Jennifer

Mites are uncommon in birds that have a healthy immune system. The two most common types are the scaley face mite (Knemidokoptes) and the red mite (Dermanyssus). Scaley face mites cause a crusted cere and beak and are most common in budgies. Red mites can infect all parrots but they will cause quite a bit of distress and scratching at night when they come out. I have seen people allergic to the feather dust of birds. Offering the bird a daily bath and keeping the cage clean can help a lot. Also, do not get a cockatoo since they are VERY dusty! I sure hope it is just hay fever Caryl! :roll:

:lol:

Adults are about 2.5 to 3 cm right?

Schools swim coordinated in the same general direction. Shoals swim in a group but are not coordinated. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schooling_fish A good link for more info.

Don't s'pose we can get those plants here?

So if it is xmas moss on rocks, do you just tie it on and prune it a lot? If it is peacock moss, can we get that here and does it have similar requirements to java moss? No ideas on the red grass? Cheers guys.

In the article it says that they grow really slowly and reach maturity at around 5 months. Have you found that to be the case kiwi?

Yeah, I have rotala, anubias, wendtii, sag. subulata and java moss but I like that red grass and that short clumpy moss.... :roll: Is that ordianry java moss/xmas moss? It must be attached to something and pruned a lot if it is....I hate pruning java moss like that - what a mess... and what is that red grass?

Any idea what these plants are and if I can get them (or something like them) in NZ? 1. the low mossy looking one in the foreground (centre) 2. the red grass in the midground (left)

Oh! :lol:

Hmm, I couldn't see anywhere that kiwi said 30 degrees.... Anyway, in last October's PFK magazine, there was a detailed article about breeding these and they also said 22 deg C so it sounds like you are doing everything right kiwi. Apparently the author kept them outside until winter (the the outdoor tank got down to 8 degrees C!) and when he put them in the warm breeding tank they immediately began spawning like crazy. Great article btw.

Where's the 'heeby jeeby' smiley when you need it?

Um yes, that would be me. :oops:

Just take care when you are pulling the wing out to try and bend it from the base, rather than pull it out from the tip (which can fracture the tip of the wing off if you aren't careful - uncommon but it happens). Putting him on his back is a great idea. I always would get my chicks used to being hugged tightly to my chest - this was helpful for a number of reasons not the least of which being that I could easily grab them and hold them if there was danger or if they were scared. It was also helpful in preventing them from fearing things on top of them (that prey instinct thing). Start by petting him on the neck and back until you can really pet him firmly and all around the legs and wings. Then turn your petting in to a whole body hug. It also helps to be able to hold onto his feet gently (as he sits on your finger).

Yes, the tank lights are on 7.5 hours a day. The mass of java moss is attached to a branch that goes up to the top of the tank and the moss is really wild so there is a lot of shade in the tank at the best of times. The rest of the day the tank is pretty dark. It sits around 23 degrees most of the time. I feed live microworms recently, and whiteworms once a week but in the past I was just supplementing the wide variety of frozen foods with hatched brine shrimp. I think my fish are just random. Don't know why they are happy in there. :roll: I usually find one or two fry win there when I vacuum so not sure if you would want just one or two?

PH at my house tends to be right around 7 or a little above. I have bogwood in the tank that has a big mass of java fern on it. The tank is 40L and has a big filter with a good deal of flow. It is near a window but is in a dark corner with little traffic. The lights are on for 8 hours a day and the fish get a range of fresh frozen, live and flake food. I do water changes every fortnight and vacuum monthly - just about every time I vacuum up fry (what are left of them anyway). I haven't raised any though, seems too hard sonce I don't have a good system to give a good return.

So true! 8) Excellent

Sounds very good. Contentment.

I want.....

If your tank is acidic because of the tannins (tannins are molecules that have lots of acid type functionalities) then activated carbon will remove the tannins and hence the acidity. If, however, your tank is also becoming acidic due to other non-organic reasons, activated carbon may not remove the source of that acidity.

TradeMe also favours the seller (since autions can be auto extended to allow the bidding to continue to go up) whereas Ebay favours the buyer (whoever is last by the deadline wins). I find Ebay more stressful since last minute bidding wars depend on how fast your internet connection is!

In a new filter and an uncycled tank, Nitrosomonas (the bacteria which metabolise ammonia into nitrite) will establish almost immediately. The Nitrobacter (the bacteria which metabolise nitrite into nitrate) will establish in a week or more. However, you already have populations of these in your tank (if it is cycled) so you should be ok. However, I would use any old media from the old filter and put it in the new filter. Also, I would not do a gravel vacuum for a week or so after so at least you will have that population undisturbed while the new filter gets used to the new bioload.

I don't know what you are feeding but I there have been a couple of occasions where I have got new fish and they quickly developed a bent back but I kept feeding them fresh, frozen and live foods and they almost always come right. Might be worth a try if you are going to keep them.

Cook the beans until they are tender. I think most cookbooks say about an hour or so. Lentils and mung beans cook quicker, and are fine, but lentils don't hold up so well in the mix. As for the wing clipping, a good pet that gets lots of human interaction is not going to suffer from not being able to fly. He may also remain tamer if he is clipped. Your tastes may change over time, but if he enjoys riding on your shoulder, then give him that freedom by keeping him clipped. They key is to clip as many of the flight feathers as needed to keep him from gaining altitude - on a large bird, that may not be many feathers, for a small bird it will be more feathers - up to about eight feathers is fine. Many uninformed people (including a lot of vets) clip wings improperly creating imbalance - you do not want him to make a crash landing, you want him to be able to glide to the floor - flying downward for 3m is perfect; as long as he isn't getting any lift you'll be sweet. Wing clipping is easily done yourself if you know how (let me know if you need tips on restraint). Here is a good diagram of a wing: http://hippie.nu/~unicorn/tut/img/basic ... thers.jpeg Here are some guidelines: 1. Don't clip bloodfeathers - these are ones with a dark shaft. It is better to wait a couple of weeks for the feather not to be alive anymore. If you must clip, leave a couple of feathers around either side of the blood feather, this will protect it from becoming damaged and bleeding. 2. I recommend using cat nail trimming scissors you can get from a pet shop. Clip each flight feather individually and close to the shaft (where the feather enters the wing). 3. do not clip the covert feathers. The coverts will cover up the cut ends of the flight feathers making a more tidy appearance and it will also protect his skin from the rough edges of the cut shafts. 4. No matter what anybody says, do not leave one or two flight feathers at the tip of the wing. Not only can these provide lift in a small bird, they are prone to damage as they sit out there all on their own. Cut about eight feathers back from the tip of the wing, if you need to cut two more, then do it. 5. What ever you do, clip both wings equally so that he has balance. Most birds only moult one flight feather at a time so that they never have unbalanced flight. So it is an ongoing process. Clip them when you start to see them growing long on both sides. Don't wait too long or you have a flying bird before you know it! If he is eating a healthy diet, he should be moulting gradually all the time. About clipping nails: natural branch perches with varying widths will help keep the nails duller. Best to go that route rather than clipping the nails - a very painful procedure for the bird and they can bleed readily. Whew! 8)