Matt

Looks like mosquito larvae to me.

Cut the top 10cm off, strip the whorls so the bottom 3cm or so is just stem and replant, if you leave the old stem in the gravel it should start branching out. Once the new shoots are big enough you can cut them off and replant. Providing you have enough light, and it is kept clean i.e. in a area of the tank with good water circulation, it should start branching out by itself. I hope this helps. Cheers, Matt

I just googled "sexing angelfish" and got some rather interesting results . determining sex "angel fish" was much better . I Found this very interesting article on breeding Angelfish: Excerpt taken from: http://forum.aquariumhobbyist.com/angel ... s/188.html Sexing Don't be in a hurry. The only way to sex Angelfish, is by observation of the mating tubes, of the fish. The females tube, is about 1/8 inch long, somewhat longer than the males. The males tube, is shorter and more blunt shaped. The tubes are visible, only shortly before and during spawning. The tubes extend down from the vent area of each fish. White in color and as big around as a pencil lead in large Angelfish they can be easily seen during this time. Many people believe that Angelfish mate for life. I haven't found this to be accurate. With Angelfish, most mature male and female relationships develop when both fish are in the mood. I believe that the formal pairing, lasts only while the fish remain together. I have separated mated pairs and introduced a new mature male. He gladly steps in and takes over the duty, with full cooperation of the female. The first male is residing in the next tank, in full view of the female. This has always been my experience. Be aware that the cuddling up process, to the new mate will sometimes take a few weeks. I hope this helps, Cheers, Matt

Mark, Have you tried filtering through peat to get the PH down? Peat is natural, cheap and the fish and plants like it, plus it will slowly lower your PH providing you don't over do it . I use it in two of my tanks, one sits at 7 and the other 6.2. Cheers, Matt

Hi CG, I think the reason why the pics are showing for you and not for the rest of us is because they have not been uploaded to freewebs and are still on your computer. The properties of one of your photos is : file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Phill/My%20Documents/Anthony/DSC01937.JPG I hope this helps Cheers, Matt

Nice photo's Ben, what is around the base of the plants? Is it aquatic potting mix? Cheers, Matt

I have seen some snail traps on Trade Me recently, I am not sure how effective they are but it may be worth a try. http://www.trademe.co.nz/Lifestyle/Pets ... 850478.htm Cheers, Matt

You could also get some bluish platties. What fish do you currently have in your tank?

I can't get it to work either???? Cheers, Matt

Credit cards are dangerous, especially when you take them to the LFS. Ooh I want one of those and two of those and, and......ooops overspent again!!!

Yes thanks Alan for the huge wealth of information and the microworms, my fish enjoyed a yummy late night snack last night . And thanks Kim for the Golden B/E Bristlenose 8) and the spirulina tabs (just ran out yesterday morning ), he/she has settled in well and is definitely not shy. I know because I sat up rather late watching my new addition and am paying for it today :lol: . Cheers, Matt

On my tank 250 litre tank I am using 3 Philips 6500k and 1 Gro Lux and my plants are growing out of the tank and some are even flowering. Both bulbs are available from an electrical supplier i.e. Russells for a fraction of the cost of the ones at the pet shop and do an awesome job, and if you're lucky like me and have a sister that works for an electrical company you can get them even cheaper!! Here is an old thread that I started when I was setting up my tank: http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/viewtopic.php?t=2266 Cheers, Matt

I can see it, it didn't show the first time but I right clicked on the red cross and selected show picture and it came through. What do you feed your fish, they are massive :lol: :lol:

Never thought of that , fortunately none of my fish have been smart enough to hide in there when I'm trying to catch them, otherwise I would have a bit of a dilemma . I used hot glue on mine, but it is not very good. It works fine until you move the wall around too much and then a few bits start falling off. Pegasus' idea sounds good. Cheers, Matt

The schist I got is small and oval shaped with nice smooth edges between 5 & 10 cm long. I built a curved wall with it in my tank and left a hole in between a few bits and siliconed a terracotta pot behind it to make a cave. I got a bag a 2kg bag for under $10. It shouldn't be hard to break with a sledge hammer, but I would be very careful as it will probably shatter, definitely wear safety goggles! See pictures of my wall here: http://www.geocities.com/i_lovebeer/Spawnings.html http://www.geocities.com/i_lovebeer/LargeHomeTank.html Cheers, Matt

Hi Jude, If you do need some more schist make sure you get it from a Garden Centre rather than a pet shop as it is heaps cheaper that way. Cheers, Matt

