Pegasus

This is a pretty good indication of poor water conditions... not just a sign of the lack of disolved oxygen in the water. Some heavy water changes several times a week may be in order. How often do you do partial water changes... ? Bill.

Are you sure it "is" sick...? Ok... the story so far is that you went to the shop and someone scooped this poor little guy out of his tank, after perhaps chasing him around for who knows how long... then you bring it home and plop it into a strange environment, where it found itself being harrassed by these other fish, so as a result it has gone off its food and is perhaps looking lethargic. Its probably thinking.. "Where did all my mates go" Try getting a mate for it. It may just help. Bill.

Hi MM, nice to see you on the boards Sound very much like what you say... but it "could" be just overly pregnant, as they get pretty fat when bulging with fry, especially in the fully mature females. You comment on: I don't know if this is the cause, but constantly breeding and interbreeding with the same batch of guppies over a prolonged period can often lead to undesireable traits showing up over time. Many of these traits are deformities, poor finnage, fish that get sick quickly, and sometimes bent spines. The answer here is to introduce some new strains with the best of the selection you have. Often dropsy is fatal, but there are some cures that are said to work, but I can't say I have had much luck with them. There are a few threads on the subject here if you use the search at the head of the page. All the best, Bill.

Hi there Maddog, Glad you found us and hope you enjoy your visits here Bill.

Many thanks Eric... Will try again

Sorry Eric... Phoned that many places that I got off track somehow. It's Gold Fish Pagoda. I tried to contact in Pakuranga. Also does anyone know if Burbank Goldfish Farm is just a wholesale outlet, or do they sell to the public..? Thanks, Bill.

I tried for over an hour (on and off) this morning trying to contact (Edit).. Gold Fish Pagoda., and all I get is a fax beep. It's a fair old trip from up here, so... Is it a normal LFS type place or a house...? Did you notice if they had any decent Orandas...? Cheers, Bill.

I have seen quite a few CO2 users that use the plastic/nylon pressure bottle from one of these spray pack units. These hold around five litres or so, and the complete unit, plus hoses and sprayer can be had from just about any hardware or garden outlet... including the Warehouse. Last lot I saw on special were under ten bux Can't go wrong if you want to experiment. Bill.

Yup... They "were" a plastic see through assembly with (as you correctly describe).. a beak looking thing inside. They also tended to give a slight whistle on some of my bigger pumps.... possibly protesting he he. Bill.

Ha ha... Quite funny this, as I bought a card of them some time back, which I have since dumped. They restricted the flow so much it was unbelievable. Save the three bucks and mount your pump higher than the tank... saves all the worries about back siphoning.. Bill.

Thanks Steve... just got his details

Hi Wok... Caryl, Just looking through old posts in the hope of finding some Orandas. Did you have any luck Wok..? Any idea who this man is Caryl...? Would be interested to hear from anyone else with some, or any fancy types. Bill.

Hey there Snowman... Don't melt and disappear in the summer heat Your initial post... (which was in the wrong section) was answered within an hour, and you also began to become involved in a topic in the Catfish section... so I really can't understand why you made such a remark... however, if you continue to keep fish with the same amount of impatience, then there is little hope of your fishkeeping experiences becoming pleasurable ones. Bill.

Hi there Willie, Great to see you on the NZ Fishroom site and hope you will stick around and tell us more about your aquatic friends. Alan is usually knocking around the site, and is often in the chat room on an evening after nine. You can contact him by clicking on the "Profile" tag at the bottom of his posts. This will give you details of how to get in touch with him. HTH Bill.

One of the sturdy, strong type craft knives will do the trick. Just lubricate it slightly with a bit of butter or something to stop it grabbing. Other than that... a thin flexible bread knife with a serrated edge will allow you to "saw" your way through the joint. Again... a bit of lube helps here. CAUTION... Make sure Mr Turtle is out at lunch before commencing the work. Bill.

I hope you know that I wore my fingers down to the knuckles typing that lot out.. :) A couple of the above might suit your needs if you adjust the outputs carefully, unless someone else can recommend a better type. There are several types of large pumps... both piston and diaphram types, but most are quite noisy, and they consume a lot of power. One that comes to mind is called "The Pump", and possibly a search online will find the details. Bill.

