Caryl

So can ducks

I will have plenty of spare time as I am driving my parents down to stay with mum's sister for her birthday. We go down Friday and back Sunday. I am staying with my son and his partner again and we go to a birthday dinner on Saturday night I think. Other than that I will be free (and have mum's car and our GPS)

Grant and I will unfortunately miss the meeting (again!) as Grant is on call and I will be in ChCh (again!). Our club did a similar night walk looking for native fish in the stream at White's Bay. It was amazing how many we found and we all had great fun. Hopefully Tasman will organise another night hunt and we will be able to attend then. Along with a torch, net and suitable clothing, make sure you have spare torch batteries plus a good container in which to study your captives before releasing them again.

I remember phone numbers more by the pattern on the keypad, not the actual numbers. If you asked me someone's phone number I likely could not tell you, without stopping to think about it (and getting confused), but I could show you instantly. I can see how colour coding could work - pity the colour blind though :-? I learned piano as a child. Had trouble reading the music but could play by ear. My music teacher would play the piece first and I would just repeat it from memory. It wasn't until I made the mistake of telling my mother I was doing it that way that she told the teacher, who then stopped playing the tune before we started Needless to say, gave up music lessons soon after :roll:

Well that helped me Zev! I always wondered what you did with that bit. Mine is under a different Enhance though. More for me to play with! I can only use the very basic features of Photoshop Elements :-?

It is tannin from the wood. The fish, especially angels, love it and it does not harm them. Regular water changes and using carbon will slowly get rid of it in most cases.

This is true. So are many of us lefties. I too have discalculia (a sort of numbers version of dyslexia) and it seems to be getting worse as I age. I am starting to have more trouble telling the time on digital clocks :roll: Many learn to cope despite these problems and just learn to do things differently. Like you Nymox, I could get a maths answer right but the workings wrong. One teacher asked me to solve a problem out loud so he could see what I was doing. He couldn't figure it out though as every step I did was wrong but I always got the right answer. He was fascinated but no help when it came to improving my maths skills. I still have none :lol: I solved this problem by marrying a geek who can do maths easily in his head :bounce: I do creative stuff for him and he does calculated stuff for me.

I only have Photoshop Elements. I can lighten and darken stuff under Enhance then Adjust color/Contrast by sliding the bars to where I want them. I find the Quick Fix and Auto Levels come up with some pretty weird results often as not!

Does she get threatened with the pointy stick too?

It certainly passed through fast! I heard on the news that a boy out at Rarangi was hit by a branch blown off a tree

I walked into town and back this morning, getting very hot in a T shirt etc. Have been home a couple of hours and suddenly there is a noise outside. I look out and there is a sudden gusting of wind and it is hailing! Temperature now 16C (was in mid 20's) and dropping. The hail melted as it hit so no white grass scenes. Wind has dropped as suddenly as it started and so did the hail after about 5 minutes tops :-? It seems the weatherman got it right for once :lol: Lucky I got the washing in when I came home or I would be a bit miffed (and soggy) 8)

Keep us updated please. If anyone else has any other suggestions, please let us know.

It also keeps the vampires away I know garlic is claimed to be good for humans too. Does the "have to be fresh" rule apply to us too or just fish? I use garlic flakes and salt.

Anyone else got any ideas or tips on how to strip a goldfish?

They sell it here too and we don't have chlorine either :roll:

Did you get some eggs released? I have never stripped a fish before. Perhaps if you do a search on the subject you will find something helpful. Sorry I can't give you any tips.

No harm in trying then but if she is pooing then I doubt she is constipated :-? I think we might be down to egg bound being the problem.

You should find the peas work fairly quickly, within hours. The biggest problem is getting the fish to eat them. Some chow down and others turn up their noses. I think you will find Epsom Salts in the supermarket. There are plenty of sites that give recommended doses (I don't know the dose myself without looking). Keep an eye on the fish and see if it has been pooing. It should certainly do so after the peas. It will only take 2 or 3 I think.

That "whole word" theory interested me. If I am spelling something I picture the whole word in my head. It never occurred to me others didn't :-? Candy your whole post was interesting and thank you for your contribution.

Yeah, I used the wrong terminology. Pregnant, full of eggs, both mean squished insides

Has this fish not always been this shape? Some are meant to look like this :-? If it used to be a common, thinner shaped fish, then something is definitely wrong. It is hard to tell from the photo but are the scales on the fish all sticking out like a pinecone? By this I mean everywhere, not just around the fat bit. If so, it is possibly dropsy and the fish is unlikely to survive. If it is just the belly which has scales sticking out, then it is possibly constipated. Try feeding a cooked, shelled pea. If that doesn't work, or the fish won't eat it, Google for treatment with a bath of Epsom Salts. It may also be egg bound, if indeed it is female. Not sure what to do in that case unless you are willing to try and gently push down from head to tail in an attempt to expel some eggs.

Either constipated (everything gets squished when you are pregnant!) or possibly a stuck fry blocking the rest from getting out. It happens sometimes

You breed battery operated dragons? :lol: Are the batteries included? :lol:

I have lots of plants and I only ever use the plain 'daylight' or 'bright white' fluorescents. My little tanks have eco bulbs.

If alanmin4304 says it is beyond repair then believe it!