Caryl

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.

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.