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Howdy ALL A warning for all of you, I have TB from fish it is not like human TB as in it dose not attack your lungs, nor kill you, the ones we have here any way. You get it from guts or skin breaks mostly on your hands, it is way to complex to go into, BUT caught early its not to bad, it will knock you down BUT is fixable easy. It will show up as a sore that wont go away, there is lots more to it that, that but I am going to keep this short. If you have a sore that wont go away easy and you joints feel like krap, that is one warning sign, ask you Doctor to test for fish TB and with the right treatment it can be fixed easy. It gets over looked a lot I most likely got mine from Rainbow fish?? but there are a lot of possible fish you can get it from and the fish don't have to show signs if it for you to get it. If you are concerned about it Google it and have a read, but don't go all hypo over it. I have known about it for 40 years and known many that have had it and form Cichlids, Catfish, Gouramis and many more species. Be on the look out but not panicked and no way am I giving away fish keeping, but it is a warning to keep your water healthy and your fish healthy and stay alert. Mostly if you are concerned get a blood test, DAM I hate needles I hate them Bob I will leave it to the Scientist for a tec explanation AKA Ben, BEN??

Just picked up nay nano tank today, really want to try the DSM like Jackson. But I'm soo eager to fill it. Might just cycle it as said previously and start propagating plants until I aqua scape it later on and attempt a DSM Plus my Rillis/Oebt's are really happy with their current tank. I'm expecting babies any day soon? I went to Perth Aquarium and display in Wangara today. OMG!!! I really want an ADA cube with stand now soooooo! Expensive but the quality is exceptional. Maybe later next year once I have I get holidays/this new tank etc out of the way ;). Can an anyone recommend any good stores to visit while in Melbourne next year? pretty boring pic I know empty tank, but it will progressely get better. will keep you all updated.

This is a quick overview of how I made my pleco plates for growing biofilm. If you need to ask 'what is biofilm and why grow it?' then you need to read this thread: http://www.shrimpkeepersforum.com/forum/showthread.php/1560-Biofilm Here is a pic of the plates. I made this one with 200x200mm plates because I thought it was a good managable size. Here are the bits I used. nylon rod (I used 12mm), matching nylon nuts, matching nylon spacers (I used 12mm long to prevent adult plecos squeezing between the plates and eating the biofilm before the fry) and finally the plates. I hand cut the plates from clear polycarbonate roofing sheets, stacked them (to allow four holes to be drilled in the corners), drilled them and assembled. Assembly I used nylon for two reasons, it sinks so holds the plates down, and it doesn't rust ever. (Stainless steel will rust eventually and is costly, and titanium costs too much.) There are two problems with this design. The first has eventuated over time, involving the cracking of the polycarbonate sheets around the spacers (look closely in first pic). The other problem is cost. As a rough estimate, each pleco plate (first pic) would cost $40-75 not including labour, possibly more as I was able to get the nylon rod cheap and the nylon parts cheaper in bulk (e.g. in packs of 1000 spacers, 250 nuts). By using a cheaper method to hold the plates vertical (e.g. see pic below) I estimate you could cut that cost down to approx. $10-20each. The method below involves slicing a 100mm PVC pipe lengthwise, then cutting perpendicular slots to insert the plates into.

Thanks a lot , just set mine up!! i used a few old water containers that had the recycle code 2, cut them into shapes I wanted and driller holes through. The used bamboo shish-kabob sticks with airline tubing as spacers. My shrimplets and I thank you:)

In terms of growing biofilm for shrimp, the easiest method is just to set up your plates (or rocks or other surfaces) in a bucket of old aquarium water. This will have enough nutrients in it to get a biofilm growing. Cover the bucket with netting to stop pests (like mosquito larvae) getting in and then leave the bucket in partial sunlight. I dont think you need to go to extreme measures like adding a powerhead for circulation. At most, an airstone will work well. Another method that works extremely well for shrimp is to grow moss in a similar manner. Moss has lots of surface area that is great for growing biofilm. That is why I think moss is a must in almost every shrimp tank.