Rob

Sorry Alan - Brian had other plans, so he wont be open sunday.

I checked up on the ones for sale at the LFS here in Hammy - they're $14.95 each - there's 4 or 5 left, largest is about 8cm - look to be a mix of sexes - including a pair that were looking like they were going to spawn for the first time.

Regarding the synos - there are generally two types - those from riverine environs and those from the rift lakes. Obviously the rift lake ones are going to handle the pH no problems, the riverine ones would prefer a lower pH but I have found them to be very adaptable. Probably the most common syno you're going to come across are the Featherfins (S. eupterus) - a riverine type. These are often imported as small juvinile fish (about 4cm long) that have attractive white stripes on a dark back ground and sell for $10-$20 from memory. These will grow quite rapidly into dark spotted specimens about 20cm long) with dorsal fin extensions. Other ones that you may come across are: S.nigriventris (the Upside down cat) - please note that some shops list any old syno as an upside down cat, these are smaller fish max of 10cm. S.angelicus - black with white spots, often quite pricey, have a large adult size (from books - 55cm) but I haven't seen any really large specimens S.decorus - attractive markings - large spots and some stripes on the tail. S. nigrita - pale brown with darker spots S. schoutedeni - one of the smaller types, max size ~15cm have a reticulated pattern The one that would be interesting for an african tank would be S.multipunctatus - the Cuckoo syno, it lays it's eggs while some of the African cichlids are spawning, the cichlid picks up the catfish eggs as well as it's own and then ends up spitting out a mouthful of young catfish. The multipuncs can be difficult to find and often expensive though.

Were you specifically wanting an algae eater or just an attractive looking catfish?

Synodontis are african :-?

Sorry Jude - it was suggested that I post in the clubs forum as well - you did reply - but to the one in the Offtopic forum.

There are still some salvinis here in Hamilton at the Goldfish Bowl.

Hi there guys and girls, there's a BBQ at my place Sunday 6th February (yip that's Waitangi day). People are welcome to start turning up and nosing at tanks from 4pm, the the BBQ will start about 5.30. Meat is being provided by the Waikato Aquarium Society, it would be appreciated if people bought along a salad or dessert, BYO drinks (though some soft drinks will be provided). You don't have to be a club member, Fishroom members more than welcome. PM or email for address (preferably by Friday 4th Feb so I can get an idea of numbers).

Turns out the clown plec was getting a free feed. :evil:

I know that the steel blues have been bred before in NZ - it's not that females don't get imported, just seems that they're not very common and there isn't the in your face sexual differences that some other apistos show. As far as spawning them goes I'd do the usual thing as for other apistos - make sure that the female has been well fed before hand, make sure the water is generally the 'right' conditions and provide them with a suitable 'cave' or two to spawn in.

Just be aware that most dwarf cichlids sold as borelli (Apistogramma borelli) aren't. Most of them are what is thought to be a man-made 'species' called A. sp. 'Steel blue', also called A. sp 'Blaukopf/Blue Head'. This is from the apisto mailing list Most shops probably only have males - the think the females tend to have the same overall colouring but slightly more golden. Here is A. sp. 'steel blue': Here is a male A. borelli: Here is a female A. borelli: Photos curtesy of Aquatico St Louis

I've got a similar problem to Kyle at the moment - banded whiptails sitting on eggs, crocodile cats laid and the male columbian plec is carrying around a lip full of eggs. I'm also raising up the previous clutches of banded whips and columbians, though not many of the banded whips survived. It's the first time the crocodile cats have spawned - I've only had the female a month and she was getting fatter and fatter - they finally spawned when I put in a narrower bamboo tube for them. Though something screwy has happened - me being my nosey-self had to check what the croc cat eggs looked like (pale cream - not green like the banded whips and slightly larger) but I must have spooked the male because he's abandoned the eggs. Today when I checked there was a small male clown plec sitting on the eggs - I'm not sure if he was getting a free feed or has become a surrogate dad - maybe I've got the equivalent of a broody bantam.

The gertrudes blue eyes pop up every now and then. For those clamering to get them - be aware that the picture is of a fish that all of 2-2.5cm long. Also the picture is of a male in full display mode. Seeing to males square off against one another is awesome, swimming around in a tight circle about one another, do fish get dizzy I wonder?

If they've got one dorsal fin then they may be a killi. If they've got two dorsal fins then they're a member of the rainbowfish family. From what I can see they look like Gertrudes blue eyes (Pseudomugil gertrudae). Here's a picture of a good looking male: Image curtesy of Rainbowfish Online There are different populations that have different coloured 'wings'. Females have smaller fins.

This is the fish we're talking about: Image curtesy of www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk If animates are selling them for $15 each - I'm extremely p'ed off that they're not that cheap here.

The torpedo barbs I've seen for sale are usually mid-forty to fifty. Though the LFS here has them for $40 (alright 39.95 to be precise). It's just annoying that generally the price hasn't come down despite the size of the fish offered for sale coming down.

