Caryl

It could also be stress and the fish is overproducing a slime coat and it is this that is peeling off. A pic would be helpful.

An 80 - 85 is still too small for a plec. How did you cycle the tank?

Hi James and welcome. First questions... 1. What size is the tank? 2. Did you "cycle" it before adding all those fish? Unless your tank is at least 4ft x 2ft x 2ft you will need to get rid of the plecs as they grow over to 2ft. If your tank has plants they won't last long as the plecs will uproot them. Rams need a well matured tank I believe and very good water quality. The rams aren't that big so I am sure you can get a pellet or 2 near the corys before the rams eat all of them. UGFs just need siphoning over the gravel when you do your regular water changes. Make sure you have enough substrate over the UGF for the plants to grow. You need about 5cm.

I wish I had a leprechaun to take great pics for me like that

Why lift the tank? Jack the house up at the lower end - easy peasy :lol:

YAHOO!! At last Marlborough will have a club close enough for a club visit! :lol: What are you going to call yourselves? What about Golden Bay Hobbyists? That way you can be GBH :lol: (grievous bodily harm for those who are unfamiliar with police jargon)

ditto :lol:

Fins crossed he recovers

a lot of aquarium plants are sold in garden centres Baby tears (Bacopa) immediately springs to mind.

No worries. Discus keepers often do daily water changes of this size all the time.

If you mean will it cause a cycle in the stable tank - then no. If the tank has been set up and running with fish etc for some time then it will be fully cycled. A filter is not a necessity but very helpful. All it will do is create bacteria in the new filter which, once established, can then be moved to a new tank.

I don't know much about your method as I have never tried it. I cycle new tanks by adding the new filter to an old tank for a few weeks.

Are you doing a fishless cycle? http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/cycling.htm

I agree with all that's been said. We often go away up to a week and just leave the community fish. Our bigger cichlids need feeding once or twice during this time and we put the right amount into labelled pill bottles for the neighbour to empty in as required.

Done

Sorry to hear that Mitch. Your club has lost a valued member. My condolences to the club and Val's family. She will be sadly missed.

Sorry to hear that wok. I know it was done with the rest! I got one returned today (not yours) with a sticker saying "Insufficient postage". I had forgotten to put the stamp on it :oops:

Why have you got a clown loach in an African tank? Clowns prefer acid to neutral pH while the Africans like it very alkaline. I have never had to treat fish for whitespot so will leave that to someone else who has to advise you. Whitespot is most likely caused by stress. I would remove the clown and treat it separately - they need half dose meds I believe.

If angels have grown up together they are usually all right. A bottom feeder or 2 would be good. I recommend Ancistrus sp. (bristlenosed catfish) or a trio of corydoras.

Hi Souxsi, You username is familiar. I am sure I have seen it somewhere else 8) Get the angels. Don't forget the tank will have to cycle properly (sitting with just water and plants in it for 4 weeks does not mean it has cycled) so don't go adding lots at once. My angels are with rummy nose tetras and other small tetras with no problems.

and in Auckland too :lol:

I think I saw one at Redwoods in ChCh.

I saw that Mythbusters too. Many fish recognise their owners, no matter what they are wearing, and can differentiate between them and other people.

Thank you all and thank you to those who contributed. The more who do so - the easier it makes my job - and I don't whinge quite so much. Billaney, I suggest you read the excellent article on photographing fish. You might learn something Nice to hear Wgtn got theirs, they are often the last to get them for some reason. :roll:

The Aquarium World magazine is free to all members of affiliated clubs. So, you either join a club, or subscribe. Often cheaper to join a club Subscription is $21.80 for 4 magazines (it is a quarterly publication Feb, May, Aug & Nov) 40 pages, A5 size, full colour. Subscriptions go to If you subscribe, send me a PM when you have paid so I can check Janey got the money then you will be added to my mailing list. Click on the FNZAS logo top left of the page to go to the Home Page which has a place to click for a list of affiliated clubs in NZ and their contact people. If you do not get a reply from a club, please let me know so I can kick A** :lol: