Caryl

Way way back in ye olde days, when I was sitting exams, we had 2 exams per day for up to a week - depending on how many subjects we were sitting. I do not feel too sorry for uni students these days as they claim to be poor and hard done by. They seem to spend all their time drinking (so obviously have enough money for some things) and doing stupid stunts. I assume there are some who do actually study but I guess they are not newsworthy :roll:

No new fish seem to be affected at this stage. One of the ones I photographed is on its last legs (or fins) and I fished out 2 more bodies but they were well decomposing so, apart from that one I know is heading for that big pond in the sky, the others appear to be back to normal and back at the bottom where they belong. No new deaths for 2 days and no fish at the surface. We have also had 2 days of -2C so I don't know if that has anything to do with it. :-?

Hi and welcome

Big female leopardfish perhaps? :lol:

Nothing wrong with 7.4. Better to have a stable pH slightly out of the preferred range than to add products to alter it, creating pH swings that are detrimental to the fish.

A vet site says (in part); When fish are infected with this pathogen, the following signs can be observed: Skin. There will be necrotic lesions on the skin, which often are white/gray colored with an edging of red. These will quickly transform (in a day or two) into ulcers with have an orange/yellow color, caused by the bacteria decaying the underlying tissue. They certainly have ulcer-like lesions on one or two (I photographed) but not the rest Gills. Similar effects very typically occur on the gills, but may for the average hobbyist be somewhat harder to observe at least in the early stages. The progression of these ulcers, causes the fish to have great trouble with its respiration, and thus can quickly lead to fatalities. If the gills are examined, excessive amounts of mucous, are to be expected. I am only an average hobbyist so perhaps that is the problem but I can see nothing wrong with the gills, even using a magnifying glass. The fish are not having trouble breathing that I can see, nor are they breathing rapidly, and there doesn't appear to be excessive mucous. Behavior. The fish will become very listless and lethargic, often hanging at the surface, trying to breath there, although on occasion, the fish will rest on the bottom of the tank. Reluctance to feed is very typical and the fish will become anorexic. Respiration is often rapid, as the fish fights to overcome the damage done by the infection to its gills. The fish are definitely lethargic and hanging at the surface but they are under it, not gasping or breathing at the surface. It is winter so they are lethargic anyway. They are not being fed as it is too cold. Respiration is not rapid Body. In some cases, the lips of the fish, will become swollen and macerated, and a milky slime like film can be observed with the naked eye on parts of the body. Apart from the one fish with the infection on its mouth, all the others look fine. No milky slime anywhere Fins. Large milky patches can be seen quite easily on the fins of the fish, and this is usually an indication that the disease has progressed to a degree that cure will become much more difficult. One typical sign is the appearance of a "saddle" shaped lesion usually around the area of the dorsal fin, and this occurs so often, that the name "saddle back disease" is often used in aquaculture to describe this infection. No large, milky patches anywhere or saddleback lesions Water. Temperature is often elevated beyond what is normal, or the fish have been exposed to a sudden rise in temperature. Furthermore, the quality of the water, is a vital component, in getting this disease under control. Excessive detritus and less than ideal filtration, will ensure the spread of the infection. Hard water seems to make the spread of the bacteria easier than soft. It is winter, the water temperature is only 9C so not elevated! Only slightly alkaline too.

I have a half black female here (by accident) and she just dropped fry. 8)

I thought you said you had a poly box you could use? Try asking at Drs' surgeries or blood labs for a start. I have a garage full of them but am too far away to be of use to you. :roll:

Double bag the fish (that is, add fish and water to bag - 1/4 water to 3/4 air - then put that bag inside another bag). If you have the space in the poly box I would bag each angel separately too, one per bag. Do not feed them for 12hrs or so before they go (if you have the time frame to allow for this) as less eating = less waste. Put the bag in the poly box and scrunch up newspaper around it to keep it firmly in place. Bubble wrap works too if you have it but newspaper is fine and has excellent insulating properties. There were people on here that were selling heat packs. You can buy them at sports goods stores too but I do not know the heat range of those. I have never used heat packs so can't advise. Tape down poly box lid. Put big arrows, this side up, and FRAGILE on the box. Which courier company varies from area to area as some will not take live animals. Send overnight and find out what the latest time is to drop them off at the depot so they are not sitting there all day for no reason.

No, he knew what I meant but it was the doodackies that got him confused :roll:

I am loathe to use any sort of medication unless I know what it is that is wrong :-? The fish seem to hang at the surface, like they were sunbathing. Do not appear distressed and, apart from those shown, do not have any marks or sores on them. They are not actually gasping at the surface or doing anything else abnormal. I might set up the paddling pool and attach a spare Fluval or Jebo and the UV light. I can put it near the verandah so keep the filters dry under there. I am concerned that the filter inlet and outlet are close together in the pond so not sure how long it would take for all the water to be fed through the UV. The fish tend to hang out at the end opposite to the filter so I do not think will get the full benefit, quickly, in the main pond. Not sure how to drain 10,624L of water considering how water logged the ground is already! Luckily, we are in what used to be the old river course so it will actually drain away. A hose through to the reserve next door is probably the best option.

