Caryl

I was going to get a 6ft tank made and use the old 4ft for a sump but now wonder if it wouldn't be easier (and take up less room) to get one of these new fandangle machines.

If you want to stay overnight you can all just line up along the verandah with your sleeping bags

Sheep lick their lambs to leave their scent on them. Perhaps she is identifying her fry.

You would be most welcome to visit dee_jay. Not sure how green the grass will get in sunny Marlborough (despite the irrigation) but we will see. Bad news this morning though as we got up to find the water dropped considerably overnight, despite the welcome rain, so we have a leak!! Am waiting for the guys to come and figure out where the problem is. I don't envy them the task.

I shouldn't have to wait as the pond was sealed with non toxic paint but at the weekend I will do a pH check to see if it is the same then add a few fish to cycle it (where are you little wcmm's?)

Day 13 (days 11 and 12 had work done but not the sort a photograph would show - lots of digging etc) WE FILLED THE POND TODAY!!!! Took about 8 hours I think :roll: The garden on the other side was added to and the small pond put into place and planting established Here is our newly sown lawn from the pond and from the far side looking towards the pond... The landscapers have been brilliant. They took my vague ideas of what I wanted and created just what I wanted. 8) There are 2 automated irrigation systems in place, one for the gardens and the other for the lawn (which needed 7 truckloads of topsoil). I look forward to seeing the plants grow as I have no idea what most will look like :lol: Where they took the fence out to get the trucks and diggers in, we asked if they could replace it with a gate. So... The rocks are holding boards in place where they had to do a little re-concreting where fence posts were removed. Anyone wanting landscaping in the Marlborough area, I highly recommend Impact Landsaping For those asking the cost - it was a LOT but worth it. There was a lot of work involved as you have seen and it has taken the 3 of them 2 weeks. They will still be returning to check the lawn is growing well and the plants coping in their new garden.

OK, quite some time ago I bought some barbs I was told were Puntius rhombooccellatus. I got several but one of these barbs is not like the other. I asked back then if anyone knew what it was but nobody did so I am trying again. The first pic shows the 2 different fish in question. The bottom one is the rhom barb. What is the top one? Here is a closer look. The nearest I could find was Puntius everetti but it isn't quite right for that species either.

They look different to me. Try looking for them on Curt's site www.plantgeek.net and see what you think. I looked myself but was still confused :roll: I have this one which, to me, looks like your back ones blue. I was told, by the owner, it was mini vallis but have always assumed it was mini sag, Sagittaria subulata aka dwarf.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Possibly caused by banging his head on something. Unless it is showing signs of a secondary infection (fungus) I would leave it and just keep an eye on it. I am not a fan of using medications unless as a last resort. If you tank conditions are good it should clear on its own. Others may disagree though

Hi and welcome. Sounds like you will fit right in. Cees, our webmaster, is into taking photos of astronomical stuff so combines 2 of your hobbies

I will be booking our flights this afternoon and hoping to make the trip back on the Monday as late as possible. This is because I also hope some kind Wellingtonians will be willing to put up with us for the day (as I assume we will have to vacate the lodge by 10am) and perhaps take us to see their (and others) fish

I too have reflectors made from plastic guttering (there are pics posted in here of them somewhere). I lined some of mine with aluminium foil to refect the light downwards more.

I am picturing all these fish sitting around with their fins around each other singing drinking songs and laughing over silly jokes :lol:

Very nice kookie!

Do you have any driftwood in there? I gather this is a vital requirement to help them digest their food properly (although some pellets have wood chip in them). They live a long time. My oldest BNs would be 8 or 9yrs now and still zipping around. Did the 5 or 6 lots of fry disappear too? The males don't usually kill the females. He will chase her away so he can look after the eggs but doesn't get vicious like some species. Why is the temp 28C? This is a bit high. My tank is 22C though most keep them at 24 - 26C. 6 moles? I do hope you mean mollies :lol:

It wouldn't be a main fence. It would be attached to the main fence . Might leave the plants to grow and cover the old one for now. Day 11 and they have dug up the remains of the old lawn and brought in a couple of truckloads of topsoil. Most of the day was spent working out where to lay the pipes for the automatic irrigation system.

I might be wrong (I am occasionally) but I think plants need 12 hours straight, rather than a break in the middle, to photosynthesise. Too much cleaning around the plants isn't good as they feed off the nutrients there.

My son is 23 and hates me referring to him as 'my baby' so I do it as often as possible :lol:

Sorry to hear about the losses kermit. All our gear runs on UPS's.

OSH - Occupational Safety & Health. The government service responsible for inspection, information and training activities in the area of occupational safety and health. The landscapers read this thread last night - I think they think you are all nuts :lol: They did appreciate your kind words re their work so far. They are out there digging up the old lawn, laying new topsoil and putting in the automatic irrigation system as I type. Look here http://www.forestandbird.org.nz/publica ... gehogs.asp for a pic and some information about hedgehogs Caper.

"white stuff" is the technical term for it

If you have no plants, just turn the lights off by pulling the plug. The fish won't care. The light is needed for plants to grow.

Hold onto your pride until you've checked the bracing holds after the tank has been filled with water

Why blame the UGF?