Caryl

We have old fluorescents on our tank for lighting. It is very noticeable how much brighter it is when we replace the tubes! We used to have a steady supply as it was my husband's job to replace all the light tubes in his work buildings every 2 years so we had an endless supply but he has now retired and we threw out a lot of the tubes a few years ago.

If you don't want them loose in the main tank then remove them to a separate tank, don't keep them in a net. You will need to do daily water changes too. Make sure they have some driftwood plus suitable food (zucchini, peas). I have never separated my ancistrus fry as dad looks after them very well.

Hiding places and shade are the most important. Cold, clean, well oxygenated water is more important for the native fish than goldfish. Research different options for aerating ponds to help mitigate issues with heat and lower dissolved oxygen over summer.

I gather the process isn't difficult as you peel the old seal off, thoroughly clean the glass, then re-seal but ours is large, very heavy, and would have to be lifted out of its position as it is built into a large wall unit. Here's a pic of it. Water level is low in case of quakes 😉

I suspect many started the same way 🙂 My dad stripped an old freezer and buried it in the garden to make our first fish pond, when I was about 12, after feeling sorry for the ones in the bowl. He went on to build a larger, kidney shaped one. I have a photo of my friend and I swimming (more like wallowing) in it when I was 16 (no I am not posting it here!) I married at 18 and after a couple of years talked my husband into helping me set up our first tropical tank - we then killed all the fish thanks to incorrect information from the garden centre who sold us the gear (no internet in those days and no local pet shop!). It took a couple of years and many mistakes before we got the hang of it, thanks to helping set up a local fish club then joining the FNZAS. At the height of our interest, we had 18 aquariums around the house, as our 2 kids had their own tanks in their rooms, and you can find the progress of our pond build (2006 I think) in the cold water section here. As we are both now retired, we are down to one tropical 4ft tank which has been running since 2000 - 2002. We are considering dismantling it though as we are finding the maintenance harder to do these days and the tank is well overdue to be re-sealed. Every time there is an earthquake I fear the seals will give way! Our pond, which we enjoyed for about 18 years, was recently filled in to make way for an access ramp for my now disabled husband. Good luck with your new set-up.

I've not heard of them (which doesn't mean much) but I note they have a Facebook page. If you have a FB account, you could try messaging them through there. They appear to be based in Hawkes Bay.

I spoke to someone who lives in ChCh and used to breed these. If you still need help by the end of the week, let me know and I will contact her again but she is at a conference this week so unable to help until she gets home.

I have never had a tank without fish but know a lot of people use root tabs successfully. Why not add a fast growing plant, like water sprite/Indian fern?

You are most likely correct in thinking it is just him and not water conditions or all the fish would be showing problems. This is not an unusual situation for him to be in and he has possibly been permanently damaged too. Easiest way to separate him is to float him in the tank in a plastic container eg ice cream container. I sometimes pegged mine to the side so it didn't float around and get stuck under the water return in the days I used HOB (hang on the back) filters. Only give him enough water at first to stay upright. This allows him to rest easily on the bottom of the container. You will need to do partial water changes daily in the container. I used to use a turkey baster to do this as I had one on hand and it was less stressful to the fish. Easier to lift the container out, tip half the water out (without losing the fish down the drain) and top it up with tank water. A 2L ice cream container is better than a clear one as he can't see out and she can't see in. Do note though - if you use a white container, the fish will turn very pale as they try to match their surroundings. A dark blue, or black, one would be better. Feed him tiny amounts and fingers crossed he improves. In the meantime, try and add more plants, live ones preferably, so he has plenty of places to hide. Out of sight, out of mind, works with fish. Water sprite or Indian fern (Ceratopteris) is good for this. Java fern (Microsorium pteropus) is very hardy and a good beginner's plant. It attaches itself to rocks or driftwood. Tie a few of the roots to a rock, or jam them into a split in the driftwood, and it will grow from there. No need to plant the roots into gravel. Both these plants reproduce by forming baby plants along the parent plant so you just pick them off and plant them. Sprite is also interesting as it will grow above the water surface and, when it does, its leaves look totally different! Fish can damage themselves on fake plants, depending on whether they are plastic or silk stuff and live plants are better for both fish and aquarium nutrient balance. Please let me know how you get on!

