Caryl

Can you not buy cartridges without carbon?

They last for many years. Is it possible it was not firmly in the socket and was bumped? It is going now so it should be fine.

I think it is having digestive trouble. Goldfish semi hibernate in winter and do not eat if the ambient temp is 10C or below. At this time of year with the temp swings, if it is being fed it may be having trouble digesting, especially if the temp drops. Stop feeding them or feed wheatgerm. This is easy on their tums and slwoly gets their innards working again. Do not feed them sticks or pellets at this stage, not until the weather warms up more and stays a reasonable temp, even overnight.

Yeah. Years ago we bought what was said to be a Dovi but we realised, eventually, it was actually a Jag :roll:

Yes it will neutralise the medication, making it useless.

Grant has it. When I asked him where he got it from he said "I don't know. It came with some electronic stuff." Try Dick Smith or something.

Why were you a cartridge short? Do you change them each time? Just rinse them and put them back. They can be resused a long time before needing replacement. The other will be fine until you can get one that fits

It is possible something got up the intake (bit of plant - but you don't have live plants do you?) and temporarily jammed the impellor. Is the filter going again now?

Hmmm, never thought of using rice. Might give it a go. Mine get McKenzie bread

But what sort is the original? I was never able to put gouramis and dwarf gouramis together as the big ones always hassled the smaller ones. The original fish will see the tank as it's territory (probably male). If rearranging the decor hasn't worked, remove him to another tank for a few days if you can then re-introduce him once the new ones have settled.

Rearrange all the decor in the tank.

Those fancy goldfish are prone to digestive problems. Try the Epsom salts suggestion. If they usually have a bubble wall going and it is turned off, that may affect them but I would expect all to be gasping, not just one. Any possibility he has swallowed a stone and it is stuck? Goldfish are good at that too. :roll: Get the water tested if you can. It would help to know the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels so we can discount water quality.

Try farm supply places

I hear a replica heron beside a pond will keep others away but don't know about kingfishers. They may be small birds but they can take a goldfish at least the same size as itself, if not bigger. My dad was plagued by one years ago and in the end chopped down the tree it was perching on.

No idea Ian. This was almost 30 years ago and haven't tried them lately. Perhaps I should :lol:

The bigger the fish the longer it should live - in theory assuming conditions are good. Some killi species are short lived. A lot also depends on the age of the fish when you buy it. Often no way to tell how old it is when you purchase. Some fish are territorial and you should never have more than one in a tank. Other fish will eat the rest and yet others will wipe out your plants. You need to research, or ask here if a specific fish catches your eye. As to prices, livebearers and usually cheaper as they are easy to reproduce. The harder the fish is to breed, the dearer the price. PS. We were known as the guppy killers in our club as we could never keep them alive. Gave up on them years ago :lol:

What do you want the tank to look like? Lots of smaller, shoaling fish zipping about the plants with a variety of colours or 1 or 2 large fish (and probably no plants)?

Welcome to you both. Plenty of contacts here and the possibility of joining one or two local clubs.

I don't know if they had a programme but the Aquarium World has a full list of 1st, 2nd and 3rd placegetters plus who won which trophies.

Should I confess he emailed the pic to me? You have nothing to worry about Stella. 8)

How big and what size is the tank? How warm is it? They are certainly not old (assuming you bought them as young fry) as they can live 40+ years.

Show us then AJ so we can be reassuring :lol:

A difficult question as there are many variables. Some suggest 2.5cm of fish to each 25cm of water surface area but ten 2.5cm fish will produce a LOT less waste than one 25cm fish! Plus a tall narrow fish can house less than a short but wide tank with the same capacity. Someone with good filtration and who does regular water changes will be able to stock a few more fish than someone with basic filtration and poor tank maintenance. I am never sure how to answer this as I have always gone by whether the tank looks full, which isn't very helpful. :roll: Always better to understock though so if something goes wrong you have more time to correct it. The Tropical Tank site suggests the following http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/tanks-uk.htm

Some nice pics there Stella. May I use any of them in the magazine? If I do , you will get a free copy

But I offer quality and quantity :lol: I only have lots cos I was the first member so had a head start