Caryl

Assuming your cold water fishes were goldfish, they produce a LOT more waste than smaller tropicals so your filter would clog up a lot faster - be it internal or external. Never 'replace' the sponges in any filter, unless they are dropping to bits. Just clean in used tank water when the water flow decreases significantly. I have sponges in an AquaClear that are over 10 yrs old and still going strong.

That's probably its lunch kneeling beside it

They probably can if they are not kept in unsuitable conditions

You want brittlestars? Search the rockpools on the Kaikoura coast. They are full of them

If you have a well maintained, balanced, well planted, well filtered etc tank then you do not need such things. I don't add anything to my tank if I can help it.

Mine are the opposite Michael. The males hide and wait for the females to come out for food. Once they are eating, and all seems safe, the males will then come out and chase everything else away :roll:

It depends on the type of goldfish. I have seen huge veiltail goldfish in with white clouds and they ignored them completely. The owner said the white clouds were too fast for them. Comets might be different.

There is a difference between them eating adult wcmms and eating the fry. The fry don't move as fast

If there's lots of plants they might miss one or two. Goldfish will eat anything :roll:

I have no idea what is it but if it does that to the fish I would be trying to remove it ASAP!

You'll throw them up? Why did you eat them in the first place? :lol: Have the fish been spawning? I know it is early but I have heard reports of some doing so. Too cold down here yet but spawning could rough a fish up like that. You need more females than males to spread the aggression.

Ask coelecanth as he works there

He did say "IN STORES - not online" I bought mine years ago in a shop in Hamilton. The Goldfish Bowl I think

Just chop them off, preferably just above where a leaf or another stem is growing.

Not only are they spawning but they will also be eating the eggs as fast as they can :lol: If you want to raise fry you will need a separate spawning tank with a grid or something for the eggs to fall through out of harm's way

Eventually, if the ammonia damage wasn't too severe.

Hmm not sure about that jn. They do prefer it a bit higher I think. They would cope at that temp but I don't think they would be happiest, or look their best.

A lot of people do that, or similar kelsta. Some of us have to resort to such methods in summer to keep the temperature down.

I have always just dipped the testtube under at the top of the water. Never heard of anyone being told to take it from the bottom. As said, if you have proper filtration the water circulation would ensure readings were identical top and bottom. Anyone want to do some test readings and see if they get different results?

No need for a water change until you start getting readings above 0.

Hi and welcome. You really need to satisfy that craving to get another tank ASAP as those yellow labs need totally different conditions from the other fish.

You never asked if you could mix barbs with goldfish. I would not do so. They get different diseases and the goldfish could eat the barbs.

I have thrown rosy, golden and odessa barbs outside into plastic 6ft pools ($24.95 from the big red emporium) over summer for them to breed then brought them back inside once the weather cooled. Of course, Wgtn might not have as good summers as we do here

No it isn't true. Barbs can tolerate cooler temperatures but not cold. If you live in a modern, well insulated, house where the temperature doesn't go below 18C you can keep them in an unheated tank but that is not the same as saying they are cold water fish.

I suggest you send a PM to billaney. I am sure he can help with some mature filter media He's in Wainuiomata.