Caryl

What fish is he in with? It might be fin rot. Any sign of blood in the fin rays?

Surely it is only on a saltwater site that someone can say "Hey look at my new brain!" without any adverse, or smart, remarks :lol:

Hey gir, work hard and pass those grades for yourself, not your dad. I'm sorry things don't sound so good at your place but what you do, and how you react is mostly going to affect you, not anyone else. You know you can do it so keep up the good work.

Are you hosting the meeting in your home to show your tank scalare or are you still meeting in the Sydenham Community hall? If it is at your place would you please let us know by posting details here? Thanks.

Does it matter really? All are the same Xiphophorus sp and all cross breed.

John he is in the USA. They won't have Bunnings. We don't have them in the south either

Well postage would be around $3.60 I think as I can get 4 in a 90c envelope so that would be 4 envelopes plus $16 for the magazines so around $19.60. With a bit of squishing I could probably spread them over 2 A4 envelopes (and I have used ones of them so no extra cost) so halve the postage

Longer pointed fins are males, rounded fins are females.

Just put the rocks and gravel into a large pot, cover with water, and boil about 20 minutes on the stove. Ask your mother first!! :lol:

Please gir, if you are not willing to care for your fish properly, please do not set up another tank. Why are you doing so if you aren't taking any notice of the current one? How would you like to be kept locked in a room and not fed? What sort of algae is in the tank? If it is small dots on the glass needing a razor blade to remove it is usually too much direct light causing the problem.

Don't ditch the tank - set up another one as well. If you boil the gravel and clean the tank with salted water it will get the algae off. Thow out any live plants though. Plastic plants can be boiled as well or soaked in bleach - making sure you then rinse them very very well before putting them back in the tank. A tall tank will hold less fish than a long one and limits you to what you can put in it. It is the total surface area that helps you figure out the total number of fish you can have. Long tanks have a much bigger surface area. Tall tanks are not suitable for the more streamlined and schooling fish, like barbs, tetras etc as they like to swim about lengthwise and they can't do this so well in a tall tank. Angels, dwarf gouramis, Siamese fighters all do well in tall tanks. Usually, you would set up a 2nd tank using half the water from the old tank to start the cycle in the new one. What sort of filter is in the new tank? Can you run it on the current tank for a couple of weeks at least to get the bacteria started? Then you can just shift the fish from one tank to the other quite quickly.

Hi gir and welcome. Loaches are very sensitive to water conditions so will get sick before other fish. As said, it is possible that your substrate needs a good clean as well. If you are adding water conditioner or ager to the new water when you do wate changes, you do not have to let it sit overnight as well. Why do you get out 2 hours earlier in high school?

Hi Jason. Pleased to have you here.

Pol's pics....

How large? I wouldn't recommend a convict as they get territorial but perhaps one would be ok. Have you thought about keyhole cichlids?

Yeah. There's a group of us who meet regularly around 9pm our time. Some are in from 8.30 and we are often still there at 10.30pm! If it was milk the kids spilled, don't cry over it

You can't have plecs and plants in the same tank. Even if they don't actively root up plants, a swish of the tail does it for them!

Bristlenoses can be odd. They will spawn madly for some time then stop for no apparent reason. I had a male who didn't do a thing for 5 years then more than made up for it for a short time again then stopped once more. The lady who was responsible for most of the bristlenoses in NZ a few years ago said hers were the same.

As the females drop the eggs the males fertilise them immediately. They then like to have a feast! :lol:

Barley straw has been used to combat algae in ponds, lakes and waterways. The exact mechanism is poorly understood but it seems that barley straw, when exposed to sunlight and oxygen, produces a chemical that inhibits algae growth, without reducing the growth of other aquatic plants or affecting the fish. Although it will not kill existing algae, it will inhibit new growth. Barley straw is most effective when applied early in the year prior to the appearance of algae (autumn through early spring). When applied to cold water (less than 10°C), it may take 6 - 8 weeks for the straw to begin working. If the straw is applied to warmer water (above 21°C), it may become effective in as little as 1 - 2 weeks. It will slowly decompose and remain effective for approximately 6 months after application. The most common amount is 2 - 3 bales per surface acre of pond. The depth of water in the pond is not important. Since most of us have ponds a lot smaller than that, you can see only a little is required for the average backyard pond. A pond 3,000 - 4,500 litres should only need about 230g of barley straw. Less than 3,000 litres use around 120g. In ponds that are frequently muddy, or those that have a history of heavy algae growth, two or three times this recommended dose may be required for the initial treatment. However, overdosing the pond with barley straw may kill the fish because straw deoxygenates the water as it decays. This is especially a problem if the pond is overdosed with straw during a prolonged warm spell. To use, tie a string to each bale (or put smaller amounts into mesh bags or netting) and attach a float at the other end (it sinks as it decomposes) and place it in your pond with the straw partially out of the water. It needs continuous exposure to both water and oxygen. You can also add it to the top of an waterfall unit or anywhere else there is good water circulation. Those living in warm temperatures year round, can add another "dose" of straw after about 5 months and remove the old ones about 2 months after that, thus overlapping doses. This will ensure a continual treatment of organic algaecide from your barley straw and you won't have to wait before the new bales become active. Those who live in colder areas should put the barley straw in the pond once the water temperature is above 10ºC. Make sure that the barley straw you get has been organically grown and free of harmful chemicals, pesticides, insecticides, etc. Another point to make sure of is that you get barley straw and not hay, wheat, or other straws. Barley straw is the most effective of the straws and hay will actually increase algae growth and deoxygenate the water as it decomposes rapidly.

Barbs would. So would white clouds, paradisefish, and leopardfish. I wouldn't put mollies in cooler water as they are very prone to white spot.

Cool pics! Cute babies

Are you sure it wasn't the room temp? My heaters don't come on at all at this time of year. In fact I often have to start cooling them down!

Define 'cold'. If you mean average room temperature then quite a few manage in a modern, well insulated home. By 'cold' I refer to around 18C. guppies white clouds of course leopardfish (also coldwater anyway) golden barbs rosy barbs for a start.

The tank (plus all the details) should go to the Freshwater Tanks section too. Do you have a pic of the tank at a distance? Is it on a full stand or sitting on some other furniture? Thanks for the pics.