David R

I've sent an email to the breeder we got our beardy off as he'll probably be interested, I might try to come along...

Sounds like when I got my little palmas. I dropped in what I though was a small enough piece of beef heart and he grabbed it straight away, couldn't swallow it and wouldn't spit it out, so he swam around with it in his mouth for about an hour until I netted him and removed it!! They're cool fish, addictive even!

Tequila is made from Agave tequilana, which AFAIK isn't available in New Zealand. I like seafood, and will happily eat fish and chips sitting on the couch in the lounge watching my tank!

Not sure why you've posted these questions in the Reptiles forum, but I'm sure someone will move them for you! IMO you'd be better off with a bunch of freindly fish-geeks than some random house-moving guys that haven't got a clue about fish. Here's how I moved my 4' tank about six months ago. * Turn everything off. Undo plumbing for sump, remove heaters etc. Get tank ready to be moved. * Remove all driftwood and rocks. Use hose to syphon the sand into a bucket. * Fill large plastic bins for the [big] fish. Drain the tank to half, keeping the water in plastic buckets (with lids). * Catch fish. * Fill as many buckets as possible (took about 70% of the water) * Chuck it all in the back of the truck, drive across town. * Set tank up, add all the old water and substrate. * Add fish and give them a minute or two to calm down. * Top up with tap water, adding stress coat and salt to help with any wounds. Try to keep at least 50% of the water, but if you don't its not critical, just keep an eye on things as you might get a mini cycle.

I've got a cheap rug under my tank, but I'm not sure how much it'll protect the carpet. There's not much you can do short of pulling the carpet up where the tank is going, best option is to not spill any water... :lol:

Mystic how big are the uaru? Any signs of breeding yet?

IMO if they're happy and healthy then you don't need to do anything else. Just make sure when adding new fish that they are gradually acclimatised if they come from a higher pH.

If its who I suspect it is, I was talking to the breeder and he said the stores seem to think that because the calcium powder they're using has vitamin D in it they don't need a UV tube. :roll: They were also selling tiny little terrariums with them as a 'package deal'....

I did!! IMHO as long as its not one extreme or another then most fish will adapt to a wide range of pH. I put a piece of wood in my first community tank and wondered why all my old fish were fine, but the new ones I bought usually died. I got the pH tested and it was off-the-chart yellow, probably somewhere around mid 5's!! I had tetras and cories thriving, as well as an electric yellow and a firemouth!....

Acarichthys heckelii Really nice looking fish [all of them!] and some pretty interesting mixes too. Angels with fronts!! Who said they need different water!!

Whats the pH in there? Most commercially bred fish are fairly tolerant of higher/lower pH, keeping it stable is more important.

Just wait until you have a leak or a big spill, its only a matter of time. Paint costs ~$20 + a brush for some cheap undercoat, thats a lot cheaper than having to make a new stand when our filter leaks... I'd be a bit concerned about the unsupported front edge too, especially if it were to get wet.

I wouldn't count on it, I know there was at least 8-10 imported a few years ago. I know of one that has died, but I'm sure there's more somewhere. They're on the list so someone needs to start importing them!! [HaNs!!]

Rainbows

Is that onepiece or two in the second shot?? Del is beautiful, sell him to Duncan7 so I can steal it off him!! :lol:

Is my photography that bad... :lol: It looks really grainy after being edited in picasa (too cheap for photoshop!), and the red looks artificial, in real life the fin is much more orange and the red around his head doesnt look like its been added on with MSPaint!

Why not look out for an American Tiger, Datnioides polota. They max out at around 12", grow even more slowly than en ST/IT, and don't seem to go unstable.

Here's a few [pretty lousy] pics of my current lot: Two large urau The three smaller ones didn't want to pose for a pic! Gymnogeophagus balzani Acarichthys heckelii Red head sevrum GF's pink con My old pink con 3 past uaru

If you're starting out with a 1"er from the LFS then you'll probably be right, as long as its well filtered and you keep up the water changes. You might get faster growth in a bigger tank, but from 1" you'd be lucky to get it past 6-7" in two years I reckon.

My largest is around 10" now, and in a 4'x20"x20", had it for a bit over 3 years now, and its been in the 4' for the past 2.5 years. I don't think he's that pleased about it, and I bet he'll cheer up a bit once in the 5'. Minimum would be 5'x2'x2' for life IMO. I'd say 12 months max in that 3' tank, then into a 4'x18"x18" or bigger.

Why? IIRC the instructions specifically state not to have them in a vertical position, the heat won't disperse as evenly, and it will rise up the heater and give the thermostat an inaccurate reading.

You're joking right? Or are you only talking about short term?

Peel them, especially for younger fish. What are the other dimensions of the 3' tank? They aren't fast growers, so it could be fine for 1-2 years. A bigger tank might make them grow faster from what I've found, both my small ones went thru a growth spurt when moved from a 200L 3' to a 300L 4'.

How many del's have you got Hans? Or are you going to cross them with the palmas?! :lol:

I think you'd better auction the del... :lol: