Caryl

The only thing you have to watch with beach sand is the amount of shell as it can raise the pH.

It could be swim bladder but maybe something else (I am not too familiar with fish diseases so can't be more specific sorry). How old is she do you know, and how many times has she produced? She may just be exhausted.

Great pics Fay.

He is in the last Year Book under Kapi-Mana. I am at work or I would have given you the information immediately

It doesn't matter. In smaller tanks mine sits on the bottom as that is the only place for it to go! As long as it is creating a good flow of water throughout the tank it will be fine.

The job has recently been taken over by a new person so hopefully things will be sorted soon. Our previous volunteer found he was too busy to do the job satisfactorily.

If you mean an internal canister, I always put mine so the water flow is just far enough below the water surface to ripple the surface without making a noise.

No Jude but he was growled at when someone mistook a serious one liner for one of his smart ones and it got deleted.

There is a great article and pics re breeding bettas coming up in the August Aquarium World magazine

Do you know any joiners who could make a stand for you? Then go to a glazier for the tank. Much cheaper. I don't live in Auckland so can't comment on where to get tanks but have you looked in Trademe?

I think a single betta would look nice in there. I also meant the $2 shop for silk plants, yes.

Check out the $2 shop

Nothing wrong with your temp as those fish will tolerate anything between 25 - 28C. Most people have their tanks at 25 - 26C but mine sit at 22 -24C and I mind my fishes quite happy. Are your 'plecs' actually plecostomus (Hypostomus plecostomus), or the red sailfin plec (Petrygoplichthys gibbiceps) or actually bristlenoses (Ancistrus)? There is a big difference in adult sizing in those species. Bristlenoses only grow to about 8 - 10cm, the red sailfin to around 30 - 40cm and the common plec will grow over 60cm. Plecs continually graze off algae on plants and rocks and a new tank will not have any for them to eat, hence then preferring a more mature set-up. They will cope with the pellets I am sure. If you have a problem with water conditions I would expect it to show first in the clowns as they are very sensitive to water conditions. If the fish are still acting normally and feeding well, I would not worry about their colouration too much at this point. Plecs are nocturnal so will be more active at night. Besides, as fish go, they don't move much anyway

There was an item in the news or somewhere where studies have shown fish can remember things up to 18 months, not the few seconds previously claimed.

They will be very fat and you should be able to see the eyes of the fry through the belly. Her vent should alsdo be dark. The males may be chasing her more than normal as well but it is hard to tell with guppies :lol:

Have you asked in the trade section? An interesting fish aren't they? I am trying to remember where I saw one a while ago - Wet Pets in Palmy I think.

Plecs and clowns are not fish I would add to a new tank as they prefer a well matured one with plenty to graze on. Keep a close eye on the clowns as they are very prone to whitespot. If they are OK, I would suggest the neon was a one-off sickie. Plecs sometimes change colour according to mood and substrate colour. They go pale on a pale substrate and darken up on a dark one.

You are right Blutom, they are Africans and should be in an African set-up, not suitable for a community tank. Inlet pipe should be as close to the bottom as possible with the outlet at the top to create flow. Heaterstat should be almost horizontal and as low as possible as heat rises so it is most efficient like that.

Congratulations on the new house. 8) Put a post in the saltwater section as there is a lot of knowledge in there and many of them do not read the other freshwater forums.

I hope you have warned them how big they grow and make sure they go to a good home.

What else was in the tank they were caught from? I agree with you re the plant too suphew. Commonly sold as an aquatic.

and yes it is available in NZ by the way

Very difficult to rehome as they get so big only places like the Napier Aquarium and Kelly Tarltons have tanks big enough. A guy in Dunedin recently tried to get his rehomed as it had outgrown its 8ft x 2ft tank. It could barely turn around in it and was still growing. They grow up to 3ft and are very deep bodied. One site says that even a 500 gallon (Imperial) tank is too small for an adult pacu. That is around 2273Lt I think so your 360Lt may be a tad small

I have always liked the scats and monos but have not kept them myself. Note to self: YOU DO NOT NEED ANOTHER TANK!

Never heard of almond leaves being used for anything! Anyone else know more about them, or have used them?