danval

2 is better than none! and like you say hopefully some are hiding. Thanks for the update

Hey Fordayzbro. Just wondering how the fry are going? Are you able to give us an update? Cheers.

I have seen what the parasitic wasp does to the looper caterpillar which infested my tomato plants last summer. Heres a pic. http://www.teara.govt.nz/files/p11144nsil.jpg Maybe the same parasitic wasp?

You are right Zev. And i suggest that they dont have the characteristic barbles on the corners of their mouths!

Well done fordayzbro! Keep us updated!

I think you are right. I have never heard of them in the fish shops, but have heard of people speaking of them on this site, but have yet to see any pics. If anyone out there has some pics they would like to share....

Cool. Have you ever seen the long finned ones in NZ?

The video says Tanichthys albonubes but maybe they are Meteor Minnows?. Is there a scientific name for them or is the scientific name the same?

Haha. I havnt seen any minnows flaring like that either! Computer enhanced?

Has anybody got any of these? Check out this awesome video!

After isolating my male (he was looking very bedraggled and inactive) I applied tonic salt to his confine and now he is looking spritley and flaring at his neighbour and blowing bubble nests. His fins appear to be growing back slowly but I guess his fin loss must have been due to the over aggressive female! Would it be safe to pair him up with this female once he is back to full health? The first attempt was a successful spawning and the second attempt he got chewed up.

Thanks Adrienne. I will keep a careful watch.

Thanks guys for your comments and advice. I have isolated him and will see how he does over the next few weeks.

Yeah your right! So what can you suggest to help his fins regrow? Any medication?

He was doing all the nipping and chasing for a couple of hours prior to going to bed last night. She would come out of hiding and they would dance around for a while and then he would nip and chase. This pair has bred successfully prior with no damage to the male.

He was in with the girl but there was no sign of her nipping him but I cant be sure. No other fish or filters etc in the tank. The girl has had a few nips from her fins which is to be expected but nothing like what has happend to him.

My male halfmoon who I had conditioned for breeding and had coupled up with a female seemed perfectly fine lastnight and had blown a nice bubblenest but upon waking this morning, the majority of his fins seem to have disintergrated? Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks for that Supasi. I really enjoyed your blog. Sad to see your little piece of paradise all but destroyed. I hope it regenerates to something like it was before.

I thought i would share a technique of harvesting mosquito larvae for your fighters. We have a small pond that has a large amount of larvae dispersed about the pond. I discovered by accident after my son threw a slice of bread into the pond that the larvae were attracted to it. Simply scoop out the bread with your net, (but you have to use a little bit of stealth as the larvae will swim to the bottom as they are sensitive to movement) and you should have a decent number of larvae without have to scoop up other bits of rubbish from you pond.

Yeah they seem to love real dirty water. Where i got the ones in the pic the water is brown with rotten leaves etc. I can catch thousands in with one sweep of my net through the pond, most of them small. Try throwing some rotten vegetation in a bucket and place it somewhere with a bit of cover and see what happens. Mind you we have perfect weather here in Hamilton for mozzies as it has been pretty humid.

Thought i would share a pic of the mosquito larvae that i have been collecting from a brackish pond in our section. Mainly little ones great for growing those fry as suggested by David. The bigger ones are for mum and dad! http://www.photoshop.com/accounts/84c5c ... c9c25a0502

You can try boiled egg yolk. A small piece of yolk mashed up and mixed with some water and then put through a vey fine sieve. Be careful not to add too much as it can foul your water quickly.

Hi Caryl. I used to work for a local council and we used to tie hay bales around a large water pond to clear up the algae and it worked a treat. For a pond your size one bale would do.

Hi all. Can you please tell me if imported Halfmoon fighters are harder or easier to breed from compared to locally bred fighters. Thanks.

If they are a bronze/black colour they are more than likely uncoloured comets. They may turn orange over time.