Faran

Copper sulfate is toxic to snails so you just buy it and dose as labeled (or Google if you're sourcing it through non conventional channels), but be warned if you have a large population and kill them all at once with CS you can cause a massive load of decaying bodies which can completely throw off your tank and kill all the fish. Lots of water changes are needed after a CS killing. Have you considered loaches? They're awesome fish and LOVE snails

I kept them both in a pond and a bathtub. I found the bathtub to be problematic as it got too cold since it was above ground level, and it froze over which resulted in losses. I installed a small fountain to prevent this from happening, but that didn't solve the problem during extreme chills. In ground ponds have a larger body of water and better insulation so are much better all-year habitats for WCMMs, and with a larger surface it is easier to prevent freezing over.

Oh right on I think I met u at his 21st. I think I got some of your Bond collection through him? Small world :-) Drop me a PM we should catch up. I'm just over the hill in Waterloo now.

Yeah good ol Vinny I haven't seen him since Bonnie had their kid. Tell him I say hi :-) Nice to meet you, let me know if I can help with anything!

Yes, and a new O ring :-)

http://www.ilyke.net/went-to-walmart-an ... mpaign=aff

Just wanted to update that the motor from Organism arrived today and all is running perfectly again. Highly recommend them for everyone

It's been YEARS since I had them, but I'm pretty sure I remember my blind cave tetras being pretty bad at eating plants...

Cheers godly Caryl - sadly, no I kept Tank (the Bully) and the ex took the cats and subsequently put them up for sale a week later... Cheers alan, good seeing you're still here

Hey fishy friends, Some of you may have known me in the past as "blueandkim". I was the president and re-animator of the Upper Hutt Fish Club, a member of the FNZAS Plant Committee and had other various roles when I was a full time discus, fancy plec and plant breeder and wholesaler. I turned in my fish gloves when I became a dad, but my princess has re-ignited my love for fish keeping and I hope you all don't mind if I re-join you as an older, mellower and much more grounded version of my previous self. I'm now a second year student at Victoria University School of Architecture and Design, majoring in Building Science and specializing in Project Management. I plan on being only a fish keeper from now on, with no intentions (or time) to pursue it past being a very passionate hobby. My first project will be to replace my t8 and t5 aquarium lighting with LEDs, which I have used in my Architecture projects and home with impressive results, which I look forward to applying in my aquarium. I don't like the idea of LED strips with exposed soldering in such a humid environment so will be sourcing a hood for this purpose. If anyone has any experience with this, please contact me. That's about all for now, I hope that my return to the forums is a good experience for everyone and look forward to meeting all of the new faces here now, and catching up with some of the old ones I've known for so long now Cheers! Faran

Asked organismltd about it on their fx5 trademe auction and they came back with $200 delivered so they're gonna be my source unless something better comes along.... replying to your pm now Ian.

Oh my bad looks like the plec collection in my Sig has died too...

No probs. I used to have a massive amazon collection which included a huge array of fancy plecs (see signature), rare plants and I was a discus breeder carrying 8 different strains of breeding pairs in my fish room. I was pretty successful at breeding fancy plecs by combining discus breeding techniques with my experiences from the common bristlenose. It was a great hobby and business but very time consuming and required a massive commitment so I shut everything down when I became a dad. Now I still have the tanks but I've sold or tossed out many of the plants and haven't bought a fish since before I shut shop so only have c. Sterbai (breeding colony) and a sole discus left. Now that I've moved the big display tank to the new house I plan on selling off some of the tiger lotus, needle leaf java fern and Xmas moss to fix my fx5 and stock up on some of the beautiful smaller fish to have some nice schooling behaviour through the plants :-)

Hey Ira been a while. Yup released late 2005 about the time I bought the house in Upper Hutt that I just sold. I got it in Feb 06 as soon as they landed here. Gotta say in all these years it's been mint as still recommend it highly for monster tanks or have excessive filtration needs like me :-)

Sweet that's pretty much exactly what I wanted to hear, it's the price I sourced a 110-120V one from overseas including shipping. Will definitely hit up the shops tomorrow!

Hey guys, My FX5 must have had a bad shift and the motor is pulsing and stopping rather than giving a steady flow. I've cleaned it to the point of being detailed (I used to be a Marine so know how to clean very very well) and the internet agrees that the motor probably needs replacing. Any suggestions on where to get one fast? I've been out of the fish game for many years so I don't even remember which company I purchased it from. Either way, a new motor after about 7 years seems fair to me so I'm fine with doing it, the bloody thing has served me well. So, if anyone has any experience with price and supplier, please let me know. I'll TRY and stop in Hutt Pets and Animates tomorrow but I've still got an 8 foot tank and 8x 4 foot tanks to shift so I don't know if I'll have the time so please help if you can. Cheers, Blue

sad to see them go but glad to see they have such a nice home and owners that love them. rox you'll love the pair you're getting they're not much smaller and the male has a wicked set of bristles as well

My pond and one of my daphnia cultures both grow this like a weed. They're both outside and subjected to every condition but protected from frosts (obviously). Finding some growing in the wild is good in one way but if it's growing anything like I've seen in my two outdoor examples it may just be labeled a pest! I've managed to get it out of most of my tanks but still wouldn't use or sell anything from a wild culture for several reasons. One, the acclimatization to tropical temps may not go well, though a friend grabbed a handful during summer and it went like flint in his tropical tank (he's one of the sellers on TradeMe now), and the more important reason - unwanted organisms. I'd recommend at least a potassium permaganate rinse before adding it to any proper aquarium as it very likely carries leeches or other unwanted nasties.

No on fairy shrimp - unless things have changed since the last time I checked.

NO do not attempt to do this in any way. BIG! MAF Biosecurity Act violation and VERY punishable. The person that sends you the eggs will probably not be prosecuted but you will. Each offense (every egg) can get you 5 years or $100,000 in fines. We had a very loved member of these forums get prosecuted and thrown in jail for something similar please avoid doing this.

Prazi or fluke tabs. You shouldn't have gill flukes if you've kept up with daily water changes, fish flash for many reason. That said, it's good to treat your discus for worms on a regular basis like cats or dogs so hit them with prazi anyways. You can get dog worming pills and add to food or water or if you know any discus breeders you might be able to find some liquid stuff to add to the water but it's hard to get (has to be purchased in large quantities or imported) so a lot more expensive but you get the same amount of treatment for your dollar.

Treat with Furan 2. There's a bacterial infection in the orbital socket causing swelling and pushing out the eye which needs to be treated. These things can go away by themselves but are greatly aided by medication.

Exactly

They're very sensitive fish and require ZERO pollutants in the water. They come from fast flowing areas as evidenced by the horizontally compressed body shape so replicating these conditions in an aquarium is difficult, Keep up regular water changes and keeping them can be easy but miss a few and you could end up with some very expensive dead medusas. RRP on them is $160-200 and I've had one go over $300 on auction.

LOL, the whole point is that they LOOK like GBAs with amputated eyes. To be honest I wouldn't be able to do it, just the thought of holding a wee baby GBA and taking a scalpel to its eye.... *shudder* You're talking to a guy that can't even cull his deformed babies without his partner smacking him upside the head first.