Caryl

I didn't notice the plant had flowered until I lifted the tank lid to do a water change (yes, I do them occasionally) so it is past it's use by date...

Vary their diet. Peas are good for constipation. Save one or two from when you cooked them for tea. Pop them out of their shells and feed them to the fish. If they are pooing though they are not truly constipated. When fish eat their bellies swell, then go down again as the food digests. This is particularly noticeable in fancy goldfish as they have odd body shapes and extremely twisted colons so the food has a long way to go in a cramped space.

If trader sent the plant overnight then the courier is at fault, not the trader, but if I was the trader I would have complained to the courier for having paid for a service I did not receive.

They usually breed happily by themselves. Females are fatter. Lots of fine leaved plants and leave them to it. I have heard people say they eat their fry but mine never made great inroads in the number of fry.

I remember someone claiming they had kept minnows at lower temps but I have never done so.

I would go for minnows or neons, not both. Minnows used to be referred to as "the poor man's neons" in the days when they were a lot cheaper than neons to buy. Minnows are better in cold water and neons tropical. Neons are known to drop dead easily these days too :roll:

I like undergravel filters for tanks 2ft or smaller. They do a good job, are cheap, and don't take up tank space.

Certainly but also important to figure out why they got it in the first place. prevention is better than cure

They can drop new fry every 4 - 6 weeks. They will be very fat when due, the gravid spot darkens and, if birth is imminent, you can often see the eyes of the fry through the belly.

You started the thread so you can go off topic if you want :lol:

They are freshwater fish. Why do people keep wanting to add salt?? Keep up daily water changes until the spike drops.

The main problem is confusion as your tank actually holds a lot more than you first said. You said you had a 21L tank but later gave measurements that worked out to be much more than that so the tank size isn't actually as bad as we first thought. For now, all you need to do is add an internal filter and stop trying to change the pH. Stop the water ager too as I assume you are on the ChCh town supply and it is fine as is. Save money Just keep a close eye on the fish as the weather warms up as there is less oxygen in warmer water. If they start gasping or hanging about the surface a lot it would pay to buy a small pump with an airhose for added oxygen. These are cheap.

Sorry but 21L is not huge by any standard and is considered too small for goldfish 8) You have to update your own personal profile to alter the posting time. Go to Profile and change to GMT + 13 (I think) Snails will not necessarily keep the tank cleaner as they will add to the bio load and they poo more than they eat If you are altering the pH all the time this will have a detrimental effect on the poor fish. Goldfish are very tolerant of a wide range of pH so there should be no reason to alter it at all.

If a tank is too small the fish's growth will be stunted. This causes internal problems and shortens the life of the fish - by a considerable amount. We all know of fish that have outgrown their tank and your fantails will too How much are you altering the pH? You should not need water ager as ChCh has good water which does not need this. The problems will get worse as the fish grow. Do not get a cory, you are overstocked already. Feed less.

Hi eclaire and welcome. Now for the bad news A 21L tank is not big enough for 2 fantails and 2 minnows, especially without filtration. How are you cleaning out the tank every week and adjusting the pH? Direct sunlight is going to cause problems, especially in summer.

That is so cool!

I seem to be attracted to schools of fast moving fish like the barbs and tetras. I love the way they move in unison - poetry in motion.

The Dr says he can't say as the cyanobacteria is not a human pathogen so he doesn't know what does, or doesn't, affect it or whether it would also affect the filter bacteria. Wanna try it for us and let us know? 8)

Again, I suggest you get samples of both your tank water and the river water and see what the pH of both og them is. Then decide.

That's what it means. The fish will cope.

Green and skin-like is cyanobacteria, not black beard algae. Clean out as much as possible then do a total blackout of the tank for 3 says. Do not feed the fish during this time - it won't hurt them, nor will they starve. Clean out again. Depending on why you have it, it can be difficult to eradicate. It is important to find the cause and rectify it.

Welcome KC. MTS is a wonderful thing :lol:

Sounds like wind build-up or something. Perhaps they are having trouble digesting. Have you checked the tank temp? What are you feeding them?

stimpy29is correct :lol: The sand over there is gorgeous. I doubt anyone would complain if it was just a small amount. Different if you pulled up with a trailer

Stir was probably a bad word. I dig the siphon in as deep as I can and the gravel gets turned over as the water sucks up the tube.