Sophia

Video update... got some that show the orangeness of the little fish. Reflection always bad in this position but you get the idea. The plants are really doing well now. The crypts and java ferns are nice and green and the moss is slowly growing. The bits of fungus that started on the wood disappeared without getting any bigger than a fingernail blob. The brown algae has disappeared since I covered the window side, now I have 2 strand of hair algae starting on the moss but I am happy to put up with it as it's much more preferable than the brown slime. The funny thing with this tank is that since I started using rain water, the little ramshorn snails have started taking off again. I find a group of them floating on the top in the eddy caused by the filter in among the bubbles in what I call the Snaily-go-round. Unfortunately for the snails this makes them very easy to catch, so I net them out and feed them to the loaches.

2 mins 46 of all new footage! Now there are 3 new residents… if anyone looked at the Bronze corydoras at HFF Mt Roskill a few weeks ago they would have seen that one of them was HUGE compared to his tankmates. Well, this is he (or she). I decided that since he is at least twice the size of the TruckDrivers (aka the loxozonus cories) that his name would be Big Mack. Also now in here are 2 mature peppered corydora, one with a bit of a high fin. Big Mack is an active fellow and snorts bloodworms up his snout and out his gills. He will stop to chew them after a few snorts, he gets a bit carried away. The big peppered cories are still quite shy, they like to sit on the rocks under the java fern, confusing me by sitting in a T shape, but only sitting there resting. So total occupants at present: 4 dwarf chain loaches, 3 small peppered cories, 2 big ones, Big Mack and the 3 loxozonus. The brown algae that riddled my rasbora/crypt tank has arrived here so the best I can do is polish it off once a week and hope it doesn’t get much worse. It seems to favour the rocks, anubias and bolbitis but so far hasn’t got a hold on the java fern. Also now the fish have the hikari algae wafers which everybody loves.

he has put the proposed fish stock at the top :smln:

I think Monzae is being sensible. He wants a job in a place he likes working, not too far from home so it doesn't cost the earth and all his or free time getting there. Why the judgements? If it costs a tank or 2 of gas to get to work each week, and you get paid very little when you get there, it's a good business decision to get a job closer to home than to drive 35km. I don't think you can say he isn't keen to work just because he doesn't want to travel all that way. And at 19 if you don't have a job or any savings how do you get the money to relocate? Even if you are flatting you still need a bond and possibly furniture and set up money. It's a tricky situation until either someone gives him some cash, or a job, or a new place to live. that's my 2c worth :cofn:

nervous about getting a trillion compliments? just bask in your glory!

I have a picture of Cam with his tank on a trolley, moving it about the room trying to get the best sunlight.... :digH:

the thread's too good to delete now....

:sml2:

maybe they look like they are because they are highlighted with black :dunno:

nice pics. Is that the moss I sent you in little bits once upon a time?

this thread might get the award for the MOST off topic off topic thread we've had this year :happy1:

the tree is great

I don't know. She has pain in her joints and body almost all the time, gets extremely tired and gets bad headaches. She lives on painkillers and steroids. It is whatever is the one that attacks the vascular system so it weakens her arteries. There is a long running Lupus thread on the Trademe messageboard health section, don't know if that would be any comfort?

but I like that little dot.... it's a piece of artwork

my stepmum has this, took her literally years to get diagnosed properly and now she is on and off steroids all the time

how so?

this one was too good not to share

:rotf: all you need now is a caterpillar called Neville

Life.... totally winging it :digH:

here is some light relief from the serious matters of life....

I found the opposite of Liam's experience. As I grew older I realised how messed up most of my family is, and how they try to create dysfunction to keep the whole cycle in motion so nobody has to change. At some point I decided I couldn't tolerate it or fix it and left. Even still nobody has changed, they just carry on without me now. The bit about family becoming more important is possibly true. Having a dysfunctional family didn't stop me wanting to be part of a group (here I am, obviously), and it makes the knowledge that I can't take participate in my biological family that bit more disappointing. So those of you like and get on with your family, don't take it for granted :sage:

and don't forget 'exercise so you can eat lots of chocolate without feeling guilty' which is my motto 8) it doesn't always work on the guilt but I try... I didn't feel guilty about my moro research conducted on the weekend at least.

I'll move this to the Off Topic section for you, and good luck with your job hunting, don't give up