Caryl

There is a fascinating programme on SBSOne at the moment about the women who flew fighter planes during the last world war. They had to fight hard against the males who claimed they were not capable of flying and should stay in the kitchen or do something "more befitting of their sex" :roll: Even in the years after, you never hear about these women and the odds they overcame.

Me too. I just got... irc.nzdance.net: Closing Link: Caryl[ircip2.mibbit.com] (User has been banned from NZDance.Net (Session limit exceeded)) Never had it do that before!

It is supposed to be good for clearing green water. You can buy it as an extract too.

Who is breeding strippers?

Very nice pics. Like the ferns. Is your brother the one in white or black? 8)

Personally I have found them all to be less than ideal and, as said, they do scratch the glass easily.

An article and pics for the AW would be appreciated (or I could use what is here but would prefer pics without your name through the middle. You would be fully credited in the magazine of course). I assume the "vac" is a small, bagless, vacuum cleaner? You would also need a good sized extension cord. Anyone know of any battery operated machines suitable to take "out in the field"?

What sort of inlet does the filter have? Is there some way to put a larger wire cage around it to catch the majority of the gunge before it blocks the filter?

Ah I thought you meant gunge on the bottom and the water was green. I have seen that type of algae floating in ponds but don't know what causes it :-? Does the pond actually have a filter or just a fountain? Some fountains have very small filters attached. I can see something poking up which I assume is a fountain you turned off to take the pic. I wonder if some water movement would help.

Good to meet you. Hope you enjoy your time here.

See how much shade it has and how much plant is in there? The silk tree overhangs and makes a mess (so I have a LOT of gunge on the bottom) but the water is clear. It is not always though. White or pale fish can get melanomas if they have no place to hide (decks, lily leaves etc) from direct sun. This pond has overhanging decks at either end (about a metre) so there is a lot of water under there as well. These stop the water from freezing over totally in winter as well, so does the waterfall.

You do realise they can breed for several months without a male required? They can store sperm for several more droppings of fry without needing to be impregnated again. Sisters are doin' it for themselves :happy2:

I often think my pond has not done much until I look at the 'before' and 'after' pics then realise how much everything has grown! Yours is looking good preacher.

You will find lots of pics of my pond in the coldwater section. Have a look at the entire Photobucket pictorial of the build from scratch here I have had my pond 5 years and have yet to clean it at all. A lack of plants will not be helping. The green gunge build-up on the bottom is natural. I happily leave mine there although I am aware it will need to be thinned out eventually :-? If you have a lot of overhanging plants or trees these will be dropping leaves into the pond, adding to the gunge. Trim them back or cover the pond. If you plant a lot of plants to cover no more than 3/4 of the surface, it should help keep the water clear. Too much direct sunlight will make the water go green. Unsightly but good for the fish. The white ones especially sa it protects them from cancer. If the pond is not too big, or an awkward shape, you could put shade cloth over it. Either up high like a shade sail, or shade netting down low just above the water line. My pond is full of oxygen weed which I pulled from the river that runs through the middle of town - free. I also have a number of lilies. I will go and take more pics of the pond as it is now. At some times it goes green then it goes crystal clear again.

Are you in a hurry Joe? Conference is in Tauranga this year (June) and Grant and I will be attending. I am sure many from Auckland will be driving down and could bring a tank with them. We could bring it back with us.

Isn't it good to be able to see how different tanks have developed? Looking good!

As pointed out in your other thread Will, your tank is too small for 2 bristlenoses.

Welcome to the forum. A group of males should be fine (fish that is :roll: )

Or wait to hear back from Tim at Inside Oceans

We have a trade and exchange here Club meetings are also a good source.

I like the "Mark scaled the tree and reacquired the bird." :happy1:

If you go plain glass contact Inside Oceans in ChCh.

I must be honest and say I haven't looked but I am sure if I saw one in a pet shop I would notice it!!! :-?

Perhaps they are more common in the North Island? I don't remember seeing them anywhere :dunno:

Are those gouldians available in NZ or did you breed them overseas doddle69?