kiwiplymouth

I would recommend at least 7-8 times the volume of the tank. I have an 8000lph pump in my 1000L tank. Be aware that the pumps capability will decrease as the height that it needs to pump the water increases.

Most of the L182 that i have seen retail between $120 and $140

As P44 stated. They are most likely to be L182 starlight bristlenose. There have been quite a few of them in the shops lately http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/sp ... ies_id=147

My water goes thru a 20 micron filter then a 1 micron filter and then a 1 meter long 50w uv filter, and i am on rainwater Don't blame me, the set up came with the house when i bought it. I think that the previous owner must have been rather anal when i comes to drinking water quality after all that, there is another 1 micron filter hooked up to a separate tap on the kitchen sink. I understand that there are 2 types of cartridges available, 1 is a throw away model and the other can be cleaned and then reused. I have not replaced any cartridges in the 3 years that we have been here as there has been no reduction of the flow from any of the household taps. My water is great for some fish like catfish but not good for any type of cichlid and most other fish. I add trace elements and mineral salts to all of my tanks.

perhaps you have too much light and it's an algae bloom of some kind. Try no lights for a week and see what happens. The fish won't mind.

I bet you have wood in your tank? Many fish keepers like black or brown water as is simulates some fishes natural habitat and can even stimulate them to breed.

Its a bit hard to tell from those pics but possibly an L182 starlight. Are the bristles on the nose or just around the mouth?

yep. They are best feed to bottom feeders like catfish, corys, whiptails, eels, birchers, loaches etc. Larger fish like oscars love them too but lose heaps of it thru their gills and really mess up the water.

Trout pallets are great for most omnivorous catfish and can be purchased cheap on trademe. http://www.trademe.co.nz/Home-living/Pe ... 416137.htm If you are after bulk algae disks then ask this guy for a bulk deal, I got a few kilo of him a while back at a very good price http://www.trademe.co.nz/Home-living/Pe ... 582119.htm

Here is a pic of mine, It's the same design as David's. Ideally it should have more bio balls and less noodles but it works well. The shells were added as a buffering agent as I have very soft water.

I have a tank that is about the same size as yours and my sump is made from a 200L tank. Better and cheaper than 2 canister filters in my opinion. The sump is also a great place to hide heaters etc and could also double as a fry rearing tank if you design it right. I am using an 8000 lph pond pump in mine.

Bugger. Sorry to hear that.

I had an L182 get similar white patches but over her face and body (not the underside). I successfully treated it with a course of furan2 in a hospital tank. viewtopic.php?f=23&t=40000

Being a young seed eater, perhaps its best to feed him they same way it's mother would. I'm thinking mashed cereals via a syringe

Mine is almost identical execpt for a red spot near the base of the tail muscle and is albino. I would take a pic but the mrs has gone away for a girlie weekend and took the camera.

Ahhh. The princess and the pea

Keep an eye out for phoenix44 He just may come over and pea in your tank :lol:

cauliflower and brocolli stalks, frozen peas with the hard outer shell removed, pumpkin and sweed just to name a few more. Try them all and see what your fish prefer.

Thanks mate. I had to move their tank 3 feet to the left about 6 weeks ago. I didn't want to dismantle it so i just removed 90% of the water and slid it across. I refilled the tank straight from the tap as we are on rainwater and it was quite a few degrees lower than the normal tank temp. I recon that may have been the trigger. Now to try and repeat the spawning

I've found 4 so far but i don't really want to pull the tank to bits to found out how many there really are. I think i will leave the tank alone and let the final tally be a surprise Perhaps i should check the canister filter too

Now that I know i have a breeding group I plan to set the tank up a bit better and remove all the other pleco's. With a bit of luck there will be plenty of clowns to go around in the near future

Thanks guys I'm picking L104 ATM. It would be great if it is coz that means i have an elusive clown female :bounce:

I'm bouncing off the walls this morning. I was doing my normal walk around the tanks when i spotted a small group of fry. This was not supposed to happen yet. I thought that these fish were way to young too breed so are in a catfish community tank to grow on untill they reach breeding maturity.(another year or so I thought) I never saw any eggs or any sign of breeding activity but having said that I wasn't expecting any breeding so I wasn't paying the tank much attention. These guys are about 1cm long and frankly I'm embarrassed that i didn't spot them earlier The occupants of the tank are L104, L066 and L270. I'm certain that I have both sexes of the L066 and L270 but I am not certain about the L104. I have an idea of who dunit , What do you guys think ?

It's growing well and looking good, I will post a new pick as soon as i get a my camera problem sorted. I got it from petmart in Richmond (Nelson)

Thanks Zev