Faran

Ottos are wild caught from the Amazon and I'd recommend a LOWEST temp of 21C for them. They're fairly delicate creatures to be honest. I'd recommend a standard common bristlenose. More than likely captive bred which means they're much more hardy towards conditions if bred properly. Cheap as chips, too. As you don't like the common BNs go for a GBA, they're lovely and fairly inexpensive now that everyone and their mother is breeding them

A heat pump recoups costs very quickly. The maths aren't hard, 1000W puts out 2500W of heat so much more efficient than old technology. Electronic thermostat with LCD readout of room temp as well as output temp gives me peace of mind as well. All that said, I just saw that you're only talking about a 6.4M2 room. It may seem a bit overkill but mine is only 9M2 so not much larger. I thought you did the whole garage as we discussed when I visited you last April.

Common problem, snookie's right - goldies and axies don't mix. There's the very rare occurance that your axie may be undergoing metamorphosis as in this BBC article but you're more than likely correct in your diagnosis of nibbling. Axies are able to regenerate just about everything, but your primary focus right now should be to prevent infection that can lead to death. Infections are primarily gram negative but are sometimes gram positive bacteria. My first step in your situation would be to move your axie to a well aerated tank (to aid in breathing with damaged gills through the skin as well) and keep a close eye on it. Treat with antibiotics if infection is detected. Have to run, good luck!

Congrats mate, glad you're happy with your new babies and I'm confident you'll take good care of them. You're not far off, actually. It would seem that the locals catch these en masse and dry them out, then sell them in a little can of 500 for about 25c. Yeah, that blew my mind too...

Hi Ryan, Congrats on getting your room lined and running I did a LOT of research when I built my fish room and there's two choices I can recommend. 1) A small fan heater on a thermostat. Fan heater can be purchased pretty much anywhere for $20-50, Thermostat will be found at most hydroponic shops for around the $150 mark. You set the dial to the desired temp and it will turn the fan heater (cranked on full temp) on and off as needed. 2) (my setup) Heat Pump. The most efficient heating option possible and very easy. The built in thermostat will heat the room as needed and it also works as a dehumidifier and extraction fan at the same time. Get a portable jobbie and the install will be as simple as a vent hole in the wall...you might already have one installed out there for a clothes dryer. I found mine on TradeMe for $500 incl shipping from somewhere but there's one on there now in Lower Hutt for $600. Mine is a Karda/Dimplex DAC12001RH as can be found at Mitre10 for $1200. MAKE SURE YOUR UNIT DOES BOTH AC AND HEATING BEFORE YOU BUY - some units are just AC.

Feeding baby seahorses is a very time intensive process. You need to hatch brine shrimp and figure out some way to slowly and constantly drip BBS into the tank. I did something similar with green water for betta fry by using my coke bottle brine shrimp hatcher with an in-line valve and using gravity to drip feed... but a Brine Shrimp Hatch'n'feed Corral as sold by Aquanut (mtbtim on TM) may work well (not sure exactly). If you're interested in a Corral I have one that I only used once for $40 incl courier. I've kept it in case I needed it, but I think you have a greater need. http://www.cichlid-forum.com/reviews/vi ... php?id=148

SWEET congrats!

Agreed, mouse ear. I have the one I purchased from Animates when I first got into plants living in a pot in my kitchen now. It also looks like it has a fairly good infection of cynobacteria (blue green/slime algae) which you want to avoid when purchasing plants. This will quickly die when removed from the water with the plant (assuming you'll be potting it) but try and avoid knocking any off as it spreads faster that way than just through the water column.

Oh dear, what truly sad news to wake up to. Alan was an amazing guy who I developed a true respect for from the help and advice he gave to myself and others, and when I finally met him at the Napier Conference his energy and attitude completely blew me away. To think that such a lively guy is now gone and I never got to even say goodbye.... I hope that there's killies in the next world for you to keep and breed, mate. I'm glad we were able to share a rack of beers before you left. RIP Alan, and condolences to his family. He was a truly great man that will be sorely missed in life and in this hobby.

Meeting is tonight at 730pm at 30 Goodshed Road. It's about 400M south of the new Mitre 10 Mega on the other side of the street and can be identified by an Earthlink sign on to top of the marquee. We are in the building closest to the road. Hope to see you there!

I have a moss wall kit that I imported from overseas. I was gonna do a DIY article for the aquarium world but it's kinda pointless once seeing that other article Still think I'm gonna do the moss wall anyways but if you're keen to get a kit they're $20 plus shipping and come with everything in that article - 2 big pieces of black custom mesh, ties and suction cups.

Best of luck with building your fish room on a budget. I recommend spending some serious time planning out advanced plumbing systems for your tanks and water changes to make life easier. With a dedicated room this could be as simple as a drain in the floor or as complex as entirely automated water change systems. You may also want to spend a little more time dedicating that large empty space in the middle of the room for another rack of tanks (coming out from wall that currently has the display tank) as you'll want a higher water to air ratio in the room to keep it naturally warm and make the huge investment a worthwhile endeavor. My 3M x 3M room ended up costing me well over the price of a nice car (so far) and I'm still about $1000 of equipment away from being happy with it. At your age this means putting your desires for a car and independence on a back burner for a very very long time. What are your plans a few years from now? A local club member your age spent the better part of his time and money for a year building a little fish room in his garage and only got to use it for a few months before he moved out... leaving the whole thing behind. Not saying that wiill be your future but it's something to keep in mind even if you're an adult that doesn't own their own home.

I'd recommend the quality of the discus from Pupuke much more than the ones on TradeMe. The $30-50 ones start at 3cm and you really do pay for size when buying discus. Smaller ones die easier and I think that's nuff said.

