jn

Ok. The WCMM's seem to be faring pretty well in the bucket it's been about 2 hours. I just did a bit more reading on the web and indications are that both meth. blue and Malachite green will effectively kill my plants. Can someone confirm this? I just put a whole swag of new plants in there a week ago Being a little tank, I would prefer to take them out, treat them with potassium permangenate while the tank gets dosed with the 'cure' and put them back in after. Any good reason not to do this? Or will the chemicals be tolerated?

So how different was the selection of fish down here from what you typically see in your shops in Welly? How about prices?

No room! I own one measly 30L tank! Working on acquiring tank #2. I've got a whole 6 WCMM's and just added 3 jordanellas in there and already they seem to get in each others way I could have fewer plants!! :-? (uhhhhh... no!!)

Thanks goodness for that a million thank yous!

Thanks for some replies guys :-? I was getting desperate and just logging on as a last attempt for some advice before flying a kite. What happens to my biofilter if I treat the whole tank? will it'll die off completely? (what a disaster. I just added my new jordanellas to my tank!) The dark one was definitely sulking this morning and didn't come up to feed. I whipped both of them out into a bucket hoping to slow down any spread to the others. The white lips I described to my partner as 'vampire teeth'. On this particular fish is looked like 2 white 'pimples'...which I saw as a possible symptom of hex? (definitely no sign of any other spots or bumps anywhere else on the body or fins so I'm pretty sure its not whitespot) The wonder cure doesn't list treatment times or anything. All of that stuff would gradually loose it's potency once its in the water right? So maybe I can leave it in 2 days then do a significant water change (I also have some carbon I can add but there isn't any in the tank at the 'mo) I'll treat the fish in the bucket overnight (with airstone) and make sure they're ok in the morning. If not I won't dose the tank till I'll be able to keep an eye on it so I can rescue any that aren't handling it. ok.. off I go. Thanks (oh.. lights on or off during treatment? no feeding?)

I'm just making up a nitrate only mix (well.. potassium and nitrate unavoidably!) My nitrates are dropping too low and I got a severe case of BGA last time!! I'm still planning on using JBL ferropol for trace/iron. I currently do half doses of ferropol but do them twice a week. The label claims there's something they use to help keep the iron in a useable form. It's working though cause I has some very yellow new growth at one stage and it's all greened up nicely Hence the need now for Nitrate (I last measured it a couple of hours after my last water change and it was 5.. my tap water is 10 and I changed about 40% so had to be pretty low before that.. I've also since added a heap of plants! Yay!) Seriously though.. someone should look at selling 'dosing kits'. Buying stuff in medium sizes and then splitting it up an onselling it with instructions and ratios. OR maybe even HaNs suggested... mixing it and selling it ready-to-go.

Cool then.. a small well labelled glass jar in a sealed plastic bag, in the fridge to safely contain any chance of spillage!! Thanks for the info

Check out my thread in the disease section plz

HCL? Seriously!!? Wow... I think I'll store it in the fridge then. HCL would be something else I'd have to get buy in a quantity that's more than I'd ever need to use. I don't imagine the fish would appreciate mould either though!! So it's not sensitive to light?

Hi all, I know this is an old thread but I have bought some KNO3 which I plant to mix up tonight (using that awesome calculator referenced elsewhere). Will only mix up a small amount at a time like 100mls. I was just wondering does it need to be stored in any special way? (ie: kept in the dark) or is a glass jar good enough? Is an increase of 1ppm in a single addition safe for the fish? Maybe weekly or twice a week depending on my NO3 test results? Thanks in advance!

Hi all, 2 of my 6 WCMM's are showing signs of something wrong with their gills. They are eating and swimming as usual but appear to have a slightly more laboured, quicker respiration rate. They do not appear to be flashing or scratching. There may be signs of a little whiteness on their mouths but it's hard to say for sure (its definitely not fluffy like a fungus) and may just be part of their normal coloration that I"ve never noticed before. One of them looks dark. Looking at the gills, it almost looks like either something is stuck in there and hanging out (parasites?), or the gills are frayed. It's like on each gill on both sides there are some transclucent edges and the gills are not laying compltely flat/closed. (by hanging out I mean only just noticeable, like 1-2 mm, not trailing anything) About a month ago I added 3 young shubs. (about 5-6cm each) from an outdoor 'bin' to overwinter inside. They have since been removed. I monitored the water for several days after adding them and there were no ammonia or nitrite spikes. I suspect I have introduced either a bacteria or parasite but the other fish are all fine for now. There have been no real changes in pH and no changes in my maintenance routine or water supply. I recently added plants but that's when I noticed the problem so it's not the cause. I am tossing up between a salt bath or a treatment of 'Wunder cure' wich is a combo of malachite gr, meth. blue, acriflavine, quinine and formalin! I plan to treat only the affected fish in a bucket with some aeration if I used the 'wunder cure''. Can anyone advise me of whether or not I'm on the right track?

