Foxglove

:lol: ugly fish? nah. Though I'm not so keen on the pale ones... Just back from the Kapi-Mana club night and I'm all enthused. :bounce: Even got the stand organised, so it's substrate next...Maybe this will be set up by xmas?

Thanks all - I love dems to look at :bounce: :bounce: so would be happy to get them, yellows and a couple of peacock males. Yeah I like all the rift lake fish - was even thinking of a Lake Tang tank with daffodils and julidochromis or something, but the dems seem to be winning my heart. :lol: I should do a tank crawl and see what everyone else has... 8)

Hi, I have my new tank on order - 300 litres, 86cm long x50 deep x 66 high - bow front. No stand as yet, but I will see what hammerlock can do... I don't want it very tall, as the tank is too tall as is - gonna need an arm extension! :lol: I'm also checking out building a wooden stand - but cost is a huge factor. Any suggestions for fish combinations ? I like like the idea of at least two different species (or colours) in the tank.

My pair of keyhole cichlids were getting on great till last weekend. Since then, one is bullying the other and chasing it so that the victim is continually hiding in a corner. I think the bully is a male, the other female. What do you think I should do? [The tank is planted with several hiding spaces. 3 foot tank, 150litres. Harlequins, Siamese algae eaters, 3 corys and 2 bns also share the space.]

Cool, thanks. That is a nice size tank. I had heard of using val but not the others - seems like it really is a question of research, research, then trial and error! After my jungle-like planted tanks, I'm looking forward to a simple rock tank! :lol: Keep us posted on how the fish settle and the tank develops! :bounce:

Wow - neat! :bounce: :bounce: I'm curious - what size is the tank (length/width stuff not litres) and also why are you putting in plants with Rift lake Africans? I thought they wouldn't cope with the fish/pH. ? I really like the idea of that many of demasoni - should be a great looking tank. Well done!

You could try using bird scarers - like a scarecrow or a hawk silhouette. Some people use dangling shiny or waving things - old cds hanging so they spin and the light apparently distracts/repels the birds. Strips of cloth or plastic tied to a fishing line across the pond is enough to stop some kingfishers. Good luck!

What about gourami or rainbowfish? They're generally more peaceful than cichlids. :lol: I had a beautiful silver Moonlight gourami - until she outgrew my tank!

Got mine today! I was going to go out and sit by the pond in the sun, but I stayed on the couch to read it cover to cover. :oops: Now it's clouded over. But what a great issue! I did note that Alan is still listed as the contact for the Killifish Assn in a couple of places. So Upper Hutt beats Wainui?

Hi, if you check page one there is a link through to Mike who sells them. :lol: They are great.

Do you mean that you use the "python" to siphon the water to your garden? Or do you just use the hose? I have one, and finally got the hose and attachments, but I find it really difficult to get on and off. I may be able to use a different tap, but I still don't like wasting the nutrient rich water!

As long as the gravel is rounded they will be ok. I would always add somewhere for the fish to hide - a piece of driftwood or low plants, or a rock cave. In my experience it makes for happier fish.

Congrats on getting eggs. I have success with my pepper cory eggs by using my fingers to transfer the eggs to a small plastic container which floats inside a slightly warmer tank (hatches sooner! :lol: ). I add a drop of Meth blue to that water and use a small airstone to aerate it. After the eggs hatch I add a bit of java fern (seems to help) and then change the water daily. After two days I start adding microworm as food. I pile in heaps of microworms, and change the water more often if clumps form. Once the corys are 12mm, I shift them to their own tank. Good luck with yours!

Hi, you can get several species of very small cory, as well as Aspidoras, which look very similar. Check out http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/ for the Callichthyidae family. I've seen both dwarf cory and "blotch fin aspidoras" in my local (Hutt Pets) recently.

ha ha! So the 338 is to stop her buying an oscar? :lol: I'd go for convicts or krib -they really have more personality. But would the tank be big enough for them? My kribs didn't like the small size after the 3ft tank (they're now breeding in the work 3ft) Definitely go cichlid. Oh she could have daffodils/brichardi! :bounce:

yeah they can grow back - sometimes they look a little skinny/short! :lol: Do watch for fungus though.

I'd also recommend platys or guppies. You could have a bristlenose for algae cleaning but it would outgrow the tank. another alternative if the tank isn't kept too warm is to have 2 or 3 Borneo Suckers. They prefer it cooler - about 18 - 20 degrees from memory.

Wow- That is awesome! I think that's the best rock wall I've seen. Both the colouring and shaping is really fantastic. Very inspiring.

yeah you were right. No eggs left today. Don't know if the parents or the corys got them. Better luck next time, eh.

:bounce: :bounce: My new pair just laid lots of eggs! :bounce: I only got the pair last weekend, and they went into a newly 'scaped 3' tank, along with 15 harlequins and five brevirostris corys. Tonight I just noticed the eggs, after the female had been cleaning one rock for a day or two. Yee ha! :lol:

hiya, I had black widows for a while - inherited a few in the work tank, then got more cos they should be in larger groups. I found them to be a right pain. I added neons, glowlights and much later, a pair of angels. The BW tetras bullied everything, and ate/ bit the smaller fish. They also picked on each other, to the point where some died. At that point removed them. Just my experience! :lol:

Hiya, I found this http://beheco.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/co ... l/16/2/389 which is a good start for your own research. After all, you should be able to describe the behaviour (Q1) from your own observations, surely? I also typed in a search in the Behavioural Ecology website itself, using egg-fanning, and got about 25 articles which would cover all aspects of your essay. You just have to read them and decipher... http://beheco.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/ If you look at nest-tending and brood care as other possible search categories, I'm sure you will find what you need. Good luck.

hi, I just noticed this thread. I have peppered corys in a couple of tanks. I recently turned off the heater by mistake, and the tank dropped to 15 degrees before I realised. :oops: The corys all survived, but I noticed they were inactive. Normally they are very busy - it is a tank full of babies (plus two C. brevirostris and 5 C. schwartzii). I think they can certainly handle cooler temperatures! Normally I get spawns with cool water changes - down to 18. Good luck!

Depends which species. Most cories like some cover to hide under - plants, driftwood or rocks. Plants like crypts or java fern are great for them. Corys also appreciate some very fine sand ( no sharp bits) to sift through.

Yes I was worried about this too - he is a bit of a bully and was very territorial with his mate. They spawned many times, but the fry didn't make it past a few days - in the community tank in a main walkway. The other fish were confined to one quarter of the tank. But great news!! :bounce: :bounce: Mystic has offered to give him a good home and so the new angel youngsters will be safe. Yay. Thanks to all.