Here's the link to the info for transitional (ie quarantine) facilities for ornamental fish and marines: http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/border/transitional-facilities/animals/154-02-06.htm

I'm not 100% sure about using acetic acid - I'll have to do some reading/digging and find out. The reason that I haven't considered it is because I have access to the stronger acids and also it seems a little sacreligous or something to use vinegar in a fish tank - all you'd need then was the chips :lol:

Just really agreeing with what has been suggested already: Melafix - based on teatree oil, useful for fin rot and speeding the healing of wounds. White spot cure - white spot (sometimes called ick) is one of the most common diseases hobbyists come across. Water conditioner/ager of some sort, this could be something like stress coat which can provide additional benefits or simply something to neutralise the chlorine in your tap water. I'd also suggest a pH test kit - you'll probably find that you use it while you're setting up and finding your feet and then use it less regularly as you become more familiar with how the pH changes in your tank between water changes. Then you (read 'I' ) become complacent and only dig it out when something isn't quite right with the tank and need to figure out if it is the pH or something else.

First off 'bad' pH could be higher than desired or lower than desired - each situation will have different remedies, said remedies will fall into one of two catagories - temporary or long term. Brian - in answer to your question regarding the water change (ie 25% weekly at an appropriate pH) the answer is a definite yes. People will probably dispute the frequency (ie 25% fornightly) but given that your tank is small it's probably safer to do the more frequent water change (just because what would be a small descrepancy in the pH of a large tank can translate as a major change to a small volume of water - so better to keep top notch water quality). Not sure of your knowledge of pH, so just a little refresher: a numerical scale from 0 - 14, pH 7 is considered neutral, below 7 is acidic and above 7 is alkaline (also called basic). Most fish will be happy enough at pH 7 or a little to either side. pH often (though not always) goes hand in hand with water hardness (in very general terms hardness is the amount of dissolved minerals in the water). Usually soft water will be acidic and hard water will be alkaline. Hard water will also have more buffering capacity (buffering capacity just being the water's ability to resist pH change). The natural tendancy of fish tank water (excluding other influences from wood/gravel/ornaments) is to become more acidic with time (ie between water changes). As hinted at above, decorations that you place in the tank can influence the pH: Wood (if it is going to have an influence) will make the water more acidic - you should be more alert for this possibility if the water starts taking on a yellowish/weak tea sort of colour as this means the wood is leaching out chemicals and the pH is very likely getting affected. Leaching doesn't mean that you should pull the wood out or anything, just that you should keep an eye on the pH. I haven't had any problems with leaching from the indonesian/malaysian hardwood bits of wood though. Gravel/rocks (if there is going to be an influence) are most likely to increase the hardness and pH of the water. Things to avoid are sea shells and limestone. As far as determining if a rock is suitable the generally mentioned test is to put some acid (eg vinegar) onto the rock and see if there are bubbles evolved (bubbles should either be getting created or growing, often there will be bubbles of trapped air on the rock getting tested, these shouldn't be mistaken for bubbles from the acid dissolving the rock). I would recommend that you get a pH test kit. I probably wouldn't worry about getting a water hardness test - you'll probably want to do a couple of tests starting out, but many LFS's can do this for you (some may charge a couple of bucks for this). I would suggest that you test the ph of your tap water and also see about getting a hardness test done on it - as this lets you know what you're working with. (I'm not sure if all of Auckland is on a single supply, if it is then hopefully one of the other Aucklanders may be able to give you the numbers for tap water). As far as fixing problem pH - if the water is too acidic: - temporary fix is to use baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), should be pre-dissolved in a glass of water to avoid fish trying to eat the granules as it goes in. - a more permanent fix is to add limestone chips or crushed shell/bird grit either to filter or to the gravel in the tank. Adding to the filter is probably the better solution as if you overdo the amount you can easily remove some without having to use tweezers to pick it out of the gravel. A convenient way to put it in the filter (does depend on the filter, but from what I've seen of the aquaone tank filters it should work fine) is to put the shell etc in an old stocking or similar. If the water is too alkaline: - temporary fix is to use pH down from the LFS or some form of commercial acid (probably sulphuric or hydrocholoric would be the best choices, wouldn't recommend phosphoric as the resulting phosphates could cause algae problems) - a more permanent fix is to add a pouch of aquarium peat to the filter. Both of the temporary fixes should be used with care - you don't want to make too extreme a change to the tanks pH, probably only 0.1 or 0.2 of a pH point a day. Both of the more permanent fixes wont make an instant change, more a gradual thing. You may only notice a problem pH when trying to introduce new fish (ie they die) - this is because of the extreme change in pH from what they were use to and what you're trying to put them in. The reason that the fish already in the tank may not be (apparently) affected is that they started off in a 'good' pH and then there was a gradual change to the 'bad' pH which they were able to adjust to. Sorry if a slipped too heavily into lecturer mode again this is all IMO.

