jackp

it's a personal choice thing. just look around at what's available and see what appeals to you

how big is your tank? julies tend to be quite territorial. if the the tank isn't big enough they will kill each other as the pair up. make sure you have heaps of rocks/caves etc so they can have seperate territories.

so they are marlieris? how much?

just talked to the guy on at animates on the phone. it sounds like they've got reganis (but he wasn't very sure what they were). if you go in there would you let me know what they are?

they do look similar, but the ornatus have lateral brown lines and yellow bellies, wheras the marlieris are more brown with white patches.

dsylexia

can't move tanks in till after the expo anyway. the tank racks are going to be made from the benches i'm making for the expo

looks like the shed will be put off for this weekend. doing a lot of demolition work in the coming week, so there is a good chance i'll be able to get some free timber. not sure how much it will cost to do the electrics, but hoping to keep the framing, insulating and lining to less than $200.

i've been looking for marlieris too. there was someone selling a couple on trademe a while ago who said they may have more coming up as they thin out their tank. i ended up getting a group of dickfeldis from hff instead. still looking for a group of marlieris (though won't have anywhere to put them for a while). i'll let you know if i find anything

tsunami

i have tried that. she likes clown fish (and fire shrimp). i'm keen to go down the marine path at some point, but not quite yet. also the house is recently carpeted and i'm not too sure about a marine tank on carpet. have been looking at nano tanks. one day.

i did tell you it wasn't suitable for a display tank mate. if you're going to buff the glass be very carefull. it can heat up real quick and break.

hey, i'll take any edge i can get, might help me convince the mrs to let me have another display tank 8)

cheers mate. should be alright with the initial setup as i'll only have a few tanks. as i get more tanks and have to setup filters to multiple tanks etc i'll probably need a few pointers. and i'll definitely need advice on breeding.

shorten the legs and stackem up. only going to start with 3 or 4 tanks, but will certainly build for the future

usurper

the tank racks will be made from the benches i've built for the pet expo, so it will be a wee while before it's up and running. as for an 8ft tank, definitely on the wish list, but seems a shame to have it in a shed in the back yard. that might have to wait till i build my mancave (part of house extension plans that will probably be years away).

i've been trying to convince my girlfriend to let me get another tank, but she doesn't want another big tank in the house. outside the house, however, is a different story. i had already comandeered the garden shed as a kennel for my dog bruce, which was kind of a waste of space as he only ever goes in there to sleep. it is about 2m by 3m and has a concrete floor. so this weekend i'll build bruce a new kennel and get to work converting the garden shed into a fish shed. i'll have to start off small as finances are a bit low at the moment, but i can get building materials cheap (and recycled materials free from the house i'm working on) and get a mate to help out with the electrical stuff. i'll only put a couple of tanks in to start with, but i'm sure that will grow as i find new species i want to breed (i'll start with julies). i was looking forward to doing a planted display tank, but don't think this is a bad plan b.

the problem is she owns the house :facepalm:

mate, you didn't waste any time. glad your happy with it. i'm still working on the mrs to let me get more tanks. she's pretty anti me having another big tank in the house, so next attempt will be to comandeer the garden shed and get a breeding setup going.

they're awesome aren't they. they are so graceful when they swim, yet the perfect predator. i swam with sharks while i was in belize. the nurse sharks were so used to the tourist boats, they flocked to our boat as it arrived so that when we jumped in the water we were surrounded by them. the reef sharks were much less sociable, and had more of an air of danger about them. also got face to face with a manitee

all this snow makes me miss living in wanaka. treble cone is going off and once the avalanche danger has settled down there'll be some awesome backcountry missions on offer. with work being hectic and my bank balance miserable, looks like my board will reamain in storage this season.

how did you go tracking some down. if you're having a hard time getting some i can get some from the joinery we are pulling out at work, it's not new, but in really good condition.

timber posts concreted into the ground

yeah, i was just pointing out that an acrylic tank doesn't get round the problem. while a concrete floor is certainly better, it is definitely doable with timber framing. many houses have multicar garages with timber subfloors.