carla

Somebody sells YELLOW WATER IRISES on trademe. I am very sure that these are the yellow flags which are on the banned list. Have a look and tell me what you think. It seems that some plants have already been sold.

And also 'cause its YOUR responsibility to look after all the kids in the neighbourhood that may wander onto your property (where they shouldn't be in the first place) and make sure they don't drown in your pool. It is in NO way the parents responsibility to check where their kids are, supervise them at all times or to teach them life skills - like swimming - or even listening to their parents advice ... Good luck with your pond under these ludicrous laws!

You are right - it is just me, needing to have proper names so I can look it up. Most other people will be happy with "blanket weed" I suppose. I must admit I do have 3 microscopes as well ... :roll:

I am sitting here looking at a bottle of $29.90 algaefix and thinking if I should use it or not - what were your side effects alan?

Thanks for the link :0 And see - these common names - these are not just one plant species but many: "Blanket weed (also referred to as string-algae) is a collective term given to a number of very similar algae that both look and behave identically. The most common genera are Cladophora, Oedogonium and Spirogyra." It so pays to identify stuff correctly to be able to do something about it. Am just thinking of the other thread about "rope fish"...

And you really think that DOC and MAF do NOT read this messageboard??? And especially not a thread with such a distinctive title? :roll:

What on earth is "blanket weed"??? :roll: Any proper name for it available please? Thanks.

Thanks for all this info! Will keep an eye out for the "right" ones.

Alanmin which of the "red ones" are actually ok to grow UNDER water? I have bought 4 lots so far and they all rotted. One of them was called "beetroot" which grows well ABOVE water, but rots under water. The others had no name.

In TM speak it is a deformed fish that cannot be sold to a LFS. Often no gill covers, tail not exactly right, colour not good etc.

And I have finally got mine too! Thanks for the good read!

Today on BBC online: Frog killer fungus 'breakthrough' New Zealand scientists have found what appears to be a cure for the disease that is responsible for wiping out many of the world's frog populations. Chloramphenicol, currently used as an eye ointment for humans, may be a lifesaver for the amphibians, they say. The researchers found frogs bathed in the solution became resistant to the killer disease, chytridiomycosis. The fungal disease has been blamed for the extinction of one-third of the 120 species lost since 1980. Fearful that chytridiomycosis might wipe out New Zealand's critically endangered Archey's frog (Leiopelma archeyi), the researchers have been hunting for a compound that would kill off the disease's trigger, the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. They tested the chloramphenicol candidate on two species introduced to New Zealand from Australia: the brown tree frog (Litoria ewingii) and the southern bell frog (L. raniformis). "We found that we could cure them completely of chytrids," said Phil Bishop from the University of Otago. "And even when they were really sick in the control group, we managed to bring them back almost from the dead." "You could put them on their back and they just wouldn't right themselves, they would just lie there. You could then treat them with chloramphenicol and they would come right," Dr Bishop explained. Captive solution The researchers tried using chloramphenicol as both an ointment, applied to the frogs' backs, and as a solution. They found that placing the animals in the solution delivered the best results. The team has admitted it was surprised by the outcome. "You don't usually expect antibiotics to do anything to fungi at all. And it does. We don't understand why it does, but it does," said Russell Poulter. Professor Poulter, the molecular biologist who hunted down chloramphenicol, added: "It's also got the great advantage that it's incredibly cheap." The scientists are now making their research widely known ahead of formal publication in a science journal because of the pressing need for a safe and effective treatment for the chytrid disease. The blow that chytrid has dealt to the frog population is already immense. The disease has probably accounted for one-third of all the losses in amphibian species to date, says Professor Rick Speare, an expert in amphibian diseases who works with the University of Otago's frog research group. These losses are huge - and this is in addition to other threats such as habitat destruction, climate change, pollution and hunting. Since 1980, more than 120 amphibian species have disappeared; and according to the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, in the near future many more species are in danger of vanishing. "We are losing an awful lot of these creatures now and if we don't do something intelligent, then we're going to lose an awful lot more," said Professor Poulter. But a hopeful finding is that the introduced frogs that have been infected with chytrids are now more resistant to further infections. "We haven't quite understood how that could happen," said Dr Bishop. "It might be a natural thing; if a frog survives a chytrid infection then it is resistant when it gets attacked again." The researchers believe that zoos now will have more options, either to be able to control an outbreak or to rescue infected frogs from the wild, knowing that they can be cured. The next challenge the research team has set itself is to find a treatment that will work in the wild. "I would really feel quite satisfied if we could say, 10 years from now, that you have to be careful walking around [Australia's] Kosiuszko National Park or you might tread on a corroboree frog because they're all over the place," said Professor Poulter. "I would take real satisfaction from that." By Kim Griggs Science reporter, Wellington

