whetu

Ooooh the weather had better clear up before then! Apparently it will be cancelled if it's too wet, being a road race with slippery surfaces & all. :-? *does a sunshine dance*

I've seen several references recently to "natural Swimming Pools". Basically, people using the same principles as we would use in our fish tanks or ponds, to create swimming pools for people. They use plants etc to filter the water, and don't use chemicals such as chlorine. Here is a website with some examples: http://www.gartenart.co.uk/ Does anyone here have a natural swimming pool, or have any experience with them? Are there many being installed in New Zealand, or is it still seen as one of those slightly 'alternative lifestyle' things?

Yeah I've heard dreadful stories about kids drowning in baths, ponds, even nappy buckets. It's just not safe to leave a kid unattended around water. I grew up in Taupo. I (almost) laugh to imagine that people in Taupo have to fence their swimming pools with that enormous swimming pool right there. Sorry to take your thread off-topic, RochelleMay! :oops: Carry on!

I think this is why Alan said: It seems to be one of those grey areas that's left open to interpretation. As for the purpose of the pool, I would have thought it would be just as easy for a child to drown in a 400mm pond as a 400mm paddling pool. In fact Caryl uses vessels that were 'designed' as paddling pools for the 'purpose' of fish ponds - so they are exactly the same object used for a different purpose. I would imagine most of this would only matter in the tragic event of someone actually drowning in one of these water-filled vessels. So let's all promise to take all reasonable measures to keep our properties safe for children so we never have to defend ourselves in court!

It might pay to call the airline in advance and ask the question directly. I was pretty upset when my cactus got confiscated (it was a gift from an elderly lady I had been staying with) but it would have been horrible if it was a live fish! The difference between security/biosecurity at the different airports might be something to do with whether the airports have international flights as well as domestic. Most of the security measures seem to be aimed at international flights, but if there is some way for domestic passengers to mingle with international passengers before the int'l passengers have been fully processed, then presumably all the same controls have to be applied to all passengers passing through the security check. If you see what I mean. :-? Caper, when I was travelling in North America I was astounded at the security checks I had to go through at all the airports, even on a domestic flight. Mind you, in the US they had similar security at other public places like the big museums and monuments - not much fun for a traveller with a backpack to find I wasn't allowed to have a pocket knife! It's a standard piece of travel kit, for goodness sake! On the other hand I drove from Canada to the US and back again and the border patrol staff had very variable standards. I was driving a vehicle with Alberta plates so the Canadians just tried to wave me through without checking my passport. I ended up stopping and insisting they take a look! :lol:

Thanks for the clarification, Alan! I have been wondering about this since I filled a big bin with water for the purpose of breeding cherry barbs.

Hello Nathan. Caper is right - you officially now have MTS. Sorry about that, there is no known cure. But welcome to the support group! :bounce:

I bought an inflatable paddling pool for my nephew and the label on it said that if I filled it to more than 40cm deep I would have to fence it! Sounds bizarre I know, but it might help you decide how deep to make your pond! Also I assume that all the paint, grout, etc you are using is going to be safe for fish? Make sure you don't use anything with mould inhibitors or other nasty stuff. Oh... and we would like before and after pictures please! :bounce:

I know what you mean about getting attached to your fish - I had danios for years for exactly the same reason. I just became too fond of them.

Awww they're lovely! Where did your parents get them from? And are these the kind that you can sex from a very young age, or do you have to wait for them to get older before you know if you have any roosters?

Southerrrngirrl, the irony of that is that if you had wanted to catch the barb, I bet you couldn't have done it! They are fast-swimming little things and I end up chasing them all around the tank before I can catch one! I know just how you feel and have also cried over my poor little fish when they die.

LOL adodge apparently I have been talking to your son on another forum! Small world! My partner goes down to Paeroa every year. This may be a good year for me to accompany him...

Teach them to speak Spanish and/or Portuguese and nobody will notice the difference.

