alexyay

So is your pH increasing in your tank? This is a bit unusual - do you have anything eg concrete, coral, aragonite, limestone etc in the tank? 5dKH isn't super soft, so you'd probably (off the top of my head) expect around 7.0 as a pH (obviously depends on lots of things) I've personally found pH swings don't impact fish noticeably - rather the KH and GH swings are what I've found affect fish. My pH drops from 8.6/8.0 (tap water, 50% WCs so tank will even out between the two) to 6.6/6.0 over the week (KH 2-3) and obviously increases with WCs again but it doesn't appear to cause any obvious stress (raised Apistogramma, Killifish, Kuhli and Corydora fry).

- Looking at my 90L, I'd go for about 5-7 Dwarf Puffers (erring on the side of caution, possibly 5) - As many as they'll eat They typically graze on snails so won't bloat themselves (I've only seen bloat in a puffer once, and he somehow ate sand, not snails). It's an awful lot of snails to produce, so if you have spare room for a bin to do something like Blackworms as another staple, and white worms as a treat, that will help produce feed for them also. - Nope, purely freshwater. They are found in the Pamba River, Chalakudy River, Periyar River and Kechery River (according to my list lol), which do eventually connect to the ocean but go reasonably far inland - I believe they're mostly found inland where the water isn't super soft/acidic, but is still relatively tannin-stained and fresh. - Finding filtration can be a bit tricky for these guys as you want a lot of surface area for biological and mechanical filtration (as they're messy fish) but you also want low flow. Fortunately the flow on the AquaOnes can be turned down relatively easily so I'd say a canister + Trickle is a good option (if you can reduce the flow you're pretty much good to go re filtration). - Unfortunately he'll also unleash himself to the tetras and cories (may not kill them right away, but he will most likely eventually try) - species only tanks for these guys Otocinclus would be the only fish I'd personally put with them. Hope that helps a bit!

Have you checked New Pupuke Aquarium? Ronnie's had a few interesting African Cichlids in lately (not a big African fan so haven't paid attention to which ones, sorry!). Otherwise I think I saw some posted on Organism's Facebook page (in Chch, but they looked to have some interesting species).

Hmm - where did you buy it from? It might be missing some parts so would be worth contacting the store that you got it from.

Pictures are needed for proper identification "Detritus worms" and "Stylaria" are both very common and look more "thread" like. Planaria are flatworms and are very easy to tell apart (they're, well, flat). In my experience they're both common in aquariums and are generally harmless (there is some concern around whether Planaria might predate on eggs, though). Both will feed on excess foods/debris and high amounts can be a symptom of overfeeding. Otherwise they're just a normal part of your tank's "ecosystem". I personally have Stylaria in my water however it only shows up on food tanks (daphnia etc), fry tanks and empty tanks - presumably because my larger fish feed on them and there's excess food in the three types. They're cute and wiggly (mine are a teeny bit bigger than microworms) but creepy under the microscope.

I have a 120L Cube which is 600(L)x450(D)x455(H) sitting on a cabinet the same size, tank drilled to be sumped - so am hoping to put out a WTB that on the off-chance that someone might have a tank at slightly odd dimensions. I'm not sure exactly what size tank I'm after (and I'm not sure exactly how much space I have) but I'm picking I want at least 50mm on each side for room. Tank doesn't have to look pretty and can be scratched up - it can't leak however (a bit limited on time so would rather not have to repair it beyond placing baffles - if it has baffles already, even better!). I'll also be after a return pump for it - I'm looking for a fairly low flow but have no idea what I need (first time attempting a sump). PUO Auckland (or Hamilton if it's available to pick up in the next few days).

Bump Again https://goo.gl/photos/vBavR2w9JAeec9BY7 https://goo.gl/photos/uMFzFt7DZ8ZNVubr6 https://goo.gl/photos/FMqKAhRTLEERRQUZ6 (if images above don't work) Boys are looking gorgeous but they're starting to beat each other up - still keen on any female Badis badis in Auckland to do swaps!

My BNs seem to easily control the Green Spot Algae (but people get mixed results with them) but in all honesty it's so easy to remove from the glass that I wouldn't buy a fish for it. Getting new lights (Fluorescent bulbs have to be replaced yearly if you have them), better quality lights and raising the lights can all help to reduce GSA, along with getting fast-growing plants that out-compete it. Unfortunately a Chinese Algae Eater would be my last recommendation for any kind of algae problem. They are known for preferring a meatier diet as they get older, and become large and brutish. Ours would readily beat up any fish near its territory (in a 450L tank), suck the sides of Angels (and they're known for having a taste for Discus slime coat, too), and isn't nearly as cute as it was at 2" big. Otocinclus are gorgeous fish, but they'll end up 1/10th the size of the CAE, and personally I wouldn't mix the two. Otos are also all wild-caught and require good water quality, so they can be a bit tricky to keep.

