jn

Not all lilies are 'hardy'. Some lilies sold in NZ are tropical and will not stand the cold over winter. These need to be removed from the pond or they will die/rot. The hardy ones will simply go dormant and start to regrow in spring. I read somewhere that the best time to divide lilies is when they are actively growing.

Thanks Caryl. Blacking it out shouldn't be too hard. Is the main cause high phosphate levels? I don't have a test kit but have been doing extra gravel vacs every week which gives me about 40% water change. You might have seen my other recent post where I have switched to Micro granules to keep 'sinkage' to a minimum to reduce any leftovers laying around. It is making it easier to give them the barest minimum. Have also reduced feeding to 3 times in 2 days rather than 4. It seems to be slowing down a little, mainly appearing on plants/gravel and not as much on the glass as before. Scrubbed the filter unit and cleaned the pipes and impeller (not the sponge or the media of course). My pH is a little high but we're on bore water with concrete tank storage so there isn't much I can do about it. Nitrate probably sits somewhere between 0-5 (tap water is 10 and this gets used up in the tank so would go to 0 eventually). I have some bright green string algae too (mainly on the glass) but it seems to have appeared since the plants started struggling. I have only left a bare minimum of plants in there figuring I didn't need the plants dying in the tank making matters worse. Would carbon or something like phos-zorb help? Is there anything else I should check?

Hi all, Have a pretty serious case of BGA in my tank. I have stripped out most of the plants and have tried to 'clean' them manually by rubbing off the slime coating to kep them alive. Half have been put back in, and some of those have needed taking out and cleaning off again. I will treat the rest with some with potassium permangenate and put them back in but only after I have the bacteria under control. Will frequent water changes and gravel vacuuming help me get rid of this problem? Or do I need to go with chemicals? In a bind I could house the fish in a plastic bin for a week if there was something I could treat the entire tank/substrate with. Any advice? Is the recommended antibiotic completely effective anyway? Thanks!

Thanks guys. I found some Aqua one food called Micro pellets. Had a picture of neons on it so I figured they would do. Definitly less food now sinking to the bottom. Fish seem to like it just fine

I don't mind crushing the flake. But the WCMM's refuse to eat anything after it starts sinking! If I crumble it into smallish bits, some bits sink immediately. If I leave it in slightly bigger bits....the minnows take one bite of it which pulls it under water.. and then the rest of the flake sinks and they won't go near it. I've got cyanobacteria problems and some string algae problems and am trying to make it easier to remove every extra bit of food to keep my phosphates down (don't know what they're at.. am ordering a test kit soon) A floating granule would make that much easier. I may well go back to flakes after my problems are sorted but just want to try somethign different so I don't have any food sitting at the bottom between my water changes.

Hi there. Looking for a recommendation on a good granule food to feed my WCMM's instead of flakes. The flakes I had needed crushing a little to get to a decent size for the minnows.. in the process of course you gets some very tiny bits which immediately sink to the bottom. I don't have a bottom feeder so am looking to minimize wastage and maintenance. What brands out there are small enough for WCMM's and well balanced to prevent algae problems??

Try www.petmart.co.nz they're in Richmond. I came across them on trademe when I was looking at buying my tank. Their prices for the smaller tanks were very good. Can't vouch for their bigger tanks but they look pretty cheap to me. It's good to shop around though. I found in chch the shop prices varied by almost $50 on the same ar380 tank! (on a small tank that's a big difference!) Also found that prices from online shops tended to be cheaper too. Happy shopping.!

Look up Wrights water gardens on the web and get them to send you a catalogue. You can also try Nikau Hills (www.nikauhill.co.nz) and check out their catalogue of marginals or oxygenators online. Bog plants are also suitable if you have a ledge to sit them on in pots to make sure their 'feet' stay wet but the crown doesn't get submerged. (Arums do well in that type of situation) The local garden shops often have a selection of plants suitable for ponds too. I like irises and rushes. You can also use acorus which doesn't get too big or stuff like dwarf papyrus. Depends if you'll be sitting things with their crowns above the water or want to have pots sitting in the bottom. You also have to decide if you want some height or if you just want a bit of shorter greenery around the edges. There's ALOT of stuff out there

Would it be a good idea to treat driftwood with PP also?I've got some soaking in a bin outside that's gone crazy with mozzie larvae and who knows what else.

