Caryl

They are bagged (preferably in bags with rounded corners) with 1/4 water to 3/4 air and filled with oxygen then secured with a rubber band. Not too many fish per bag either. Since it is usually a minimum 4 hour journey home from our lfs, we pack the bags of fish into polystyrene boxes to keep the temperature even. At this time of year we need it to keep them cool! Once home they should be put into a quarantine tank but I must confess to being quite slack at this. I just float the bags a while then slowly release the fish into the main tank. I did this the other day and got worried when 4 of the 6 barbs died 3 days later. All other fish are still well though.

Just cos it's brown doesn't mean it's pH will be suitable, but I know what you mean by looking ideal for discus. One would hope if it is town drinking water then it would be safe to use. Others would say it is never safe to take water from an open source like that, especially if animals use it.

I just fill up containers outside and the daphnia seem to appear out of nowhere! Not everyone finds this so though

Grant got a sympathy card sent from Wgtn the other day - it took 11 days to reach here! :roll:

It shouldn't be far away Ballistic as you are on the mailing list!

Do live blood worms and tubifex worms look the same then?

Buenos aires tetras are terrors - especially on plants! You are all correct though, a large school of neons is a sight to behold (so are large schools of harlequins, cardinals and rummy noses to name a few).

Thank you all for your kind words and praise. Keep it up! :lol: Snowman, you must either belong to an affiliated FNZAS club to get a free copy of the magazine, or subscribe to it. It costs $21.80 inc p&p for 12 months.

You can never have too much filtration. One of my 250L tanks has an Eheim wet/dry at one end, my new Jebo 819 at the other (replacing a Fluval 404) plus 2 Shark internals (there in case they are needed in another tank ie quarantine). This means I always have a filter on hand.

Then thanks to Kim and Mark. I liked their articles too :lol: . Anyone else want to submit something?...please?

We are driving up so all you need to do is bus to Blenheim or the Picton ferry terminal and travel with the rest of your club. We share costs with the club usually subsidising some of the fuel costs and paying for the vehicle(s) on the ferry.

None on the pa as far as I know but I only know one of them as she married my uncle. I know she is involved in treaty claims and such but she owns a motel in Greymouth. Couldn't even tell you the tribe name actually but her father was chief when he died a few years ago.

Ah I hadn't noticed your sig change Ira, no wonder I got confused A Whisper filter has little bags in it doesn't it? Swap the old bag for the new one and put it on the new tank, or, if possible, can they be cut in half and have half old half new in each? I don't have a Whisper filter so not sure what is in them. If they have 2 bags, just swap one around so each filter has one old and one new.

My rellies are the tangata whenua over there :lol: It is a great place for driftwood isn't it BK? Please leave some for the rest of us :lol:

BK if you are in ChCh how come you say you are on the West Coast? Are you visiting there? :lol: I gather my lovely native driftwood from the mouth of the Hokitika beach. All I do to it is give it a good scrub when I get home then add it to the tank.

I too use photobucket.

What sort of filter are you using? Could you transfer some of the media from it to the new filter? That would help a lot. Not everyone is an expert speller or good with grammar. This does not mean they need correcting. Please stick to the topic without criticising perceived mistakes.

I use hot water straight from the tap no problems. Some older houses can be a hassle with older pipes and corrosion.

If roninboxers is correct and it is Java moss grown emersed then you all have a good source of your very own Xmas tree moss at a fraction of the cost

I know the original thread said leopard danios but I wanted to check they weren't being confused with leopardfish re the cold water bit.

No it doesn't Aqua as they are not affiliated with us yet - still getting organised! I know we, the FNZAS, in effect are setting the poecilia group up but it doesn't make it an automatic member without going through the correct procedure. This involves the club sending a letter to the FNZAS secretary requesting they be allowed to join the FNZAS. The request is then sent to all the other clubs and if no objections are received within 3 months, membership is accepted (on payment of capitation fees and Year Book levy of course)

Warren, where is the best place to buy these acids and does the pumice alter the pH?

Freshwest means this bit from Warren... You can smash up pumice. It has a very high surface area compared to most hard surface media. It’s also free if you can find some. It can contain silicates and heavy metals however. After smashing it up it needs to be treated. I've used it a lot with very good success. Here's how I prepare it: Smash the pumice into bits about 10mm in size. Soak the pumice in acid for 1 week, stirring daily. Rinse the pumice and soak in chlorine for 1 week. Rinse very thoroughly. Pumice is now ready. The acid can be anything fairly toxic. I usually use Hydrochloric Acid since I keep some in the shed. You could use acetic acid (white vinegar) but it’s a lot weaker. The best would probably be phosphoric acid, as it will get most of the silicates and heavy metals. You can use any Sodium Hypochlorite based Bleach as a source of chlorine. This will help break down any remaining organic material and bleach the pumice so it is very white. The final rinsing process consists of a very thorough rinse followed by soaking the pumice for a few days, changing the water every day. When there is no smell it is ready. Pumice works really well but sometimes it can cause a little brown algae (due to silicates) for the first couple of months. It’s normal to get some brown algae in a new tank anyway, its just a little worse for a little longer. If you are happy to put up with this in exchange for almost free media it’s an excellent option.

Erythromycin can only be obtained from a doctor as it is a prescription medication. I used it as a last resort in my tank and it worked well. I had an AquaClear running but a very low stocking level. I removed as much of the dying cyano as possible during treatment and then did a large water change. Never did any tests so have no idea what it did to ammonia etc levels but lost no inhabitants during the treatment.

Who knows? A letter posted to us from Wellington took 5 days but many of the upper North Island people got their magazines the day after I posted them from here. I would expect it to take 2 days average.