Bruce

This will be my last post on this subject The Facts are I do have a right to invite others on a trip I and a dozen or so others are going on. Just as every member has a right to do so. Chances are that it will not clash with the FNZAS Conference Yes, there is a little heat in my previous post, and well deserved in my opinion as well as others belonging to the FNZAS. I and others have considered Fiji as an option. It was decided that it was not suitable for a number of reasons, personal preference was the overriding one. Cost was not an issue at all. Warren Said We I tend to disagree Hideaway Island has what is considered to be the best snorkling in the Pacific region (If not the world) Cost, well we have done quite a bit of homework on this, prcing is comparitive to Fiji I keep my best interest in mind by making a choice This is no way connected to the HBAS, this is my and others personal views /Bruce

With regards to the comments from Wanganui, there are quite a few members from Hawkes Bay who have asked the same question, "Where Is The Choice" I have written extensively in our Club magazine over the past year or so as to the choices our club members would have as to where they would like to go for an offshore conference, now dont I feel like an Idiot that It hasnt happened the way it was meant to. Yes it is true that the confernce is organised by the host club, but the FNZAS Exec needed to make sure that this 1st offshore conference is a success. I dont think the Exec has done a good job on this at all and need to take a very objective look at what has happened to date. We all know as to what has been promised and what has been delivered, what has the Exec been doing since October 2003 when the ball was meant to start rolling on this? So.... I will give those who want it a choice, either they can attend the conference in Fiji or they can come to Vanuatu with some of the members of the Hawkes Bay Club and others As I pointed out to conference delegates in 2003, there was a greater preference from HB members to go to Vanuatu over any other destination and this post reflects that Dates and Hotel Choice are still under discussion at this point We are trying to get competive pricing on rates so it makes it affordable for all, including family rates for those with kids. If any others are interested in Vanuatu then you can contact me Bruce

We are still suffering from our loss, although a winning ticket in lotto would help a little Sue since your coming to the wake then in lieu of cash and flowers then a bottle of Jim B and a dozen Crown lagers would be fine :-)

Never had to treat them, have been lucky as far as that goes. Sadly our male was sitting on the bottom of the tank the other day, the stress of buying christmas presents for all of his off spring must have got the better of him, he is survived by his 3 wives and 60 odd kiddies In lieu of flowers money can be sent to to my home address :-) /Bruce

HI neill We have bred 2 lots (3rd free swimming today) They will be at least 2-3 months away from being saleable though /Bruce

Hi neill Nice fish, We have 4 of these, 1 male and three females, nice little fish. Best kept in groups as above We have have bred these twice already and a female id currently looking after the third spawning now (free swimming today) As far as food is concerned, they are really fond of bloodworms and daphnia, but will take flake and dicus food We have them in a 40 litre tank, but move the make and other females out when one of the females is looking after fry (Just a precaution) They take a very long time to grow!!!!. I have heard that their life expectancy is quite short , 2-3 years but could be wrong on that Good luck with them /Bruce

A few years ago there was a virus which affected guppies in the Asian market, apparently the virus is still active but the asian guppies have developed a certain amount of immunity to it. The guppies that have been bred here in NZ have no such immunity and do not cope with this virus very well at all, female guppies abort within hours of the Asian guppy being introduced (Even after weeks of quarrantine) . I have heard of 70-80% fatality rates in some cases /Bruce

Hi Sue They dont need a lot of room, if they were in by themselves then a 24x18 inch tank should be fine something around 50 litres Cheers /Bruce

Bad Luck The good news is yes they will go again... probably :-) Maybee its worth setting them up in their own tank ? /Bruce

Hi Sue Hatching time is temperate dependant to some degree But 4-5 days would be pretty close, they seem to take a long time before they are free swimming. Good Luck BTW I couldnt really see the diffrence between our male and female apart from the female was slightly smaller than the male

