Jennifer

Add enough indicator that you don't need to use white behind it.

Most of these require DOUBLE the amount of indicator solution to produce good visible colour. Use it until the colour fades - it should take weeks.

They are looking great! Can't wait to see them flower. :happy2:

Crikey, that's one THICK fish! :sml2: All of mine were similar size to each other, males were larger, approx 6cm TL and females were about a third shorter. Even after several hundred fry, none looked quite like that though.

If you change the photoperiod and fertilising regime the plants will spend a week or so adapting, and when you come back, it will take a week or so to get them back up to it. It really depends on your situation. What you suggested would work but hairgrass and riccia are very tolerant so would probably do fin even in blackout conditions for a week. When I go away, I plan it so that the house-sitter won't have to do any water changes. On my high tech tank, if I halve the photoperiod and dosing, it can go three to four weeks without a water change. I always recommend getting someone who knows about fish and if you can't do that, put the food and fertilisers into daily doses (like a 7 day a week pill container) so there is no guess work. The number one thing for me is identifying that the CO2 hasn't gone wrong so I leave instructions to contact me if the drop checker isn't the right colour, or if the fish are gasping. The lights and CO2 can be easily turned off completely if needed.

If going high tech, my advice would be to take it slowly and use less light than you think so you don't get algae. Make sure your lights and CO2 are on timers. Make sure to get your macronutrients (NPK) and micronutrients sorted. Hydroponics can help. I would give them a call, they are really helpful. Also consider adding Magnesium (epsom salts) and if your water is soft, you may need to add some Calcium as well. My personal experience is that Flourish Comprehensive produces the best result. To reduce the cost, you can use a bulk dry micronutrient mix 2-4 times a week and the Comprehensive 2-3 times a week. You just need to experiment with what works for your particular tank. Some things to keep in mind: - Some plants use nutrients faster than others so adjust the doses according to how fast the plants are growing. - Fast growing plants will use up nutrients and this will help prevent algae. - Light drives the whole process. If you have a lot of light, the plants will need more nutrients. The more carbon/CO2 is available, the more macro and micronutrients the plants will need.

Sounds like you have a good system there. The riccia and hairgrass will grow well with very low nutrients. One thing you need to keep in mind is if you add CO2, it is like turbo charging the engine - the plants will use up nutrients faster (and thus require more and be more prone to deficiencies and algae). Assuming the 'Aquatic soil' that you are using is enriched with nutrients, some will leech into the water and feed the riccia, and the hairgrass will get all it needs through the roots. It might be worth trying this tank with no CO2 and a relatively short photoperiod. Then if you want the plants to grow faster, you can add Flourish Excel carbon supplement every other day (it will be very economical for that sized tank). If you add Excel or CO2 you may need to add more fertilisers. I would recommend adding Flourish Comprehensive. It's worth its weight in gold and produces excellent results. Let us know how you get on! :thup:

Ahhhhhhhh!!!!! :nilly:

Is it just me, or does all this talk of exams make you just want to take one? Ooooo, chemistry... :smln:

Too nice outside to work indoors....

Greenspot means too little phosphate. BBA is not so easy to solve but sufficient carbon/CO2 helps to stop it spreading. The more CO2 you add, the more the plants will need nutrients. The anubias is having a serious deficiency (possibly magnesium). Remove algae affected/damaged leaves to stimulate new leaf growth and stop the plant's energy going into repairing faulty leaves. Make sure your CO2 is constant, I would add a lot more micronutrients (up to double the dose as long as there is no copper in it) to start and make sure you have enough phosphate going in to stop the greenspot. Make sure magenesium/calcium hardness is sufficient too as these will help plant growth. You can hardly overdose on the nutrients, except carbon. The more light you have, the more nutrients you will need so you may need to add daily nutrients to keep up with the lighting. You can also reduce the lighting right back give it two weeks, dose up a lot and work up the lighting by one hour per week until your plants are growing as fast as you want them to grow. Just my 2 cents. :smln:

Three things: 1. Acing exams 2. Razor blades 3. They're in Lake Rotorua 8)

As stakeholders for the hobby, the FNZAS Fish Sub-committee last week attended a meeting with MAF in Wellington. We are not at liberty to publicly discuss the project, or the plans with them in future. It is my hope that when the project is complete, or at some point in the near future, we can write up some of our results in the AW magazine for all members to see.

Wow, what a huge impact he had. Sincerest sympathies to his loved ones.

Watch for the stick everyone!

What temp do you have the tank at? Dario tend to like it a bit cooler. I also find that they do not eat dry foods hardly at all. If the tank is mature and healthy they can eat zooplankton but they really have a large appetite. They do best on a variety of different live worms, daphnia and mozzie larvae. Maybe try that?

