Caryl

Wouldn't surprise me :roll:

Missing - over 56 (ie ALL of them) goldfish from my pond. No sign of herons, cats, no dead bodies - nothing. They were all there Wednesday afternoon when I fed them but not there the next afternoon, or any day since. As you know, we had a blue heron visit ages ago but it has not been seen for over a month. We removed the netting a couple of weeks ago but the string around the edges is still there. As I have been home, I would have seen a heron making his way through the fish. When it first arrived the fish all hid under the deck, they're not stupid, so even if a heron had visited, there would be one or two left surely? They have 2 decks about a metre each deep so plenty of hiding places. We have not sighted any herons anywhere. If someone had sprayed there would be bodies. I doubt they were stolen as the plants appear untouched. If someone had been scooping through with a net they would have tangled in the plants. Besides, they would be hard pressed to net every single fish. Any other ideas??? We now have an empty pond (although I did see one fry about 3cm long so I am sure there are more from this year's spawning)

Puberty? :lol: Do they burst, then clear, or just go away?

I use these 30L barrels. I got them from a paint shop (Resene's I think). They get paint dye from Italy in them. All I had to do was rinse them out. They cost me $10 each. This was a few years ago so I don't know if they are still available. The handles on the side are great and very strong so you can fill them to the top with no problems as the plastic is rigid. The lids are airtight so even if they fall over they don't leak 8)

I have left mine for 10 days with no problems, assuming it is a well established tank. Do not be tempted to feed them heaps before you go as this will foul the water. Do a water change a couple of days prior to leaving (this gives you time to note if there is a problem as a result) and make sure the filter is running well. Put the lights on a timer or turn them off.

Yes, what is happening to them? They are usually easy to care for and get on with most tank mates. Southerrrngirl is right about smooth substrate. They like to be in a group of 6 or more and you will find them a lot more active in a group than if you just have 2 or 3. They do like plants and hiding places. It makes them feel more secure. They will eat anything that drifts their way plus bottom feeder pellets.

One of our members had a group of albino corys in a tank that went very very green. By the time she cleaned it out, she discovered LOTS of fry in there as well. All happily living and breeding in the dark green water.

I remember talking to a well known goldfish breeder in Auckland a few years ago. I first met him as he was filling up display tanks at a conference. He was using a hose from the fire sprinkler system and the smell of chlorine was very strong. He then added his fancy (and very large) goldfishes straight to the water. When I asked him about removing the chlorine he said he never bothered since the water supply was chlorinated his fish would have to get used too it as he wasn't mucking about with time and expense getting rid of it. They were the biggest, healthiest goldfish I have ever seen!

Boys are slimmer and smaller

I remember having to line up the blocks first and swap them around as they were slightly uneven in size and it took a bit of shuffling to make sure they were even. I no longer have the tank and blocks so can't look but I am pretty sure it was chip board, not ply. The base was 1.5 - 2cm thick. The blocks are 19cm wide so the gap I had between them would have been about 22 - 25cm. That tank ran for about 4 years sitting on those blocks. I had a 3ft in the lounge, also on blocks, that was set up even longer.

Depends :lol: You may have several females, therefore it is possible at least one might be ready to spawn at any given time so you might get a continuous dropping of eggs.

Tetras and barbs generally go well together

If the flow is slow I wouldn't bother with heated water either PS Suphew; I think you need to change your sig as it is out of date :lol:

The tank in the pic is a 4ft. I can't see ply bowing in a gap the size as shown, even on a larger tank. Having the base means it is evenly supported. If the middle row was removed it would definitely sag. See I also have some blocks running the other way at the back too.

Fish are opportunistic feeders. In the wild they would go for anything that dropped into their water (ie fruit off trees). Try various things and see if they like them. Blanch stuff like cabbage first as it is too tough for them to digest fully. It is the full bodied fancy goldfish who usually develop the swim bladder problems. They have such contorted intestines, thanks to the selective breeding, that it doesn't take much to upset them. My pond fish (comets and fantails) all feed flake at the surface with no problems. I have never bothered feeding them anything else. They also get plenty from what drops in from above in the way of insects.

I often use cinder blocks as a cheap stand. Not pretty but you can cover them with cloth. The holes are handy storage It has a sheet of customwood then polystyrene under it. The other layer is a Pinex under tank heat pad.

Unless they are chasing the chicken in there

Nope but I don't have any snails either 8)

I had filter wool in the top basket and filled the rest with ceramic noodles.

I go for snail eggs. If they were fish eggs they would have been eaten by now.

I have never heard of a connection between fish tanks and the number of flies you get. The few flies I have are never anywhere near the tanks. I have 3 Jesus flies. I spray them at night, they die, then in the morning there are 3 flies buzzing about again! :roll: Of course it might not be the same 3 flies but I have my suspicions! :lol:

It is also because the males are more colourful and people want colourful fish :roll:

They always look depressed and mutinous! :lol: Being opportunistic they will probably have a go at most things. Try various fruits and vegetables. Make sure they have not been sprayed, or have been washed well. Peeling them may be a good idea if you are unsure. I have had my daughter out-law here and even though she fed the fish every time she went out to the pond (which was often) they always acted as though they were neglected and starved!

Looks like a sailfin plec to me, Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps

They removed 4 of mine to supposedly make room but I still have crooked teeth and still had to have the wisdom teeth removed due to lack of space.