Caryl

If you are feeding brine shrimp their little angel tummies will go orange and get bigger

A few more details would help. What size tank? How long has it been set up? Has it been cycled? Are there any other fish in with the discus? What temperature?

Worst: Losing a lot of fish when the filter failed on one tank while we were away, and then the thermostat cooked half the fish in the other tank while we were away the next time! Best: Getting my 10m x 3m pond finished and the front yard landscaped

There have been a few questions about how to use a siphon when doing water changes, and how to siphon in heavily planted areas. If you keep your thumb over the hose at the end aimed at the bucket, you can control the flow of water up the tube. To start the siphon, either suck on the end (and risk getting a mouthful of dirty tank water) or lower the tube into the water. Hold your thumb over the far end of the narrow hose and tip the tube until it fills with water. Keep filling until the tube and hose are full of water (you may have to raise the tube a few times out of the water to get it high enough to fill the hose as well, depending on its length) then, making sure the tube is under water, remove your thumb from the other end. When siphoning gravel, I shove the plastic tube as far into the gravel as possible and keep it there until the water going up the tube runs clear. I then put my thumb over the hose to stop the flow then move the tube to the next section. The gravel will ride partway up the tube and tumble clean then drop back to the bottom when you stop the water flow. When siphoning over plants I lower the tube as far as possible over the plant. Hope this helps.

Got a pic?

Depends on how old mum is. Anything from 4 to 204. She will produce every 4 - 6 weeks I never separate fry, I just provide lots of fine leaved plants for the fry to hide in - Java moss, water sprite, cabomba.

Molly fry are big enough to eat crushed flake

I thought it was one of the other myriophyllums that was banned Must go and check what I just bought for my pond then!

I also meant to tell you the Tasman Aquarium Club has just started. Send a PM to AMAZONIAN as he is sorting it out.

Watercress is used as a filter in ponds

My book that sets up an Amazon rain forest stream suggests; Cabomba caroliniana (Cabomba) Echinodorus tenellus (dwarf swordplant) Myriophyllum aquaticum (water milfoil) Eleocharis acicularis (hair grass) and bogwood

What is the hassle when you just lie it on the concrete and blast it with a hose? A lot cheaper too. Goes against the grain to buy driftwood when it is lying about for free.

Send a PM to TM on this forum as he custom builds tanks in ChCh. Does an excellent job too (and cheaper)

Hi and welcome. Unless you have halides for lighting and/or a poorly insulated house I don't see why there would be much difference in your power bill. If you think it's bad now - wait until you have a marine tank. They really use the power!

All my driftwood has come ready waterlogged from the beach. I just hosed it down with the garden hose to get the sand out of the crevices then put it in the tank. Never had a problem so far. Of course there is porbably less pollution on our beaches than the Auckland ones

Sorry, don't know what happened there but you are missing from my master database but you are on the list Janey sent. Will send you one immediately (well, tomorrow anyway).

Thanks evil but you can't really see it in that pic (it was the unit that was important) and the water level needs topping up (plus the whole thing needs a clean)

Hey I'm modern too - I have the banana boat song on CD

Pardon Jim?

Just took it a few moments ago - excuse the mess :oops: Unit is 3.6m (12 feet) wide and floor to ceiling at one end of the lounge. I designed it to fit specific items eg tank, Ansonia clock, hookah pipe, stereo (no longer there) and stereo speaker. Cupboards at right hand end are full of records (remember those large black vinyl things?) under tank has fish buckets at one end and games at the other and left hand cupboards have large canister filter plus all the other aquatic gear you tend to acquire. :roll:

You mean like this?

Too much light and too few plants. Plants compete with the algae so a bit more competition may help. Are you able to cover the ends of the tank?

Are you just missing the November one Shae?

Hi Emily, A school of harlequins looks pretty. They are much more colourful when in a large group. Easy to look after with basic requirements. Well suited to a community tropical tank.

Anyone? We can find Wonder Tonic (supposedly for a number of ailments, including fungus) or Melafix but not sure Melafix is the thing to use in this case.