Caryl

There's lots of small and colourful barbs, plus rummy nose tetras and harlequins. The Rasbora hengeli is gorgeous.

Looking good but if I may make a comment... does the paler bit of driftwood have to be there? To me it looks out of place as though it was an afterthought and detracts from the rest as it catches the eye. Might be just the reflection from the camera flash of course. Is that Japanese rush you have at the right hand end? If so, it looks like it is planted a little too deeply (might just be the camera angle though). It is also not a true aquatic plant so won't survive I love the driftwood at the left. Did you find it somewhere on a beach or river bank or is it not real?

Welcome dcase. You will find plenty of help here. The first thing you need to learn is about the aquarium cycle. There is good information here; http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/cycling.htm Your tank is not big enough for sharks or clowns by the way. The danios are a good fish to start with and cope with the cycling well. I think I saw the backgrounds you referred to at Redwood Aquatics.

I have never yet had a piece of driftwood that leached tannins. Just lucky I guess 8)

The subject heading says it all gatito :lol:

I can bring a poly box for you when I come down on Saturday if you like Milet. I have spares as my boss gives me all the flu vaccine boxes

Very nice nemines 8)

I bred rosy barbs outside in a pond. They are smaller than golden barbs and they never got liquifry or BBS. I didn't actually feed them outside mind you, they existed on whatever greeblies had grown in the pond over summer

Golden barb fry are quite large. They ought to be able to eat finely crushed flake food from the start but newly hatched brine shrimp is good for them too.

Come along to the next Tasman Aquarium Club meeting Dan for lots of helpful advice http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/tasman ... 22558.html

I knew there was a name for them Ira but I went blank! :lol: Had a blonde moment (thanks to the hairdresser, who touched up the silver today)

Send a PM to AMAZONIAN in here as he is president of the Tasman Aquarium Club. You will find posts from him in the club section advertising the date and place of the next meeting. Come and join us!

I am in ChCh this weekend navarre if you want someone to come photograph the fish for you. If you do, send me a PM with your address and a contact number so I can arrange a time.

Many people use the reddy/orange drainage pipes for caves for large plecs etc.

I was told that willow is toxic but not sure how this can be when most riverbanks have willows growing there :-? Look for native hard woods like rata and rimu. These are excellent. Mostly found up rivers or on the beach by river mouths, especially on the West Coast. Make sure the wood you pick is not rotting.

I have a mature tank (heavily planted, well filtered and understocked) and all adult fish which get fed once or twice a week so I can go away for a week or 2 without having to worry about getting someone in to feed them

Posting live animals like that, with insufficient protection is probably illegal. Complain to TradeMe itself as it is totally unacceptable whether he/she finally gives you a refund or not. :evil:

Usually little bits and often are recommended but it can also depend on what sort of fish you have, what size, and whether there are fry in the tank. Generally most feed once or twice a day with the occasional food free day.

It was me who suggested the pill containers but if it is a mature tank with plenty of plants and not overstocked, I would not feed the fish at all for the week (assuming they are not large cichlids or small fry) and put the lights on timers.

AGM all ready? Hope to be there with a new Marlborough member too!

I think we bought the chiller off Trademe. It is a big green thing with holes to attach hoses in and out, not designed to go under water in a sump. It was about $300 from memory :roll:

I discovered that (about the freshwater) later. My critters weren't able to walk on water or float Dead Sea style anyway :lol: Lots of them were reproducing though and I had the tank for a couple of years. It was the constant high temps that made us give it up. I have since bought a chiller but not got around to setting up a rockpool again. Might do so next summer when it is warmer to go collecting.

Err the photos will differ slightly I assume?

The only problem I had with mine was keeping it cool enough in summer. Above 15C and a lot of stuff dies. They can take high temps for short periods ony. I never did water changes, just topped up with sea water occasionally as water level dropped due to evaporation.

They need length to swim in so nothing shorter than 45cm (says she who has never bred them) Ask billaney, he is good at it. Once they have eaten the egg sac they eat newly hatched brine shrimp I think