ChrisMack

Hmmmm Cat....Unfortunately the Legs they will get to see arent the nicest set around!!!! :lol: Well, I finally got slightly motivated and posted a few more images (nothing spectacular....As according to my partner "fish are Boring" but then so is she :lol: ) And have added a half started/draft of a profile (might need to access this from the gallery page at the moment, and a very partly setup links page Any addition info/links/advice/help/articles/ideas?blah/blah/blah! can be sent to the email on the site......and is very welcome. Oh yeah, and suggestions of types of bizzare fish to add profiles for are welcome too. Thanks for the support so far, ChrisMack

Caryl....I could never have built a seachest that looks remotely like that one! O.K. heres the deal.....It's from The Warehouse (sly advertising ploy! ) yes the height is a slight concern for me too......but actually it's not that bad, concidering that tank is set up in my bedroom, it's at a rather good height to watch as youre nodding off to sleep (and if you cant get to sleep you count how many times the fish swim around the tank!) Maybe in the future i might look at getting something to raise the tank off the floor, although that could destroy the "seaschest" feel/look. I have the lighting setup with a timer so generally thats not an issue (fish getting too much light in a day) and surprisingly the whole thing is VERY quiet ( just a slight hmmm from the airpump) I will post some more images of the setup soon....... Thanks for the comments on the website, you are more than welcome to submit tidbits of info/ links to useful sites (yes I'll add FNZAS!) and well anything that could be useful for the site. I'm not sure on the policies of this forum, as to promoting my site on here, but will give site updates now and then, and hope that some of the users here are able to assist with info (or find valuable info from the site when I get it up and running) ChrisMack

Finally after too long, I've got my small puffertank setup.......I've posted a pic of it here (scroll down the page) B.T.W dont expect too much from the site that it's posted on......I've only just began to work on it......and as the story says "any help will be appreciated" :roll: Anyway heres the link. http://www.bizarreaquarium.freeservers.com Feedback welcome... ChrisMack

Hmmm.....probably quite a few people out wish that Visiting boys (or girls) for that matter would go dormant...and not just for winter!!!! :lol: ChrisMack

Well heres something a little different,lets post stories (true) about comical behaviour/happenings to do with fishkeeping...... I'll start with my story (yes this is true) about "Motley" My Satanoperca Jurupari (eartheater) Awhile after adding some neon tetras to my tank (simply as dither fish) unbelievably they started to go missing, slowly at first then with a sudden wallop they were all gone except for one Lone tetra. I did have an idea about where they had gone (there were only two fish that could have cleanly "hidden" the tetras. Anyway....One morning I was just about to feed the fish, when i noticed "Motley" sitting down in the corner looking very innocent, looking around I couldnt see the tetra in the tank......It was then that I noticed two tips of a neon tetra's caudal fin poking out of the corner of "motleys" mouth. The whole issue was just like the cartoon shows "Motley" was sitting??? there with a look as if to say "wasnt me, wasnt me!!" I guess this is really one of those stories that "you had to be there" to get the full effect, but I can still look back and see the expression of innocence on "Motleys" face. So...let your writing talents be shown..... ChrisMack

hmmmm....unlike you I have NO self control what-so-ever. Although I didnt get any fish (oh hang on I did) I got two figure 8 puffers from petworld (Ferry Rd) Apart from that I got 2 Mystery snails (hoping they will keep a bit of algae down, and a heap of plants, which I've spent most of the day planting, along with getting my Puffertank closer to completion........ My workmate and myself(who was also at Redwood Aquatics) were also keen on the polypteruses until we witnessed one of them trying to gobble up the plec that was in the tank with it! (plecs head was in the poly's mouth, and feeding looked rather like a snake) Luckily, or defensively the plec got away (without injury) then when they let the Zebra out my workmate went "Ga Ga" (yep he really really REALLY wants one...but cant justify the $185 they want for them) Guess I'll have to keep more of an eye out for "travelling Fishkeepers" on this board....... ChrisMack

hmmmm o.k. makes sense...anyone else got a name for them???? :lol: ChrisMack

Ok well Ive been a member of this board fo a while now, so I suppose I better give some info on myself! I've been keeping fish for over year now....started off with the common things Lemon Tetras (which spawned in my tank...but due to being a newbie at the time had no survivors) and neaon tetras From there, and after a few months of playing/reading/learning I purchased my Satanoperca Jurupari's, and I love these guys (motley and lil one) except they cleaned up the neon tetras and added a few Khulie Loaches...... From there I started to like the cichlids more and thought about going for a semi aggresive cichlid tank....that was until I came across the Elephantnose (Wilson) I had wanted one of these from day one, and thought that after a years practice I was ready for him/her? I also have another species tank setup for my puffers....a couple of Dwarf and a couple of figure eights that all seem to get along (well, at the moment anyway) which is currently undergoing some modification of its housing! So there you have it.....the many guises of my fishkeeping experiences........I guess you could say Im a fan of the more Bizarre fish now (puffers, Elephantnose, and anything that doesnt seem normal) Like everyone here Im still learning as I go, and have already learnt a lot from the helpful users of this board...So thanks guys! ChrisMack