When I was measuring for curtains, I would tell Grant it was 2 meters, 3 inches and a couple of doodackies long. :roll:

Thanks for that jn. I still have no idea what it is and two of the above fish were dead this morning. Well one was, the other was so far gone it got whacked. I have looked through a number of disease sites. Not sure how to salt a pond in the right dose. It is approx 8.3m x 3.2m and varies in depth but probably averages out about 40cm so holds around 10,624 litres of water (give or take a bit). Besides, every time I have tried to treat a goldfish with salt it has promptly died :roll: It might mean emptying the pond, putting the fish in a smaller pond to treat, then re-filling the big one. Didn't think to check the pH but it has not crashed. It is about 7.2 - 7.4. This is a lot lower than it was (as some exposed concrete meant it was a very dark blue originally on the colour chart) but it would have dropped slowly enough not to bother the fish I am sure.

I haven't considered anything in particular but looking at images of columnaris it doesn't seem to match my fish :-? Whatever it is, I hope the UV fixes it! After the problems with the tropical tank this is the last thing I need

Not sure what is going on but I have fished out 8 bodies so far and many others looking lethargic. Hard to tell though as it is winter and usually I don't see the fish over winter at all as they stay on the bottom under the deck until the weather warms. This winter has been so wet and mild they do not seem to have hibernated as usual and I wonder if the 'warmer' temperatures have caused the problem. Water temp is still 9C! Usually it is closer to 2C and freezes over for a few weeks. This year it has only frozen over 2 days :-? They appear to have some sort of growth on their tails. Not quite what I expect fin rot to look like. No rotting ends, not red streaks. Some also have sores on their body. One has a major growth on its nose. It looks hard but when I tried to pick it off (thinking it might just be a secondary fungal growth over a wound) it would not come off and felt jelly-like. The sores on the side may look a little fluffy but, on close inspection, are not. They too, and the growths on the tails, feel jelly-like. Grant has just gone off to purchase suitable hose to attach the UV filter to the pump and see if that helps. Any other suggestions as to what it might be?

Hard to tell without knowing if the redness and bloating was present before the fish died or a result of floating dead for a few hours before you saw it. Unless you have a good microscope and know how to disect a fish (and then understand what you are looking at) it will probably remain a random, unexplained death :-?

Membership increase already is done on percentage

There's always one who can't follow instructions! :lol: :roll:

By 'cool' I assume you mean 'good looking' not a lower temperature? 8) Everyone will have a different idea and the suggestions could be endless. What sort of fish do you like? Lots of small ones or slightly larger fish? You are limited a bit by tank size of course. Once you have chosen the fish you like, where do they originate? Look up what plants would be found in their natural habitat and set up a biotope for their region. Remember a couple of guppies, unless they are both male, will turn in to LOTS of guppies fairly quickly. Most "community fish" go with guppies but watch out for those with a rep for nibbling as they will like the guppy tails. I like cherry barbs and rummy noses. Both would be fine with guppies. A larger group of one species will look much better than a few of this and a few of that species. I once saw a tank of discus (6ft I think - the tank, not the discus) with the whole back half planted, end to end, in straight val. It looked stunning! The straight lines of the val were a lovely counterpoint to the round shape of the discus.

Ignorance of the law is no excuse, nor do we condone members suggest breaking the law.

A fun and interesting club in which people wish to participate :bounce: When are all these new capitations being passed on?

The article referred to was taken from an Aquarium World a few years back. Bryan wanted to encourage more people to breed the fish.

Tim Severin wrote some very good books recreating the journey of Ulysseys and other stuff.

I am lost if I do not have a book to read. My tastes vary wildy from forensics and murder to "chick lit" for light relief. Too many books to mention but... Favourite authors... Lee Childs David Gemmell JD Robb's ... In Death series Jeffrey Archer Terry Pratchett David Eddings' Belgariad and Malloreon only. Later books suck :roll: Jennifer Crusie Karen Robards Lori Foster Linda Howard PJ Tracy Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series Katherine Kerr Mercedes Lackey Susan Andersen Robert Gregory Browne Karen Rose Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan series Roxanne St Claire Suzanne Brockmann Sandra Hill Chris Collett Harlan Coben Anne Perry Cindy Gerard Anne McCaffrey's Pern dragon series As a small child I disliked Enid Blyton and Beatrix Potter but was a fan of Winnie the Pooh.

Of course it will be your fault. It is ALWAYS the man's fault :lol: Wild venison varies greatly in taste. The last bit I had was roasted and was delicious! Hunted, shot, and killed by a qualified butcher. My daughter was sick of eating wild venison so I swapped them for some chicken 8)