Caryl

I don't know what it's like in Auckland but down here I get my oxygen weed from the river that runs through the middle of our town. It is free!

So, have the kids left home or did you buy a bigger house? Welcome back

Yeah, I can see someone saying "I want to speak to the BigBossPants please".

Golden barbs seem to cause problems for many, although when I had mine they were fine and I think they may have been in the tank the same time as the neons but my tank is larger than yours too. This can make a difference to aggression, the smaller the tank the more aggressive the fishes as they try and mark their territory. Pictures don't always do the dwarf neons justice as they catch the light beautifully as they move causing their scales to flash and change shade and brilliance with their movement. They may not be a flash as the Boesemani but I am sure you will find their more subtle colour intriguing.

Welcome to the forum. Boesemani are large and active so need a good length for swimming, so 4ft minimum, especially as they are skittish and do better in a group of 6+, further requiring a larger aquarium. Do not use pHup as it will most likely cause pH swings in the tank. A steady pH a bit out of range is better than one that swings due to the regular addition or chemicals. Many fish do not show their true colours unless kept in ideal conditions with a large number of tank mates. I am sure you will find the neon dwarfs very eye-catching in the right light, especially if you have a group of them. Keep an eye on those golden barbs though as they may try to kill any fish with a similar body shape!

And now... http://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/73569852/whitebaiters-pour-cooking-oil-into-river-in-new-fad Nothing like using cooking oil to help the E coli and fecal matter stick to your whitebait!

Have you tried removing it? It may not grow back. If it is a relatively new tank still maturing conditions will change for it and it won't grow again. I think others have removed such mould and it has eventually given up. Did you boil the wood before use? That might kill the spores.

From Jo Goodin, FNZAS Life Member: It is with sadness that I let you know that Terry Sale past away suddenly at his home in Masterton on the 29th October .His funeral will be held in Masterton Wednesday 4th Nov at 1.30 at St James Church High St Masterton. Terry and his late wife Jennie were members of the Hawkes Bay club for years. They were involved in the Federation and in Judging. They later moved to Masterton and became members of the Wairarapa Club. He will be missed by many.

Is it possible the council has recently flushed some sort of chemical through the water pipes?

If you wish to discuss this, rather than the whitebait sale ban petition, please start another thread in off topic!

Good luck with the new tank. I also started years ago when dad had goldfish in a tank then built a pond. After I married my husband and I decided to get a tank then another then... you know how it goes. Our kids got interested and one still has a tank today in his own house with his own son. Remember the bigger the tank the easier it is to care for. Small tanks need more maintenance and if you have a problem it can cause trouble much more quickly and dramatically than a larger tank with more water volume. Since you know it is a small tank, I assume it will be tropical, since we have few coldwater fish suitable for smaller tanks. Are you going fresh or marine?

White faced herons (which I suspect is actually the bird we are talking about) are 60 - 70cm high so at least half of that would be legs. I just remembered being told they are territorial during breeding season in spring so putting a fake heron near the pond stops the real one from going near. The fishing gut a few inches high works like I meant when I said a wee wire fence but a heron could stretch its neck over anything a few inches high. It would need to be more than one strand and higher than that. I can't be more specific about the kingfishers. I remember my dad having trouble with one until he cut the tree branch off where the bird sat. It did not then go and perch on a different branch - go figure. Fish only form a small part of their diet apparently and, after having ponds for over 40 years, that 1 kingfisher was the only one we have had a problem with. This may vary though depending where you live.

Possibly. I would run a solid metal pipe, or wooden,post down the centre as chicken wire would sag, not as much as the netting but enough for the heron to land on. With finer chicken wire it would be unable to stick its beak through the holes to stab the fish. Hopefully the centre brace would discourage the bird from trying to land on it as it would see more easily that it would be unable to get through the wire.

The tank is looking good. When was that plec added? They are major poo machines and personally I think the aquarium would look a lot better without the plec. It will also rip up the decor as it swings its tail around so will dislodge stuff without even trying. Frequent water changes is the best answer and that is what you are doing so see how it goes.

I also wonder if Silverdollarboy2 can see his messages as he has yet to reply to one I sent him the other day!

Netting only works well on small ponds as it stretches so easily. We put netting over our pond (a similar size to yours), which needed support in the centre as it sagged into the water. It did not work as the heron just walked across it! Once the hebes grew large enough it stopped the heron coming by. Kingfishers dive straight down so make sure there are no jutting branches overhanging the pond from which they can dive. Herons wade in to grab the fish and I don't think they like to get their feathers wet so plant heavily around the pond so there is nowhere they can stand and jab fish from the edges. Making sure edging wobbles stops predators like cats from getting too close too as they dislike unstable footing. I would suggest a wee wire fence, about 30cm high around the edge of the pond, might help more than netting. Another possibility is to cover the pond with one of those freestanding gazebo or portable carports you can buy these days.

You know what plants I have and there might be some spare Odessa barbs if you want them.

I have both. I will wait until my husband gets home as he will understand

Thank you for the suggestion Alexyay. I would do what you suggest if I understood it!

Pity. For those of us whose eyesight is going, it makes it harder to read. Never mind, I am sure I will cope

Fixed mine I must say I often find it difficult to work out where one post ends and another starts, especially when scrolling through looking for something in particular. Is there a way to make each post more defined?

I can now see signatures I could not see before, although I haven't changed anything, but they are not displaying correctly.

We might be wrong!

I would expect it to disintegrate in a heated tank.

I would agree with your guess about damage. It may sort itself out eventually and swim properly over time, then again it might not. As long as it is now happy, and can get its own fair share of food, I would not be too worried.