Faran

I never quite understand why people ask others to do something they could easily do themselves.... no offense, luke! just typing out loud

Thanks for sharing, that just made my wish list If they hit the market you better be quick getting some, cuz with the demand it's going to have it'll be fished out of existance within a short time...

I have a 5ft tank going up for sale soon that could use some lighting and I also need some 4ft lights for a fishroom. Can be the second ones you pointed out or PL light hoods. If you go either, let me know and we can possibly combine shipping (if you want).

Nice pics, can you catch a few and take pics in a lit container? Would be nice to have a good pictorial record of the growth and development of the fry. I know you're a busy guy with lots of breeding, so if ya can't be fussed we understand I'm so busy right now I wouldn't have time either. Nice to know the fishies can breed without us! You have a new tank ready for pickup, btw Need to get some of that mesh from ya, too. Wanna bring some along?

Your LFS should have an anti-parasitic called "Fluke Tabs" which should knock out your skin and gill flukes, as well as deworm your discus. Other than that, your discus could easily be getting a disease commonly called "Hole in the Head" which is a flagellate bacterial infection treated with metronidazole, but the rapid breathing makes me wonder. I would definitely treat with fluke tabs. If your LFS can't/won't get them contact me for some.

I've bought heaps and heaps and heaps of fish from Hutt Pets over the years and haven't had a problem. Just take your time and observe any tank of fish for disease before deciding to purchase from that lot. I often find sick fish with obvious signs of disease in any pet shop, but aside from cardinal tetras HP is pretty good and getting much better over the last 6-9 months with a new fish department manager (Ben) and an excellent new owner (Bryan). As for the tropicals, they have a nice selection these days and many fish which you don't find at the other pet shop. They ALWAYS have oscars in stock, which you won't find really anywhere else. They even carry discus from local breeders and the occassional fancy plec. The chain pet shop is just a block away, so it never hurts to visit both to compare prices and condition of fish before buying. And one last thing - Hutt Pets gives a 10% discount on all fish and fish equipment to FNZAS members. The chain shop has a deal with a $10 voucher for every $300 spent, but fish and plants don't apply in that scheme.

Mico plastics has just about everything for tank fittings you'll ever need. Stainless Steel strainers (called foot valves), hose connectors, the works. Head on down and have a chat with them. Be sure and measure the inner diameter of your fitting and the diameter of the thread before you go as it can get confusing unless you have the fitting in hand. Best of luck, and we eagerly anticipate your next update!

Since the day of that post I've spent a whole day drilling holes for tank fittings (Hansens) in glass. We used a drill press with a nifty little attachment worth about $400 that puts a blanket of water over the drill bit as it spins, but a person sitting with a pump sprayer or hose letting a stream of water on the glass might do the same thing, sharronpaul seem to have had success with this method. One thing not mentioned previously is that if you're dealing with anything over 4mm thick you'll need to flip the glass and finish the hole from the other side to prevent chipping. If you're off by more than a mm with this drilling from the other side, the glass will prolly crack and break. With the clearance mentioned, heather is right, you'll need about 10cm at the back of the tank for a standard fitting. Best to drill from the bottom and use PVC pipe to get to the desired levels. In the end, I'd take my glass down to the local glaziers and pay the $5-10 per hole drilled. Hang around and watch what they do and give it a try next time (if there is a next time) before spending big money on bits and bobs for a one-off project.

I can only imagine that "disable BBCode in this post" must be selected, as you can quote almost any of alanmin's image inserts since loading them on Photobucket and they work perfectly...

Glass and silicone placed on the inside of the tank would be your cheapest solution, but not very sightly. Your local plumbing supply or hardware shop will have Hansen fittings, and you can get caps to seal these up. Why not use the holes for the original purpose? You can even connect your external canister filter to them, if you want. As for the water level, not much you can do about that unless you stop up the holes. Best of luck!

Really nice, mate! But... why go over the top when you already have proper holes with Hansen fittings? Today I was just looking at the bits that fit onto them and allow for your filter hoses to connect straight to em. Might be a thought?

All good, honest mistake

No you can't. The check valves in your LFS have rubber diaphragms and are corroded by CO2. Best to get some with plastic & spring innards for a few bucks more.

Same same, but I still don't agree with it. Holds about the same amount of beauty for me as tagging (graffiti) on a fence...

The proper fittings are "Hansens" and they make them in many sizes with varied connections. These units have a 1cm lip on them complete with rubber seals. Recommended to double up with silicone anyways. That's all I'm comfortable giving advice on, hope it helps!

Cute tank With the miracle of climate control as seen in the States, "cold water" indoors means something very different than here. A tank stays at room temps, which is normally 75 degrees fahrenheit - about 24 degrees celcius. A bit warm for goldfish, but unless they go outside there isn't much colder. Danios are perfectly fine at this temp and lower. Love the anubias nana! Is there more than one type in there?

Thanks for that, was good chatting with Adele again this weekend. Really need to make a trip down and see you guys soon! Show her the pics above of the whole clan Appreciate the advice but I've double checked and my skunk cory is C. Arcuatus with a solid band from eye to caudal peduncle. The skunks you picked up are from a different source to my one lonely skunker Anyone have some friends for this guy? He doesn't mind being a big brother to a tank full of Panda corys, tho!

My new LARGE male Butterfly Pleco, Flounder Pleco, L168. I got two males, but this one was twice the size of the other and quite spectacular, so he gets the spotlight..

Echinodorus Osiris is a hardy herbivore-proof plant. I have them for $13 each at a medium size. I completely understand if you prefer plastic with plant eaters, though

Thanks for that informative article, Joze! Nice little checklist to keep people from stepping on toes, getting in trouble, or even preventing a huge tank crashing through someones floor! I'm currently doubling the size of some of my tanks and will keep all your advice in mind. I think this would be a great article for the Aquarium World, sorry if you take that the wrong way - both "offendees" and "defenders". P.S. - It could be mentioned that a large tank can even shift the foundation of a house and cost many MANY thousands of dollars of damage.

Yup, for a definite example here's hygro difformis. Completely different emersed and sumbersed leaves, these are the emersed ones - http://www.trademe.co.nz/Home-living/Pe ... 035772.htm Submersed leaves look like this - http://www.akvariumas.net/duomenu_baze/ ... ormis1.jpg

Well, that all depends on what you have in the tank. If you have catfish or plecs they'll probably be uprooted and never get a chance to properly root if you remove the weights. I'd leave them bundled and carefully push the weighted ends into the desired spots. Once rooted you can go back and remove the lead. Oh, last note - if the plants look like they're dying, give them some time. Many plants in pet shops (and some from a new seller on trademe) are grown hydroponically and will need some time to adjust to submerged life.

No worries, it happens See you next month!

Update - free swimming day 30 Wow, 30 days is here already. Okay, so the fry are growing well but have definitely slowed down. Pattern has turned from mottled greys, browns and blacks into a solid black with large white spots. They are displaying normal ancistrus behaviour and cute as a button. Will I be selling any? Well, I ended up with far more than the 10 I wanted for myself so YES, they'll be available in a month or two. I expect them to sell for $50 each at 3-4cm. Sadly enough neither the original parents nor the additional pair I have acquired look even remotely interested in breeding again. Time will tell, I may have another batch 5 months from now! And an updated pic of one of the fry today -

Day 11 - Coming along nicely The remaining 10 are growing fast and looking very impressive. They've absorbed the yolk sacs and are adjusting to solid foods. Pics are worth 1000 words, so here ya go!