Dawn

Yes my local LFS didn't recommend an undergravel filter in a planted tank, apparently the plants don't like the movement of the water. I don't know how they know that but they are all fairly knowledgeable there.

Hi Brendan, the beach was great, spent a few hours there with my grandchildren, lovely day. Reminds me, I must email you. Thanks for the warning about the Carex, will keep an eye on it and remove it when it starts looking bad, still looking very good though. I might try that Japanese Rush thanks Jo.

Hi Brendan - is that you? The Brendan who bought my male Bristlenose sight unseen because he wouldn't come out of his hidey hole?

Thanks Mystic. Cor they are so hard to get a decent photo of - if I get up close they're out of focus and when I move back to focus you can't see them! This one is a bit better.... This one shows the beautiful markings on the parents, Dad was just a split second too quick for me! The colour is even more red than the photo suggests.

Cripes I don't have TIME to go to work - I have five fish tanks to look after!

Oh goody you're in Grey Lynn (I grew up in Wellpark Ave) - if you manage to raise a fair few could I put in an order for a couple please? It doesn't matter what sex.

Here they are - out of about 50 photos this was the only one that was half way decent! You can just see them swimming above the white gravel on the right hand side - with Mum hovering around just above them.

Thanks KM, it doesn't look like it was Dropsy that my Platy had thank goodness as I'm very particular about water conditions.

That's great thank you Carrie. I've printed your information out and will keep it to refer to when I think she might be old enough to breed from. I stupidly sold off all my smaller tanks last year in a TradeMe frenzy!

Sorry can't help you there Tristan but I was wondering what dropsy looked like in a fish? I have a female Platy that all of a sudden couldn't swim upright properly, she keeps on doing flips and swimming upside down, looks like she is swollen on one side. I put her into a small tank by herself and treated it but after lasting two days I found her dead this morning.

Yes please CarrieJ. Mind you I wasn't planning on breeding her, was going to leave that up to them, if it happens it happens if it doesn't it doesn't. But I would like to hear about your breeding methods, how about starting off a new subject for it?

CarrieJ - I found a few female Cobalt Blue Dwarf Gouramies today and I wasn't even looking! They were selling them in pairs but I got down on my hands & knees and begged them for just a female and got one! I'm not surprised they don't sell well although she is a cutie, a lot smaller than the male at the moment but she's definately not shy, she's silver with some blue when she's in the right light. If anyone in Auckland wants to know where PM me.

Thanks everyone. I don't know how long they will take to mature Critter Guy. At least 6 months or so I guess, I've had these since they were 4 months old, bought them at the end of November. You could have knocked me over with a feather when I saw the babies. I haven't a clue where they laid the eggs because there is only one rock in the tank and it's standing upright so there's no room for eggs on it, I would have seen them anyway. I planted the Lilaeopsis brasiliensis seven days ago and ever since then great chunks of it have been floating to the surface until in the end two days ago I noticed there was a huge hole in the middle of it - now I know why, the parents were obviously digging in/under/around it to make their nest or whatever. How long does it take for the eggs to hatch, anyone know? It's only been about 12 days since I took everything out of the tank except the fish and gave it a good clean out! What do I need to feed the babies now - oh dear not another trip to the LFS - I just went today!

Yes I was out that way this morning so I stopped in - it was yet again closed but his sign was out on the footpath by the road so he must be there at some stage! Anyway it turns out he's Jayme not Greg - phone 0275900660. If you ring him please ask him why he doesn't have anyone in his shop when he's not there, it's very frustrating. He's the closest shop to where I live and I WANT to see inside :evil:

Wow nice pic Cracker, is he/she yours?

I have babies!!!!!! I'm so excited I can't believe it - I didn't even know I had a pair let along that they had laid eggs! The parents hadn't been out of hiding ever since I put them into this tank so I wondered why all of a sudden they were both out tonight when I went to feed them - I was thinking I don't think I'll give them anything tonight as I was standing there because there was a few fuzzy pellets floating around - and that's when I saw them - a swimming cloud of little dots. The poor Golden Algae Eater is getting a good work-out around & around the tank! I've taken photos but I don't know if I was able to get close enough to see them.

So what happened to all their large tanks full of fish they had when I was there a few years ago? It didn't look like the new shop had any fish tanks of fish at all although I couldn't see out the back.

Oh yummy BBQ'd Pearl Gouramies!

Hi KM Last week I saw what I thought was a fish shop/aquarium as I was driving past a block of shops on the Great North Rd before you get to Waikumete Hill - the shops are right next door to a large block of apartments that are being built. We stopped and went in to have a look but it was closed and it turned out to be someone who made (I think) and set-up fish tanks, it was called Fins. There was a note on the door saying the guy was out on a call and it gave his name & number but for the life of me I can't remember what it was, it might very well have been Greg. It's not in the phone book or yellow pages but there is another Fins Fish Care Ltd in Grey Lynn so it might be a new branch of theirs. Anyway, I think I'm going out that way tomorrow so if you want me to call in and check I'd be happy to. There are a few tanks makers in the Yellow Pages under Aquariums & Supplies.

I see, thanks Spooky. I just make a sort of well around my filter inlet but I don't have the gravel that much higher at the back than the front. I keep telling myself I should get some more gravel! I tried putting the light cable like you said today and the two hoods did sit properly without any problems - don' t know why I didn't think of it really although as I said I don't really like seeing the cable hanging out/down anyway.

Thanks Caryl & Jude I'll do that next time. I should have thought of it I suppose because all the Bog plants at the Plant shop weren't actually fully immersed.

I think I know what happened Jude. I posted it when the moderator was online and then I almost immediately received a PM asking me to add more info to the post. So the mod must have approved it then when I edited it and posted it again it went into 'waiting for approval' mode until Cees was back online again.

Well done Billaney, I'm jealous! I have another week or so to wait to see if mine come to anything!

Oops :oops: How do you slowly drown a bog plant rather than putting it straight into the tank?

Agreed. When I'm cleaning I lift the lighting hood up to sit on top of the filter hood - I have a light on a stand that I put on so I can see what I'm doing. I use it when I'm cleaning all my tanks, it's one of those modern type lamps that you can bend in different directions, been a boon really. Is there a problem with the filter touching the gravel? I didn't realise they shouldn't touch the gravel. As I mentioned in another forum recently, I had the motor of my AR380 burn out on me TWICE before I realised you MUST keep an eye on the water level and make sure it doesn't go too low. In fact no-one had ever told me the ARs are designed so that the water level shouldn't be seen, fill them right up to the plastic lip on the top of the tank. Now it's so much easier - when you can see the water level you know it's time to add more water. But then you would have a big gap between the two hoods wouldn't you? One of them wouldn't sit properly if that happened surely. Anyway, I like to have all my leads hidden, I think I'm too fussy, I don't like seeing all the paraphenalia that hangs out of tanks, very untidy!