carla

The "bananas" are storage tubers. The leaves of this particular water lily die back in winter and release the tubers to fall to the bottom of the pond where they winter over and then root down and sprout new leaves in spring. Unfortunately the English language seems to be short of words (or imagination) so anything the English People encountered on their voyages of "discovery" they namend after something at home. So we have tea-tree in NZ which is a Leptospermum, then we have tea-tree in Australia, which is a Melaleuca. Both have been used by Captn Cook to brew something resembling Black Tea (which is Camellia sinensis) which they had run out of. Then they found "pine-apples" which supposedly resemble a pine cone and do NOT grow on pine trees! The French called these "Ananas" which is what the locals called them, rather than inventing a new set of names. Even plants that have already Latin names and Local names (where they come from) have to be named after something else: "NZ Yams" is a prime example. Nothing to do with yams which is a tropical climber, but related to Oxalis. The tubers are not even remotely similar-looking. The mind boggles... And then we have "plums" in every country the English ever visited: Kaffir Plums, Burdekin Plums and hundreds more - all of which have nothing to do with a plum tree, which is a Prunus... And so the storage tubers of some of these water lilies have inspired the name of "water banana"... go figure. I HATE COMMON NAMES !!! :roll: :roll: :roll:

I am very tempted to buy these plants which will supposedly, once established, "aid the clarity of water in a fishpond by feeding on suspended algae". Now here is a definite market opening up! The green water eating water lily. I should buy them all I think and start a nursery (again) - selling these wonderful plants. But then doubt creeps in - as it does - and I wonder if it sounds too good to be true? Has it really got these little algae filtering devices somewhere in its hidden gills? Or is this just a marketing ploy - like so many others on this well known auction site? I will watch with interest the auction number 116830976, that's for sure!

How long did you have these fish and were there any other deats lately? Hmmm - watch out how the others are doing, cause unfortunately, neons are very susceptible to fishTB. If any others look unwell with funny sores or growths I would think about that possibility. Humans can catch it too.

glad to hear they are ok then - was a bit worried about the "stripped angels" though...

Did we ever get that article Caryl? If yes - where could I read more about it please? If no - sooo saaad!

Yup - you are right! You should be severely worried - it means you have AIR under water ... oioioi - that could be problem.

The main problem is to buy some "nice fish" and introduce them to the ones you already have in the tank. The imported ones (bred in Asia) have a virus to which the local ones are not resistant. This seems to be the main reason for guppy deaths in the past 2-4 years.

Might have to invest in a $2 one especially for the fishtanks then.

Google is your friend Cam. There is absolutely NOTHING that Google doesn't know. So have a look here: http://www.google.co.nz/search?hl=en&q= ... arch&meta= Or especially for poor students look here: http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/d ... tchery.php Good luck!

Yep minnows, leopards or even flags would be my advice too. They are smaller and will even breed if there is some java moss or oxy-weed in as well.

I use a glass scraper (Bunnings) or my trusty old green kitchen-spongey-underside. Both excellent.

Ramshorn snails DO NOT eat plants. What fish do you have ??

I always thought a quarantine tank is to quarantine fish to see if they are sick or not. Doesn't it defeat the purpose to have the filter of said quarantine tank spouting the quarantined bacteria into your main tank? Bit like quarantining viruses on your computer as they come in and while you don't use the computer let them go play in your computer? :roll:

Flagfish are supposedly annuals. Mine however live since years. The boy is HUGE now, looks like a cichlid and behaves like one too most of the time. I will soon class him as a "perennial"

Who wants annuals when you can have perennials?

Thats what I observed too actually. Wonder where he got this idea from?

Have come across a TM auction which says: "I DON'T FEED LIVE FOOD!!! It makes fish aggressive!!! It'll be impossible to keep adults and young guppies together if you feed live food as the adults would eat their young! Most pet shops sells fish that grew up on live food thus their aggressive nature. I feed them top quality Tetra bits ONLY. This makes breeding easy as I don't need to separate the young from the adults. " Any comment on that? Not sure if I am allowed to put a link to the auction here so maybe just look up the seller blueyblaze and his auctions.

Brazilian scientists have described a new species of seasonal killifish from the swamps of the upper São Francisco River drainage in central Brazil. The new species, named Simpsonichthys punctulatus after the rows of blue dots on the flanks of the males (from the Latin punctum, meaning a small spot), is described in a paper by Wilson Costa and Gilberto Brasil published in the latest issue of the journal Vertebrate Zoology. More: http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/p ... ?news=1334

Hehe jn - I wondered about that myself They must like it down there if they keep popping out the babies!

As far as I know sterbai like quite warm water, that is why I would recommend paleatus or bronze cories, both of which can stand quite cool (down to 18 degrees).

Very nice looking fish and the fry seem to be VERY well fed LOL :roll: I would add Corydoras paleatus as a bottom dweller. They love to school, so 3 to 5 would be good. They can stand lower temps than most other cories and would do well with the Phalloceros. Hope you will breed lots so the South Islanders can keep breeding them

Welcome from me too cricketman. Just be careful not to cross any killies, otherwise you get into trouble...

Have a look here, I asked the same 3 weeks ago! http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/what-t ... tml#255312

Soooo - leopards are NOT cold waterfish then??? :roll:

The question comes to mind Alan - are you going to tell a trade secret on this open board ?