Caryl

The filter wool will get progressively darker as it fills with the crud it is stopping from going back into the aquarium. It will also be harbouring good bactreia that will be converting the nasties into good stuff - cycling. I would leave the wool until the water flow returning to the tank is reduced a noticeable amount. Don't be disheartened by your losses. You now know why they occurred and will not make the same mistake again. Even after levels have been improved you may still get a few deaths from damage done to the fish while the ammonia etc was too high. They are weakened and more susceptible to other problems Tank has usually cycled in about 4 weeks and when ammonia and nitrIte have dropped to 0 and nitrAte levels are within acceptable levels. This page has a great little graph that explains it... http://www.bestfish.com/newtank3.html

Welcome. Good to see more interest in native fish.

Normal peas are a good natural laxative for fish. I save a couple when I cook them for tea. I then squeeze them gently to pop them out of their skin (the fish can't digest the skin so well) and drop them in the aquarium. Few are needed. If you add too many they break up in the water and foul quickly. Start with 2 and see if the fish like them. All vegetarian and omnivorous fish seem to enjoy them (and a few of the meat eaters too!) Bottom feeders like bristlenose, Ancistrus, like them a lot (also zucchini, cucumber, lettuce etc). Many fish like all sorts of fruit and veg so experiment and see which, if any, your fish like. Make sure you wash them thoroughly or peel them first to get rid of any spray residue.

I have used Jebo, Eheim and Fluval. Currently I prefer the Jebo but it has only been running 4 years so I can't comment on longevity. The Fluvals always clogged quickly and were a pain to pull apart for cleaning. The Jebo is great and, so far, has just kept going and going and goi... Clean it out every 12 months or so when the water flow slows too much. The only Eheim I have had was a wet/dry and it ran for 6 months before the wet/dry bit failed. From searching the Net and asking around I gather this was a common fault with them. We tried to get help in fixing it but without success. Emails to Eheim were ignored. As a result of our experience I would never consider Eheim again. Before you all say it should have been covered by warranty... it was given to us by a man who had bought it then put it in his wardrobe, un-used, for 3 or 4 years as he never got around to setting up the tank he had bought it for! He didn't know where he had bought it from and did not have the receipt. I couldn't see us being able to prove it had only been used for the past 6 months :roll:

We welcome even the slow ones Skip A reminder to all that joining this forum does not make you a member of the FNZAS. To do that you must be a paid-up member of an affiliated club :bounce:

I have added this to my list of non-MAC members to receive our newsletter thanks Jim. 8) Would like to regularly receive your own club newsletters too

Treat as Lynda suggests. What size thank are they in? I assume both are in the same one. How often were you doing water changes before they got sick? Whitespot is often caused by stress and this can be a result of poor, or incorrect, water conditions. How long have you had these fish?

We don't have a "rule" but it is generally agreed that if you get something for free then you pass on the results for free also. When it comes to breeding from some fish that were given to you though (especially if they continue to breed regularly) I see no reason you can't sell some but also give some to someone else who would like them but is not in a position to buy them themselves. I give away a lot of plants. All I ask, when I hand them over, is that the recipient continues to pass resulting cuttings on to others also in need. It is now referred to, as smidey said, as "paying it forward" but this is just another way of saying "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" (Matthew 7:12 I believe for the religiously minded) On a similar subject though, nobody like a newbie who, in their first few posts, starts asking for free stuff! Free stuff should be offered, not requested.

How do you think they compare, pet-wise, to maroon belly conures Jennifer?

Do you know a maroon belly conure breeder? Why do you think the Quaker would be better?

Not sure if there are many to be found in NZ - and I hate to think what one costs!

Pepper was a maroon belly and we loved him. Sun conures are too noisy.

You could be right. A website I looked at had stated "Breeding season is looming with chicks expected at the end of August". I have emailed them to see if they are breeding conures again this year, as they were not sure when I last asked them. They specialise in cockatiels but did rear a few conures last season.

I thought the conures wouldn't be hatching until November. Must check into a couple of dealers I have in mind.

That is why I did the puzzle now - no cat, and before we replace the bird

You would not keep fast types in an 83L tank. Only the fancy, slow moving goldfish would be suitable.

Glued and mounted on the wall make them a really good talking point though!

We glue it, get it framed then hang it. It is the 2nd one of that size we have done.

Ta dah!!!

Easier said than done when he has never met most of the managers. His immediate boss I think he has only met once, if at all. One of his manager was his boss ofr 2 years before he met him and even then the man didn't seem to realise Grant was an employee under his jurisdiction :roll: . All communication is by email and the occasional phone call.

I see what you mean now. I thought you meant the fish graphic.

Send it to Zev and ask her to do it for you

The one in the AW? I can pdf it for you.

Breakaway it was a freshwater tropical.

Grant now tells me he is not a contractor, he is a "casual employee" :roll: If this is what he does casually I hate to think how many hours they would expect from a full timer! He will get the back pay - eventually. They have a separate accounts dept and there seems to be a communication breakdown :roll: