Caryl

When doing water changes on my African tank I just hauled the garden hose through the window. Easy.

yes

Planaria worms look like fine threads. Caused by overfeeding. Give the gravel a good siphon and cut back on the amount you are feeding. Planaria are harmless by the way.

6ft x 2ft x 2ft

My plants do that after a water change. I always thought it was just trapped oxygen :-?

albinos :lol:

So what temp and pH are they in?

Apparently lilies only need to be removed over winter if you wish to divide them next spring. They need to be kept moist. If so, I am not sure why it is suggested you remove them from the pond :-?

Clean out rotting vegetation, dead leaves and plants etc. Check and clean out filters. Do not turn them off over winter! Cut back any plants that require it. Remove lilies for overwintering. Check pipework joints and seals as ice can open cracks. Check the pump is going well with no worn parts. Raise it to just below the water surface. The agitation will help stop ice forming and warmer water will stay undisturbed at the bottom. Normally warm air and water rises but in a cold pond the surface water freezes and forms an insulating layer which forces the warmer water to sink. That is why pond fish head for the depths during winter. If the water temp reaches 2C ice crystals will form in the gills, causing them to burst and kill the fish. Cover part of the pond if you can as this will stop the whole surface from freezing so oxygen can still dissolve and carbon dioxide escape. Make sure the cover allows light through or algae and plants will die and pollute the water. If you have a waterfall or fountain it may pay to turn them off as flowing water will chill rapidly and lower the pond temp. Don't feed the fish. Once the temp drops below 10C the fish's digestive systems shut down into semi hibernation mode and they can't process food. Nitrates will build up over winter so make sure you do a water change in the spring.

Yes they do tend to fade as they get old. They will also look pale in a lfs if they are stressed, which is often the case.

Makes sense. I look forward to more pics once the plants are established then

Very nice. I much prefer the cardinals to neons. A pity they cost so much more. I also love a big group of rummys. May I suggest a bit more plant on the left? The tank looks a little unbalanced to me but it may be just the pic (or me).

Just trying to do an article on these fish. There seems to be 2 colour forms - yellow and red. Do we get both in NZ?

No they wouldn't as the club supposed to be hosting had pulled out and we did not have a definite answer at that stage as to who would pick up the gauntlet and host conference 2007. It was not confirmed until later.

Napier have yet to pull their fingers out I believe and haven't even got the registration forms out so don't blame your club Alan. I have put in a request for information ASAP. It is supposed to be in Napier and Grant and I will be there.

We'll be there Errol!

It was a misunderstanding though as it was not a case of only sharing with FNZAS members. What have you done re starting the club and what is the problem?

Good point :lol:

This is a family forum billaney! :lol: Where are you Alan? He has questions!! 8)

Sounds like an expensive way to feed daphnia to me.

There used to be a club in Palmerston North shadowfax. Perhaps you would like to ressurect it? I assure you that you can learn plenty here, without belonging to the FNZAS. We merely encourage people to join as it all helps the hobby. If we were exclusive, non FNZAS members wouldn't be here in the first place! Our aim is to improve the hobby and help people keep fish to the best of their ability. You all enjoy the information you gain from here but how many of you help pay for it? That is what the FNZAS does. Thanks for the link to the old article Blue. It was a very helpful one too. Carla, I suggest if you dislike someone's postings so much then don't read them.

Did you know they have a problem in the USA with people buying pet meds to treat themselves and their families cos it is cheaper than seeing a Dr? There have always been restrictions on meds here.

We have high nitrates in the tap water and I don't usually have a problem with cyano, just the once when it came on infected plants. Have a look at this. It is part of an algae article that will be in the next Aquarium World magazine... BGA - Blue Green Algae, slime This type of algae usually occurs from beneath the substrate, and rises up. You can visually see this happening before a breakout begins, so it always worth keeping an eye on the higher levels of the substrate. BGA is actually not an algae but a mixture of Cyanobacteria & Algae. It grows in sheets and can have a bad smell to it. Causes - A) Low nitrate levels B) Areas of poor circulation with low O2, such as the substrate Solutions - In my experience the best way to totally get rid of BGA is to perform a 3 day blackout on the tank. Doing this will stop the development of the algae, as no light will be entering the tank. Plants will do just fine with this, as they have a more complex system over algae that allows them to survive longer without the correct environment. To perform a blackout it is very simple and risk free. 1) Cover the tank completely so no light gets in, i have used bin bags to cover small tanks as well as old rolls of wallpaper.. you get the idea. 2) Turn off any CO2 system that may be running. 3) Use an air pump when covered. 4) Do not feed during the 3 day blackout 5) Upon completion of the blackout, do a 20% water change. If the outbreak is really bad, it is worth checking the filter to remove any excess BGA that may be there. In all the cases that I have done this, the algae has died totally, and the plants give a nice growth spurt when the lights and normal conditions are resumed.

I am talking about a small outcrop of rocks, a popular rest stop, just north of Waipapa. Nowhere near South Bay in Kaikoura or the Half Moon Bay on Stewart Island. Check if tuatua are restricted.

As I said, they were all in the rock pools by Half Moon Bay. We had shrimps, anemones, sea cucumbers, chitons, starfish, brittlestars, rockfish, triplefins, and anything else that moved in the rock pools. Never had a skimmer on it. You need patience to catch the shrimps, plus one big net and one little net.