David R

:-? Sounds like a downgrade to me, less floor area, more depth to try and light...

Define "too big"?

As long as the size difference isn't extreme then it could work. Just make sure the eels are getting enough food.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cichlid You'll have to be a little more specific than "cichlids"..

I said marketing, not branding. It was talked about in the last thread, how a $1 reserve can be a good way of creating hype and interest (look at the publicity its got them here), and last time it worked out for them. Ballsy trying it twice though!

If you're referring to the black, I paid retail for it. As for the rest, I don't think they are "forced" to sell them, the $1 reserve thing is more a marketing strategy than a desperation measure. Was it a good business decision? If you're trying to maintain your reputation as the best LFS with the widest range of fish and gear then yeah, it was. Its not like they're depreciating in value [unless they kill any], and if someone decides they want some then they can buy them straight away rather than having to wait weeks/months while the retailer/wholesaler tries to get them in stock. Its always a gamble buying expensive fish for stock, but its just part of doing business...

And thats why they were cheaper I'd guess. Most of the cheap ones I heard of were pre-arranged sales where the retailer knew they weren't running the risk of having expensive fish sitting around in their tanks and therefore reduced the margins to make a sale. Not sure how any other LFS is supposed to compete with an importer retailing direct to the public, short of selling them at minimal mark up simply to get the sale. I bet there was still a considerable mark up on them being sold at $650 each... Did any retailers other than HFF take a punt and order in 20 for stock on top of any pre-arranged deals? :roll:

You can, but IMO while they're young and growing best to keep them on the good stuff. As they get older can increase the meaty stuff like shrimp. yeah I can't think of a better way to put it, maybe more elegant? :oops:

Great to see someone keen enough on clowns to dedicate a tank to keeping them properly, rather than just adding them as snail eaters or clean up fish in other set ups!! Tank: a 6x2x2' would be a great CL tank, far better than 90% of CL's end up in I'd guess. I've got 30 ranging from 3" to 8" in my 180x75x60 tank, and although its a bit wider than yours I doubt they'd be any less happy in a 6x2x2'. Long term I will probably need to thin the group out, or get a bit bigger tank, but the day I'm over-stocked with large clowns will be a very happy one!! If you're starting with LFS-sized small-medium clowns you could go with anywhere from 10-50+ in a tank that size, depending on how willing you are to thin them out as they grow. I'd say somewhere around 20-30 would be a good number for a 6' if they are to be the main feature. Should be able to negotiate a better price from the shop if buying that many too! Filtration: IMO a big sump/trickle filter is ideal for a set up like this as it provides plenty of aeration, turn over and biological filtration. A couple of big canisters could work equally well though, comes down to personal preference I guess, and the good thing with canisters is you could probably start off with one then add another as the bioload increases as the fish grow. Cycling: You will never cycle a large tank/filter with "a dozen neons" as they simply don't create enough waste. IMO the best option is to run the filter on an established tank for a month or so, then add fish into the tank slowly. What do you plan on keeping with the clowns? You'll want the tank to be well established before adding them, so probably best to stock it with the other fish first then add the clowns a few months later. A couple of other points; -You could look out for larger clowns being sold here or on trademe, just beware that they do stunt easily so you may think you're getting a head start by buying them larger, but in the end the smaller ones will catch up and even surpass them in size. -With a large group of loaches in a large tank it is essential to quarantine any new additions. Treating whitespot in a 500L+ of water is a real hassle, and watching 6"+ loaches on deaths door battling with it isn't fun (personal experience!). I'd even suggest if/when you do buy your first group of small loaches from the LFS, keep them in a smaller tank, bare bottom, for a couple of weeks first to make sure they're healthy before putting them in the big tank. There's a good chance they'll have whitespot, even coming from the best shops, so you'll be better off trying to treat it in a smaller tank. If you haven't already, check out http://www.loaches.com/ and the forum there.

They look like a silver in the same way that tinfoil looks like platinum. They aren't "black" like their juvi colours, but IMO they look more "refined" than a silver as adults, more elongated and snake like. Silvers tend to get thick and solid as they get big where as blacks keep their juvi proportions. Less defects like drop eye and PLJ too.

I'd be pretty sceptical of any claim of a spiny eel eating prepared foods, unless you've seen it don't believe it. Try feed it when the lights go out, then as it gets more confidence try feeding during the day.

Mine is eating hikari food sticks and growing well, as is henwards. Might take it a few days to settle in first, just be patient.

Its not really fair to tar all the Animates with the same brush, some of the ones which have keen and knowledgeable people in the fishroom [like Henderson with Morcs and Atown, and I'm guessing Palmy with P44 but I've never been there] have a good selection and [usually] have at least one person who knows what they're talking about. However, being a chain store they are ultimately run by a management team whos main concern is profit and not the well-being of the aquarium hobby in NZ, which is why the new stores like Lunn Ave only have a handful of tanks with common species, and the old stores which once had big fish rooms full of interesting fish and marines are being down-sized. Even Botany has been reducing the number of tropical tanks and increasing the goldfish section. I'm guessing that the fish only make up a tiny part of the stores income and the main reason for them being kept at all are so they can continue to be the one-stop-shop for all pets. IMO it all boils down to your ethics as an individual, IMO its a bit disappointing that people on here choose not to support the few specialist aquarium stores we have in Auckland and would rather spend give their business to a big chainstore that contributes very little to the hobby.

Nice write up, want to repost it here? http://fishkeepers.co.nz/forums/viewfor ... 81b87c9a87

:-?

Useless dimensions unless you want to keep nothing but a few tetras....

I don't read as much as I'd like to, but Wilbur Smiths River God and Seventh Scroll would have to be two of my favourite fiction books.

I had a big fire eel that ate 5 cubes a day, swallowed them whole! Wouldn't touch anything else...

Getting them hooked on bloodworms can be expensive when they get larger. Try raw frozen [defrosted] shrimp.

So a slight reversion towards its natural colour makes it "poorly bred"? I guess if you're after a pure yellow fish as has been selectively bred then fair enough...

Looks good. I think it would be worth while raising the fry (or passing them on to someone with the space/time/energy to do so), they haven't been available here for a long time, and who knows when they will be imported again.

There's probably just as many [if not more] cases of people mistreating dogs though....

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Home-living/Pe ... 510568.htm Free, if you're quick!

Ask Henward when he's going to be over this side of town next, not sure when I'll be heading north next.

It was actually pretty cheap to set up, would be even more so if you skipped the plants as you wouldn't need such powerful lighting. I'd love to do a blackwater set up in a 2' cube in the corner of the lounge, but the Mrs isn't so keen...