coelacanth

anyone know where the Chaco and Texas tortoises came from. Did the reptile park import them themselves or what?

I'm not sure where Auckland's original leopard tortoise came from, but the other one to make up the breeding pair was donated to them by a lady down in Dunedin (I think) who had had it as a pet for many many decades. The tortoises in NZ are the Galapagos at Auckland (unavailable to private persons obviously), leopard, Hermann's, and spur-thighed (Greek). There used to be red-footed around (and maybe yellow-footed?) but I'm not sure of their current situation. There are also American box turtles which aren't tortoises but do live mainly on land. Anyone able to add any others?

they are called that because of the black colour (obviously) and the large fins being likened to the veil of a mourning widow.

they use a very complicated mathematical system called "pick a number out of the air"

just use whitebait mesh from Mitre10. Its only in the tank for a few days at the most (most of the time for just one night). I've used it for decades with no problems.

I doubt it would be possible to rear them in a home aquarium. For a start they don't just hang around in the water waiting to change into cowrie adults, they have to feed and I'm sure you can appreciate how small the food would need to be to feed planktonic organisms. There would no doubt also be neccessary variables in terms of space, current, etc. But by all means give it a go. If you're getting eggs then it seems silly to not even try to rear them.

according to my reading, cowries have separate sexes (not hermaphroditic) and the eggs hatch into pelagic larvae not into miniature adults. The pelagic stage is quite long hence they are not generally reared in captivity.

in the main tank? Were they marblefish? (little black and white marbled ones). Maybe they were just having some special time together....

you can use Riccia but it would need to be tied on with cotton thread (it won't ever attach by itself)

Becca named it Penelope, just like she named the two male char Rod and Tod......

Here he is. Some call him Penelope, I call him Chubby-chops (don't know what sex he is, by the way). He's been at the aquarium for many years. Keeping them is exactly the same as any other puffer or porcupinefish (except not in tropical tanks obviously). They are common in NZ but south of Cook Strait they are relatively rare (they range as far south as Foveaux Strait). Tank size depends on size of the fish. They grow up to 60cm.

I mean "sterilized" as in rendered unable to breed, just in case there was any confusion

fish can be sterilized easily enough by the addition of certain chemicals to their water (I won't say which ones)

if they're white they are unfertilised; if they are translucent they are good. If they are unfertilised they would have turned white after being shed which would be why you didn't notice them this morning perhaps

no it does not include algae. Bladderworts (Utricularia) are carnivorous.

there are several species of Callitriche in New Zealand (at least seven). Some are native but C.stagnatilis is introduced.

I think someone (or two) is confused....

the shrimp actually seem to do all right in tropical tanks.

no, they are reef fish. Pure marine.

that's the rockfish, which are quite legal to keep. Rockpool fish are hardy in terms of temperature extremes but he won't do well in a tropical tank long-term, so move him to an unheated one as soon as you can.

interesting comments left by viewers at the bottom of the page

the albino, bronze and peppered (the spotty one) are the cheapest because they are so easy to breed, but they are still generally around $5 to $8 or so. The pandas, melanistius and some others are a bit dearer (around $14 to $20) because they are a bit harder to breed. Some Corys are much more expensive. You could try on trademe for cheaper ones.

ah, good old husbands... never mind, the Corys should spawn again

I agree with herefishiefishie. The fry stay in the cave until well capable of swimming, so unless the intake is quite strong then they should be fine when they do start venturing round the tank

hm, yes I do know what the World Cup is.............