ocean4freedom

Just went into Animates Kaiwha'ra and saw a bottom feeder of some variety in with an oscar (who REALLY needs a bigger tank - HINT to anyone with space! ) but my question is to do with the bottom feeder. He/she is really pretty with a yellow and black body, but is labelled with Ancistrus temmincki which, after a Google, is a "bushy nose" something or other. Now unless my eyes are seriously playing tricks on me, that is certainly not one! :roll: :lol: Any ideas?

Cheers for the help guys - gave me lots to think about and some direction for future plans

Don't wory Caryl, I'll be shifting them long before that is a possibility! What do you think would be a good match?

Hi, Well, I've finally got what I've been after for a number of years - An Oscar! :-D I read on the forum last week that Hutt Pets had some in, immediately called them up, "booked" him (Could also be a her?), and picked him up on Saturday. Really pleased! :bounce: Now he's back at home in a tank with a bigger pleco and nothing else. Now my question is, what tankmates would work with him? The oscar is about 8cm at the moment and the pleco is about 15cm, so they are both in 60L tank for the moment, but they'll head into my 250L when they outgrow it. I've been told Firemouths, a single Convict and plecos woudl be good ones to add. I've already got the pleco so not keen on another one. Any views/ideas/warnings appreciated!;-) Cheers

I'd definitely blame the angels for the fin nipping (so beautiful - such a shame they're agro :evil: ) but I've always kept my male betta in his own tank with a small pearl danio and a kuhli loach for company. He really doesn't like my platties!

I had whitespot a few months ago and got a bottle of Melafix. Rather pricey stuff I admit but worked a charm and had no negative effect on the fish. I also keep my tank on 27/28 degrees and haven't had a problem since.

Hi all, I'm sure that this post has been answered in part in a number of other posts but to help the new addicts of this great art , here it is anyway, all in one useful spot: In a pretty standard community tank, what is the cause, hazard level and method of reducing/protecting for the following: Ammonia Nitrates Nitrites Phosphate Iron Calcium Cheers and good luck to those starting out in this great hobby. Hope you have lots of space (for the 1 ... 2 ... 4 ... 8 ... 12 tanks you'll get) :roll: , time (more time equals healthier fishies!), patience (to treat sick fish, grow out fry, get the parents to breed) ... oh and money (for everything!!)

Hi, Most puffers are full marine or brackish but here are some links to some FW puffers. As you can see all are are species tanks as they are aggressive but possibly with some other aggressive fish they might be okay. I'd personally not risk it cuz I hear they are difficult to come by and hard to look after. So a species tank would allow you to control their environment quite carefully and reduce the chance of a damaging, if not fatal, fish fight. Anyway, here are the links http://fishinthe.net/html/fishguide/fishguide_fish.php?FC=4&nl=&nt=1 http://fishinthe.net/html/fishguide/fishguide_fish.php?FC=186&nl=&nt=1 http://fishinthe.net/html/fishguide/fishguide_fish.php?FC=161&nl=&nt=1 I'm not sure what ones are available in NZ tho.

Well neon's are not that hardy and if they seem to be okay... What is she feeding them and how often? Plecos need driftwood to be healthy but I'm not sure if they'd actually die without it. As above, if the ph is steady and the ammonia and nitrates are 0 then I have to admit I'm a little stumped. :roll: One thought tho - is the test kit you're using for examining the water old? If so it could be giving faulty readings. I'd replace any chemicals that are older than 1 year anyway. The refills are pretty inexpensive. Bit of mystery - I'm interested to hear what others say 8)

From what I've read, algae (is it more of a brown colour?) is generally from food waste, too little light or too much phosphates in the water. Best of my knowledge plecos shouldn't be harmed by it. But, as with all fishy things, just a keep an eye on the fish and if they start acting "off" then do a little worrying, until then, see if you can find out the source of the problem

Cheers for that. Where do you get your micro worms from? Can't wait to get home and see more of the spawning saga

Had a bit of luck on the weekend. My two bettas (Dark blue male with crimson fins and red-rose female) got jiggy with it and I now have loads of tiny little grains of salt with tails... Kinda commical to see the male betta missioning up and down collecting the truant babies! But my question is, what's the view on feeding them once they are free swimming? I'm thinking of the 1/2 yolk, 1/2 water mix but what other home-made food is good? I've tried the green water method but maybe its just too cold at the moment or my place has too little sun - the water is still just plain tank water. Keep meaning to post so pics of my tank but camera just died - coming soon!

Oh, not a serious preference, I'd just prefer to speak to someone who breeds them and knows the intricacies of the fish, rather than just someone who's selling it for a price. ie: I'd like to buy from someone who would only sell to someone they feel is "worthy" rather than someone with a few $$$.

Well, after all that discussion, but does anyone have any brand names of fish-safe silicone? I'd like to be able to go into the Hardware store and ask for X silicone and know that this is safe for fish, rather than have some salesperson say "oh, yeah, that's fine" Cheers

HTS - huge tank syndrome?! I don't think I'm showing symptoms yet ... ooo 15mm glass for sale ... oops... might be coming down... Nah, not really- I've got no space for any more tanks, literally! My 250L one takes up most of my space and the 50L one has a good spot. Could put one where my table is... Thanks for the eye open for Oscars. Lets hope someone has some success in the area

Hi, Does anyone have the contact details of someone who is breeding oscars at the moment, preferbly in the lower part of North Island (Wellington would be even better!) I'd like to have a chat with them and maybe find a friendly one to become part of the "crew" - Cheers Oh dear - I seem to be catching MTS... :lol:

I vote for canister filters all the way: 8) Quiet Efficient Easy to clean More tank space (ah Eheim... ) but there is still the slim chance that your external filter can develop a fault and highly irrigate your floor. Certainly far from likely but just an extra thought.

Really?! Never heard of that! I know that the beach isn't a protected area since people fish there all the time, but cheers for the warning! However, the gravel does still look great in the tank ... (And its gravel not sand, so maybe thats alright!)

Just back to the gravel question, here's what I did with my tank: I went down to Island Bay a while ago when I set up my tank and picked up a whole lot of fine gravel from the beach, chucked out any stones that were too big and all bits of kelp etc, gave the gravel a wash with loads of freshwater, soaked it in sterilizer and gave it a final rinse with tank water (possibly a bit of an overkill, but figured it would be safer ). Ended up nice and clean and my tank now has a great dark substrate that's also all rounded so won't damage delicate fins. 8) Now I'm certainly not advocating stripping the beach bare but its there, freely available and looks natural. You also get choice of anything from sand through to boulder size. What you think?

Cheers for that list. I'm sure I'll find the right thing amongest those.

Good point :oops: but I was thinking more of something to add to the water output from the filter that would make it move. Any ideas or links to devices that do this?

Forgot to list what I've got the tank. See below

Hi fishy people, Just wanting to know if there is any way to make a moving current in my fairly open 250L community tank like you'd get with a powerhead. (no UG filter so can't use one) I'm running an Eheim 2213 filter with spraybar shooting across the middle at the moment. Cheers