Caryl

If there is anyone on these forums who knew Grant, his funeral will be livestreamed Saturday afternoon; https://sowmans.co.nz/upcoming-funerals/

Good ideas here - https://forums.loaches.com/viewtopic.php?t=24836 Raise the water temp and do a good vacuum too.

Good luck!

https://redwoodaquatics.co.nz/product/hikari-tropical-massivore-delite/ https://www.u-buy.co.nz/product/1FVWD9Q-hikari-usa-inc-ahk22036-massivore-delite-13-4-ounce?srsltid=AfmBOopGt0tVoh8YPnBCIDtqU2Q5ZeTCTpPMm8fvbamF5Va6916IYv2Q

Have a read here as it answers some of your questions Henward knows his stuff!

This has been asked in the past so here's the thread from 2009 to give you some ideas.

The forum runs but with few people making use of it as they prefer instant answers from random unknowns on the internet! (old lady opinion 😉 ) Stella has 3 books published - Freshwater Fishes of NZ (available from Fishpond, Mighty Ape, The Nile NZ) and 2 versions of The NZ Native Freshwater Aquarium (Mighty Ape, Trade Me, The Nile NZ) and now lives in the South Island.

What other fish are in the aquarium? I have never seen a colour split like that but had a look and found someone who had a similar problem and it was suggested it was the result of damage to the chromaophores (colour cells) and could be the result of physical injury or infection. I'm wondering if you have a fish that is getting nasty and attacking others, causing the lump and colour change.

We have old fluorescents on our tank for lighting. It is very noticeable how much brighter it is when we replace the tubes! We used to have a steady supply as it was my husband's job to replace all the light tubes in his work buildings every 2 years so we had an endless supply but he has now retired and we threw out a lot of the tubes a few years ago.

If you don't want them loose in the main tank then remove them to a separate tank, don't keep them in a net. You will need to do daily water changes too. Make sure they have some driftwood plus suitable food (zucchini, peas). I have never separated my ancistrus fry as dad looks after them very well.

Hiding places and shade are the most important. Cold, clean, well oxygenated water is more important for the native fish than goldfish. Research different options for aerating ponds to help mitigate issues with heat and lower dissolved oxygen over summer.

I gather the process isn't difficult as you peel the old seal off, thoroughly clean the glass, then re-seal but ours is large, very heavy, and would have to be lifted out of its position as it is built into a large wall unit. Here's a pic of it. Water level is low in case of quakes 😉

I suspect many started the same way 🙂 My dad stripped an old freezer and buried it in the garden to make our first fish pond, when I was about 12, after feeling sorry for the ones in the bowl. He went on to build a larger, kidney shaped one. I have a photo of my friend and I swimming (more like wallowing) in it when I was 16 (no I am not posting it here!) I married at 18 and after a couple of years talked my husband into helping me set up our first tropical tank - we then killed all the fish thanks to incorrect information from the garden centre who sold us the gear (no internet in those days and no local pet shop!). It took a couple of years and many mistakes before we got the hang of it, thanks to helping set up a local fish club then joining the FNZAS. At the height of our interest, we had 18 aquariums around the house, as our 2 kids had their own tanks in their rooms, and you can find the progress of our pond build (2006 I think) in the cold water section here. As we are both now retired, we are down to one tropical 4ft tank which has been running since 2000 - 2002. We are considering dismantling it though as we are finding the maintenance harder to do these days and the tank is well overdue to be re-sealed. Every time there is an earthquake I fear the seals will give way! Our pond, which we enjoyed for about 18 years, was recently filled in to make way for an access ramp for my now disabled husband. Good luck with your new set-up.

I've not heard of them (which doesn't mean much) but I note they have a Facebook page. If you have a FB account, you could try messaging them through there. They appear to be based in Hawkes Bay.

I spoke to someone who lives in ChCh and used to breed these. If you still need help by the end of the week, let me know and I will contact her again but she is at a conference this week so unable to help until she gets home.