Faran

Exactly. So with the new regs I don't see any chance of them slipping in again, do you Alan? That pretty much means we're stuck with the same stock we currently have until a) the import regs lax up, or b) NZ merges with Australia and MAF loses all control of what comes in and out of the country, or c) the end of the world - whichever comes first. As I sit here looking at the incredibly vibrant red on the fins of my galaxies and the deep rich black on the flanks I wonder what they will look like in 10 years (if even available any more). If WCMMs are any indication the inbreeding will lose a lot of that colour and if neon tetras are another indicator we'll end up with shortened life spans. So I guess there isn't much chance of us ever getting the Vietnamese Cardinal Minnow, aye? http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/p ... cle_id=608

I think the main hangup would be the fact that they're still banned for export from Mynamar. Once that's lifted they should be fine to be once again imported to NZ through the same channels as they were allowed last year. There's two things that may hinder that, though - 1) They are added to the CITES list. This will create an immediate and usually permanent ban on future imports, or import regulations that are so strict and cost heavy that no one will even try. 2) They were imported as danios or rasboras the first time and the inspections in the future will not be so lax. I personally was very surprised that they were allowed into the country. With the new import regs Alan mentioned and the renaming to Celestichthys Margaritatus I honestly doubt that will ever happen again. In the end I believe the current stock that is in NZ to be the only stock we will ever have of this lovely fish, therefore it's imperative that we do everything in our power to breed them and keep them available here. And to all the current and future breeders - PLEASE exchange F1 or F2 stock with other breeders and keep the bloodlines as pure as possible. I see inbreeding being a major problem in the future. Cheers.

Well done, that looks very professional. Now for an after pic from the same location as the very first pic

in the future, bud In the article it mentions that they were banned from export and are being considered to be allowed again. As far as I know they haven't made the CITES list so if the asian fish farmers get their A's into G we should have them as easily obtainable as danios some day. In the meantime, my population slowly doubled without any intervention in the last 6 months. They have been in a well planted species only tank. A 25L with lots of moss to hang out in, 8W of lighting and a simple sponge filter with regular partial water changes. I added a chunk of limestone and their colours brightened considerably, which shows they're happier with harder water. Recently I pulled out a nice shoal of just-free-swimming fry and they're in their own grow out tank. Just finishing with fry formula and onto decap and daphnia. Really enjoying watching them grow, and they seem to develop considerably on a daily basis. The growth rate and quick maturity (I think about 2 months from the ones I've raised in the tank) make them an extremely easy egg layer and I'd recommend them for even beginner breeders as they're tough little cookies and extremely forgiving. I guess the next step is to build a breeding box as per Billaney's article in the Aquarium World. I think I'll leave the F0 generation in their happy little home to retire and work on mass producing the F1s. Then again, all these ideas were prior to finding out they're available in the wild again. My suggestion is for someone to go to Mynamar and bring back a tin, which we'll carefully rehydrate and see if they come back into life like the worlds tiniest fish!

http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/p ... ?news=1267 The good news is that they'll become available again in the future. The bad news is that the locals used to sell a tin with 500 dried galaxy rasboras for 25p...

HFF had some for only $380 last time I heard. I'm not sure if that's still going but when I was there at the end of April they didn't seem to have a problem with giving an additional 10% FNZAS discount which brought it down to half of what I paid for mine.... I was a bit gutted and jealous but still proud to be the first kid on the block to have one last year.... my block at least!

It's an impressive filter. Looking back now I see that I've had it over a year and the one and only hiccup I had was a lid fastener getting stuck the first time I cleaned it. The distributors slightly overreacted as they didn't have spares and replaced the whole thing, which caused some problems with the breaking in period, but one of the most impressive things about my living room show tank is how QUIET it is. Seriously whisper quiet. As an FX5 owner for over a year I still recommend it highly and have to say that it's the best thought out filter I've had. The recent price drops bring it down to half of the price I paid last year, which makes it even more desirable. You really can't go wrong with this filter or the company that imports/distributes it!

Shy little buggers, too. I haven't seen one of them since I put it in the tank quite a few months ago, and the other only a handful of times. Gorgeous fish but EXTREMELY reclusive. Looking forward to ripping apart my tank someday to see if the other one is even in there....

Sales Ref Removed. Sorry B&K.. You are pushing your products in the wrong section. Use the correct forums for sales. Bill: Mod The only other thing you'd need is diffusion. Ceramic discs work well, but powered reactors are the best available in my opinion. Try a DIY setup to start with and move on to the toys later on. You'll have a few learning curves and hiccups, but that's part of life! Once you experience a tank starting to pearl you'll understand what it's all about. Specially when you start tossing out stem plants for slower growing plants like swords and anubias cuz you can't keep up with the pruning!

Excellent site, I used to use it when I was starting off. I now do pressurized for stability and low maintenance. If you need anything "professional" (as opposed to DIY) let me know and I'll see if I can get it.

Neither L182 or L183. L182 have the bands on the fins and L183 are bigger with a lighter colouration and more of an orange/yellow spot. Whatever it is, I have three that look exactly like her, two males and a female. If your female is feeling lonely she's always welcome to join mine and even out the numbers a little. I lost a female a couple days before the males arrived last week.

I dropped the seller a note in the Q&A section and things have been sorted. rcon was right, it was the mislabeled shipment.

Hey look!!! Another one!!! http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing ... =105230901 And the seller from the original auction this thread was started about wondered why I was insistent about correctly identifying the species. Misinformation and miseducation is like a plague. Easily spread and hard to stop....

no not unless dad kicks the eggs out of the cave and if you notice this refer to this article no cheers

Oh, so THAT's what fish ovaries look like! I was trying to spot something entirely different :lol:

Okay, so who's taken the time to raise and try and breed some of these natives? I've read that the dwarf galaxiids live their entire life in cold water and thinking of giving them a go.We have some darn clean water in NZ and it's going to be tough getting them adjusted to aquarium conditions, but they should be sweet a generation or two down the line...

fishy_t did his rock sculptures in poly with a concrete shell and they had a hard time keeping it submerged until he took out a lot of ply from inside. I'd recommend concrete over epoxy as it's simply heavier so you'll be able to keep it down easier. Then there's the age old question of what pH are you going for? epoxy will be neutral and concrete will keep your pH high... for a while, at least.

Yeah, I always figure it's a bit of ignorance playing in when people do this, but I was pretty specific and they replied that they understood, thanks for the clarification, etc etc and then it was back up exactly as before. Reporting it as fraudulent behavior is a bit harsh, aye Saw that as well. A quick post in the Q&A section to the seller, who happened to be a local I know, straightened it out and he sold many Amazon Swords happily ever after. Alan, as I don't know who the person is on here I'm going to put up a link to this on the auction so hopefully they read it and take notice. Thanks for your assistance, top.

"Synonyms are Ancistrus temminckii and Xenocara dolichopterus." I was seriously stoked when I first came across this auction, then I realized that it's just common bristlenose rather than the smaller version of my Starlights Bristlenoses. Told the person, they were pretty understanding and said they would correct it in the future.... but three weeks later it's still the same. What would you do? And I apologize but I don't think it would be prudent to list the auction. I'm pretty sure you'll only find one person selling anything named "dolichopterus" on TradeMe though Oh, for those of you that don't know what I'm on about, these are Dolichopterus - http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/sp ... ies_id=221 The person has regular everyday common bristlenoses.

I'd definitely be keen to catch a load of whitebait and grow them out to see what is in there. Might be interesting to do an Aquarium World article to show people what's REALLY in the white bait fritters, aye? Milet - the website you gave was pretty self evident on if they're an allowed species or not - "Mudfish/kowaro are regarded as a taonga (treasured) species to iwi." - Maybe it's just cuz most of my neightbourhood is Maori, but that woulda told me something... "There are five species of mudfish all of which are threatened:" - yeah, threatened usually means 'don't touch' That said and done, what a cool fish! We have our very own Birchirs!

If I did, would it get me a breeding colony of zebras?

Can you push the wet/dry filter forward and close the gap between it and the light hood? By doing this you could run the hoses behind it. You'll need at least 5cm clearance for the hose brackets.

Hi eben, Nice tank! From what I've seen of them in the past, there's a decent gap between the wet/dry filter and the light hood. I would use these gaps for running the hoses, which may be unsightly but practical. Otherwise you'll have to wreck the wet/dry filter compartment in order to fit it out of sight. And yes, it will work considerably better than your wet/dry filter. Less maintentance, as well. Happy to help.

Outstanding idea. Also be sure and note the actual breeder so people can reference the info (and possibly articles). Just a list is a bit vague... I'll contribute my breeding info when I have some time. email me and I'll help where I can. Good to meet you both, fuglydragon and coelacanth - for the first time? I have a feeling I know coelacanth under a different name, but I may be wrong.

daphnia, lots of them. Check your local farm troughs and watch out for leeches in there. Don't want leeches in with your axie fry. best of luck, axies are awesome!