gobies et al

This sounds like it could be interesting. Thanks for mentioning it! Does anyone know where the meeting will be? The map is a little vague, possibly the Library.

IMO If quality wasn't guaranteed in writing at the time of purchase then you are agreeing to take what is available. "you pays yer money and you takes yer chances" At least you got 50% nice color. I am sorry it didn't turn out better for you.

Pardon my ignorance but - where is Fahler? Is it big enough to have a paper? bulletin board? Good luck with your endeavor!

How is your dugout filled, overflow? Is there any chance of fish escaping into our streams or rivers? Do you have natural predators, such as muskrats or herons? Instead of feeders, how about getting a dozen or so of comets (Sarassa are red and white) that have outgrown peoples tanks. They will populate the pond in short order, and you would have healthier fish to start with. Just a thought.

Those large tanks are nice, too. The tanks I was referring to are pictured here: http://www.bookofjoe.com/2005/08/rubbermaid_300_.html Looking them up on Google, I found 70 gal., 100, 150, & 300 gal. sizes. I have an old 40 gal. and previously used a 150 gal in the house.

Check out the stock tanks at farm supply places e.g. Peavey Mart, UFA Co-op. They have Rubbermaid stock tanks from 40 gal (maybe less) and up. They are very sturdy, meant to hold water, and reasonably priced.

Basically, a pond is an over sized aquarium. Unless you have a stream running through, or very large understocked pond, you still do maintenance. For filtration on my 800 gal. I used a pond pump intended for 1300 gal., larger would have been better. For a prefilter, I used a Laguna Power Flo Max expandable underwater filter. On the other side of the pump, I used an up flow style bog filtration. The water was pumped to the bottom of a large water tight box with the overflow going back into the pond as a water flue. The water filtered up through a layer of gravel then a layer of sand. I had the layer of sand several inches below the level of the over flow and put marginal plants in there. I only needed to clean the prefilter about weekly or as needed. I didn't worry about using pond water for that as there was plenty of other surface for biological filtration. I used the same filtration system for my 300 gal indoor pond just scaled down. How big a pond are you hoping to have?

My pond was only 800 gal. so not big/deep enough to run over winter. My Koi were <24" and for the most part didn't bother with the other fish. I had Rainbows, Rosy Barbs and Rosy Red minnows spawning and ended up bringing in more fish than I took out. My water was clear enough to be able to see the smaller fish from a bedroom window.

I am sure others will help out with your problem, but it is one I recognize. It is Blue-Green Algae algae, which is actually cyanobacteria. I think the treatment is antibiotic rather than ferts.

Here is a good site for understanding and effective treatment of Ick: http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/health/ich.shtml

I've got my fingers and toes crossed! This is exciting!

How big is he? Do you know which species of Farlowella?

Very nice! It is so hard to get a good picture of a Rainbowfish, they move so fast. :thumbs:

Congratulations!!!

Nice Erin! Red and white Sarassas are gorgeous!

I got tubing from Princess Auto for use in my pond. It was great!

Thanks for the info. Very interesting!

You are going to get lots of different information on what to look for. There is a book out "Koi - Living Jewels of the Orient" that has lots of information on what is desired in a great koi. Koi are meant to be viewed from above, so you start there. Some of the things to look at are depth and sharpness of pigmentation. There are so many varieties that have their own standards like the amount of red or black. Some of my preferences were for broad shoulders and thick base of tail. I preferred thick pigment on the skull so you can't see through to the bone. I avoided yellow on the face of an otherwise white based fish. When getting a tricolored, I would see how balanced the colors were ie. blank out the red and see if the black pattern was pleasing, then do the same with the black.

Hi Tammy, I really wish I could get some from you but no tank space. They sound like a beautiful species, lovely markings and neat behavior. A wonderful small fish for someone wanting something different! I am envious!

What kind of snails do you have? Is that plant under water?

Js. I picked up a new species of goby for my brackish tank. It is Redigobius balteatus aka Rhinohorn goby, being sold as Clown goby at Big Al's in Edmonton. They are being kept at 1.005 there and at a reasonable price. How are you making out with your brackish tank? Thanks, Bottomdweller fan for identifying this fish for me. I finally got back to pick some up!

Thanks, that makes more sense to me now. I haven't really looked into MH lighting and didn't realize they put out that much! I like the dimensions of the tank. I'm sure you'll have everything looking great before long! :thumbs:

Do you really mean opaque? Surely that would defeat the purpose of the MH lighting unless you are only wanting reflected light in from the sides.

:welcome: to AA I thought I would mention that Pintohawk in Lethbridge is working on starting an Aquatic Club in Lethbridge. Something to watch for if interested.

Your question about Oscars reminded me of this advice from rED O: