David R

Did you try searching?? viewtopic.php?f=13&t=44114&p=478353 :slfg: They were imported in 2010 with the other rare fish (festae, synos etc) that came in from Glaser in Germany (IIRC). I'm pretty sure Supasi bought the lot. He got a group when they first came in, then after the rest had sat at HFF for months without anyone else being interested he got the rest of them. Maybe it was their age and/or the LFS-tanks, but they looked pretty bland compared to some of the pics you see online. I haven't seen Supasi post for ages so no idea what happened to them. Must be about time for another shipment from Glaser I reckon, especially when they have captive bred Altums for sale.....

There was an article in Amazonas magazine about L27 being spawned in a tank in Asia. There was nothing exceptional about the fish or the set up, both were only around 12" IIRC and I think it was about a 4-5' tank. Hardest part is finding a compatible male and female of suitable size...

Zebs would certainly be the most expensive species. I think I might export my L190s to Australia and retire! :sml1: Well, maybe not retire, but I could put a bit of a dent in the mortgage at least.... I believe plecs like Panaque Spp. are expensive in Australia because they aren't being bred and can't be imported. And unfortunately the high price will make it very hard and unlikely for anyone to get a group of breeding-sized adults together to have a crack at it.

Ugliest Geo species ever, but still cool!! Sand is a must IMO. Watch with the gravel, if it's too big they won't bother, but if it is on the smaller size it could potentially be a choking hazard. You don't get to watch their interesting feeding behaviour without sand.

IMO knowing that it is coming, I'd clean out the canisters a day or two before hand to remove as much physical waste as possible. Changing some of the water in the canister as Hovmoller suggested is a good idea too, the last thing you want to happen is for the canister to turn in to an anaerobic environment and spew a heap of nasty water back into the tank.

No.

I've found them to be pretty belligerent as pairs, but placid when I had three males in the same tank (similar size to yours). Not sure if it was tank size or lack of breeding stress, but the bachelor boys grew faster and bigger than the one that got paired up, the biggest one topped out at just under 6".

Note that Florida only has a ban on a handful of species that would/could cause potential harm if established (such as lionfish, fw stingrays and piranha) despite there already being hundreds of popular aquarium species established in their waters. By contrast, the only ex-aquarium species established here are the mollies in the geothermally heated stream somewhere by Turangi (unless you include Koi as an aquarium species) yet we have far stricter restrictions than Florida governing our imports. Most of our wild populations of non-native fish have come from intentional releases for sport fishing, which is still encouraged and continued today...

Adult size: huge. Feeding: pellets are best. Drop eye: unavoidable. Loads of information on the internet, but take it with a grain of salt. People often quote 8'x3'x2' as the minimum tank size, but when you see a 30" fish in a tank that size you realise that it really is bare-bones minimum, and [much] bigger is always better. Watch this video of a couple of silvers (and a couple of blacks) making an 8'x3'x2.5' tank look tiny, if you can't provide a tank of this size or bigger then forget the arowana. http://youtu.be/UvwQTh0OTYI?list=UUsusx ... NflLsHYoig

Good design and great workmanship, but TBH (unless Aussie pine is a lot stronger than our stuff!) I'd feel a bit uneasy about it without that middle set of legs you mentioned in the first post.

Just one...

Pothos + pond matrix + moderate stocking, I guess, but probably mostly Pothos.

10-15% and 20-30% on alternating Wednesdays. Sometimes I'll skip the smaller one, especially over summer if the water tank [house supply] is getting low, still can't hit more than 10ppm nitrate...

The itself tank cost $15k to install, the consultants required to determine the location, shape, size, noise factor, feng shui, and any possible cultural conflicts it may cause with Iwi or the LGBTG communities took up the rest I imagine.

- Does your water contain chlorine? No. - Do you use a dechlorinator? No. - Do you know where your water comes from, if so do you know the average levels (eg residual chlorine) in your water supply? Rain water, stored in plastic tank, nothing but pure H2O (and a few Manuka leaves, dust, and pollen). - How old is your tank? ~18 months. - Does your use of dechlorinator change based on the "maturity" of the tank? No. When I was in Auckland... - Does your water contain chlorine? Yes - Do you use a dechlorinator? Yes, Seachem Prime. - Do you know where your water comes from, if so do you know the average levels (eg residual chlorine) in your water supply? Hunua Ranges I believe (and Waikato river possibly?) East Auckland tap water anyway. - How old is your tank? 3 years. - Does your use of dechlorinator change based on the "maturity" of the tank? No.

Looking good, is that six different fish in those pics? Any signs of them getting frisky yet?

Good point. Personally I'd still be happy with 12mm and no higher than 650mm, but you wouldn't want to skimp on the bracing! And make sure the stand is dead level, diagonally braced and very rigid...

http://www.theaquatools.com/building-your-aquarium 250x80x60 10mm glass gives a safety factor of 2.3, which isn't bad but not great either. 12mm would be over 3 which is much better. If it were me I'd go 650 total height and 12mm glass, water level somewhere around 620-630, safety factor closer to 3. Shouldn't be too big a difference in price based on my past experiences, depending on where you source glass.

What are the dimensions of the tank, footprint is every bit as important as volume for cichlids.

Not all that much as it was in a well insulated room with a bunch of other tanks. The 2000L has five 300W heaters, but doesn't lose much heat as I keep the room at 22C with a heat pump.

Also Pupuke on the shore...

If you have the right number/size filter socks and keep them cleaned regularly so they don't overflow, and have suitable turn over for the tank size, you should be able to have very clear water. 100 micron socks are finer than most other typical mechanical filtration options (wool, foam, etc) and have the advantage that they can't be bypassed unless they overflow. http://www.particlesolutionz.co.nz is wher you get them, you want the polypropolene needlefelt ones.

Simplest option would be an appropriately sized old aquarium, a couple of filter socks, submerged media like ceramic rings or pond matrix in laundry bags, and no baffles.

Oh man, dragging up the past! The good old days of Bjorn running the fishroom at Jansens [now Animates], it was pretty impressive back in the day...

Physically building it, or designing it? Have a look on monsterfishkeepers.com at the Setup&Filtration and DIY Filters forums, and UaruJoeys site DIY Fish Keepers also has a lot of good information. You'll need to work out what sort of media you want, what you'll use for mechanical filtration, flow rate/turn-over, drain size and configuration, etc etc. If you do the research, once you're familiar with the concepts involved you'll be able to design something that is suited to your set up and the fish you keep.