alanmin4304

The eggs are not easy to see. If you use a torch the first signs will probably be the fry sticking to the glass.

I think the less disturbance to the fry the greater the survival rate. I also found that drip feeding infusoria day and night helps. Use a pilot light at night.

I used to breed a lot of fighters and I would suggest you breed them in a small tank and remove the parents not the fry. Not many people seem to, but it is possible to raise large numbers of fry if you do it right. The fun starts when you have to seperate the males and grow them to as good as imported ones (or no one wants to buy them) They can be a lot of work unless you get pretty organised.

I have bred them in the little tanks from the wharehouse ( about 15 litres)

If your angels decide to breed you may find only half the tank is available to the other fish. I used to breed lots of angels and had one pair/ 12gallon. Your cats may enjoy the ram eggs if they breed as well.

I live in Godzone. Christchurch has a completely untreated artesian water supply. One problem could be that the Council is required to chlorinate the mains after they have done any maintenance work (to kill any bugs that might have got in while working.) They should flush it all out again before putting it back into service but problems could arise. I have always done water changes straight out of the tap and never had any problems.

They tend to swim near the top in the early stages so shallow water helps bring them closer to the food. They tend to lay a few eggs often rather than large spawnings so you will end up with fish at all stages of development.

I wouldn't expect a shop to take it back. They don't know where it has been and to treat it properly they would need to quaranteen it again. Not a lot of profit or good will if they sold it to someone else and it died along with all there other fish. Perisable goods.

It may be water conditions. The females could be used to it but too much shock for the new male. A new female may croak as well.

There will be particular requirements by the authorities for the disposal of waste water like there is here. Those requirements may be different to here but that is the game you have to play if you wish to import. I have never imported marines but when I imported goldfish the water had to be treated with chlorine before disposal to the sewer or discharged into a soakpit. The disposal of large quantities of seawater to the sewer may also bring requirements from the People treating that.

There have been what looks like good quality orandas etc being sold on trade me at present for a good price. Goldfish are prolific breeders but from the thousands of eggs you would get very few top quality fish. Also few breeders are going to sell you their very best breeding fish unless suffering from concussion.

Chlorine reacts with the amines from proteins to form chloramines. When people swim in a chlorinated pool and their eyes become iritated they think there is too much chlorine but actually there is not enough. Initially monochloramine is formed ,then dichloramine then trichloramine (provided there is free available chlorine present). The monochloramine is what iritates. Chloramines are not added as a water treatment but will always be present so long as chlorine and proteins are.

It's a numbers game. Years ago I used to breed and sell 50,000 fish a year. Sold mainly to one wholesaler. If you want to do it economically you have to breed a lot, then you have to sell a lot at a price that is better than a wholesaler can get them overseas and have them available when they want them and not when they have enough. It's a lot of fun but I wouldn't dream about getting rich and famous. You cannot sell at the back door if you want wholesalers to buy in quantities. Please keep your day job.

I brought two adult red eared turtles from Palmerston North to Christchurch by air and it cost me about $100. I have since sent babies successfully all over the place by the method described. I send them at 4pm and they have all arrived OK before noon next day.

First you find a friendly courier company that will take them and that is not easy. If they will not get friendly you play the game by not telling them what they are. They will not know what is in there if you don't tell them or put holes in the carton. Fill a reasonable sized carton with shredded paper and place them in the middle of it so their movement is restricted but they still have lots of air space. Send by overnight courier and ask the Company what is the latest time you can bring them in so they will arrive as soon as posible next day. Unfortunately you have to bend the rules because they all don't want to know. Good luck

I have a friend who built a house with a fish room next to the lounge with a large tank facing into the lounge and serviced from the fish room. Looked great.

Nice tank. Who does the joinery? I like the way the top comes over the water line so you don't see that or the lights. Looks like the tank grows Rotala OK.

The water supply in Christchurch is around 45 ppm hardness.

It is used in the treatment of some parasitic diseases in humans such as amebiasis (amebic dysentary) and is called flagyl by the doctors. It is prescription only and will not be cheap. Can be used for hole in the head as well.

I have never used the test kits. Do they register for PO4 or HPO4 or both?

The point I am trying to make is that there are many types of filters available but they are all useless unless you know what the problem is. You are entitled to the information on the source and treatment of your water supply from the Council under the freedom of information Act. There are often many urban myths about water supplies.

I am not doubting there is a problem. I have spent years dealing with water supplies and know of no local authority that adds copper, or any reason why they would, that is why I asked. It is important to know what the problem is before you treat it. The symptoms you describe seem more like a problem with elevated chlorine levals.

I see you are in Tai Tapu. The Halswell river has more oxygen weed than the pet shop and it is free. It is where I get it from to feed the turtles. The legal oxygen weed sold in the pet shops is Elodea canadensis (Canadian water pest)

I see no reason why the Council would add copper to the water supply. Are you sure they do, or is the pet shop selling you water and making a good profit? There are many different filters out there and most would be useless unless you had a particular filter to do a particular job.

Why do you use filtered water and what is it that you are trying to filter from the water?