Caryl

The females can get very beaten up during mating and some can die. The mucus is possibly the fish producing extra body slime as a natural way of healing. The slime coat protects the fish from all sorts of bugs and after mating she has done this to help protect the damaged parts as they heal.

210m deep, 9.5m in length and 850m width? Since it is a fibreglass kidney shape I think you have the measurements incorrect. I do not know of any fibreglass fish ponds deep enough to go diving in. I suspect you are missing some m's in there. The largest preformed kidney shaped pond I could find after a quick search was 1200 x 900 x 420mm deep, capacity 220 litres. I agree with Ira though, it needs filtration, especially if it is actually the size I think it is and not what you have stated. I fear the water quality deteriorates rapidly with 15 fish in it.

Welcome to the fishroom. A lot of dog (and cat) people in here.

I came home to mine too. My sincerest apologies Simon, I did stuff up the title. Luckily, the whole article specifies they are blackworms, not bloodworms :oops: :roll: I am blaming the drugs. I think it just as well I did not write any of the articles in this edition - the first time ever I have been able to say that! The spell checker did not pick up the error :facepalm: My appointment with the surgeon went well and hopefully I will have surgery within 2 - 3 weeks so ought to be drug free by the time I start compiling the February magazine. Any mistakes in it will be my natural stupidity. :gigl:

How many fish did you have and how many were removed? The good bacteria grow to eat the waste and if you remove a lot of fish you will then have a lot of bacteria die as well and I guess that could do it? Sounds like a good theory to me anyway 8)

Went into the post this morning. Let the race begin! :slfg: If wok claims he already has his - he's lying

So why are you all desperate to find alders? :dunno:

Dogs might be an issue - many like to jump into ponds

Hi and welcome. Yes, your location would help plus... What do you call "a while"? How many fish over what time period? Tell us a bit more about the pond, what is it made of? What size and depth is it? How many fish were in it? Is it in fu sun, partial or total shade? Does it have any filtration in it or just the fountain? Some fountains have a small filter attached. What sort of algae are you troubled with? If you do not know the type, then describe what it looks like. A lot of questions I know but it will help us determine what the problem is. There is no use adding more fish if we do not work out why they are dying in the first place.

I used my tank as a wardrobe for a number of years ( more than 4) then set it up. It has now been running over 10 years with no problems so far (fingers crossed). I am sure it is due to have the silicone replaced as i have been told 10 years is about when it starts to loosen. Did your fingernail into the silicone. if it feels soft and squishy then it should be fine. Depends how and where it was stored.

and toeing the line? How is the water now Graham?

It also explains why men can't find the socks when they are right in front of them in the sock drawer

Welcome. I too think it will be too shallow, unless it is sheltered from the sun. Check with your local council as to maximum depth before fencing becomes a requirement. It is usually around 45cm. Lilies need at least 45cm I think (most of them). My pond is full of oxygen weed I pulled from the river that runs through the middle of my town - free Visit your local garden centre and see what they have in the way of aquatic, marginal and bog plants. How are you converting the sand pit? What will the pond be made of? Concrete or liner? If it is a liner, and you have no chlorine added to the water supply, it will be a case of fill 'er up, wait for the temp to settle (only takes 24 hours) add the plants and fish. Goldfish will be starting to spawn any time now and mid to late Dec onwards is the time to find young ones really cheap.

Hormones? Pheromones?

Native woods are really good. Make sure anything you pick up has not got rotten bits on it. You don't want anything that is dripping sap.

Clicking on that link needs authorisation, which I don't have. pH is not a problem as goldfish don't really care and will adapt to anything. My pond was over 8.0 (don't know what it is now as I never test it) with the fish happily living and breeding in it. I would add one more fish at the most. I know it looks empty but those fish are going to grow a lot bigger! Personally, I think comets ought to be in ponds only so look at the shorter bodied, longer finned varieties that can't swim very well. Goldfish can cope with a certain amount of heat (and 25C is not a problem) but not in a shut up apartment over summer in Napier with no aircon.

Since when does peeling and cooking potatoes take more than half an hour, unless you are baking or roasting them in the oven? Even less than 10 minutes if you have a microwave :dunno: I suggest you buy a basic cookbook You do realise you can buy loose potatoes, or small bags of them, not just 5 or 10kg bags? Buy smaller amounts of fresh fruit and veg each time and they won't go off. Cauli and pumpkin are two that keep really well. When I buy frozen veg I buy them as separate bags eg a bag of peas, a bag of corn, a bag of beans etc, rather than a bag of mixed veg as the flavour in the mixed ones comes out pretty tasteless and nothing like the real thing. Fish, like humans, like variety in their diet so experiment.

Quite an interesting mix of articles in this issue... We learn all we need to know about brown algae Brian explains why his axolotl has a lot to answer for! Rob gives a moving account of growing up and keeping fish during the 1950's We have before and after pics of the Mapua Aquarium - destroyed by arson There are great pics (only a fraction of what were taken) of AFA's Pet Expo stand Learn about bloodworms See the interesting entries in DAPS' "Art Tank" section of their Tank and Pond parade Learn about the history of fish keeping See the many faces of Adrienne's tank as it changed over time Read about one member's experiences keeping fish in Australia Meet the Rellies - the next of Darren's interesting series on plecs - this time Butterflies and Flatheads There is an extensive article about cyling plus lots more including a Wordfind and maze! If the magazines have not yet been posted, I am sure they will be next week.

Try anything you like. Different fish will like, or dislike, different foods. They key is to only drop in a small bit at a time. if they don't like it, remove it. perhaps try again sometime. It may take them a while to recognise some stuff as edible. Try anything that does not disintegrate too quickly in the water. I suspect anything tinned would do this but try a bit and see. Make sure the tinned fruit was in water, not syrup. I doubt excess sugar is good for fish. Frozen veg are fine and some feed them still frozen but I would thaw them. They can be fed cooked or right out of the freezer packet. Be careful any fresh fruits or veg are washed well to get rid of any spray residue. Some always peel their cucumbers or zucchinis for this reason, or buy organic. Cabbage needs to be blanched as the fish can't digest it raw. I know of an oscar who loved banana. You don't eat real potato?

I assume you have a filter? The tank is still cycling. Keep up the water changes. Are all your tests the strips? These are not as accurate, nor easy to read, as liquid tests. If you tap water says 0.25 ammonia I suggest your colours, or eye sight, are off a bit and the ammonia is more likely negligible.

I hope you planned for it

:smot: but I know someone whose oscar loved banana and would eat at least half a day. He got real stroppy if she turned up in the fishroom without greeting him and then offering him banana 8)

Hmmm, closest I could get was (and note the partial facial fuzz)... Pavlova again by the looks of it!!!

Well he said you were smart then added a bit about that part being kicked