Matthew

Yay to Zev for removing this mantle from Wok (sorry Wok) What a great Newsletter to read through. You have done a great job and long may it continue. Looking forward to next month

Isn't that the same plate you give to your dinner guests Barrie? :lol:

I wouldn't worry about using RO water unless the conductivity of your rainwater is high. Generally it should be very low but collection factors can make all the difference. I collected rain water off a metal roof and was surprised to find that the conductivity was pretty close to tap water. If you do choose to use RO water then I would just use that, wouldn't worry about mixing it with other water. When Bryan was breeding the cardinals he used to set up a number of tanks - he wasn't always successful with the pairs he put in. He also talked about other factors such as moonlight in the evening (although this seemed to apply more to the rummynose). HTH

Another alternative to seperating the worms from the dirt is to place a scoop of culture on a sieve, and shine a strong light from above. The heat and light will cause the worms to migrate to the bottom of the sieve, and eventually into the container below (provided the sieve has big enough gaps). Some people also put cold water in the collecting container to encourage the movement to the coller area. Never tried this before though, I just throw the worms in the tank dirt and all and then remove the debris at the next water change.

That's great Barrie - Didn't realise you had made fifty tanks for me already. :lol: I will start picking them up shortly - unless your boys want to drop them round

Probably slightly off topic but my concrete pad has finally been laid for the garage / fishroom. Actually managed to walk on it today. 9 months in the making - I think it was easier waiting for my daughter. The waiting is horrible - and the number of excuses people can think of :-?

Alternatively buy a neutral cure silicone. Don't worry about the "do not immerse in water" label on the back. A certain glazier in Auckland uses this for his tanks and they haven't leaked yet. Basically means they haven't payed the money to get it tested - so if something goes wrong they have the disclaimer on the packet.

That's because she looks like her father :lol: Nice to see you there

Did anyone notice in pictures five and six with the red crown that he had dropped his fins on theground in pieces? I had to look twice before I realised they were bloodworms :oops: Nice looking fish - and looks like plenty more to come

Given that the Mt Eden animates is just down the road from Hollywood it is worth a quick look - sometimes you find something worthwhile. For range of fish you can't go past Hollywood - Mt Roskill branch has the edge in my opinion. Depending on when you come to Auckland Origin aquatics is also worth a look - although I don't know how this stands presently given he is moving. There are also other places further south although I don't normally venture that far out

The general recommendation is more males than females - apparently it results in more fertile eggs. A ratio of 3:1 sounds good. You may find that in this weather (low pressure) that the fish are more eager to spawn - do a large water change with cool water and see how they respond Good Luck

You are no brother of mine Ant

The PVC pipe wouln't need to be in the centre of the tank - you could place these off to the side to try and hide them. Let me know how you go with the set-up Cheers

Has anyone been bitten by a killie? I ask this because I just had my little finger attacked - and surprisingly it hurt. Didn't realise the nigerianus were so agressive

No they are not live bearers. They deposit their eggs around various places in the tank. Easiest way to tell the sex is to look at them from above - females will have a wider girth. Also if they are full grown the females tend to be significantly larger than the males. They possibly will deposit there eggs in a community tank - mine do. The eggs tend to get eaten though.

Does anyone remember the red tailed catfish at Hollywood Mt Roskill. I tend to talk with my hands a lot, and on a number of occasions had that fellow leaping out of the water trying to eat my arm :lol:

Hi Lezen - just wondering what that plant is you have covering spots over the fore ground? Great looking tank by the way. You didn't just scan an image from Takashi Amano's books did you :lol:

Just re-read my post. "spot-on" apart from my spelling "diferent" as opposed to different :oops:

You will need to submerse the spike to allow for plantlets to grow otherwise they will flower. Good Luck

Feel free to add diferent species of males in a tank. Try not to add the females as some are quite hard to differentiate between species - if you plan to breed them. Also if you mix males and females you may well find you end up with a number of babies that are of unknown origin. Reasonably frustrating for those that are trying to maintain killie lines

I normally aim for a filter that will filter 3 to 4 times the size of the tank per hour. For a tank your size 480-640 L/hr would be a good start. In saying that I use a fluval 304 on my 160L tank and wouldn't go any smaller than that (1000L/hr). Might be just me but I find the fluvals a little underpowered once they take a load on.

daddy

Maybe this thread should be headed "how to avoid a power crisis" :lol:

Any idea on the temperature in Levin during the second week of the experiment? Just this may change the results slightly - although I am happy to conclude that insulating your tank saves power.

Congratulations on their achievement. The sceptic in me wonders whether there will be too many people of my generation (Gen X) that will survive that long in marriage. One advantage is though that we won't get a letter from Helen :lol: