Doug

Hi all my PH is really low, I think its the really big peice of driftwood I'v got in there, I've read that bird cage grit is good for fixing this, how do I add it and how much? anything else I should try? Doug

Sounds like a plan Caryl, I'm seeding a sponge filter for another tank, I was hoping I had more time for the fry, but I could alternate him and her in there till either she delivers or tank is ready. should I put some java moss in the trap or will it make the trap too confined? Doug

yep thats what I did. I bought a bigger net, and followed her around with the smaller one till she swam straight in. so far no abortion, although she dosent seem too happy. I've put her in a breeding trap as she was beeing harrased by the largest male. How long can she be in here? till she delivers or no longer than a couple days? Doug

hi nicmack. I'm not a member of the hamilton club, but would like to help out where I can. if you live in the hamilton east area, take a look at the shop called The Goldfish Bowl in heaphy terrace (their in the phone book), the owner is a really helpfull guy he's been running the store for over 20 years, and every fish keeper I know in hamilton raves about him. Doug

any advice for catching the pregnant one? I'm going to get a biggger net, see if that helps. if I leave th net sitting in the tank she goes up and plays with it, but as soo as it moves she goes to ground. Doug

all good things to know. so a breeding net is a general no-no for live bearers? guess I will pop the fry into the net if the tank isn't ready when she drops, ofcourse thats if they dont get eaten before I see them. what about using a divider so its just the mother and the fry in one part of the tank? still to stressfull? the lead male is starting to chase her a bit so kinda looking to isolate her closer to delivery. Doug

if I'm not mistaken swordtails also get a gravid spot when they are pregnant. I bought 6 various swords from the LFS and one appears to be pregnant, I think she has a gravid spot, but its growing at a slow rate so wont be dropping anytime soon. I was told at the LFS that small flake food would do for them, is that not right? I'm going to buy a net breeder and a couple sponge filters tonight and start seeding them for my small tank (currently empty) how long could the fry live in a 20l tank before going into the main tank? also some of the others appear to be constipated, should I just boil up some frozen peas and peel them or should I mush them up for the swords? Doug

some LFS's still have parts on hand for the 04 models. I got the 304 hose fitings for my 303 from my LFS. also try pets unlimited. http://www.petsunlimited.co.nz/index.ph ... 94f6232506 Doug

you must have a really big tank, isnt the dose like one capfull per 200 litres at water change? I'm using it to setup my new tank, but once the bottles gone I wont be getting anymore, once you have a healthy bacteria culture you shouldnt need anymore, unless you are repeatedly killing your bacteria culture in the filter, like washing the bio media in chlorinated water or something like that. continued use of "cycle" is for the paranoid and the clean freaks.\ miss a couple doses and do a nitrite and ammonia test, every day, if the ammonia and nitrite dont go up, then your tank is safe wihtout "cycle", Doug

there are a few tank makers around on this forum, they may be able to help you get a bigger tank if cost is a worry. thats how I got my 4ft tank for less than a brand new 3ft costs in stores. the guy who made my tank works in auckland but we managed to work out a good freighting deal, I'm sure there is someone closer to you that can help you out. some UGF's have a little filter catridge with activated carbon and filter floss at the top of the uplifts. these will need to be changed every mounth or so for the carbon. Doug

Barrels like that ussually come full of farm products like molasses, and chemical washes. you could ask at a nearby farm, or go direct to the source. some places pick up and refil the barrels. you could also try plastic manufacturers that make water tanks and plastic troughs for agriculture they may have something of that size. I hear wine barrels are also good. Doug

kool thanks for the info guys. I will go to the LFS tommorow after work and pick up a couple dannios, 3 this time 3 in a week or so depending on how the water reacts. I've got a thread up about my tank over here: http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/1-vt14831.html?start=0 includes info about planned fish. thanks again for the info, case closed Doug

setup around two and a half weeks ago. I have been using "Cycle" and added old water from my other tank aswell as rinsing the old filter catridge in the new tank. been feeding fish food into the tank since day one, only done one small water change, ammonia got as high as 1.0ppm then gradually came down to Zero. not doing fishless cycle as I dont have any pure ammonia, although figured feeding the tank would be simmilar just take a little longer. Doug

is my cycle done? Ammonia is down to Zero (been there for a few days now), nitites have never registered above Zero, Nitrates are just starting to register. sounds like its done to me, but the Nitrites never spiked. I was going to add a few fish this weekend but the missing nitrites has me a little worried. what do you think? is my nitrite test inacurate, or is there another reason? Doug

so I still dont have any nitrites but ammonia has gone to zero, is my test giving me a false negative or is something else eating the ammonia? I missed a couple days of testing could I have missed the nitrite spike? havent tested nitrates yet due to the potted plant I had in there having nitrates in its fert. Doug