Richard

well... i cant say for wellington... but animates in chch dont have very knowledgable staff... they might have a goldfish tank at home... or a small tropical with a couple of fish.... but experts they are not... pet world, fish tank and organism in chch however... have quite knkowledgable ppl there... u have to know who to talk to though... another thing with animates that annoys me recently is the staff are getting very pushy... it used to be good when they were friendly... now they keep trying to sell u stuff u dont need... first thing they ask when u get in... is what pet u have...and they will keep trying to sell u stuff for ur pet u dont need at all... and they dont leave u alone... on the other hand...when i go to animates looking to buy something... none of the staff is ever free to serve me... i had to wait half an hour when i wanted to get my oscar... and when me and my girlfriend wanted to get a small kennel for her puppy we waited for more than an hour... I try not to give them business any more...

even if you spotted some while you were diving... wouldn't it be pretty hard to bag them?? they are not like crayfish... hehee... you might get stung !!! but my guess is they will be long gone by the time u even get near them

TRUE.... I would rather get a red devil/ midas rather than pay ridiculous money... cool... learnt a lot about fish these few days...

Interesting read I must say... I never knew there were so many hybrids out there... these red blood parrots... are they the same as the parrot fish sold in shops? And does it mean that all the Discus sold in shops are mostly hybrids?

true.... they dont do anything for me as well... the red devil/ midas looks nice though... why is it called a red devil if it is not red??

Yes... I think that is it.... they are really fetching quite ridiculous prices... I would not pay that much for them... but it just happens my friend breeds them... so I can get them pretty cheap from him... I think they look just like some sort of Cichlid..... actually... the avatar Midas has kinda looks like one... what fish is that?

You can check out www.flowerhorn.com for some pics on the fish...

I personally don't know much about the breed... This is an excerpt from another website: Flower Horn, Flowerhorn, Lump Head Cichlid, Malaysia Rajah Cichlasoma, Hualorhan, Luohan "Cichlasoma" sp. [see "ORIGIN" below] ORIGIN: Believed to be a hybrid between Amphilophus citrinellus and Amphilophus trimaculatum first developed in Malaysia around 1996. Some claim that the hybrid has since been crossed with the "Giant Blood Parrot" -- a hybrid of its own. Hence the Flower Horn is a completely artificial fish and it lacks a bonified scientific name. SIZE: To 12" (30 cm) HAB: Originally Central America, but now captive bred in Asia. Amphilophus citrinellus - Southern Mexico, Nicaragua (lakes-Nicaragua, Managua, and Xiloa; Rio San Juan), Honduras, Costa Rica (Costa Rica River and Cuba River). Amphilophus trimaculatum Southern Mexico & Guatemala (Chiapas and Huamuchal). S: bottom, middle TANK: A 48' (122 cm) tank with a capacity of 55 gallons (209 L) is sufficient for a specimen up to 8' (20 cm). Larger tanks are required for larger fish. The tank should be large with plenty of open swimming area. Provide plenty of hiding places with stones, cave, and roots. These structures must be well-anchored. Use live plants at your own risk -- plastic plants are a safer bet. WATER: pH 6.5-8 (7.2), 6-25 dH (10), 73-86°F (23-30°C). SB: A territorial and pugnacious cichlid, especially around spawning times. The Midas Cichlid can be combined with medium to large sized cichlids - small fish will be eaten. Mates form monogamous pairs and become fine parents. If the female is not ready to spawn, she may be bullied to death by the male. Keeping two mature males in a tank is not recommended - one will likely be killed. SC: Other large sturdy fish. Cichlasomines, South American cichlids, Loricarids, Pimelodids, large Characins. FOOD: Live; snails, fish, earthworms, insects; chopped meat; vegetables; spinach, peas, lettuce; pellets; tablets. SEX: Males are slightly larger, more aggressive and haved a more developed nuchal hump on their forehead. Spawning season is easiest time to discern sex. B: Similar to Amphilophus citrinellus. Increase the water temperature a few degrees to 79-86°F (26-30°C). As many as 1000 eggs are usually laid on a vertical surface (i.e. slate, pane of glass) or sometimes on rocks at the tank floor. The eggs are guarded by the female and the territory is defended by the male. The eggs hatch in 3 days and the young are moved to large, previously dug, pits where the parents continue their care. The fry can swim on their own after 5 days, at which time they can be fed small live foods. Occasionally the fry may adhere to the flanks of the parents in order to feed off a mucus sections produced by the skin of the parents. BP: 6. Breeding is not especially difficult. R: Flowerhorns display their best colors (and largest hump) when they are stressed (excited). Hence they are often kept in small tanks, with bright surroundings (colored gravel) and mirrors -- much to the detriment to the fish. Mistreatment of this species is widespread. The Flowerhorn is the focus of a major craze in Asia and high quality fish fetch thousands of dollars on the market. Many varieties are available. One of the factors behind this craze is the belief that the Flowerhorn may achieve feng-shui fish status. To date the Asian Arowana has held this title as thousands have kept Arowanas believing they bring balance and good fortune to the life of the keeper. Many dedicated aquariasts (especially States-side and in Europe) are vehemently opposed to hybrids on ethical grounds and are quite vocal in denouncing this fish. DC: 6. The Flowerhorn is an aggressive species which must be kept in a large tank.

where is poor knights??

Just had a chat with a friend of mine online... he is breeding flowerhorns in Malaysia... and he wants me to try and get one in for myself... he wants me to find out about whether they can be brought into NZ... I have asked around before... but it seems like it is a gray area... nothing is guaranteed... especially cos this is a new breed of fish... but it is not on the restricted list...so that is good... Just wondering how I go about doing this... I think I will need to send in an application to import a fish and see if it gets approved right? I will need to get a permit of some sort?? And to do that I will need to nominate a place to quarantine the fish? I know of only 2 quarantine facilities in chch... redwood aquatics and the fish tank... i think they would be able to help me somehow... any more things I have to find out or consider??

Just wondering... these Rio pumps... are they good enough for say a 4ft tank? I have ppl telling me all the time I need a canister filter for bigger tanks... And also wondering... does anyone in NZ have a lionfish in their tank? I would doubt it... as it seems there aren't even a lot with marine tanks... Come to think of it... maybe they are classified as noxioius? anyone know this?

Well... I dunno why they act so funny... I only have 2 in the tank.... one always chases the other around the tank.... well... not always... sometimes... not fighting...look more like courting... hehehe... and...sometimes...they swim next to each other....bodies sticking together.... and wiggling funnily as if they are caught to each other and can't separate... and just swim like that around the tank... I thought maybe that was some kind of mating dance? or indicating they want to spawn??? hehehe... but I honestly doubt it... they are only babies... and I have only had them for less than 2 months... so it would not be anything to do with mating... but why they act funny like that? is it normal behaviour for them? and... how Do you tell when a fish is ready to spawn?

Thanks for the offer Caryl... will let u know if i need help... but i think it should work within this week... the water is really green now... and there seems to be some mold/ algae growth...and there really are lots of insects and wings floating in the water dead...even dead mosquitos... so they must lay eggs sometime??? my pails are plastic... so that should not be the problem....

Well... Mondays weather was really good... the sun was out all day... when I got home from work I noticed the water had turned green... On Tuesday while doing my water changes.... I filled up the tank with my old tank water... since then I have been keeping a close eye... it looked like there were eggs on the surface for the past few days... however... it looked like air bubbles.... so I am not 100% sure.... today...those eggs/ bubbles were gone... but still no sign of larvae... getting quite a colony of dead insects on the surface though... I am just wondering... could it be possible that there were larvae in the pail... just that they were at the bottom and i could not see them? or are they too tiny?

yea...i heard about the guppies... thinking to start breeding some soon... as feeders for my other fish... hehehe... do i sound evil ??? :evil:

just wondering.... do all fishes have to be fully grown... ie a certain age... to be able to breed??? or do young fish breed as well?

Yea... that would be good... to be able to breed them I mean... has anyone ever been successful in breeding clown loaches in a tank in NZ?

are the other loaches as big? or bigger??? any other fish in the tank?

Noticed that one of my clown loaches has completely cured of ich... it happens to be the biggest one... the smallest one still has some i noticed... I haven't seen the 3rd one...as it is still hiding...

good on u !! hahaha... i cant remember how many there were...was it 2? so u bought them both? hehehe... should have gotten the eel as well... now it is gonna be lonely all alone... I would have got them if i had space for them... anyway... keep us posted

oopsss.... stupid me... it just caught me... were u by any means talking about water from my fish tank when u said old tank water??? :oops: :oops: hehhee... i thought u just meant old water in the water tank or something... stupid me...

I used water from the tap...as i dont have old tank water...

well... i have left my 2 pails of water outside for almost 2 weeks now... added some yeast... but i still dont see any larvae... there are lots of dead insects in the water though... and lots of black dots in the water... dunno if they are eggs... but no signs of larvae at all... am i doing anything wrong? also...the water is evaporating quickly... only half full now...should i add water?

Janey... was the Chch aquarium place any good? i heard that it does not have much fish... havent been there yet... is it worth the entrance fee? Peety... did you say u have a koi pond? i thought koi's were illegal to have in NZ? I would like to set up a marine tank myself one day as well.... love the bright colours...

I got my siphon from Organism for just around 22 dollars i think... it works fine...easy to start... just looks like any siphon... u just hold it vertically in the tank and move it up and down in a pumping motion... starts in a few seconds for me.... piece of cake