Beautiful pictures!! Some amazing flowers from plants that people typically never see a flower from I bet! You've obviously got a a green thumb and have done your research!! More please

I use webshots which is also free. When I'm viewing any of my photos.. websots shows me a box on the bottom right with 'code' to insert the image into different places (like blogs, forums and some other stuff) There are tabs too to let you pick the size you want! So all you have to do is chooses a size tab, then copy and paste the line they show you directly into your post. Very very handy! www.webshots.com

Ok. Thanks davidb.. might start a 'culture' off tonight. So you just pour off some of the liquid into the tank once it colours? Tried the flashlight trick and I don't see anything yet. Guess I'd better cover the filter in case anything hatches. The activity started 2 days ago and was still going on this morning I think.

Hi guys. My WCMM's have decided they fancy each other . I shouldn't admit what I think triggered it but I will anyway. I unplugged the filter to feed them in the morning and got distracted and disappeared off to work!! When I got home I thought.. that aquarium sounds quieter than usual!!! :oops: :oops: :oops: Thanks goodness it was a very cool day or I suspect I would have lost them. So I remember someone saying it was rain and a change in atmospheric pressure that triggered spawning. So perhaps turning it back on again simulated both an increase in pressure and some 'rain' effects being a trickle type filter!! So.. do I need to cover my filter inlet with some nylons or something? Or will the fry be able to steer clear of it? How should they be fed? Could I tie some java moss to my filter intake pipe and let them munch on that?

This might sound strange G.W.Hand.. but did you give those noodle things a good wash before you set them up? I had heaps of stuff come out of mine when I washed them. I have a little AR380 and I do get bubbles from the way the water circulates. Like it pulls through some air from the filter sponge or something. Bubbles then get stuck on the plants and makes it look like they've been pearling (although I know better!! )

It would take a brave soul to perch a tank over computer equipment! It may not be leaking now but there's always a risk. (Not to mention spillage when cleaning etc?) Good luck if you do though Might be a good way to be forced to upgrade your computer equipment at some point!

I guess that makes sense Alanmin, you know exactly what you're getting when you buy plants grown under the right conditions. I suppose too that the time they spend in your tank trying to adapt/convert they become algae magnets anyway with the emersed form of the growth dies off?

That's an awesome tank! I wish someone would give me a tank like that!!! Although I haven't been able to convince my other half yet that I should have another (could be the large amount of algae in my current and only tank that makes him think I'm not ready yet !!) Where you you even put a tank that long? Have you got a stand? Glad to hear your fish are doing well. They look neat and I hope to find some myself soon!!

Does animal antics have a website? I've contacted 2 of the most reputable fish shops here in chch (Redwood Aquatics and Organisms) and neither have any. They both said they have had them in the past but don't have any currently! Anyone know somone else who might have some?

I read somewhere that one advantage of buying aquatic plants that have been grown emersed/hydroponically is that they won't be contaminated with stuff like snails, algae or parasites. What do you folks think?

Hey Zoban, how are those Jordanella's going after almost a week? Is there any aggression or fin nipping with other fish? What else have you got in the tank with them? (Those pics are awesome by the way!)

A lot of pictures I see of tanks with heaters in them seem to have them at an angle (like 45 deg. maybe?) and towards the bottom of the tank. I assume this is for convection purposes? Since heat rises and the water around the heater gets hot and rises up towards the thermostat making it seem like water is hot enough? I've never used a heater myself But maybe someone could confirm this to see if it might help you?

I use webshots. www.webshots.com

Some pics would be great!!

I was reading a link that someone had put up for PMDD. I think it said that an excess of iron can result in an algal bloom. Don't know if they mentioned how to fix it though!

Thanks gatito I like them too! If you click on that last photo it takes you to an album with some more photos. Each lamb is so different, it's a lot of fun. They're are a rare breed called Arapawa Sheep (named after Arapawa island off the coast of Nelson here in NZ). If only I was in the postcard business......