Caryl

I baked things Grant likes but I don't so I won't be tempted to eat them myself :lol: Peanut Brownies, coconut biscuits, bran muffins, sultana cake and oat and honey biscuits. Helen brought date scones and Sally made a lovely fruit cake (like Christmas cake) with ginger in it. I am helping to eat the bran muffins though as they do not keep well and go mouldy pretty fast. My kids used to call them fluffin muffins or poo pellets :lol:

Wee is right. That's just about all they do! :lol:

That gravel is the same as the one I use. All the Canterbury shops sell it and I believe it is locally sourced. I bought mine bulk from Redwoods.

Bud has his own little claw-held computer (with wireless access)

Murphy's Law eh? I am staying up the other end of the house with the heat pump since the gas fire in the lounge keeps going out Guess it has blocked jets or something (no it isn't out of gas :lol: ). Gas man is very busy (aren't they always?) so no idea when he will be able to come and clean it out. Looking on the bright side - it is very expensive to run so we will be saving money. :roll:

I don't buy the ready made tank and stand units available in lfs as I do not like the look of them (and I think they are overpriced). I get my tanks made by a glazier (cheaper too) then have a stand made.

So, what sort of filtration are you running? 8)

For those who may be wondering who these people are... Jane (aka Jane in here :lol: ) is the FNZAS treasurer and her husband, Craig, is aka suphew. Wok wouldn't she have to have 9 more within 12 months for them to count? I don't think you ought to mention that within her hearing just at the moment :lol:

What a neat video! My BNs have never laid eggs where they can be seen

Congratulations :bounce: About time too!!! :lol: Hey wok! Jane has finally burst!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

Google information on velvet disease and see if it matches your fish.

If you still have the receipt you can take it back to the shop as it will be covered by the Consumer Guarantees Act.

It went very well thanks Adrienne and Grant got to show off his new super speedy internet connection :lol: We had a lovely afternoon tea too as I had baked that morning, for Grant's lunch supply, and a couple of members also brought some goodies so we didn't starve!

That's the first two storey tank I have ever seen! :lol:

Wow! JarrenB's breeding snow! :lol:

I like dark gravel as it shows up the fish colours better. Also harder to see algae on it

pH up is just baking soda I think (just a lot more expensive). Why are you using it? It is better to have a stable pH than one you keep altering with baking soda or chemicals etc. The brown colour from the wood is actually liked by many fish, though it doesn't always look so good to human eyes :roll: Although wood will lower the pH a little, it shouldn't make that much difference. Fish waste lowers pH. Are you doing regular water changes?

A bit late but... today's meeting is at 2pm at 8a Faulkland Drive. We will be discussing the results of the latest FNZAS meeting plus looking at the photos Grant and I took of the National Scottish, National (Marine) English and Vancouver Aquariums (not to mention the fish market in Beijing).

There are also white spot medications available. Do you have any idea what caused the outbreak?

This worries me. Why do you have uneaten food left in the tank? And why has it been there long enough to turn toxic? Never feed your fish any more than they can eat in 2 minutes then make sure you remove anything left over (except allow longer for bottom feeders to suck the pellets into oblivion of course ) I would not be adding chemicals either, I would be doing LOTS of water changes. Products like Ammolock will also give you false test readings so you will have no idea if the ammonia is dropping or not if it is added.

Ah, but if you are like me and do not do weekly water changes a 404 won't cut it Problems can get out of hand faster too (eg filter stops, for whatever reason, while you are at work) Many who keep Africans do so with high stocking levels so I would feel safer with 2 filters but that is just my opinion.

I don't think a Fluval 404 would be enough. I ran 2 of them (well, one 404 and another similar size of a different brand) on my 4ft African tank of 280L.

Ours was a 3L diesel Bighorn (not what you asked about I know) which we liked a lot. It gave good fuel economy for a vehicle of its size and weight. On a long trip with no 4WD work we could get 11km/L. As soon as you need 4WD on a steep hill, any of them get very thirsty! I think the V6 will be reasonable if you use your foot lightly. Good on a long trip but very thirsty around town or short distances.

With the way some Africans dig around in the substrate, I would not have under gravels in there. If I had a 5ft with Africans I would get an FX5. They are chunky, messy fish and need as much filtration as possible. They also like a current (mine certainly did anyway!)

They said it has UGFs. Didn't mention pumps to run them. Might not worry you but it may pay to check the pump(s) is included. I also assume the stand is included as well. It says they are on the stand for display, not precisely that the stand is included either :-?