limegirl

A clean will definately help that - I used hang-ons for a long time, and they all did this sometimes. Unfortunately the older they get, the more they do it! You just need to be really vigilant about rinsing the media.

Anyone over there seen or heard of the Australian Desert Goby? I have always wanted to get my hands on some, but over here they are impossible to come across ... weird, given that they are a native! I know they are getable in the US, and I was wondering about NZ.

Sorry mate.

Yeah - one fish. That was it. I never removed him from the tank, and no one else developed anything. I think it is just one of those things. I would even say it was like it had had a stroke, although he did gradually get worse.

Unfortunately caper, I would say you are going to lose another fish ... I don't know what it is, but I have seen it before. I had a glass cat who started to do that. He lived for weeks, but he was circling and somersaulting and sinking. Eventually a friend took him away to "a better place". I would say since in my experience it appears to be a complete loss of motor control that it is a neurological disorder - either spontaneous or related to pressure due to pop-eye that internalises. I think it is probably natural and completely unrelated to water parameters or your care. Sorry mate - maybe I am wrong.

Are you looking for plants available to Aus and NZ, or plants native to Aus and NZ? I have done a bit of research on Aus native water plants, and come up with the following list - but there seems to be a lot of conflicting information on the web! Azolla pinnata - Ferny Azolla Myriophyllum papillosum - Common Watermilfoil Myriophyllum simulans Potamogeton crispus - Curly Pondweed Utricularia gibba ssp exoleta - Yellow Bladderwort Vallisneria gigantea - Ribbonweed NELUMBO nucifera – LOTUS Aponogeton elongatus Queensland Lace Plant Bacopa monnieri Ceratophyllum demersum - HORNWORT Hygrophila salicifolia - WILLOW-LEAVED HYGROPHILA Limnophila indica - GIANT LIMNOPHILA Marsilea mutica - RAINBOW NARDOO Marsilea drummondii Marsilea hirsute Nymphoides indica - WATER SNOWFLAKE Nymphaea violacea - Water lily Potamogeton perfoliatus - CLASPED PONDWEED Glossostigma elatinoides Ranunculus limosella Eusteralis stellata

Another reason for missing barbels is gravel that is too rough. These abrasions can cause fungal infections to set in and cause greater damage, or they can prevent the cory from feeding. These little fish need really round, smooth gravel, so maybe that is something you should check out. Good luck with cyclops, though!

I have seen the Mogurndas, but haven't had room for them yet! And as for not being recognised, the firetails are sold as feeder fish here in Aus, which creeps me out!

And here is an Australian Gudgeon - Firetail Gudgeon No contest with the Peacocks, and the pic doesn't do it justice, but the orange edging to the fins gets very vibrant, and they are full to the brim with personality!

Caper, Don't worry - I thought they might be a cichlid the first time I saw them too!!! I can't remember what they call the split-in-two-dorsal-fin-thing - but I know it is also a characteristic of rainbowfish.

They are gudgeons, so they are from the eleotride family which includes gobies. These ones are PNG Natives, and far prettier than the gudgeons we have here in Australia. They are small fish, about 3cm max., but full of personality!!!

Here are my little jewels!

While I agree that reducing the light to four to six hours defeats the point of enjoying aquaria - the LFS is kinda half right. See, they may not have only four or six hours of light in the tropics, but that light is a lot less intense than a fluoro two inches from the surface of the water! Get what I mean? In the real world, I think the SAEs are the best option!

There are plenty of platy-guppie hybrids out there, so they can interbreed - if they were opposite sexes! In your case, either enjoy the show, or get him a female! They are fickle creatures, and he may not be interested in a girlie even if you got one, but you never know. In the meantime, he wont be doing himself any damage. Males with females do this all the time, and get their rocks off, and are none the worse for it!

Wowwee - lots of friendly people! Thanks for the warm welcome! As for the run-down ... I have a two foot containing about 100 common BNs - mostly babies -, one male albino BN, four glass catfish, and heaps of guppies. I have another two foot with two Streets Creek rainbows, four Goyda River Rainbows, three Peacock gudgeons, seven Firetail Gudgeons, a pair of Farlowella acus, and a few adult BNs. I have a 1.5 foot fry tank with about 50 peacock gudgeon fry. I am currently setting up my very much needed four footer, which will be the new home of the albino male BN, a couple of common female BNs, all the rainbows, and all the Firetail Gudgeons. Look forward to posting more!