Gatito

I have a trio, have had for just over a month now i think? Just posted a photo thread with pics of mine viewtopic.php?f=4&t=43800 I didn't realise they varied so much in appearance, my females are almost identical apart from individual markings (no two puffers are the same apparently), my male is a lot paler, almost scuffed-looking, with very obvious blue "boy wrinkles" around his eyes. All the puffers posted in this thread look so different from each other, very cool my male, Mister Puff females foraging among their snail carcasses Clearest pic i've managed to get so far (basic cybershot camers, no slr or adjustments) Lucky you breakaway, mine eat the foot of the snails, then leave the rest to rot. They pick at it as long as it sits there, but never empty the shells (would make maintenance easier if they did!!!!!!)

Having real trouble leading pics, img codes not working... will keep trying, even if it has to be one by one, lol

I finally got my puffers, so now it's sharing time. Have had them about a month now and really enjoying them. Grabbed a tank kind of last minute as i'd broken down my freshwater tropicals a while ago, there was a good special on a new Blue Planet Lagoon 70 litre - filter is wet/dry but it's a deep filter box, and i've chucked the carbon, plastic bio balls and most of the ceramic noodles and replaced them all with eheim 'substrat-pro' media instead. So far is working a dream, waste levels were spiking for a while at first (i was very naughty and got the puffers a week after beginning cycling, took good care/was very lucky and had no casualties), but now the tank's in great condition, despite all the MESS those little guys create. Mister Puff - much bigger and uglier than the females, naturally WHAM!! Get that snail!!!

Oh shoot you're right. Sorry doll. (Now, with that statement, am i in fact implying that you're an inanimate replica of a young child? Got to watch my mouth....) Oh, not the person i'm thinking of then, and not my store. Are you sure? (j/ks)

yes i am, but 'guy' isn't always indicative of gender. you can walk up to a group of men and women and say "hi guys" to everyone should i rephrase?

yeah well despite what a lot of us say about "the institution" and "working for the man", some of us just can't help wanting to spend our working days with tanks and tanks of fish (not to mention the furry component of the job). Oh, i forgot to point out that a fair few of the jansens fishos are still with animates, and that they do have 'fish guys', all you have to do is ask for one, or get to know who we are. I don't call myself a 'fish guy' because i'm mostly in the rest of the store, but if a customer asks for a fisho and i can help, i do.

Morcs, congrats on the job You haven't hurt your foot by any chance have you? If yes then I KNOW WHO YOU ARE *scary music* you'll be in my store Sounds like you'll be a positive step in their staffing

IMO it all comes down to the individuals, and the management that shapes them (with varying management styles, of course). i work at an animates, and though i give the best advice and service that i can, i'm not about to get all rightous and defensive of animates in general. I have been in to others "undercover" (lol), and have received both good and shocking service (while the staff were all standing behind the counter doing sweet f all). In theory, animates wants all customers to be greeted within 30 seconds and approached as soon as possible. But if your staff don't care, they're not going to do it unless someone's watching them. Then again sometimes if the store is busy people are forced to wait for service. At my store, we have had some staff that got the job because they have retail experience and have a basic knowledge, having pets at home, but then they get into the job and can't perform simple tasks that really, you should be able to sort out with use of simple logic. It comes down to people, some are just there for the money, and others (in my experience, and whom can still be found) are passionate, know their stuff, and would rather tell you how to DIY something in order to get a better result and save money, then sell you an overpriced piece of equipment (though can certainly give you that option as well :lol: ).

Thanks Hans

thanks all yeah a lot of people seem to have gotten engaged in the last 6 months. thanks for the student job search idea phoenix44, i'm approaching photography schools but didn't think of that

Hey guys, looking for a photographer for my wedding in March 2010. I know it's a year away but scouting around anyway, trying to get organised since i'm studying full time as well this year. I've had students offer to do the event in exchange for permission to use the shots in their portfolio, which is great :bounce: , but i wasn't to keen on their style/shots (and one of them kept trying to hold my hand, and i mean CONSTANTLY, BFF style :-? ). So i'm still looking, and am happy to pay the person. I just can't afford $2-3 grand for someone that will only be there 4 hours (no offense to pro-photographers - you've done the hard yards and deserve the money, and i'd love to be able to hire you, but i'd have to sacrifice too much to do so). I'm based in Onehunga, Auckland, and the wedding would be on Saturday 20th March 2010, at Ellerslie Event Centre. I'll cut and paste the ad i typed up for trademe before i realised they charge $99 We're getting married next year, and are looking for someone that knows their way around a camera to take gorgeous shots of our special day. Student and amatuer photographers should be interested in the chance to make some extra cash (much more than you'd make pulling pints or flipping burgers while studying). Applicants must be able to provide their own camera and equipment, and commit to being available most of the day on 20 March 2010. The successful applicant will be covering our outdoor ceremony, bridal party and group photos and the earlier part of the reception. Pay is negotiable but we have a ballpark figure in mind. Opportunity to get some great shots for your portfolio too!! Must be confident with your camera, friendly and able to give direction!! Please apply via email with a written description of yourself and your related experience, and some samples of your work (these don't have to be shots of people or profiles - any photos you have taken will help give me an idea of your style). Please bear in mind that this is a casual one-day job for 20 March 2010, so if you don't want to commit to this date so far ahead, don't apply yet. Cheers, Jo Turnbull