The Pet House in pram is great. Good recommendations for this shop and fish. He attempts to only buy from certain wholesalers/importers to avoid disease so selection may be smaller than others but he makes up for quantity with quality. As with all pet shops observe your fish and watch for signs of disease before buying. Pet Corner in Porirua closed down though... A wee selection of goods and livestock. I think it was a franchise operation but definitely had a premium location so prices were above average. Pet Essentials in Porirua has coldwater fish but don't have any tropicals (as far as I know) and the girls in the shop know very little about them so don't think it'll expand soon. So selection is slim for the north city. A trip up to Palmy to visit Wet Pets is always a worthwhile trip.

You read the material and answer the questions. You shouldn't need any actual experience outside of the reading that you've done.

LOL, that's funny. They actually just outcompete the algae for food and light which results in a clearer pond. They do a great job at it, too!

Well, I don't know the whole story and can pretty much imagine that he was fairly warned the first time a package was intercepted and then continued to do it anyways. I had a scary visit from MAF where my tanks were examined last May related to this case and hearing that each charge carried a 5 year or $100,000 fine conveyed to me that with 36 charges he would be facing a very very long sentence and massive fines. 9 months and $25,000 is a slap on the wrist compared to what would happen if someone was caught at the airport with plants or fish in their bags entering the country. In the end this barely made page 3 of any newspaper so no one else will be educated to avoid making the same mistake... unlike the GE danios, which I'm still getting an earful about from anyone that knows I keep fish. Best of luck with your incarceration, Henry.

I was a bit saddened and shocked to hear about the final outcome of the plantman legacy. As it's relevant to the NZ fish keeping scene it's my belief that this should be added to the discussion. If for any reason this is against the forum guidelines I apologize but it's hard to keep up. http://www.maf.govt.nz/mafnet/press/070612tan.htm

Moss is optional if you're using a proper spawning trap. They will spawn over the moss in a bare bottom tank and it allows the eggs to "hide" from parents for a short time. 4mm mesh may be dangerous for these smaller fish as they can get stuck trying to get at the eggs. 2mm is a good size as it will still allow the 1mmish eggs to fall through and properly prevent parents from getting to them. I also note that raising the young separated from the parents makes them more sociable so the use of a breeding tank is recommended to prevent the rather shy tendencies of the wild caught generation. Good luck breeding them everyone!

It would seem that most of this article was sourced from stuff.co.nz but interesting to see it hit PF - http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/p ... ?news=1327

Sounds like a lovely tank, but I find gouramis and discus to be incompatible. Like large clown loaches they will not bother each other but your discus will be much happier without them than with them. This doesn't apply to dwarf gouramis like sparkling gouramis, of course

As are the blue plastic barrels available at most farm supply shops for water collection. $40-50 were the prices I got when I rung around, but that could be different where you're from. I have a spare in the garage but I've cut the top off it. The one I'm using is a water aging container in the fish room and I've had no ill effects whatsoever. Your first post doesn't say whether you want to move or just hold the water but you can get them with the lids and screw on caps still on if you need to shift a large amount of water. I wouldn't want to deal with it full of water without a forklift though

Following three months of unsuccessful spawnings by my Iquito Tiger Plecos I tried something different - raising the mouth of the cave by a couple centimeters using a flat stone (for stability). This helps the father keep the eggs in the cave when cleaning house. I followed my regular routine of spawning tiggers which include cold water changes and the feeding of beef heart, as well as the lowering of the water level to allow the canister filter to provide a rainfall effect and could once again see the father guarding a clutch of eggs and did my best NOT to look in the cave and disturb him during the 5 or 6 days of incubation which has always previously ended in disaster as I never quite found the eggs before consumed by the females (and possibly the males too). A few days ago I was pleased to see the first of a decent batch of fry and I'm currently doing my best to raise them with as few casualties as possible. Here's a few pics - Day 1 Day 3 Tank shot Alpha Male in cave with fry, 3 or 4 fry can be seen on and around cave and sponge filter. Omega Female is on top of sponge filter and Alpha Female is between cave and filter. A full size pic can be viewed here In this photo you may notice a few requirements for any breeding tank. 1) Sponge Filter - Excellent simple filtration for a tank that will contain small fry. The fry have little to no chance of perishing with this device but special care must be taken with catfish species which may attempt to enter the air outlet at the top and get stuck. This can be solved by using gravel in air outlet tube. 2) Bamboo or PVC cave attached to base - A mobile home for your pleco dad. Easily crafted out of PVC though bamboo gives your poppa something to nibble on when he's hungry but the end will eventually be eaten away. Do not recommend using any kind of glue aside from a bit of aquarium silicone to gum the bits together - this is not permanent as silicone will eventually let go, but it's better than anything else. 3) Heater with guard - Heaters are often used as spawning sites and hiding places so a simple plastic sleeve is a great way to protect from loss. Thanks to the other pleco fanatics out there for your support in making this happen

Just a couple pics of what's happening in my old fishroom that I'm trying to break down. With babies popping up it's a bit difficult! Apologies for fuzzy pics, I don't have a proper macro lens for my camera so things tend to be a bit blurry when dealing with lil uns through a tank of water... Celestial Pearl Danio, Celestichthys margaritatus, galaxy rasbora or Microrasbora sp. 'Galaxy' Lionhead, lumphead, blockhead, buffalo cichlid, Steatocranus casuarius Panaque Changae, Iquitos Tiger Pleco, L226, LDA26

They started spawning after the cold water triggers and starvation periods i started doing months ago. they've been keen since and constantly trying but the main difference this time was the use of a rock to elevate the mouth of the cave and prevent eggs from accidentally being "kicked out" which seems to have done the trick. There's a few heads poking around in there with dad but i haven't seen any others out of the cave yet. Swapping fry sounds like an excellent idea. Great suggestion.