Laura

Oooooh! pretty! :bounce:

Huge thank you to all who organised and fund-raised for the conference - Alan and I had a great time. The only thing in many years I've got up at 5:30am for .

Thank you Caryl, Mystic and Kevin for all the pics 8). Alan and I only went along to the Conference and dinner on the Saturday, so it's good to flick through all the ones taken on the days we missed. Love the one of Eddie's arm being savaged by a pond full of swordtails and guppies . Is there any way of burning/burying out at sea all those taken of me? :lol: Ugh. I forget how swollen I am sometimes. I've recently had my face operated on (with another op due some time soon), and the Doc says the swelling will be there for another 12-18 months. I don't look obviously like I've been operated on....I just have very chubby cheeks and a nose big enough to obliterate a village . Casserole's fishroom is impressive! It sounds like it must have been a challenge to take some of those pics in the lower tanks, but it was worth it. And the colours on those Dwarf Cichlids are stunning. Cheers, Laura

Yep, your common garden terracotta pots will do just fine. Couldn't agree more with fishboi; rinsing stuff before it goes in your tank is a very good habit to get into. We (Modern Angl and I) are still waging war on leeches which came in gravel we bought to set up our first ever tank around a year and a half ago. We washed it with lukewarm water because, being new to it all, we didn't consider that we'd need to kill off any bugs. We only took account of dirt/foreign bodies and potential contaminants. We boil all our gravel now, and have been lucky enough to find a couple of gouramies and a fire eel that like to make dinner out of leeches . Leeches don't live on the fish or do any harm to them - they're just really, really annoying! A pain in the tush if you get them on you, too. (don't mind me, I'm in a silly mood today). References to drugs removed. Mod Bill.

Congrats on your breedings, Tim and Paul! Wow, I've never seen apple snail eggs before. I can't get over how vibrantly coloured they are. We have three apple snails which are all growing at an amazing rate. They're all roughly the size of a small(ish) plum...sort of....um, I'm sorry, I can't think of another analogy that isn't rude :lol:

I do hope your pond's leaky problems are solved soon. It must be getting very frustrating to say the least. Or...perhaps it's sabotage, so you get to console the distraught landscapers? Aha! Just kidding . Your pond looks incredible and even though getting it there has been anything but straightforward, all the blood, sweat and buckets of tears will be worth it .

Since there isn't a slack-jawed drooling icon, all that I have left to say is . I'd be interested in knowing which plants you used too - most of the time I still can't tell by looking at them :oops: .

Cool CatBrat, I see where you're coming from and I have to agree now you've pointed that out! He was such a challenge to identify. I had it narrowed down to L201, L048 or L082; I went with L082 due to its distinctive dorsal fin in particular. Hehe, I was wondering what that was! Go on, tell us the story.....

Oops, I forgot to post a link: http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/lo ... /445_F.PHP

After much scouring, staring, agonising and more staring, I reckon it has to be an L082 - Opal Pleco (Ancistrinae gen. sp.). Comparisons of the dorsal fin and mouth in particular were what swung it for me. The markings, eye and pectoral fins also seemed to line up with the L082 better than any other comparisons I'd made. It's a beautiful beastie. Oh well, best be off....things to do, groups of heavies to break into Faran's house to organise..... .

Nooo! So sorry to hear that, Caper. Have some comfort in the fact you gave him your best, and gave him a chance your LFS wasn't able/willing to give him. Laura

Holy Crap! If they don't believe your symptoms were the result of hanging over a water feature containing bleach, what do they think happened to you? I'm glad they treated you well while you were there, but your body underwent a lot of trauma - to not have any kind of follow-up on symptoms so serious is odd :-? . If they are convinced there is another reason, then it's only fair they address further questions - such as whether this could happen again or the potential for long term effects. I don't mean to be a scaremonger, however. I'm positive they wouldn't let you go without being confident you aren't in any danger. It just sucks that they've left you wondering, that's all. Take care, Frenchy, keep well .

Or, if you find you become attached to him, you can just get yourself a really really big tank! . Think of all the pretty fishes you could have! . I might be wrong, but I have a feeling he's a Common Plec - and they do become pretty sizeable eventually. They do seem to be a bit lighter when they are young. When we first bought Dyson, he was lighter than he is today. He darkened up once he had settled into his tank, too. And like Sharn said, perhaps there are subtle differences in the cats available up your way. I'm guessing your LFS was a bit vague over what kind of plec he is? It'd be good to know how big he grows for certain - although I think he is going to be a biggie . They do take a wee while to grow that big, though - so there's plenty of time to start planning for that 6 foot tank now! Go on, you know you want to! :lol:

Our common plec doesn't really bother much about algae in the tank (like a lot of common plecs), but goes crazy over algae discs. Our BN's do much more to earn their keep, but we do have the occasional battle against tank water that looks like diluted pea soup :-? . He loves peas and savages courgette within minutes .

Yep, what you said . Dyson is approx. 45cm long, including tail. His growth rate is slowing now, but we know he's still only half way there 8) . We moved him from his 4' tank to a 6' one roughly 6-8 months ago. We have couple of plecs that are eventually going to reach a decent size. Our first priority when we buy a new home is to check out what kind of support the flooring has - it's going to have to hold one hell of a lot of water one day .

