[Dont you hate glass cleaning]

bristlenose catfish do it for me. Paper towels and elbow grease for the glass above the water line

[here are more pics of my tank]

CONGRATULATIONS good news re the arrival of your daughter.

Yeppers it is sleep deprivation and lotsa joy untold for a few months.

[Clown Loach]

Yes I lost two clown loaches through treating white spot in a tank.................................................. Not worth the risk

[Breeding Pearl Gouramis]

CONGRATULATIONS Ira.....................there is always the Napier auctionLOL to sell them at.

[Napier Fish Expo and Show]

I will pick you up TeeCee on our way through to Blenheim .

Oh yes great time to look at 100's 100's fish. The ghost knife was awesome sight. Bristlenoses for mmiles and the betta splendas were also so many and great range. Not to mention all the bits n pieces such as tanks, equipment and those bags of goodies that went up for auction. Great time to have a clear out and also bring in some cash to spend on more fish etc.

count me in Bruce

[new member]

Great to see you posting Welcome.............what sort of tanks do you have at the moment????

[My catfish forum]

Great site. I love the layout and appreciate the work you have put into it. WTG

[what to put in]

Sounds like a really good excuse to go out and browse the LFS's and then return home to study up on the fish that catch your eye. Then return and purchase them (this stretches the pleasure of buying out )

There are many nice fish out there at the moment. Good luck.

[hydroton]

I have never heard of it...........sorry

[here are more pics of my tank]

I think that your fish will be breeding in that set up...............so satisfying to create and fishy world isn't it. Well done.

[errrrrrm hullo]

nice to have you on board.............and yes there are many many fish a holics in New Zealand.

[Please for the love of god HELP !]

I agree with Caryl. Stresscoat is the best sort of thing. How is the puffer doing??? This sadly happens quite often and is something we do not think about until the burn happens. I hope your Mum's puffer is not too badly burnt and pulls through. Fins crossed.

[Fluval 303]

I use fluvals on all my tanks and find them reliable and great to use. I have two 204's and one 304 I even have an extra instructions manual for them. would you like it??? If so just pm me you postal addy and it will be on it's way. Does not mention the 303 though!!! Just the 104; 204;304; 404

[barclya]

Ok Glen I am new with plants. It is only in the past couple of years that I have managed to get them to grow well.

Here is what one book (published 1963) says about your Barclaya:

Barclaya longifolia Wall. is an extremely decorative recent introduction. buy reason of its tropical rain-forest habitat it requires strict attention to the constancy of the water temperature. In addition the tank should be fairly tall as this is a large plant. Barclaya is subject to the attacks of snails, and the leaves and petioles are very brittle.

Cultivationcoarse sand with plenty of loam, soft water, 25 - 28 C daylight (from above) or intensive artificial illumination.

Proagation by seeds or cuttings.

Having read this I would suggest just cut off and plant. Good luck.

[Mondo grass]

what is a marginal grass??? Is it one that is better in the air than water?? Do they last in tanks??

[Kapi-Mana Club BBQ - Feb 21st]

:lol: :lol: U guys just crack me up....................What a neat way to begin a day.........laughing. LOL> Pies is Nemo in disguise.......or is it Nemo is Pies in disguise??

[STRANGE PLECO]

it would indeed and there would be of course a competition to name this 'new' fish LOL

[Kapi-Mana Club BBQ - Feb 21st]

a pic of the shark from Jaws may be appropriate LOL

[Hello all]

It also says that perch, rainbow trout etc are a menace to our native bully etc.........WHY are they not being hunted down and eradicated??? How come they are not on the banned species lists.............is it because those in power use them for 'sport"? Yeppers I am upset that fish are treated like this, even though I understand the reasoning behind it all.

[im new in here :)]

Yeppers we all come back to read the postings LOL. How are you getting on with the fish. WONDERFUL watching aren't they............who needs to do housework LOL

[Just joined]

Another cichlidlot LOL welcome to the place all true fish addicts hang out at.

[Uninterupted Power Supply??]

thanks Caryl, Warren It sounds like I should get three - one for each tank or would one serve all three tanks. I too have noticed that the power cuts are more frequent, especially in the winter. I got a shock when I quickly toted up the replacement value of my fish not to mention plants and the time it would take to do so.

Good questions andy...............I think the answer would be NO. You would probably have to sue them.

[What to go with B/N breeding set in tank]

tetras are a good choice, the emperor tetras are just so beautiful and very graceful, in fact you are spoilt for choice with tetras. I have discus, tetras and other b/n in my tank.

The baby b/n are all over the tank, bottom, sides and top on the plants and under every rock.

I had to remove the clown loaches and gouramis from the tank though.

[Uninterupted Power Supply??]

For this reason I use UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supplies) on all my tanks with a minimum of 12 hours standby time. It makes sure none of my filters die.

Would you tell me more about the UPS Warren and how does one get it?? Do you use batteries or a generator??

[NITRITES arrggghhh]

How is it going for you hevalump?? Yes it is so so hard to be patient.

Here is a simple piece from a book:- Once set up, the tank is left running for a week or so. Then the aquarium is stocked with fish, possibly to its maximum capacity. Soon afterwards, fish start dying and the owner is at a loss to explain the cause.

Eventrually all, or nearly all, the fish die. In desperation, the aquarist strips the tank down, cleans the gravel and starts again, believing that it was some sort of disease that wiped out the fish. The same process is repeated and the fish die again.

There is no disease involved here. The basic problem is that the filtration system is not being given long enough to establish itself and break down waste. The fish then die from a build-up of nitrite. Washing all the gravel out at this stage simply destroys any useful aerobic bacteria that have developed. And the situation is usually exacerbated by the beginner's tendency to overfeed. The best course of action would be to do a partial water change and leave the tank for a further two weeks before beginning to introduce new fish gradually.

To avoid new tank syndrome from the outset, allow the tank to mature for at least two weeks, stock it with fish gradually, do not overstock and do not overfeed. A bove all, be patient when setting up your first tank.

However a way you can help is if you know of someone with a tank which is already established with all the good bacteria. Water change 50% of your tank water and replace with water from their tank. Maybe exchange your new filter media with 50% of their established media. This is what I did when setting up my third tank and it sure helped get over the new tank syndrome.

Testing was / is a wise move and your fish are lucky you care. Please keep us posted on how you go............it may get a little rough for a short time. Best wishes. Fins crossed.