alexyay

A video of their movement might help, but I would assume they are Ostracods and are just free fish food

A video of their movement might help, but I would assume they are Ostracods and are just free fish food

I noticed the drop off as well, one problem I find is the new forum format, I really liked it when we could go and see all the new topics that were unread and just go through those, I am not a big fan of the Activity -> Unread Content page.
Lovely marine tanks livingart and Adrienne

We could really do with some more attendees - Check it out here - https://www.facebook.com/events/1766240243515732/ - we'd be keen on running a small People's Choice competition with spot prizes but can only do so with more people attending!
 
Hey there Auckland Fishkeepers!
Saturday, September the 24th 
Yup, that’s right, September the 24th – book it in, we’re doing another tank crawl! It’s time to clean those tanks (and ahem, in my case, clean the house a bit) and visit other local fishkeepers for some conversation, fish/plant/equipment swaps and, of course, look at pretty tanks.
Our current plan is to spend the first half of the day visiting houses, and then the second half to visit Local Fish Stores (LFSs) – we expect this to take most of the day, starting around 10am (this may change depending on how many people we have to visit). Opening your house up to the weirdos is completely voluntary, but it’s definitely welcomed.
Want to offer your place to visit? Please email [email protected] (or let an AFA Executive know - on Facebook or via email) with your address and what time(s) you (and your fish) are available.
Want to participate? This is currently open to AFA Financial Members, however non-members are welcome to participate for $5 (or sign-up on the day if you wish ). Please either let us know via Email, or join our Facebook event here (https://www.facebook.com/events/1766240243515732/)
Want to suggest a store to visit? At the moment, where we visit may depend on where abouts we’re going, but feel free to suggest a favourite store that you’d like to introduce others to!
We’re also always looking out for event suggestions, special speakers, or other fun activities available in (or around) Auckland – whether they be fish related or otherwise.

Thanks heaps, we hope to see you soon!
Alex Fleming / Secretary of AFA

May need to cross your legs too lol
Good luck

I personally just made a batch (except the darn stuff floats, when it's mostly intended for the bottom dwellers lol) - I used:
 
- Prawn
- Broccoli
- Kumura
- Pumpkin
- Zucchini
- Cucumber (because I accidentally left it too long and it was soft, so I decided to give it to the fish instead of eating it myself lol)
- Carrot
- Garlic
 
 
I let everything simmer for a while (excluding the prawns), then slowly added it to a blender. Then I put it back on the stove and stirred in some gelatine (unfortunately I didn't put enough in this time), and set it in a bunch of ice cube trays.

Yeah that's what I was thinking of using, almost exactly! But I will add paprika as I've heard it can enhance the colours of red and orange fish.
 

Moving these on, pleco books in mint condition medical book in used condition, can ship. 
Looking for $80ono for the 3 pleco books and $20ono for the medical book. Pm any interest

Oh Jen, I'm so sorry

In my opinion, white spot comes with new fish.
A bare tank, with no substrate is necessary for successful treatment.
White spot cure, works for me. Just about always,at higher doses than recommended.
It is such a pain in the proverbial, that I will not, under any circumstances, put un quarantined fish in my main tank.
Bristlenose, die wholesale, if left untreated.

My DIY bird feeder in my backyard works very well. The fat attracts the waxeye, the sugar-water attracts the waxeye and tui , and of course always present the house sparrows
They are drinking a litre of sugar water daily.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Thanks heaps guys I've crossed off confirmed species so far and have put Rice Fish in red as it looks like MPI see them as invasive/problematic enough to go after them. 

Free to a good home, pick up required. 14 Clown loaches ranging in size from medium (approx. 7cm) to large (approx. 25cm), I am guessing the majority of them are around 15cm.  I am wanting to rehome these beautiful fish within the Auckland area.  I would prefer these fish to stay together as they have been together for many years.  They are currently in a 450L aquarium, and at the size they are now they would benefit from being in larger aquarium. As I have had some of these fish for 13 years it is important to me that they go to a suitable home, so if you are interested please can you include your aquarium size, proposed tank mates, and fish keeping experience. PM me any questions.

