tHEcONCH

See, there are good ones out there... you just have to look

Better to just watch out for a good employer, then go and work for them

No they can't - anything still has to be both legal and reasonable. You can't contract out of a statutory requirement, so even if both you and your employer agreed that it meant that they could make you do anything, it would still be illegal and unenforcable.

If he gets shitty just refer him to the Labour Department website, or alternatively you or he can call them and they will help sort things out, including sorting out a basic Employment Agreement. They are actually very helpful.

Only if you were away for more than two days CONTINUOUSLY - if you were at work Tuesday, then no.

Oh, you are entitled to 5 days sick leave per year BEGINNING SIX MONTHS AFTER you start, so if you have been there 8 months you became eligable to it two months ago and are entitled to sick pay for that day you took off too.

Most contracts contain a clause like 'any other reasonable task as required'. What reasonable is depends upon what your job is. If you are employed as an accountant then 'reasonable' might include opening the mail when the receptionist is away because it is directly related to your normal job, but 'reasonable' wouldn't include unblocking the toilet - they'd have to call a plumber. In your situation driving to get the mail may well be reasonable, but never at your expense. If you are driving your car then they a liable for a) your time b) 60 cents (minimum) per kilometre or part thereof travelled c) any cost in your car insurance premiums to cover COMMERCIAL USAGE - because that is what you are engaging in and if you have a prang you are not covered under a normal 'private passenger' policy.

If you went to work on Tuesday the short answer is no. You might like to point out to them that even though they haven't supplied you with a written contract, despite your requests for one, you are both still bound by the applicable labour laws.

In short, yes, it is illegal - but they bear the brunt of any action, not you, and no, you are not required to produce a doctors certificate for absence less than three days, and even then if they demand one they have to pay for the doctors visit

1000 posts in this thread

Or scrapping off aggressive Sooth Afrikaaan muscles into our inshore fisheries? They need to sort their priorities out. What's more likely - some guy takes expensive coral and throws it into the sea for a gag, or big boat floats inshore and dumps crap everywhere, then leaves?

:lol:

Hmmm... the plot thickenss... I'll have a think about it and come back to you if I can think of anything else. Maybe the fish have some sort of species specific virus that is weakening them. You could always cull the sick ones...

Yes it is, but perhaps MAF should look at things like enforcing existing rules with shipping (as in container boats) rather than a hobby involving organisms that just aren't viable in local conditions. Although they are right to try and protect our environment and ecosystems, unfortunately MAF can be a little small minded sometimes. Just look at how they (mis)handled Didymo.

So long as it is regular, then that should be fine, which brings us to the next suspects - fluctuating heat and or contaminants. Is you tank near an open window or in full sun for part of the day? Do you age your water (if your Council adds chlorine to the main water supply you have to either leave it to evaporate out, or add a water treatment to nuetralise it).

If it is a recurring problem then it can only be one thing - water quality. The pathogen that causes Ich/White Spot is always in freshwater, everywhere, all the time, just like there is always bacteria on your skin. It doesn't become a problem unless the fish's immune system is weakened somehow, the same way people tend to get bacterial infections when they are run-down or injured. Ironically it may be that your water changes are exacerbating the problem if they are large and intermittent - they may be changing the water parameters too quickly which causes stress. How often / how much water do you change? 10-20% per week causes far less stress than 20-40% per fortnight because the water quality is more constant week-to-week. I'd stick to using Malachite Green or White Spot Cure - they both work the same way (minor differences), but make sure you continue to treat for 10-14 days after you can no longer see any signs of White spot, because otherwise the free swimming (virtually invisible) stage of the pathogen will take hold again. (FYI the 'white spot' is actually millions of baby pathogens about to burst out and become free-swimming - they live for about 10 days at 28 degrees - that is the stage that Malachite green targets)

1/ Yes, they are the same thing - 'Ich' is an abbreviation of the name of the pathogen that causes the freshwater variety of white spot. 2/ They can all be used, with varrying degrees of effectiveness and collateral damage. Most people have good results with Malachite Green based solutions, such as 'White Spot Cure' 3/ It depends upon what else is in your tank, water quality etc - you need to tell us some basics like how long the tank has been set up and what fish you are trying to treat before a recommendation can really be made. How many fish have it? 'White Spot Cure' mentioned above is a relatively safe and efffective treatment in most situations.

So... this tank... I guess I should grow some corals or something - what do people recommend for a splash of clour / movement in low light (18Watts) environments? Coralimorphs?

Do what you are already doing - add a buffer. If you only need shall amounts you can use the prepared solutuion that came with your max, otherwise there are cheaper 'bulk' alternatives. I'd also consider buyig another test kit - the one that came with you max is a little vague.

I don't think these are money cowries - they are very similar, but don't have the Yellow circle on their shell - its just white. I guess I'll sell them for a couple of bucks pp each if they are viable.

That's how they live in the wild

I've been thinking a little about the whole ecosystem of a coral reef, which isn't all corals. I suspect a lot of 'difficult' corals might actually be less so if a more normal balance of organisms is present in the system. That and I like Mandarin fish (which like eelgrass) Let me know how it goes for you.

It could be damage from fighting, but they are usually very peaceful fish. I'd check your water parameters and make sure it isn't damage from 'striking' objects when they try and alleviate irritation from nitrate buildup etc.

A lot of them will be blown intact into the main tank at night - not all are pump proof though

I'll just melt some crayons together and use that :lol: