Caryl

Well done! Nice to hear of someone getting a rise instead of laid off.

Remember the longer the hose the less the suck. Too long and it wil not be able to lift the muck.

I feel the same. Especially as you don't know what sort of paint it is.

I dunno. After seeing the Sunday (or was it 20/20?) report on dog breeds today and how inbred they are with major health problems I wouldn't buy a pure bred anything!

Getting that old food and poo out of the gravel is most important. Don't go overboard cleaning the filter as you don't want to destroy too much of the good bacteria in there or you will have a mini cycle to make matters worse!

Mine came in on another plant (I never chose it) and most of it gets itself entangled around the base of other plants before it manages to block the filter.

Yep. I am now older than dirt. Welcome to the forum.

Your age is showing Alan :lol:

Dad is recovering but developed cellulitis on his leg as a result of whacking it on the table as he fell. The last two times he got this condition it turned to septicaemia and he ended up in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit). He is on antibiotics and being closely monitored. We told him last week he either had to die now or wait until we got home so he has to live now for at least another 2 months :lol:

Have you named it? (the egg)

It isn't a dumb question and my answer is... with difficulty! :lol: Java moss is a pain for wrapping itself around all sorts of things, especially filter inlets. Short of stuffing it into a hairnet or similar you just have to wrap it tightly around an object.

I hope the fish are as excited as you are :lol: :bounce:

We figured we ought to remove Bud's deposit first :lol:

Serves you right Aaron-Betta. You obviously aren't in here often enough Don't let one person upset you Barrie. It can't have been too bad if it only took 2 merlots to help 8) People seem to forget the purpose of this site is to be friendly and helpful so people find their hobby enjoyable and stress free!

I, for one, am relieved to know your eyes now have fry :lol:

Mosy likely caused by uneaten food since that isn't many fish for a 5ft tank. If you are feeding fry they need little bits often so feed less each time.

I had 1 tiger barb in with rosys with no problem. I don't think the tigers would bother the BNs. Most fish ignore them.

Argosy,that was the name, not Argus (I almost got it right!). Our wires sit on top of the Pinex, evenly coiled over the whole base. Tank sits on top with a lot of gravel init. It has been running over 10 years now. Only problem we had was recently the thermostat cooked a few fish and had to be replaced.

Yeah we built our own using wire, like that in electric blankets, laid out on Pinex. We went to Argus Heating (I think) told them the length and the power required and they worked out the suitable cable to do that, put the mains on, and sealed it (you need special tools to do that). Your biggest problem will be finding a thermostat.

I used top have brine shrimp growing in a plastic container. They had eggs every now and then. I didn't feed them anything, just dropped in the occasional bit of sea lettuce when I thought of it. They were in there a couple of years before the plastic degraded in the sun and the container split. Luckily I had taken it outside before that as it has been on the floor on the lounge carpet :roll: They were kept out of minor interest, not to use as fish food. It is my understanding adult brine shrimp are somewhat lacking in the nutritional department.

We didn't play games in class when I was at school. We learnt to read and write and some of us managed to learn to do math as well (but I wasn't one of them) No school camps either!

Ammolock should not be needed. Water changes are the quickest and easiest way to fix the problem. As said, it will give you false ammonia readings so how will you know if you have fixed the problem? :-?

Minnie Caldwell's cat was called Bobby (I looked it up. Aint the internet interesting?) :lol:

Too hard to tell from the blurry photos. Are the patches fluffy? If so, it is a fungus. Probably a secondary infection to underneath damage. Are there any places where the fish, if startled or chased, could scrape its sides as it shot through a small gap?

Sounds good Noel, I appreciate your articles. Are you aware Stella has already written a series on native fish? I can send you copies if you like so you don't repeat too much. I am sure there are plenty more things to say about them