Matt

I would be interested in a West Auckland Fish Club as well. Cheers, Matt

Hi All, I am finally in the process of planting my 250l tank after I got the lights sorted over the weekend. Does anyone have any plants they are looking to sell/trade? I am especially looking for Riccia, Java Moss, Ambulia and any small swords. I have an excess of large crypts if anyone is interested. Cheers, Matt

30 degrees might be ok and you can probably maintain your temp at 30 degrees for a couple of weeks without losing any fish, but why stress your fish any more than you need to. I was more worried about your eel as I don't know anything about them or their habitat. Also the higher the temp the less oxygen content in the water. I hope your fish get better soon. Cheers, Matt

I would say that if your water is completely clear that the carbon has removed all the medication. To be safe I would err on the side of caution and only put in 100 drops on the second dose. Don't raise your temperature above 28 degrees as you will harm your fish.

Currently none, as my male ram bit the dust a few weeks ago (after at least two years), but I finish setting my large tank up at home I'm hoping to get some Discus, Blue Rams and Apistogramma Cactuides (if I can find some healthy ones that is). Does any one know of a good source for Discus in the Auckland area?

The blue stuff is probably methylene blue, be careful of how much you dose with the eel in there, you should halve the medication with scaleless fish. If your water is clear again you probably have carbon in your filter, make sure you remove this before dosing again. Exerpt taken from http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/disease/p/ich.htm Treatment: Raise water temperature Medicate for 12-14 days Reduce medication when treating scaleless fish Discontinue carbon filtration during treatment Perform water changes between treatments The entire cycle takes about two weeks from start to finish. Higher temps will shorten the cycle, while low temps lengthen it. Therefore, raising the water temp shortens the time it takes for the parasite to reach the stage in which it is susceptible to medication. Treatments must be given for a long enough period to assure that all parasites are gone. Watch carefully for other infections, as secondary infections often occur where the skin has been damaged by the parasite. Although nothing kills the parasite once it has checked into it's fish "hotel", several chemicals kill ich once it has left the fish. Malachite green, methylene blue, quinine hydrochloride, and mepracrine hydrochloride are all effective, and are available under several brand names. Dose based on the package instructions, however cut dosages in half when treating scaleless catfish and tetras. Regardless of the medication used, treatment should be given continuously for 12-14 days to ensure all parasites are killed. Between treatments a partial water change is recommended. Keep water temperatures higher than usual to speed up the life cycle of the parasite. Discontinue carbon filtration during treatment, as it will remove the chemicals.

Have you checked out your local garden centre for schist rather than a pet store? Palmers down the road from me sell bags of it for much less than the pet store. I bought a bag about 12 inches high and 6 inches across for $12.00, I will check the weight of it when I get home. Cheers Matt

Hi Warren and Pies, Thanks very much for replying. I'm lucky enough to have a sister that works for Laser Electrical so I have asked her to source the bulbs for me at trade. Now all I have to do is rob a bank so that I can finish filling my Fluval 404 with ceramic noodles etc. Cheers, Matt

Hi everyone, After almost 3 years I have finally finished making the cabinet for my 100 x 50 x 50cm tank and am currently setting it up. I'm almost ready to start filling it and adding the plants but I thought I would check to see whether anyone had any ideas for a cheap lighting setup, rather than going the Arcadia controller and overpriced pet shop bulb way. I am planning on having this tank heavily planted in the back with a covering of foreground plants in the front. The tank has undergravel heating as well as laterite, Palmers Aquatic Fertiliser and Dupla Plant Fertiliser under the gravel. I will also be incorprating Co2 injection. Pics of my tank in progress here: http://www.geocities.com/i_lovebeer/LargeHomeTank.html I am planning on making a hood and was thinking of incorporating 3 tubes (maybe 4) into it. I also want to have stage the lighting of the tubes i.e. one first, the other two 15 minutes later etc. Also I was wondering if anyone had a recipe for soaking plants in to completely remove snails. I am planning on transfering the plants from my old snail infested tank http://www.geocities.com/i_lovebeer/SmallHomeTank.html snail free if possible. Thanks in advance for any help/suggestions. Cheers Matt

I was told by Hollywood Fish Farm not to feed bloodworms more than a couple of times a week as they have a high level of phosphate, and can cause excessive algae. I don't know how accurate this information is however.

I've just been into Jansens Three Kings and they have genuine Siamese Algae Eaters in stock. Thanks to Aqua for posting the Web URL to correctly identify them. They also have an awesome range of Dwarf Cichlids at the moment, Cockatoo Apistos http://www.aquariacentral.com/species/d ... _records=1 , Kribs, nice large Blue Rams and another type of Apisto that I can't remember the name of. I've put a hold on a couple of Cockatoo Apistos and am going back tomorrow to pick them up, got to trade in my Siamese Fighter first. There gonna go just perfect in my 55 litre tank at home. Cant wait till tomorrow, Cheers Matt

Others may have a different opinion, but I think by blacking the tank out you will do more damage to the plants than you will do to the algae. I would use it as a last resort. Cheers, Matt

Hi Aqua, I had a similar problem about a year ago with my tank. I wouldn't go as far as stripping the whole tank down just yet, first try reducing the amount you are feeding and increase your water changes and maintenance, also trim any badly affected leaves. Give the SAE's a go, I didn't need them with my tank, and hopefully it should disappear slowly over the next couple of months - very stubborn stuff! I have been slack with my water changes and maintenance lately and have noticed it coming back on my front glass, going to have a massive clean up this weekend. Hope this helps. Good luck, Matt

Thanks Bill, the Ram is my favourite out of my fish, the only problem is trying to find him a girlfriend that he actually likes. I would love to breed from him, I've had him for over a year now so I might not have much time left. Cheers, Matt

Hi Goldie, Thanks for the compliment on the office tank, it has had a bit of a redesign since those photos were taken. Once I've given it a bit of a clean and a prune :lol: I will take and upload some more pictures. I haven't quite decided what to put in the home tank yet but I was thinking of keeping a pair of Kribs or other dwarf cichlids in there. Any ideas on fish or plants would be appreciated. I am hoping to go low light and no Co2 if I can get away with it. At least till after Christmas anyway. Cheers, Matt

Hi Andrew, Thanks for solving that mystery. Cheers, Matt

Whoops, just tested it myself and it appears that the main page is now http://www.geocities.com/i_lovebeer/ don't know what I did to change that, oh well .

Hi Goldie, It may have been because I was modifying the site. Here is the address again just in case I got it wrong the first time http://www.geocities.com/i_lovebeer/index.html. Cheers, Matt

Hi All, I've been lurking for a while and thought I better introduce myself. I'm 23 and live in West Harbour, Auckland and currently have two tanks, a 24-12-15 in my office and a newly set-up (yesterday) 20-14-12 in my bedroom. I have a larger tank 40-20-20 which I am currently building the stand for.... this has been a rather drawn out project, two years and counting :-). You can check out a few pics of my office tank here http://www.geocities.com/i_lovebeer/index.html, I will have pictures of the other tank up in a few days. Are there any members here of either the North Shore or Auckland fish clubs as I was thinking of joining? Cheers, Matt