I have the same size tank running with the same filter at home. I have the bottom half filled with gravel (for biological filtration) and the top half filled with a couple of layers of filter wool (for mechanical filtration). That way when you change the filter wool you aren't removing the biological filter. By using two layers you can also change one and rinse the cleaner of the two in tank water and re-use it to preserve more of your biological filter. Java Fern can be quite expensive ($14.95 in Auckland) but you should be able to get a couple of bunches of Java Moss for under $10. With that size tank and that loading of fish I would be changing a bucket a day (33%) and vacuuming the bottom especially if you are feeding them 3 times a day. I hope this helps, others may have a different opinion. Good luck with the babies, Matt

With fry, the better the water quality the quicker they will grow and the healthier they will be. It is hard to know how often to do water changes without knowing some information about your setup i.e. how many babies do you have, what size tank are they in, what filtration are you using and is there anyhing else in the tank? Cheers, Matt

If you have no other filter media in that tank, by taking away the filter wool you will have also taken away the biological filter. I am guessing that the tank is bare with no gravel etc. I would do a 40% water change straight away and then do daily 25% water changes after that. You could also add some cycle or stress zyme. I would also add couple of Java Ferns and some Java Moss, the plants will help with cycling and Java Moss and Fern don't need much light plus the babies will pick off microorganisms off the plants for food. I hope this helps, Cheers, Matt

Well I tried to catch my Keyholes to put them in my 24x12x18 tank instead of the Cockatoos and after half an hour, a few uprooted plants and a lot of cursing I gave up and sat down and had a beer instead :lol: . I didn't even try and catch the Cockatoos they can stay there at this stage. I have heard of one male breeding with five females before and also females stealing other females babies. Unfortunately my male in my 250l tank with 4 females appears to have taken an oath of celibacy, all he seems to be interested in is food . The females are very amusing to watch guarding their territories though, there has been many a standoff. Cheers, Matt

Hi Kim & Bill, Thanks for the advice. I haven't used the Furan2 yet as I don't like using medications unless I have to, I just did a 40% water change and a good vacuum, especially under the plants, and was amazed at the muck that came out . I have to admit to neglecting my tank at work seeing as I know have three at home - the addiction is growing and I am running out of room . The fish look a lot happier but are still flashing and clamping occasionally. I will do another smaller water change and vacuum tonight and see if anything improves. I will be at the meeting Kim. Is Alan still coming? Thank you for the offer of the diatom filter if things haven't improved next week I will call out to your shop and borrow it as I haven't been to your shop for a while. Thanks, Matt

Thanks Caryl, I think I will treat the whole tank just to be safe. If it works I will treat my larger tank with it as well. I found some info on the Furan 2 (should have used google the first time around :oops: ). Taken from http://www.brooklands.co.nz/pharma/medications.htm "Furan-2 Capsules contain two furan compounds to combat a wide variety of gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial diseases, including gill disease, mouth fungus, furun-culosis (aeromonas), black molly disease (columnaris), fin and tail rot, and dropsy. Active Ingredients: nitrofurazone, furazolidone, and methylene blue trihydrate. " Cheers, Matt

Hi All, Some of the fish in two of my tanks are flashing against driftwood, plants etc and have clamped fins, a couple have also got red gills. I have been to the LFS and asked for a cure for Gill Flukes and they gave me Furan-2 which I was going to use on my 80 litre tank at work before using it on my 250l at home. I haven't used it yet as I couldn't find any decent information on what it is or any side-effects and it is rather expensive, especially to dose my 250 litre tank. Does anyone have any other opinions on what is causing this and/or any other medications/steps to take? It doesn't appear to be whitespot and I have closely inspected each fish and couldn't see any thing on any of them. Thanks for any help, Matt

I have a male and a female in a 24x12x18 tank all on their own (brought especially for them) with 6 caves/clay pots and heaps of Java Moss and Ambulia and they have eaten their eggs twice now. I feed them frozen brineshrimp, bloodworms and cichlid tucker as well as flake and pellets. I have even tried adding an extra female but had to remove her as the Male decided he didn't want her in the tank after a week. I am going to give them one more try and then I am going to stick them all in my 250 litre community tank and see who pairs off (2 males, 5 females), otherwise my Keyholes can have the tank to breed in - ungrateful Cockatoos! :lol: . http://members.aol.com/WnyZman/articles.html http://www.apisto.bravepages.com/apisto_Frame.htm Cheers, Matt

I have a 1000x500x500 (250 L) tank and I'm running a fluval 404 on that plus a Aquaclear 150 which I had spare and use to diffuse my Co2. The Fluval works really well (touching wood whilst typing ). I am only using one heater a Jager 250 watt and my tank stays between 25-26 C all the time. Running two heaters is a good idea like Chimera said. Pegasus has a good tip on running two heaters see his post here: http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/viewtopic.php?t=1688 Cheers, Matt