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1 month?! So you're advising her to get rid of all her summer clothes then? Boys really have no idea. :roll:

Wow! That is absolutely brilliant! :bounce:

I would suggest that 2 zebra loaches, 2 yoyo loaches, 6 khuli loaches and 6 clown loaches all sounds a bit much! Why not choose just two types of loach to keep (for example the khulis and clowns) and trade in the others? Loaches are generally better in a group of their own kind anyway so the zebras and yoyos might not be at their best with just two of each. The same applies to the 11 assorted cories and 3 marbled hatchets - how about choosing one or two types of cory and having six of each? And the hatchets would look much better in a larger group in my opinion. Personally I would go further and only keep either the cories or the loaches. I strongly prefer a larger school of a single type of fish rather than lots of ones and twos. Even the SAEs seem to behave very socially when there is a school of them in the tank rather than just a couple.

LOL he'll find out soon enough when he tries to drive to work in the morning. :lol:

I just went through all our old energy bills. Here they are: Aug 09 $135 Jul 09 $175 Jun 09 $95 May 09 $115 Apr 09 $95 Mar 09 $90 Feb 09 $120 Jan 09 $70 Dec 08 $115 Nov 08 $88 Oct 08 $155 Sep 08 $165 Aug 08 $135 Jul 08 $130 That's an average of $113 per month over the last 14 months. Obviously some of them are estimates and some are actual readings. I haven't bothered distinguishing between them because they all average out anyway. Just to clarify: This is our total energy consumption, because we have both electricity and gas. We use gas for cooking and hot water, and electricity for everything else. For the first few months we lived here we had three people in the house, but now we just have the two of us (and one 200 litre fish tank!) So actually it's not too bad given what some of you are spending on power bills!

You would be better to get a small school of loaches rather than a couple of different species. Most loaches prefer to live in schools and will be happier and healthier that way. With a 1000 litre tank you're in a very good position to get a school of clown loaches - not many people have a big enough tank! (Including me )

Yay! you're off to a great start! Keep it up and you'll be there in no time.

My teenage neice is lucky enough to live in Kerikeri and trains with the woman who was on Country Calendar the other day (sorry I've forgotten her name) :oops: I'm not a horsey person but having heard all about Natural Horsemanship from my neice and her Mum, it seems like a wonderful philosophy! I only wish it was the default way of learning/riding in New Zealand! Good on you all who are into it and exptending your knowledge in the area.

Thanks for the tip, adodge! :bounce: My plants were in a fairly high-current part of the tank, so I have moved them to a more sheltered spot and will see how they go. I may well take you up on the offer of some cuttings if I can work out how to keep the poor things alive! They look very sad as naked sticks with a fluffy tuft of red on top. :oops:

Well I'm getting some interesting results from my experiments! I took my seeds and divided them into three containers. I left them all on a sunny windowsill and got quite definitive results: Container 1: Just tank water. No seeds germinated. Container 2: Tank water and gravel. No seeds germinated Container 3: Tank water, gravel and a crushed JBL clay ball. Several seeds germinated! I have since taken four of the seedlings and transferred them into tiny terracotta pots. Each pot has a JBL ball covered in gravel, and a single seedling planted in it. Two of the pots are in my tank, sitting on the substrate, with jars upturned over them - like a little glass house to protect them from hungry fish. The other two are in containers on the windowsill. The two on the windowsill seem to have stalled their growth. They have stopped at the two-leaf stage. I suspect they will grow better when the weather warms up a bit. The two in the tank have grown two more leaves each. I had a little mishap with one of the ones in the tank. When I was doing a water change (just a few days after putting the plant in there) I knocked the jar over and the little pot fell over and the gravel fell out. I thought the tiny plant would float away but it didn't - because its roots were very firmly attached to the JBL clay ball! So within a few days of being planted, the roots had found their way to the clay ball and anchored themselves firmly! Clever little plant!

Yeah I'm all for the big cleanout/Trademe blitz! to extend that idea, you could offer to clean out the garages of family & friends, in exchange for any old stuff they don't want that you could sell. My Sis is a very good organiser and a TradeMe regular, and I often think I would love her to come over and clean out my wardrobe, garage & kitchen cupboards and get rid of all my junk for me, and in exchange I would be delighted for her to sell it all off and keep the proceeds. And especially for a good cause like yours, I imagine family and friends would be delighted to help.