Fish can have odd behaviours as they settle in but you may have to move some if you feel fish are going to get wounded. Although you have good shoal sizes, Cochu Blue tetras are known for being fin nippers (which is unfortunate as they are gorgeous fish!)

So, so sorry - I completely forgot and haven't been in a whole other city recently. Will definitely try to catch them soon - just don't know when I'm going to be back home and able to catch them.

Haven't noticed my few remaining ones show any spawning behaviour, but I don't know how many I have left and of what sexes!

What size is the tank?

Nice deal!!!

Unfortunately it could be a variety of reasons - injury, parasites, tumours, cysts, viruses etc could all cause issues. Are you able to see whether the gills are bright red or whether they're looking pale, and whether there's anything rough/blotchy in there? I've had a few fighters with lifted gills however I've had a virus going through all of my fighters which mostly attacked the face and gills - so the lifted plate was due to lumps growing around the gills. But because fighters are so prone to an array of issues, it could be one of many things, unfortunately.

The majority of the time, surface area ("Footprint") is considered a major factor for fish. This will affect the amount of fish that can live and compete in one area of the tank (eg the number of bottom dwellers you can have). Volume is important for a variety of reasons including water quality, but Footprint is essential to prevent overcrowding and aggression (unlike us, fish can't move up a floor when annoying neighbours move in). I would personally suggest perhaps getting two more Otocinclus - these guys are found in the thousands in the wild (and are predominantly wild-caught), so the more the better

By Aquarist what do you mean? There can be several types of jobs available here - tank maintenance (as said above, mostly part time stuff, unless working for a range of companies rather than individuals), retailing/sales assistants, ownership of a retail store (a small market here), working in import/quarantine facility (requires training, understanding and following of strict rules), biosecurity, or working in commercial aquariums (qualifications may be necessary, I've been told being able to dive is typically necessary). I've not noticed many public job ads so it can be a bit of a "know someone who knows someone" type thing. Reputation can be very helpful (being a small country, it can be a bit easy to become known - for good or bad reasons), but it all depends on where you apply. Personally I cannot offer any advice as to what the pay is like, but many here work (or have worked) full time in retail stores.

What are your water parameters and when was the last time you introduced new fish/plants/snails?

Do you have a general idea of how much you're wanting for it?

Perhaps just the $5 for the shipping? I don't have much of each plant and they're not really worth much in their current state so I wouldn't want to charge you for them at the moment

I've got some H polysperma 'sunset' and a little bit of R rotundifolia but I've recently been treating for IPs so I'd recommend a sterilization dip first - if you're okay to do that you're more than welcome to a couple of small bits.

Unfortunately they do become predatory once large enough - some have them do okay for years, however in most cases they snack on them once the BGK reaches a good size.

Bump! Everyone's starting to get a little bit feisty I imagine I can keep 2/3 of the males, but 3 might be a few too many for one tank!

I use sand in all of my tanks without any issues.

I have Macs fry which became free-swimming on the 2nd (I think) - growing steadily it seems, she's been a great momma Had an issue with my air-pump breaking, so hopefully they're still okay. Unfortunately only 2 of my Trifasciata fry survived, which I stopped feeding because I thought she had eaten them all (so they're teeny!) - my Tris have been looking lethargic lately, so I'm not expecting any fry for a few weeks until I figure out what's causing them to be sickly. I lost one of my females, but still have a pair left.

Hmm - Nitrates typically aren't 0ppm in the majority of tanks - it's very common for the API Nitrate test to be performed wrong (don't worry, we all do it) - some kits can also be duds, and they also won't work if they're expired. The Bottle #2 and Test Tube need shaking for the specified amount of time (30-60secs) - if your arms don't feel like they're about to fall off, it's probably not being shaken enough. They then need to be left for exactly 5 minutes - any sooner and it'll not be ready, and any later it'll continue going red. I'd expect Nitrites/Ammonia to be high at the moment simply because of the sudden increase in waste (dead fish), so as long as they were 0ppm before the incident that should be fine. Do you leave the cucumber skins on? There shouldn't be any issues from them (assuming they're fit for human consumption) but it is always worth rinsing them a bit first or removing the skins.