MRSkz

The seller was happy to ship once I told him I'd send everything up and walk him threw it. that's ok fishboi it's good they are going to a good home. I was gutted last night when I didn't win them but this morning, upon finding my remaining male with his head stuck in the outlet of the filter (dead), I've decided to just take things slower. I'll be getting babies off a couple people, please pm me if you have any for sale, keep them seperated so I am sure not to put brother and sister together, and go from there.

congradulations to the person that decided they had to have it more than I did. Think I'll leave my comments at that right now.

I also had a problem when I had a couple danios. Now I have nearly a dozen and have no problems.

The last gba from that seller has died with no odvious cause, however a sub adult (male I believe) is living happily in that very same tank. I hold serious concerns if, as I suspect, this problem is because of genetics as there appears to have been defects in the fish themselves, not caused by injuries. I am left to wonder about the belief that "inbreeding does not cause defects in fish". I don't know if inbreeding is the case here and won't speculate on that. I am certain, however, that these specific gba's were not as resiliant as others. So I'd have to say, all in all, not my best experience but I'm still not put off buying from out of towners and getting fish shipped or even the gba's. I'll be buying again, from another breeder, and am sure that my next experience, as most of them have been, will be a much happier one.

I understand Caryl I had inherited a number of the fish probably 3-5 months before I put the GBA's in. Also I had added the neons and rams about a month before I got the GBA's so.... The original inhabitants are the guppies, apistos, and cories. When I inherited the fish and poped them in the 3 footer I thought "hmmm I WAS seriously understocked". I always seemed to keep the 3 footer about half stocked so now it's just nicely full, for a change.

thanks fishboi I saw that. going to give that a try firstly and if that doesn't work then I'll go for the smaller one's. Caryl the tank is a very well established tank I've had up and running for a year now. I've done all the tests and have had very little readings for anything. I'm very good at keeping up the water changes and I run an internal filter doing 1000lt per hour. The adults that I did have were in that tank and were happy as well so... Update, I've moved the 3 footer and upon catching the last remaining gba noticed one of it's eyes is sunkin looking and black (compleatly dialated?) Do I hear the sound of the toilet flushing on this last batch as well?? I hope not but we will see.

I have kept them. I had 2 that I got off another person some time ago now and only recently did I, threw my own fault, loose the male. I put the female with another male I got down and he was a bit rough with her and she died from injuries due to breeding attempts. I had had them since they were about 3cm and I had had no previous problems with them. I'll say one thing about the person I got these off of. I have been made aware of other people having problems with there shipments from this person. However I myself have had them ship me fish some time back now with no incidents. So I won't make further comments on an experience that is not my own. Funnily enough the fish that I have yet to keep successfully, for more than 3 months, is the male betta. Oh yes and dwarf gourami's seem to keep dieing on me, well the 3 I ended up with some time ago now.

Oh yes I will get more, off a different supplier. I might even end up getting 2 lots off 2 different people from 2 different locations just to hedge my bets. However it seem to me a little sus when I had gotten just 2 off another person some time ago now and I managed to raise them just fine. They also did a bit of tank hoping even had them in with the adult cichlids for a bit. Sadly I don't have either of those anymore, I no longer keep ornimants either so the fish can't get stuck in them just natural rocks. I also gave the new boy a scolding for being to rough with the old girl and killing her. Suppose some alone time will teach him. I had hoped to fined a breeding pair/trio out there but I don't know that anyone that has them wants to sell so I might have to go for the young one's. I'd be very interested to hear from anyone in the south island with some for sale, as I do have someone in the north island that has offered me a very good deal on the smaller ones. I also now have numerous tanks sitting empty, due to recent purchases, ready and willing to be set up just for little gba's.

oh did I forget to mention I got a pair 2-3cm in size some time ago now, they just didn't get around to breeding before I took a cave ornament out that, sadly, had the male in it. So I have successfully kept them from that size to breed able size before. I've also have kept B/N's in all those tanks, at any one time.

