Pegasus

I'm doing water changes at this very moment while typing this. Geez... The wife sounds like she is having a real hard time he he. Joking of course. On a more serious note... I just nip in the bathroom... unscrew the shower head and connect the garden hose to it. I then just run the water till the temp gets right, and it goes straight in my tanks. Cleaning out is done via a long hose that goes straight out of the window and onto one of the paddocks I'm on tank water BTW.. not town supply. Piece "o" cake... but I STILL hate doing it. Bill.

Good show Matt, looks well balanced and "very" peaceful. Love the bit of hollow log down the front. Well done Bill.

Mmmmm... A bit of false advertising to get us oldies excited he he. It was pretty late when I looked at it, and now on closer inspection I see it isn't what the title says Looking good though... Great stuff Bill

If those in the pics are YOUR fish... then you ain't got NTD.. so calm down. The fish in the bucket won't last long without heat, so bag it up and float it in the tank for a while before you release it. With all the fussing and testing you are doing, I don't wonder the little buggers look a bit pale.. but personally, they look like normal healthy Neons from the pics. Bill.

You are stressing out again... Not read your other post yet. Tank size...? It's the old bit of string bit again... How long is a bit of string. Big fish... Big Q Tank Little fish Little Q Tank Bare Bottomed... Yes preferably... (the tank that is) Heater&stat... Yes Filter.. Might get away without one... depends on the fish load. Usually the Q Tank is for just the odd fish or two.. but if ALL your fish have the same symtoms, then your main tank becomes your Q Tank. Have a look on my site. There's a fairly long article about quarantine. Addy below. Bill.

Ahh... the C Belts thing.,.. now I follow Just grabbed an hours sleep.. but need more At least you sound a bit more cheerful than you did this morning first thing. Hope it goes well. Bill

Something is wrong here You say you didn't get any fry from her, but you say she gave bigger drops... so you MUST have some of her fry somewhere he he. Settle down now, and think what you did with them he he. Don't understand this bit... might be that I have just done an all nighter and have yet to get some sleep.. or is it two days I have been awake... can't remember he he. Bill.

Hopefully she dropped a few babies before she went. I too lost a great female just over a week ago, but she was quite an old girl and had given me some fine breeding stock which have since grown on and some that I didn't separate have produced fry of their own. She was producing pretty pure stock, as almost all the male fry were identical to the male with flaming red tails, and the females were all pretty much like the one I lost, so where I had one beautiful lady, I now have several dozen of which about twenty are wearing chastity belts in preperation for some serious selective breeding Great stuff. Bill.

Tank looks great Thunderstorm.. excellent work, and the plants look fabulous. But tell me... Where oh where did you get the Madagasca Lace plant...? Has it ever flowered.. and did you save the seeds..? They were as common as horse muck over in the UK.. but here seem like hens teeth.. just about impossible to find. Bill.

Geez... that was quick he he. No point stressing out Penejane... they are not infectious, nor can they (as far as I know).. kill your fish. As you say... they DO suddenly appear, and quite often they will disappear just as quickly. Look at it as "an early warning sign".. and the reduction in feed will soon erradicate them. Seems I guessed right about the ammonia. Now "that" you should be a little concerned over.. but not unduly. Just do a few water changes.. reduce the feeding.. and you will come right. Take care now Bill.

Hi Penejane, Sorry to hear of your loss. The "worms" you are referring to are most likely planaria worms. You ask: Real serious trouble I'm afraid.. as you are "possibly" guilty of overfeeding The simple cure is lots of water changes.. removing as many as you can... plus reduce your feeding to half what you are giving them at the moment. It is "highly" unlikely that they were responsible for your loss... so don't be concerned, although I would check your ammonia levels if you have a kit, as overfeeding can cause it to rise. PS: Hide the fish food so that only YOU are doing the feeding Bill.

Hi Todd, Welcome to the NZ Fishroom.. a great place to be as others will tell you. This is also a great place to be... spent many a happy hour there with the (then) kids Some great fish to be had out on the local reefs if you want to set up a cold water marine tank. Bill.

Caryl said: There is now a "Sticky" at the head of the Technical Section giving all details about AR and Jebo tanks. Bill.

Welcome back again Steve. Might be a bit of a major getting your post back... but you can still view them if you find one of your old post and click on the Profile Button.. then on "View All Post By SteveSlack" Bill.

Hi Liam, Great to have you join us. We know you will find lots of interest here Bill.

Posting Pics here http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/viewtopic.php?t=2406 Bill.

