Caryl

Aquarian (and Grant is a Libra I think) Son and partner (who keep fish) are (wait while I look it up, I am not au fait with star signs :roll: ) both Geminis.

The only reason I have fishy decor is because people assume that I would like them - since I keep fish. As a result, I have... a collection of fine glass fishes in the lounge fish toys in the bath ceramic fish on the wall in the bedroom a very large emboidered fish from Bangkok in the lounge a fish that giggles when you hit it (a very disturbing concept) hanging in the dining room a large fish mobile in the bedroom a smaller fish mobile in the lounge some wooden fish standing on the top shelf in the kitchen a cuddly toy Dory a lovely sandstone carved fish sitting by the pond

I have nothing against David Attenborough (but wouldn't mind having something against Nick :lol: ), I was merely saying how much I was enjoying his series. I also enjoy the Attenborough programmes.

Siporax is a trade name for some of the ceramic noodle media. Another is Ehfisubstrat (or something) by Eheim. I use both and would have one layer sponge or filter wool and the others with ceramic noodles. Scouring pads, hair curlers, straws etc all work too but have nowhere near the total surface area the ceramic rings have so are less efficient.

Sex; female Age; 50 years young Married - Grant is interested in fishkeeping too and kids left home a few years ago YAY!!!

There was one - quite some time ago though.

Haven't got around to packing yet, no. Had my last day at work yesterday until our return. That was great! Picked up the tickets a couple of days ago and are just waiting for our Asian currency. Mum is very excited and has had a trial run packing her bag to make sure everything fits 8) Dad and Bud have their instructions and the ladder has been hidden. Have organised a meeting between members of another fish forum I moderateon in the UK. That will be fun.

There's lots of us girls keeping fish

Welcome.

Hi and welcome.

Welcome.

I got my 'cinder blocks' from Placemakers. They sold them as singles.

OK thanks guys. I will pass on the recommendations.

Depending on where he lives he may not need dechlorinator. I know I don't. 8)

The children do not feed the fish. The tank is in the principal's office. She feeds it and is definitely not overfeeding. I have found, from experience, that goldfish really aren't too fussed over pH. It comes out of the tap filter very acidic too, it isn't that it changes in the tank itself. We could certainly raise it but since it has been that low from the beginning I doubt it is the actual cause of the flaking.

Hi Peter and welcome. It would help if you added your location to your profile (done through the User Control Panel at the top right). You can save heaps of money by not putting additives (Cycle, Aquaplus etc) in the tank

I have never used one but this site might help. http://www.canningpantry.com/dehydration-of-food.html It has a whole lot of pdfs to download on how to prepare different foods in the dehydrator.

I remember that one! :lol: Plus they went hunting for that lizard that squirted blood. Cool!

Anyone been watching this? It is on at the stupid time of noon on Sunday's TV1. He is better looking than David Attenborough and funnier. Yesterday he was looking for hellbender salamanders. Some of them, in a particular area of the US, are dying off and they don't know why. They were suspecting a fungus, introduced by African claw toed frogs, but in the end they were still unsure. Last week he was in the bayous looking for alligator snapping turtles. At one point you saw him standing in the swamp, flicking through a reference book, trying to identify a small turtle he had caught. He grinned and confessed that that was what they spent most of their time doing - looking through indentification books working out exactly what things were so they could sound knowledgeable, but usually they edited it out. :lol: He then held the turtle up, after flicking through for ages and finding nothing that matched, and announced "This is a turtle!"

The children at Seddon School are very upset as their goldfish is sick. I have been to see it and have no idea what is wrong. It is in a nice 26L or so tank all by itself and has been happy there for almost 12 months. The water in Seddon is straight from the river and runs through a UV filter. It is a bit on the acidic side but pH doesn't worry goldfish. A few weeks ago it started excessive pooing and could produce 15cm strands several times a day! Poo was same colour as his food. Otherwise his behaviour was normal. Now, the poor thing looks like his skin is sloughing off his body. To me it does not look like it has fin or tail rot but bits of skin are dropping off. Ammonia, nitrates and nitrites and all are excellent according to my test kit. It now sits on the bottom, upright, dorsal fin still erect. Breathing is normal. Gills not inflamed. It has lost a bit of weight but that is because it has gone off its food recently. It is not hollow bellied. It is not pooing as much either, probably because it isn't eating much. The kids have propped a cuddly toy (Cookie Monster) beside the tank in an attempt to cheer the fish up but it doesn't seem to be helping. Any ideas please? The skin coming off is most noticeable on the white areas. It is not an over-production of slime coat. The 3 white bits on top of the gill are bits of skin falling away.

I think he thought the pond and fish were his presents!

Here are Ant's pics...

I use a fishing sinker to hold down the knitting needle on which I thread cucumber for my bristlenoses. They are also used to hold down smaller bits of driftwood until they are fully waterlogged.

Hmmm wonder what the cats think of the new addition? 8)

Hi and welcome. Yes, add your location to your profile (done through the User Control Panel top right). It is important to have a selection of tanks so your children can learn even more about fish keeping. It is a very educational hobby 8)