Caryl

Don't use the house water supply if it is copper pipes in the house.

Well done to those who are saving these creatures. I do wonder though how you tell if a turtle is 'slow'

I get rata and rimu from the beach at Hokitika where it washes down from the river. I give it a good scrub with a nail brush or old toothbrush, for those small, hard to reach places then rinse well and add it to the tank. Never had a problem.

Greywacke and basalt should be fine I think. It is limestone you need to watch out for as it leaches and alters the pH. Pour a little vinegar over the rock. If it fizzes, don't use it. Some white rocks are fine eg marble. It is times like this I really miss our late member June Goldsack, who was president of the local rock and mineral club. She was a mine (no pun intended) of information.

Personally I prefer not to add any chemicals to my tank.

How many fish (and what size) are in the current tank? If you put media from the established filter into the new one, you should be able to add the fish immediately. Remember, bacteria grow slowly in a filter to match the bioload of the tank. If you have a tank say, with 30 fish, and you then use that filter on a new tank with only 10 fish in it, of a similar size, some of the bacteria will die off. So, how much of the filter media you use from the established filter will depend on the bioload of the 2 tanks.

It is normal, especially in the fancy goldfish.

Just found this.. "The railway sleepers were kept away from the pond. On hot days tar deposits can seep out, and these are potentially harmful to fish and wildlife." from the website http://www.bestgardening.com/bgc/design ... deck01.htm

I too would think the sleepers have tar and stuff on them but they are used to line ponds with aren't they? Or is that just on the outside and the sleepers themselves are not in contact with the pond water?

Sounds like an algae bloom. Is it white cloudy? Won't harm the fish but looks unsightly. How long has the tank been set up? This is common in new set-ups and should disappear again after a week or two.

and there was me thinking they bounced well if you tied a bit of string around them :lol: Welcome to the fishroom Garry

Also check out the Dunedin club's tank parade coming up. Check the details here http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/viewtopic.php?t=7924 I will be attending all the way from Blenheim so you guys should have no difficulty getting there

Nice pics. A couple of points though... If you are going to provide the fish with reading material you should stand it up the right way (unless you have some upsidedown cats in there and it is just for them) That puppy will outgrow your tank. :lol:

Good one Marcel! Let us know if you need any full colour posters etc run off as I would be happy to do them for you.

Welcome to the site Dan. Don't hesitate to ask questions.

Welcome Eileen. I hope you are able to interest some of your students in fish keeping. They are welcome to visit this site too.

Can't he make stands etc for both? Scats and monos grow too big for your hex I think you will find. Not sure about the plants but think Java fern will tolerate brackish conditions.

I too prefer to leave them without food as I don't trust the auto feeders but others have used them successfully. Jo uses them I believe in her rental set-ups. I assume you just want to use them for a short period while you are away? Otherwise, feeding time is when you should check the fish for signs of illness or bullying. Making sure all are well and accounted for and all are getting a fair share of the food.

Grant was going to write me an article on this very subject! Thanks for the link Alan.

Two other suitable inhabitants for a brackish tank are monos Monodactylus sp and scats Scatophagus argus

Another fish is the leopardfish Phalloceros caudomaculatus

Hi fishgirl. Sounds like you will fit in here very well as MTS has already set in :lol:

Newt, they are J marlieri from Lake Tanganyika. They are in my Laka Malawi tank as they are visiting relatives :lol:

Having never bought aquarium salts I can't tell you the differences. Some people like to use a little salt in their aquariums as a 'tonic' for the fish. Some fish prefer it. Mollies like a bit of salt and some livebearer breeders swear by it. Whether this is the same salt used in marine tanks I don't know, as I don't keep marines, but I doubt it. When I kept mollies, I just used plain table salt (non iodised). The amount used is very small (can't remember how much exactly. Check out 'How to Salt a Freshwater Aquarium' in the beginner section) as it was discussed there. Brackish tanks have a salinity halfway between fresh and marine. This is to simulate regions where fish live in the tidal areas of rivers where they meet the sea so salinity changes as the tide goes in and out.

Having goldfish in it would have helped but then as it sat empty for 2 weeks, what were the bacteria in the filter living on during this time? Many would have died off again. A tank will not cycle, or keep cycled, sitting empty with no fish in it.