alanmin4304

There are four artesian aquafers under Christchurch and the water supply comes straight from the second or third aquafer without any added anything (we are conserving them for the rest of the country) Water ager---no thanks.

I think the diatom powder used in swimming pool fiters is a lot more course.

I don't know much about the commercial ones available now because the last one I used was one I built myself for treating seawater for a cold water marine setup. The water is usually in contact with the bulb so the bulb and the water need to be kept clean or there will be not enough penetration of UV, and the water needs to be passing through it at the rate specified or there will be not enough contact time. I would suspect you are overfeeding and providing food for the algae. The only tanks I have that "problem" in are my turtle tanks because they are such heavy and dirty feeders. I use the green water to culture daphnia so it is not a problem. It would take a very fine filter to remove it (like a diatom-- down below one micron) and it would clog quickly.

How sad---- I have never seen as good an excuse to get another tank.

I had 50 tanks with UG filters for a number of years and they were good. Only cleaned them after growing up a batch of fish. Often the simpler the better. I got rid of them when I went simpler still and went to bare bottom tanks. They do exactly the same as the fancy mechanical filters at a fraction of the cost.

I am not sur what you mean by the Java one or grass-like one, but a couple more would be Cardamine lyrata and Hydrocotyle leucacephala. Some plants also have a submersed and emersed form such a banana plant and lotus.

You don't want to be too fussy about cleaning the gravel above the filter as it is the gunk that makes it work. If you are not overfeeding you would only want to clean the gravel every 3-6 months. I have electrical sponge filters and they only get cleaned when the flow is restricted (3-6 months)

Angels usually spawn near the surface so a 100 x 100mm bit of slate hung near the top will encourage them to lay on that and then it can be removed and the fry reared seperately.

I used to have three of them but chucked them out because of the difficulty in getting parts. They were very good and would filter down below one micron with the right media.

Patience.

I have had it growing in a glasshouse that gets up to nearly 40 deg C and it does well, but it is not continuously that hot. It also needs strong light.

I frequently remove fry at an early age, you just need to be very careful that you maintain the same conditions. I would not add salt, just try to duplicate the conditions.

That is how I do it as well---usually works.

I would want at least 10mm glass on a tank that long and high.

They were introduced all round the world to control various types of mozzie larvae and therefore the diseases the adults can carry. They are not as good as many other types of fish at doing that and have now become a nuisance. They are used as fish food in Asia and frequently came in with fish imports.

Most fish carry the roe more to one side so the belly swelling will not be even as it would with a good feed.

I would agree.

My guess is lack of light.

There must have been something in the water way back then as I used that same idea for drip feeding fighters as well ---works a treat. Comes with its own drip counter and all.

Them were the days when a quid was worth a quid.

I used to breed a lot of them but in a heated fish house so didn't have the problem with the air temperature, someone else should be able to advise on that. The tricky part is feeding them enough to try and get more even growth without overfeeding and polluting the water (very easy with egg yolk). Green water won't pollute and keep it going with microworm and brine shrimp. I used to feed to excess and remove the excess uneaten food before it has time to rot and cause problems. A few snails will assist with that also. As soon as you can seperate them out for size or you will nd up with two very fat ugly fighters.

You had better drop in and see me then. I have got that plant you gave me emersed and propagating (but not flowering) You might need to take one home and get it submersed again to make sure I have the right plant as I forgot to label it.

Amazonian you are showing your age. I used to drive under a railway bridge on the way home from work and it had grafiti on it. "Give the working man a decent wage--- 20 pound a week."

I think I was one of the first selling E. martii back then and was getting $25 each. Those must have been the days--- We were getting more for live tubifex than top grade steak. Why am I not driving a merc?

Pretty sure the top one is female and the bottom one is male. Interesting genetics: Looks like a stripelees gene (blusher) and also zebra lace. I can never work out why people cross a striped to a non striped. Could have some interesting offspring. The "bottom" of the female is horizontal and the male is at 45 deg.