I think I am going to sell off a bunch of fish. I am in need of a change on the office tank, possibly will do a marine nano. Pity it would cost $500 :roll:

I just wrote an article on rabbit nutrition for the journal so all of this is in my mind at the moment. :nilly: The main causes of health problems in pet rabbits are related to poor nutrition and husbandry. Rabbits are social creatures and it is best if they can socialise with others of their kind. They also need exercise for optimal gut function so a small hutch or very limited confinement is not ideal in the long term. They are very much like horses in their digestive tract so high fibre, low nutrient vegetation (eg, hay) is essential for their digestion. This can be difficult to achieve because rabbits are programmed to eat the most nutritious part of the plant (like we tend to eat pies....). They are nocturnal feeders and during this time they eat an abundance of high fibre material. While they eat, their gut sifts through the fibre and eliminates the really tough stuff and keeps back the nutritious bits. During the night they pass dry pelleted poo and in the morning, their gut slows right down and starts working on the nutritious bits that were held back from overnight. Then they pass soft faeces that they eat directly from the anus and swallow whole. This nutritious bit is held in the stomach and dissolves slowly releasing the predigested nutrients so that the rabbit can absorb it. The rabbit shouldn't eat much in the morning to allow this process to occur. They should also be given an abundance of high fibre hay (eg, low nutrient pasture hay) to eat free will. If you feed any pellets, they should be limited (around 1/4 cup per day for a medium sized rabbit) so that the rabbit doesn't eat them in preference over high fibre hay. Like Alan said, pellets were developed for commercial production of rabbits to help them grow fast. Most pet rabbits don't need to grow fast! Feeding the fresh greens is also important for nutritional balance and moisture. It is very important to limit the carbohydrates as this can change the intestinal bacteria in a very bad way. Avoid high sugar foods, fruits, sweet vegetables, starchy vegetables, and grains (eg, cereals and breads). It is also good to limit fats as the rabbit is much more efficient at extracting nutrients from food than we are - they don't need fatty foods. Important point: If your rabbit stops eating for a day, it can develop a life threatening condition of gut stasis so it needs to be taken to a vet to ensure that it starts eating again. Sorry to go on and on, but I find it interesting. :smln: Anyway, this info is useful to help ensure that your pet lives a long healthy life. :thup:

PM'd :thup:

Stocker Hydroponics I find it best to call them to ask for specifically what you need.

The Excel/carbon will increase the plant's need for nutrients and that can accelerate deficiency, especially in Java fern. Java fern will grow in all sorts of conditions but in high lighting, it requires a lot of nutrients or it will develop deficiency very fast. Also, it is subject to shock. I would try adding a whole lot of Flourish Comprehensive, double the dose on the bottle 3 times a week (it is safe for fish at high doses) and cut back the photo period a bit. Add Excel twice a week using the dose rate on the bottle. Just trim off the affected leaves, they can't be saved but you should start to see new growth coming up slowly. In two weeks you should see a big difference. If you use more light, you may need to add more fertilisers (eg, NPK) to compensate for the increased demand. :thup:

Truffles is a great name! :gigl:

Low lighting is so underrated. High lighting is good for growing algae unless you have a very short photoperiod or a lot of healthy plants and a good fertilisation regime. I personally wouldn't put more than two normal T5s or T8s over that tank with those plants. I have a tank that is near the dimensions of yours and it has two T5s over it. It is chock full of crypts but I still have to keep the photoperiod at around 7 hours per day or I get algae, even with carbon and ferts twice a week. There is no need to pay extra for fancy overpriced tubes, especially for a low light tank like that. Pick a broad spectrum set of colours you like and you'll be fine. If you really want to pay a lot, get LEDs - twice the intensity with half of the energy usage and a much longer life span. Just my 2 cents. :smln:

Hi to you both! We have a really friendly group here in Chch with a very wide range of experience. You can find out more about our club here: http://www.fnzas.org.nz/?p=403 Regarding the axys, we have a couple of real enthusiasts here in town who would be good to make contact with. They aren't on the forums much but are on our club Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/270668301833/ They also come to club gatherings so if you showed up you could chat with them. :thup:

You are getting some great advice here. I agree with it all. :thup: To answer your question about filter wool, it is useful for removing particles from the water, but it gets clogged easily. Not only will clogged filter wool decrease the filter's flow, it also doesn't allow the bacteria good access to vital oxygen so it really isn't ideal for a long term filter option (unless you are specifically trying to remove particles from the water in which case you would change it often). It is better to use a combination of coarse sponges and ceramic 'noodles' and omit the filter wool altogether!