Pegasus

Thread Moved To Catfish Section Bill.

Hi Jzer, You found the right place... This is the "only" place to be Welcome to the NZ Fishroom.

Hi Juse, Welcome to the NZ Fishroom. Hope you find lots of interest here. Look forward to your posts Bill.

Hi MC, According to the ad, it says.. .. but you say it is Acrylic.. Not familiar with these ready made tanks.. but it looks pretty deep for a self repair job.

Now "that" is nice Gotta be the best low water setup I have seen for quite some time. Great work Klaymann... and choice pics Bob looked pretty cool too he he.

Good show Shae... looks terrific. Isn't it great to have pics of your progress step by step. Sure beats the old days Bill.

What "are" you saying Jude..? If you are referring to Lana Cocroft... she was on the Celebrity Treasure Island when she got crook.. and if I recall.. they had no fish tanks there As a footnote: Everyone should take care when dealing with tank water if..(and it would only effect certain people).. if.. they have any open wounds or sores that will be in contact with the tank water. Bill.

The correct thread is running here. http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/-vp91753.html#91753 This one now closed. Bill Mod.

Hi Deb, Welcome to the NZ Fishroom... glad you found us Seems like the South Islanders are giving us Northerners a run for their money these days, as more and more SI's are joining... Great stuff Good luck with the Goldies BTW.

Hi Deb, With only five fish in there, I would half fill a bucket with water from the tank, then net the fish and put them in.. then give all the glass sides a good going over to remove any algae etc.. then wait a while till everything settles... then remove around 50% of the water and see what it looks like. Clean as much of the substrate as you can without upsetting the gravel too much. If there is still lots of green water... then remove some more.. then top up with (hopefully) aged water, and slip the fish back in. Don't "thoroughly" clean the filter.. just give it a good squeeze and a rinse in tank water... should be sweet in you take your time Bill.

Same thread in the Beginners... No pics. What's the story Paul? Need to sort the thread out. Bill. Mod.

Hi Jobon, If the tank is "unfilled" at this point, you could try Toothpaste.. or Baking Soda sometimes works. Something a bit more severe would be Jif, or an ammonia based product, but make sure all traces are removed before you fill the tank.

Pump Noisy or Low Output.. Air pumps today are pretty reliable, and also fairly cheap, but there comes a time when the output begins to fail and we get a very low output, along with an annoying rattle or buzz. Below are a few tips to let you service the pump and get a little more life from it. First “Disconnect the power†before attempting any repairs. We will consider the “Double Diaphragm†type, but the Single Diaphragm models work just the same. Remove the rubber back of the pump to expose the inside. Here you will see the pump body unit, along with the rubber diaphragms and two arms with magnets attached. There is also a coil in there that is switching on an off at 50 cycles a second, (when plugged in).. and this causes the magnets on the pump arms to oscillate across the face of the coil, and as they do so, the diaphragms are pushed in and out at high speed. Don’t fiddle with the coil or any electronic controls that might be there, as they are non-serviceable parts and will need replacing if they fail. Reduced output from air pumps is caused by two main reasons. The first is a split or perished diaphragm, and the second is sticking or worn valves. Pumps that suddenly become noisy usually indicate a worn or torn diaphragm, or that the diaphragm has worked loose from its seating. On most pumps the pump body is designed to be removed as a complete unit, along with the diaphragms and magnetic arms. Look carefully at the assembly before removing anything, and if needed make a little sketch or how the assembly looks. There should be no need to apply any force in the removal or assembly, so take care and just take your time. Now remove the pump body as a unit. It is unlikely that the left and right diaphragm arms are different, but just in case, take note. Now carefully peel back the diaphragms from the pump body to expose the valve assembly. Lift the arms clear of the pump body and put to one side. The valve assemblies vary with different types of pumps, but they all basically work in the same way, and that is that a small rubber membrane sits over a hole in the pump body and is “lifted and pushed†(opens and closes).. at each stroke of the magnetic arms oscillate across the face of the coil. As the diaphragm forces air into the pump, one valve opens to allow the air to get “inâ€.. while the other valve “closes†to stop the stored air getting out. With the diaphragms and magnetic arms removed, check the diaphragms very carefully for any signs of cracking, rips, or perished areas that will lead to leaks. If these are damaged, then usually the stockist where you bought the pump will have replacements. Now look at the tiny valves. You will only be able to see only “one†of the valves fully, as the other is mounted between the two halves of the pump body. Gently ease the valve up and look at the seating for signs of dirt or other rubbish. Clean any staining or dirt off with warm water with a bit of washing up liquid in it, but ensure it is dry when finished. This is Important: Now put your finger on the top of the valve and push down firmly. The valve has a thin rubber stem… like the one you can see protruding out of the other valve hole.. and this pushing action ensures that the valve is fully seated correctly. Without splitting the two halves of the pump, there is not much you can do about the other valve, but this one does not often cause any problems apart from losing its seating.. so gently grip the thin stem that is protruding from the valve hole and “GENTLY†pull it out This will again ensure that this valve is seated correctly on its seat. Now do a “blow and suck†test on the pump by blowing and sucking on each side of the pump. Your mouth is acting as the diaphragm here, so you will need to get a good tight seal. You should be able to blow or suck one way .. but not the other. If you get this result, then the valves are fine. If you “do†get some leakage, then go over the above again. If they “still†won’t seal, then you may have to split the two halves of the pump body to get to the second valve. This is pretty straightforward, but just be careful not to rip the thin rubber gasket, and make sure it is fully airtight once assembled. Check this second valve as per the above making sure it is well pushed onto its seat. Test the diaphragms the same way by sucking on them to cause a vacuum.. as any leakage will soon be apparent. Ensure they are sitting correctly (fully) on the pump body when you assemble them. There is a small filter in the back of the pump. Remove this and make sure it is clean and clear. Re-assemble the pump and test. HTH.

