Alan

Tonight a query was asked about a photo of a group of fish Conference members taken with a sailing-boat behind them. It is the Bounty up at Whangarei Caryl may be putting the pic up tomorrow, and in case she can't locate their names here they are :- Some oldies there too. Back row L==>R - - V. Pres.Warick Jost, Lance Dean, V.Pres. Dave Campbell, Colin Williams. Front L ==> R - - Eric Smart, Ed. Virginia Stead, Clarrie Stead, Treas. Gay Davidson, Pres. Ross Nunn. It was taken Q/B wekend June 1979. Front Page Cover of the August, Aquatic World. Didn't realize I'd been a member for so long. Maybe I'm an oldie too. Alan

Yay Bilbo. Super kewl But you'll be more excited when you discus eggs hatch. Amazed as the babies munch out on M&D, Thrilled when your breeding co-ordinator gives you your certificate of merit for getting them thru to 30 days old. Goodluck Alan

Watch out when ya plug in the thermostat controlled fan heaters tho CLICK Damn Dark again Alan

Depends how often you want your self and/or your guests to go to the toilet. Get wot I mean?? Alan

Why support the supply of these mutations by buying them. They are not the way they are designed to be, and so, as in most of these things. The animal suffers. Don't buy, and tell your dealer why. Alan

http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s873492.htm Apparently there is a gardning programme in Oz on Friday about Aquarium Gardening. Don't know what station or area. Maybe across the ditch would like to watch it and give a rundown of it. Possibly tape it if it is any good and send a copy over? Alan

if you load the add on board, that is connected to ONE point and is asking for trouble Have a look at some of my boards Brown marks tell their on stories and so does the smell Alan

Dangerous, sounds like an overload coming up. Wonder why they don't make them. MMMMMMMMMMM???? Alan

Chim, I'm a carpenter, and I notice you say that you removed a brace that was in the way. Looking at your last pic., I take it, it is the one from the top outside corner and it ran across where the door is. This is an intergral brace from and to piles that are longer and set in more concrete than the others. May I suggest you check with your local building inspector: possibly get away with putting in a bracing pile to the left of the room, then brace back to it. If there was an accident of any sort, the insurance company would be the first to say that because of your negligence you wont get a claim. Mind, you don't get earthquakes up there very often, but you can get strong winds. Just a thought, and the extra room looks an interesting project. Alan

Thanks for sharing Pies. Something I can now only dream of. Alan

At a National Show held in Palmie one year, they had a huge Giant Goramy as an eye-opener. To get it home after the show literally fell in my lap. We carefully lifted it out, onto a wet towel, wraped it around the fish. Then with it balanced on my knees in the back of the car, returned it to it's owner, none the worse for wear. Oh! By the way. It never flicked once, not even in catching or releasing it. Alan

Till they die normally Alan

Tell ya what Beeko, you are lucky to have a pair. Kissers are nortoriously hard to sex, even in adult form, an expert eye is needed. So we'll say you have two kissers. Did you know that they can get to !2" long and are used as food fish. Alan

Bummer Doch Alan

What are you concerned about Pol? The barbs or the killies? What barbs are they? Run it past me again please. Those killies shouldn't be the chompers like the southern ones. But beaware that some barbs are remorseless nippers. As discussed prior to getting them, I had suggested a species only tank or tanks. Most of us in the NZKA keep our killies this way. Alan

One not to put with them. A pair of Convicts, just bowled a pair of my Australes. Fairly small tho, but so were the cons. Alan

How big are your kissers Beeko? Alan

Looks like Chim, with Peg an' meself,we rack up over 100 yrs plus experiance here. I've never had "deadroots" down "there". But when I've had to clean out a tank(shifting it) I've found live roots, getting valuable nutrients for the seeable part of the plants. Go the u/g's. Alan

The main prob with the peel and stick is that you can't move it from tank to tank. I prefer the ones with a small knob on the top of it that a sucker fits onto. These quickly deteriorate in the water and can be replaced by a cunningly bent nail and piece leather. This then is attached to the top of the tank and adjusted so it can be read without hunting thru the plant in the tank. As Caryl says, get several of them in the shop, compare their temps., and choose one reading at the mean temp. of most of them. Be aware of the HIGHS and LOWS you can't adjust these. Alan

Nope on that one Chim, most of the n/b is in the gravel, or the part that actually is held by the filter plate. Also disagree with your statement on a strip clean too. Well balanced tanks don't need to be stripped at all. Just regular maintenance. Alan

My thoughts too Cim Alan

Pray Alan

When you are suggested "an algae eater" for you tank. No one means the CAE, a fish that isn't really good at eating algae anyway. Oh! CAE = Chinese Algae Eater. Don't go for them. They may be cheep but you'll regret it, and wished you'd listened to us. Alan

Male Alan

They are marine fish aren't they? Unless some nong-nong has named a freshie that. Alan