Awww, Caper, he's beautiful! Striking markings on him, too. Don't worry...he's probably already eating it! Algae would have been suspended in the water of your tank while it was in the pet shop. Since you used some of this water once you transferred the tank to your home, it will already be there. Even if you hadn't used any of this old water, the filter media and gravel you left unchanged will provide the correct balance for algae to take off in your tank. It's pretty persistent stuff...it will even go through the fish and come back out the other end . All algae primarily needs is light and CO2. It will get CO2 and other nutrients it makes use of from fish poo (of which there will be an inexhaustable supply ). You will have no problems with gathering algae since there are no plants for it to compete with. Mr Big will be an eating machine in no time - he may simply be feeling a little fazed by the move. Our Dyson (Common Plec) doesn't react very well to moving house either! It normally takes hime a couple of weeks or so before he will come out of hiding. Does your LFS sell pieces of driftwood? I know it's a bit more expensive to do it that way, but even a little bit would tide him over for a while. Plecs like to supplement their diet with a bit of cellulose. Hope this helps! .

How do feel about trying out some real plants in your tank? With big plecs, sometimes it feels like they poo out more than they eat! Using up all that waste as fertilizer can be a good way to ensure your ammonia levels don't get too mad. It's true that big plecs can destroy your plants all too easily, but we've recently had some luck with Java Fern (thanks Karen:)). Anything broad-leafed, with a good set of roots on it, tends to have a better plec-survival rate. Here's a pic of this plant: http://www.aquahobby.com/garden/e_javafern.php There's also a plant database on the FNZAS site - once you enter the Plants section, the list is on the right-hand side. One trick we're trying out is to get some leafy plants established in another tank before transferring them over to the tank with our big plec. You don't have to do anything special to grow plants in an aquarium - all they need to get started is plenty of light and plenty of fish poo! If you decide to go for it, remember to rinse your plants before you pop them in your tank (if you don't want snails). I like snails; they're cute and they help to keep the tank clean. However, they can breed prolifically then proceed to munch through all your new plants - so it's really up to the individual whether they want them in their tanks or not. We're dealing with the dreaded 'millions snails' at the mo :evil: . At least the Clown Loaches aren't going hungry, though .

Woohoo! Way to go Caper . Yep, personally I'd take any tenuous reasoning available to jusify getting a new tank (and a new Plec, for that matter!) :lol: . And good for you for rescuing Mr. Big. He's gone to a great home. Good Luck!

Hey Caper, To be honest, I'm starting to get a little confused myself! The Red Eyes like to be in groups of 5 or more, but would adding more to your tank make the existing ones chill out, or will it only be perpetuating the problem...hmm, I'm stuck! But having thought about it a little more, even though large numbers make them feel happier, safer and reduces damage done to individuals of that species (spreads out the in-fighting), it might not necessarily address their innate need to nip long fins! . From what you've said, it sounds like the nipping is getting a bit out of hand. If you feel it's so bad that a separate tank is required, I do know the Red-Eye's would be compatible with fish such as Corys, Plecs, Danios (but not long-finned ones), large Tetras, Mollies and Platies. Pretty much anything that's not too timid (Red Eye's are lively swimmers) and doesn't have long fins. In the tank the Red Eye's are in at the mo, the guppies (with their long fins) are the possibly the only fish they'll have a problem with. Do you have another tank already set up that the guppies could go into? Just a thought. Maybe some of the other members have another solution, though - hold on and see if there's more advice before setting up another tank . Perhaps you could try adding an extra plant or two in the meantime, to see if that helps? *Laura hopes she hasn't confused you more!*

Oops, I didn't mean to imply that using Melafix to treat the immediate problem was a bad idea - I just never made myself very clear :oops: . I absolutely agree .

Hello Caper, From what I've read about Red Eye Tetras, they're definitely guilty culprits for nipping at long-finned fish. If you can comfortably squeeze them in, that'd be a good idea. As a shoaling fish, they'll be happier in a larger group and hopefully any aggro will be a bit more spread out. If you are able to fit one or two more plants in the tank too, that might be worth a try. This should hopefully give the fish more opportunity to keep out of the guppies' way . I'm afraid you're right there. Unfortunately, the fin-nipping is in the Red Eye's nature. And if Melafix is used too often in a relatively short period of time, the fish will eventually build up a tolerance to it which gradually weakens it's effectiveness. I hope a larger shoal/more plants will help prevent some of the nipping behaviour; if you find it's getting a bit too much for your guppies, at least it might buy you some time if you feel you need to move the Red Eye's into another tank.

I think I need the number for your Hypnotherapist . :lol: *starts compulsive itching* :lol:

Awwww, Blue Phantom Plec (L128) *slobbers*. I've been wanting one of these ever since I ventured into the hobby! *Laura starts heaving the couch outside*

Hey Blue, I'd say yours is a Network Syno (you lucky, lucky devil, you), looking at the markings and the dorsal fin: http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/mo ... /258_F.PHP The other one is a Zebrinus Syno, according to Planet Catfish. Hope this helps .

I can give up any time I want! I just don't want to!!