Caryl

It helps if they are similar but no need to be exact. I use my finger :bggrn: I just add enough hot water to the bucket so it is not too cold on my hand when I pour the new water in (pouring it over my hand to disperse the flow so it does not go straight down and make a hole in the substrate.)

I hope you enjoy your new hobby. Remember, patience is the key when it comes to stocking

By "Don't need light" I assume you mean other than natural light. Quite a few cope well with lower light levels. Java moss and ferns have already been suggested. Hygrophila polysperma, Rotala, baby tears, Hydrocotyle, Anubias and dwarf sagittaria come to mind. As for fertilisers, none of the above plants suggested should need extra other than fish waste. I have never added fertiliser to my tanks and have had no problem growing the above. If you don't like plastic plants, there are silk ones available which look more natural.

Ditto :-)

The best kind

My 6 week old grandson - a lovely present :cr2:

This was what it looked like January 2013 before we cleaned it out...

For those who followed the building of our pond in 2006, here is the latest update on how it looks now.... 2006 2014 There were 70 fish when we cleaned it out before winter. No idea how many in there at the moment as they move around and hide under the plants and decks. The hebes along the left side look lovely when they are flowering but they make a bit of a mess on the water surface. It will look even messier later when the Chinese silk tree flowers in a few weeks. It looks beautiful but makes a dreadful mess. I recently cleaned out the right hand garden and it needs re-planting. Water level is also low due to lack of rain and evaporation in the heat (recent week has been 28 - 30C)

Merry Fishmas! :cr11:

I thought I had answered this then realised it has been posted in two different sections. I said similar - it has scraped its side.

Looks like it may have wriggled in, or out, of a tight spot and scraped its side. White spot appears all over the body and looks like the fish has been sprinkled with salt.

Yes, I was going to suggest contacting the Dunedin club.

I ran a local rockpool marine for a couple of years but lack of a chiller meant I could not keep the temperature down at the required level so had to give it up. All I did was set up a 3ft tank, went down the Kaikoura coast and gathered up rocks, water and rock pool inhabitants then took it all home and poured it in the waiting tank (the rocks were carefully placed first ;-) ) I had a HOB filter and nothing else. There were lots of shrimp plus little red jelly anemones, a triplefin or two and a rockfish, a sea cucumber, chitons, starfish, brittlestars, and for a while, a baby octopus that a fishing friend brought in for us. As the room sat at 28C in summer and the water needed to be 15C or below, the freezer worked overtime freezing 3L bottles of water and still didn't get lower than 18C.

Indeed it is. Reminded me about another song I have always liked... Kansas - Dust In The Wind

I have stopped re-potting mine as they outgrow them anyway. I just use a rock to anchor some of the roots down. We cleaned out our pond, which had a thick layer of sludge on the bottom. This was thrown on the garden with no ill effects so a bit of algae won't hurt. Not sure if the lilies will like being re-potted while flowering though. Why not just dump them back in and divide and re-pot after they have finished? Mine sat on the grass for a day or two before we got them back in the pond and all recovered.

I had 8 adults, 4 of them male, living together in a 4ft, 280L, heavily planted tank for almost 15 years with no problems. They certainly fought over food and girls a bit but not in a way that lead to damage or death.

Keepers of what? I assume fish but since it is in off topic...

I have heard people say their BNs have killed each other but mine never have. Perhaps if the tank is big enough with plenty of hiding places, and plants, they have a chance to get away?

Thought I would add a full shot of the tank before once again hauling out excess rotala. It grows like a weed! :roll:

Here are some photos to show how different rotala looks between its emersed state and submerged... Here it is growing amongst some Java moss on top of a rimu log This bit had been growing up out of the water as the water level had dropped considerably. I have just done a water change and topped up the tank.

That would work well with my experience then as I too found they did not grow but coped for about 6 months then slowly died. Rotating them is a good idea.

You may find they don't last too well underwater over time. I have heard a lot of people say this and experienced it myself. Maybe they just require a lot of ferts and that is something they would not get in my setup!

I can't remember the last time I did a water change but the tank does get topped up. It has been going over 10 years, is heavily planted and lightly stocked.

I would be asking for an itemised account!

It definitely is what they say it is. Different fish look totally different with different patterns. Look up the scientific name for more pictures that match the one they used.