Aquila

Very diligent of you How big are they? Sorry for the previous post, decided it would better for me to make my own thread...

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing ... =266740222 Please please please give me your opinions as I was seriously thinking of buying it if someone in auckland could help me with shipping (payed by me of course...) . I don't really see much difference between a blue diamond, cobalt blue, or green ocean ...but I really like the way this little one's colours are developing already! I know I would have to feed it a lot and do daily water changes, but if its not stunted then I'm willing to do that!

Will definitely watch this space!!! lol Sorry to usurp, but what do you guys and gals think of this one? http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing ... =266740222 Please give me your opinions as I was seriously thinking of buying it if someone in auckland could help me with shipping (payed by me of course...) . I don't really know the difference between a blue diamond, cobalt blue, or green ocean for the most part..but I really like the way this little one's colours are developing already! I know I would have to feed it a lot and do daily water changes, but if its not stunted then I'm willing to do that!

Very lovely colours. Hopefully they will thrive in your care. He does have a less then perfect shape but he doesn't look too skinny and small for his eye so there is hope yet!

Especially in the hot summer sun. If you don't seal the air and moisture in then they will dry out. If its sealed, than the water, Co2 and O2 gasses don't have anywhere to go.

Bristlenose plecos would be fine for your size tank, just make sure you give them driftwood as its part of their diet. Hutt Pets in Meiling and Animates in Kaiwharawhara are probably the best options in Welly. A few others around though.

Plenty of air in there with them.

Glad everyone could help you so far Just make sure you don't just go to the petstore and buy everything they say you need. Don't go overboard on all the different water bottles either. As already mentioned, good starter kit is to get some Cycle (which jump starts your good bacteria), a water conditioner like AquaPlus, an Ammonia/Nitrite/Nitrate kit and a pH and water hardness kit (often these are combined in quick test strips). Also a gravel vac. Sometimes, there are cheaper alternatives...for example light tubes and substrate can be purchased from a stores like mitre 10 and Gardens to save lots of money! Use this money instead to invest in a good brand of heater..like a Jager, and a good external canister filter that has room for more then just a sponge (eg. at least a Fluvial 205 would be good for that sized tank I think)...it will make you life easier and less costly in the future Often you can find these at a discount on TradeMe. When choosing fish make sure you can meet their size and water requirements and that they are compatible with each other. Best to start of with some of the hardier species and to introduce the stock slowly to give the bacteria a chance to build up. Fishless cycling is complicated and I think its best to just let the tank sit for a week and then get up to 6 hardy fish to kick start the process. In a months time you can add some more. Cycling isn't all that hard or involved if you just let it happen naturally Give them a nice environment with shelter using rocks or driftwood. Plants are very good too but make sure your fish don't eat them or that they don't require really bright light. Don't get overwhelmed by all the knowledge out there and just keep it simple until you get a hang of it There are heaps of Qs and As on this forum so just use the search function or browse the articles! It's exciting isn't it! Goodluck!

If you have fine sand then sifting out the shells every few years wouldn't be a problem. I had a big hassle with little trumpet snail shells in a different tank a few years ago but i only have about 20 ramshorns in this one and their pop. has stayed the same since i got them. I have 2 algae eaters and a SAE and they don't always eat all the green algae that forms on the tops of leaves. They get fat and lazy and just wait for their spiralina tabs or cucumber. The SAE even hand feeds and spends most of his time hanging around where he knows i drop the food. He has been good at eating bba. I don't really tend to have much of an algae problem, but the snails have been good at getting those hard to reach nooks and crannies that the other fish miss. Maybe their population has stayed the same because the cories and SAE are good at finding all their eggs. But yes, it does help to get a snail loving fish if you ever have a problem.

http://www.ookingdom.com/metric/dim-to-capacity

Sounds like a good plan

Not sure...maybe their fecundity is just lower. Or maybe they are just more fussy about water parameters being just right before they really go for it!

Yes, they will eat everything :evil: ...then they will climb out of the tank looking for more food!

Red Ramshorn ones are safe and I think that Malaysian trumpet snails are safe too. Benefits, will eat algae and decaying leaves, trumpets will stir your substrate. Cons, trumpets get out of control and don't look that great in my opinion...also sometimes snails do eat some of the very delicate plant species.

I think you need to secure the glad wrap a bit better if you want the humidity to stay in....otherwise neat experiment!

You decide to get fish as a present instead of getting your hair and nails done...

Me neither! Isn't schist just a type of slate?

Haha True true. Also works for substrate in some cases...

Hi, I thought these vids were really good at showing how to properly introduce a number of different kinds of plants when you first bring them home! http://www.tropica.com/article.asp?type ... tic&id=883

Hey, came across this great site which summarizes which rocks to use and avoid in aquariums. http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?/to ... -aquarium/

Try looking at pictures here: http://www.tepapa.govt.nz/ResearchAtTeP ... rview.aspx If you still can't find it, you can try emailing the spider guy at TePapa. He really knows his stuff but may need a photo unfortunately. He was once terrified of spiders...now he is the curator..strange huh?

Lol...yeah. i meant that to be 'summer'.

If you ever see pictures of the mouth cancer people get from chewing it...you probably won't want to partake!

Lol! What colours are you getting ?!?! I think I'm decided on 2 checkerboards and 2 blue diamonds So excited that I'm re-aquascaping the tank!

Haha, no worries You should move to Welly....they'd be just fine over the summer!! :roll: Is the fridge too cold for them?