I had a major BBA outbreak in my tank. When I moved house I took the opportunity to remove all the plants and throw them away, scrub the tank thoroughly, boil the filter media, scrub the filters and run them overnight with hot salt water. I also treated the wood. Wood treatment: The bits that were small enough, I boiled and microwaved! The bits that were too big to boil, I put them in the bath and poured boiling water over them. I then added huge amounts of salt and left them soaking in the bath overnight. I also scrubbed the wood with a wire brush to manually remove any algae I could see. And guess what? ... The algae came back within a month. When it returned, I used double-dose Flourish Excel, squirted directly onto the algae. It grew faster than I could treat it. Eventually I bought three Siamese Algae Eaters (sold at Hollywood Fish Farm as Black line Flying Foxes). The algae is now under control! SAEs are now the only method I recommend for control of BBA - because they are the only thing that worked for me in my own personal experience. Your experience may be different, but I know I spent a lot of time and effort on cleaning and scrubbing (then getting new plants, getting filters re-established etc) and eventually the little SAEs saved my bacon. Long may it last! :bounce:

I have a divided opinion (perhaps that comes from being a Gemini...? :-? ) 1) I personally would not choose one of these tanks for all the reasons given above. 2) If it was the only way I could get my fish into the house instead of the garage, then I would definitely get one! If you acknowledge all the opinions above and choose to live within the restrictions, then go for it! The restrictions as I see it would be: Stock according to surface area, rather than water volume Choose fish that are happy to swim in a vertical direction, rather than those that prefer a long tank that they can zoom around in Choose fake plants and/or plants that have very low light requirements Maximise surface movement to increase gas exchange Minimise the possibility of leaks: Put the tank in a position where it is very well supported and the base is very stable; put it somewhere where a leak would not be a catastrophic event; move the tank as rarely as possible and ensure you never try to move it when it's full!

As with other fresh manure, you should add it to your compost and let it rot down before using it on your garden. If you have straw etc on the floor of your chicken coop it's just perfect to add to your compost and you end up with a delicious, nutritious, dark, crumbly, gorgeous compost! mmmmmm sometimes I wish I was a plant! *licks lips*

I remember calling my local council once and talking to their chief water engineer. He was delighted to talk to someone who was genuinely interested in all aspects of my local water quality, who appreciated how hard he worked to keep everything in balance, and who had a (very basic) idea of some aspects of water chemistry. I think I made his day with my phone call, and he certainly made my day more interesting. We must have talked about all aspects of town water supply for about an hour. :lol: Lovely man.

Ooops! I should have read this first, then I could just say "I agree with Caryl!" :oops:

My personal preference is to buy a plain glass tank and choose the other components individually. I find that my needs/wants/knowledge changes over time, and I like to change (upgrade) filters, lights, heaters, etc as I go along (over a matter of several years). So for me, none of the complete kit tanks would be the best tank to buy.

Give them a try - you may be surprised! I bet your fighter would think they are the yummiest treat ever! (I haven't seen my BNs eating them though)

Very interesting, Stella. I happen to have a chunk of wood soaking in my mozzie bucket - no wonder I'm having so much success!

Yes it is. Thanks everyone. I'm over the shock now and may or may not be installing a bear trap in my car for next time.

A couple of other things I just thought of: As far as I know the Angel won't necessarily eat the smaller fish - it depends on the personality of that particular angel. Also if it is socialised with the neons from a very young age it is less likely to eat them. The Danios can get a bit nippy if kept with slower-moving fish with flowing fins. Something to look out for if you choose to keep them. Also, what are the dimensions of your tank? A 200 litre tank that's only a metre long must be quite tall? All the more reason to have only one school of bottom-dwelling fish (loaches or cories) so it doesn't get too overcrowded down there!

Personally I would rationalise and/or boost the schools of fish you already have, then wait for the Angel to grow up and become the feature! The way it seems at the moment, you have a wide variety of all kinds of different fish, which tends (in my opinion) to give a tank a slightly "muddled" look. I would choose only two or three varieties of the schooling fish and boost their numbers before considering adding anything else. For example: 4 Neons (would be better in a school of 10 or so to really show them off. You can mix Neons and Cardinals if you choose) 4 guppies 2 baloon mollies (Perhaps choose to just keep one school of live-bearers rather than a mix) 2 BN's (these are fine in a pair and good for eating algae, no need to change anything) 3 Khuli loaches 3 cories 1 clown loach (Once the snails are gone, trade in the clown loach. Perhaps choose to just keep the cories or the khulis as both occupy the bottom level of the tank and both do better in larger schools) 1 siamese algae eater (personally I prefer them in a school, but common opinion seems to be that one is ok) 1 small Angel (will grow bigger) 6 harlequin rasboras 5 leopard danios (Rasboras and danios are both top-level schooling fish - perhaps consider keeping only one school)

That's what I think too. As long as you have a way of keeping the chooks off your deck and your paths (and stop them coming inside!) the poo is one of the beneficial by-products.