Caryl

I seem to remember talk about MAF reviewing their allowable fishes list. As I understand it, if we can prove a particular fish not on their list has been kept or bred in NZ for more than 2 years (I think it was) they would consider adding it to their allowable list. Can't remember where I heard this discussion though! As for the FNZAS breeders Pegasus, one of the reasons we join the FNZAS is to improve our network of fishkeepers and to help the hobby in general. We pay for this in capitation fees (even if it is only a pathetic amount). They are not "a circle of our friends". I have never had any problems getting anyone to tell me how they bred a particular fish, although I have had problems getting them to write it down as an article!

Welcome Tris. If you look under the topic "Killies" you will find the following... Anyone with an interest in killies should feel free to contact me ([email protected]) at any time. Also, check out the NZKA web page at: http://nzka.killi.net Andrew knows all there is to know about killies and will be able to help you.

Oops. I stand corrected Rob :oops: Silly me. Of course they aren't livebearers.

The jaguar wasn't the goodest either

I think our jaguar cichlid was sold to us as a dovii.

Both are peaceful. Both are livebearers (good for the plants apparently) and both do not tend to eat their fry.

You could have leopards and white clouds!

We used to have a jaguar cichlid but she got real stroppy as she grew bigger (she was sold as something else and was supposed to be a lot smaller!) so had a 3ft tank to herself. We felt sorry for her as she looked lonely so we gave her to Redwood Aquatics (Christchurch) where she promptly mated with a male jaguar and destroyed their beautifully landscaped tank!

Leopardfish would look good and not require heating. These tanks are also called paludariums.

I never thought to ask Ira, until Andrew mentioned it, but you do have some driftwood in the tank don't you? Hardwood is a vital part of the bristlenose diet. They need it to digest stuff properly.

Are you sure you are not just getting too much sunlight? :lol:

The address is correct but he is not good at replying to emails.

I have another trusty book called Handbook of Fish Diseases put out by TFH. From what I have read, I don't think your fish has worms. If it did, they would be red or brown and hanging 5 - 10mm out of the anus. Little white worms 1mm or smaller doesn't sound like your description either. How long is the bit hanging out? Is it poo or a long slimey thread?

I have not bred them myself but my trusty book says they need a tank of 200 litre capacity with compact bunches of plants. It suggests a labyrinth of wavy nylon mesh (although leaving a free swimming area) to stop the parents eating most of the eggs (the eggs float for a time in open water before they find a firm object they can attach to). The fish breed in a shoal with a few more males than females. Water temp: 24C pH: 7.0 - 7.5 1 Tbs salt for every 50 litres of water. Good luck

Just a thought while on the topic of filters. It is a good idea to have a small canister filter tucked away in your main tank somewhere then, if you have to set up another tank in a hurry, (for whatever reason) you have a filter already up and running and full of beneficial bacteria ready to put in it.

I personally have never had trouble with under gravel filters. Especially if you have a good thickness of gravel on top ie. 5cm at least. Again, not so good with the bigger fishes. There is always the thought that if you plant well, stock lightly, and do regular water changes, you could get away with no filtration at all

I am sure any outlet could get Aquaclears as they are still available as far as I know. I have two of them lying around somewhere in two different sizes. They have worked well for years and were easy to clean. They work well but not with bigger fish, like goldfish, because the sponges clog up really fast (every couple of days). They can be awkward depending on your lid and the position of the tank. If you have fish that jump, they have a tendency to leap out the gap you have to leave for the filter to hang in, and the water to flow through. If I remember correctly, I got one of my Aquaclears from the pet shop in New Brighton (it was on special at a price we could not resist). Don't know if the shop is still there though.

since when have strawberries been blue?

...and do they wish to affiliate with the FNZAS?

This is quite possibly the cause of your fish's troubles Ira. If you are going to make caves from your rocks you must make sure they are on solid footing or, as you have found, the fish dig in the substrate and dislodge the rocks.

Hi Nico, Boy, between Nico and Ira I am starting to feel very sorry for the guppies Mind you, Grant and I are known as the guppy killers as they are one fish we have never managed to keep alive!

Glass tanks can have all sorts of different hoods on them. They can just have sheets of glass across the top, metal lids, plastic or wooden lids. You have to be careful with wood as it warps easily. Our 4ft tank has a large sheet of glass covering 3/4 of the top with a strip of glass about 2" wide siliconed along the front. This means we only have to lift the strip of glass to access the tank for feeding. (I must confess here that we currently have a 2" gap as the silicone gave way ages ago and before I got around to reattaching it, I broke the strip of glass ) On top of the glass lid I have a couple of fluorescent lights just sitting on top with reflectors. There is then a large wooden lid covering all. This is because my tank is built into a huge rimu wall unit covering the end wall of our lounge. It is floor to ceiling and 12ft wide. Have a look at my photo album (under FNZAS Clubs - conference photos) as there is a pic of me kneeling beside it somewhere there (under tank parade 2002 if I remember correctly). Some of our members make cheap lids using a sheet of glass and sitting a piece of guttering (you know, that Marley fancy stuff) on top. You can sit a small fluorescent under those and cap the ends, with a gap made for the power cord. They use those little fluorescents that look like 4 prongs folded over. These do not give off much heat. You can line the guttering with tinfoil to reflect the light more. The guttering can be picked up free if you sidle up to a builder on a job site as they often have small offcuts of the stuff. If you have a standard sized tank, lids can be bought from a retailer. Metal lids can be made by engineering firms.

FYI Bill, I have a book here called A Manual of Aquarium Plants by Shirley Aquatics Ltd. Monkspath, Shirley, Solihull, England. Copyrighted 21st Feb. 1964. It describes Aponogeton fenestralis as "a fabulous lace leaf plant from Madagascar". It lists 10 different Aponogetons but the Madagascariensis is not one of them so I think the chances of it being the same plant with a different name are quite high eh?

Get thee to the next Upper Hutt club meeting Ira Perhaps if you ask one of the members to go and have a look at your set-up they might see something that you have overlooked, or not realised was a contributing factor. At the least they can help make sure you have everything right before starting next time. This is what clubs are for. You said the centre of your plants were not getting enough light. Did you actually have any lighting on the tank itself or was it just natural daylight? I can't see any mention of lighting in the earlier posts. At least you should have a good idea now of what NOT to do next time. Good luck!

Killies don't appear in shops very often. I suppose this is because many are annuals so quite old by the time the importers manage to get them through quarantine! Contact Andrew in the NZKA. Aphyosemion scheeli would be good to start with. They are a very pretty fish. Killies would be good because you want something a little different and, as you say, they are not seen very often in shops but a number of them are not difficult to breed. You will also get a lot of advice from NZKA members.