I think Alan has summed it up quite nicely there! I live in Auckland and I choose to add products to my water to remove chlorine before adding it to my tank. In my opinion, it's not about the bacteria in the filter - it's more about what it does to the fish directly. Like with human lungs, chlorine can burn fishes' gills and sensitive skin, so I prefer to reduce that risk by adding chlorine remover to the water. In saying that, I only do that when doing a water change and adding a lot of water at once. If I'm just topping up the tank with a few litres of water due to evaporation, I usually don't bother. Just to make it clear: I am simply telling you what I do, and my reasons for it. Other people make different choices and seem to be doing just fine. It's up to you what you choose to do after researching the issue. As with a lot of things in fish keeping, I would suggest that a less experienced fish keeper should take a cautious approach until confident that they have a stable environment, know their fish and the whole aquarium ecosystem very well, and are ready to try experimenting.

No I don't want to pull his cheeks! Have you seen the expression on his face? Pulling his cheeks might be the last inappropriate display of affection you ever do!

And it will be marked "insufficient postage" and the person it's addressed to will have to pay the balance before they can pick it up! :lol:

They're pulling your leg! Surely!

Blimey! Who can top that?!

My biggest loach takes it and hides in her cave with it. :roll:

He says in the comments that it's bolted into place. If in doubt, you could ask him to post a photo of the joint?

Phoenix, your method definitely looks like fun! I prefer to stick a teaspoon in the courgette because I don't like the idea of fishies poking themselves with sharp things like tweezers (and I don't let them run with scissors either :lol: ) But I have never tried sticking other food in there - might be an extra bit of fun for me!

For someone like me who's renting, it could actually be a great way of making a versatile setup. Instead of having 1 x 6-foot tank I could have 2 x 3-foot tanks and join them together! That way if there was no single wall in the flat suitable for a long tank, I could have them (for example) in the corner of the room, or one each side of a doorway or window or other obstacle. At least that's my way of justifying it. :lol: I would imagine that any fish that likes to go into holes and tunnels would soon discover how to use it. I'm sure my loaches, for example, would be in there like a shot! The bristlenoses would also feel quite at home in there.

enzoom1, I have a spare small tank (30 x 30 x 60cm) if you need some way of keeping the fish apart while you sort out their accommodation? I just keep it empty in the garage in case of emergencies (like yours!) so it's here if you want to borrow it. I also have all the bits & pieces for it - heater, HOB filter, etc. If you do want to borrow it you will need to pick it up from Avondale. Unfortunately I can't fit it on my motorbike for delivery! :lol: Just send me a PM if you want it and I'll send you my address.

LOL the music is the best part! I decided to make one of these some years ago but the price of the clear tubing put me off! From memory it was around $100/metre. If anyone can find a cheaper source please let me know!

If you kiss a bristleworm does it turn into a prince?

Hmmm... as far as i know Ice floats (think Titanic! ) so Cricketman must mean the thawed worms sink too fast. My solution to this dilemma is to get a small container, punch a few holes in it, and suspend it in the water with the worm cubes in it. (I use the egg bit out of a Kinder Surprise.) That way only a few worms come out of the holes at a time so the fish can catch them as they sink. Give it a go! :bounce:

When my neighbour moved out (different flats on the same property) she took my deck chair, my outdoor table, and my lemon tree! When I first came to Auckland I was living with my Grandma but then she got too old and sick and had to move to a home. I got flatmates in to help pay for my Grandma's expenses and one of my flatmates went through all the stuff and stole things like my late Grandad's hat and coat, some of my clothes, all my music and my Grandma's best crockery! One day I just came home from work to find her gone, and all the stuff gone too. Later I discovered she had also been making a huge number of long international phone calls in the weeks leading up to her leaving, and the phone was in my name so I was left with the debt. The really sad thing about that was I knew some of her friends, and they knew where she was but refused to tell me, even after they knew what a horrible thing she had done. For ages afterwards I used to imagine what I would do and say if I bumped into her in the street. :evil: