Poecilid

I haven't kept Oscars for 30 years, but I've got one (about 6-8 inches long) visiting currently. I used to feed Oscars horse meat, worms, trout pellets, and guppies. But I'm too lazy now, and I see there are dry foods marketed for every occasion these days! Can anyone please recommend a pellet that'd be good for an adult Oscar this size as well as for full grown African Cichlids, and which I can buy in bulk?

No problem Caryl. I do drink, so I'll have the stiff drink for you... always willing to help a friend. Glug, glug... feeling better already!

This discussion has been going on since power filters were invented. I ran tanks successfully for many years with no filters (just air stones for a bit of water circulation, and occassional water changes), by having heavy planting and not too many fish. When power filters came along, everyone wanted to pack in lots of fish, heavily planted tanks became less fashionable, fishfoods got richer and richer (great for the fish, bad for waste products), and shops started selling huge quantities of garbage for 'cleaning' tanks and 'balancing' water conditions. The argument about gravel bacteria vs filter bacteria is not the right one. The answer is simple; if you want high stocking levels, accept that you'll need extended surface area for filtering (biological and mechanical filters), will have to syphon out surplus mulm, and may even have to add chemicals (yuk). But that seems all too hard to me. I prefer to spread the fish around more tanks, and keep my workload down to the odd water change!

Hi Sarah I'm going to the FNZAS conference on the Coromandel in a couple of weeks. I could take some to give to your club's delegate if you want to clear it with them.

Did you get your Riccia? If not, I have plenty.

Hi I'm trying to arrange travel from the deep South for the conference at Queens birthday, before the airfares go mad. If two of us fly into Auckland on the Friday (29 May), is there anyone going to Rings Beach with room for a couple of passengers please?

Hi, I haven't judged a tank competiion for some years, and have lost my criteria sheet. Is the FNZAS judging criteria somewhere on this site please or, if not, does anyone know where I can find them? I'm getting too daft to rely on my memory?