I have never heard that interbreeding is causing the fry to be infertile or deformed. In fact they are usually very happy chappies - just not what their parents were. And since we try to keep pure strains in NZ it is advisable not to have two closely related groups in the same tank. Ever heard of "hybrid vigour"?

So what happened since then?

LOL alright imsweet. You wouldn't believe the state some of the plants are in, when they arrive. No packaging to speak of - just a plant in a flat pre-paid plastic envelope, no bubble wrap, nothing. Sometimes you pay up to 30 or 40 dollars for that, as the seller believe that the plant is so rare - and I am so gullible as to believe it - them were the days... much more choosy nowadays and much more direct in giving appropriate feedback too. Good luck with your plants - hope they arrive fine and healthy!

I would like to start a little discussion here (and maybe the DOC lurkers could tell us a bit about their point of view too) about the sale and distribution of tadpoles of Bell Frogs. We all know that these are not a native frog and we also all know that frogs are wiped out by the chytrid fungus. I have found a lot of articles on the subject, of which I will post a few links and I have also found each year that pet shops and trademe are selling tadpoles all over the country. What are your views on this and is there any new research being done on that fungus? Should we sell tadpoles, as the frogs ARE endangered, or not as they could spread the fungus to our natives? http://www.otago.ac.nz/zoology/research/bishop/frogs/ http://www.oranawildlifepark.co.nz/frog_crisis/frog.htm http://www.teara.govt.nz/TheBush/FishFr ... Frogs/3/en http://www.doc.govt.nz/templates/page.aspx?id=33160 http://www.biol.canterbury.ac.nz/conser ... herald.htm

I would thoroughly recommend looking at what feedbacks these people have AND how they describe the plants. The latter often says more than the first. There are several commercial guys in there that will sell you unrooted cuttings which have been grown out of the water (hydroponically). To submerse these is often asking for trouble, and most of them turn to slush and die. However when they arrive they look fabulous and the seller gets wonderful feedback. People won't change their feedback, however once the plants die, for fear of a "retribution red face"!! There is at least one person who actually describes his plants as "grown submersed" to offset himself from others, so that must be a bonus! Also look for repeat customers in the feedbacks, which means people were happy, otherwise they wouldn't come back and buy again. Also be wary of the "hobbyists" as they often sell bad quality plants with algae and snails right through them, often package very badly and try to sell at fish shop prices (which is 3 - 4 times wholesale depending on the shop). Note that I put "hobbyists" in highlights to distinguish them from us here LOL

Could be quite interesting too when a cow slurps up one of the goldfish...

I take it these are TM plants??

Steveo - google is your friend. There are about 20 threads on the subject in this forum alone plus hundreds on the net. Go read dude, we can't do that for you! And as to the "type of plant you put in a tank to breed minnows" - you can use any plant which is fine and dense, java moss, cabomba, even sagittarias in a dense stand, so the eggs fall in between the plants and the parents can't eat them. Good luck!

At the size when they grow bristles...

But not snail eggs I suppose? :roll:

Haha, I can imagine as yams needs to be the nice long one to give "status" to a feast. Looks very male .... Compare that to the little maggots people call "NZ Yams". They must have thought you are joking LOL - Great face losing material! 8)

As far as I understand there are parts in it about retailing and customer "handling", how do people that do not work in a shop complete these parts?

The Aquarium World stated that you ring Dave Cooper and tell him you are a member. So if you already have the paperwork then just write in that that you are a FNZAS member. If they want anything else they can contact you. I see that their website is still parked and not up yet. Who else is starting in October?