pink_fish

I've just trimmed my big tank, so have a few bits of java fern (standard) to sell. Four/Five larger bits about 10–15cm long with nice long 15–20cm leaves, a couple of medium-sized bits and a few small 'bunches' of baby plantlets. $25 the lot, or $5 each for the big bits, $3 ea for the middle-sized bits, and, say, $5 for all the plantlets together as one lot. Sorry for the photo, but will give you a general idea. Pick up only, Taupaki.

Here you go. Also, two snaps of some of the giant java fern plants on offer. Sorry they're upside down – stupid phone camera!!!

Hi Wendelbro – will pop some pics up for you this evening. They're babies, so very small – 5cm or so.

Sold out of large ordinary java fern plants.

Heaps of java fern for sale as I've been pruning out my tanks. All very healthy, however NOT guaranteed blackbeard free. Ordinary java fern – several medium-sized plants with lots of nice leaves $5; wee plantlets (leaves of 1–2cm long) $1 each.Giant java fern (leaves grow in excess of 40cm long) – one 40–50cm piece $30; mid-sized plantlets $15 each; small/tiny plantlets $5 each.Windelov – three/four very small plantlets (leaves up to about 2.5cm long), $5 each.PM for more info; welcome to come pick from what I've got. Pick up Waterview (just down from Pt Chev).

:thup: Caryl. I feed (and waterchange) when I remember, and nobody could say my fish are underfed or unhealthy! :sml1: If I've got fry, they get fed 2-3 times per day (I work during the day, so can't manage more), and they usually do well too. Bloodworms are rich and I agree they should only be fed as a treat rarely.

Hi Steph! Missed you guys this year! We had a fighter tank in the exact same place yours was last year, lol. I took no money and really pleased I didn't cos I didn't end up broke at the end. Fabulous weekend - and Hollywood and Birdbarn sooooo awesome! Sold heaps of raffle tickets and kids were all really keen to win themselves a tank. Well done to the Friday setup crew - the stand looked beautiful!

Liam, I live in Waterview so you are welcome to hitch with me if you want. BTW - Wok, hope all is good with you, we miss you!

I'mmmmmmm BACK! I'll extend my thanks to all who attended the July meeting and brought their yummy, yummy noms! The logo comp sounds like a great idea, and thanks Zev for the guidelines. Can we run the comp next meeting?

Hi all, glad to hear that (mostly) everyone and their fish are okay. I am an ex-pat Cantab, so really feeling it for you all (and me!) &c:ry If there is _anything_ that I can do for people from up here in dorkers, please just say the word. I've got lots of gear – heaters, filters, etc. that I could ship down if necessary.

Hi all – Piet has asked that I let you all know that there won't be a newsletter this month, sorry, as he is having computer trouble. If you are in touch with other members not regularly on the forum or who don't use email much, it would be great if you could let them know and remind them that the first meeting is next week on Tuesday, at the normal time and place.

Yes - during the 2–3 weeks with no fish your tank hasn't been cycling at all – once you add the fish it will begin cycling. Don't use Stresszyme etc., with no fish – it won't do anything. But the bonus of running a tank for a couple of weeks with no fish is that your plants can get a bit of a start before any fish can chew them or dig them up.

Hi Sam, Just wondering – is your tank an Aqua One 380 by any chance? (Just helps to know how much surface area we're talking about, as that is more important than volume when thinking about stocking.) Start with two danios and aim to leave it at that for a minimum of two weeks (the more patient you can be the better – that rule applies to most aspects of fish keeping, I've found!). You shouldn't actually need to do more than one water change per week, but you can monitor how the cycle is progressing using your test kits every couple of days, and if the ammonia starts to go up to a point where it will become dangerous to your fish, you can increase the water changes to once every two days. You can, but don't have to, use the products available that supposedly speed up cycling – such as Stresszyme, etc. (I've cycled tanks with and without and found no difference in the length of time it took to cycle them). After that you can slowly start to stock your tank, adding no more than a couple of fish every fortnight – remember, slower is better. You probably don't want to put more than about 10 fish tops in a AR380, btw. Keep us posted!

Late in the game, me, but thought I'd offer my two cents as I've almost definitely had fish with viral haemorrhagic septicaemia, and this may be what your fish had – I've not heard of a bacterial variety (could you post the linky?). Not to be a scaremonger, but I would recommend not moving any fish in or out of your tank for some months because the problem is a virus which is incurable and it is reputed to survive in 'carrier' fish (i.e. it can permanently 'hide' in other fish in your tank without them appearing to have it, and these fish can then infect any other fish at any time) and perhaps survive in tank equipment – this would tally with my experience of it in one tank (which I am now planning to run until all the occupants [potential carriers] have passed on and then leave it empty for a year or two [i had a BIG problem with haemorrhagic septicaemia!]). Your fighter that looked like it had dropsy probably did have dropsy – but dropsy is a symptom (of kidney failure), not a disease (i.e. it is a runny nose rather than a cold), and the symptom of dropsy could have any number of causes, including haemorrhagic septicaemia. If I find the link that I had several months back to some good reputable info on haemorrhagic septicaemia, I'll post it for you – I hope it isn't what your fish have had!

Hi Bishop, and welcome! +1 to the_obstacle & ice222 All that I'd add is: 1) Congrats on an awesome start to the hobby – it's really good to hear that you're researching and prepared to seek, evaluate and act on advice. From the sounds of it, you are going to be a great fish keeper! 2) On a more technical note, a rule of thumb with filters that has always worked for me is that you don't touch them until the water flow becomes reduced. I only clean mine out (i.e., rinse half of the media in tank water) when this happens – which means that sometimes my filters only get touched once a year! If the water flow is good, any 'gunk' that's in there will really be beneficial as it will be full of bacteria. Keep us posted!

It did

Wow – great day yesterday! Fantastic turn out and some really inspiring tanks (and rooms!). Lovely to meet some club newbies and put some faces to people only previously met here on the forums. Thank you Neon and Piet for all your great organising!

Hmmm, well, given that the fishing industry worldwide is about to implode, this seems remarkably shortsighted if indeed this is what they are trying to do.

Well, our 'fish room' (formerly called the 'dining room', lol) has lino, and it's great. Potentially slippery, yes, but we've never had any problems, touch wood! I would worry that carpet (although, to be sure I haven't used outdoor stuff before) would go mouldy underneath and/or smell ...

+1

I was gutted I missed it! Cliffy, our next meeting will be in February 2011 now, as we don't have December or January ones, but I'm sure there will be some events slotted in there, so watch this space and keep in touch.

If you guys join the Akld one, I'm sure we could arrange to have meetings out your way sometimes!

I'm thinking maybe too many fish for a two ft tank? Bolivians are 6-7 cm long sometimes & I've had a male who was near 10 cm from memory and they like a bit of space. Maybe do the embers, but not Bolivians. Have never kept d. gouramis, so can't speak about them, but if I were you I'd go the 3 D. Gourami + 26 Ember Tetras option. Although, that even sounds like a lot of fish for a two ft imho.

If you buy straight out 'White Spot Cure' and use that, it doesn't stain anything, and since the water doesn't darken, the plants don't get affected either.

I have a full collection of one of each AR models (except for the 510) and have used them now for about 3 years. Provided the pump is under water when it is turned on, the water should just automatically come up and into the compartments through the spray bar. If it doesn't, then there is definitely something wrong with your pump (they do go – I've lost a couple; they cost around $80 to replace from memory). You should never need to siphon start them. When going, they are excellent filters – the pump is almost silent, but there is often, but not always, the water sound you speak of. Let us know how you get on.