AngelMom]

Given the proper size tank with regular water changes, unless there is a genetic problem with the fish, yes they'll get pretty big quickly. The cost on the larger fish is because most folks send them to the LFS after just a few months ... those that are larger usually aren't more than a year old which isn't much for fish that live 10 years or more. ;)

[moneygetter1]

:cool: Agree w/ above ( Hi Mom!!) Some like the idea of watching (raising) fish to maturity while others (some w/ established tanks) choose to purchase adults. Try checking -

http://www.aquariumadventure.com/Store/Ohio/Cleveland/index.htm (Their NY store is quite nice).

Jurassic Aquatics & Pets Inc
26000 Chardon Rd Ste C, Cleveland, OH 44143-1229
Contact Phone: (216) 289-7387

http://www.somethingfishyinc.net/main03.html "T"

[mrmike]

I was at both of the places you mentioned "moneygetter", and somethingfishy was extremely awesome, thats the place with the crystal clear water in their diaplay tanks AND BEAUTIFUL species. But they didn't have many SA dwarfs, mostly all Africans.

[oscarbartoni]

If you are interested in breeding the fish then it is probably best to buy young fish so that the fish can choice their own mate. This is especially with larger cichlids. As they pair up you can give the pair their own tank or put the others in another tank or find some other home (maybe your lfs will buy them back or you can sell them at an aquarium club meeting.If they will not buy them as such they might trade you for some foods or other things that you need.

[mrmike]

i guess i'm not looking to breed right now, just to enjoy them. I just filled my new tank, heaters on, filter on. Looking for ammonia tomorrow. But should i place some gravel from my old tank in a sock to speed it up? I am afraid of transfering the beard algea it has. I looked it up its beard not hair algea.. What should i do??? :HP

[AngelMom]

If you have a little substrate that is clear of algae, that should work ... the algae spores usually live suspended in the water if my memory is correct (getting old is a bear :p ) so some clean substrate shouldn't transport the algae.

[mrmike]

Ok I picked up some ammonia, but i want to make sure its ok to use. Ace Hardware Ammonia Professional Janitorial. Contains 10% ammonium hydroxide, Contains no phosphates. There is no ingredient list, thats all it says. I shook it up and no suds in the bottle, it is clear. I took a smell, and WOW :eek: it is STRONG!!! Burn out your nose!!! So i think its ok to use does anyone agree, or has anyone used this before???

[moneygetter1]

:cool: that'll do fine.
BTW , there are a number of places you can purchase online. (I'm surprised you couldn't find SA's at those other places) It's a bit more costly due to shipping.
http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/cat/info/23205/category.web

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/aquarium-fish-supplies.cfm?c=830

http://www.angelsplus.com/FishWildcross.htm

I'm sure there are members on the forum with other sources. "T"

[mrmike]

ok i will try to use it and get my process started. thanks a lot guys... :D

[AngelMom]

Good Luck! And keep us updated. :D

[mrmike]

Ok I will, again thanks alot guys!! Any updates i think i'll start another thread.... :)

[oscarbartoni]

Since beard algae and other algae need light then make sure that when you put in the gravel that the tank is completely dark.No light whatsoever. This will help to make sure that the dreaded beard algae does not become a nuisance in your new tank.