whetu

I bought one of those from Bunnings for much less than that. Very useful gadget!

YOU MISSED OUTRAGEOUS FORTUNE?!

Yeah that's the trouble - we used to get them a lot when we lived in Taupo. Obviously the colder the climate the shorter time they have to get really fat before it gets too cold for them and they have to go & snuggle down for a few months (I wish I had that lifestyle!) Also then those pesky humans start burning their stacks of firewood and cleaning up piles of leaves and branches, and the poor little hedgehogs have to go out in the cold and find a new home. Then they are all slow and groggy and dogs harass them, or they go onto the road where it's warm from the sun and they get run over! Poor little things! The worst was when someone would have a bonfire in a pile of rubbish that had been sitting around for a few months and all the poor little animals had to run for their lives. We used to try to check through any pile before we had a bonfire but it's hard to find everyone tucked away all snug and asleep in the middle of the pile. We were always told that any hedgehog that's out in the daytime is likely to be sick and carrying mange, ringworm, etc etc. So should be handled with care - wrap it in a cloth to pick it up, be careful not to put your hands near your face, and wash your hands thoroughly after you have handled it. As for being friendly, a healthy wild hedgehog will curl up when you go near it - if it doesn't it might be a sign that it's sick. But once they get a bit more domesticated they will rarely curl up (unless they get a fright). On the other hand (so to speak) a scared hedgehog makes the best ever winter mittens! If you're holding one and it curls into a ball around your hand, its tummy is all soft and furry and warm and it holds on very tightly! :lol:

We used to feed ours on cat food. We often found them in various states of disrepair so they didn't always survive but the ones that did survive and we set free again were satisfying for everyone!

I was just idly reading through the posts in this thread and thinking "oooh there's a good idea - tea bags to make quick & easy tannin-filled water." Then I remembered I usually drink CHAI tea which has CLOVES in it! Just in case anyone else is thinking about it - please just stick to plain tea like your grandma used to drink, unless your Grandma was Indian!

If you really want to get serious about plants, a proper plant-growing substrate under the gravel is a great idea, but it means you will need to take your tank apart and completely re-do it, so it's up to you if you think it's worth the effort. I have just gravel in my substrate, and when the swords started showing some signs of malnutrition I added some JBL balls just pushed inot the gravel around the roots. It has taken a while but their health seems to be slowly improving. Also a good liquid fert added to the water will help to ensure your plants get all the nutrients they need. In the past I have used Dalton's Aquatic Mix under the gravel, and that's what I would do again if I was setting up my tank from scratch. It's pretty cheap from garden centres so the price shouldn't put you off, it's more whether you want to put in the effort of re-starting your tank. There are also a lot of other (more expensive) substrates on the market (things like laterite & fluorite). I haven't tried them myself, but apparently they make an excellent, nutritious substrate if you want to grow root-feeding plants that require lots of feeding.

Plants in tropical tanks generally come from the tropics, where there is daylight for around 12 hours a day, all year round. For that reason, I have my lights on a timer and they are 'on' for 12 hours a day. Other people use slightly shorter or longer hours of lighting, but 12 hours would be 'average'.

From my understanding from this continuing saga (who needs Coro Street when you can read Phoenix's flatmate thread?! :lol: ) the new flatmates did declare the cat - it was the old flatmates who should have refused due to their knowledge of Phoenix's allergy and the birdie who was already in residence. I'm another one who can't bear flatmates! I've had such terrible experiences over the years that I decided I would live alone, no matter the cost. One place I lived in for many years was only 6 ft wide and wouldn't have passed any health & safety inspections (basically a garden shed with plumbing!) but I could afford to live there alone! It was brilliant! I now live with my lovely partner so the days of flatmate horror are over for good! :bounce:

Good idea! That's what I would do if I were to set up DIY CO2 again. Much more subtle than the bubble ladder on the back wall.

Thanks everyone! I will have a phone around and check all the places you have suggested. As it turns out, the ones I got from the grow-your-own-herbs shop look like they will do the job nicely for now. The 'unknown spectrum' one has a pretty purple glow and seems to have peaks in the blue and red zones, which is meant to be good for plants. The purple light also makes the cardinal tetras look quite extraordinary! I have now put that tube on a seperate timer so I can have about 30 minutes in the evening just staring at these glowing little jewels swimming artound the tank! Who needs to grow your own herbs when you can be mesmerised by these stunningly gorgeous little fishies! :lol:

Congrats! It's great that you came second! :bounce: But just a minute - where are your results? I think you need to post them here so we all know whether danios (or was it WCMMs) like to school.

That's quite a bargain you got yourself there! And it certainly is looking nice. I will also add my vote to those who like the multi-level landscaping effect.

