David R

Why go to all the trouble of getting new species added when some of the cool fish already on the list aren't imported? Amphilophus [syn. Cichlasoma] festae, or the red terror is on the list but I've never seen them here. If you're interested in importing some cool new cichlids try convince someone with an import license/quarantine facility to bring in some from Jeff Rapps (www.tangledupincichlids.com). I'd be the first in line to buy some if you could!! Another possibility for something new thats already on the list would be a barred midas (Amphilophus citrinellus), also available from Rapps and legally allowed to be imported, but again I am yet to see them here. Crenicichla lacustris (Pike cichlid) is also on the list, but again not available here. You could probably fudge things a bit and import some young dovii as baby jags, or juvenile Uaru fernandezyepezi imported as U. amphiacanthoides etc if you're willing to take the gamble. [obviously myself of FNZAS would never condone or suggest such behavior, I'm merely pointing out that it would be possible given the similar look of junenile fish and the ignorance of certain authorities...)

:roll: Chemical or not, my point is still the same, and that is if he's worried about how established the bio filtration is then he should wait. It may seem cycled with the light load that is in there now, but if you add a hungry 8" aro and start feeding it high protein meaty foods 3 times a day will the bacteria keep up? The whole set up is still fairly new, so you want to gradually increase the bio load until you're confident the filtration can keep up. You could waste money on "products" (not chemicals...) to try to hurry the process up, but at the end of the day is it worth the risk when you're dealing with a $2k fish....

Heh, little fish are alright, my 14" ornate bichir does it and kicks up the gravel and sends the clown loaches flying! It kinda reminds me of someone running on a treadmill, like he's closing his eyes and pretending to swim thru the congo somewhere... :lol:

Just keep either males or females and it won't be too bad. The cons are more aggressive than the other fish you listed so keep an eye on it, it could go either way IMO, depends on the nature of the individuals.

Isn't that treating the symptom and not the cause? If you're really worried about it then don't pick the fish up. No chemical can make up for time when it comes to cycling/establishing a tank.

Hollywood have still got some.

Haha! My big one is never stable, always funny dark black/grey colours. I just wanna see how big it is compared to your monster aro, that thing is huge!!!

Depends where its going and what it weighs. Sometimes NZPost is cheaper if its rural delivery. Water weighs 1kg per 1L, so find three bags that are big enough, work out how much water you need to put in each one, add a bit for the box etc...

I'll check it out for you tomorrow.

The big dats not a problem, but the sevrum doesnt like him. :lol: Where's the pics already!!!

or give me back the palmas :lol:

What is it you need to know? Surely that thread must have taught you something. :-?

Gold saum = green terror = Aequidens rivulatus

So detergent isn't a chemical? Riiiiight... I'd tell them you want the clean for free or the fish replaced. Definitely don't pay the bill if you haven't yet.

:roll: :roll: :roll: I'm not so sure about them being fine with oscars, from what I've heard they lack some of the aggression of the normal JD. That one looks like it could be an arowana/bichir snack very soon if it doesn't grow fast. Maybe its just the photos...

If you're working in the CBD it might be a bit far out unless you're planning on catching the train. Commuting in Auckland sucks, especially from out west to the CBD. Not really sure about the area tho, probably ok.

Hollywood have (had?) some.

Hahaha I love these threads. Getting excited about the end of school about a month before the rest of us get holidays, then complaining about having to go back three weeks after most people are back at work. Just wait til you get out in the real world son... [/oldgeezer]

Need pics now!!! Slight distraction until the pics, my largest of teh three small dats was being a bully so I chucked him (around 3") in my 4' tank with my 10" dat to teach him a lesson and they get on fine. He got a bit of a shock when he realised he wasn't the boss of the tank any more tho...

I've used countless rubber bands to attach java fern and never had any problems. By the time the rubber band breaks down and falls off its usually attached.

How much for a tuatara? :lol:

Yes, it will work if you're trying to 'hand' feed them... or feed them your hand....

I imagine that would be for the chipboard flooring, and the amount of weight that the joists can support would be much higher. Having a stand with a flat base that evenly distributes the weight rather than putting it all on 4/6 feet is essential for big tanks on wooden floors.

I had a 5'x2'x2' on a similar era floor, chip board flooring with 6x2 supports, the tank was running in line with the beams and the stand was designed to spread the weight evenly, and the tank was on an exterior wall. Because there was plenty of room under the house I was able to regularly check for signs of stress, and as far as I could tell the floor was fine. The stand was made of pine 4x2, so I figured it should break before the floor does... :lol:

The stuff from the 100L tank is a drop in the bucket when going to a tank this size. You would have been better to run the FX5 on the already established tank for a few weeks to get it established before setting up the new tank. The water and gravel from the 100L will have kick-started the cycle, but it will still take a little while fore the media in the FX5 to be colonised by the bacteria. As for the bichirs, I wouldn't call them fin-nippers, just sometimes their eyes are bigger than their stomachs/mouths, once the silver dollars get a bit bigger they should be ok. Keep them, that tank will look great with a couple of big fat ornates on the bottom and an asian aro circling above!