Lani

It's even hard to find pics of meteor minnows Good luck! Hollywood Fish farm Mt Roskill have 20 Sunset Minnows for sale - I bred them, and more happily growing.

Without properly setting up breeding tanks, I have some success by placing a layer of glass marbles over the substrate, the eggs that fall through escape adults eating them. Also from keeping the gravel siphon I get fry hatch out over about 1 week. I have 20 "Sunset" Mountain Minnows about 10 weeks old now, and 3 in my main aquarium with the 5 adults & more appearing each day, & about 6 clinging to the 'siphoned' bowl.

I went for the retail solution & bought a black hatching box - set up on top of my hot water cylinder - and presto! they are hatching at 24 hrs.

this is great info, thanks everyone I have a long walk to the beach too so will do the easy way of buying salt mix when eventually I need to.

whew! thanks for all this 'techy' stuff!! My problem is -- I DON'T DRINK all the coke/poisons drinks! to get the empty bottles in the first place. Have to try my neighbours recycle bins. Meantime, my fry are getting ground up flakes along with infusoria but I am getting losses.

Upside down bottle? what is the technique for that?

thanks everyone. I'm in Mt Roskill, Auckland. My tank is cold freshwater only 18 deg at present, so even too cold to float a plastic bottle. Oh well, I guess I have to visit the LFS for a small heater, I do have an airstone I was using.

I'm first time trying to hatch bbs - first lot too cold. Does anyone have advice - shall I try putting them in hot water cupboard [in icecream container] - but they will have no aeration. Is aeration important? The bbs are for sunset minnow fry - about 10-15 days old.

True about biodiversity, except that I had been hoping to have more fry appear & I assumed these 'things' had been eating the eggs.

Alan, that is interesting - having just done the clean/siphon/water change and capturing two from the water, I poured on ordinary table salt - immediate death, and I dont think the few small white worms didn't like it either. Some people say a few 'insects' in gravel is okay - whats your opinion?

Thanks michael.qian and Caryl - I am sure they are not worms, best description I have are miniature sand lice. I do a weekly 50% water change and gravel siphon. Local fs suggested more often siphon, but less water, change until I get rid of them and to ensure no food drops to the bottom. I am just trying to avoid moving the fish and completely washing the gravel and starting afresh. My tank is a tall glass bowl about 10-12 litres water, with small filter and now a daylight bulb. I thought having fish is supposed to be restful? It can be quite stressful! :-? Yet I do love my 5 WCMM.

sorry, no pics. Do you know of a site I can go to showing creatures in coldwater tanks? Have been searching this site, but no luck so far.

they seem to wriggle about, very fast - best viewed with a magnifying glass., smooth back pale colour to light grey/brown.

Since lighting my tank today I can see lots of tiny creatures busy in the gravel - I assume they came in with a new plant, or maybe in "Liquifry". Are these just part of a good cycled tank setup? Any help? I have WCMM in tank but I think the creatures are a little big/quick to be eaten.

thanks all. I feel happier now about putting them in a bowl - with lots of plants, java moss too - which must have had snail eggs in it and white worms - still trying to get rid of that. Sorry Billaney - mine a little small yet!

Further to all prev posts, my 5 Sunset WCMM are happily living up to temps at present of 28 deg. but Wed. 8th was very humid in Auckland, strange weather, & a 3 week old & 2 x 1 week old fry were missing from the tank when I came home in the late afternoon. I do think the adults will eat the young fry. I have 4 x 12 day fry in a very small bowl & need to transfer them to a bigger container. Do you think this is too soon? And is it a good idea to add sea salt?

Spidersweb - did your wcmm breed? I have had 5 Sunet MM since about Nov last and when I placed java moss I noticed much activity around it - and I think much eating too! So have placed the moss in separate small bowl, 2nd day, no activity visible.

As a follow up everyone - I have located little comet to outside pond and already he seems happier - more space, lots of thick oxygen weed as opposed to plants from the LFS, and the other 2 fish appear to have accepted him.! Yay. Peace at last.

thanks everyone. I think spidersweb you have answered it for me - he doesnt like the bowl. I separated him to another bowl about 5 hours ago and he is still doing it.

if there's noone in the room who would see him? Is this Zen - the sound of one hand clapping?? Seriously, thanks for your reply

thanks. I was wondering why it would seem to be going crazy while the other fish seem normal. Perhaps this behaviour is just its own personality! I guess at some point I will have to progress to a tank set up. When the comets are a bit bigger I intend to put them out in my pond with 2 others, about 6" in length.

Can someone explain please- young comet in bowl with 1 comet + 4 WCMM keeps swimming madly/wildly about. The others are normally active and all have their rest phases. I guess you will all tell me bowls are not good - this is a 410 cm high 'vase' about 8-9 litres water. I do weekly 20% water change. All are young fish, all less 1" body length. Oh yes - I am a beginner!

Nice shape! How deep is it and what will you stock it with?