Oh.. and thanks for the offer Wilson. I'll get in touch with you when I've gotten settled with more tank space (which may be some time yet!)

I exist in a slightly different universe in which anytime before 10am I consider to still be the middle of the night. Always been a real night owl :-? Boy and you were up before 8 too!! Do they call you WonderWoman? I hope you get a snooze at some point!

what are you still doing up at this hour

Unfortunately you won't find any Koi here. (Or Maybe fortunately?) They are classed as a pest and have been banned. They get absolutely massive too!! Apparently they are massive polluters too and have extra filtration requirements anyway so may eb just as well! I like the Shubunkins cause you get plenty of variation in them. Chuck in a couple of comets for some bright contrast. Someone up there might be able to tell you for sure but I think i've read that the real fancy goldfish (ie: orandas) don't do well in outdoor ponds.

Hope you're having fun down here guys!! Wonder if any of you are suffering from internet withdrawal? Hope you're all spending up large and having a great time. It was nice to meet you on Saturday. ps: I'm absolutely chuffed with my new Jordanellas and they are spending most of their time cleaning the string algae off my glass!! WooHoo!! Also.. my other half saw the Leopardfish I was taking to Milet. He had a good look at them and said "You'll have to get some!" and I put on my sad face and said.. "But my tank is too small" And for the first time he admitted.. maybe I would need another tank!!! BONUS!!! I owe it to you folks :lol:

Be aware.. that it can be very difficult to see small fish in a pond. Ponds also have dark bottoms so it's hard to see 'dark'ish' fish. If your pond is wide enough the fish should be able to get the the middle to escape cats. If you're using a pond liner, a deeper spot is a good safe haven. Fish will also hide under plants when they can. Remember the very important rule: 2/3rds of your pond should be shaded. Anything less than this will result in green water. This means you should fully expect your water to be green the first season until your chosen plants grow in. Do not let this put you off Just make sure to include waterlilies and other types that will spread out on the surface and it will take care of itself. The other big enemy is stuff rotting in the bottom of the pond. You want to make sure than in your design you account for stuff being blown in by the wind etc. This means that a pond may be easier to keep clean if it has its edges raised a little to form a barrier. Another thing to consider is being able to reach in for maintenance. If you can reach the bottom with a long'ish net this often makes it easier to scoop out the stuff that does get in, soon after it falls in there.. rather than leaving it all to rot and then having to do a major cleanout. You can buy pond vacuums but they are very expensive. Some hire places may have them but you may need to hunt around. Personally, my preference is for raised ponds simply because they are easier to maintain (in my opinion). If you keep the bottom higher than your ground level this means you can use a long hose as a siphon to either clean out detritus or just in case you ever needed to empty it or do a big water change. The other option is a bottom drain but that might be alot of digging and I'm not even sure you can get them here. Either way.. I'm sure you'll have plenty of fun !! :bounce: :bounce:

Have a look at this thread.... http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/christ ... 21526.html

Hi guys.. need some advice on a slightly bigger tank. I'm looking at the Rekord 60 which is still pretty small but bigger than my current 34L one! The internal filter really appeals as I understand they're supposed to be quieter than the trickle arrangement on my current tank. (I'd go bigger but I really really don't have the space ) My question is - it only comes with a 15w light. Now I understand the reflector is supposed to improve the amount of light but does anyone have any experience with them? I'm still planning on running a coldwater setup and don't expect that want a jungle of plants but would like to avoid brown algae if at all possible Any comments from you guys?

That's really stunning Any pictures of the submerged form?

You could always say they were a door prize that you won just by turning up

Plus we need you there to come pickup your leopardfish!!! :bounce: :bounce:

I usually have to pay for it first

Everyone knows that chocolate fish don't survive very long :lol: I've never seen one survive more than a couple minutes after I've spotted it!!!

I think the salt may disagree with your plants if you have any.. someone else might be able to confirm this! :-?