Hmmm, I just read you post in the "introduce yourself" forum, and I saw you were heading down to Christchurch the other day (and Doing the rounds!) Which makes me wonder.....You wouldnt happen to own a Green Mazda MX5 would you???? If so, I have a feeling you were "Following" me around the other day.....Firstly at Organism (which I think is the best shop in Chch.....tidy, and helpful) If I remember rightly you had lost some travelling companions!!!! :lol: (typical of Bleheim people..I have relations up there that go missing in Chch too!) Then at Redwood Aquatics (which is where I spotted the car) where everyone was a tad taken by the Polypterus's that they had (Nasty little fish...But cool never the less) and then the Zebra Plec that they put out for all to see........ Just leaves me with one Question.....How much did you spend? :lol: Had I known/thought earlier I probably would have introduced myself (although I am a shy person :oops: ) to you........ ChrisMack

Yep, just been playing around with the airstone setup, and I too had the BLOOOPING problem...which wont be a good thing as this tank is going to be set up in my bedroom! ( ohhh! many nights looking like this ) BUT...after playing around with the gravel for a few minutes...then reattaching the airline because it had split at the airstone joining point (and i hadnt noticed :-? I managed to get it to work ok.....no BLOOOPING, and no shifting of the gravel! Now.....if only I can get the pump to stop vibrating ChrisMack

Knew there was another name for the Fizzerbar :lol: (just couldnt think of it at the time of posting) Ira..thanks for the info, however i was thinking if placing the "AIRSTONE" at the bottom of the tank and covering it with gravel, so the bubbles would rise up through the gravel.....another thought I have had is to use the Plates from the undergravel filter (placing the airstone under these first! This should cuase some vacuum like a riser would. The reason for this you might ask.......Simply pure looks! I like the idea of having a row of bubbles wobbling their way to the top of the tank, and instead of having a rather bulky looking riser tube, all you would have is a lenght of airtube running up one side of the tank! ChrisMack

Thanks Pegasus, I guess in the end all I really wanted to know is if a fizzerbar (again ???) would do a sufficient job of creatiing enough of a current to act as an underground filter by itself, or would a "true" underground filter be needed also? Thanks, ChrisMack

Back to the topic.....I was "doing the rounds" (like evreyone does) yesterday, and saw an Underwater Light unit at Animates Christchurch (Moorhouse Ave store) the price was $50 (well ok $49.95 to be precise) :lol: The box showed it as being suitable for Aquariums as well as Outdoor Ponds. Not sure of the size of the actual light unit but the box itself was approx 10 x 10 inches. So to do this kind of thing ( That I imagine would look really nice if set up properly) I would imagine that you would need a rather large tank..... Cmack

Heres a little something I'm wondering about, and was wondering what some of you "More Experienced" fishkeepers think. I'm currently re-setting up my Pufferfish (oh! the little cuties) Tank...recently I aquired a Fizzerbar (???) Is that what people call them? and wondered if that could be used as an "undergravel filter" Am I correct in assuming that the gravel actually does most of the filtereing, and essentially the upriser tube on a traditional undergravel filter is more for airation puroses. If this is correct, surely a fizzerbar placed under some gravel would have the same effect, as the bubbles produced would still create an updraft..... Has anyone got a reason why this technique couldnt be used? And hey feel free to call me stupid......if this is a bizarre enquiry Thanks for any ideas help......

From day one I wanted one of these fish, but held back due to reports of them being rather hard to keep, and also being a "newbie" well after a year or so with a tank ( I think I've learnt a bit ) and after doing some research on these interesting oddballs, I now have one as a new addition to my tank Yes he has a name...thanks to a workmate who dropped by, and wanted to see this fish......sadly the fish had stagefright and wouldnt show himself, well all of himself anyway, and simply kept his front half out of view...........The comment was past by my workmate that it reminded him of that guy of TV's "Home Improvement" show, you know the one that wont show his face! And so......My elephant nose has aquired the name "WILSON" Anyway, enough on the background, I'm just wondering how many other Elephant nose keepers are out there, and what their experiences with these fish are? CM

Problem: One medium sized Satanoperca Jurupari (eartheater) and his little sidekick, constantly digging in the gravel, and up-rooting every single plant in the tank.......(yeah yeah I know it's their natural way! :lol: ) Has anyone got any good ideas on how to keep plants planted under these circumstances? It was suggested to me, that I make some plastic discs with rootholes and place these around the plants, covering the discs with the gravel, giving a base, and the roots a chance to take hold. Im a bit concerned that this technique may stunt the growth of the plant, so was thinkg of trying to find an alterantive material (something that might breakdown into the water over time) I though about cardboard, can anyone see a reason against this? Thanks for any advice, CM