Hi Oscar.. Welcome to the NZ Fishroom Heat rises.. so the lower you can get it without touching the gravel the better the heat distribution. Usually... horizontal across the middle back is a good place.

Fantastic job Shiuh. Goes to prove that you don't "really" need a lot of room. Those tanks look real neat... Did you make them or buy them..? What capacity are they.. ? (Litres) How do you go on for heat.. ? I can see only one or two heaters. Interesting filters you have as well. Do they all run into a central filter system..? Nice clear pics too.. Thanks for sharing

It's the "only" way to go... works every time and not a moment of stress for either the fish or the tank he he. BTW: If you smear a bit of Silicone over the tube and roll it in some dry gravel, it eventually becomes almost invisible in the tank.. but the BN's know it's there

Use a short length (300mm or so).. of 40mm plastic water pipe. Lay it down the front of the tank with one end "almost" touching the end glass. Wait till the fish investigates... then block the end of withh one hand and push the pipe against the side glass and raise it up. Works for big Cats.. Pleco's and stuff that get stuck in nets. Bill.

Chicky said: Don't be led into thinking that a UPS will run your tank/s... Not really sure how long it would keep a pump running.. but it certainly wouldn't keep the heaters running. I have one here sitting in the hall that is a 1.02kva .675kw 4.4A unit and it will only keep the computer running for around ten mins on a power cut. Also have a 3.5kva Genny sat in the barn, and that even goes on "groan mode" if a couple of tanks are hooked up to it. Newspaper and blankets are the best option, and the money you will save from the UPS... buy a couple of battery operated air pumps

Wonderful clear pics Ronnie... just amazing. Thanks for sharing Bill.

Hi there Brad, Welcome to the NZ Fishroom. Looks like you have some real nice tanks and fish there. Some pics would be nice if you get time. Talking of time.. there's a couple of hours or so difference over here, but I suppose you know that Look forward to your posts. Bill.

The thread was split from the one asking about the Identity of a fish in the Freshwater Section.. Don't know how.. but there seems to be posts "above" where I split the thread... which was on your post PR just above MV's. The topic diverted to Dwarf Cichlids.. so the thread was split. The other thread is here: http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/identi ... t8430.html Bill.

Topic was split here and continues under the title of "The Dwarf Cichlids" in the Cichlid Section. Bill. Mod. http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/the-dw ... t8440.html

Hi Nicky, Welcome to the NZ Fishroom. .. and then there were two... then three.. then four.. then... Sounds like an addiction coming on he he Look forward to your posts. Bill

Hi there Kiwibird, You certainly found the best place for all the fish info Great people here, with lots of useful info. A warm welcome to you, and we hope you enjoy your visits. Bill

Could also be frustration... At only 10cm deep it doesn't give the fish very long to preform what many call the "death roll" where the male wraps his body around the female to expel her eggs. No sooner would they have got together than he would have to release her.. so hence the frustration IMO. 10cm depth is a fine depth once the eggs are laid, or are on the point of hatching.. but not for the spawning set up. Bill.