Caryl

Why do we always let ourselves feel bad about 1 or 2 negative comments and forget the many more positive ones? :roll:

Barley straw is most effective if added autumn through spring before the algae takes hold. If the water is less than 10C it may take 6 - 8 weeks to start working but in water over 21C it may become efffective in as little as 1 - 2 weeks. It will slowly decompose and remain effective for around 6 months. 2 - 3 bales per surface acre of pond is the recommended amount so, since most ponds are a lot smaller it doesn't take much. A pond 3000 - 4000 litres should only need about 230g of barley straw. Less than 3000 litres use 120g. Put the straw in a mesh bag or old pantyhose to stop it spreading all over the place. Attach a float at one end (it sinks as it decomposes) and put it in the pond with the straw partially out of the water. It needs exposure to water and oxygen. You could also put it at the top of a waterfall unit. In warm temeratures, you can add another 'dose' of straw after 5 months and remove the old one 2 months later so they overlap doses. This ensures a continuous algaecidal effect. If you live in a colder area, put the barley straw in the pond once the temperature is above 10C. Make sure the straw is organic and free of chemicals. Make sure you get barley straw and not hay, wheat, or other straws. Barley straw is the most effective of the lot and hay will actually increase algae growth and deoxygenate the water as it decomposes rapidly. Do you have any farming friends you could ask for some? I would enquire at gardening centres, nurseries, or farming supply stores. Even an organic store may be able to point you in the right direction to their suppliers.

It is easy to criticise when you are anonymous Bas. Take no notice. I am sure your fish are well looked after.

Hi Colin. If your fish are breeding there can't be too much wrong I have just bought a paddling pool and 10 rosy barbs and hope to try breeding them (the barbs that is, not the paddling pool!) outside this summer.

Welcome Bas. Great site you have there. One of my club members is Dutch and he often tells us about the big Shows you have over there. He is keen on angels.

What part of the sponge filter was making the noise? The pump or the bubbles? Filters are not necessary if you do plenty of regular water changes and keep the tank lightly stocked and well planted.

I gather quite a few aquatic medications and stuff are known carcinogens

What about keyhole cichlids?

I have heard people say you can make your own with the things they use to pump water out of waterbeds - cheaper too apparently.

You have some great pics there Fay and some gorgeous looking tanks and fish!

I would have thought then that with the water changes you are doing the pH should be dropping. What is in the tank that may be affecting it? This is where the talk about 'buffering' comes in which always lost me :roll:

You need an excuse to go to the lfs?? :roll: Critters in rock pools usually only have to withstand hot temps for a short period of time in between tides. Constant warm water can kill them. I had hermits and shrimp from rockpools for a couple of years but they were in a cold water tank.

Have you checked the pH of the tap water?

Sorry I can't help with your plant vjarn. Your tank looks good Fay. Is all that plant in the middle growing directly on the driftwood?

Mine works well but is slow. I can put up with that though. Lousy water pressure (and a tank too far from the tap) means I have to siphon out into a barrel as the pressure is not enough to lift the crud from the substrate but the tank is next to the front door so I only have to drag it a short distance to empty. I can refill using the python but it is very slow. You have to remember to keep an eye on it! Easy to get involved doing something up the other end of the house and forget you are filling a tank with water. :roll:

It isn't the actual printer cost you need worry about so much, it is the running costs which vary greatly. The cheaper printers are all a lot more expensive to run than the dearer models. The ink is more expensive and they use more of it.

We sell mostly Canon printers these days Cees as they do a good job and are cheaper to run than others. Even so, it is actually cheaper to put your photos on CD and take them to print at a photo shop. Many of these places have a DIY section for this starting around 60c per print. Proper photo paper for inkjets is around $2 per sheet then you have the ink prices on top of that. We sell a lot of the Canon Pixma ip4000. It has 3 separate colours, a large black and a small black for photographic use. They do have more expensive models. We like it though as Canon running costs are generally lower than Epson and the printer is relatively quiet. We have not had a Canon go bung on us yet - very reliable. We sell them for around $320.00 but I am sure we can do a deal for you. Will send you an email about it Although I have a laser, I used to print photos on the inkjet (we have an HP 970cxi but HPs are too expensive to buy consumables for these days) as the colour matching was better. Since getting the Kyocera laser the colour matching is much improved though. You are right though, a colour laser is not within your stated budget.

Ah the good old Cassius mongrelus eh?

Welcome to the site Phill

That's cos they are hidden underwater Luke!

Hi and welcome to the nut er I mean fishroom :lol: Pegasus, where does she mention she has angels? Are you a mind reader or did I miss something?

Nice pics pk 8)

Grant says not to wind your test tone down to approx 7Hz as all your internal organs will resonate and disintegrate :lol:

In that case, C pontideriifolia it is! Rob you have a lot of non-discus in your discus tank Looks nice all the same.

Nice sword (and pic) spooky!