In all honesty, lighting really is key when it comes to getting photos of fish. If you can't provide the adequate lighting, a compact may be a better option than a DSLR as they're good at handling dark situations + high shutter speeds. Admittedly I know next to nothing about compacts so can't really provide much help in what camera to buy, sorry!

Recent articles around the issue of transporting a goldfish on planes via Jet Star can make it sound as though Air New Zealand allows for fish to be transported as carry-on luggage (as many people have previously traveled with fish this way). Unfortunately this is not the case & I'd just like to clear a few things up (as this question comes up frequently):
 
Fish have previously been transported via carry-on however this may have been "allowed" for several possible reasons:
- The terminal lacked an X-Ray procedure and the fish went through unnoticed.
- The terminal has an X-Ray procedure but through negligence/packaging/etc (admittedly I'm not 100% sure how each item shows up) the fish was missed.
- The staff are unaware of the correct transport procedure (this is very common - it seems people frequently get different answers depending on who asked the question). 
- The staff are aware of the correct transport procedure but let it slip through (I cannot make this accusation obviously, just listing possible situations)
Typically, those who have asked before attempting to take fish on planes have been told it is not allowed. While someone may say it is allowed when calling via phone, you may be told on the day that it is not allowed. I would strongly suggest getting any answers in writing if you wish to gain a correct answer.
 
In regards to the recent situation, below is an email from Air NZ (to myself):
The fish was not allowed as carry-on luggage, and was sent on a separate flight via Cargo. According to the link, Air NZ allows cats, some dogs and small caged birds to travel as checked in baggage on all domestic services. Any other kind of pet or livestock must travel as Cargo.
 
Cargo info can be found here and prices can be found here (quoted below)
 
Unfortunately, this is not a particularly cheap service - making driving or shipping via Courier a more economical option in most cases. 
 
I'm writing this so that there can hopefully be an official answer for when this question comes up. People still, at times, have gotten away with transporting fish as carry-on luggage, however this is at your own risk, the risk of your fish and the risk of other's time (eg. your fish may be destroyed, you may incur extra costs, and as per the recent issue there may be delays for other passengers). I would personally strongly recommend not attempting to travel with fish via flight, especially as extra costs/destruction of fish has become more and more frequent. 
 
I hope this helps to clear some things up for future reference in regards to transporting fish via aircraft. It's truly upsetting seeing people have their beloved fish destroyed because there are so many inconsistencies in answers from others or from Air NZ themselves. Wishing all future fishies quick and safe travels  

Praziquantel is usually my go-to as a general dewormer and is available from Hollywood Fish Farm - sometimes it's worth combining with Levamisole (also available from the same store) for use against a larger "spectrum" of internal parasites (Levamisole is specifically known for use against Callamanus nematodes). Unfortunately more serious infections can require Metronidazole which involves a vet visit & is more difficult to obtain.

I believe they get from 5-8cm, so they do get a fair bit bigger than eg Neon Tetras (I have a bunch in with my Black Neons & they're a wee bit bigger). They do get a bit nippy towards longfin fish but are less nippy in bigger groups. I found them easy to breed - it was a total accident I had foam dividers in my tank that had about a 5mm (max) gap underneath due to the glass bracing at the bottom - so the eggs fell under there and they seemed to grow up fine with the parents - they were very fast growing fry. Was pretty strange seeing Penguin Tetra fry 4 bays over because they had been swimming under all of the gaps  

I haven't updated on what I've done with my tanks on FNZAS recently, so thought I'd better do something to keep track. I've also had to downgrade recently to just 3 aquariums, which is a huge change as I got up to 8 at one stage, but I'm happy with the tanks I have left.They're not the best aquariums in the world, but they're mine and as always are a work in progress, which is the fun of it after all  

200L Tropical Community

Current tank inhabitants:
21x Sterbai Corydora
17x Harlequin Rasbora
10x Steel Blue Apistos
3x Banjo Catfish 
2x female Guppy 
1x Pearlspot Gourami
1x Indian Green Spiny Eel
1x Blue Phantom Pleco
I recently had a shuffle around in stocking-- I used to have an angelfish pair in this tank who I am very fond of, but unfortunately the male had so much a go at the female that I was very worried about her chances for survival, and so have rehomed them both to a larger tank with Alexyay, where hopefully aggression is more spread with other angelfish in the tank. It has allowed me to add the apistos though, who I am enjoying watching already :3
The banjos, eel and pleco I don't often see, but they are nice 'surprise' fish to bump into a couple of days a week  The sterbai army is marching along really well, and I have a tank full of their babies who have made it through their first month so far  The pearlspot gourami is lovely but I feel like shes a bit lonely, so may get a male/another female down the track. I am also looking into getting some threadfin rainbowfish, and possibly swapping the harlequin rasbora for rocket pencilfish, but that would be a long while from now  Anyone had any experiences with these fish/possible combinations with fish I have in this tank?  
 


