Loopy

Right so i do need more fish! oh hang on, to get more fish i will probably have to get another tank! uh oh i can see a problem here........ :lol:

*sigh* so i will just go back to day dreaming about all those awesome fish. oh well Anyway, do i really need more fish?

i have come across http://www.aquabid.com/ and keep looking at all the fish for sale on there. It is cool, like trademe just for fish!! i just wish i knew how to go about actually buying something from there. i have NO idea what to do or where to start. what would be the 'rules'? how would i go about buying something from Aquabid? what about maf and quarintine etc?(sp?) Does anyone have any ideas tips or experiencethat they could offer me?

what i find funny too is watching an apple snail trying to climb up the heater when it is switched on. hard to describe what they do but you can usually guarentee(sp?) they will fall off eventually! *Think walking across a beach on a really hot day*

i feed my 8 snails floating cichlid pellets. There are ones about the size of a small pea. the snails have learnt to associate the sound of the pellet hitting the water with food and so come "running" up to the top of the tank. they seem kinda confused if i chuck in spuralina discs, which sink, instead! i gave them a bit of parsley yesterday which they ate but not with the same enthusiasim(sp?) they had when i gave them some vallsenaria(sp?) (wonder why!?!)

i don't really know. i was told by another fish friend that augmentin is a "better" antibiotic than amoxycillian and also the tablets/capsules are more easy to control the dose and also it would be good to try mixing with food. but that is about all i can really remember being told. i am still using the amoxycillian but it is liquid form. As much as i am stoked that she is still alive i wish she would come right. at times i look at her and feel really mean for leaving her like that but then i think that if she was really miserable she wouldn't be eatting and pouncing and acting like all my other girls who are 'fit as fiddles'.

i am amazed to say she is STILL kicking (or swimming)!! i am just trying to get hold of some augmentin. She is still as bloated as every eally but she seems to have learnt to live with it! she is eatting fine, she just seems a bit depressed about being cooped up in the hospital for so long! i am still a bit peeved though cause i could imagine it would be a bit difficult to breed her when she is like this! especially with the way the bettas breed! it would be kinda funny and sad to watch a male trying to squeeze eggs out of her!!!

try some rasboras of some sort. i have found they are not bad at filling up the upper levels of a tank.

i personally wouldn't hesitate to call the RSPCA about poorly kept fish. They are still an animal that deserves to be treated with respect.

the little home tests for pH, ammonia and nitrate (or nitrite can't remember off the top of my head) come back fine. and it is only the trickle tank that is having problems, all the other tanks are great. i have done a gravel vacuum and water change and it seems better now so we shall see how we go now.

thanks for all your tips. isn't it funny how you can rack your brain and not come up with a solution and the answer can be something really simple, it just takes someone else to think of it! i will have a siphon session today and see if that helps.

we have a 150L trickle tank that smells funny. i have done a few water changes since i noticed it and tested the water a few times, basically done all the usual things i can think of. there are a few baby blue acaras, platys, minnows,and apple snails. i have lost 3 platys in the last week and a half. one of the other things i have noticed is the little tiny snails that usually don't cause a problem are all dying. all i can describe the smell as is it makes me think "spicy" not like chilli spicy but cinnamon/cloves etc spicy. and it smells unlike the rest of my tanks. does anyone else pay much attention to the smell of their tanks?

just another suggestion HandS. i think it was you who said they were doing ok in the community tank?? leave them in there. my 1st ever success with breeding siamese was a fluke. had a male and a female in my 2ooL community tank and one day was looking round and saw a bubble nest. closser inspection revealed fry in the nest too!! i wanted to save it so i VERY carefully transfered nest, plant and enough tank water to keep the plant about 8 - 10 cm above the bottom of the baby tank. i didn't transfer the male though. it worked to some extent as i am now the proud parent to one very cute little 2 month old white plakat baby. my community tank was big enough that there were thousands of hiding places for the female and when she was ready to breed she would let the male know. a nice quiet corner with lots of floating plants will keep the male happy.

well it has been 2 weeks and the siamese girl is still hanging in there!!! i am surprised, i thought she would have been a goner ages ago. she looks still pretty good considering she looks enormous. i wonder if there is anything else i could do for her as she isn't getting better though, at least she isn't getting worse. i am still swirling a tiny bit of amoxycillian every 2 or so days. it hasn't killed her yet so i assume it can't be THAT bad..

what sort of plec is that wee dude 2nd from the bottom? looks really cute!

Well last time i checked the female betta was still alive. she hasn't really gotten any worse but she still hasn't gotten any better either. i have been treating with the amoycillian everyday. will still keep posting until she either carks it or gets better.

which animates shiuh? there are 3! papanui, moorhouse or tower junction? i have plenty of males including a crown already. but they are some lovely looking boys.

Apart from fish and snails of various sorts, are there any other critters that are available in NZ that can be put in tropical freshwater tanks?

i have no idea where you could find one but WOW!!! i can see why you would want one!! i bet they wouldn't be the cheapest fish in the world either.

did you see any white or yellow females or were they all the blue/ brown colours? i like the paler coloured girls. and with the fact that i think i am going to lose one of girls to dropsy (see my thread in 'diseases' if your interested) i will probably be on the lookout for a new girl.

umm... There is one critter kingdom up near the north end of Stanmore road. The other Critter kingdom is on Blenheim road. i have noticed that the blenheim road store often has the males in the little tiny tanks with no airation etc and i personally feel sorry for the males 'cause they always look sad.

there has been a bit of a female siamese "drought" in chch for a while but i think it is starting to get better. i have found females at both critter kingdoms and if you ask nicely at redwood they sometimes have some hidden out back. as for males you just have to look around. animates and critter kingdoms have males on and off. critter kingdom gets more fancy looking males (crowns and unusual colours sometimes) but you can gaurentee that redwoods siamese will be imported. but it really depends on what you are looking for.

thanks for your kind words Caper. Well she hasn't died yet, i don't know if that is a good thing or not. i guess i will just have to carry on treating until something happens.

Doh! did it again! keep hitting submit and then think of something else to type. Just a couple of questions. (Please forgive me if they are silly questions.) BlueandKim - What is "prime"? vapo - Why add bleach? Do you mean this to sterilise the tank after she has been in it?

well i have accepted that she may die. and if she is gonna die then it isn't going to hurt to try the amoxycillan. i have some that was prescribed to my daughter. it is liquid and since it is for a baby it is a less potent strength. i have dipped a pin into the bottle and swirled it round in the hospital tank. i will be interested to see how she looks tomorrow. i know it could be too early to tell but it will be interesting to see if she looks better or worse.