[perineum]

First, what types of food would be good for Neon/Cardinal tetras, German Blue Rams, Khuli Loaches and some kind of shrimp? Is there a good basic general mix for most types of fish. I wouldn't think flakes would cover all needs.

Second, anyone have a good heater for a large (155gallon) tank? I am currently using two (crap, can't remember what models) in mine. They are the two that were being used by the previous owner. I am kinda concerned about one doing more work than the other. They are both dialed in at the same spot on the knob, but still. Any recommendations for a better way?

Third, does anyone notice an increase in utility bills from running their aquarium? Again, this would be more directed at large tank owners. I keep the house about 68 degrees in the winter and I can only imagine how hard the heaters have to work. Then I was told I should keep my lights on for about 10 hours a day for the live plants. Am I going to go broke?

 

[MediaHound]

Basic flakes are an overall good staple for most tropical fish like you mentioned. I never kept anything besides ghost shrimp (as far as freshwater shrimp go) so I don't know their requirements so well like some other members here...

The heaters, you might want to plug both into an extension cord, then the other end of that cord into a temperature controller. The controller will kick them on when needed and off when needed. This will give you the least amount of temperature swing, provided the hysteresis of on/off was a tolerable level.

Lets not talk about utility bills. My reef burns its fair share of power, lol. There are some good electricity cost calculators that I've seen online to calculate the expense of running a tank. We should add one here...

 

[perineum]

Thanks for the info. Not sure what you are talking about with the heaters though? I thought the heaters turned themselves on and off when needed, without an external temperature control?