60L Almost-Biotype
Current tank inhabitants:
17x Emerald Rasbora
9x pygmy corydoras
9x Banded Kuhli Loaches
4x Black Kuhli Loaches
6x Golden Honey Gourami (Trichogaster chuna)

This is probably the tank I am happiest with at the moment  The rasbora are busy, simple yet beautiful wee fish, the honeys have intriguing wee territorial conflicts and breeding habits to watch, and the kuhlis snuffle along the bottom, hide in tubes and dance on the glass surface when they feel the need. I was going to move along the pygmy corydoras, but they have recently become more active and I've fallen in love with them again, so I'm happy with this being an almost-biotype tank for now  I got a fluval 106 recently and it has done wonders for the water quality and the fish are enjoying the increase in flow  I'll probably tinker with the hardscape and occasionally have wild dreams of upgrading it to a Rubix 80 with a proper shiny stand but am definitely in love with the tank overall  



20ish L Fighter Tank

Inhabitant: Fidget the HMPK male marble siamese fighting fish  

I love this tank for it's inhabitant  had this wee guy about 6 months now and he's still as hyperactive as on day 1, is so cute to watch hunting for live food like a 'real wild fish', ferocious against his mirror, jumps up to bump your finger out of the water, and sleeps in a floating tube. He recently had a downgrade because his bigger version of this tank (an aqua one trio with the dividers ripped out) developed a leak, so he now lives in an aqua one duo with the dividers ripped out . I'll be fiddling with the scape at some stage as am unhappy with it but have been distracted by other things recently. The tank is super stable with readings of under 10 nitrates every time I bother to test it, probably due to the low stocking and the large abundance of plants. All in all its a tank I go to to interact with the fish in it, rather than one that I sit in front of to watch for extended periods of time. 



 

- 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! 

want to redo my tank so have a heap of plants to sell and a few fish, can ship plants but not fish 
german blue ram male $20
golden ram breeding pair $40
x3 Siamese algae eaters $20
x4 angel fish , mottled, white , black , silver $20
pleco L140 $30 
plants
congo fern large clump $50 
congo fern small clump $20
narrow leaf java fern $20 clump
Philippine java fern 30cm clump $60
anubias minima $25
if your after something specific on here and want a photo please pm me 
will be going on tm soon if no interest one here 
can see some photos here
 http://aquariumworld.nz/forums/topic/44231-low-maintenance-low-tech-planted-tank-build/
 

so, my filamentosa i got a we while back ive been sitting on peat from them (incubation time of 60 days) - well 12 days overdue and i thought i had better hatch them cos i could see eyes staring at me.
 
Good news New Zealand -  aparently they are alive - I now have fry - which have had 3 feeds of bbs now, and have gone from a small round container (collection container) to their own tank bay with filter today and peat bottom. - so now all we do is lots of water changes and massive feeds and well... we PRAY they survive.
 
 

This was my experience a few months ago... until I was told that I had to shake the test bottles until my arms were sore. Something about crystals having to break up before it could test properly.
Now, if you're having 0 nitrates, it could be 
1. The cycle isn't complete and you're still going from ammonia to nitrite, but the bacteria colony for nitrite to nitrate isn't sufficient yet.
2. The test may not be accurate (not shaken enough or potentially expired tests?)
3. If doing huge water changes and water is not dechlorinated, it may be causing the bacteria in the filter and tank to die, hence restarting or delaying the cycle.
Personally I use water straight from the tap when doing water changes but I only do 15%-20% at the very most so it's usually diluted enough that the bacteria aren't too adversely affected.

What size is the tank?

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