OK....I found this on another board regarding Epson Salts. "Hi, it sounds like a swim bladder problem. The swim bladder is an air-filled sac in the fish's abdomen. By inflating or deflating the swim bladder, the fish could adjust it's position in water to remain upright. Swim bladder problems are very difficult to treat because in most cases the cause of the malfunction is unknown. The swim bladder can be infected with virus or bacteria. An injection of antibiotic may help in some cases of bacterial infections. Sometimes, the problem may be with swollen kidneys or intestines. These swellings may exert external pressure on the swim bladder thereby affecting it's shape and function. Swollen intestines may be caused by obstruction. Therefore check to see if the fish is defecating. If not, a laxative like Epsom salt used as a bath may help. Once the intestinal blockage is removed, the problem is solved. Sometimes the problem disappears by itself." also this...regarding dosage/treatment: "Epson salt could be given at 70g/L for 5 min. It will act as a laxative to cure the bowels. Yes, frozen green peas have been tried by some with success. To know if the laxative works, you should isolate the fish in a hospital tank and observe for the presence of feces after treatment. If there is no improvement, the problem may be an infection. Viral infections are virtually non curable. "

I would like to take advantage of your trade. I have Billbergias, Aechmeas, Neoregelias and and assortment of cactus succculents and other material if you are interested please reply

Hello, the_neil_man. You should do what I do since my sun is very similar to yours. From your description, your plant is under severe stress. I wish I could answer what the plant it will eventually do. Try some of these suggestions. The planting location is important. Locate the plant away from windy places that help dry out the camellia. To avoid sunscald, my camellias get no sun past 10-11am in July-August (the worst part of our summer); doing otherwise makes the leaves look bronzed instead of dark green. You said you have addressed these issues & that is good. Mulch it heavily with 4" of acidic mulch about one foot past the drip line (the extra foot helps maintain moisture when we get windy hot summer days). In Texas, a new camellia usually requires -in spring- 1 gallon of water two times per week (1/3 to 1/2 more water if you have sandy soils). To accurately tell when to water, insert a finger to a depth of 3-4". If the soil feels dry or almost dry, water. If it feels moist, do nothing. If it feels wet, you are watering too much or you have some type of drainage issue. When watering, water the soil, not the plant leaves. After a while, you will notice a watering pattern developing and can almost guess when it needs water. This method will control your over-watering. By the start of summer (around mid-May to mid-June), add another day of 1g watering. When the temps peak and begin to go down, reduce watering but never stop watering. During winter, the plant should be dormant but, only so lightly due to your normal warm winter temperatures. I usually water my camellias 1g of water weekly during winter. Do not fertilize the plant any more. Your plant is way stressed with transplant shock, too much sun and over-watering issues. Liquid seaweed is an alternative for times like this. It is absorbed through the roots or leaves; apply liquid seaweed near the base of the plant when you water (use half the prescribed strength once every two weeks). Stop liquid seaweed when the summer temperatures go down. Flower buds begin to develop around July so extra care is needed this July to make sure you get flowers by the end of the year or in 2008. Do not prune the plant until right after flowering again (there may be few blooms this first year). Good luck, Luis

Xeric, where do you live? I dont see any reason at all why you shouldnt plant them now. With most perennials, you can plant them anytimeeven during the winteras long as the ground isnt frozen. The main problem with planting when its really, really cold out is that since they wont start growing, you dont know till spring if theyve actually made it or not. When planting at this time of the year, put them in and then water them really wellSLOWLY and DEEPLYso the soil BELOW the roots is well watered. Then dont water again over winter unless the soil down at the level of the bottom of the roots is drying out. If we get a long, drawn out and dry fall, you may need to water again before winter really sets in. Rather than trying to divide them now, put the 4" plants in as one plant and then wait till they start growing well in spring and then go thru them and dig small rooted "plugs" out of the middle of them to transplant where you want them. Pink Chintz should be pretty easy to successfully plant now. Also, as Bonnie said above, if theyre planted now, the roots will be growing pretty much all winter, anytime the soil isnt frozen, so theyll get a really, really good start when they start to grow next spring. Were glad youre here, and dont be afraid to start your own thread when you have questions. Any fall/winter posts are welcome on this threador any posts at all for that matterbut youll usually get more responses if you start a separate thread and people can see from the title what youre asking about. And if you start a separate thread, you can also have replies sent directly to your mailbox if you choose. I got back from my trip last nite and found that the temp had only gone down to 36 while I was gone! Even last nite, which was a little bit colder, it only went down to 34. Guess I really didnt need to cut my tomatoes down after all, but with as cool as the days are going to be this week, and with as cold as the nites are getting, they wouldnt have developed anymore fruit anyway, and they can ripen slowly in the garage as well as outsidewhere Id need to keep worrying about them freezing. Since cukes dont "keep" if you "hang them in the garage," and since I wasnt quite ready to give up on them yet, I did cover them. Theyre easy to cover because of the "framework" provided by the trellises theyre on. Just uncovered them about an hour ago, and theyre looking the same as when I covered them. I already have a bunch of cukes in the fridge, and there a lots of little ones on the vines, so the longer I can leave them outside, the longer Ill have them to eat! I covered a couple summer squash vines that have small ones on too, in hopes that they may keep developing, but that may or may not work. It sure is nice out here today! Its 60 in the shade on my deck, and Im sure its much warmer in the sun out in the yard (but my thermometer on that side of the yard needs new batteries!) BP and Dafy, its really nice to see the two of you around here! We miss you when youre not posting. My perennials, which were, in large part, ignored this year, are looking typically "fallish!" Buds are just starting to open on the Hillside Pink Sheffields" Dendranthema, and Im not planning to cover it this year, so it probably wont have time to develop its usual fall splendor! If Im around when were gonna get a hard freeze, Ill cut them and bring them in to enjoy indoors! The many dried flower stems on my Acanthus are going to be wonderful winter interest this year. Theyre visible in this pic behind the flopping (not enough sun) Agastache! From Garden - 2009 July to Fall Im hoping for a nice mild winter so I can get the tomato area turned over this year and ready for spring, and maybe even do some perennial "rearranging" over winter. Skybird