alanmin4304

As a general principle domestic freezers are only at about -10 deg whereas commercial ones are required to be below -18 deg and will go all the way down to -30 something degrees. The storage life of fish is doubled between domestic and commercial temperatures and will increase even more at -30 odd degrees. In addition commercially frozen food is snap frozen and therefore the size of the water crystals that are formed are minute compared to taking days to freeze at domestic temperatures. The large crystals damage the cell walls and destroy the structure of what is being frozen.

Great stuff--you deserve to do well.

It doesn't realy matter. If it has straight leaves it is an unweanted organism and cannot be propagated, commercially advertised or displayed and cannot be sold. At this stage we don't know if you can keep it, but hope to find the answer soon.

Gigantea is realy giant, up to round 50mm wide leaves. Spiralis has straight leaves and gets its name from the fact that the flowering stem spirals. The plant subcommittee is trying to get definitive answers on the status of these unwanted plants but it can be a challenge. Until we can get an answer it is best to be aware that it is a plant that can choke out lakes and waterways so be careful how you dispose of it.

Only the female knows how to clean it properly even though the male has a water blaster in the shed--typical.

But what are you going to put in there?

They are probably like the danios Maf got onto finally. They are spectacular under a black light, but for me they are about the same as the fish that have been bred short and fat and look like they swam into the end of the tank a bit too fast. Very artificial---might as well get a glow in the dark plastic one from the $2 shop.

Someone has to approve it. Who pays them---the ferryman?

Lumbriculus swim if you touch them and tubifex do not.

Enjoy your time here.

Different planets?

I would suspect the bottom one speaks with a bit of an accent.

They are both good looking fellas.

I have seen the pictures too and what is described as high yellow is basically a normal with less black patches when young, hardly the fancy colours that are available overseas. The pictures of the wild ones show a fair amount of yellow also, so I would say they are wild types with less black than some others.

It may be not green enough because the green bits were lunch and you are about to be invaded by pupae eating wasps.

I find it hard to understand why people are so keen to keep a reptile which is realy cute when small (like most) but develops into a 1.5 metre tree climbing bird eating monster that can and will attack a grown adult human. We might as well see if Maf will let us all keep crocs and snakes as well. I will stick to beardies, turtles and frogs thanks.

The costs are not so much in the fees to go with the application but in obtaining the information to prove to the powers that be that that fish will not be a threat to the precious fishing (trout and salmon) industry either by the nature of the fish or the risk of it carrying diseases that could be a threat. The latter is the reason for the prohibition on the importation of goldfish after a disease was found on goldfish imported into Australia. There has always been a number of fish which some importers will not bring in because of their propensity to carry some diseases that can put Maf into a tailspin (like whirling disease), and there are fish approved at the moment which may become prohibited in the future for the same reason. This, as stated earlier is a subject that will hopefully be investigated and reported on by the fish committee ---best of luck fellas and fallesses.

They are all OK I think, just depends what you want. They can have slightly different hatching requirements so just go by the instructions.They are packed on nitrogen so when opened the oxygen lowers the hatch rate. I open the tin then repack into small sealed bags and refrigerate. I have a bag sealer.

That was plants and used filters I believe.

Don't use an airstone, just enough air to give a gentle rumble.

Once opened exclude air and refrigerate. Difference is price and size of nuplii.

I do as above but also drop a small heater/thermostat in there. If I remember correctly, NZ brine shrimp is 24 degrees at 24 grams to the litre salt and others a bit more (around 32 grams/litre). They need light to hatch as well. To collect nuplii--- turn off heater and air and let settle for 10-15 minutes then drain out through the air hose and seive through a fine seive or old handkerchief.

While doing National service I was informed by an officer that the reason for my having 5 haircuts in the first 6 weeks was to avoid nits. Females don't need short hair so they must be immune. Nits like skin.

They are prohibited for the same reason that they would be very difficult to get approval granted to import I would think. Just because it is pretty is not sufficient reason for Maf and Erma to look on import approval favourably.

Most algae problems seem to be related to an imbalance of phosphate to nitrate. The phosphate excess is usually caused from feeding and some overseas sites suggest adding nitrate as a cure. Plants need both but a lot less phosphate than nitrate.Water changes and low phoshate food would be a good start.