Warren

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Potting mix doesn't work so well. It tends to break down and rot, releasing smelly gas. Aquatic Plant Potting mix is ok however. It's mostly clay with some goodies added. It costs $10.00 for a 15L bag (from Palmers). I used 2 in my 8 foot tank when I set it back up last weekend. I've used it before with very good results. You could probably mix in a bit of very slow release fertiliser as well.

I used to use rainwater but found it to be too unreliable. Depending on which way the wind is blowing and many other factors, there is no way to tell what is in the rain water. We have a fairly big industrial park nearby. If the weather is coming from the north the rainwater is no good as it is full of industrial waste chemicals. The waste chemicals can also settle on the house roof when its not raining too. I've done water changes with rainwater in the past and had most of my discus turn black. Another 50%+ waterchange with tap water + new activated carbon in the filter fixed them up in less than 24 hours. You only need 1ppm or so of something toxic in the rainwater to cause a problem. If you don't want to use tapwater the next cheapest option for processing water is usually Reverse Osmosis. It removes approx 99.9% of chemicals, solids and gases from the water. You need to add some salts of various types back to give it pH stability however. For small quantities Deionising resins work ok too.

Hi Ballistic, If you join the Kapi Mana club or the Upper Hutt Aquarium Society you will get the Aquarium World for free. It is covered in your membership fee. The Wellington fish club is not affiliated to the FNZAS so no free Aquarium World. Hopefully one day soon they will reconsider and join again... (that would be good as they are a big club with lots of great members - met quite a few of them last year at the HBAS fish show). If you want to subscribe to the Aquarium World it will cost about $22.00 per year (I'm not 100% certain about the current cost - Caryl will know better). Most club memberships are about this much so you could get the benefit of both for the same price. Regards Warren Stilwell FNZAS President

Oh Bugger is right... Well, all shifted now. No disasters, only one Tetra died during the shift. Now the settling in process....

Hi Alan, of course I shift my tanks. Would you trust anyone else looking after your fish... Yes, second shift. Things didn't work out where I am. I was hoping for the long stay but...

Hello Everyone, I have moved. My new address is Warren Stilwell 50A Meeanee Rd, Taradale Napier Ph 845 2512 Please update your records accordingly. Please also check your club secretary and editor have update their records too.

Cheers! :lol:

Hi Jane, Check your email please. Likewise, all other exec members please check your email for Conference 2004 updates. Warren

I have baby molly's. There's about 40 of them. There's another famale just about ready too. Cool... 8)

I've been to the Gold Coast several times now. While it’s a great place to visit for a holiday, its a lot less suitable as a venue for a group. It is possible to stay at large hotels with the facilities to host conference but the dollars go up a lot. We are also fishkeepers. I wouldn't mind going somewhere that fish can be seen. There are virtually no fish at surfers (except in the Aquarium Shops). Fiji has an excellent aquarium just out the door of your room and you can visit it any time for free... I hope people think about the whole picture when making a decision on where to go. Sure, cost is a factor, but think about the total cost, not just the airfare... PS: Awesome work John, what an effort has gone into your research and your typing... PPS: I think John currently holds the biggest post record (posted by Caryl on John’s behalf).

Yeah, you're right Alan, mine weren’t too happy about being caught...

It'd be a LOT cheaper than buying the plasma!

There seems to be 2 types. The yellow/orange tail type and one with white/silver tipped fins. Each scale is a green/white colour with a black tip. The lines running through the head are green/blue in colour. This is what they look like (above) under bright lighting but they appear quite green at certain angles.

Maybe, maybe not. There might not be any parasites. If the water conditions are out a bit it may be irritating the fish externally and putting them off their food. I've had this happen before. Discus are very hardy and tolerate a lot but there are some things they don't like. I used rainwater on my discus until one day they all turned black with stress. I tracked it down to pollution in the rainwater. Now I use RO instead. Don't be too quick to conclude its parasites. Most medications are very hard on fish and prolonged use will shorten their life - especially copper based. Have you done anything different to the tank? (Water, logs, food...)

How is everyone's Mollies doing? Mine are fine. I lost 3 to start with but now they've settled in. They grow really fast! There are a couple of really fat females, - maybe babies soon...

Yip, same fish (Aequidens rivulatus)

The Pigeon is the dominant fish. They may both be males. How big is the tank? Are there lots of hiding places? (The more places there are for discus to hide, the more time they spend in the open). If the tank is big enough the best solution is to add more Discus. 12 is a good number but you need a good sized tank for this many (600+ Litres). If the smaller discus is eating ok you could wait to see what happens after a few weeks. I usually take the smallest discus out into a separate tank. It gets fed lots and the tank has many water changes. I give it a few tetras for company. Once the discus has grown a bit and has caught up to the others (6-8 weeks) it is put back. The pecking starts again immediately but the fish is now of a size where it can hold its own.

There is also a Masterpet product called Cure Ex. It works ok but is not as good as straight Levamisole.

Use Cattle drench for the worms. You can buy small amounts from vets or farm supply outlets. You'll have to do the maths to work out how much to add to the tank. Your target concetration is approx 25ppm. Within 48 hours all the worms will be dead and so will the eggs in the gravel. So, only one treatment is usually required. Just as well because its a little hard on some fish, especially smaller tetras. The loss rate can be as high as 5%. The active ingredient is Levamisole. Make sure you get a non-mineralised form of drench. Do a 50% water change after 2 days.

Yip, clown loaches are pretty bad too. They seem to like chewing the plant off at the base. I think its just for something to do rather than eat them as once they're chew off they ignore them. Any big Cichlid is usually pretty bad as they like to move the gravel round, - some of them lots.

Good one, never thought of using the dishwasher to clean fishy things...

Fish have excellent memories, best remember that Ira. They'll try it again you know...

Please be patient Mitch. John has been doing the work. He has taken an enormous amount of time to prepare information for us. He has personally visited many venues and has recommendations that are excellent. As Caryl said, we have known since last conference that the 2004 conference would be offshore and we should be saving. Hopefully everyone intending to go has been putting money aside. The Aquarium World is due very soon and reveals all. We still have six months to go. You can't even book a flight yet + the specials haven't yet been released. The Taranaki Club is still considered a valuable member of the FNZAS. If you have any issues or reasons for thinking the FNZAS is neglecting you please e-mail me directly so we can put them to rest. Best Regards Warren Stilwell President Federation of New Zealand Aquatic Societies Incorporated

Yeah, spend lots of time in front of the TV. I know I spend far too long in front of it. Oh well, its an old TV now, - maybe it'll blow up soon and solve the problem.