Aquila

Heaps of people sell them (and other species) in Canada but I wouldn't recommend most chameleons as pets though. They are amazing creatures and all and I would love to have one, but really the majority of chameleons don't do well in captivity. I think that they generally just dislike people. Most don't like to be handled and don't like the limitation of their enclosure. They also tend to get weird diseases or just stay skinny now matter how much and what you feed them. The ones that seem to do best in captivity and often breed are Veiled Chameleons. Not sure if you are a reptile pro or just starting out, nor do i know if Veiled chameleons are available in NZ, but that would be my advise

I think getting it custom built will probably be the cheapest option...there is a guy somewhere in Welly that builds really nice tanks and stands. I forget his contact but I know it as several people on here have used him. Anyone? BUT I also know that is going to be a massive sale (like 50-60% off i think) at Animates Kaiwharawhara mid July (July 18th i think), many of their tanks come as a complete starter package so it may actually come out cheaper. Another option would be to check out the deals on TradeMe.

They are calling it 'The Day The Music Died'...

I can't figure out why your one tank has a much higher pH then the others, especially when it has nothing in it. But you could maybe add some peat moss in a mesh bag into your tank/filter canister and that will help bring it down.

I thought the same thing as well. Those snakes were in beautiful condition! I think the snakes came from southeast asia though...which makes it even worse because that is way closer and the animals could have easily been returned, at the importer's expense. They only fined him $3000...when each of those snakes apparently sells for $6-8000.

I am just about done my M.Sc. in Marine Bio at Vic (writing the discussion part of my thesis right now! Arg) I did my B.Sc. in Marine and Freshwater Biology in Canada where I'm from. Other then that I've started looking for jobs at Doc, MoF, NIWA, Te Papa, and so on...because being a Teaching Assistant at Vic just isn't cutting it! lol

I inherited one when I got my little tank, but I had to give him away when I got plants because he would b-line straight for the eel grass. I even put him in a breeding chamber temporarily as I looked for a good home and kept him fed on some lettuce and plant scraps that I didn't want....well one night he somehow muscled his way out of the chamber into the rest of my tank and over night, ate half of my one plant. He was cute otherwise though, always went to sleep in the same spot But yeah, luckily found him a home in a plantless tank! Milena

Good work on scoring all those neons! I bet they look really good. And nice one with the kuhlis too I got 2 on friday and they are so cute. They keep exploring the tank and digging their little heads into the sand. Milena

Sorry, I didn't think it was necessary to state the references as each can be visible by right-clicking the individual photo and selecting properties. But the images are from: www.scienceblogs.com https://ultimateaquariums-online.com http://aquahoo.com

Check these ideas out! I think they may have gone a little too far. Although I do like that coffee table...and the sink one would be easy to clean since you can siphon right into itself! But this one takes the cake. Ha! How do u clean the bottom ones?

Whetu: yeah i guess they are artificial...i'd be interesting to see how much live plants would take over if there was enough light! Imagine there was a huge school of neons or rummynose patrolling the tank! But yes, I would pity the person who has to clean that. Hope they have enough algae eaters. Diver: not sure where I got the photo, must have seen it on the internet one day and saved it to a folder. You can google it by typing office aquarium in images.

VERY nice!

Does anyone know if these malawi cichlids are available in New Zealand? They are one of my favourite fish. I used to have a couple, and would eventually want to get some more Latin name: Nimbochromis venustus

If you have to work in an office...it can't get much cooler then this!

Here it is! I know it is a small tank, but I DO love the sand. When I get a bigger one, I am definitely not going back to gravel I've got 2 kuhli loaches in there too...but goodluck to me for ever getting a photo of one! Caper: I ended up here because I came to do my Masters in Marine bio. Met a boy and decided to stay for a while Berton: Thanks for reminding me of that. The wood doesn't have to be from Island Bay, I'm sure there is plenty lying around elsewhere.

Well my tank is now sanded, planted and has some guppies! I've gone with the Silica sand from placemakers and it looks terrific My home home is back near Toronto. Had to sell my aquariums each trip home! Its quite sad! All I have left now is a large terrarium used for a beardie. I had it custom built, which I could bring it with me! Anyways, thanks for your help everyone! Milena

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uafmRtpK7T0&NR=1 this is a really inspirational video

Thank you all for your help! Aquatopia, that is a fantastic idea! I've never been to Placemakers so I had no idea to expect such lovely-sounding sand! The video was great, it was exactly what i wanted to see Jim R, its nice to hear that you've had such success with it. I hope to one day work my way up to Discus again Foxglove, thanks for the different locations. I might venture down to Owhiro bay for some larger black rocks...and thanks you for the helpful technique for cleaning new sand I'm excited!

Thanks darkfur Yeah, I was thinking 3-4 being to many as well. It really depends what size I can get them at. If they adults to begin with then I will only get a pair for the 30L tank, but if i can get my hands on some really young rams then I will go for 4 with the plans to move them to the bigger tank once I get it. Thanks for letting me know about about the Lyall bay sand. Maybe it isn't the best choice. I don't have a car at the moment, only a scooter, so i can't really make it out to Makara...but from what I remember I think it had a black pebble beach right? I will investigate the playground sand, but the stores may only stock really really big bags of it. Whatever sand I end up with, I will make sure it doesn't have iron in it, and then put it through a really extensive rinsing and sterilizing process. Do you think driftwood from Island Bay would be safe after boiling/baking? Tanks! Milena

Super! Thanks for your reply I think that most of the stuff I read on the internet was over-dramatizing it... I will see if Mitre 10 or Bunnings has nice playground sand...otherwise I'm headed down to Lyall Bay for some beach sand! Cheers, Milena

Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum! I've been living in NZ now for 3 years and the urge to own an aquarium again has come back! I owned several aquariums back home in Canada... a discus tank, a cichlid tank, and a mixed tank. So I guess I am fairly experienced in fish keeping...however these were all gravel tanks and I'm really keen on giving sand a go! I only have a little 30 L tank at the moment, but do plan to get a large tank by the end of the year. I want to create a sandy bottom, have a small piece of driftwood, some larger rocks to build caves and hiding spots and a few plants I can get my hands on. The plan at the moment is to get 3-4 small blue rams. If the 30 L sandy tank is a success then I will be doing the same thing in my big tank! Does anyone have experience with sand? I've been trying to research it online. Here is the stuff I learned about it so far: - sand apparently stays cleaner but requires more maintenance/water changes (which I will need for a 30 L tank anyway) - if sand particles are too fine and aren't stirred regularly it can lead to the buildup of harmful gases - sand can become too compact for some plants to root, but other thrive in it (seems to be a lot of mixed views about this) - you have to make sure your fish are compatible with sand (which rams apparently are) - sand quality is important. Silicous is best, with a slightly larger grain size. Can't use beach sand because of potentially harmful metals or pollutants and because I won't be able to get all the salt out...(this sounds a bit dodgy, I understand the presence of iron or other heavy metals....but I find it hard to believe you can't wash salt off sand grains...I mean people collect driftwood off beaches all the time and just boil/bake it) - can't use underground filter...canister is best I want my biological filtration to working as best as possible with little buildup of gunk in the sand. How exactly do I clean it? Will regular siphoning near the surface of the sand be sufficient? I hear that waste doesn't really penetrate into the sand so this is what people do, but what about the potentially fatal gas pockets? What aquatic plants in NZ do best in sand? That's all I can think of for now! Any input would be greatly appreciated Milena