Caryl

Caper I don't know of any NZ site specifically (never looked them up) but I can direct you to http://photobucket.com/albums/v144/carylnz/ This is my web album. There is one album there called New Zealand, which will show you what my country looks like. Feel free to look in the other albums as well, particularly the Karamea trip we did recently.

MAC - Marlborough Aquarium Club :lol:

I assume you know how big they grow?

Hi and welcome ormali. Did you have all those fish in the little tank or did you go out and buy them all at once once the big tank was set up? I think this might be your problem. Have you tested the water for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates?

That first one is obviously a pregnant male :lol: Are they fish fingers in the background?

I would need to see both tanks up close and 'live' before deciding. If anyone would like to give me the money I am happy to travel over and personally check them out for you. :lol:

You are on the right track - cooler is what I meant and the pads come in both solid and flexible outers. I use the solid plastic ones.

Water sprite - Ceratopteris thalictroides Indian fern - Ceratopteris pteroides Water wisteria - Hygrophila difformis Riccia - Riccia fluitans Duckweed - Lemna minor Rubra - Azollia filiculoides Starwort - Callitriche stagnalis water clover - Nardoo - Marsilea mutica

The heater doesn't need to be turned off as it only turns on if the temp drops below its set temperature. In warm weather it just doesn't turn on. We have small fluorescents here that fit into an ordinary bulb socket. Do you have them over there too? The pads I refer to are called Slikka Pads over here. They are the solid plastic ones you put into chilly bins, Eskies, or chiller boxes (don't know what you call them in Canada). They are full of water and you keep them in the freezer until needed. They do not leak. You can use ice cubes too but this raises the water level as they melt which is why I prefer the pads. My tank is set to 22C (which is lower than many recommend but my fish are all happily living to ripe old ages) but in summer gets up to 28 - 30C.

I believe they still need feeding and give mine bottom feeder pellets and cucumber.

We are in what is called The Ring of Fire which runs around the Pacific. That means we have quake fault lines running through our country plus volcanos. We get lots of quakes but most do little or no damage. They say we are overdue for the Big One though! They terrify me. I still remember one we had in 1967 (that ages me doesn't it?). Don't know how big it was but I remember the power going off, then a roar, then violent shaking. As well as the noise of the quake itself, everything came crashing down off shelves, pictures came off the walls, furniture was flung about the room, the chimneys came down, the toilet cracked in half (luckily nobody was on it at the time ) and the whole house was moved 4 inches off its foundations. You could look down the bedroom wall and see the flowers in the garden outside. I remember the mess of all the preserves, eggs and birdseed slopping over the floor. Amazingly, because the cupboards faced the other way, we didn't lose any crockery though. Two years later an even bigger quake hit Inangahua and people were killed. There were massive landslides and one even blocked a whole valley with the river backing up behind it.

Fancy meeting you here Caper! :lol: Welcome to The Fishroom.

Break them up if you have small fish. A treat can either replace, or be given along with, the regular flakes.

That is plenty. Once you are more experienced you will test even less. I only test my tanks if I suspect a problem. Let the tank settle a bit before the 2nd test. testing twice is just to satisy your curiosity and let you know what your tank is doing until you get the hang of it

The fish ought to be getting enough natural light so I doubt your light routine upsets them. Use fluorescents as they are cooler and cheaper to run. I would never consider a tank without natural plants as it is better for the fish and easier to keep the water parameters stable but lots of people keep artificial plants only with no problems. Your tank will heat to match the temperature of the room even if your heaterstat is set to a lower temp. Ours sit at 28C in summer and get up to 33C on hot days. Then we turn the lights off, lift the lids and blow fans across the surface to cool them off. If necessary we also put frozen pads in as well.

We are really keen on something like styrofoam under the tanks here because we get lots of earthquakes so we like to think the foam helps absorb the extra movement and stop stress fractures. It also helps stop heat loss. I sometimes line the back of my tanks with it as well. A 50% water change won't hurt the fish. If you don't want to change that much, siphon it into a bucket or container then pour it back in when you have finished.

I don't keep carbon in my filters as I think it is an unnecessary added expense as you have to keep replacing it regularly. Depending on your filter type, replace the carbon with extra filter wool or ceramic noodles. It can be interesting at the start to do water tests just before, then just after, you do the water changes. This will give you an idea of whether you are doing the water changes soon enough, or possibly able to leave them a little longer (like your 2nd rather than every week). An ammonia reading of 0 is good!

No they will be fine. I am sure they thought all their Christmas's had come at once though :lol: Are you leaving the light on all day or just long enough to feed them? Fish like a nice day/night cycle. If you have live plants you need 10 - 12 hours of light per day.

Like humans, fish like a varied diet. The tropical flakes are enough but boring. That is why you feed other stuff once or twice a week as a 'treat'. Try also spirulina flakes. Do you have access to any live foods?

Damn! Can't come then You had better all behave yourselves!!

Hi and welcome. Pinkies? Are they freshwater or marine fish?

I'm a bit worried about the bit at the bottom. Is it the poor fish's brain? :lol:

I didn't think it was that cold yet! Sorry to hear it Joze. How many were in there?

When you get your picture taken with a flash does it hurt your eyes? Most of my fish don't seem to notice, or react, to the flash. The lights should be on when you are feeding as this is a good time to check your fish for illness, damage etc. You also need to note if any seem off their food or are missing out because of bullying or faster fish. Only feed as much as the fish can eat in 5 minutes and remove any leftover food as this will pollute the tank. Some people feed a little after lights off if they have nocturnal fishes.

Shouldn't cause problems. We have bought all sorts from Jaycar with no problems but not a transformer specifically. Thanks for the correction chim. I was at work and didn't notice the , instead of the .