POWER77

Found some! Picked up ten around 5cm on Sat. They are still on Trademe. The parents look awesome..

I had the same situation with my colony of 25 dems (mostly adult fish) in a 240L. Would never see them and I would feed them then leave the room straight away for 15mins so they would eat it off the ground. If I quietly poked my head around the corner without them noticing I would always see them out and about swimming all over the tank then as soon as I walked in they would all spook into their holes. I have since moved them into my 450L with about 25 other Peacocks, Haps and Mbuna. They are like completely different fish! Always out swimming all over the tank. I'm not sure but these are some of my guesses as to why: 1) Tank location - The 240L is just to the left of the door as you walk in so when the fish see someone they are all of a sudden right next to the tank but the 450L is on the other side of the room so they see someone approaching from much further away. 2) Water flow - The 240L only has 1x CF1200 whereas the 450L has 1x CF1200, 1x CF2700 and a 12,000 LPH wave maker. So a lot more flow around the tank could be getting them out? 3) Other species - The 450L is predominantly an all male tank so has a lot of active peacocks, haps and a few Mbuna swimming around. I have found most of these fish were like this even from a young age growing up in the same 240L the dems were hiding in. Sounds like the tank location is not a problem and your flow is probably fine. I would look at adding a group of juvie Blue Dolphins http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/s ... hp?id=1061.

Holding them until I get the big tick or cross on the hybrid question..

If anyone wants him they are welcome to pick-up in Birkenhead, (male only) I will dispose of the female.

Still got him and the female, probs get rid of them soon though...

So it's 90cm long? :iag: speaking from experience I wouldn't do it, tried it a couple years ago and lost two shellies in a day. A small group of Calvus maybe?

:thup: put me down for some!

:nfs:

If anyone has a group can you PLEASE start breeding them.. Seem to be almost impossible to find atm, except for a single male on Trademe going for $100 + shipping from down south :-?

+1 I clean mine every 3 months. Just do it at the same time as a water change, get a bucket full of tank water to clean the media and replace filter wool. This is the best way so you're not shocking the bacteria with chlorine / sudden temp change.

How big were they when they started giving you problems?

I'm doing a male peacock/ hap tank at the moment and it is a bit of work, have been all over Auckland trying to get my hands on good quality fish since the start of the year and still about 4 short on my current list (changed it 3 times). Have also done the Tropheus thing and got done with bloat, had a mate who grew 20 out for two years and came home one day to a tank of sick fish (bloat again) and ended up losing the lot! The main differences imo are like nudge said, Tropheus are more active and awesome to watch where as with the peacocks you get alot more colour and variety but harder to get the mix right. Also depends if you are keen on breeding or not? I plan on keeping some females in another tank to have the option of breeding at some point (not sure what effect this will have on the pecking order though) but with the Tropheus you just stick them in the same tank and let them do their thing... Personally if there wasn't the risk of bloat I would go for the Tropheus but just don't like the idea of possibly losing everything in one day. So really either way you choose to go I would recommend alot of research/ questions on here. Here is a link to my thread if you haven't seen it already... viewtopic.php?f=13&t=66069

I'll get some more snaps of him tonight and put them up.

Yeah is a nice looking fish Ron but not really keen on keeping any hybrids (except Dragons blood) and it's quite a bit bigger than everything else in there, the males about 14cm and the next biggest fish would be around 8. Cheers Ryan, would be stoked if they aren't hybrid..

Cheers guys, looks like a heavy dose of clove oil then...

Hi guys got sold this male peacock and a female as Aulonocara Nyassae cobue. Anyone know if it actually is? If they are any good ill give it a go breeding them...

:iag: keep the extras to a minimum, will make the tank look a lot better. The Nautilus is a great buy for only $350 and comes with all media, is really quiet with a good output. Only thing to be careful with is the fittings, I managed to crack one on install (was prob being a bit rough though).

Iv'e got both at the moment. The CF2700 would be the better option in terms of filtration, but I think it's around twice the price. I have had the exact same size tank with a similar stocking density and the CF1200 was fine with weekly water changes. If you can afford it I'd go for the Nautilus but the CF1200 will do the job for a lot cheaper. You should also check if you have the room to fit the Nautilus (they're pretty big).

Nah it's a custom stand with a closed front and doors on each end. The CF2700 is such a tight fit I have to take the top off to get it in and out.

Had a measure up last week and found the FX5 was way too big to fit through my cabinet door and wasn't that keen on cutting the side off so got the CF2700 on Saturday. Am running it with a CF1200 and 12000 LPH wave maker so water circulation is really good and the wave maker blows any crap off the bottom towards the intakes. Will update in a week or so, only had it running a few days so can't comment much on performance apart from the fact it's super quiet and and has a good output. Oh aaand most of the fittings are made from really flimsy plastic (already cracked one). I spose that's to be expected for the low price compared to other brands around the same size though.

Don't like them... Except my Dragon blood & Coral red, I really like those

Quick question... I have a 450L, Currently running 1x Aqua one 1200 and 2x Eheim internal 2012 filters. Because it is a African tank I am looking at a high stocking density so am after a good quiet external filter. Have read good reviews on both the FX5 and Aqua one Nautilus CF2700. Taking into account the price difference of about $250 (FX5 more expensive) I am leaning towards the Aqua one. Has anyone owned both? and if so how do they compare? Also interested in feedback on the two individually, thanks for any advice in advance

Most wave makers are held to the aquarium with a magnet and also the glass cleaners are obviously magnets, these are both plastic coated though so not sure what effect a uncoated magnet would have on water chemistry? You would also want to be careful not to damage the glass if they were strong and uncoated. Have you considered using suction cups or velcro?

Cheers Greg, not too sure. Those names are just what I got them as. The two I have are definitely different as the coral has more white to it and the dragons blood is slightly darker with a brighter face. Both awesome fish, they really stand out against the blues of the others (am going to add another at some stage). It does look similar to the fire fish on the net but I guess time will tell as they still have a bit of growing to do.