Ianab

Yes. if you are running a CO2 injection system for the plants then the open flow in the sump will release more of your CO2 than a closed system. Especially so with a wet/dry sump setup which basically rains the water over exposed media. Cheers Ian

Sump should be the best filtration as you can fit much more media in it and have as much water flow as want, just buy bigger pumps. But it is more complex to setup, you either have to drill the tank or make a modified siphon type overflow that needs to be primed. An external cannister is much simpler, stick the pipes into the tank and start it up. Both are very good systems, but the sump should give the best filtration, while the cannister is easier to use. Cheers Ian

My Dad has a Fuji , I think it's that model. Yup it's a good camera. Not as good as my Sony, but it's a lot cheaper 8) If you dont need the bigger zoom lens and extra functions of the Sony, then its a good choice. The Fuji takes normal AA batteries, which is a bonus, but you will want to buy some Rechargables and a charger if you dont have one already. Digital cameras EAT battereries.

Whats your budget? A DSLR with a macro lens and remote flash units is the 'Best', but it aint a cheap option. :roll: My Sony H7 does a pretty good job for a non-SLR camera, but it will probably set you back about $600. Very nice camera for the price though. Cheers Ian

Yup.. heaps of moss and plants etc and feed the parents really well, small amounts, but 3 or 4 times a day. I suggest just keep the parents in a small but normal tank, then pull them out after they spawn. You may loose a few fry, but if you can save 50% you will still have a million guppys in no time Cheers Ian

Do what I do when I dont know whats wrong. BIG FREQUENT water changes. 50% (or even more) per day is fine. Doesn't matter what is actually wrong with the tank water, just change it out. Try that for a few days and see what happens. As long as your tap water is good it will do no harm. Also check around the tank and under the decorations incase there are dead fish lost in there and rotting. That will give you a chain reaction of dead fish :-? The gasping at the surface can be a sign of ammonia in the water, it irritates their gills and makes it hard for them to breath. Cheers Ian

Luckily most fish diseases dont affect humans, and we have a pretty good immune system. Otherwise we would be goners for sure One thing to watch though is any open wound or cut - keep it out of the tank water. This is a thread on another forum posted by a member that got very sick from a weird tropical illness caught from a fish tank. It's VERY rare, but it can happen. The worst thing is that your doctor is unlikely to have ever seen it before and wont be sure how to treat it. http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=101941 Having said that, I dont take any special precautions and have accidentally got plenty of mouthfulls of tank water. It's silly to try and keep yourself in a sterile bubble when you are surrounded by micro-organisms anyway. Cheers Ian

They will probably be fine together in the short term, but like Dixon says, long term they are going to outgrow that tank. The Oscars would be the main worry. If they pair up they will beat up the others.. and if they dont pair up they may beat up each other :roll: I wouldn't be adding more fish though.. the ones you have will grow to fill the tank and then some. 8) Cheers Ian

The Angels will still attack the male guppy's fins and probably kill them over time :-? Angles look all preacefull and innocent.. but they are predatory cichlids in disguise Cheers Ian

About the smallest pleco is the Oto. http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/species.php?species_id=107 Max length of about 3cm, so it shouldn't outgrow any tank Best kept in a small group though, they will be much happier and playfull with company. There are a lot of smaller pleco species, but a lot of them aren't imported into NZ Cheers Ian

OK.. that wont be a huge load on the filter, but just dont change out everything at the same. Cheers Ian

Nah.. they might die of old age tomorrow. :-? Now I can understand why a young adult fish is worth more than a little baby one, someone has had to keep and feed it for a year or so, and that costs $$. But if you are looking to keep a fish, buy a healthy young one and look after it. It will grow into a big impressive monster. But spending big $$ on a geriatric pet??? Thats my point of view anyway Cheers Ian - (keeper of large inexpensive fish)

I think your friend is on the right track. The replacement cartridges are basically not needed. If your tap water is clean then you only need carbon if you are trying to remove some chemical or medication from the tank. I would set up the filter with a sponge first, catch the chunky bits. Then fine bulk filter wool to catch the rest, then the ceramic media as bio filtration. The sponge and wool can be rinsed out in old tank water and put back in untill you cant clean it any more. That covers your mechanical and biological filtration, and chemical (carbon) is only needed in special cases. Be carefull about making big changes to your filters though, you dont want to upset they cycled media any more than you need to. Cheers Ian

Lots of different species of mozzie, so I guess their larvae are all a little different. But they are all edible for fish 8) Ian

If it's a guppy only tank and there is some cover for the fry a lot of them will survive. Especially if the females are only 1/2 grown. The smaller adults and males dont seem to be so bad at eating fry. The BIG Momma ones are pretty keen fry hunters though. This tank started out with 12 guppies, and didn't even have any plants Cheers Ian

If a female guppy has been in a tank with a male it WILL be pregnant :lol: Sounds like you will have baby guppys in the next week or so. Cheers Ian

If it's a bristlenose pleco it will be fine in any sensible size tank, they only grow to 10 or 12cm long. Great in a community tank. Pleco is the common name for all the Loricariidae (armoured suckermouth) catfish. There are about 500 known speces that grow from 3cm to 60cm+ long. I have 3 Goldspots, a couple of Commons, a Sailfin and 2 Bristlenose at the moment. Thats why I need a bigger tank Link to everything you need to know about Bristenose plecos http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/species.php?species_id=49 Cheers Ian

Mozzie larvae look something like this. They wriggle when they swim. Fish love em http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Culex_sp_larvae.png Cheers Ian

Generally I think you would want them about an inch long (2-3cm) before you sold them. You want them looking like fish and robust enough to survive being moved around a bit. Cheers Ian

I think we have a winner in the 'dumbest tech product of the year ' category. :roll:

They can be imported, but it's not something you carry back in your hand luggage :-? Paper work and MAF quarantine requirements for example... Cheers Ian

Yup there are some tiger barbs in there, some kribensis and a stray bala shark. I wont to get some more tigers and balas, but will wait untill I get my bigger tank. The tank doesn't look crowded in the picture, but you cant see the 4 plecos lurking around in there :-? Feeding time video from last night 8) Cheers Ian

Most people discover it by accident, when they buy their first fish. You know, some guppys, some neon tetras and one of those nice gentle angelfish. 6 months later they just have a big fat :evil: angelfish :evil: Cheers Ian

Yup, thats pretty much the normal ones we see in NZ, but it's a decent selection. Clowns are probably the most popular, but remember they grow to 30cm+. OK it takes about 10 years, but they are a BIG fish. Also they really need to kept in a group to be happy, so make sure you have a big tank lined up for the future. But the other loaches are smaller, so it's easier to house a group of them. I have some Zebras, great little fish, heaps of fun and wont outgrow most tanks. The dwarf loaches are even smaller. Cheers Ian

Summertime a tub of water left outside will soon be filled with Mozzie wrigglers. They are great free live food too. If you are in a rural area have a look in the cow troughs, often find daphnia or mozzie wrigglers in them. The may be a bit green this time of year, but the water is safe for cows to drink, so things living in there should be fish safe. Clean running streams will be full of eels, inaunga and crayfish, so the best live food will already be eaten :roll: Any size tank should be OK to breed guppys if you want to go that way. But you need the space to rear a couple of months supply to make it worthwhile. So by the time you set up a 100l tank you could have bought a lot of frozen fish food. Cheers Ian