Caryl

Looking good chrisMack! Love the look of the seachest but would be concerned about its height (or lack of height) for viewing. Did you build the chest yourself or convert an already made one? Good luck with the site and I hope others add their input. Nicely set out and easy on the eye. Keep up the good work.

Yes I did know they go dormant, Organism give you helpful care sheets when they sell you the plant. This was well beyond dormant though. Oh 'binata' I misread the writing, the N looks like a U.

Yes, it will have eaten it once it was dead but it would not have killed it in the first place.

Had to replace the Venus Fly Trap Andrew. Didn't notice when visiting boys force-fed sprayed flies to the last plant The other is a Sundew, Drosera biuata. A pretty plant I hadn't seen before.

Good luck with the tank Pauly and I for one would love to see you start a club in Tauranga - and affiliate to the FNZAS If I can be of any assistance don't hesitate to ask. I specialise in designing posters, leaflets etc. and am happy to print advertising posters and stuff for you if required.

You will find they are also called bubble curtains.

Well I am sure some of these people know more about glass thickness than I do as they make their own tanks but my list of recommended glass thicknesses says 120 x 45 x 30cm = 6mm 120 x 60 x 30 = 10mm Both my 120 tanks are made of 10mm glass and are also braced. Pegasus has made his own tanks for years so I am sure if he says 6mm is adequate then he will be correct.

That was us, British racing green MX5 with "Fix A PC" plates!! I wish you had introduced yourself! I vaguely remember someone was in Organism's but didn't take much notice and didn't realise you were also at Redwoods. I was the taller of the 2 in the MX5 (the other vertically challenged one was goldie, whose posts you may have read here also) with black jeans, black and grey striped top with black vest. My husband Grant was the bearded guy who was forced to drive goldie's car so she could get her MX5 thrill (since her husband sold hers). :lol: I loved the polypteruses and had not seen them before. Little was spent as, unlike some, I have self-control . I am also a scrooge. I bought a couple of carniverous plants at Organism and some vallis for another of our members. Didn't get any fish though I was tempted by several at Organisms and the polyteruses at Redwoods. Don't be shy next time and say hello!

Welcome ChrisMack. You certainly do have some interesting 'different' fish there. Nice to see more people keeping something a little out of the ordinary.

What do you call cheap? Check Trademe or Buy Sell and Exchange magazines. I got my last tank that size for $80 about 6 years ago - secondhand. Make sure the glass is all at least 10mm

Get a piece of card, or a book, about 12cm long. Wind some wool (dark colours are best I believe) round and round it about 20 times (depending on how big you want your mop), Get another piece of wool about 10cm long and thread this under the wound wool at one end and tie it in a knot so all the lengths are bound together. Cut the threads at the opposite end you tied them and there is your mop. Tie a piece of polystyrene above the mop to keep it floating. The wool will take a wee while to saturate with enough water to make it sink properly. Dunk it up and down a few times and squeeze it to get the air out of it. It will eventually hang down nice and fluffy ready for your fish to spawn in it.

Most plants will like your water as it is soft. Ambulia or cabomba look good at the back. Try a few mini chain swords along the front. Just make sure you leave a swimming space in the middle for the fish Java fern will grow in just about any condition and my favourite is Anubias nana.

The fish have settled boxa-girl. The fighter has a tank to himself and the 2 tigers are swimming about exploring their new home. The guppies and neons went to Deidre's last night so I am sure theyare happy too. Will write a letter to Colin in the Dunedin club and send it today. Have a good trip south and hopefully we will see you in here often. Hope the loach and plec travel well.

Welcome to the fishroom TCC. Have a look at Paul's site, it is full of information for the NZ aquatic plant lover. He also checks in here regularly to offer help and advice... http://paul.aaquaria.com The thing to remember is that different plants need to be planted differently to ensure their survival. Some need to be well buried in the substrate whereas others like to have the tops of their bulbs exposed. You also need to know the plant's general requirements. A lot of people think you can go buy any plant that takes your fancy, put it in the tank, and it will grow. Unfortunately, this is not so as plants have different pH and lighting requirements among other things. A little liquid fertiliser helps too. Getting the plants established and their roots holding the gravel can be helpful before adding fish. What size is the tank and what were you thinking of putting in it - plant and fish-wise?

Not only are fish relaxing but all that pink must add to the relaxing too! You are going to be one laid back lady! :lol: Nice tank mothertrout.

She is hoping some of you Dunedinites might be so kind as to donate a few fish to her when her tank is set up again. They have had to leave their fish behind and so have given them away hoping the Dunedin club may have a few to replace them with (at my suggestion as I told her how kind the Dunedin club members were, as are those of you who don't belong to the club) She has had to leave a few tiger barbs, neons, guppies and a male Siamese fighter.

I don't know about appropriate treatments but if it is just the sword, separate it and treat it in another container (float it in the main tank).

Hi boxa_girl, good to see you signed up I have the polystyrene box ready for you and will bring it around tonight and pick up the other fish. Have also got containers for some spare tank water to transport the loach and plec with water changes until you can get a tank set up again. I am sure they will survive the trip - just keep the dog out of the box! :lol:

Fins crossed Meggy! I am about to acquire a red male fighter as some people are moving and can't take the fishes. I know someone who wants one but hasn't anywhere to put him yet so I will fish-sit him until they are able to take him. No female for him though. Perhaps I ought to get one! I am not a fan of fighters particularly.

Banjos are found reasonably often. I wouldn't call them common but neither are they rare An interesting fish to look at.

Welcome Kuos. My husband and I are heading to ChCh next weekend as we are joining the Ashburton fish nuts for a shop crawl. Should be great fun!

Next time they start laying, keep a light on. Only needs to be a small one. Is there anything else in the tank with them? If it is just the 3 angels, hopefully the pair will protect their eggs from the third and then leave them alone themselves. I sometimes wonder whether having other fish in the tank keeps the pair so busy defending together that they are less likely to eat the eggs. Good luck!

Congratulations Ira!! No wonder you disappeared. Sue got dropped off the server and never came back then you stopped talking to me so I went to bed. Keep us updated on prgress. Did you note which fishes are the pair???

I have always found platys and guppies didn't like breeding traps and so kept them in well planted tanks so the fry had plenty of places to hide in the fine leaves and roots. Ambulia, cabomba and water wisteria are all good, as is Java moss. Sexing platys is easy. The males have a modified anal fin (the one under the belly) which is long and pointed (called a gonopodium by the way) while the anal fin on the female is rounded. Plus, the females will keep getting pregnant so will be rounder than the males most of the time. Ideally platys should be kept in a ratio of one male to 2 or 3 females or he will harass the lone female to death.

Hi Northland chic and welcome to the fishroom. I do not know much about firemouths but would assume you could keep them with other semi-aggressive cichlids of similar size, although my book suggests they like a species-only tank. It also says they are monogamous and aggressive. Pic can be shown here if they are on a web based site somewhere. You can also give a link to your web album if you have one. Yahoo is free but you can't post pics from there in here, you have to provide a link.