Firstly let me say I'm just going to state the facts in my case and would love to here about other's and there transactions. I'm going to start off by saying that I've dealt with a lot of very good people both buying and selling fish and this has been the first time I've had such problems. I will also say that I've had this person send me fish, not there own, before with no worries. Two and a half months ago I contacted someone who will remain nameless (SWWRN for short) telling them that I spoted someone else selling the same fish, and same size for half the price. I asked if I could get that price from them and they agreed. I ordered a batch of 5 GBA's 2-3cm and happily paid for them. Due to courier complications they didn't arrive until 3pm on the expected day. All 5, in the same bag were dead. The water was a chilly 10-11c. Disappointed but not disheartened I went ahead and put a second order in for 6 leaving specific instructions for them to be shipped 3 in one bag 3 in another. I cheekily mentioned they could throw an extra couple in, if they wanted to to help ease the pain of my first loss. There reply was that they had already reduced the price for me, fair enough. There were no courier complications and all arrived safe and well (last week in August). I happily put my new purchases into a tank with some electric yellow and blue zebra babies (no more than 2cm in size). They remained there for 2-3 weeks this is when I lost the first one. I started noticing that the GBA's were getting picked on so decided to move them into there own tank which I had used before. I kept them in there very own tank by themselves for another 3-4 weeks and in this time I lost one more. I decided to move them to there permanent home, instead of just a grow out tank after I removed my red tailed shark from the 3 footer so in they went. Now the begging of November I have 1 GBA left from this expereince. The 4 that went into the 3 foot tank a week or two ago have died off one by one with only the odd killie fish dieing (of old age?? as they were given to me I can't be 100% sure about that though) in that tank as well. Now the question you are all asking, what is in that tank, well here's the run down 5 cories, 20 neons, 12 danios, 10 guppies, 1 b/n (took out the two big fat females to breed with the male before the GBA's went in), 1 male and 1 female apistogramma agassiziis, 2 blue rams and none, I repeat none have been added after the GBA's and none have been added less than 3-4 weeks before the GBA's. Noticed deformities, yes there have been 2 that have shown up in the short time I've had these guys. The first I noticed was one of them looked like it had the back of it's head munched, while it was alive, but I couldn't catch it to have a look at it then it died. The last one that died, today, I noticed that it's bottom lip was "split". There is nothing there to suspect injury has caused this. So tell me, $110 for fish and $50 shipping, is this value for money?

What an wicked looking guppy. sorry to hear about your loss. I always try to have something for a lid, even just a bit of wood. My malawi tank is the only one I don't have a lid for but I keep the water level atleast a foot, or more, from the top. One of the things on my list to do have malawi tank brased and lided.

I would be very supprized if the E. Yellows bullied him. Let us know how you get on though.

I don't know about that cichlid but what I'd do was move him and watch. If he bullies his new tank mates then move him back. Hope that helps

The problem I've found with having B/N's in with my africans are cavins. I've had them kill 3 males simply by "rearanging the furniture". I've since moved the B/N's to there own tank. Having said that they were breeding happily with the cichlids but not keeping the algae down so....

I hope there will be lots of pics put up. I'd love to see them but really a bit far to travel. Huby would probably lay and egg if I said I wanted to go all that way to watch a fish show lol.

That's the reason I don't have my rocks siliconed together. Every time you want to catch one of them you have to take out everything in the tank. I also use a tank divider like a "cattle gate". That way you might be able to herd the female into a corner of the tank and only have to dismantle that corner. Good luck.

congrats ktttk (if suspicions confirmed) You know I'd wish that dead and dieing fish were the worst thing I saw at the LFS here. I don't know how many times I've seen 2 bettas in one tank, generaly one on the bottom not looking to hot both with shreded fins. I honestly don't think the empolyes open there eyes when they dump fish in tanks sometimes.

IMHO the female is the nicer looking of the two. That's my 2c anyways

Speaking of dwarfs being thrown in with there larger cousins I saw a fire mouth put in with (can't remember now exactly what they were) the larger one's (maybe jack depsies sp) and some big gouramis sp. When I spoted it the poor fish was almost dead. It was taken out of the tank (this is at the LFS) and poped into a bag with the intention of me taking it home and trying to nurse it back to health. In the 3 minutes I spent talking with one of the workers it died. It really is quite upseting when you see something like that. It was an easily preventable mistake and cost a beautiful fish it's life. I really think that if you're going to work in an LFS you should be trained in the fish that can and can not go together, birds and the rest. just my 2c

Suppose that's where our LFS comes in handy. We often get Apistogramma agassizii oh and at the moment we have cockatoos or something very much like them but with very little color. Funny I always thought our LFS had the least selection. The LFS owner has said that the dwarf cichlids are a really good seller though so....

I've had other malawi fry die (think it was the parents messing with the breeding trap) when put into a breeding trap in the adults tank. I'd just leave them to hold untill you have a seperate tank set up. You'll probably fined the fry are more developed and have a better chance of survival if you leave it till this weekend and have a tank for them on there own.

I can pick one up down here for you for $16 I think. Don't remember the brand but did see them when I was looking for something else. If you want one just let me know and I'll go have a look.

This is utterly discusting. How is this not considerd crulty to animals? How have the spca in whatever contry this is happening (hoping it's not in NZ) not been invovled? SpidersWeb I don't think words can express the discust we probably all feel at the thought of people actualy breeding theise muntants. To me they look as if they should all be culled as they are not whole fish!! The human race continues to discust and disapoint me.

I have a slight algea problem in my 3 foot tank. Curently I have 3 B/N's and 1 apple snail in there with the malawi's. I would have thought they would have taken care of any algea but I have been proved wrong. What I want to know is what will eat the algea (just regular green stuff that collects on the glass) keeping it under control. The tank is in front of a window as there is no other place for it and I don't want anything that's going to get huge in the tank. Ideas anyone? Oh yes and I don't want to be spending an arm and a leg on anything either. Thanks

I had two males in a 3 foot tank with heeps of hiding spaces. The dominate male finally killed the other one. In my oppinion they are the most aggresive dwarf cichlids I've come across. However my expereince is limited. It would be interesting to hear from someone that keeps heep of dwarfs to see what they think.