Tigerhair

Martin Bear in mind if you have any rocks in your main tank that buffer your pH your quarantine tank may differ in this respect and pH shock can occur. Just trying to cover all angles

It depends what fish you have - if you have to treat the water in any way to achieve a certain PH or hardness then water from the tank would be more suitable - however, you need to make sure you are not taking water from a "sick" tank to put your fish in in order to get them better - you may be transferring parasites, etc over. However, you may do this anyway if your filter for the quarantine tank is running in the tank the sick fish came from. Obviously the ideal is to have more than one tank running - and put small extra sponge filters in them all so you can transfer these over to a quarantine tank - however, this is not possible generally!! And, of course, a minimum of 10 tanks is the required amount for all us fish keepers, isn't it!!! As was said, if it's simply a quarantine tank for new fish - water out of the existing tank - at least 50% (filled up with tap water) would be great - so they get used to your PH etc.

This may help http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/qt-tank.htm

The best way is to bash the fish over the head and make the death as quick as possible. I have discussed freezing as an option in the past, but now feel that it has been proven to be unnecessarily painful for the fish.

As they are man-made hybrids, they are not my choice of fish - there are way more beautiful natural species out there. However, that's just my opinion!

Hi I'm in the UK and this is the information on the site I help out with: http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/parrotci.htm I hope it helps

Caryl (I normally ignore men, on the quiet! Seems sensible!!! :lol:) No offence Bruce I think I have my heart set on either Nelson area or Marlborough area. I think the weather would suit me better there! I hear there are volcanos there too (are they just on North Island?)

Thanks Actually, I think things are changing over here - there have been two new mags in the last two years published - and still going. The best and original is Practical Fishkeeping - it's BRILLIANT. Might be able to send you a couple of copies, if you're interested sometime

What do you guys read over there?

It does help, Bruce, thanks Another option for me would be to import a small amount or buy from NZ suppliers and set up to breed myself.

Bruce Napier, Hawkes Bay - why are they better?

I have been looking at moving to NZ and one of my possible ideas has been to open an aquarists shop. However, I have been told it is expensive to import to NZ. I've looked into this and there is a huge list of fish you CAN import, but they have to stay in quarantine at the airport for 6 weeks (which I assume the importer has to pay for!). How does it work out there? Do you have breeders in the country or is most of the stock imported? I would be very interested in any information or ideas. Thanks

I'm thinking of moving to NZ (after the credit cards are paid of ) and am drawn to this area. Anyone else live there?

Thanks guys - pretty much the same except us UKers seem to monitor the Ite and Amm. We generally add a couple of hardy fish at the beginning, wait 4 - 6 weeks until the Ite and Amm are reading zero, then start stocking from there. We have had discussions about Cycle and it's usefulness - I'm not one for adding stuff to the tank either, just for the sake of it! The other way is to try and avoid a cycle altogether if you can run the filter in a tank that is already established - my fave because I have 4 tanks running currently. Thanks for the help and don't apologise for the humour, please I was a little worried that you guys call it something else and you thought I was mad. Well, I am!!!! :razz:

Um, no, sorry, I meant cycling a tank (that's what we call it) - after setting up a tank you go through "new tank syndrome" - the nitrogen cycle... I don't know what you guys call it out there Sorry to confuse you!

I've asked around and this is the response I got: "I don't think a porous but essentially hard substance like sintered glass would absorb any significant quantity of lime. Lime would push the pH up to more than 7.2 probably. A difference of 0.2 is almost too small to be measured by most aquarium kits - such a minor difference could be caused by lots of factors, such as the amount of aeration in the tank. It may be worth testing (if they haven't already) the pH of the water straight from the tap, and after standing overnight, to see if there is a difference - the release of dissolved gases could account for the difference." I hope it helps

Nope! Just interested really. There seems to be so many different ways of doing it here in the UK!

What is the recommended method of cycling in NZ?

Rob, Thanks! This is the other pair I have: Melanotaenia lacustris (Lake Katubu Rainbows) I need to do some research on them - they are soooo pretty. Thanks for the welcome too and all the other info

The photos are fantastic - thanks for that little insight!!! I particularly like what you keep at the end of your garden!!!

Ohh and I have two male red rainbows (Glossolepis incisus) and a banded rainbow (Melanotaenia trifasciata)!

How does she keep the betta - what tank/mates/water testing levels?

I love them! I have 5 Melanotaenia praecox (dwarf neon rainbows) 3 Bedotia geayi (Madagascan rainbows) and a pair of rainbows that I can't for the life of me remember their name!! It begins with L and it's not in my fish "atlas"!!! I'll find them! I have loads of other fish, but the raibows and my 5 clown loaches who are just full of character! Anyone else like 'bows?

Snails forage on left over food and graze on algae therefore a small colony should not be of concern. In fact, they are doing you a favour by eating excess food (and can be amusing to watch and even add to a more "natural" look in your aquarium!). Some species also help by burrowing through the substrate thus preventing compacting and dead spots and even to help dispose of dead fish. However, as with all living creatures, snails produce excreta and thus large colonies of snails can result in quickly deteriorating water quality. Some species do damage plants, and large numbers may look unsightly. There are various methods of removing them, either 'biologically', physically or chemically. If they are suited to the set-up, the best and most natural way is to add snail-eating fish. The best candidates are usually loaches. Clown loaches are one of the most popular snail eating fish, and usually do a good job. If your tank is not large enough for these (recommend 3ft minimum), the smaller Pakistan or Zebra loach may be more suitable. Certain catfish like 'Dorids' (talking catfish) or banjo catfish will also eat snails. Even if physical removal daily can never completely wipe them out, this is a good way of keeping the population down. "Baiting" often works - if you place a slice of cucumber or lettuce in the tank at night (weighted down so that it stays on the substrate), the snails will congregate on it and then you can just pull them out of the tank with the cucumber slice. One way to avoid the fish eating the slice is to stick it inside a clean bottle, or beneath an inverted plate. The use of any of the available chemical products is not generally recommended because anything that can kill a snail may also be harmful to your fish and plants. Adding chemicals to your tank is always a risky thing unless you know exactly what you are adding and exactly what the effects will be. Most of these snail-killing chemicals use high levels of copper. A result of this method is the massive die off of snails and the resulting decaying of their bodies. High ammonia levels are the most likely result of this method, so be sure to follow up the treatment with a partial water change. It may be wise to continue with at least 10% every other day for a week or more and make sure to check the filter often during this time - daily monitoring with an ammonia and nitrite test kit after such a treatment is also suggested. Clearly it would be best to physically remove as many snails as possible before treating with a chemical killer. I hope this helps (it was part of an article I wrote!)

If she's bloated, perhaps its internal parasites?? Just a guess though