Caryl

Well a pic woudn't help me but it might help someone else. Heavy breathing in one fish (as opposed to all of the fish in a tank) sounds to me like something internal. Are the poos looking normal, or is it pooing at all? Other symptoms of fin rot are loss of appetite, sluggish movements and lying on the bottom of the tank, according to one site I have looked at. Have you treated it for the fin rot? Perhaps another dose is in order.

I hope you contacted Alice! Perhaps she has someone to ask too

How long has she been like this? Is it possible mum (or whoever) was over feeding while you were away? If so, even if she kept up the usual water changes they may not have been enough. I would check the water and do more water changes if the ammonia, nitrite or nitrate readings are too high and see if that perks up the fish. Is it the only fish in the tank? If not, are the others behaving normally?

There is a group who are very concerned about the quality of cichlids in NZ, especially the African ones which interbreed so easily. If interbreeding continues there will be no decent fish left. As more fish turn up on the banned imports lists it is even more important we save what we have and encourage fish keepers to breed as pure a strain as possible. When someone is offering fish for sale, if someone else suspects they are interbred, there is nothing wrong with a polite message being sent to that effect. The person selling may be unaware they are hybrids (or the person saying so may be incorrect for that matter) and welcome the information. It is all in the wording - and some of it, unfortunately, leaves a lot to be desired. :-?

Where did you hear that? More likely wishful thinking :roll:

Welcome back Lorey. I remember you too - Carly 8) (just a dig. I know my name is spelt in a weird way)

Welcome to NZ and I look forward to the pics. 8)

Did you poke yourself with your pointy stick Zev? :lol:

A friend's oscar loved bananas

Explain that bigger is always better

Happy Birthday. Soon you will be as ancient as me :lol:

It is the foot fetishists you need to watch out for I have sent you a PM with contact details for someone who would like to be a model for you.

Why only girls? Don't you want pretty nails wok?

I have no idea as I have never specifically fed goldfish fry. They scrummage in the pond for whatever they can get before the adults get them! :roll: I would have thought they could take it from the start

I have asked my daughter in law if she would be interested too so will get back to you

Touch wood we have not had any cats attacking our fish either and we have 4 or 5 cats wandering through our yard. They drink out of the pond but I have never seen one take any notice of the fish at all. Herons are a different matter! :evil:

Thanks for the tip. My own pond seems to have stopped leaking all by itself (probably clogged up with gunk )

Perhaps she is overweight rather than heavily pregnant yet They usually produce every 4 - 6 weeks but I believe they can hold a bit longer. Are you sure you don't need glasses? :lol: Can't offer anything else sorry as I would have expected there to be fry by now. Have you checked in the HOB filter? Fry can get in there.

Join the queue! Not available in NZ.

Real life sounds easier to me

I leave mine for 2 weeks or more on occasion with no problems at all but there are many variables involved.

I would not treat a fish with anything unless I knew what I was treating it for. A fading neon has several causes - stress, disease, mood or old age. Usually stress is caused by water conditions. If it is only 1 fish though I would look to other reasons. Disease is possible but hard to diagnose - especially in a neon. I doubt it is neon tetra disease Neons will lighten and darken depending on mood or substrate. It may be being bullied. If your neon is 5 years+ it is old age Bent bits may be genetic and show up as a fish ages If it is otherwise acting normally I would leave it alone but keep an eye on it.

Although I have heard shop assistants give very poor advice I have also heard some do their best to guide a customer in the right direction and talk them out of an unsuitable purchase.

When I added a peace lily to my tank (I didn't know any better back then) it lasted almost 2 years, from memory, but did not grow at all.

How do you know there wasn't a fish card, which the buyer ignored? :-?