Hi there and sorry you are having trouble and didn't get good advice from your pet shop. Have you read about cycling an aquarium? This is very important. It is the biological process that makes the water safe for fish. The cycling would have started when you added the fish but when you scrubbed everything and replaced the gravel, it upset the cycle. 1. Do not add any more fish. The mollies will grow, or reproduce and your tank is not big enough for many more as mollies are a medium sized fish. 2. Get some live plants in there as this will help the nutrient balance correcting. It will also give the male somewhere to hide. 3. Look up all about cycling an aquarium. I always did it this way...set up the tank and make sure the temp has stabilised. For a 2ft (old measurements here from an old lady) tank I would add 4 hardy neon sized fish. After 1 month, if all was well, I would add another 4 of the same and repeat this process until stocking level had been reached. This naturally starts the process without adding ammonia or other chemicals to artificially start the cycle. For a 3ft tank I would start with 6 neon sized fish and so on. 4. A good ratio for mollies is 1 male for 2 or 3 females. A group of all males will be aggressive. 5 Your fella will be stressed and could recover on his own, without the addition of chemicals or tonics, if the cause of his stress is fixed - good water conditions and places to hide. 6. Do daily water changes of about 10 - 20% but don't clean anything in the tank, including the gravel, for at least 1 month to help correct the cycle. Good luck and feel free to ask more questions ?

Good to hear you found homes for them.

It might help if you give your location.

Anyone want some Java moss? It posts well in a ziplog bag within an envelope so you would get however much I could fit in a business envelope. It squishes well so you can get a good handful. $5.00

This is a common problem with stem plants like this and ambulia is good at it. Most likely lack of light as the bushy tops cut off the light to the bottom half. Try thinning it out a bit, if it is too thick.

Here's hoping you have more luck with Raindrop.

Fish are opportunist feeders so would eat anything that came their way. NZ brown trout feed on all sorts of arthropods like koura (native crayfish) as well as small fish, frogs and even mice if the opportunity arises.

If you have successfully kept your current fish alive and healthy for 12 months and you haven't got an algae outbreak, and your water test results are excellent, then you are ready to try a more difficult species. Difficult doesn't always mean hard though as it may mean something like the fish has specific requirements not able to be given in a community aquarium.

When I had Java fern the leaves were often edged in black.

Possibly the start of black beard algae (BBA) and common on slow growing plants like Java fern. Very difficult to get rid of. It may be caused by too much light, and/or water pollutants. It could have already been on the plant when it was bought. Bear in mind, Java ferns also reproduce by growing tiny plantlets off the edges of the wide leaves. Sometimes this makes the edges look weird. Make sure you have plenty of water movement and excellent water conditions. The internet has plenty of detailed info on BBA.

If they are pellets designed specifically for Bettas - yes. You can also feed frozen blood worms etc but be very careful handling the blood worms as many (me included) get an allergic reaction to them. Wear gloves or use utensils so you don't actually touch them.

A Betta only lives 2 - 3 years so if you choose the biggest in the display, it is also possibly the oldest and may already be 12 months or more old. How do you know it was over-feeding that killed the last one? Bettas need a diet high in protein so live food is good or specially formulated fish food for bettas. Here is a really good article about how much to feed your betta that should help you... https://www.myaquariumclub.com/skinny-bettas-underfeeding-might-be-worse-than-overfeeding-19292.html

Easily. When you consider most of the fish is only fins there is not much body. 3 bristlenoses could easily eat all the evidence overnight. They are nocturnal so do their food foraging at night. Sorry you lost the fish but, as said in the other post, have you been testing your aquarium water?

Sorry to hear that but without more detail, it is not easy to offer suggestions. One of the first things you should always do is test the water for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates, along with pH. Betta are very sensitive to water conditions and need top quality water.

Unless a male Betta has something to compete against (another male or to impress a female) they tend to hang about like this. Try putting a mirror in there and see if you get a reaction.

Do you have a test kit? Frankly, if there was anything wrong with the water quality, the betta would get sick first ?