David R

Wow, $30. Maybe I should have said $50 or $100. Regardless, if nobody wants to part with their cash then we're not going to see anything new or interesting. Just look at Japan, why do they have such a wide range of fish available to them (despite having little space to keep them in)? Because there are people willing to fund collecting trips to go collecting rare fish from remote and dangerous locations (even in Eastern Africa to collect rare and large Polpyterus while being guarded by AK47-wielding locals), and there are other people willing to pay big prices for such fish. You talk about the retailer building the market, but IMO he's only half responsible. If the hobbyist won't take the opportunity to pounce on the rare fish even if they are a little pricey then there's no point in them bothering. Do you think we would be seeing bichirs selling for $60-90 in most LFS now if the first time they came in about 4 years ago people turned their noses up at the $170 price tag?

Thats the reason why it will never be worth importing quality stock into NZ, 98% of the fish-keeping population balks at paying more than $20 for a fish. There's plenty of people willing to pay ten times that amount for a yappy mutt, or even more for a rare parrot. Do you want them or don't you? Have you got an alternative to get them cheaper somewhere else? Some people spend more than that one one boozy night in town, or on a pair of shoes or designer jeans, and you're not willing to pay that much for a sought-after rare species of fish that has been almost unobtainable for 3+ years. Its no wonder Animates are only interested in stocking basic lines of fish. apologies if you are suffering real financial hardship because of the recession, lost job etc. I wasn't calling you specifically tight, more the NZ aquarium hobby in general. Zebra plecos are another great example, rare and expensive, but not impossible to get and not impossible to breed either. I know there's at least one US supplier who ships internationally who has them available for $180-250US each. Yes initially it sounds like a bit, but if you forked out the money and had the only breeding stock in the country it wouldn't be impossible to make it back. But nobody likes to think big (or invest big) and push the hobby along. I have a lot of respect for Johannes and the effort he's put into getting different Tropheus and making them available to us. When space/time/money permits I'd like to try to do the same with some of the central/south american cichlids that can legally be imported but don't seem to be.

The importer carries a far bigger risk than the retailer or pretty much anyone in the industry. That mark up has to cover all the fish that don't make it through the stressful shipping and quarantine process, the associated MAF fees, and the time they are sitting around waiting for shops to order them. The other side to that coin is that it puts less money into the importers pockets and decreases the motivation for them to import anything new and interesting. Just look at the Altolamprologous that have just been imported, there's a whole lot of people on here (and I'm sure there's many more who aren't) who say they are dieing to get their hands on them, yet when they finally become available it seems like everyone is too tight to fork out the cash for them and they're left sitting in the shop. What does that tell the shop/importer?

I think you should get a decent sized one, probably 15cm+ if possible, the flowerhorn will grow a lot faster and could end up being too aggressive. Post some pics of the flowerhorn too!

Slower growing than the cichlids, and not really as aggressive. Could work with the oscar, and it depends how aggressive your flowerhorn is. How big are they and how big are the tigers?

LOL! One of the best beers I've had was a DB Draught that was so cold it had ice crystals forming in it on a hot summers afternoon after spending the day fishing off Te Ngaire bay. So, I think that theory isn't quite true, a good beer should taste nice any time, but even a cheap beer can taste good under the right circumstance. I guess thats why they said "Carlton Stripe tastes best when you've earned it".... :lol:

Wow!! Shame it wasn't released though, I always feel a bit sad seeing those massive old fish strung up like that, I'm sure they don't taste any better than a small one...

It is certainly possible to keep salt water fish in a small tank, hell people set up nano reefs that make that tank look huge. But, IMO, it is certainly not something that should be undertaken by novices, and the advice from the LFS was very bad, staff are either so incompetent they shouldn't be selling fish or they saw dollar signs and cashed in. Maybe ring fair go?

We probably were, but its one of those things where the names always get muddled up so I thought I'd mention the trickle or wet/dry style "sump" as well. From what I hear having the media above water is far more efficient because of the oxygen/water ratio. The sump I posted a pic of will sit nicely under my tank, I guess it depends how tall you want the stand.

I guess it would depend on how the sump is set up, and as with most things there is a happy medium between toio fast and too slow. Having slower flow could be an advantage if the bio media is submerged and the water flows through baffles, but if its trickling over the media above the water then you would want more water flowing through it to keep the media wet.

Firstly, do you want it as a sump, or as a wet/dry trickle filter? If the latter, you don't want it set up as you'd have it for a reef tank, but as you would for a fish only with no live rock (minus the skimmer). This is how I have my sumps set up for fresh water tanks, its about the 100th time I've posted this pic here, but its far easier than trying to describe it. *doh, I can't actually post it any more because its too big apparently. Just click the link, and if you're on dial up don't worry, its a massive 42kb so won't take too long to load... http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k186/ ... /Sump2.jpg I use that as the sole filtration on my big tanks, no canisters etc. Navarre why do you say a slower turn over is better? :-?

Perhaps he was meaning cichlids not oscars? Still, there's no convention governing the use of common names so technically he's not wrong.

I think you're right about the acclimatisation thing, when I first started keeping fish I had the same problem but at the other end of the scale. My tetras and corys that I'd had for ages were thriving, but every new fish I added to the tank died. Took the water into the shop to get tested and it was off-the-chart yellow, pH under 5.0!

+1 I wasn't going to say anything, but I'd pick one of the wild caught oscars people have been showing off on MFK lately over that monstrosity any day. They could legally be imported too (wild or long finned) as they are still A. ocellatus...

Needs must, and supply and demand. Can't import them so we have to breed what we've got, regardless of how difficult. I bet you'd see the same with fish if they banned the importation of them.

I was reading a thread on this in the FNZAS Reptile forum just the other day! :lol:

Would a turtle survive an average Christchurch winter outdoors? Even if they did they wouldn't have a hope of breeding....

I hope you don't own a cat.......

Yeah, it really sounds great... :roll: http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forum ... p?t=230852

At the price juvi's have been going for lately I'd say anything under four figures would be a bargain given the protential to produce fry... At least they've gone to a good home, maybe by the time they're wide-spread enough for me to actually be able to afford them I'll be able to set up a tank for them.... :lol:

Would be better off just getting a paper run or a job at the local supermarket. Matto go to Bunnings and spend $20 on a power meter so you can show your dad just how much power the tank uses, a lot of people tend expect them to cost a bomb to run and are surprised at how little it is.

:roll:

If the fish grow to 20cm+ like the nics do, then yes. The sajica would probably be your best bet for that tank, IMO its too small even for the angels.

Its a bad idea because your tank is already too small for the fish you have. If you got rid of the pleco and replaced the nics with sajica it could work. I'd only recommend keeping male sajica though, they're as prolific and protective as convicts when it comes to breeding. They can be nasty but they might leave the angels alone, although in a small tank like that it may be best to pick one or the other.

*edited* 8) Bearded Dragon : 1. Water Dragon : Blue Tongue Skink : Any Turtle : Leopard Gecko : Other :