Caryl

The Tasman Aquarium Club and Marlborough Aquarium Club will be having a combined meeting Friday 18th May, 7.30pm at the Pelorus Boating Club, Havelock. To get there (from Nelson end) as you come up the hill into Havelock, instead of turning to follow the main road past the shops, go straight ahead up Cook St (follow the big green "To Commercial Wharves" sign). You then go down the hill and turn right at the bottom. The Boat Club building is directly on the right with a carpark handily in front of it. From there we will go in groups up the road a bit to visit Paula O'Donnell's tanks. Anyone wanting her baby severums is welcome to take them home Supper will be served. There will be carpools being organised from both clubs so interested attendees please contact AMAZONIAN (Nelson end) or me (Blenheim end) to arrange rides.

Figured you'd know that one :lol: Want to ring the others and find out for me?

Some members from the Kapi-Mana Aquarium Club, plus Grant and I, will be visiting Christchurch to do a shop crawl. We go down Saturday 26th and will visit the shops Sunday/Monday. It is planned to have a BYO evening meal at Loopy's place, 57a Hoon Hay Rd on Sunday night so this would be a good chance to meet a few more people from The Fishroom and put faces to names. You do not have to be an FNZAS member to come along. Anyone wanting to join the shop crawl is welcome too. PM me for my mobile number and I will let you know when and where once we get there and get organised. Probably start from the Meadowpark Motorpark since that is where we will be staying. Feel free to come and visit us! PM for a mobile number so you can txt to check we are there first. We will have spare seats if someone wishes to come but has no transport (and assuming you don't live too far away). Can someone in ChCh please check the opening hours of the following shops?; Organism Feather N Fur Critter Kingdom (both shops)

I was about to suggest the torpedo barbs too 8)

Hard to tell without knowing how many fish there are. The FX5 will be filtering fine but how close to the surface is the spray bar? Is it agitating the surface at all? Eventually the oscar will need the whole tank pretty much to himself.

Welcome. Hope to see you at the meeting on Friday 18th

You would need at least a 6ft tank for silver sharks and even then a school would eventually need more room. Setting up with just plants would be good as it will give the plants time to establish good root systems. You will probably need to use fertiliser though since you won't have fish to provide it. You will still need to then add fish slowly to allow the tank to cycle as it will not do so with just plants in it. Many people like to keep planted tanks with no fish, especially overseas. More plants makes it easier to keep a well balanced tank but it doesn't necessarily need you clean the filter less, depending on the fish. As fish nibble, bits of leaves go up the filter so they need cleaning out regularly. Airstones look pretty and can provide a little extra oxygen by agitating the water surface, that is all. Not necessary. Consider some of the larger barbs or tetras for fast schooling fish. Bristlenose catfish look like plecs but don't grow nearly so large and don't uproot the landscape. Perhaps the "black wiggly eel looking jobbies" are a type of eel

They are freshwater fish so don't need salt.

Personally I am against the use of antibiotics and medicines as well. Since I have no idea if your "breeders secret" heard half a lifetime ago, has any relevance to breeders today so can't comment.

Then say "we want some blue ones or the red/orange ones with white squiggles" - easy :lol:

Why don't you just choose ones you like? Then it doesn't matter if they are a true type, cross or whatever 8)

It is illegal to do that and, as said, the dryer won't run. There is a much simpler way - and safer - but please consult an electrician.

Why should the pH be 6 - 6.5? Guppies aren't actually that fussed about pH but prefer 7.0 - 7.6 so 7.2 would be fine. Stop using pH Up stuff. pH swings will do more harm than a slightly too high or too low pH. How big is this newly set up tank? If you are unsure of the ornament then remove it and see if the fish improve but I doubt that is the problem. Your tank is still cycling and guppies are not the best fish to use for this. The aquarium will have cycled when the ammonia and nitrite are both 0 and nitrates have started to rise.

I agree. 8)

Male BNs have bristles up the middle of their heads. Females just have short ones around the mouth. Male Female

Don't forget the leopardfish

Oops, yes Ron. Edited now :oops:

Never fear wilson, PMs have been exchanged

I would put both in both. Carbon is NOT really necessary unless you are wanting to remove meds from the water. It is a personal decision though. I am a scrooge so I never use carbon 8)

Baby tears will grow too tall for a foreground plant.

That should be plenty. I would use filter wool and lots of ceramic noodles.

If the fish are happy I wouldn't try and alter the pH at all. If you really want to raise the 6.2 though then adding shell or bird grit is easiest and will stabilise it.

It wasn't the number of fish I was thinking of, it was the fact the bichir will eat anything under the size of a full grown congo and that is fairly large! As he grows, so will the size of fish he can eat

Yeah, check thoroughly that it isn't stuck somewhere but most likely the other fish have eaten it. A whole fish can disappear overnight.

I suspect planaria too. A result of overfeeding and/or poor maintenance. Harmless critters. Cut back on feeding and do a thorough gravel vac ought to fix it