"Will AMAZON SWORD,VALS SPIRALIS, ALT REINECKII grow in gravel or will I need something else?" Yes, they all will grow in the gravel. The amazon sword feeds from the root. I think the vals. does also. The smaller gravels seem to work the best. Florite is an excellent gravel for plants. Just the right size and it has an unlimited supply of iron. Very natural looking also, it helps bring out the colors of the plants. "I tried to get plants that need the same light." All 3 would do best in 2.5W or better per gallon fluorescent lighting. Don't go too much over that or you will have to inject CO2 to keep algae down. " What fertilizer do I need?" I wouldn't add anything just yet. The fish do most of the work for you as natural ferts. Also, when plants are introduced to a new aquarium they get a slight shock. They may or may not grow real quick. They get a little die off. They stall in growth. Then they get out of that mode and grow "normally". All or none of these things can happen. So, wait it out. If the plant starts to show a sign, like thin leaves with no color, yellowing leaves, burnt looking edges etc. then treat them with the appropriate nutrient. If anything gat a fert. stick/tablet with as little to no phosphates in it (the middle number. ex: 5-1-5, the 1 represents phosphate or phosphorus). Put this near the Amazon Sword, they are heavy root feeders. "I am cycling my tank now. I bought some feeder guppies to start." I personally don't like cycling with feeder guppies. Mainly because they can be ill allready. They can carry disease because of the poor conditions they are subject to. Think about it. There are usually 100's in the tank. The water is usally cloudy from all the ammonia. Most likely there where deads in the tank when you got them. I don't even reccomend buying them as feeders because of this. I would grow my own if I kept the bigger carnivores. If they do surrvive they will multiply. Unless you don't plan on keeping them. You could always give them back to the pet store. "I have tested the water and the ammonia is coming up ever so slightly. Do I change the water at all when cycling?" When cycling with fish (another thing I don't do anymore, unless you are using live plants, which you allready stated you just got) Try to keep the ammonia under 1ppm. If it goes over that do PWC's to bring it down. When you add the live plants you may never see the ammonia level or nitrite level spike. The plants use it up if they are growing good. Some call this the "silent cycle". Other tips on plants: 1)reduce surface agitation from things like filter returns/water falls, remove bubble wands and stones. 2)Use proper lighting fluorescent or MH. Use at least 2 watts fluorescent per gallon of the tank. Color of the light also helps a little. Plants seem to get an edge from anything with a K or kelvin rating between 5000K-10000K. IMO/IME plants also look better in this lighting. The colors are more vibrant. 3) CO2 is the number one aquatic plant deficiantcy. A product called Flourish Excel by Seachem really helps alot. Stick to the dirrection on the bottle. CO2 injection is the best for them, but this stuff really helps.

Hi there, here is some info from PlantzAfrica.com that will help you ... "For best results sow fresh seed in spring. Before sowing, remove the bright orange tuft of hairs attached to the seed (aril of each seed) and soak in a aqueous solution of ethrel at a concentration of 2000 ppm active constituent, for 48 hours. In practical terms this entails making up 6ml ethrel (39.5% active ingredient) to a litre of water. Sow in seedtrays filled with a well-drained soil medium at a depth of 1,5 times the size of the seed. A constant temperature of 25 C is most suitable for germination as low temperatures retard germination. Germination takes four to eight weeks. Seedlings should be a good size before transplanted (two to three leaves) into a well drained medium. Young strelitzia plants must be grown in shade, for the leaves tend to burn in direct sunlight. Regular repotting allows the young plant to develop rapidly. Restricting the root development retards growth. " Also: "To increase the amount of seed most strelitzia flowers are hand pollinated at Kirstenbosch. This is done by gently scraping the pollen off with a finger or a stick, and placing it on the tip of the stigma of another plant. It takes a few months for the seed to ripen during which the green pods are often eaten by squirrels. To prevent this, the old flower heads are covered with brown paperbags after the flowers have been pollinated and the seeds start to develop. " Source: National Botanical Institute SA Hope this helps. D

Unbeknownst to its users, Webshots employed its Webshots Desktop Application (a free program that users can download from their site to manage their online pictures) to install the Kiwee Toolbar as part of a software update for this program. Other than the Wikipedia article (whose references don't appear to have anything to do with the surreptitious installation of Kiwee) and complaints in support forums about problems getting it off a computer, I don't see anything about it being forced on users. Was it one of the many tools bars included with software that installed by default but unchecking a box provided an opt-out? I just don't know. Although several of the search hits I saw included the word "unbeknownst" which leaves me wondering if they were written by the same person or several people parroting the others. In any case, it seems more a case of poorly written code and even poorer judgment on the part of American Greetings than malware. American Greetings does offer instructions on how to remove Kiwee although it sounds like you need to install the latest, greatest version first. I'm not sure I'd be jumping at at offer. Gosh Durn Mike ~ Don't be so rude & judgemental! I didn't get "glitter text" intentionally. Do you have any idea of the number of computers I've looked at with upwards of a half dozen different tools bars installed? Every user claimed they never installed them. Yes they did, when the went click, click, click without bothering to read what was on the screen. Now maybe I got up on my soapbox a little too soon and American Greetings did install poorly written software on their customers' computers without their customers knowledge or consent. If that is the case, I would be writing a nice letter to Mr. Weiss letting him know why he won't be getting any more of my money. Even if it meant giving up a really pretty screen saver.

Jane, If you go to the White Windows Icon in the Taskbar (Lower Left Corner) and Right Click, you'll get a list, Device Manager will be in that List (Control Panel will also be in this list). You could also just Left Click on the White Windows Icon and click in a Blank Space then just start typing Device Manager and a List should pop up with Device manager towards the top of the list You can also get to Control Panel using this method)! Device Manager can also be found by going into Control Panel and the Device Manager Icon will be there in Alphabetic Order. The Printer Information will be Listed in Control Panel in the Devices and Printers Icon! It doesn't show up in the This PC Area any longer! In the Lower Right corner you'll find the information Center Icon. This Icon will be all White if there is information to view. The printer information may have been listed under the Information Icon. You only need to Click on the Icon to View the available Information. Below is a Picture showing the Information Icon (circled in red).