Interfecus

Good luck if they're fertile and good luck for the future anyway if they aren't.

The eggs are about 2mm across and start off completely clear. Take the mop out every day or two and search through it. They're quite easy to see as long as the mop is dark coloured. They're practically invisible underwater since the light-bending effects are much less in water than in air. If kept in a container of water floating in the tank they will turn darker as they mature. Any that turn white have been infected with fungus. When this happens, remove the bad eggs and treat the container with meth. blue if you haven't already.

I'm currently trying to build a light out of a couple of wooden wine bottle boxes, regular light fittings, and two 18W power-saver bulbs. So far it seems to work well except I just broke one of the 2 bulbs by mistake.

With a water level alarm in the pump section you could get around the risk there. Spend about $5 to $10 and you'll have insurance against the loss of a pump.

So sorry to hear about your loss. You must train your family better!

Welcome to the fishroom .

They're easy to keep as long as you can supply lots of food. They become incredibly beautiful if kept in good conditions.

1. Around 26C 2. Slightly on the acid side 3. I think it's fine as long as the other fish aren't too small, although they're best in a species tank. They don't seem to be aggressive. 4. 10cm+ 5. If they are what I think you mean, Aplocheilus lineatus Killifish experts, please correct me if I'm wrong.

Most types of "oxygen weed" currently are banned. Only one or two species are actually allowed to be kept.

Hello, Full contact and meeting details for the Kapi-Mana club can be found at http://www.kapimana.tk. It'd be great if you came along, we're always happy to have new members. Cheers, Interfecus

Have they been introduced into the tank recently or have they been there a while? If they were just introduced it could be pH shock.

Sorry, I really have no idea. This has happened with my tetras before too...

One per life Other than that I'm afraid I have no idea about tiger barbs. Good luck with the remaining three.

$25 heater vs several thousand dollar fine. Which do you choose?

Note: Not all cyanobacteria can fix nitrogen, it depends on the species. Some will only flourish if dissolved organic nitrogen (ammonia, nitrates etc) is present.

Get those chemical dehumidifiers such as "hippo" if you can't do anything else. I used one of those (not the hippo brand but the same thing) last winter in my bedroom where I have 2 aquaria. The condensation on the window was literally overflowing the windowsill before I got it. To make it worse, my bed is right next to the window! A dehumidfier on the windowsill completely stopped this. You can buy large packs of the chemicals very cheaply and they last for ages.

Sometimes they get a blockage inside the ovipositor and can't release the eggs. In cases like this, the eggs die and decompose, causing a lethal infection in the mother. I've never had any of mine die of this but I've read about it. Better luck for the future.

Interesting cyanobacteria facts (from my plant bio course): 1. They were the original photosynthesisers and by altering the early atmosphere made the use of oxygen in respiration (breaking down food, not breathing). This allowed complex life to evolve. Without this change, we wouldn't be exterminating them from aquaria today. A bit ironic really. 2. Approximately 3.5 billion years ago, they used to form huge mounds called stromatolites up to 30 metres high in shallow seas. Compressed by the weight of the tower above, the bacteria on the bottom were compressed until they formed fossils. 3. They still contribute about 30% of the world's oxygen production, bubbling up to the surface of the sea. P.S. Mass slaughter of these helpless organisms will incur the wrath of the New Zealand Bacterial Rights Group (NZBRG). Bet you're afraid now .

If you chop the head in half down the middle between the eyes each half develops into a complete new head, ending up with two heads joined together at the base.

If they have arrow-like heads then they'll be planaria. If they are, they're completely harmless but indicate an overabundance of decaying organic matter such as dead plants or excess food. I once found some of these in a stream and kept them for a few weeks in a small fish bowl, feeding them with little bits of cooked egg yolk. It was neat to watch them sit on the food, sucking up the yolk through a tube on their underside. They developed a yellow patch after feeding so you could clearly see white planaria coming in to eat from all around (they sense the direction to the food using chemical gradients across the broadened head) and yellow-bellied ones crawling away again.

It turns out that we're going overseas on holiday on the day of the club meeting so I won't be able to come to the meeting. This also means that I can't write the newsletter for the meeting. If anybody else wants to give newsletter writing a try for a month, please email me to get the publisher files for the last couple. If I can't get in touch with anybody this way, I'll try telephoning people.

Bilbo - Trevor Shoesmith is the Kapi-Mana breeding coordinator. Dark - Freeze drying microworms would be defeat the point of having live food! Icecream containers are a bit excessive too, unless you've filled your large tank completely with baby fish . Microworms can be kept for the long term in plastic cups like the one I gave you and used to start slightly larger cultures when required. One cup will cost you about 10c to set up and will last up to 2 months. Not a bad price for live food on demand...

I wouldn't recommend testing it, but bettas and gouramis can apparently live for hours, sometimes even a day, out of water if they jump or something. They can breathe the air using their labyrinth organ so the thing that kills them is usually drying out. As I said though, it wouldn't be a good idea to test it.

Great pics. It seems like it was great fun! *raidates envy*

Since most of the stuff in my tanks now came from you, I'm afraid I won't be able to participate! I didn't manage to fit all the plants you gave me last time you came over. Are the microworms going OK?