CID in OZ

Hi Elapid Welcome to the forums I envy your ability to obtain unrestricted choices in Fish and Herps Cheers Chris

Hi Macka Great to hear they have settled in so well ....... seems that most people experience the shy retiring ones because they don't have enough together maybe or is it the party atmosphere at your place :lol: Just a thought But then one of my friends has 5 that just seem to hide :lol: might have to rethink things 8) Chris

Hi Guys If you want to talk to some Oz Arowana and Saratoga keepers try this site its the Bigfish Forum on Sydney Cichlid Pages http://pub80.ezboard.com/fthesydneycichlidpageforumsfrm2 Hope this helps you There are also posts on RTC, TSN and Siamese Tigers 8) Chris

Hi Pete Just a thought is the male mature enough or just starting to breed ? I would think they are the same as Multisquamatus& Incisus being Glossolepis with the only difference being Wanamensis are a lake form where the other 2 are riverine so maybe less aeration and about 28-30*C My only experience is with Goyder river Trifasciata Persistence seems to be the only course 8) Chris

Hi CM It looks very neat can you tell us the size of the room and how many rows you run Also what filtration are you using I take it its a basement you have lined with styro and sisalation (silver sheeting) BTW nice pics of the fish .... like the C.mloto "Yellow Princess" what is its geographic locale in Malawi ? 8) Chris

:lol: Hi Bill :lol: Excellent article 8) Chris :lol:

Hi Midas There are only few basics that you need Good water quality ph around 8.0 kh about 150ppm > 300ppm 10% water changes not too much at once Feed high protien foods to juveniles for growth (breed American cichlids to provide wrigglers with egg sack the best food you can give them) Use pellets as staple food with additions of live and frozen foods Give them more than one choice of a spawning site (rock cave, large barnacle shells, bailor or helmet shell etc) They will harem spawn so can be kept in a group aswell as a pair Have micro worm culture as fry starter then go to new hatched brine shrimp and increase the food size as they grow otherwise jaw deformities can occur I currently have a pair (7cm M 5cm F) of the Gold form breeding in a 24"L x 14"W x 12"H tank running at 7.8ph & 200ppm gh with sand substrate a couple of hollow rock caves filtered by a simple ice cream container filter (filled with 3mm gravel and crushed coral) Feed them mini pellets with feedings of mozzie wrigglers, frozen brine and mysis shrimps HTH 8) Chris

To each his own :-? But why would you want to pay the money (ridiculus figures) for a X breed that would be a threat to the gene pool of existing large central americans in the hands of people that know no better I'm glad that you are at least asking questions about them and hopefully will make your mind up for the betterment of the hobby Sorry but it is a subject that is frown on by genuine cichlid keepers and treated with the distain that Blood parrots and juicing (dye injecting) attracts in most countries with the exception of Asia check this site http://www.sydneycichlid.com/flowerhorn.html It is marketed on the superstitions and ancient beliefs of the Asian people of attracting luck and good fortune with no other thought than the financial return it will generate for the portrayers of such paranoia Chris 8)

Hi All Here are some links to Sydney Cichlid Page and a few pics of 3 Sydney LFS enjoy Riverside Aquarium Campsie St George Aquarium Rockdale Majestic Aquarium Tarren Point cheers Chris 8)

Hey Cat Metronodazole is the base for Flagyl so you should be able to get a script from your doctor after you explain what you want it for and he stops laughing after he gets off the floor The scars are now called character marks from past macho encounters its too bad they won't heal completely but For doseage check this site Hole in Head Treatment Chris 8)

Welcome Bob Good to see someone will taste in fish join in and bring a bonus follower with him I find the short trip across the pond from Oz mighty pleasant

Hi Disneyworld There are a few probs I see 1. African rift lake for Malawi Mbuna The wood will lower the hardness of the water due to the release of tannic acid so if you want to keep the wood in the tank I suggest you use a Kh booster with the water changes to stabilise the ph in the 7.5-7.8 range 2. Tannin stained water The only real way to remove the tannin colour the water has gone is to use activated carbon in the filter and change it every few weeks in conjuntion with the water changes 3. Wrong catfish Unfortunately the LFS has sold you the wrong type of catfish for the problem you have Mystus are a preditory catfish and will do nothing to clean the tanks glass You need something from the Loricardae family (Suckermouth cat) the Ancistrus sp. Bristlenose will do the job and not break the budget also they are easy to breed and you could recoup a few dollars by selling the babies ........ if you wanted something larger then try for a Plecostomus but these are more expensive and produce lots of waste so the filtration will need to good Hope this helps you Chris 8)