Regarding what is becoming the mollie issue - I'm prepared to accept that black mollies (most likely a high % Poecilia sphenops - given that there is interbreeding of the different mollie types) could be of a suitable size for Brian's tank since they grow to about 6cm. However the two types of sailfin mollies grow larger (up to 18cm for P. velifera and up to 12cm for P. latipinna) and I still maintain would be unsuitable for that size tank, again this is all IMO. I have read Shae's comments on: if you get them small they will grow to the size suitable for the tank. I think as responsible fish keepers we should be providing an environment where fish can grow to their potential rather than intentionally stunting them. Brian - hope the tank goes well - as you've discovered there are differing opinions (as with anything), sorry for having to resort to scientific names so early in your re-introduction to the hobby .

If you don't have a certified quarantine facility then you wont be importing fish. I'm not sure what you mean by charges - if you're asking how much an importer would charge you for tank space - I doubt you'd find any willing to do it, especially for only 2-4 fish. For some ideas of what is involved in setting up a quarantine facility you may want to have a look at this thread: http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/viewtopic.php?t=3992

It's not MAF that holds them - YOU have to hold the fish for the six weeks in your certified quarantine facility.

Hi Brian - welcome to the hobby - from one that's well and truely addicted (I think 16 tanks takes it from hobby to obsession). I can't comment about the Aquaone tanks since I've never had one or its like, though at 34L it is a small tank and as people have already pointed out your fish wish list will have to be scaled back a bit. From looking through the previous posts the ones ruled out so far are: - silver dollars - will get too big (also they'll finish off that plant you've put in for breakfast) - Kuhli loaches (the eel like ones) - will get lost up the filter (I'll bow to the ones who have knowledge of Aquaone tanks on that one, I've never had problem with them going up filter - most filter intakes have at least a bit of slotted plastic to stop this sort of thing occuring) - the school of tetras - because the tank isn't really big enough for them (the volume may be OK but the lack of swimming space means that they may not look as good as you'd hoped - if you did decide on tetras I'd only go for about 5 or 6 and definitely limit the number of livebearers). Now a couple of suggestions: - you may want to consider 2 or 3 (please not just 1) corydoras catfish. These are smallish (roughly 3cm) lurk around the bottom and will clean up uneaten food. The most commonly available ones are bronze cory, peppered cory and albino cory. - a small bristlenose catfish (an algae eater, also called ancistrus) - I agree that it will eventually get too big (about 15cm) for the tank but they are one of the best algae eaters out there (IMO), not hugely expensive and if it does get too large you can always trade it in for a small one and start the process again (or you'll have got a bigger tank by then and it wont be an issue ). There was a suggestion of an oto (or otocinclus) - these are also excellent algae eaters but I have found them to not be as hardy as bristlenoses. - you mention livebearers - I think they would be a good choice, only platties or guppies though. Mollies and swordtails IMO would be too large for the tank - I know that they look like a pair would fit OK but there wouldn't be as many places for the female to get away from the males advances. I would just get a pair or two (of platties or guppies) and let them do there thing, having some plant cover is advisable for the females and young to hide in (of course the female's just as likely to eat the young as the male is) and then let nature take it's course. - if you were still wanting some sort of feature fish (I personally think the bottom dwellers and the expanding livebearer population would be enough) - the ones that I personally would go for would be a pair of Honey Gouramis - though they haven't got in-your-face colouring, a well coloured male is quite attractive and their interaction with one another (with their 'feelers') is interesting. Whatever you decide in the end I'd suggest you stock either the bottom dwellers or livebearers (if you get some) first since these will eat food from the bottom. If you got tetras as your first fish, most of these only eat at the surface or mid-water, meaning that any food that settles onto the bottom it left uneaten and rots - not good. Regarding your overall philosophy - can't see any problems: keep up with regular water changes, keep an eye on the pH - with a general community tank you'd want to try for pH 7 which should keep most things happy, be patient - don't build up the fish numbers too quickly, it's usual to get algae outbreaks when you set up a new tank, if you have problems (ie fish dying or look like they're going to die) one of the best things to do straight away is to do a 50% water change on the tank (it will: dilute the flyspray/hairspray your flatmate used too near the tank, while you get some activated carbon into the filter and strangle said flatmate; dilute the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate that built up in the tank because it hadn't finished cycling/you hadn't got around to doing the regular water change; it will add more oxygen to the water while you figure out why the filter/air pump isn't working properly; it will remove half of the infectious disease in the tank while you determine what the disease is and how to treat it; it will (depending on the pH of your tap water) get the ph closer to what it should be while you try to decide if it was the wood, gravel, or lack of recent water change that caused the pH to get out of wack). Happy fish keeping - and I didn't really mean to scare you with the things that can go wrong , I just wanted to emphasise (not just to you) why doing a reasonably hefty water change is a good step when dealing with potential problems.

What length are the Pictus you've got? Most of the ones for sale in pet shops are only juveniles - they should get to about 20cm long. They also seem to be quite active swimmers so appreciate a reasonably large and uncluttered bottom area.