Caryl

I didn't cover the pool when I was breeding fish but when we were getting steady 33C temps here I was worried it might get too hot for the snails. We don't have a problem with kingfishers here, usually herons, but they can't wade in the pool (too deep) nor land on the side (too thin). All you need is the paddling pool (and perhaps some netting if kingfishers are a problem)

I, for one, appreciate all your wonderful photos

This summer would be a good time to try breeding tropical fish outside here. We are supposed to get 35C in a couple of days. 32C has been bad enough but various barbs would grow well in ponds at the moment. The only thing I have had in a pond this summer (apart from the goldfish in their pond) were 1,000's of snails. They'd been caught out of the fish pond to take down to Donna Moot, the turtle rescue lady in ChCh, but our trip had to be postponed when visiting daughter came off her bike and broke her collarbone. As a result of her being unable to travel home (to ChCh) we needed to find somewhere for the snails for a couple of weeks so set up a 6ft diameter plastic pond with a gazebo to protect them from full sun. The pond pictured is the same sort I used to breed Odessa and rosy barbs outside. Once the water had reached a minimum of 16C overnight, I would dump in plenty of oxygen weed then add fish. At the end of summer we would empty the pond and collect all the fish.

It is possible to breed them. It is having the fry survive long enough to grow too big to eaten that is the main problem. My Odessa barbs produce frequently but only a few survive, thanks to very heavy plant growth. They aren't as aggressive hunters as tigers though either

http://www.terrain.net.nz/friends-of-te-henui-group/spiders/spider-two-spined-poecilopachys-australasia.html Two spined spider (Poecilopachys australasia)

It isn't Dena, it is my daughter, Kelly, who had the accident. Dena and her frogs are all hale and hearty

I can't remember which one it is (I can photograph a single stem of it if you like) but photos of the plant in my pond were originally used in the plant database to show a banned 'oxygen weed'.

I have been collecting snails to send down to Donna Moot, the Turtle Rescue Lady, in Christchurch. My daughter, who had been here for Christmas, was going to take them back with her so I have been collecting snails and putting them in a 30l barrel, ready to go. Yesterday, said daughter came off her bike and has broken her collarbone so is stuck here until the pain has reduced enough to take the long drive back to Christchurch from Blenheim. She is not allowed to drive for at least 2 weeks so we will be driving her back (and picking up 2 ebikes Grant has just bought) but not until her pain eases considerably and she is able to dress and undress herself and do other things one handed - and they must be light as any movement jars her collarbone (you can hear it crunch!) Anyhoo, the snails create a lot of mess so couldn't stay in the barrel so we set up a paddling pool, added a large lily plant plus covered it all with a low gazebo to keep them in the shade. They must be the most spoilt snails in NZ!

I have just noticed my oxygen weed (yes I know it is the illegal oxygen weed but that is all we have in our local waterways where I get my pond plants from) flowering. I have not noticed it do so before but the flowers are small and probably got lost in all the hebe flowers that used to drop in the pond. This pond is due to be emptied, cleaned out, then lined, as it developed problems after the big quake. Now the EQC money has come through we can repair it. We were going to use liquid rubber but have now decided to get rid of the waterfall, even the edges, line it with pond liner then do the edges with timber or concrete for a straight rectangle look. Then we can get a metal cover made with shade netting, or similar (may have a summer cover and winter cover) to stop leaves dropping into the pond. It is under a huge Chinese silk tree which makes a mess. We thought the leaves were small and fine so would rot quickly but they don't. They form a dense mat on the bottom of the pond, 10 - 15cm deep, quite quickly.

Hasn't anyone got an answer for Malevolentsparkl? It has been so long since I kept these fish I have forgotten what goes with what

back. I like a densely planted colourful community tank too.

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.

PM sent

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.