mustcooktea

I didn't think people were allowed to keep koi in New Zealand. Or is that just an import restriction? MCT

I love the jutting-out-jaw look of the A.compressiceps. What is the size difference between the dwarf ones and the standard ones? MCT

It is probably best to cover them Caper. I'm sure pine oil wouldn't do the fish any good! Take care MCT

Got to love digital cameras! :bounce: That American Flag Killifish is so pretty! So - who is going to come forward and give me a name for those "keep forgetting what these are called" fish? I haven't seen them before. How old is your apple snail, Shae? Will it grow any bigger? Thanks for sharing. MCT

Hi radu I agree with Caryl in regards to surface area and I know that was a motivation for your new tank. Another general rule that I have heard for fancy goldfish is one for every 10 gallons (approx 38 litres). This is for full grown fish like yours (I think 6 inches not including the tail). That would mean that you could keep five fish in your tank with good filtration (10x per hour). Above that and you would need extra filtration and extra water changes. MCT

On Saturday, just before I was about to walk out the door for a long weekend away I went to feed my daughter's fish. I couldn't see her blackmoor (Rudolf) which was unusual at feeding time and eventually spotted her under a piece of driftwood. My first thought was, "Oh no! She is stuck!" so I lifted the wood up. She floated to the top of the tank with her tail up and looking very pale put still alive. I then remembered the previous feed time when we had also found her under the same driftwood. That time she had swum around right way up and searched for food so I hadn't thought any more of it. Unfortunately, as we were about to leave there was nothing I could do for her but hope a couple of days fasting might help if she was constipated. But when we came home tonight she was dead and stuck to the filter intake. Things were going so well with the tank. I just wish that it had happened when I was going to be at home. Perhaps I could have helped her in some way. MCT

Hi Penejane Sorry to hear about your fish. My thought is that since the tank is still fairly new it may not have finished cycling. Did you seed the tank? I ask because I know it took a while for my daugher's goldfish tank to cycle because it was unheated (slower growing bacteria). If the tank was cycled it may be that the nitrates were building up fairly quickly in a tank that size so weekly water changes may not have been enough. I suspect that may have been the cause of one of my son's first goldfish's death. That tank was about six months old but I didn't have any test kits at that time. Best of luck with the new fish. MCT

Welcome along! Those Gertrude's Blue-eye Rainbow Fish look so nice. I haven't heard of them either. The link says they don't live long - are you going to try breeding them? MCT

I haven't heard that term before Caper! Did you make it up or would other Canadians know what you are talking about? Sorry, I can't help with your neon though . I hope it's not serious. MCT

Hi Damiana Welcome along. 200 litres is a nice size tank. What are you going to put in it? MCT

Here's what a goldfish site I visit sometimes has to say: http://www.kokosgoldfish.invisionzone.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=32585&hl=trimming+head Sounds horrible! MCT

Try standing the tap water in a bucket for a day and retesting it. This will help determine whether the ph is dropping because of something in the tank or lack of buffering in the water. MCT

Hi Caper Well, done. I know what you mean about it being hard not too feed your fish - they always look so hungry! I'm glad that Puff is doing well. MCT

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: I'm very happy to hear that your tank has finally cleared, Caper! I doubt that it was the ornament but it could well have been overfeeding - perhaps now there is only enough food in there for the fish and not enough for the 'cloudy tank creatures'. (Crosses fingers and hopes the tank stays clear for Caper). MCT

Welcome along, Tsarmina! You sound like you have a busy life. You will find a few others on the forum that don't live very far from you. Are all your fish in the one tank? How long have you kept fish? MCT

Just to clear up any confusion, Nitratii Testikiticus is not a real snail but a joke refering to the nitrate test kit which will help you to know when your tank's water needs changing. I don't think there are any snails that can give you that information. More water changes are better for your fish too. How often do you do a partial water change at the moment. It can be good to change the water on a regular schedule like 10-20% each week/fortnight but the frequency and amount of change will depend of how many fish you have, what kind they are, how much you feed them and in what size tank you keep them.

Hi zoezealand Thanks for getting back to us with that information. It sounds like you are trying hard to look after your fish. Water changes every second day are a good idea and can make up for not having a fancy filter. What kind of shells do you have in the pool? If they are beach shells they can upset the ph of the tank so it might be good to remove them. You might also find that you don't have enough light in your garage for your oxygen weed. Rotting leaves will pollute your tank. Perhaps you could keep it in another container in the sun and give a small amount to your fish for a treat occasionally. I have fake plants with my goldfish so I don't have to worry about the light or the fish eating them! I am surprised that your fish hide when you try to feed them. Mine are very excited to see me and more importantly the food I provide. Perhaps because they are in a pool and you are looking at them from above they think you are a predator. I only give my goldfish what they can eat in a few minutes so you might be giving them too much - especially if you found lots uneaten when you were cleaning up. Try to give them only a little bit, they won't starve. One rule-of-thumb is that a fish only needs to eat food about the size of its eye so that should give you some idea. Good luck with them. MCT

Hi zoezealand Sorry to hear about your fish. Are you using the same filter on the pool as you did on your tank? I am just asking because if it was a new filter your fish may have got into problems from the pool cycling. Do you have any test kits for ammonia or nitrite as these can get to dangerous levels during cycling. It could be a good idea to do a water change before you go away but if the other fish don't look sick then there is no reason to try to separate them all. How big is the pool? Is it set up outside or inside? How big are all the goldfish? Hope your other fish stay well MCT

LOL Ira :lol: I have sometimes thought about snails but am put off by their reputation for multiplication (how did they get so good at maths?). I believe apple snails are easier to control in this regard as they need a male and a female to mate and lay their eggs above the waterline. I can't remember if they eat plants though. Someone that actually has snails might be able to help! MCT

How many of each sort of fish in what size tank do you have Melanie?

I know what you mean about pet shops, radu. My first experience with goldfish was being sold two comets for a 13 litre unfilter bowl. I am surprised that one of them lived six months. My daughter now has two fancy goldfish in about 100 litres (760 x 300 x 500). At the moment they look small but I am hoping in good conditions they will be able to live a nice long life and grow large. I have learned heaps from googling the internet and fish keeping sites like this one. I now know that I can't expect the lfs owner to give me the information I need to care properly for our fish. Have fun hunting for a new tank! MCT

It looks like we lost a few posts from this thread. Caryl had wondered about the oxygen and had suggested that the biggest fish would be the first to show signs of this. This could be something to look at as goldfish have high oxygen requirements. I thought I remembered you saying that the tank is a hex. These have less surface area in proportion to the volume of water (and therefore less space for oxygen exchange). What are the dimensions of the tank and how many fish of what size are in it? I have heard that a goldfish requires a surface area of 30 square inches for every inch of length (excuse the non-metric units). http://www.petlibrary.com/goldfish/fishcare.htm Perhaps you could try positioning your filter so that the surface gets more agitation and is able to exchange more oxygen? Best wishes MCT

Welcome along! Wow! A 700 litre tank - I am very impressed! What are its dimensions and what is going to live in it? MCT

What was the reason for the melafix?