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Hmmm, I'd think you could get it way below $1K/month without much trouble. Think of it as about an average indoor swimming pool or pond with some changes and they're FAR from $1K/month. Let's see...about a 1KW pump would probably turn that over once an hour, put it in more of a glasshouse to get natural light to cut down on heating and lighting costs so you can just use say 3-4 250 watt metal halides. Insulate really well around it and rig up a (retractable)plastic cover out of the stuff plastic greenhouses are made of to keep the heat in and cut down on evaporation hopefully not cutting out too much light. Heating could be aided by some coils going up onto a black roof in black tubing to be heated by the sun along with just keeping the room fairly warm. So, 1kw pump=24 kw/hr/day 1kw lighting=12 kw/hr/day 1kw heating(Guess)=24kw/hr/day That's 60 KW/hrs per day at about $.10 per kw/h makes it about $6 per day. That's only $180 a month. May be dim on cloudy days and a bit cool most of the time, but doable. Unless I'm massively underestimating some things.

Smuggle me back a dozen neolamprologous ocellatus, please. AKA Shell dwellers.

Last time I went to wet pets in Palmerston North they had Monos, scats and archers. Love to get me a couple archers.

Are we ignoring dreams like 2 meter tall by 3 meter by 3 meter concrete tanks? Right now I'd be happy with another 440 liter 4 foot tank for a marine tank and maybe another 100 liter tank.

50% a week isn't too much, I do that on all my tanks. Cheapest for 18 tanks would probably be a bunch of big homemade sponge filters in place of your airstones. Like Caryl says, it depends a lot on what's in the tanks. Better would be a bunch of in-tank or HOBs. Maybe a central sump system if it's convenient though then you have the concern of possibly spreading any disease throughout all the tanks.

Yes, you ARE meant to add salt at the water changes, otherwise the concentration of salt in the water would go down when you change the water unless you've already premixed it with the water you're refilling the tank with, which is still adding salt. If the water had evaporated you wouldn't but most people wouldn't consider topping off evaporated water as a water change.

I recognize him! He was just a little baby back then! Hehe, when's the next auction in Napier?

I dunno, can't imagine lambs fry is any worse than fish fry/whitebait.

Yeah, not likely they were common bristlenoses, but there are a lot of much more expensive suckies that look similar at first glance.

I wouldn't imagine that just a quick X-ray would be particularly bad for them. You probably get a heavier radiation dose from your monitor posting on the MB each day than from getting a broken bone X-rayed. But, that being said, no point putting the fish through the x-ray if you can avoid it.

They'll probably eat just about anything meaty.

No more than any other type of fish.

A lot of the fancy goldfish prefer more tropical temps.

Redwood aquatics has a better selection than all the fish stores in the Wellington area combined, I think. And since NOWHERE in Wellington has any marine fish they have *ERROR DIVIDE BY ZERO* times more than Wellington.

I seriously doubt the Nemo fad will be enough to cause a shortage of clowns in the wild. Maybe a supply shortfall for a short time here in NZ, but if there was much of one on a worldwide scale then it's probably over by now since it's been about 6 months? since the movie was released in larger areas.

I never turn the heaters off, because both my tanks take about a 75% water change before it gets too low on the heaters. I only turn the filters off on one tank during a water change because it splashes all over the place.

I thought something similar when I was fishing with my bro in law and he caught a little shark about a foot long. Thought, "That'd be sooo awesome to have in an aquarium!" Such a beautiful, long skinny little shark.

I'd drink my tank water...But far from happily...Yucky, fish water, hehehe. Just tastes bad, not worried about catching anything.

Nope, I don't wear gloves and don't intend to start. I think people take way too many precautions with too many things as it is.

Don't think you can get them in NZ, definitely not at fish stores anyway.

I believe clownfish are commecially farmed in many places. Florida for one. It's pretty much a lost cause trying to keep people who want something and can afford it from buying it no matter how unintelligent the decision. If people are stupid enough to let their kids push them into buying a pet without finding out what it needs, they're not going to listen to you. They'll probably say whatever they need to get rid of you and then ask the pet store employee, "Does it need to be kept in water?"

Hmmm...You might be able to get a knife under the edge of a limpet's shell and carefully pry it up. Probably something similar for an anemone but using something duller so you don't cut it. I think most anemones can detach themselves and move around so they can't be too firmly attached.

Anyone happen to know a good place with rockpools around Wellington? Almost talked myself into turning the tank where half the fish died today into a quick and dirty marine tank.

Good to know you guys care so much to tell me off for my language before anything else. Hamish, I'm looking at UPSes but it looks like even the cheapest is around $150 and I'd need two for both my bigger tanks. I'd like to get a couple, but it'll have to wait.

Don't look at me, I haven't managed to convince my wifey that another 4 foot is necessary.