Stella

I couldn't decide whether to buy a ticket or not. Ok so there was a hell of a lot of money that had to go to someone, but ticket sales were expected to treble. More money if you won and a much much lower chance of being a winner... I think it works that you have a slightly better chance in August or something, lower average ticket sales. In the end I forgot to buy one :oops:

:lol: I second the brain sucker! What is the texture like? Does it smell? THat is seriously cool and repulsive at the same time!

ok, just like that but small, brown, freshwater and somewhat less 'I am going to kill you' nippers! :lol:

There used to be these outfits called 'Acclimatisation Societies'. Their point was to introduce lots of critters and plants from 'home' so the settlers had a nice little mini-England. Little thought was given to the effect these things might have. Ok so some of them were for a point (possums and rabbits for food etc) but the main idea was to get them established in the wild, not just farmed. There are *no* native freshwater angling fish, sport fish, coarse fish etc. All trout, salmon, perch, carp, catfish etc etc are introduced. Kokopu and grayling (extinct) would take the line, but didn't 'play' (cruelty to animals!) and didn't have the status element of trout/salmon etc. They also set about exterminating native eels as they believed they threatened trout.... we are talking serious mass slaughter here, and mostly based on incorrect assumptions. A lot of myths remain thanks to these guys. Eels (for a variety of reasons) are now threatened. These introduced 'sport' fish are far, far more protected than native fish (which are really not protected at all). You need special licenses and equipment to be able to catch them. I went spotlighting for natives on sunday and also caught three baby trout. Nothing against interferring with natives but the trout were caught with a net and were undersized (1" long!) therefore theoretically broke two laws :roll: There are also no native land mammals other than two (now extremely rare) bats, and a few marine mammals that spend some time on land (seals, sealions). Caper, I enjoy your different-country questions, like the 'ute' one the other day. BARRIE: Very interesting post! Thank you.

Kinda. But freshwater, smaller and with two great big pincers out the front (I think lobsters don't have pincers?). These ones are native (koura being the Maori name, also known as crayfish or 'crawlies'). Photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/nznativefish/CrayfishKoura#

Indeed, crayfish have a high coolness rating on the coolness index. oh I forgot to see which sex it was! Shall have to visit it sometime Glad it is settling in well and keeping you entertained. One of my plans for today is to get a thread up with some photos from our spotlighting trip

But that is for ONE FISH SPECIES. How many billions of fish/plants/animals/invertebrates are there? How much other work do they have to do? It is not a case of just flicking open a book, checking out temperature requirements and ticking a box. Allowing new species in is hardly of huge concern when you look at the wider picture. Yeah it annoys you, but would you rather your taxes go to getting more scientists to research what pet species are allowed in, or to paying nurses enough so they stop leaving the profession? (random probably bad example, hoping it won't start another tangent) The goldfish thing is because little ones can't be distinguished from koi (noxious pest), isn't it? If that is the case, surely the fancy ones look as un-koi-like as possible... Someone know?

I would support that The permit system for native reptiles seems sensible (what little I know of it). It is easy enough to get but you have to prove you have suitable housing and ability. David R: and extend the permit to cats and dogs EDIT: and for keeping CHILDREN!

You wouldn't believe the number of people who think trout are native :evil: :roll: Water possums! Sadly without the trout, and the anglers wanting big healthy trout, out rivers and streams would be in an even sadder state than they are now. Slow death of a dirty brown river: http://www.stuff.co.nz/4730958a7693.html Sorry, Varranophile, we are getting rather off topic, but it is an interesting tangent! (thanks mods for re-allowing it)

well yes, rivers and lakes are full of pest goldfish from irresponsible fish keepers 'releasing' them when they got tired of them! It is annoying seeing deliberate releasings of animals like this (admittedly I have also done this in my irresponsible and poorly-informed early days... :oops: ) I find the wild molly and swordtail populations ethically interesting. They shouldn't be there, but on the other hand they are not competing with native (fish) species, and are fully contained by the limits of the thermal pools. No risk of spread, no threat to native animals. Still out of place therefore kinda wrong, but much less wrong than goldfish in streams.

Indeed, that is true, there are things that could not survive here. Then again other things you don't really know if they will go nuts like possums or die out like moose. I was talking to a DOC guy yesterday who said something about people being employed to assist in establishing possums in certain areas! Apparently they thought they needed help if they were going to establish! Some things grow in VERY different conditions in their native habitats but do extremely well here. In the case of pinus radiata, they grow much, much better here than where they evolved! Ok, so while I agree that The List may be a poorly thought-out list, it is the law at the moment. I would MUCH rather have that than random people deciding all by themselves whether something should be in the country or not. As Museeumchick says, there are so many cool natives here that can be kept as pets etc. There is this mindset that natives are boring, but most haven't the foggiest what startling variety we have here, and I include fish, plants, invertebrates etc. Sorry, I have no idea if frontosa is animal, vegetable or mineral.... :lol:

what does it mean to be 'blacklisted' on Trademe? Forgive my ignorance. :oops:

At first sign of anything looking amiss: do a waterchange! Most common problems are caused by water quality issues. How often are you doing waterchanges? How long has your tank been set up? Have you read up about 'cycling' an aquarium? (google, both this forum and elsewhere). I don't know anything about those fish though. Someone else might be able to help if it is something peculiar to them (particularly the distended tummy thing) Good luck!

Really??? Wow. I thought it was interesting. What a shame I didn't think people were getting nasty.

Good on you Whetu!! Caryl needs all the help she can get for the mag! Write it up as a word doc and send it to her. Can't remember if her email is listed in her profile, otherwise just PM her. (Not sure if you are a paid-up member, if not you get a free copy of each mag you have an article in) Have you kept using the kinder surprise egg? Are they learning any tricks to get it out faster? Have you tried food other than flake?

Thanks for the suggestions! Petone pick-up definitely possible. I did a quick look on trademe and I noticed the seller 'tanks2u' in Manukau: http://www.trademe.co.nz/Home-living/Pe ... 999063.htm Anyone know anything about him?

I may be installing an aquarium in an office and we would be looking at getting just a 'glass box' rather than a fancy commercial tank-and-stand arrangement. Can someone recommend a really good aquarium maker/brand/supplier? (Yes Wetpets make their own, but they can be a bit rough.) I wouldn't want anything huge or odd. Probably just a three foot but nicely finished.

Museumchick, I am with you. I have been horrified at all the plants and animals I have heard of people having that they know is not allowed in the country. Really disgusts me at the lack of responsibility. Sure they think they can look after them in a way that the organisms 'can't escape', but do they have a plan in case of their death? Do you have an agreement with someone who can go in and contain/destroy this stuff, or will your death be the point where these things are released and become the next possum/old man's beard? And if something did escape (like a critter) I'll bet they wouldn't mention it to the appropriate people to contain it, they would just wait until it had established and someone noticed. :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:

and/or just meet for the hell of it! :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

I wonder..... if you used those small craft mirrors dotted along the spouting.... might it give a dappled effect? My kokopu tank is based on a forest stream so the lighting is a little on the low side, but a bit of dappled light coming through the canopy could be interesting....

I use duckweed in tanks that have fish which normally live in places with lots of forest and riparian cover. I use a net about every two weeks to remove 1/2 to 2/3 of it. Removing it is also removing the excess nutrients that it is using to grow. Works for me

Mice are cute but they do smell and are incontinent, both of which are annoying. I always thought the ideal would be a mouse with the trainability and continence of a rat. Mice do like being handled and they do make good pets, apart from the smell...

EW! Wild-caught maggots should be fine.

Hi Romeo, Lovely inanga - very strong markings! Inanga can be quite skittish. They may relax more if in a small school (5 or so) but that depends on if your tank is big enough for them. When I feed bloodworm I defrost the cube first by putting it in a really fine tea strainer and running it under the cold tap. There are a lot of nutrients in the water frosen around the bloodworms that just go to feeding the algae. Also the sudden influx of food means they all get a go (when there are more fish in the tank). Your powerhead will swish them around and hopefully look alive and enticing to the inanga. I found frozen bloodworm was not a great food. Convenient and good for getting them adjusted to captivity on, but not much value in it for growing fish. I use oxheart mostly now and they are FAT Some crays are less aggressive towards fish than others. I think it kinda depends on if they have discovered how tasty they are yet... Technically in the wild their diet is 95% vegetarian. I use gravel from a local stream in my tanks. Looks really natural. It is a big job moving your tank. Spoon has some good advice there, particularly keeping the koura separate! Do save as much tank water as possible. I can't remember what sort of filtration you have. Of course undergravel will require complete re-cycling. If it is internal or external, try to have it unplugged for as short a time as possible. If need be, have it plugged in and running on a bucket or something, just to keep the bacteria alive. A moved tank should be treated pretty much like a newly set-up tank. Lots of regular waterchanges. Oh and don't move the tank late at night like a friend did, and drop it out of sheer exhaustion.... If you can, move the tank on a seperate day to your main move, so you can dedicate the time and energy to doing it well.

really? :lol: