Caryl

We have acid rain here - 6.5 8)

It all depends where you live and I understand ChCh water is fine without adding anything to it. I don't add anything else when I do water changes as we don't have problems with our water supply either. Some gouramis, especially the dwarfs, seem to be of poor quality these days and not hardy at all. It seems odd to me that the only fish affected were the gouramis which makes me think it may have been more the fish rather than the water change.

Welcome weka, you are in for a fun (if frustrating at times) hobby guaranteed to keep your interest! Plenty of salties in ChCh to help you get started the right way.

I don't know about the discus carry-ons but angels are always moving their fry.

By the way, limestone raises the pH, not lowers it.

White slime makes me think of an overproduction of mucus due to stress of some sort. Did you notice if they had the slime while still in the bag?

How did you clean the filter?

Check the pH. Rainwater tends to be acidic. Good to hear you aren't flooded (again)

Hi there nemo's mom and welcome to the fishroom. Hopefully someone will be able to help you with your problem.

Most excellent pics Paul! We are going to have to put an R18 on this thread :lol:

Wish I was still there with my camera (under mosquito netting of course) :lol:

Sounds like we have a club forming in Invercargill :lol: . Let me know if you need help, posters, or information etc.

Hi Raven and welcome to the fishroom. Perhaps we will see you in chat sometime. A group of us are in there usually around 9pm.

A BIG tank and LOTS of filtration. They are very messy eaters! :lol:

Oh dear you are well overstocked, especially for a newly set up tank! The clown loaches are going to get too big plus should never be put into a new tank, they need one well matured. The red fin shark will also get too big for a tank this size. What sex are the guppies? You should have a ratio of 1 male to 3 females. Ask the shop if they will take some fish back - especially the clowns and shark. If this is a new tank they should never have sold you the whole lot at once that is irresponsible. Get some test kits for ammonia and nitrates and start doing 20% minimum daily water changes until your ammonia and nitrate level are reading as per the instructions in the kit. Please read as much as you can about cycling aquariums. Feel free to join us in the chat room too. A group of us are in there most nights around 9pm.

Nice fish (not as good as yours though billaney eh? :lol: )

Also, how big is the tank, what filtration is on it, and how many fish have you added? Do you know about 'cycling' a tank? What fish have you got in there?

Hi and welcome. Quite a few people use grey gravel, some even use white. The fish prefer dark but nothing wrong with grey. Plant heaps of plants and you won't see much of the gravel anyway

Litres per fish is not particularly accurate as a lot depends on the size of each fish, filtration and maintenance routine. A lot of little fish will produce less waste than one large chunky cichlid or similar. A well filtered tank can sustain a much larger stocking level than one with less or no filtration. A regular 10 - 20% water change per week will support more fish than a tank getting less water changes.

Hi DG and welcome to the fishroom. Hope you get the 4ft problem sorted quickly - it sounds like a water problem. How long has it been set up and the inhabitants added? What filtration does it have? The water tests should give you an idea of what has gone wrong.

MURDERER!! Survival of the fittest Jude :lol:

Try everythng and see what happens. I know mine have enjoyed carrot in the past, as well as peas, cucumber and lettuce. I wonder if pumpkin would foul the water quite quickly.

Welcome Kirsty. I am sure the changes are for the better

I got red Xs but a right mouse click and then click 'show picture' fixed it.

What exactly did the manual say? How big is the tank and what have you put in it so far? (filter etc)