I thought it was going to be easy - just waltz into Bunnings or somewhere and pick some up... but NO! Bunnings stocks 2-footers and 4-footers, but not 3-footers! Same with Placemakers. Even Lighting Direct couldn't help me! I ended up going to one of those hydroponic/grow-your-own places and buying their last two 3-foot tubes. (Can't wait for my partner to see that on the credit card bill) :lol: Even then I have ended up with one 4000K tube and one unknown spectrum "Biolux" tube. I have no idea if my plants are going to like them. :roll: This all started because I bought a 4-foot fitting off TradeMe and didn't ask if they meant it took 4-foot tubes. :-? Anyway, I'm looking for a reliable stockist of 3-foot tubes suitable for growing plants: T8 (normal fat fluoro tubes) 30 watt (3 foot) 6500 K (Daylight spectrum) I really don't want to pay the exhorbitant pet store prices for those special grow-lux tubes, becaue the more I spend per tube the less likely I am to replace them regularly and keep the plants happy. If I'm going to spend 5 x the price I'm going to want 5 x the life expectancy! :lol: So please let me know where I can find them!

I used to live near Cornwall Park here in Auckland where they graze a few cattle. Obviously it's a public area in a residential zone with lots of kids and tourists around so they choose the mildest mannered, friendliest cattle you have ever met. One day they had a herd of the most gorgeous big steers grazing there, and there was one lying down near the electric fence so I carefully squatted down, reached through and gave him a good scratch behind the ear. He seemed to like that because he nudged me very hard with his head. Unfortunately I overbalanced and caught my chin on the live wire, which jolted my head back violently, causing me to bite my tongue and fall over backwards. I ended up walking home with blood running down my chin looking like I had been attacked by a vicious wild beast! What an embarrassing result. :oops:

Good on you, cookie. It's really all you can do for them. Good luck to the little fishies to get well soon! :bounce:

You're talking about the JBL clay balls? I can break them up pretty easily - but then I do have super-human strength! :lol:

Thanks neon - I didn't really build it ... It's a kind of modular thingie and you just put together the bits you want. The basic structure has no nails at all! The only skill required is putting the drawers and doors on, which is why my drawers are crooked! :lol: :oops: But by golly it's the strongest structure you could imagine. I would happily jump up and down on it (if there wasn't already a fish tank on it).

It's not hard to break them either in half (along the seam) or into smaller pieces - then just put in as much as you need for that plant.

Yes, the JBL ball needs to go near the roots - but usually you can just shove them into the substrate. There's no need to pull the plant up and replant it.

Here's a pic of my tank stand. I could build you something similar if you like - have sent you a PM. It has the following dimensions L: 1340 D: 450 H: 760 Unfortunately I built mine in a bit of a hurry and didn't pay as much attention to the details as I should have... yours would look much tidier if you take me up on the offer.

Well I'm a female and vacuuming and dusting certainly doesn't come naturally to me... hence the need for a trained fish to do it! :roll: Hmmm... I could spend a couple of hours doing housework or a couple of hundred hours training my fish to do it... Yep - the fish training definitely wins! :bounce:

That was an excellent video! I must go and teach my fish to do some things... I wonder how long it would take for them to learn to vacuum and dust? :lol:

Funny... I was just looking at cabinets on Trade Me and thinking some of them would make excellent tank stands. I can't link to them here (site policy) but I will send you a PM with a couple of examples (if I can find them again!) Disclaimer: I'm not the seller for any of the cabinets and I haven't seen them in real life so I can only go by the photos and descriptions! I strongly suggest going and having a close look at them to see if they are suitable for what you want, and especially checking them out for structural integrity - strong joints, no wobbles, etc.

Oh Bilbo that's lovely! I do have a problem with this bit though: I think I must have been away from school the day that lesson was held.

Aaawww twinkles it's lovely that you're worried about your "baby's" first day at school - that's exactly how you should be! Parents have an instinct to protect their kids no matter what, and it looks like your instincts are working perfectly! :lol: It sounds like your little girl has had all sorts of opportunities to get to know the sorts of things she will do at school, and if she's already familiar with the playground and the teacher, she's pretty much got it sorted! My sister joined a gym recently, and left her one-year-old in the crèche while she worked out. First time the little guy has been away from her with anyone other than immediate family. She asked the staff to come and get her immediately if he started crying or showed any signs of distress. An hour later she finished her workout and went back to the crèche. Her little boy was sitting on the floor playing with some toys. She called out to him, he turned and looked at her, and went back to playing with the toys. Not only was he anything but distressed, he didn't seem to have missed her at all! :lol: She said she was very happy that he was just fine without her - but admitted later that she would have kind of liked him to show some sign that he missed her when she was gone!