alanmin4304

I am about to get grindals going again. I used to keep them on peat with a little ground up egg shell added to stop them getting too acid---fed on luncheon. As stated very productive and stay alive in water a lot longer than whiteworms and a good intermediate size after brine shrimp nuplii. I used to keep them at 30 degrees C.

It is legal to import Artemia cysts in cans.

If I was you I would start with small steps and breed a few fish first.

We have a breeder down here that is getting it from the states but I don't know where from. I thought the NZ stuff would be easier to get but I haven't seen that around for a while either.

The feet and tip of the tail are the bits to watch. Just watch that you don't make the enclosure too moist as that can cause problems too. That is why I put them in a container and then spray them. With the adults, if they look like they are having problems I soak them for a while in warm water in the tub. I have one in there at the moment.She has been a bit slow completing the shedding but she also seems to have problems hydrating eggs so am seeing if this improves both things.

I know of one person in Christchurch that was in the process of setting up a Q facility but has put it on hold because of the downturn in sales. It will come back but wouldn't want to guess when.

One little axie in a tank that big would be OK for a few days, particularly if it wasn't eating anything much (would not be producing much waste).

Correctly identified Crypt flowers will be good on the plant database as they are the only easy way to identify them (DNA is a bit tricky).

Lumbriculus will get them going. Whiteworms and other live food now and again.

It will be mould as aquarium safe silicone has no mould inhibitors. Try a tank with black silicone.

It is when they usually don't eat much for a few days. A spray with warm water helps them shed. I usually put them in a plastic container and spray them then let them sit in it for 10 minutes or so. You need to watch that they have have shed completely. If they don't shed their tail or feet properly it can restrict blood flow and can cause the loss of the bits.

I used to breed a lot of them for fire bellied newt food. I found that most fish were not keen but guppies were. They would be good for some top feeders.

You can seperate the maller white worms from the colony by adding them to water---the large ones sink first and the small ones can be decanted off. The problem is that you lose your replacemnt big ones. Grindal worms are between micro and white worms. They need to be warm and moist unlike whiteworms. Daphnia when the weather is suitable.

Love it.

It will not be easy as the Maf requirements are tougher than they used to be and you will have to compete with others that already have established clients. As far as I can tell many people in Christchurch are right over fish at the moment so your main market may be out of town but good luck.

Same down here. Asked in the shop. "what are they?" Answer was "$3.50"

What sort of sword is it?

I would drop the water level down to about 100mm and make sure a lid is keeping the air above the water line warm and moist. I have never used meth blue on fighters because the male will usually keep the eggs clean but I guess it wont do any harm.

Now is the time to start building tanks (if you are not already) Build a small tank for breeding with a smaller tank inside without a base. Glue the metal mesh used for making whitebait traps on the bottom and brace it at the top. Put straps on the top (braces it also) or small spacers on the bottom to keep it up from the bottom of the main tank. If you are serious make a few sets and set them up with pairs or trios at the same time so that you are raising fry of the same age. Use low light and when you see eggs cover with newspaper until free swimming. A drop of acriflavine helps. The first lot of eggs are probably no good as they can get calcified. Feed on lumbriculus and breed once a week until the market is saturated. Build more tanks to grow them all out.There is a sex skew by temperature so if you end up with all females lower the temperature a bit. Good luck and don't forget me when I get my munted tank replaced.

Neon fry will go straight on to San Francisco brine shrimp nupllii which can be imported as eggs or buy the NZ stuff. It is a lot fussier to hatch and is the smallest variety but the best food.

In a previous life I found about a dozen baby trout in a cul de sac of the Waimakariri river and trapped them in a plastic bag I had stored my lunch in. Took them home and threw them in a pond. They survived for a couple of years and only grew from about 25mm to 50mm in that time. I hadto get rid of them back to the river when the Maf boys and girls were coming around re inspections over importing goldfish. They need cold highly oxygenated water to do well and don't do well in a pond. We also released some trout into the oxygenation ponds at the local sewage works (were trapped when workers were doing maintenance on the water race system). They were supposed to grow like mad because it was full of daphnia for most of the year but lasted a couple of years and were never seen again. Forget trout and salmon in a pond. The ponds at Issacs which are full of salmon have copius quantities of Waimakariri water running through them at a rate of knotts. Waimakariri means cold water and will therefore hold a lot of oxygen.

They can be bred once a week if well fed on live food--lumbriculus is ideal. The first lot of eggs may not be any good but after that you should be away. They should be ok on NZ brine shrimp nuplii from hatching. New fry are light sensitive so cover with newspaper. Usually bred in a number of small tanks over mesh--add a drop of acriflavine. Can tip hatched fry into a rearing tank together to raise up.

BURN didn't learn a lot from being banned and is now trying to make double trouble while once again contributing little?

It will pay to start breeding them straight away as they look pretty mature and they breed best as teenagers.

I have the heating at one end so it creates a warm end and a cooler end. The differential will vary depending on the size of the enclosure and the amount of ventilation. I would normally be turning the heat down about now but one female still looks like it wants to lay eggs.