Joe

As far as I know these are the Dwarfs we have in NZ: Apistogramma agassizii 'Double Red' Apistogramma cacatuoides Apistogramma eunotus Apistogramma hongsloi Apistogramma macmasteri Apistogramma sp. Steel Blue Laetacara curviceps Microgeophagus altispinosa Microgeophagus ramirezi Microgeophagus ramirezi 'Electric Blue' Microgeophagus ramirezi *German Pelvicachromis taeniatus Pelvicachromis pulcher Shellies Here's some pics of my Macmasteri: http://www.fishkeepers.co.nz/forums/vie ... =18&t=4001 They are very cool fish, and very active and peaceful. I highly reccommend them

Hi Jennifer, Do you still have this plant and if so how is it doing?

I have read about this, and the stargrass doesn't actually form a carpet, it is just the heads snipped off constantly and replanted. Personally I don't think it is worth it when we have a lovely little carpeting swordplant (Ehcinodorus tenellus latifolius I think) that looks just the same as a 'stargrass carpet' and no trimming is needed HTH

doe

Wow that is breathtaking What is the beautiful little golden fish with the electric blue spots/lines on the first page? How big does it grow?

No probs It could do with a few more different plant species to add more variety 8)

How wonderful :happy1: They're so small and cute :love:

Wow looking awesome Sam The moss is doing really well

Awesome This is fantasic news What are the water parameters?

Just a though, you could put some sort of poison pellets or something somewhere high where the mynahs can get them but the pig can't.

No probs It's pretty pathetic really, so I just stay out of it :lol: I definately need to replace my T8 tubes; they are so old that one of them was flickering this afternoon! I'll probably get PowerGlos or something fancy like that this time

Thanks guys! It really is looking better than when I first posted the original pics. I'm quite pleased with it The whole point in the pots is because this tank is only set up until I can get something better, so when I get a better tank I won't have to worry about taking out substrate which is such a hassle and a big job. Also I am wanting to breed my Apistos and Emperor Tetras so if I end up getting any fry I can do maintainance more easily - instead of needing to vacume substrate I can just siphon off all the mulm directly and I will know if I have missed a spot or not. Because imagin a whole lot of little cichlids - the amount of plants I have will not be enough to use up all the ammonia, and when they put on a growth spurt because of it the bigger ones will outgrow the smaller and more light-needing plants and then my tank will become unbalanced and then I'll probably have algae outbreaks etc. Whereas the pots contain the plants so they don't go bonkers. The only plants though that I can't contain are the ferns and mosses and they just grow everywhere Fish poo and Flourish Excel BTW guys I'm sorry about the photos. They didn't turn out very good because of the light in my room (I had the curtains closed because the sunlight was creating to many reflections on the tank and my curtains are red so when I closed then it created a red haze over everything). The photos really don't to justice on the Apistogramma macmasteri. He has a beautiful glossy iridescent body and lovely orange fins, but they look a bit yellow in the photos (although they did actually used to be yellow when he was younger). Thanks Josh! I do actually have JBL balls in the pots, which is why the Crypts and swordplant are doing so well I need to get some Cyperus helferi :bounce:

Jeepers! It's about time I updated this thread Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi - sold. Bristlenoses - died I still have my Trigonopoma pauciperforatus. I lost one Hyphessobrycon heliacus, but still have the other three. I now have four Emperor Tetras, Nematobrycon palmeri, and a trio (one male, two females) of Apistogramma macmasteri which I hope to breed. Also I have some sort of Potomogeton species that I got from a creek, and it is doing really well. I went down to a park yesterday and got some more Willow Moss because I lost mine when I had a black beard alage outbreak. My plants are doing extremely well, and I have a few people wanting Crypts from me so I need to remeber to send those Phoenix44's swordplant (Echinodorus 'Red Rose' x Ozelot) is doing extremely well. I sold the smaller one and a pup that it had, so I just have the one now. And I'm really happy with the growth of my Microsorum pteropus 'Windelov' and Vesicularia montagnei. My florescent tubes are quite old though so I need to buy some new ones shortly. Full-tank shot Cryptocoryne cordata P44's swordplant Male Apistogramma macmasteri

maze

How big is your tank? Depending on the size, 18 watts of light might be too low, sufficient or too much light.

possibility

Barney the Dinosaur :facepalm:

Oh OK I get it now

That sounds very cheesy :roll: :lol: I just think 'Pawsome Pets' sounds great - it's short and snappy, and I like the pun in 'Pawsome'.

Whatever you do, DO NOT use one of those air stones, or 'bubble stones' as you put it, for CO2. They get clogged, and then the pressure in the CO2 bottle builds up and the bottle bursts and then you have a huge, smelly mess everywhere! Use a proper glass and ceramic CO2 diffuser or a ladder reactor or shove the CO2 line in the filter outlet or something.

I just read Outofthis Galixias's thread about the Myriophyllum propinquum, and I googled it and it is a stunning plant! It got me thinking, I don't know much about Myriophyllum, and I would like to know all the other species that we have in New Zealand, and what species are suitable for tropical aquariums and what conditions they do best in. Joe

In that size you could fit quite a bit. A pair of Apistos, a couple of pairs of Pelvicachromis taeniatus or Laetacara curviceps and a pair of German Blue Rams would look stunning. Remeber though that you'll need plenty of retreats in the form of plants and wood.

Alpacas :love:

I don't think you should keep red-tailed sharks in a tank that size. What waterlogged says is true, but the sharks can get quite large, so would do best in a 200L-250L tank or something around that size. How high and wide is your 3ft tank? Depending on what species you choose, you could keep a couple or maybe only one. Dwarfs are a bit aggressive, mainly when spawning. I would go for a pair of Apistos, and maybe a couple of pairs of Blue Rams (Microgeophagus ramirezi). I highly reccommend Apistogramma macmasteri, because they are very active and have a great personality, and have such beautiful colours! Hopefully with lots of people trying to breed them they should be availible soon. Dwarf Cichlids do best in planted aquariums. If you just want a low-tech tank, you can use plants like Ambulia, Cryptocoryne sp. (like affinis and willisii), tiger lotus, rotala etc. You can use DIY CO2. Substrate can just be gravel with JBL root balls under the root-feeding plants, which is the crypts and tiger lotus. And for ferts you could just use PMDD or Flourish Comprehensive. For lighting 4x30watt T8 tubes will be sufficient. Other fish that you can keep with them happily are small schooling fish like tetras, and you could also have some larger surface-dwelling fish like gouramis. I think a school of 15 Cardinal Tetras (Paracheirodon axelrodi) and 9 Kitty Tetras (Hyphessobrycon heliacus) will look splendid in a low-tech planted tank with the dwarf cichlids.

snob