Sure do... but if you only have a single tank, then it is hardly worth it. UG filters can be made from all manner of things... from upturned cut down seed trays, to plastic corrogated roofing.. if you need a "big" filter. Even a plastic tea tray will work if you drill a series of holes in it. I recently made quite a number from redundant seed trays that were kicking about in the greenhouse. Just cut them down to around 30mm deep and bond a plastic strip inside so that the weight of the gravel won't make it sag. Then bore a hole in the corner and fit a 15mm upright (slightly shorter than the max water level).. and bond it into place. Hot glue works here. Push an airline with an airstone attached down the tube, and away you go... one UG filter. The large type using corrogated sheeting is made by running a series of cuts across the high points on the sheets. A skill saw with a fine blade does this great. The whole filter will need to be supported slightly off the base.. so I use short lengths of 15mm tube running from front to back. The corrogations by the way should run lengthwise along the tank. Again... fit 15mm uprights for the airlifts.. and depending how long the filter is, you may need a few running along the back. I think there is a crude pic of one of these on my site under the DIY. EDIT... Just checked... must have taken it off. EDIT... No I didn't... here it is... http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/grumpy ... rofilt.htm HTH Bill.

Hi Steve, The thing about air pumps is that we often try to add "just a few more outlets" to them, and often we wish we had bought a bigger size. Most pumps these days are imported from the Far East, and most are pretty reliable. A double diaphram type with adjustable (electronic) flow control will give you good service. If you don't need all the air it produces at that particular time, you can adjust the pump by the control knob and you won't be straining or overworking the pump. I have several Masterpet 2004 double diaphram types that have been running constantly for almost three years, and have given no probs at all. Ask over the counter if they carry spares for the pump you want... especially the diaphrams which tend to give probs first. The output from the pump above will give you more than enough air... but the reserve will be there should you need it. One more point... Get the assistant to plug it in and let you listen to how noisy it is, and even connect an airstone to it if they have time. A noisy pump can be a pain in the rear, and will only get worse... not better. Cost... around thirty bucks. Where from... Any decent LFS. Bill.

Welcome back Chris... was wondering where you were Hope to see you more often, and good luck with the new project. Bill.

http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/viewtopic.php?t=4307 HTH Bill.

The pads are normally to the standard tank sizes, but to clarify... it needs to be the exact size of the base of your tank, and for your size of tank, a 12mm thick pad or thicker should suffice. They look a tad unsightly stuck under the tank, so you may want to paint the edges before you fit it Bill.

Good one Best to take your time and get it right Another night owl he he. Bill.

I second that Really nice how these firms are prepared to sell you hundreds of dollars worth of gear, but not prepared to tell you about the simple things that only cost a few bucks.. but are imperative towards the safety of the tank. May as well clear up what this styrene pad does... The pad basically allows the tank to settle evenly throughout its base. It will also 'absorb' any 'slight' imperfections in the top of the stand or cabinet. It will also help to absorb any slight movement through shifting timbers from .. heavy foot traffic.. stomping kids etc.. or tremors and quakes if you are in these areas. You have obviously spent a fair few bucks there, so once you have the styrene pad in position and the tank in place, you will need to borrow/beg/steal.. a builders spirit level (the longer the better).. and check that the tank is "ABSOLUTELY" level in all directions. Now because the weight of the tank and water are going to compress this pad slightly... you need to fill the tank in stages, and at each stage check (and re-check) the level of the tank in all directions. If you can't borrow/beg/ or steal a spirit level, then get a piece of thin card and place marks at 50mm intervals on one edge. Use these marks as a reference as you fill the tank gradually. Remember... It will be "impossible" to move once it has water in it All the best, and hope it goes well. Ask away if you are not sure Bill.

Hi there Emma from Christchurch Lots of members here from down your way. Hope you enjoy your visits. Bill.

Hi Misnoma. Welcome to the fishroom You came to the right place. Choice looking tank you have there, and a great set of pics. Couldn't see a styrene pad (that the tank is supposed to sit on)... anywhere in the pics. Hope you fitted one. Look forward to seeing the next series of pics Bill.