You want mean a American then try Umbriferum they aren't called Blue Freckled Monsters for nothing check them on Jeff Rapps site www.tangledupincichlids.com Chris 8)

Hi Goldie Don't know if you have been here but have a look meagans_bettas Chris 8)

Hi Ira The G.altifrons are my favourites of the 2 they get larger in the body and longer aswell Usually need to be around 15cm size before breeding starts Kick the temp up to 30-32*C feed heavy add earthworms and shimp for extra protien Keep the fry at 30*C they seem touchy if the temp drops Feed them with New hatched brine shrimp , micro worms and ground flake/pellets Chris 8)

I think you need to start looking at serious mechanical filtration and the diatom filter the Cees metioned earlier is the best method to clear things especially if you can borrow it *great things fish clubs lots of nice people* These are designer for running only a few hours and not for continuous use due to the fine filter media that will even filter Ich out of water Chris 8)

Hi Ira There is a size variation between males and females with the males attaining a larger size The dorsal and anal fins extend sharper on males and both develop filaments from these fins Ira what "Surinamensis" type are they ? The 2 forms we have in Australia are Geophagus brachybranchus AKA Black Throat Surinamensis These have a coarse bronze/green body scale pattern that highlights a red hue through the top of the body and they have a large mid body spot that fades but is still present and noticable The other noticable feature is a black cheek mark and the development of a black throat that intensifies with breeding These fish are "lavaphiles" primative mooth brooders that lay the eggs and wait 24-48 hrs before mouthing the lavae free and brooding them The other form is Geophagus altifrons which I believe are the Manaus varient these are a more emerald green body colour with orange/yellow through the under belly the mid body spot fades to two small spots like a spider bite These fish are "ovaphiles" advanced mouth breeders that spawn on a flat surface and pick the eggs up as they spawn like African rift lake mouthbreeders Best if keep in neutral water >20*gDh ...... 28*C is recommended to keep the metabolism running at a rate where the fish eats readily and is not spooked easily ...... omnivorious feeder that like invertabrates If you have any other questions feel free to ask Chris 8)

Hi Matt A heater is a good place to start with tropicals 200-300 watt Make a list of the fish you like and then figure out what likes the samewater parameters (conditions) its easier if you try and fit them into what your local water supply is in ph The common Britlenose is a valued addition to any tank as they help keep the glass algae free Other than that let us know what makes it to the wanted list Chris D 8)

Nice fish not that difficult to breed Females have white margins on dorsal and caudal Great little earth movers 24" of attitude in 3" of body Super inquisitive and scared of nothing beware of hand in tank when breeding :lol: Chris D 8)

Thanks Cees will bookmark that page for future reference as that was what I was trying for Glad you liked the idea Bill I find it excellent in fry tanks and as a secondary filter in most tanks as its always handy to have a mature filter that can be moved into a new tank when your in an emergency Chris 8)

Ok the ezyboard link system doesn't work here so copy and paste in a new window http://au.photos.yahoo.com/bc/chris_ozf ... yahoo.com/

Here is a simple gravel filter that can be made from a few things found around the home [link=http://au.photos.yahoo.com/bc/chris_ozfish/lst?.dir=/My+Photos/Ice+cream+tub+filter&.src=ph&.order=&.view=t&.done=http%3a//photos.yahoo.com/]Gravel filter in a container[/link]

Didn't I read in one of the other sections where an importer was asking for species that were on peoples want list ? Was it a deadend and nothing happened ? It just seems strange that someone offers a "carrot" so to speak and then leaves you hanging instead following up and negotiate a breeding agreement to resupply them with fry for uncommon stock :-? Chris D 8)

Hey Ira I detect that you are not controlled by the dark side (AKA the world of blue fish) by your post What Sth Americans did you have the Africans in with as it seems a curious mix to me but a valid reason for the ph drop happening Chris D

Yep its always the way eeh Caryl I take it the number of importers is limited and they only see bread and butter fish for the trade from Asia :roll: Do your importers have the same restrictions as ours? Lisenced quarantine room Exporter has to be lisenced to ship to importer or the importers just aren't interested because of the small market ? :evil: Chris D 8)