There are a couple of reasons why the majority would like to go to Vanuatu 1:Quite a few people have been to Fiji and not Vanuatu 2:Personal Preference I personally dont agree that there is more to do in Fiji :-) Cheaper... well I tend to disagree on that one see rates below Those rates are for individuals/couples, group rates would be far more attractive than those quoted below Fiji Plantation Island Resort Garden Hotel Room - $1469 (twin), $599 (child u12) GO BONUS: Includes a F$300 food and beverage credit per room and children under 12 years (maximum 2) eat FREE at Plantation Island Resort. Costs based on 5 nights Plantation Island Resort and 2 nights Tokatoka Resort Hotel (one night either side). Closeout applies 26–31 Dec 03. Vanuatu Le Meridien Port Vila Standard Room - $1199pp twin GO BONUS: For ONLY $139 per person upgrade to a lagoonview room. OPTIONAL MEAL PLAN: ONLY $199 per person includes 5 continental breakfasts and 3 themed buffet or set menu dinners. ** Closeout applies 29 Dec 03-05 Jan 04. **

Hi Sue I have bred these guys a couple of times of the past few months, Our ones spawned in a community tank and the parents looked after them very well... BUT I decided to remove them from the parents and raise them away from the all the other fish in the tank. I raised them in a 40 litre tank with a small amount of meth blue to keep on top of any fungus. They will take brine shrimp or finely crushed flake as a first food. They do take a while to grow. Good luck /Bruce

Great Job so far John, Just one comment from the Hawkes Bay Club, The majority of our members looking at attending would prefer Vanuatu over Fiji, with the Gold Coast running a very distant 3rd place. Are there any prices/comments on Villa as an option? /Bruce

Nice looking Fish Al Put me down for some once you have hatched some :lol: http://www.petresources.net/fish/misscel/bad_bad_bur.html /Bruce

Hi Alan Good to see your not giving up, wait until Rose gets back though :-) http://tropicalaquariums.users.btopenworld.com/fishindex/fish/A/aphyosemion_amieti.htm http://www.notcatfish.com/findex/fish/fundulopanchax_gardneri_akure.htm Hope the links go to the right fish :-) /Bruce

Gold Coast Aquariums Cnr of Queen and Scarborough Streets Southport Qld Let us know what they are like /Bruce

Yes I do recognise him, hasnt he grown!!!!. The next auction in Napier is on Wednesday 17th Sept. I am sure I can find 1 or 2 more of his brothers and sisters for the auction Wouldnt it be nice to get $245 for a pair. ****Special Deal For Fishroom Members*** Bristle Nose Pair Only $200 Any Takers??? :evil: /Bruce

Hi, I have done this heaps of times, they alwas want to have a look though, more out of curiosity than anything else :-) /Bruce

Hi Daemon Welcome to the fishroom. I hope Pegasus and Ira have put you on the right track. Since you are in Napier have you given any thought to joing the Aquarium Society We meet every thrd Wednesday of the month at the Aquarium at 7.30pm This months meeting is on the 20th August. Best Regards Bruce

Hi Malcolm Have a look in the marine section for some advice on Marines, you should be able to get some useful info out of there to at least get you started, Good luck with the marines /Bruce

You sure picked a great weekend :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: I will be in Aussie that week, will have to go and hunt some of those moreton bay bugs instead :lol: :lol: I am sure everyone will have a great time /Bruce

One of our club members is selling them (Hawkes Bay) $4.50 each Send me an email (jsnwells at paradise dot net dot nz) or send me a private message and I will give you his details Where abouts are you?? /Bruce

I am not entirely convinced that we will be worse off, there seems to be a effort to find out what is available here in NZ, We as a club (HBAS) have started to document the types of fish we have as members. I am happy that we have this as a starting point but it definitely needs to go further. My personal feelings on the way the system should work is 1: Establish a list of allowed imports based on the fish that are here in NZ at present that are not harmful to the environment 2: Add to this list what are known to be safe for importation 3: Add fish on a case by case scenario. ie if an importer wants to import a certain fish then they apply to MAF for a licence to import the particular fish, providing MAF with species information. Shouldnt be too hard to work out if the fish is a threat or not in 99% of the cases MTCW anyway /Bruce

HI Mike Welcome to the fish room, there are a few freshwater native nuts (excuse the term) around but not many There is a guy in Wellington who is probably one of the bigest nuts, but a really nice one :-). He gave a talk to the Hawkes Bay Aquarium Club a little while back and was very interesting Send me an email or PM and I will give you his details /Bruce

Finely crushed flake will keep them happy for the first month , give or take, feed 2-3 times a day should be sufficient, more feeds per day is better /Bruce