Caryl

It's getting them out again once the temperatures drop that's the problem, otherwise I would! I think I will breed odessa barbs outside again this summer (but not with the goldfish!)

Ta dah! Still bare as we have just come out of winter.

Here is the same bit of the pond from a different angle... No bubbly algae! Here is the whole pond as it is now Remember, it was started February 27th '06. Oxygen weed was added in September '06 along with 9 large goldfish and 40 or 50 fry we had from them spawning in the old outdoor bath in which they had previously lived. This wasn't how I remembered it but there you go. It was what I wrote at the time so must be correct. I counted 56 fish the other day but some were still under the deck and others at the other end of the pond. A mid summer count in Feb '08 came to 73 but there may have been more (we took a photo while they were feeding and counted the number in the shot. That doesn't mean all were feeding at the time). They have been spawning madly all week so I am sure the count will rise! :bounce:

But I have de-lurgied it in the washing machine! I will add it to Grant's collection. He likes to have a clean hankie in his pocket (not that it stays that way for long) :lol: I found it when I stripped the bed. A great day with sun and wind so finally managed to get sheets and towels washed and dried! 8) So nice to have no rain. :bounce:

Nope, that is a thin layer of green algae over rocks.

Thanks for coming Billaney and coughing so quietly. Do you want your hankie back? :lol:

Where? None that I can see.

If you use pure oxygen you can put more fish in per bag with less water so transport costs are less as the box is lighter and you can fit more bags in a box (as I understand it). I only used pure oxygen once and that was to get a LOT of cichlids up north is as small a space as possible (as they travelled as hand luggage). I borrowed a small oxygen bottle from my doctor friend who works in the Emergency Dept at the local hospital. Otherwise I wouldn't worry about it.

No idea Caper as she is overseas. :-?

Sorry I have no idea if snails can host the white spot but I don't think so. Have a look at this site as it says they embed beneath the skin of fish.o mention of other possible hosts like snails. http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/hdwspot.htm Perhaps someone else knows?

It depends on why you got the cyano in the first place. Our tap water is also high in phosphates but I never had a cyano problem until I added some infected plants and the cyano took off. A treatment using Erythromycin worked very well and it has never returned.

I think it is part of the "if everyone took sand we wouldn't have any left would we?" theory. I might be wrong but I am pretty sure it is illegal on all NZ beaches.

Ummm a day at the local pool? :lol:

I might have some available soon when I strip the tank but I have to fill the hospice tank first.

They are a swim team - I saw them ad nauseum on the news this evening.

Harlequins

My Anubias nana is very hardy. I think it copes with Africans (as does Java fern). You just cut chunks of the Anubias and replant. It will grow whether the roots are anchored or not. You can plant in gravel or attach to driftwood. Mine is in quite low light (thanks to the plants above) and seemed happy enough to grow. Mine never had extra long roots so I never trimmed them so can't say if it affects growth rate. I wonder if yours has such long roots because it is lacking something? Mine gets lots of BN poo 8)

and watch for officers as it is actually illegal to remove sand from beaches Try to get the sand as far above the high tide mark as possible as it will have less shell in it so less likely to affect the pH as much.

If you have a suitable container I would put the fish in it and treat them there, cheaper. If you leave the pond empty of fish for about 2 weeks the white spot cycle will die on its own as they need fish as hosts. But if the fish all have white spot and fin rot that indicates something really bad is off with your water quality. Possibly rotting vegetation on the bottom? I would take the opportunity to give the pond a good clean out.

From memory I think you will find the swords colour up faster and are slightly fatter.

Many plants look totally different when under water than when grown fully emersed. You would swear they were totally different plants!

That's a bit vague for ID purposes. Are you sure it isn't blanket weed? :-? If it is in the trough, have a look to see if it is growing under as well as above the water.

I think under gravel filters are great - in tanks 2ft or less.

They weren't bald Ira :lol:

I was once and loved them then too