Faran

I've been to LLs house in the past and have to say that anyone trying to steal anything off that porch is a bit of a daredevil, as it's extremely visible for about half a block in every direction.... unless you've moved? I prefer all my parcels to be delivered with sig req to prevent something like this happening. Some couriers/posties get lazy and just drop things off unattended instead of leaving card-to-calls but I have a feeling that will stop soon, as online and auction sales pick up to greater volumes and thieves get wise to the fact that boxes on doorsteps now quite oft contain valuables. Bugger of it all is that couriers claim no responsibility or cover it insurance-wise if they have a driver saying it was delivered. Good luck to your fishies, LL. I'd ask your LFS to keep an eye out for someone frantically asking about how to care for fancy goldfish... but I think your nearest LFS is in Palmy, aye?

Looked into this quite a bit when I had an iguana. Here's how it works. Iceberg lettuce has no value but just about all the other types of lettuce are great. You want to choose the thick lettuce types that have lots of fibre and preferably a nice dark green colouration. Just my 2 cents.

Aww, how sad! The sudden death could have been a result of a few different things. Have you tested the water? Young fish are sensitive to too few and too frequent water changes (too many with untreated water, that is) but you might also want to keep an eye on the heater and perhaps check the filtration for the tank, if any. Be diligent and figure out what went wrong so you can avoid it next time. By the way, mollies really enjoy salty water - even more than the standard livebearer. They can even survive in brackish water, which results in less bacteria (so I've heard).

best suggestion I've heard for dividers is to get a sheet of flexible plastic sheeting or some 3mm glass cut to 3mm narrower than the length you need, and cut a hose lengthwise and put it on the edges, creating a seal. I tried making dividers that way and even tried using that stuff for a spawning mat but it's pretty useless as it's neutrally bouyant and fish easily get past it.

crypts and anubias are good low-light plants for you. All the best ground cover plants require good lighting (glosso, dwarf sag, pygmy swords) and you'll have to switch to MH to get decent lighting at those depths...

Building Recyclers. mate. I go to Ironman just off the highway at the Wallaceville/Whitemans Valley road turnoff and get what I need for under $10 no matter how large. Sorry they're still crooking. I think I have a 2 footer with a plexi base that can be used for a hospital/Q tank. NOT recommended for extended usage.

If they're decent sized BNs your Oscar will NOT be happy if he gobbles one. They have spikes in every direction and will most likely be promptly spat out if gobbled. They could be perfectly fine co-inhabiting the same tank but this adjustment period could be potentially deadly to the BNs, Oscar.... or both :roll:

/lovin that AGM feelin. Lookin forward to next year (and more pics when Caryl has time)!

If you're a member of the forums and enjoy using them, give something back and help your local fish club out at the same time. Check out which local clubs are in your area and get out and meet some of your fellow fish keepers! By becoming a member of a local club you are entitled to the meny benefits of being a financial member of FNZAS, including a membership discount at many local pet shops, a good group of friends to help you anytime you need them and most importantly - people that understand. Your local fish club and the federation appreciate your support.

Once again it occurs to me that I need more tanks dedicated to breeding discus. I'm about to load a HEAP of fish on TradeMe to finally get that to happen.

That pair of parents spawned on the potted plant and I never took it out as the fry spent quite a bit of time around the leaves. Yup, they were getting large and I was ready to remove them from mom and dad. Day late and a dollar short. Shhh, the viagra in the food was supposed to be our little secret!!!

Just a heads up, if the parents decide to spawn again and you want to keep the lot of fry you currently have, best to remove the eggs or they will ignore and even kill the older batch of fry. I just lost a big lot of fry guys about 5 weeks old this way as I didn't realize that the parents had spawned on the back side of the potted plant.

sailfin looked a bit bloated and may be constipated if doesn't decrease. Treatment for this is epsom salt at.... 1 tablespoon per Gallon (will have to double check that - sharn will know) but bloat is somewhat fatal to fish in general. Colouration could have been stress or discomfort. Angel looked like it could really use a hospital tank to recover in. Treatment seemed good and was holding stable and seems to be recovering. Noticed gill was almost black on one side and this could have been due to a ammonia spike in a new tank cycle or otherwise. These things happen and it's just like our lungs - they take a licking and keep on ticking. Hope they feel better. mate!

I was all excited about ordering in some albino BNs and got a tank ready for them.... then I actually saw one and hated the little red eyes. GBAs are much more attractive, IMO. As for long fins... yeah, why not? Would be a pain in the butt with fish like bettas or barbs biting them off, though.

UV-C bulbs need replacing every 6 months, don't they?

I've seen almost all of those tetras in NZ at one time or other in the last year. I've even seen green cardinal tetras which I don't see on the list. Para pet house usually has tetras that you can't find anywhere else.

http://aquariumhobbyist.com/discus/water/index.html

I don't see a problem with it. I keep a "tank" which is nothing more than a plastic tub from the warehouse. Electrical conductivity is the only thing I can foresee as an issue over glass but thermally can't be much different. Nice sized tank, gonna use it for growing plants?

I use Marble Swords in a terra cotta pot filled with gravel. You will find that placing a larger "stone" inside the pot to cover the drainage hole will prevent the gravel from spilling out, and it's best to wrap the roots with rock-wool to keep it from getting uprooted. I have all my BB tanks set up with driftwood with plants attached and potted swords. The discus love it and people are very impressed by them and you don't get the usual "why isn't there any gravel in that one??" comments.

OUTSTANDING!!! It's looking absolutely fabulous, specially for a first tank. Congratulations and you deserve that pat on the back. Keep up the good work and if you ever need some good plants give us a bell.

Sadly enough my tanks are mostly used for raising and breeding fish so even though this fellah is a character and the friendliest eel I (or many others) have ever seen he will eventually have to find a good home. He was in rather awful shape when I got him - emaciated and chewed up - and is about halfway recovered after lots of food and melafix. LFS - Local Pet Shop Para - Paraparaumu The Pet House

If you're using it for marine... if freshwater talk to your local electrical wholesaler about ordering in some 5200-6500K bulbs. You'l have to rig up a way to mount this over your tank - either hanging from the ceiling of built into a light hood.

Yup, it's an Aquaflo. Advertised as a "rotating water deflector" rather than a wave maker, even by the manufacturer. Looking at my Aquaflo box that would be a Bioflo Large and has a rating of 700-1200lph.... manufacturer mentions a 'wave effect' but doesn't even get close to what this guy is advertising. I'm quite happy with my Bioflo Small and the aerobic sponge ring that it comes with (missing in that auction for some reason) is great as a wet/dry filter and surface skimmer. Try it and see if you like it. Can't go too wrong at that price. My small bioflo cost more that that...

Pleco is up for auction. Seems that someone told him $100 is a good price. Hmmm. I guess it's more realistic than $150!

poorly developed? How underdeveloped does a sword tail have to be to look like a tetra? That's one MUNTED sword, yo.