Caryl

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

Told ya!!! :rotf: :rotf: :sml1: Can't tell you what Grant said as this is a family forum :rotf:

Here he is on our wedding day ( was 18 and he was 27)... and when he was 30 (about 3 years later) A lot darker hair eh? 8)

My sister and her daughter flew from Blenheim to Auckland with 4 cooler bags (2 each) of fish as hand luggage on the plane with them. Nobody asked, and they didn't tell I have flown with an ice cream container containing an axolotl. The only reaction I got was a "Eeew!" from the stewardess when she asked what was in the container, so I showed her. :lol:

Can anyone else see who has a dirty mind? :slfg:

You will only be welcome if you give us a blow by blow account of the setting up - with pictures Good to see you again.

Happy birthday!! :love:

I believe you can buy pre-made ones for standard sizes. If you use a fine, stiff, mesh the water will flow between the two so need for extra heater or filter.

I like! :thup:

I guess it is what you are used to - both in reference to beards and marriage. Grant originally grew the beard on our honeymoon. Way back then (34 years ago) he was a lot skinnier and his head hair was even thicker and wavier. Having a very wide forehead and narrow chin, it gave him a very triangular look (not unlike a praying mantis, except he wasn't green). I suggested a trim beard would help even him out and give him a more rounded look. As they years have gone by he has filled out a bit and developed little chubby chops so I thought it would be interesting to see what he looked like now he had filled out more and the hair is thinner. The whole experiment has been very interesting and reactions, or non-reactions, from friends and family, have been varied and often funny. I find I don't mind either look and still find him sexy after all these years (it takes all kinds :roll: ) :love: He is finding the clean shaven look drafty and, along with the majority, prefers the fluff so it is now being re-grown. This will not take long! By the exec meeting next weekend he will have a designer stubble look going on :happy2:

There are good fats and bad fats. I don't know which category they would fall into but I would suspect they would be good, in moderation :-?

We deliberately picked Movember so he would match all the other guys growing beards He would keep his hair shorter if he worked more socialble hours that gave him time to get it cut more often. I am not a fan of trying to do it myself. Trimming the beard is annoying enough. Sophia, it was his choice to bring in the skip. His choice to chuck the treasures. His choice to shave it all off. It will now be his choice to grow, or not to grow it back but he has been as surprised as me by the pro-beard lobby, especially as they far outweigh the clean shaven look. I wonder if it because the majority who have voiced an opinion have been male? I thought it was said though that females preferred clean shaven men. Perhaps it is only younger women who have not experienced the fluffy feel

He certainly does - now. he didn't before. I am amazed at the overwhelming pro beard stance since they are not considered "fashionable" although that isn't quite the right word. Interestingly, he has been working all day with a man who has known him for years, who hasn't noticed yet that something has gone :roll: I suspect he will grow it back. He is complaining it is drafty without it. :sage: