Pegasus

. With tropical fish this very rarely happens You have five months, which should be more than adequate to get them up to selling size if you do things right.

.. We all have our own ways Alan, but it "does" save a bit of head scratching when things start going wrong, especially for someone new to the hobby, as things can get pretty confusing at times .

Money, Money, Money... Is that all you think about...? If you are in this hobby to get rich, then you are in the wrong one. Think of the exciting experience that is happening in your tank, and enjoy it without thinking cash returns. If we break even and help to pay for a bit of food and power, then most of us are very happy BTW: This article has attracted a lot of interest, and has even been translated into Hungarian.. among other languages see here http://edak.cellkabel.hu In the meantime, this should help you out. http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/viewtopic.php?t=929

Hi Scott, and welcome to the Fishroom. See you have already met the gang in the chat room Thing about starting up is to do things slowly... a bit at a time, and curb your desire to add more fish than needed at the start. Start keeping notes about all you do.. prices, additions.. water changes.. anything you add to the tank etc. This way you have some record to refer to if things get out of hand. You'll have happy times, and sad times (when things go wrong).. but stick with it, because it takes time to get things to a point where you can finally relax All the best,

Hi Ash, Welcome to the forums... jump right in and get yer feet wet

Kissing Gouramies.... Albino Cory's... Blind Cave Fish... and most Albino species.

Hi Annie, Welcome to the bottom of the world Hope you enjoy your visits. WE're only a small country, but have heaps of keen aquarists here.

You can buy bags of oyster grit from the super market or from a caged bird supplies shop. Just add a small amount (handful) in a nylon stocking bag or something and alow the water to filter over it. This will change the pH gradually... and more importantly... it will do it slowly. Change the grit once a week.

Hi Donna... Welcome to the fishroom. You're heading the right way... do lottsa research before you take the plunge

Welcome Helen... hope you find lottsa interest here

Hi Nick... Welcome to the forums There are not many meds that you can 'safely' use with your range of fish, and it sounds to me like the after effects of the meds that are your prob. Your tank (despite your readings) may not be fully cycled, plus if you left the filters in while using the meds, the chances are that any benificial bacteria wil be long gone by now. More regular water changes should help, plus a good diet (perhaps live food if you can get it) as this could perk their interest up. Clowns seem to take some time to become accustomed to their tank and surroundings, and as above... can get the old WS at the drop of a net. The WS can also run the fish down to a great extent, and if they survive they often take some time to recover. What temp are you running at...?

Hi Cal, This has been posted many times Here is the info. http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/viewto ... sting+pics Try the "search" feature if you want more info on posting

More of Alan's humour.. Wool is ok for the amount of time it is in your tank. Just make sure it is clean, and if you are concerned about dyes, then just boil it and rinse well in clean water to check there is no dye being released... although most dyes used are fixed types. Another method is to use webbing as used for back packs and horse gear straps. Cut the end off squarley and tease the weft strand out that is going "across" the strap. Pull it gently.. (if it doesn't work.. try the other end).. and you will see hundreds of fine fibre strands starting to unravel. Leave the last few centimetres intact to keep the thing together. It can be cleaned as above, and used either floating or anchored to the bottom and will last a lifetime.

I get it guys... :) I wasn't in the chat that night. We have four grandsons and they certainly keep their old grandad (64) on his toes Great pic Sarah.. once again congrats

We live up in the sticks and have shipped lots of fish by just using the normal Courier Post at the post shop. Cost was around $18:00 to $20:00 for just about anywhere in the North Island, and we included a five dollar heat pack ... AND a large styrene box at that price :)

Congrats Sarah... makes you feel old doesn't it :) You'll possibly find that the mods will move this to the correct area.. but no probs.

GREAT stuff Bilbo.... Get some pics real quick

Oh for Broadband Wonderful pics guys, and really nice to put some faces to some names. Just having a smile at what that lot would have cost to develop at the local photo shop Great job Caryl... must have taken you ages to put all those up. Thanks for sharing

Amazing amount of info here Cal, hope you enjoy your visits, and a warm (wet) welcome to you

Brilliant answer Ira... :) Many years ago back in the UK we used to stock our local lakes with fish from other lakes, many which were tens of miles apart. We would wrap them in a soaking wet towel then place in a plastic bag and go like hell on the motorbikes to the next lake. Not every fish survived the ordeal, but most did, and we always had fish in our local fishing possie.

Hi Beeko, Welcome to the forum. You have to think 'future'.. when thinking of fish, in other words, not the size they are now, but what size they will be a few months down the track. Usually tank stock limits can be worked out by using the adult size in preference to the shop bought size. Overstocking can stunt growth, plus cause major probs.

Not a 'bad' article, but it hardly relates to the 'average' fishkeeper... .. who would have (hopefully) more sense than to stock a tank 5/10 times its rating. Then they say.. BAD MANAGEMENT here... ANY filter should not be switched off for prolonged periods. .. As stated earlier.. Exactly as mentioned above. Ira said: Obviously these people have probs. Get them to join up here

I certainly 'did' read your original post... ... along with.... ... which is the reason I answered.. along with Ira's statement.. .. Don't wanna go there... we have enough probs The point is that people ask a question in the hope of getting an answer, which the poster never got BTW. Saying the things above would give any user the impression that UGF's are pointless, as they "clog up".. or "Create probs under the plates".. and will need to be 'cleaned out' after 6/12 months... which is incorrect. On most modern UGF's you can get a standard hose down the uplift. Cut the finger from a rubber glove and cut a small hole at the tip. Slip it onto the hose through the small hole, then onto the UGF uplift so that a seal is created. Start a siphon going... If the crap is of concern.. (it will do no harm)... then remove it this way. Where do you get these facts...? Two points... Provided there is a decent flow of water flowing through the gravel and coming out of the riser pipes, then the system is working. Second point.. The only ways you could 'diminish' the flow of useable oxygen through the gravel is by either switching the UGF off.. (should never be done for extended periods on any filter).. or by pollution... ie:.. overfeeding.... high levels of waste through overstocking or dead plant matter on the substrate... or by killing the bacteria off by some other means... medications etc.. All common sense really, and something that can be avoided.

What an utter load of rubbish. The old old argument about UGF's. Look... They were designed over fifty years ago, and the design has changed little over the past 40 years to my knowledge, apart from adding these stupid tiny carbon boxes on the outputs that are just something else to charge for... but do nothing after the first week. Did they get it wrong..?? Are they being recalled...? Are these 90% a fiction of your imagination...? (yes) Why do most Shops use them... Zoos... Marine fish keepers... and MILLIONS of aquarists throughout the world.... Are these people in the 90%...? TALK FACT Chimera.... Not fantasy, or post opinions of the few unsatifieds, without having "fully" test drove the thing yourself.. which seems to be the case.. EXAMPLE: They fit the UGF. A week/month later they look under the tank.. (when possible) They see all the filterings, or become "overconcerned" as they read certain things about UGF's on the forums.. Solution... They rip it out. Result... Dead fish... Unstable conditions.. Fouled tank.. etc.. Just like anything... these things take time to become established, and the crap is a good sign it is doing its job, and if left undisturbed will do NO harm to either the fish, or the water conditions, provided (like all filters) that it is left running constantly. I 'personally' have had tanks set up for five years and more and never once had probs with the UGF. Crap underneath you say.... OF COURSE there's crap underneath, just like there's crap in ANY filter after about a week or so. Is there crap in your 3 or 400 dollar motorized plastic box that you have hanging on your tank... ? It's to be hoped so, otherwise it wouldn't be doing its job... and neither would the UGF. Under 'certain' circumstances, there is 'nothing' that will beat the UGF for ... Area of filtration.. (the complete base size plus depth of substrate.. amounting to hundreds of square inches of usable filter medium... not just a foam block or a few noodles) Lack of maintainance needed... How often do you have to service your filter... medium etc...? Running costs.... ZERO.... What does YOUR filter cost per year...? Clarity of water... Is your water any purer... cleaner... less harmful than one filtered by a UGF... I don't think so. Fit it and forget it... No other filter can claim this. OK... you have a couple of Oscars or similar fish that tend to dig...... Forget the UGF.. OK... You have a nice community tank in the lounge.... Fine... would be ideally suited. OK... You just want to breed a few species and raise the young... No real need for a UGF here... just use a sponge filter. I have said it often on various forums, but... "I have YET to strip a tank due to UGF failure or blockage" More rubbish... (Sorry... but get your facts correct) The UGF does NOT hold the growing benificial bacteria.. the SUBSTRATE holds the bacteria... just as the medium in YOUR filter holds the benificial bacteria, otherwise why would you need a filter medium at all...? Just as your medium takes time to become established, so does the gravel above the filter plate of the UGF, and this is all the UGF really is... A FILTER PLATE that strains the water through the substrate, and in doing so the particles of substrate become coated with benificial bacteria... which is why we should be not heavy handed with the vacuum when cleaning the tank, as this can upset the balance. The sewage works use a similar principle... and they didn't get it wrong Please don't return with .."Ah... but you can't grow plants.." Another myth.. but I won't go there.

Works fine... Why Decapsulate Artemia Cysts? There are several advantages to decapsulating or removing the thick outer shell (corion) of the artemia (brine shrimp) cyst. 1.For starters, the strong chlorine or oxidizing solution completely sanitizes the artemia cysts, reducing introduction of bacteria and diseases to your aquarium. 2.Harvesting brine shrimp nauplii from decapsulated artemia cysts means that no separation of the shells is necessary. Just pour everything into a mesh net, rinse, and feed to your fish! 3.Even the unhatched artemia cysts are edible! An unhatched decapsulated artemia cyst is left with a thin "hatching membrane" which is easily digested by young fish and invertebrates. An unhatched brine shrimp embryo also contains more energy than a hatched, swimming brine shrimp nauplii. 4.The brine shrimp embryo also requires less energy to break through a hatching membrane than a thick outer shell. This can increase your hatch rate another 10% over undecapsulated artemia cysts! What you will need... One pint or 16 fl oz. of fresh water 2 oz. of liquid chlorine bleach 1 tablespoon of white vinegar 1 teaspoon of artemia cysts Instructions: Begin by adding 3 oz. of chilled fresh water and one teaspoon of artemia cysts to a glass container. Using an air stone, gently aerate the artemia cysts for approximately one hour at room temperature. This will fully hydrate the eggs in preparation for the decapsulation process. After one hour, pour in 2 oz. of liquid bleach. Increase the aeration of stir continuously for the next 5-10 minutes (until decapsulation is complete). The artemia cysts will change from brown to gray to white, and finally to ora nge in color. When almost all of the artemia cysts are orange, stop the reaction by pouring the solution into a fine mesh net and rinse immediately with fresh water. Continue rinsing until the smell of the chlorine bleach is gone. Mix 1 cup of cold water and 1 tablespoon of white vinegar in a container and soak the net mesh with the artemia cysts for about one minute. This will remove or neutralize the residual chlorine bleach. Rinse the artemia cysts one more time with fresh water. Your artemia cysts are now ready for hatching! Forgot where I obtained this from, so can't give credits.