Caryl

You can get a mix of colours they are just different colour morphs. Be aware though that if they breed you might end up with some not so nice coloured fry.

Easy to sex them. Look at the dorsal fin on top of the body, and the tail fins. The males have longer pointed fins than the females, who have more rounded ends on their fins. The females also tend to be rounder in the body.

As hummingbird said, it does also depend on what fish you have. Do not use undergravels with fish that like to dig around in the substrate, like goldfish or a lot of the cichlids. Small corys and bristlenose types are fine though

Hi lilpinkfishy and welcome. There is always something to learn You obviously already know some here. 8)

Peat can be bought from garden centres. Make sure it is natural or organic with nothing added, like mould inhibitors. YOu can put it in the foot of an old pair of pantyhose or similar then add it to the filter or tucked somewehre out of sight. You will have to play with the amount to get the desired drop.

It would be fine. I like undergravels for tanks 2ft or smaller. Cheap and easy to manage. If you want to grow live plants, make sure the substrate is at least 5cm deep.

It means using the stuff only works for about 24 hours then the pH goes back to what it was What is your pH and what are you wanting it to be? Peat to lower it or limestone to raise it is easier and more manageable (and cheaper).

Hi and welcome dodge. Join us in the chatroom too. We are in there around 9pm every night. Bet the fish love their new bigger home!

No worries Angus. I suspect the rotala Eon has for you is from the bunch I originally gave to him! :lol:

I have what I thought was Rotala wallichii but I am beginning to suspect it may be R rotundifolia. It is growing so fast I am always having to trim it. You are welcome to it. Ambulia doesn't last in my tank so I do not need to swap it for any.

Welcome Candy. What a pity you only have a small number of little tanks :lol: MTS takes up a lot of room doesn't it?

What an excellent light fitting! I noticed it immediately and thought "Wow, there's someone who knows how to make a light fitting!" :lol: I have one made from Marley guttering too. I also line the inside with tinfoil to increase light reflection. Have also seen it done using old CDs. Nothing wrong with the tank as is. Darker and lighter places for the fry depending on their desire.

Stroppy means aggressive Caper. Isn't it funny how words we take for granted aren't known in other places? Makes you wonder how anyone learns to speak English with so much slang in common useage.

I would get rid of the blue.

Not sure the local rocks would have added to your problems. Canterbury rocks are pretty safe. All some rocks do is alter the pH, making it too alkaline. Limestone does this for instance. To test a rock to see if it is safe, pour a little vinegar on it. If it fizzes, that indicates lime present and don't use it - unless you are setting up an African tank of course and want a high pH. I am sure though that the rocks had nothing to do with your fishes' dying, just the problem of too many fish too fast too soon.

Java fern

It could be a problem. The blue 3 spots are known to be a bit stroppy. Keep an eye on them all and look for signs of stress from the others - clamped fins, trying to hide etc.

Just be aware that the inside of most chilly bins is white so the fish will lose vitually all their colour - DON'T PANIC! This is normal and colour will come back once they are in their tank again I gather it is not too far from A to B so you shouldn't have any problems. Keep at least half the water, put water and fish in transportable container. If the tank is not too heavy I would leave the gravel in it and carry it in situ. Remember the temp in the car is likely to be warm anyway - besides, if you have the car heater giong they are not going to chill. As long as the filter doesn't dry out it should be fine too for a short time.

I htink it is trying to escape the encroaching red rotala!

Once the seal has been broken the air gets in and it is this exposure that starts the deterioration. Expiry dates are more for the sales people to make sure product is rotated correctly. Many pills for instance have an expiry date but are quite useable many years past their use-by dates.

It recently started sending out bigger leaves than usual too :roll:

Once the seal has broken the food starts to lose its 'goodness' It will not harm the fish (unless it has something growing in it) but also will not provide maximum nutrition. Use it but alternate with 'fresh' flakes.

My males fight, but nothing serious and they don't do damage. They usually just fight over food. I have at least 6 in my tank too (probably more) of mixed sexes though more males than females.

As far as I know Jude my Anubias is v. nana. I have seen it in both small and large leaved versions depending on conditions.

The only thing your neon has regarding neon tetra disease symptoms is colour loss. This can also be attributed to stress, as can the clamped fins, which it also seems to have in some of the pics.