Recent content by Fox46

In addition to the heat treatment which I was just reading about, I believe vinegar is also effective in killing this bacteria. So I'm off to sit with my thumb in a cup of vinegar for 20 minutes. :)

The lesion had the appearance of a boil or carbuncle, and I noticed it in December. It formed a head but stayed like that for a month before partial bursting. Then the area around it hardened into a lump under the lesion and I would notice small pus-filled blisters forming on that outer area...

Might try the handwarmers. six months sounds dreadful. I'm only 2 weeks into the antibiotics and already have uncomfortable side effects. Did your doctor diagnose it straight away? I was fairly sure I knew what it was before I saw the doc and he immediately confirmed and went straight for...

I've been remiss. I knew about the risks, especially with owning a temperamental sharp-clawed cat who can leave me battle-scarred after a pill-giving. I won't slip up again though, hopefully. The antibiotics are the size of the old liquorice torpedoes and by the time I've finished using a...

Those long gloves with elasticated tops look useful. I've a stock of disposable plastic arm-lengths but even though I've switched to shallow tanks they still allow the water in over the tops. Thanks.

Three months ago I developed a boil/carbuncle on my thumb which lingered for ages. Then it burst but didn't fully resolve, leaving a slightly larger flatter swelling. Then the area developed little pustules/blisters and I tried various ointments to draw them out. Eventually I saw some...

Thanks for that. The tank is 132l nominally, but has in an inch of sand substrate and quite a lot of tank furniture/plants. I am using a Fluval U2 in there, which treats up to 110l and it's supplemented with 2 x 25l spray bar filters which I keep running in there to make up the shortfall...

Thanks for those responses. It's tricky isn't it? My aim is not to replace the old filter in its entirety, but to eventually utilise it in the other tank that I've had to set up, after I've used it in the most effective way to get its replacement working in the shortest time possible. Hence...

That’s a very comprehensive response – thank you. And in part I think that last paragraph may explain something that happened prior to my deciding to get a new filter. I had a population explosion in my bigger tank, as a result of an initial purchase of 1 male swordtail and 5 females turning...

Yes, that was about where I was thinking, though I'd have hoped it might be sooner. Thanks

I am looking to replace one of my old filters in an established fully cycled tank, so I have installed the new filter running alongside the old one, and removed one of the sponges from the old filter and put it in the new, so both filters are now working with one old, one new sponge. The new...

OMG! In any event, nature has taken its course to an extent and I think the latest spawning is now down from about 30 to around 10. It's just about manageable now that I've extracted the 3 males, I just need to keep on top of identifying males in the first tank and extracting them to join...

I agree, they do tend to hide low. But with this batch it's as though they know they won't be eaten, they're brazenly up near the surface, mobbing. I've removed some tank furniture, and cut down on feeding but I think they're laughing at me. Tank cleaning is a nightmare, they're everywhere...

I've only been fishkeeping for 5 years and I've had a very lucky run with mixed sex livebearers up until now. I had Platys, and when they spawned I was delighted (I can hardly believe that) but seldom more than 5 fry survived each time. And the first couple of times the Swordtails spawned the...

I just rang them and they're happy to take both the male adults and any young fry I can catch. That shouldn't be too difficult, I can't do a waterchange without a few taking a helter-skelter ride into the bucket. I think I'll be doing a few more trips besides this one before I've managed to...