Sunbird73

ooh exciting!!

My male krib bit half of my female kribs tail off, and it grew back in lightning fast time, less than 2wks.

If it was me, knowing what I know now, and I *really* didn't want to go back to school for more reasons than just its boring (ie. was not happy there) I think I would look for a job in a science type role, or an unrelated role (ie. office) in a company in the science industry. If you can make a few $$ and save it now before you get your degree and get out with a degree and no debt (or no debt to parents) then that will really set you up well. That way you will be in a better position to make your own decisions about where you want to study and what as your parents will be contributing less. The other advantage to this is that if you set up a good relationship with a company then they may well take you back each uni holidays, and support you through your degree. If you do decide that you want to go to a university further away than AK your parents are more likely to agree if you are a year older, and are paying more your own way. I don't really think there is much (if any) advantage to finishing uni being a year younger, unless you were planning on a very long course (ie.PhD, or medicine). There is so much more to university than just the academics. I also think you should get out of AK to go to university, but then I am biased cos I did. Definitely some of the best years of my life, and met some amazing friends. The AK school friends I had who stayed at home and went to uni just didn't have the same experience as the ones who went away. But that is a totally different topic

Well, in all honesty, I usually fill a bucket a third/half full and then put a generous splosh of bleach in. So I dunno what concentration that would be! Would be somewhere around 5-10%. Enough to ruin a shirt or two if it splashed onto it :-? I can say for sure tho that 15 minutes is too long :lol: But 5 minutes is about spot on. All the plants I have dipped have survived and then thrived, whilst killing the BBA.... I have dipped xmas moss, ambulia, anubias, sagittaria, rotala (think its rotundosomethingarather). I have also cleaned a tank in a hurry for a fish, did the bleach, rinse-rinse-rinse-prime and then filled up with right temp water etc and put the fish into it. No dramas at all. If you have the time ( and sunshine) then dry in the sun, but I haven't found it to be necessary - but if it was an expensive or delicate fish then of course err on the side of caution!

Personally, I would take out the plant, submerge in a 10% -ish bleach solution for 5min (I use a timer cos I have forgotten before and come back to white plants :oops: ). Then I would totally clean out the tank, scrub it down, rinse then fill up with a bleach solution (at least a 10% solution) and leave it for a at least half an hour. Then rinse copiously with the hose, the last time I would rinse with water with a decent dose of Prime to get rid of any traces of chlorine. I probably would bleach and rinse the gravel in a separate bucket, I wouldn't throw it out (but then I am tight :oops: ) That would kill most things IMO. I also give my plants a final rinse through with Prime in the water before I put them back in a tank.

I think your kids and mine should get together ryanjury, sounds like they would get on well :lol: As I said, I am pretty sure my 4yr old fiddled with the tap on the bottom of the my eheim canister so it was vy loose... I think little fingers can be a lot stronger and more determined than you think (its the 4yo that is really the issue, he often sneaks in and plays in her room - the 7yo loves her fish enough to know not to mess with anything). I definitely don't want to deal with canister filter leakage ...ever I love my eheim canister but just not game to do it in a kids room ATM. There is scope to put one in later tho, the cabinet is there for it. I will stick with the internal then, and trial a new maintenance schedule of less work :lol: ... I am growned up enough to try out others advice while reserving my own judgement quietly Thankyou for all the opinions, all sides of the argument represented - loving the passion on here :lol:

dont get a BN in there, we had a baby GBA that in about 6-8wks was too big for the AR380 and had to move out to bigger tank.

just edited my first post - she has a 2010 pickup not a classic :oops:

I just read that these needed cleaning weekly? Alrighty will stop doing that then and see how it goes doing it monthly.... sounds like a much easier idea

Am thinking of increasing the size of the tank in my 7yo bedroom (so I can keep the fish *I* want LOL) so I am thinking about different types of filters that are less likely to leak and cause issues. Am thinking of going from around 54L to around 90-100L. (not yet got the DH approval tho .... shhh) She has an internal eheim pickup 2010 at the moment, no issues (but I must admit I find it annoying to clean out every week). Are the hang on the back (aquaclear?) ones just not suited to have in a kids room? Worried about leakage if she tries to fiddle with it I guess. I have a canister on the bigger tank in the lounge, which when I last cleaned it found that one of the attachments at the actual cannister had loosened itself (ie. I suspect some 4yo fingers tho) - I touched it after I took it to the sink and it just came off So now am a little wary I guess. Anyone else have tanks in kids rooms with external filters? What do you use? Stick with internal (tho I think the 2010 is only rated to 100L so might not be enough)? Or do the cupboard up with locks and get a canister?

only just saw this - glad the little guy found a home, well done

What lighting do you have on this tank? And CO2? That pearling is vy vy cool

You could ring SPCA birdwing near you, google them for the numbers. They will put you in touch with your local bird lady who can tell you what to do for them.

This worked for me

Could have been Dalton's aquatic mix.

not sure if there are more than one type of leaf fish, but I saw them at HFF earlier this year. (admittedly I had walked past them probably 10times or more before I actually *saw* them LOL)

Try ringing them (number on their website somewhere) the guy was vy helpful.

Perhaps not so rare... who really knows? viewtopic.php?f=4&t=49015 I wonder how many of the new species are could have developed thru hybridisation? Also with fish they are often classified as one species before academics decide they are another.... Think you could write a thesis on this subject and still you would never really know the true extent of it with fish in the wild. But intentionally crossing a fish, and putting time and effort into it, or manipulating things purposefully is a different thing ethically than some cross-cory lovers IMO. It makes me wonder that it might be more common with cory's in the wild than we think....

hybridisation and natural selectual are not mutually exclusive - natural selection act on hybridised animals too. You have just described two methods of species evolution - it is not one or the other, but both. geographical isolation works in reverse also.... and hybridisation can form new species too. Floods, earthquakes, eruptions - all change geography and alter the course of rivers, streams and lakes. Fish that have the ability to hybridise have an evolutionary advantage.

I don't agree with those biologists. I think a lot of other biologists might be of the opinion that hybridising is part of nature as well. Widening the gene pool, adaptability, hybrid vigour and all that.

I believe a high pH and harder water is good for them, as it helps shell growth. I think soft acidic water leads to thin shells. I think however that your africans may see your snails as something to bite and torment, so the snails may not be happy from that point of view tho the water would probably be ideal.

Just normal kribs.

What size are they generally at sexual maturity? My two are only small but there is a lot of flirtatious behaviour going on, and they turn their colours on when they do it. He used to just bite her but now he bends his tail around and tries to attract her attention (then he nips her if he doesn't think she is watching closely enough :lol: ) I think mine are around 5mths old maybe - the female is probably 2.5cm roughly and the male probably 4cm (he looks quite a lot longer than she is). So what size before she actually might think about laying eggs?

Gorgeous bird Moya

looking very hopeful to me! Looks a lot like my one. Experts?