Hi Gazza, To get your pics up here... try this.. http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/viewtopic.php?t=2406 Bill

HTH http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/viewtopic.php?t=2406

Hi Dave, Welcome to the NZ Fishroom We "sort of" keep this area for new members to introduce themselves and to be welcomed to the site, but there's lots of members here with Arowana's and unusual fish Try posting here.. http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/viewforum.php?f=32 Bill.

Caper said: The theory behind this is that the addition of a bit of salt replaces some of the minerals lost at water changes. Many of the older generation of aquarists used to religiously add a percentage of salt at water change time. Having said that... there are many aquarists today that keep perfectly healthy fish without the addition of salt, and I only add it if I see the fish looking a bit off colour, or for medicinal purposes. You ask: How long is a piece of string..? It "could" take three months... or twelve months, as there are so many factors involved, but generally they say that when your readings are at zero... and remain that way... then the tank is cycled. My "cycle"... if you can call it that... takes three days.. then I sit back and relax The three days is more to see that the temp and such are stable rather than any other reason. (Still having fun.. ) Bill.

Caper asked: Yes it is Caper, but not always possible with large objects, but if you pour a bit of vinegar on a rock you might feel is suspect and it fizzles, then it might be breaking down in your tank and changing the pH.. Some of the cheap tank ornaments (and the expensive ones).. are designed more for looks than durability.. so these should be checked after extended use. It's usually the lime based rocks or calcium in certain things like shells that cause the alkalinity, as will shell grit and coral bits. Keepers of some of the African Lake species "want" their water to be high in pH, plus a little on the hard side, so they add certain types of rocks and substrate to hold the water at the high level. Bird and Oyster grit will "raise" the pH.. while Peat moss added to a filter will "lower" the pH. Driftwood and logs will also lower the pH in many cases... so you may need to "buffer" the water if the pH get too low. Ammonia levels will tend to be higher at a low pH BTW Generally anywhere between 6.5 and 7.5pH is the safe region.. but a point either side of this will do no harm. More harm is done if the changes are rapid, as with temp.. so these rapid changes should be avoided. HTH Bill. "Bottled Water"... WOW... now there is an expense we don't need

If it "is" just wind Caryl, and not undigested food that is swelling up inside it... then you might try a bit of gently tummy rubbing massage, as they can stay out of water for quite some time. It may just help to ease it slightly, but don't drop it when you hear the croaking that they make Hold it in a damp towel to be safe. I would suggest Epsom Salts under normal circumstances.. but not sure if the Plecs can take this. Bill.

They certainly are one of the "turbo's" of the fish world.. A bit like catching the Plecos, as they always seem to disappear into that crevise that you "just can't" get to. Answer here is a bit of 40mm Marley plastic water pipe near one end of the tank. Pop the pipe in, and shortly the Pleco will investigate. (Believe me... they can't resist) Once they are inside, just block the ends off and lift the pipe out complete with Pleco... Piece "o" cake he he... and no uprooted tank or mess. Bill.

Turn off the light.. leave it for a while till they settle... then use a torch and a lot of care... you'll get them Bill.

Hi Caper, Sorry to hear you lost your fish. It looked like a Sailfin from the pic. You ask: Yes.. it "could" be from the cycling process... but I notice you also mention .. This is something that could also cause a jump in the ammonia levels, as any undue disturbance of the gravel will release unwanted (anarobic) bacteria from beneath the substrate.. so the rule here is to be gentle and avoid disturbing the gravel if it can be avoided. When people say that they lose fish after a water change or cleanup... then this is what I suspect. Your pH is within safety levels, but things you can check are: First:.. Check the water from the tap to see what reading it gives. Second:.. Check to see that you have no shells, gravel or ornaments that are breaking down gradually, which will change the alkalinity of your tank and raise the pH. Third:.. Do the Vinegar test. Try each of the above.. a bit of gravel (dry).. a bit of rock (dry) etc. Submerse each in a bit of vinegar, and if it fizzles, then chances are it will change your pH. Four:... RELAX... Stop Worrying. Getting your tanks to a stage where you can sit back and relax takes time, and often causes a bit of expense along the way, as there is a big learning curve to get over, so try to avoid stressing out at every little thing that you think might be wrong, as the margins for error are quite large and things just don't HAVE to be EXACTLY by the book to make them work. As an example.. I haven't done a test on my water for over four years. I have not used ANY form of chemical in my tanks for over thirty years. On the rare occasions I HAVE had to treat a fish it has been done in a quarantine tank, and natural methods were used. My last water change in my main tanks was over four weeks ago. My sponge filters (which I have in every tank).. haven't been changed in over two years.. although they do get rinsed at water change times. This is not to say you or anyone else can do the same... it's just that you will eventually reach a stage where you KNOW things are right... without all the chemicals and tests.. but it takes time, and a lot of patience. Take care now Bill.