Jennifer

Nicely done guys. We are lucky to have such impressive fish (and generous fishkeepers) in our midst. It's not often that we get to see firsthand photos, let alone the real thing, for such rare fish. I can't wait to see them again KP. 8)

Well said guys, I totally agree with everything said here. Persist with offering new foods regardless of whether or not they are eaten. If you are having trouble getting them to accept the right foods, try the following: 1. Place the food cups up where the birds sit most of the time so that it is right under their noses. 2. Offer only fresh food every day (and remove old food daily) 3. Put a little bit of a favourite food on top of the 'proper' food 4. Eat food in front of the bird and make happy noises and happy faces, then offer some to the bird (they are social eaters and even if they don't seem to take notice, they will be making note of it for later)

A whole 'nother year?? :nilly: Noooo, I can't wait that longgggg......

Well done Ira. That's very sad indeed.

Substrate, kH, goals (high tech, low tech), budget, type of CO2, type of plants, fish feeding regime, maintenance regime....etc, etc, etc. Send me an email and we can begin hashing it out. Anyone else who wants in feel free to email as well. :happy2:

Ah, just the person I was looking for to work with me on the algae article I am writing for the new upgraded site...something that we all can link to when there are queries...... 8)

Its great that you are doing the research before having a problem. It is possible to not have any algae problems if you go slow. I usually do the following: 1. Make sure to put a lot of plants in there - some experts say up to 75% of the substrate should be planted when you are first starting out. You can use all sorts of fast growing plants and once the tank is settled, you can slowly get rid of the ones you don't want. They will act as sponges to utilise the nutrients in the tank before algae can. 2. Keep your photoperiod down. I usually start around 6 hours a day and half the intensity (e.g. one tube instead of two). The plants will still grow well but you can control how much nutrient they need. After 2-3 weeks, you can gradually start to increase things if the plants are growing well. If you see any signs of algae, keep the photperiod down until you get it under control. 3. Keep your CO2 levels stable. Turn the gas on one hour before the lights go on and turn it off one hour before the lights go off. Aim to have about 25-30ppm of CO2. 4. Add nutrients gradually. The plants will not be able to utilise them straight away - it will take a week or so. Add a good micro + macro nutrient and change 50% of the water once weekly. 5. Keep up the flow in the tank so the plants are bathed in nutrients

As an executive, I have no moderating power on these forums but I would hope that we can all be aware of what it means to 'flame' someone and take every care to be respectful here, even when we know there is a problem. Now, relating to the problem at hand, as animal owners in this country we are legally obligated to abide by the Animal Welfare Act 1999 which states that all animals have the following rights to five freedoms: 1. The right to have proper and sufficient food and water 2. The right to have adequate shelter 3. The right to have the opportunity to display normal patterns of behaviour 4. The right to have physical handling in a way which minimises the likelihood of unreasonable or unnecessary pain or distress 5. The right to have protection from, and rapid diagnosis of, any significant injury or disease. In short, we are legally required to protect animals in our care and keep them healthy and happy with proper food and clean water. This means we must promptly seek medical care when they are sick and injured. We also need to ensure that they have minimal stress and a safe living environment that provides sufficient shelter from the elements and space for them to exhibit normal behaviour. Violators of any of these five freedoms are acting against the law and can be prosecuted.

It was fully intact but not alive when I spat it out.

A shellie, it was smaller than a grain of rice and quite prickly on the tongue. I was like 'What the heck is in my mouth' spit it out and realised....had a little gross out fest. Unreal... I have definitely stooped to a new low.

...when you are siphoning fry and are so engrossed that you don't notice you sucked one into your mouth.....a few minutes ago... :sick:

Puncture wounds often 'seal' over leaving infection untouchable by topical antiseptics like honey. A good example of this is a cat bite abscess. However, multiple bite wounds are notorious for causing systemic (throughout the body) infection which is why antibiotics are used to combat infection at a cellular level. Make no mistake, bite wounds carry very high risk for serious infection.

Clean the wounds twice a day with clean water. Honey is a good wound dressing. Keep the chicken warm, calm and confined so she rests a lot. Feed her very well to promote good healing. I would very much recommend that you get her antibiotics from a vet though - bite wounds have hidden punctures that can become seriously infected in no time at all.

Eaten two weeks ago. :an!gry They were day 1 free swimming in that photo. The only good news to come is that she spawns every two weeks and she is due again any day.... I have given them three chances. Next time I will siphon the fry. ...I also have some other special fry due to hatch in a few days... 8) ...and 6 tanks of other fry already and no more room...must sort out more fry tanks urgently!!

45x45x45 crypts, java fern, moss, ludwigia repens 5 x ottos Plan on coming for a visit the next time you are in town, that will save me the time of taking more pics.

I was keeping my tanks at 6.5 pH and 26 degrees and was getting about 75% males. Was planning on keeping them cooler and now around 6.2 pH in hopes of getting more females.

Here you go Joe. Sorry about the funny angle on the tank shot but it is daytime and the reflections are terrible.

The wild kribs are going well. They are out and about now and very peaceful. I will feed her up and hopefully she will grow a bit. His size shouldn't put her off spawning when she has eggs so fingers crossed. I will send you a message with all those dosages.

Yes indeed, he is one of yours Dan. They all were gorgeous and healthy when they arrived but he has really blossomed in a month. Must be the five feedings a day of live foods! :lol:

That's a spectacular tank. I want one just like it! !drool: Good luck with the ferts, can't wait to see the results.

After a lot of trolling around online, I understood that 26 degrees was about neutral but I think it is leaning more toward the male side...if you don't take into consideration pH.... :roll: At any rate, after some rather inconclusive research, I am incubating for females at 23 degrees and an even lower pH. The results will tell I guess. :dunno: Oh, and I read conflicting reports about when sex is set, somewhere it says 3 days development and others it says a week (not sure where I read that). But is it egg development or wrigglers, or.... so it may be too late now....or you may have heaps of time. Hope that clears that up! :roll:

Agreed, hence my plentiful supply. Bring it on man, I'm drooling now!!

LA, these boys have clearly missed out the essential component for dealing with these things - beer. Just send it to me, I have plenty of beer so can easily take care of it for you. 8)