John Rimbauer

AVG isn't too bad, but someone might weigh in with a better option.

The Animal Shack in Pukekohe had some a couple of weeks ago. And if you're in the Waiuku area you can try your luck in our pond - there's Leopardfish in our front garden.

I've seen the "hive-in-a-box" things being used in glasshouses to pollinate tomatoes - years ago though. My understanding is that they put a new queen in each box with enough pollen etc. to get her going. I believe the hives only last one season naturally, though the boxes may be different. Perhaps you could have a chat to some commercial growers or growing supplies places?

I enjoy taking the motorbike out for a pointless cruise round Franklin. It blows the cobwebs off quite nicely! I enjoy the range of views from the West Coast along up to Awhitu and the Manukau Heads, or down through Bombay or Ararimu. I find that riding a bike on twisting country roads at 100K (with no seatbelt or airbag!) gives you something important to focus on, instead of just random worry. When I get back everything's more or less back in perspective.

I've got a sick goldie of my own at the moment (dumped here by some inconsiderate so-and-so's) who was having trouble swimming too. I've got the fish in a small tank with a gentle flow, and I'm dosing about 1/4tsp Epsom salts daily in a tank which is approx 450x300x300. When I started this it did some pretty nasty-looking slimy bubbly business from it's back end, and then started swimming a bit better and eating. I then gave him half a shelled pea as per Caryl's advice. I'm presuming he's either got a stomach disorder or a swim bladder problem. The fish has perked up quite a bit but he loses ground if I discontinue the Epsom salts. He's getting 50% waterchanges a day as the tank is not really big enough for him. You can probably find Epsom Salts at your local garden centre in the fertiliser aisle, our local sells Tui brand Magnesium Sulphate, for combating yellowing of leaves. Good luck with it.

Beautiful tank! But I have to disagree with snookie, that fish looks more like a lemon tetra to me.

Have a look for lead flashing in your local plumbers or roofing place - if you can get an off cut it works well, but buying a whole roll might be overkill... :lol:

I've seen a pond in the Franklin area that had fish dying in their pond - the ultimate cause was the concrete water tank. The water going in was pH 6.5-7, coming out it was about 8.5+ - the test papers maxed out. It might be worth checking out where the water is stored as well.

I've got mine in against the garage on the eastern side. They're in a couple of plastic storage bins from the local mitre 10. They get a handle of grass every so often, and have a bunch of red ramshorn snails there to keep the algae from getting going. I tip about a quarter of the water and replace from the tap every so often (maybe 1 week in 4?). They've been going well for years now, and I've actually tipped out nearly all the daphnia before (just left a bit of the sediment, and the snails) and had them breed up in weeks. The gound they sit on is damp, and has a lot of snails and slugs down there. I often find 2 or 3 tiger slugs (or leopard slugs if you prefer!) under the lid. I find the cultures with the slugs under the lids do best - I presume its because the slugs do their filthy business straight into the water during the day.

They seem common enough in creeks around the Waiuku and Te Toro areas - a friend of mine netted about a hundred shrimp and a couple of koura in approx 10 mins in a farm creek near his house. He reckons you're best looking in weedy overgrown areas - use a torch at night to look for the eyes.

My all time favourite would have to be Aliens - lots of guns, explosions and naughty alien beasties.

Ouch. I hope she comes out well! My seal point girl is currently sitting on my knee - they are such characters that it's really hard coping with them being ill. I've lost one Oriental to cancer - not something I'd wish on anyone!

My personal favourite for winter warming is a 12 yr old single malt whiskey. A nip of that and you're away! The only down side is that if I leave my glass unattended for even a second, the wife is into it like a rat going up a drain pipe. But if I try and pour her one of her own I get a lecture about how bad it tastes? :roll:

I haven't been trying to breed mine, but last week they decided to do it themselves. They had been eating a mix of frozen bloodworms, shelled peas, and flake. I skipped 2 weekly water changes, did a 20% and a 6 monthly filter clean, and away they went. Sadly this was in a heavily stocked community tank, the eggs didn't last 2 minutes.

It's an Eastern Rosella. They're a beautiful bird to have hanging around the place.

I've had 7 of these guys in a 3 ft for about 6 months now. I'd read that they were shy and reclusive, hard to spot in a planted tank, and that they hated high traffic areas. Lucky for me, the catfish hadn't read that book. They are always out and about in a bunch, or they break into threes and roam the tank. My work tank has people walking past frequently and they couldn't care less. They're first up for food and boy can they move fast when bloodworms or flake go in! Given the choice between lots of cover and open water, they lurk near the cover in a group normally - but they rarely if ever hide. They hid a lot for the first 2 or 3 days after going into the tank, but got brave quite quickly.I've got to say they are one of my favourite fish. Everyone comments on them (enough with the whitebait jokes!) and I've found them to be really friendly and active. They definitely enjoy a good current too. I know someone else who has them and they've found them the same - no hassles at all in a large community tank.

Everyone knows it's never lupus - except that one time it was.

Song - Any one of the three: Absurd by Fluke Juke Joint Jezebel by KMFDM or Control - Traci Lords with Juno reactor (Instrumental only though, the lyrics don't fit the song! :lol:) Movie - Aliens

Hmm, I'm Skolls opposite - write with the right, eating and any "stick" sports lefty. I'll put down right though as I have a bit of a girlie throw with the left Left - 5 Right - 8

I can recommend Precision Cylinder Testing in Grey Lynn for a cylinder. If you have a look in the Yellow Pages under cylinder testing you will find their details. They recondition and certify old fire extinguishers, I got a 3.5kg with valve, cert, and a fill from them. A fill costs about $10 a go. The whole thing cost $200 about 18 months ago. The guys there are really friendly and helpful, they've done quite a few cylinders for aquariums they tell me.

The adult form of the glow-worm is bioluminescent, but it is a member of the gnat family rather than the beetle family. I have no idea if they're toxic though sorry! More details on 'em here http://www.teara.govt.nz/1966/G/Glow-worm/Glow-worm/en

My doctor recommended a hobby.

I've got a pond that started with 9 WCMM and 1 Leopard fish which in hind sight had obviously been a busy young lady. A year later there is now more of both than you can count, and they go well together. We find the leopard fish move more slowly near the surface and in the shallows, and the minnows school in the deeper areas. It's a nice contrast between the very visible slow moving leopard fish and the fast moving schools of minnows. Even better, over summer a green and golden frog has moved in and now spends all day hanging out on the tiny camellia bush beside the pond. It doesn't mind the siamese cat which "owns" the garden, or the ongoing gardening, it's almost a member of the family!

I have a frog living in my pond with lots of leopard fish and WCMM - they seem to get on fine, but to be fair, a frog isn't a tadpole. I can't see any problems though, they are both pretty placid, and as long as there is food for both they should get on fine.

The first link is to a complete T5 system, which you can put T5 bulbs in, plug into the wall, and away you go. It sits atop your fish tank. The second link is the bones of the previous system. It has no reflector, no housing, just a remote ballast which drives the tubes, and two sets of leads that run to end caps which go on the end of the actual T5 tube. It also has clips to hold the tubes if you need them. To give you an idea of the real world difference, the first unit could go straight on top of your tank for light out of the box, once you put tubes in. The unit holds all the goodies which make the lights go. The second one (which I have a couple of) has to be set up, you put the ballast wherever suits you, then run the cables to the light tubes, and sort out a reflector and mounting for the tubes. I use them in a tank which has a low profile hood, no room for a normal ballast or reflector system in it. Hope that helps!