Pegasus

Just had a major power cut which lasted for several hours. Fortunately it seems to be a mild night/morning, but it might be time to consider covering your tanks on a night.

Sounds (excuse the pun) good, but will it work... Must try that sometime Many years ago I had a tank with quite a few Red Tail Black Sharks in. Pretty big fellas they were, and I always had visions of breeding them. One interesting fact I noticed was that if ever I was cleaning out and stirred the muck up, the RTS's would start to shimmer and shake like a spawning act. It certainly wasn't stress, as they would occasionally race around the tank, return to their favorite spot, then re-enact the, "what I can only describe as" their courtship dance. Similar things used to happen with my big Plecostomus's, and occasionally my Clown Loaches. Could it be that they spawn during the rainy season when the rivers begin to flood and stir up all the sediment? Who knows, but the person that could spawn them naturally is obviously onto a winner. Bill.

A few things to success, Slow Speed, (Lowest) High speed will kill the drill tip in quick time. Consitant Pressure, (But intermittant, eg, Short periods, Don't overheat the drill) Use a new drill if possible, Patience. You can drill with the rock submersed in a shallow bowl of water to avoid dust, or use a cup formed of plasticine stuck to the rock with some water in it. This will cool the drill slightly, and keep the dust down. Use a drill press if you have one, (If you don't mind the dust) Bill.

Thanks Peter and Neild Another link for our growing list (Tech/Useful Links) Thanks Bill

Hi Benny, Just a suggestion, and far cheaper than ANY option is: Lay your rocks out on a table in approx the position you feel they will look best. Mark the spot where they touch. Grab an electric hand drill and a masonary bit of suitable size. (more than likely the rock will be pretty soft) Drill a 5 to 7mm hole in each piece where you marked them. Next ram a plastic wall plug into one of the holes, then position the other rock and force them together. (Tip: Old felt pens with the innards removed will work and can be cut to any suitable length.) Unlimited designs can be achieved, even rocks balancing on others by using this method, and the beauty is, that if you don't like it, just drill another hole, plus you have no cement/glue/epoxy to remove later, or to contaminate your tank. Hope this helps. Happy Days. Bill.

How's the water Seahorse.... Any change yet? Hope it's stabilized.

Great informative posts you guys, and just what we all want to see, and I just love this saying :) Happy Days for all :) Bill.

Good to see you on the forum at last Cuviceps. The old terracotta plantpot works just about every time :) What other fish have you bred ?? Bill.

Glad you could make it aspiringAmano. Must say, you have some great plants, and you don't use CO2. Hope you're gonna tell us all your secret in the Aquatic Plant section Sure hope you like it here Bill (Pegasus)

Hi Terry, Don't know if you have read this or not, but this article may be of interest to you. It is in my opinion a cheaper way to go, especially if you just want small tanks and can use window or greenhouse glass. If you need help on this either post or email me. http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/viewtopic.php?t=82 Not sure if the Clowns have been bred in captivity, but I'm sure someone will clarify. Just a small edit. If a guppy, or livebearer is pregnant, you can usually tell by the "Gravid Spot" which is around the vent region. On guppies the female will become more rounded, and the "gravid spot" usually gets darker the closer she gets to her moment when she will drop the young. Many aquarists can tell you within an hour when they will drop, but even if she is on the point of bursting she may not drop if she is stressed, or something doesn't suit her. Happy Days Bill

That's just about right Come on Rene, tell us how big he is and what he/she looks like.

Hi Terry, First of all, you are not asking "Silly" questions. These are questions that create posts and bring together a host of people that know something about the subject, which after all, is what this and other forums are all about. Newbee or not (I prefer New comer) we all want and need to learn, so keep on posting those questions Terry, no matter how insignificant you think they are. Regarding your question, It's a long time since I delved into that territory, but if you read Peter's post and the others above, they pretty much explain the principles of how it all works, especially Peters. You have "Fired up" Cee's interests, so perhaps we may get lots more interesting post I have some old notes somewhere that I must dig up Just a word of caution. Many that undertake line breeding are prepared to not only devote the time, but the space needed to keep the sexes apart. I think I might have had around fifty tanks (just for the offspring, and it was never enough) when I was in full swing. They were only 5 to 10 gall each, but non the less took space and heating, plus filtration. Don't give up Terry. If you have an ambition then read all you can and make it happen. Best of luck. Bill.

I now have a picture of the above. The picture is of a 3/4 shot of the tank, but was the best view of the plant in question. It was obtained by the kind permission of David of Califofnia USA whom I am hoping may join our group in the near future. Ammendment: David, aka aspiringAlmano has indeed joined us. Welcome David. Thanks Ira and Caryl for your assistance in posting this. I was having a few probs :oops: :oops: Bill.

After my previous posts and the discussion with Warren I decided to do a litlle more research on the new methods (perhaps not so new )which seem to be becoming more an more the way to go these days. Well Warren, it seems that from the pages I have read (must be hundreds) that you can indeed produce better plants using the methods you mention, which was never the issue of course, as any plant given the ultimate in conditions and enviroment will obviously thrive better than one that is neglected. I'd just like to say that I was staggered by some of the reports I have read, and the fantastic pictures of some of the results obtained. I must admit that a few of the setups looked more in line with a laboratory than a living room fishtank, but non the less, still very appealing, with amazing results. There is obviously a new world out there in the techniques of growing Aquatic Plants, (for those that can afford it) and one that we should all at least endeavour to at least consider if we want to get the best from the plants that are available to us here in NZ. I had never seen a plant "pearl" before, and again, this was quite an eye opener. Great post Derek... Hope to see you here more often Bill

I came across a plant on a great site the other day called "The Red Lotus" (Nymphaea zenkiri) It has wonderful large red leaves, and is apparently propagated from a bulb. Does anyone know if this is available in NZ? Bill

Hi Rene Really glad you could join us and we all hope you'll be telling us more about your unusual collection. Bill (Pegasus)

I think I've seen enough snow to last me until my time comes. Must admit though, it was real exciting as a kid back in England where you went to bed on a really cold crisp night and woke in the morning to find it still dark. The reason being that the snow had drifted and covered the whole front of the house, and we had on several occasions to dig our way out. Snowmen, snowball fights, igloos, and sledging were the only things on the minds of the kids at that time. I never did like the three mile walk to school (both there and back. 6 mile a day) but we had some great fun getting there Happy Days :) Bill.

Nice to know you're happy here :) Perhaps to save you a long wait another member may be able to give you the colours here, or even scan the chart and post it here. They would need to know the exact brand, but if it is a common type there should be no problems. Can someone help? PS: Time you changed to a store that cares for it's valued customers. Bill

At 8cm you have been given a great chance to make a name for yourself if you could find a mate of similar size. Don't know if anyone has bred these or not, but they seem to be always in demand. JMO :)

Nice to see you back Seahorse. Crushed Dolomite will reverse your pH as well, but whatever you do it should be done "very gradually" as a sudden change from 6.0 (or any reading) can stress your fish and may even kill them. Have you checked the ammonia levels, and the nitrite/nitrate levels.? How often are you feeding, and how much? Water changes will be needed if your levels are out, possibly large ones, but without more info it is hard to advise. As with the other posts, check for anything that you might have done differently since the drop occurred, like have you added anything different... wood, logs, additives etc, which can all upset the balance. We have also learned, (from other posts) that, (as Ira points out) the tap water is the first suspect, and can vary from day to day depending on the different councils. Sampling over a period of time will establish this. Bill.

Glad you could join us Neild We have all kinds of fishkeepers Neil, and we all look forward to hearing more from you. Regards Bill

Welcome back Peter. Glad you "broke the ice" at last. Sounds by your post that you've been pretty busy, but we hope you find time to tell us more about your breeding experiences. Have fun Bill.

Hi again. You make some good points Warren, but lets face it, you have spent possibly many years studying a topic that you felt was one that you could excel in, which from the reports of people whom have seen your setup, you seem to be achieving, but think of the person out there with no finacial means to suport a venture like you have undertaken. Does this mean, (from your previous statements) that they never have a hope in hell of producing good plants and fish, or that the average aquarist has been living in a dream world all this time, as to produce anything of quality in the plant line is going to take food from their table to cover the cost. Hundreds of millions of aquarists, past and present, would disagree with you. I have never heard of this.... is it a person, or society?? I never will want my tanks to look like his/theirs, and don't particularly want to. Plants do require certain conditions, and the guy with the ten thousand dollar glasshouse can produce better looking tomatoes than I can on my well fertilized vege patch, but I'll beat him hands down when it comes to taste. (yum yum... Roll on summer) NOTE** We were growing plants long before these people were even born. Was your Sears info off the net.? We were growing them before that as well. As with fish, anyone that keeps plants should study their requirements. Many of the plants I grew were in tubs or vats, many without fish, and all without CO2 or Sears Conlin, whom I had never heard of until recently. Yes, the conditions were right, because I took the time to study what the particular plants needed, many of which were Crypts, which are not easy to grow. I certainly did Warren... I certainly did. In summary. You are obviously a great guy, with great ambitions, with outstanding knowledge in many fields, and we all truly respect your words of wisdom, however, I for one will continue to grow plants by the methods used by many others thoughout the world. Happy Days :) Bill.

Sounds like the PERFECT place AJ. Best of luck in your new home Bill.

It happens to most of us at sometime I suppose. The 2 Baby O's were Oscars I presume?? Happy Days Bill