David R

$1500 each seems to be about the going rate, if you can find them. Efforts are being made to breed them a bit more seriously and get them established, so I'm guessing that, like beardies, the price will come down in 4-5 years as more people get them and start breeding them. Maybe by the time you've finished school and got a job they'll be a bit more affordable.

Everything you need to know about Leopard Geckos is right here: Link 1 Link 2 Link 3 8)

With a permit perhaps... :roll:

With out better pics of the fish there's not much more we can say. The water sounds fine, you'll just have to watch them as they grow and see what they turn into. Don't breed them (well don't keep the fry anyway) unless you have a positive ID on them.

I'll tell you, but only if you promise to use more descriptive subject lines from now on.... :lol:

Keriboy if you're got surinamensis for sale you'd be better off making a post in the for sale section than dragging up old posts.

I presume the "beach sand" everyone is talking about is bought from a landscaping supplies place, given that its illegal to take it from the beach....... :lol:

Hollywood Fish Farm in Mt Roskill and Albany usually have them in stock.

Which will still buffer the pH... :roll: What are they made of if not shell? I've found they still buffer the pH...

Don't put it i the same tank as the chain loaches you're looking for? :-?

How long ago is that, and are they being bred here? This proves my point about why people should learn the latin names. How many hybrid mutts do we have floating around just being called "angel fish" because the people who bred them were too ignorant to identify them properly, or didn't even realise the name angel fish covers several different species...

Most river sand should be fine. Beach sand is usually made up of mostly crushed shell so it will buffer the pH. Silica sand is also another option, and there are 'grits' available from some fish shops, stone and water world etc.

Not all "surinamensis" are mouth brooders, thats part of the cause of the confusion. Not sure what the ones we get here are. I'd be incluned to say they're three different species, possibly even hybrids.

The top one has markings that could possibly resemble a very stressed geophagus, but to me the mouth looks wrong for an earth eater. Second one kinda looks like a baby jag or salvini? Third one could be a small midas/red devil, or baby severum, or even a yellow chromide (Etroplus maculatus)? None of them look particularly like earth eaters, and they all look a bit stressed. How recently have they been added to the tank? Is the water alright? Is there anything that could be bullying them? And what are they eating?

I'm sure it would be. GPS car alarms are commonplace now, and I remember seeing a news artice about landscapers putting GPS tracking devices in large yuccas installed in industrial areas that were constantly being pinched.

I said a lot, not all. Obviously some people are concerned about the long-term availability of reptiles in NZ, some are concerned/paranoid about theft (hadn't thought about that aspect Mark), and some just can't be bothered. Obviously if they're breeding the tortoises, not just keeping them, then they're not being selfish...

Good to see someone has that attitude. I'd love to own a tortoise one day, but it would seem that a lot of people who own them are selfish and aren't concerned with the long-term availability of them here.

The address of the pic needs to end in .jpg or .bmp Snapfish is terrible to use, go sign up for a photobucket account, then you can copy the correct URL complete with tags directly from your account to here.

Can't wait to see it, what I've seen already looks good!!

So what would the lifespan of a good set like the ones you had be? Maybe I shouldn't get some, will probably just encourage me to try to carry larger/more awkward tanks by myself... :lol:

After having Barrie come over and help me lift my 5' tank (big thanks!!!) with his josters, I decided they were so useful I might as well buy my own! Of course the first place you look is TradeMe and I found these. I know they're probably not as good as the ones the professionals use, but the price seems good, and they'd be handy to have for moving tanks around. So Barrie, or anyone else, any suggestions/opinions?? Where else sells them and what would you expect to pay for a half-decent set? (remembering that I'm not going to be using them daily, just for moving house, setting up new tanks etc). Thanks. ps. before anyone jumps on my nuts about TradeMe links here's a link to The Guidelines. "No links or references to Trademe, other Online Auction sites or Classified Adds to discuss an item for auction/sale (applies to expired listings and linked pictures); exception - if you are genuinely interested in buying the item and want to learn more about the use of the item and if it will be ok for your purpose." 8)

You could give us a few pics of the other tank Phil.... 8)

How long have they been in the tank? Do they have enough cover? Have you tried googling the names I gave you, surely you should be able to figure out what they are by looking at pics...

All the more reason to get them together!! Somebody must know someone who's auntys brother's old boss's best friends neighbour has one....

Then have one painted up like a lion following them... A friend of a friend at uni had an old van painted up just like the Mystery machine from Scooby Doo.