I think one of my guppies is confused, while doing some "maintenance" on a tank I placed my Guppies into my Dwarf puffer tank temporarily.........after watching for a while (just to be sure that the puffers wouldnt shread the fins to bits) I noticed that one of the male guppies was doing his mating ritual to my puffers Strange behaviour.....but just imagine the interesting fish that would be produced if mating was able to take place....... ChrisMack

I just witnessed some rather strange behaviour (well it's the first tuime I've seen it anyway!) Firstly I noticed that My Geophagus (Satanoperca Jurupari) named Motley was swimming "very" strangely....it looked rather like a duck waddling around, from a distance it seemed like both his pectoral fins had been taken off (first thought wa an attack by a tank mate) but a closer look revealled that he did in fact have his pectorals clamped tightly against his body ( a general sign of not being well, so i've heard) Concern started to set in as to what the problem could be, Ive just recently re-arranged the tank, doing a water change in the process so surely that wasnt an issue! Had my heater stopped working? NO! In any case after a few minutes of this behaviour, he suddenly burst into normal action again, and hasn't shown any symptoms again since.....a couple of minutes after the episode, his littler tankmate (also a demonfish) did the same thing, but this time i was able to witness it from the beginning......This action begins with the fish making actions like it is "choking" then it simply clamps up, and swims weirdly for a few minutes almost like it is a trance ( I wasnt watching any hypnotherapy programs on TV either).......before bursting back to a normal state........ I've come up with a conclusion that they are "pulling Sickies" to get my attention.....but maybe there is a more sinister side to this.......has anyone ever had this experience, or have any ideas why this took place? Thanks, CM

I havent had experience with keeping the two types of puffer together, but I do currently have a species tank set up for Dwarf Freshwater puffers......I currently have three of the little fella's (was four, found one had died overnight...not sure of the reason, but it could have possibly been the "tooth" issue that puffers suffer from) Im not sure of your experiences with puffers in general, so heres a few things I have experienced/read about in my short history with the Dwarf Puffers....( Note: Im no expert, so some people may disagree with my views!) They share their tank with a Small whiptail catfish, and seem to get along with it ok! I have found that the Dwarf puffers, can get a bit nippy towards some other fish, I cycled my tank using a couple of "ruby barbs" and left them in there when i introduced the puffers - the result was two barbs with no tails! (never fear they were removed and have made a full recovery!) They also, can be aggressive towards each other, and will chase each other around sometimes 9especially if there is a "runt" in the pack, for this reason i suggest you give them a few hiding places in your tank! I would imagine that the Brazilian puffers will get decidedly larger than the Dwarves, with could result in "live food" for them. The "tooth issue" that I mentioned earlier is that puffers have "beaks" and these need to be kept in check, or it can cause feeding problems, leading to starvation, to solve this Puffers should be supplied with "rasps" for their beaks about once a week, I simply introduced snails to my tank.....not only do the eat the snail flesh, but they seem to chip away at the shells as well! Feeding: my puffers will not accept flake/pellets (I think this is general for puffers) but love Bloodworms, snails, and even had a great time with a free apple snail that I put in the tank 2 months ago (and it's still movin around the tank after being pecked to buggery!....hope you dont think that inhumane?) I have tried to experiment with other types of food, ox-heart, and shrimp peices were both rejected....so currently I'm on the lookout for a new food (excessive feeding of bloodworms is bad i've been told) There are other things but, I just cant think of them at the moment.....I would be more than interested to know any info that you might have about these cute little fella's! BTW: where did you source the Puffers from? I wouldn't mind getting a few more....... Hope there is smoe useful info here for you.... Chris

After a visit to a local Aquarium/fish supplier, and the shock of seeing a VERY VERY VERY expensive fish I was wondering how much people would pay for a freshwater fish at the most? (and what would that fish be?) CM

Thanks for all the info on the above mentioned plants....... As for the Borneo Sword Plant......is it possible that it might have been labelled wrong, the plant in question has a sort of bamboo like (green) stem with the leaves growing off that at regular intervals, yes the leaves are rather lily like, but it doesn't really resemble the peace lily that I know of (if my memory serves me right anyway!) :roll: I cant seem to find anything on Pauls site that looks like it either. Next question....You'll be sick of them soon! Has anyone ever heard of a plant called "scarlet leaf" it looks a lot like silver beet, is green on the tops of the leaves, and red on the underside, from what I've been told it requires a lot of light (most red plants do from what I hear) can anyone give me some info on this plant also......? Thanks in advance.......surely I'll run out of questions soon! CM

Um... to be honest nothing really.....Thats why im askin the questions! :lol: Thanks for the link I'm lookin at the site as we speak (er post!) CM

Hi all, Could someone help me out with some info on the following plants: Mouse Ear Borneo Sword Plant Sorry I cant give you Scientific names (the above are the names that the shop displayed them as) I have had a look on a few sites and cant even find the names, any info would be appreciated! Thanks, CM