ryanjury

Maybe some pulchers or lelu's or jullies.. But they're nowhere near as colourful as demasoni and would have to be thinned out to a pair if one formed.. Most other species we get in NZ will outgrow a 160L tank both in size and aggression..

lol I was being a smart ass he has already pm'd me I have none ready to go at the moment and maybe keeping the next few batches for me

Yep

You could mix them however you wouldn't want to keep any babies and because they are such good parents you would have to be brutal to get the babies out and get them eaten.. So in short don't keep them together.. Lelu's and pulchers might be ok but bear in mind they are both rock dwellers and may scrap a bit over turf if you have a smaller tank..

Sorry to hear about your fish Unfortunately it happens to us all sometimes they just don't want to get along.

I think the tank size depends on the experience of the person and the temperment of the fish involved.. Yes you can get away with a tank this size with certain fish and someone who has the tanks to remove fish if things go wrong or the ability to spot things going wrong before they are fatal.. Alot of my advice is based on the fact it is beginners asking and they wont have the luxury of having a heap of tanks to move fish around in or upgrade the fish as they grow it is based on what I feel will likely work long term for them and not set them up for a fall..

There have been plenty of links to the NLS food put up in here.. It seems to make some good points but also be very aware that it is on NLS's site and it is there to sell them food I have brought NLS and feed it to my fish and would buy it again but have seen no improvments in colour or health in my fish they maybe spawn a little more often but that could just be season (or the fact my wife loves to feed them NLS every time she walks past the tank)..

I am thinking either a 1ft cube or stick them in a 2 and a half foot as it will be more stable and harder to fowl if I overfeed.. I am a bit worried about how to aclimitize them into new water without shocking and killing them as they are only in a bowlful of blue water at the moment... I hate putting meth blue anywhere near a tank as it just stains everything..

Yeah just checked them hatched they have all left the slate they were layed on and sitting around on the bottom still large egg sacks.. For this lot I am going on the whole leave them alone principle as the last lots I wanted to hatch soo much I screwed with them and probably killed them, will be looking at getting them into a tank soon and then deciding what/when to feed them..

Just have to thank Johannes for the awesome fish, and also tinytawny again for taking fish up and bringing fish back.. This is one of the good things about these forums finding like minded people who will help you about Certainly makes up for all the bad things about it! Anyway thanks again and tinytawny I hope you enjoyed your trip and you didn't stress too much about everyelses fish and your fish are all happy in your tank and you enjoy them.

Yeah he's a beauty, I got him off trademe as a gold ram (from Auckland) he is the sole survivor out of the 2 pairs of golds and 2 pairs of blues I got from them.. He just had long fin's the other male did a little and one of the females did as well. Thanks Afrikan heres hoping I can raise them Still alive today...

Id say if your asking how hard they are to look after then your probably not quite ready to be keeping them... In saying that however do your research and ask some experts about them from what ive heard they're not that hard to keep alive provided you buy them big enough and do your research.

Fishtraps are useless for catching holding fish as they chill out in the back and you cant lure them out with food... I use 2 nets the biggest ones I can find that fit in the tank (for my big tank I have a fishing net from the warehouse) move slowly and try and move them gently into the big net.. Its when you start moving frantically that things go badly.. Usually I have to take all the rocks out to catch a fish, I leave a few in for the holding fish to hide in so I can hopefully flush them out and into a net.. Its all hit and miss and takes time, but one thing you can guarantee is you will never catch the one fish you want...

I don't think red zeb's or bumblebees but thats just me there is something off with the headshape to me. Chuck a heap of rocks in there and give them somewhere to hide and get their own space they should cheer up and colour up more

Welcome

I am not convinced on the headshape of that fish.. BTW the bacteria for cycling a filter live in the media and a little bit in the rocks etc in the tank. There would be stuff all in the water that will help your filters... When setting up a new tank I use dechlorinated water and take some media out of an extablished filter and its done.. As long as the water is clean and the media cycled it will be fine..

Thanks your a legend I hope you got something out of the trip, I know that I am grateful for the fish you took up and will be picking up tomorrow for us, there are some beautiful fish sitting here for you also

I would stick some rocks and stuff in the tank.. lol No need to worry about snails with big africans they will be eaten Id say this is why they look so scared they have no hidey holes Is your filter cycled? I have no idea what those little ones are could be little bumblebee's but seem the wrong shape/colour to me?

Is you filter cycled?? Are they gasping?..Lying on the bottom gasping is the number 1 sign they have ammonia poisoning..

Can I ask why they are all sitting on the bottom of the tank?..Are they sick? They don't look to good at all

Bumblebee's They're quite cool when they cheer up the males go Jet black.. lol what size is the tank?

Id say long term your better off to keep some dwarfs in there long term most africans (unless you can get a pair of jullies or something like that) will outgrow that sized tank.. You might get away with some yellows and peacocks but most will get big..

I would be worried about scratching the crap out of the glass when using a paint scraper?

lol leave the black on it looks good.. Apart from that the only other thing I can think of is to empty the tank, cover the top and use paint stripper.. You would have to research this because I don't know what paint strippers are safe to use on glass if any at all.. Good luck I am taking the blue off the back of my 5 x 2 x 2 when its empty so let me know what works I was planning to go down the track above but hadn't got far enough as to find out what was safe..

Contact redwood aquatics I have seen them sell them for $35ea at 4-5cm's which is by far the best price you will see