dasaltemelosguy

Not much to add given all the experience here but 'aquarium salt' will reduce nitrite toxicity, even if just used for the short term. If you have no salt-sensitive species, it can save lives in a nitrite spike. It can ease symptoms of cycling stress as well. Bottled bacteria may help. I have a very high bioload 125 and I was getting a nitrite spike of about 0.1 - 0.2 after I cleaned the filters. A single dose of bottled bacteria eliminated it over night. After that incident, it never recurred so it must have been late in the cycle. I would not rely on bottled bacteria as it takes time to grow it no matter what you add but adding bottled bacteria can speed up the cycling depending on where you're at in the cycle and may help you. I've seen it work best in mid-cycle as opposed to trying to use it to fully cycle a tank. It won't. But it really can speed it up and with live fishes present, you have no time with nitrites that high. That level of nitrite will kill more sensitive creatures so water changes daily and salt until you get it under control. I too like Prime as it can really take stress off the fish when such a thing occurs. I know I'm only repeating what has already ben said but nitrites that high will kill fish and will damage tissues such that they won't live that long. No matter how you get it to finish the cycle, you'll need to address this daily, Prime, salt, and daily water changes or there will be deaths to be sure.

Beaujo's! Right, that's it! Really creative and high quality. I think Panhandler's in Fort Collins does the honey dipping crust finish as well. Thanks as I couldn't remember the name!

I would concur insofar as Napoli pies are concerned. We order them from Naples periodically. We order pies from all over the country and from Italy. Although I would add that what qualifies as great pizza is dependent upon the style. As much as I love true Neapolitan pies, it would be a disservice to ignore the spectacular variations that Napoli pies birthed. To my knowledge, there are four major cities in the world that are particularly renowned for their pizza; Naples, New York, Chicago and Buenos Aires. In the US, smaller towns renowned for their pizza styles exist like New Haven CT, known for “abeetz” (which my grandparents from Italy made all the time) or the shops in Old Forge PA where Roman Style pies are available on each block in downtown. Napoli Style is light, airy, simple and sublime in delicate flavor. It cooks hot and fast. NY Style is legendary. Heavier than Napoli style but still light and thin. A rigid, usually long proofed crust, crushed tomatoes and buffalo mutz and it’s a perfection available on almost every block in the city. Chicago Style is really more of a casserole than an actual pizza. To my taste, it trounces the rest handily-and I’m from NYC! A thick, buttery, yeasty crust houses a mountain of buffalo mutz and topped with crushed tomatoes, it’s a holiday in your mouth. Buenos Aires Style is glorious but not for everyone. Typically, it has thick, chewy crusts with almost frightening amounts of garlic and onions and NO sauce, but rather, sliced tomatoes. An Argentine Fugazetta is a true stuffed pizza with a mix of cheeses that is nothing short of sublime. In the city, it is common to have “pizza adoba” sprinkled on it which is pepper, garlic and cumin (typically). There are few foods that have birthed more variations than pizza. In the Quad Cities, pizzas can be dill or even pickle based to amazing effect or in Colorado with great, thick pies with massive crusts to be torn off and dipped in honey as dessert. There’s really so many and if food is well prepared, I welcome influences and variations on a theme…so long as I can always get my old fashioned NY street slice!

Oscars, most definitely. I bought mine as a neophyte, not realizing that cute, extremely friendly little 1" fish with huge eyes at Petco would become a FOOT long inside of a year! He's now larger than my chihuahua! Oscars I find to be bizarrely intelligent for a fish. They watch you and clearly vie for your attention. Mine gets so excited as I approach the tank, he tries to jump to me and uses his tail to splash water at me if I don't give him attention (the tank is well covered yet he manages to throw some water over the top nonetheless). I often can hear him banging into the lid when he sees me in the room, trying to reach me. He's a huge, black tiger Oscar with bright orange patterns and long, flowing fins. Yet, if you ignore him completely while nearby, he'll turn grey and sink to the bottom and sulk until you play with him. (The first time I witnessed this obvious emotional and intellectual expression, far greater than I thought a fish capable of, I thought he was sick). Tapping on the glass near him, he gets all animated and his color instantly returns and splashes water at you with his tail and follows you around the room as best he can again. He's been this way since he was 3" long. He will play with ping pong balls floating on top. Chasing them like a puppy. And clearly enjoys to be fed by hand. He also takes issue with where I place plants or ornaments and I often find them relocated the following day. One weird incident that repeated itself until I finally gave in, He had uprooted a planted anubias 3X and he not only removes it, but places it in an exact spot on the opposite side of the tank. I finally relented and planted it where "he wants it" and it's been fine ever since. I suppose I'd do the same if someone kept moving my furniture! Perhaps his most startling display of cognition is he seems to know when it's time to eat vs time to play. If it's near feeding time, he is not playful but does the most remarkable thing. He splashes at me and when I approach, instead of playfully and excitedly approaching, he aligns himself vertically, nose pointing directly UP, almost still. Basically saying; "Hey, where's breakfast!" Some cichlids seem to have more personality and intelligence than others. A big Oscar is a very impressive looking fish but a few minutes with them and you realize they are so interactive, so intelligent and so very personable, they become "pets". And as someone else here said, they DO recognize individuals and sow definite preferences towards some people vs other viewers. As a display fish, Oscars NEVER hide unless threatened. Others may suggest something different but if you're seeking a huge fish that never hides and is weirdly friendly towards people (not so towards other fish though!), I can think of none more apt than an Oscar. Mine stays out and active all day. Oscars swim everywhere but largely occupy the center of the tank whereas arowanas are top dwellers. Arowanas are striking but you must plan on a huge tank as they can grow to 2' or so. And their aggression can be problematic. A huge pleco is endearing but not much of a showman! Discus are slow and dumb and unbelievably gorgeous. But IMO, you must have at least 4 discus or they'll be too shy. A big Pacu or Uaru also make great, giant display fishes but they won't have the intelligence nor personality of an Oscar. A Pacu is a huge, docile fish that is not that ornate but impresses with sheer size. My last endorsement for the Oscar would be that they don't seem to mind being alone at all. Many fish are shy or even hide when alone in a tank-basically an open water danger instinct. An Oscar will ALWAYS be out. I've only seen mine hide when he was smaller than the tankmates. But Oscars grow FAST and he outgrew them in less than 2 months. I imagine my experiences with these fishes are not without exception. But I suspect you're likely to get "Oscar" as the most common suggestion for your needs.