dave

Hi Jiba . Welcome to the fishroom. Danios are a good schooling fish there are plenty of variteys availble and if you are later interested in breeding fish they are qutie esay . I have just spawned this week some long fin zebra danios and esimate i now have at least 50 probably more. So if you do want more let me know.A large school of fishes is always affective . Asfor bottom dwellers as Caryl said there are plenty of corydoras catfish around . I am a member of the Waikato Aquarium Soc and have been for quiete a few years. Here in Hamilton we have a proactive club with a large knowledge base amougest our members . We meet monthly to discus fishy happenings , Have table shows , organise outings and often have speakers on diffrent aspects of fishkeeping . I have found it enjoyable sharing my interest with others in the hobby. Contact us we are a really good bunch of fishkeepers

I am sure that some fishkeepers treat their fish like gods ???

Danios , white cloud minnows , some varities of corydoras catfish , barbs , paradise fish and of coarse the many varies of godfish can all live happily in a coldwater aquarium . As for coldwater livebears i can only think of leopard fish which i know are availble though jansens . Somwthing else which could be interesting is that jansens are now selling some native freshwater fish . This has been done in cojuntion with HBA i the hawkes bay . In the warmer months i put a few of the tropical livebears in my pond where they bred and live quiet happily . I hope this gives you a bit of an idea . Vist hollywood 's down frost st , mt roskil and you will see what i am talking about . Hope this helps and welcome to the fishroom

I still have his name , address and phone . Maybe i should ring to find out what he is up to

Last i heard discus haven had shut up shop . Yes jansen and hollywoods have got a good selection of imported discus at high prices . I would suggest that you start a forum probably under this section asking who is actually breeding discus I know tat a few have but aren't sure who is still breeding them. Just my thoughts

Lurch Just a reminder that the Waikato Aquarium Soc has a meeting tommorrow night 06/7/03 at 7pm . The meeting is at link house , te aroha st . We have one of our members taliking on aquatic plants also a table show of coldwater fish . This will give you a chance to meet a few others in the hobby .hope to see you there !!!!!

Hope you have fun in Aussie . Make sure a couple of hawkes bay members come along to fill you in about the weekend

Totally agree with andrew . His last comment that most dicus you see are young and you don' really apreciate there ture worth untill they are young adults

Seems to be as normal as a killi loach can be tonight . Must of had to release some gases or something .

Thanks Caryl for the posting of itineary on this forum. Please contact me with intrest or any questions with the weekend

No I haven' t .Could try as by placing espom salt in the tank it certianly will make my plants greener

Hi Everyone In my years of fishkeeping i have not come across the following behaviour of my killi loach. It looks rather round , bigger than normal , It is sitting upright in the aquarium but not breathing rapily indicating it is in any discomfort. I do feed alot of bloodworm and whiteworm not a great fan of flake foods etc . Seen it, excuse the expression but pass wind a couple of times , Well it was blowing bubbles from its bottom as it did one of its mid level dashes . Maybe it just has indegestion what do you think ???

Hi Pauly I have been keeping Discus for a few years and i know a couple others that also keep them . I have to disagree in regaurds to the quaily of fish Discus availble in NZ . I have found especially over the last 12 months that there have been some really nice fish at shops . I know that goldfish bowl , hollywood , jansens and living waters have all had some execallant fish in stock , Maybe you are not looking in the right places . Yes Discus are very expesive and are not that hard to keep . The same can be said for some of the more exotic catfish . If you want good quality you unfortanley need to pay . Discus are easily bred but there aren't many people that i know breeding them anymore . Maybe people don't find them challingin g anymore or jst not interested in that side of these awsome fish . If there were local breeders surely the price would come down making discus more obtainable to fishy folk . Yep discus are the king of the aquarium

Those intersted in molly hunt . Have an intineary with prices etc .Just contact me and i will email intineary with cost etc to you . It is going to be a great weekend

Andrew I have only seen pictures of these fish . I must admit that they look pretty awsome. It would be good to see a good population of these kept in nz and by the respone you have there are plenty of people interested in them . I think iy would be good if a couple of keen hobbyist do get a couple of pairs and start breeding them . This should ensure that we get them spread out and don't lose them as what have happen with some speices of killifish. Only my thoughts

Just email itineary for molly hunt to clubs will also post itineary soon

Sorry they spawn and i do know that bumble gobies have been bred in NZ and other countrys around the world. If you do enough research into a spieces anything is possible if you set your mind to it !!!

Welcome Lurch . You have an interesting mixture of fish .Some people say don't keep clown loachs with discus as they are noctunal and get a bit agressive at night . Bumble bee gobies genraully a brackish water fish but i have seen them living happially in plenty of aquariums as caryl said they are a preety fish . Would be an achivement to breed them . I don't know much about them but the Waikato aquarium Soc have a meeting next Sunday at Link house which is the river rd end of Te Aroha st next to the Church . It starts at 7pm and i am sure if you brought up the topic of breeding buble bee gobies i am sure that amougest the group we will be able to offer some advice .If you want to know more about the club just contact myself or rob

Well team it is going to happen . I have just heard back from DOC about collecting mollies,etc. This is going to be a weekend away and is open to all members of the FNZAS or other fishkeepers that wish to come along. The weekend will the the 15th & 16th of November. The following is a rough intineary Meet at the Prawn Park in Taupo at 10am on the 15th Nov. This is located down the huka falls loop road. There wie will have a guided tour of the prawn park etc . After the tour we will eat a few prawns the most enjoyable thing after meeting and greeting them !!!. Leave at 12pm so we can make our way to the National Trout Centre for another tour at 1pm .As i said we have a tour aranged of the trout centre I have done this previously and it was very imformative . After our vsit to the Trout centre we will make our way to the Oasis Motel in Tokaanu . I am thinking we could have a BBQ at the hot pools or something that evening . Wanting to hear back on prices of accomadation but last time we stayed there it was very reasonable. On the morning of the 16th we will then make our way to the thermal swamp to collect the mollies. My method is a pond net a bucket and getting right amoungest it . You wil need old shoes , old clothes , net , bucket , air pump , chilli bin , towel and most imporatanly alot of ethusiam. I will be emailing and posting details to clubs . So if you are interested feel free to email or phone me (07)8495275 so i can put your name down for this weekend.

The most affective way that i have hatch brine shrimp is by using pure saltwater this makes sure your silcity is ok . Secondly place in a bottle or jar provide plenty of aeration . I usually just place the bottle beside my tanks but with the cooler weather possibly float in an aquarium . Usuaally they hatch within 36hrs dependant on temp . On the brine shrimp packect it should also have an expected hatch rate most i think are around 80% Hope this helps