Caryl

Good to have you back. You should find plenty of information here but note it is a lot quieter than it used to be as the younguns embrace instant technology and social media

Looking good. I like the rockwork. Is it local?

"Common wisdom" may have changed but a lot of the basics have not.

I have always loved leopardfish but not heard of the auratus. Mine seemed to be half the pale sort and half the golden ones when I had them so I would think selecting the ones you want ought to eventually give you consistently the colours you prefer. As far as I know it is still legal to keep these fish.

Don't know why you are making sliders as I assumed they were what was going into the enclosure

I used to have a friend in Otautau who bred goldfish commercially in 8+ large Para pools. He had them in a paddock. He used to go rabbit shooting and hang the carcasses over the ponds. As the meat attracted maggots the maggots would feed then drop into the ponds, acting as an automated fish feeder. :-)

Often underated but a lovely wee fish.

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Hey Cees!!!! Good to see you again. Hope you and the family are well. What Cees failed to mention was he was instrumental in getting us a web presence in the first place!

I have Anubias nana I can take cuttings from.

I should have realised it was a blind cave tetra but it has been so many years since I have seen one and I remember them being shorter and chunkier! Is it behaving normally and eating well?

That looks like a wound that has developed a secondary fungal infection on top of it. I often find that over time you can brush the top fluffy growth off (or it falls off) and the fish has already healed underneath. Injuries like this I have always left alone, assuming the fish is behaving normally and eating. Make sure your water quality is the best it can be and Nature should heal it over time. The abdomen doesn't look good though. Could be egg bound, constipated, or any number of other problems but not necessarily connected to the nose. Is the swelling on both sides of the abdomen? Are both eyes like that? Missing or just have a film over them so does it appear to still be able to see? If it is being harassed by other fish then separate it.

If you can't upload it successfully, try emailing it to someone (who belongs to these forums) and ask them if they can post it for you.

No need to feel foolish, we often miss what to someone else may be an obvious alternative. If you belong to the local club I am sure someone will have a spare pump lying about you could borrow. I couldn't specify a size but am sure a small one would suffice, especially if you scooped as much duckweed out as you could by hand. Noise from a pump can be affected by a number of factors, some easy to check are. 1. Make sure the diaphragms are in good condition with no splits. 2. Make sure the pump is sitting on a solid surface (a thin, cheap desktop will vibrate more than a solid oak one for instance, so will be a lot noisier). 3.Sit the pump on a towel, or sponge, to reduce vibration noise. 4. If you can, suspend the pump on a bit of string, so it isn't touching anything. Some pumps have a wee loop at the end you can tie the string to.

A small pump is inexpensive. Add an airline and you can agitate the water surface.

Hmmm, now Grant has retired, I think this would be a good project for our tank. Any particular LED strips you would recommend, either to buy, or avoid, in particular?

I have never kept large fish so have no personal experience but it seems the addition of the clown has upset the balance. Are the various fish now all too scared of the others to go out to eat? Did he rearrange the decor before adding the other fish? This is often done to other species to make sure all have a level playing field when it comes to sorting territory. Is it all the fish who have stopped eating? If the nitrates were high, what he he done to lower them?

Thank you and done.

Where do I find the info to go with the template? ie. The FNZAS bank account number and the email to which we send the club capitation list?

Sounds like you are having fun. There is an excellent article on how to breed cardinal tetras in the article section at the top of the forums (click on Fish tab then scroll through Articles and Guides). They are not the easiest but give them the right conditions and you should manage it.

Didn't think of that as a possibility. There are birds around but not noticed a kingfisher in particular, mostly blackbirds, starlings, a few fantails and a bellbird (lots more birds since the neighbour with 5 cats moved out!). Most of the fish are in semi hibernation and unseen under plants or the deck overhangs, so protected from bird attacks, but they do occasionally swim out and about at this time of year. We will never know as it was given a burial under a tree in the neighbouring reserve. One less fish to catch when we empty the pond to repair it and line it with liquid rubber (thanks to EQC payout).

Never mind, too late as it is now a deceased fish :-(

That is not blood or a fine worm in the gill, it is a bit of skin plus a little colour as the fish has a few reddish/orange spots in places as part of its colouring. I just dropped a bit of flake in (not too much as it was semi-hibernating in the cold pond) and it ate it.

I have caught this fish out of my pond as it is not well. It is constanntly arched and spends most of its time motionless on the surface, looking dead - or broken as my grandson informed me. It appears to have a small ulcer, or damage plus a bit of blood at the gill base. When it swims, it does so correctly, for a very short distance then plays dead again. Not just a swim bladder problem. Any recommendations for treatment please?

Not sure there is anything you can do but keep an eye on it. There may be nothing wrong with it, maybe the dominant ram is making him stay out there and it is just a pecking order thing.