last year i completely forgot about the actual halloween date, as our party was on the 1st, and got surprised by halloweeners. Had no lollies, so had to disappoint (i did offer them some bickies, which were declined). So i ended up putting a sign on the front door saying "Sorry kids - no more candy!! :(" This year, no trick-or-treaters. I must be notorious in the local playground :oops:

Unless someone does something for next weekend, no one got their a into g for Halloween this year no excuse..... To help get the halloween-pics ball rolling - 2005 2006 And last year: I wanted to be a (vet) nurse this year, since i'll be qualified soon

livingart, azlan is gorgeous!!! Is he Simba's daddy? Do you get any pups with that brindle/black face? (sorry guys for going off-topic!!) Microchipping is always a good idea, as it's one initial cost that lasts for life. Often if a person is stealing a reptile to sell they don't have the best knowledge of care, and therefore what good escapists they can be (we get owners reporting escaped reptiles fairly often, even after a year or more of ownership!), and the reptile can end up getting loose, getting found and handed in to the SPCA or similar, where it should get scanned. Can you have electric fences in urban areas? An electric wire running round the top of a fenceline, especialy a high fence that takes a bit of time to climb over, could prove a nice deterrent.... *ztztztztztzzz*

If they're that fragile at under 6 weeks, i agree that they definitely shouldn't be sold to anyone without sufficient experience in their care. I have no experience with baby beardies - what size are they/should they be at 6-8 weeks, or what length should they be before they are sold?

Maybe the onefrog ate the other onefrog, then got a (of course) frog in his throat, and coughed him back out? I sometimes miss our frogs when they're right in front of me, if they're in a leafy decoration. For something that is bright green they're pretty talented at not standing out...

very cool Tiny bd's are VERY cute!!

Good to be back after so long, it's been a big year. Zazu's a dream, we have a young male at work that has a "thing" about fingers *ouch*

Lol, maybe there should be "Bitten by Bubbles" shirts, or "Zazu ate my glasses" badges. Could be a whole line of merchandise

My partner got a ticket, and was gutted cos we were 2 numbers away from 1st division. But when it comes down to it, with 2 numbers short you're no closer than having none of the numbers at all. I used to be a fan of lotto - the first 3 times i bought a ticket (over a couple of years), i won at least $36. Then i started buying them more often.... i think it messed up my kismet, as i stopped winning

I think "Fan of Living Art" shirts or similar available for fans and public would be great, bit of extra income?

I'll definitely grab a small when the t shirts are available - can we organise kiddy sizes? Or (gasp) LITTLE LIVING ART ONESIES?!? I feel awful that i've been so out of touch that i missed most of this happening, especially the working bee and open day. I'm so glad people were able to give so much of themselves to help, and that things are looking up.

Awesome hair dave, looks good longer

Lol mark i found the glasses more of a shock than the hair - you look so different without those baby blues twinkling Right, in the spirit of sharing... Battling hayfever in order to clear out my old flat: Hungover on a hot day (and HONESTLY not trying to be such a poser): Giving the dog his first bath at 9 weeks old:

This is my first and only, from 5 years ago (lighting a bit funny and not too clear, i blame self-timer on camera) Currently designing a group of cherry branches and blossoms, with a pair of bluebirds to cover my upper back, will be colour I'm staying on the fence in the debate, but i will say that my panther was a spur of the moment thing when i turned 18, but i only went ahead with it because i felt drawn to the design (some of it was changed from the original before we started, but otherwise just chosen out of a design book). I wouldn't take it back, so 5 years and counting, still happy. My next tattoo is a representation of both sides of my family - bluebirds for my father's mother (significant jewellery of hers) and that side, and cherry tree for my mum's parents (one is planted at their farm).