Caryl

Have you been able to breed any other double tails from these fish?

Why not ask someone with a mature tank if you can hang your filter off their tank for the time you are away? That will start the bacteria going. Or, get some used media from someone. Start the stocking low, to match the bacteria numbers, and you will be off to a good start.

Hopefully Living Art can sort it for you. If you think having kids does in the memory, wait until you have grandkids!

Contact someone from the club (see link at top of page) and see if someone near can offer you a ride. I think they have some Wainuiomartians attending. Clubs are a great way to meet others with the same interests, pick brains, and get free or cheap stuff

As said, good exercise. Also makes it look like live food swimming about Loved the tubifex cube rolling along like a tumbleweed

I had to look up the name as I know them a Cochu Blues and have not heard them called Blue Kings before. These fish like a densely planted tank with floating plants to diffuse the light. They are very active and are known to harass other fish especially when in smaller tanks but your tank is not small. I wonder if they are all just getting the new pecking order sorted out. As long as none are showing sign of injury, or stress, I would wait and see if they settle. A little re-arrangement of the decor may also help.

Not sure any fish are keen on eating those hard green spots of algae.

Just when you thought it safe to fill the tank again

Welcome. Africans make a great display.

There are smaller species of corys that would do well in there.

I have an overabundance of red rotala, some crypts and a bit of Anubias nana you can have for the cost of postage (which will be about $10.00)

I have always been told that surface area is more important. You can put more in a longer tank than a higher one with the same volume.

Sounds like the same thing that got one of my daughter's cats a few years ago :-(

Fry pic not showing for me. Great looking fish and not one I had heard of (which doesn't mean a lot). Every time I see your posts here I read "Maxine Kills"

I shall clear some out on Monday then. Your tank will not be empty for long!

Keep an eye on the Chinese algae eater. They used to be fine but I think they must have been crossed with piranhas over the years as they have become very aggressive (especially when they age) and will latch on to the sides of fish and suck rings on their scales, particularly more on flat bodied fishes like discus and angels. I always like the Ancistrus and the sharper gravel does not seem to wear their barbels down like it does the corys.

What size is your tank? I am sure I can fill it with the extra rotala I have here! (The fish had to get their machetes out!) Will also add crypts and Anubias nana. Want any Java moss?

Luckily they go well together

Very young. Condolences to Janey and the children.

Too many people out there have fish in unsuitable containers, especially goldfish. Comets should be sold for ponds only. Looking forward to photos as you get the community tank up and running. Do you know what you plan to stock it with yet?

Welcome. How small is the tank you are putting goldfish into? They really should not be housed in small containers. The price for everything has gone up hasn't it?

I can see an edit button for you, beside the quote button.

Planted tanks are not really difficult and do not need to be high tech. My own tank is chokka full of plant and only has basic gravel substrate and 4 x daylight fluorescent light tubes. No added fertiliser, apart from fish poo, and no other additives. We have quite a range of plants available. If you want red ones, you need a stronger light than green ones require. Easy starters are Java fern, rotala, Anubias, watersprite, bacopa (baby tears), cabomba and ambulia. All readily available from pet shops. Angels would look nice and I think the rams are compatible (someone who has kept both would be better to advise on this). Have a look at rainbowfishes. There are a few bright ones among that lot. Killifish are also bright but hard to get hold of these days.

Accessed it through the January newsletter link as never received the email (not in spam either). Well done to all involved, another interesting read. Congratulations to David Cooper too on his award.

Breeding fish isn't usually difficult. Raising the resulting fry to adulthood is the hard part. You need to define how much space you have for tanks, how hot and cold it gets over 12 months, what sized tanks you can build and whether you can afford the resulting equipment required to service them (insulation, heating, filtration etc). Once you have determined you can afford the ongoing costs, then you need to look at what sized tanks you will have, and how many, then decide what sort of fish you will try to breed.