AMAZONIAN

I work for myself as a "Custom Design and Manufacture" Electronics Engineer, specialising in commercial lighting for display/s and theatrical installations. I have been doing this for the past twentyfour years. P.S.: I also import "Freeze Dried" fish foods and am a distributor of NZ Brine shrimp eggs plus look after 50 fish tanks and fish.

Hi All, I'm a self employed ELECTRONICS ENGINEER involved in the CUSTOM DESIGNING of my clients electronic requirements whatever they may be. I also specialise in "High End" lighting consultancy and design for Museums and commercial displays, as well as live theatre and stage shows. I also hold FULL pyrotechnic Licences for outdoor and indoor firework displays. In my spare time I commercially breed and deal in Tropical Fish. BSc.(Physics). NZCE. AMIRE. AMIEE. NZCRT 1st Class. ZL2TQJ

Hi All Sorry I won't be there as I am involved in the stage show "Cats" which opens on 16th April, so I'll have to apologise and miss the meeting.

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Hi All my fish room runs with four Hailea equivilent type compressor pumps the largest at 380 litres per minute. These are extremely quiet and I've had no trouble with them in the last six years. I have a small 20 /30 Ltr PM compressor pump if you are interested.

I've got one here if you want it. :lol:

Hi All Put me down for the 2010 trip. I've not booked any other holiday this time. :roll:

Hi All A short lesson of the history, as told to me by the H&Q manager. "Health and Quarantine". To the best of her knowledge the fish (Guppy's and Swordtails) were released some 20 years ago, probably from a private aquarium. They have not been touched as "They are not Causing a problem" so we have left them to live their own lifes come what may. I was told I could take some back to NZ but that's another story. The fish look very much like the very original wild strains that hobbyists started out with; basically no colour and also slightly smaller than aquarium bred and raised fish. One of the "Guppy's" that I caught could have passed as a "LEOPARD" Fish except it had a greyish body and blue and green blotches. While the swordtails are a very washed out greenish tinged fish. Getting this wild stock to use for breeding out and strengthening the strains would be a real coup and if there is an importer that is prepared to loan a tank for the purpose of Quarantining some of these fish I would be very interested.

Hi All Yes I noticed that but I cant edit the post in any way.

Hi All, Well I missed the "Great Molly Hunt" for the second year running, but I hope all those who attended had a great time. Myself, I had already booked and paid to go to Norfolk Island for my holidays so I was stuck with that option. Oh well, "Bugger", but it turned out for the better in my mind, because I ended up on the "Guppy and Swordtail" hunt on Norfolk Island. I had heard of both species being alive and well in a few areas of the Island and I thought that I would put some 11 year old information to the test; and it was as it was told to me back then. You dont really have to look too far from the beaten track to find these little beauties, but unfortunately I couldn't catch them to photograph them, but could only watch then frollicking in their own little environment from above. I have added a few photos to show that "Wild Caught" fish are still available close to home, as is the noxious Water Hyacinth in all it's glory. http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g71/a ... TATJPG.jpg This is the area I saw all the species. http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g71/a ... NY0106.jpg A close up of the area of the Creek. http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g71/a ... NY0066.jpg Guppies in the stream. http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g71/a ... FLOWER.jpg

Hi All Yes I have a set of 60mm Diaphrams for the "BOYU" in stock and can supply forthwith. Email or PM me.

Hi All. I do have the Brine shrimp Sieves and use them on a twice daily basis. I feed in the morning and evening. There are four sieves in a set and they cost $34.95 incl. GST. They are graded at 180, 300, 560 and 900 micron mesh. The entire set is very good for grading anything that you want to feed your fish. I find that with the Brine Shrimp I supply and use, when it's hatched in 20 to 24 hours the nauplii will go through the 180micron mesh but I catch them in a linen strainer I made. Those newly hatched BS can be fed to "Colisa and Betta" species as soon as they are free swimming. That does not seem to happen with Imported BS as they are Artemia salina a larger specie, whereas the ones I have are the smaller Artemia fransiscana.

Hi All I just might be able to help. Give me the Model number of the pump and the diameter of the silicone diaphrams. PM me if you prefer.

Hi All, Shame I'm going to miss this years trip as well as missing last years. This time it isn't work, I'll be on Norfolk Island until the 16th Feb. :lol:

Hi All. It looks to me to be a very poor speciman colourwise. This colour strain has been around for a while and male and female show a YELLOW BODY with RED Dorsal Fin and RED along their Upper Back. Some I have seen also have RED Pectoral and Anal fins. IMO if you get a good speciman they are a very attractive fish. But the one in the link is no better than some of mine that "I give" to budding hobbyists.

Hi All I get mine from an upholsterer, that way I can pick what thickness I want and also the density. It is Dacron, and it comes in a 10 metre roll or a sheet of 1,2 x 2.4 metres.

Hi All, "FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO WORSHIP ME, COOL". I stated that I built these myself, at a very reasonable cost. You ask what the difference is between one tank and 15 tanks? THE ANSWER IS 14 TANKS. :lol: :lol: ABSOLUTELY NOTHING; THE TOTAL WEIGHT IS THE SAME SO SPREAD OVER THE SAME DISTANCE THE STRENGTH HAS TO BE VERY CAREFULLY SPREAD. It is easier to support one tank from underneath than it is to support it from outside it's base area. My inference is this:.. If I can do it for that price with little knowledge and experience, then a business that aligns themselves to this sort of work SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO IT CHEAPER AND QUICKER, save the labour content. As businesses are screaming for work in these tough times you might just find that you can get it done very quickly (no waiting) and cheaply, so just shop around. And all this information is freely given without being "SMUG", to help fellow hobbyists make a valid decision in the hobby.

Hi All Before you start making generalizations David R you should be aware of the facts. The tanks on the white stand have a total weight in excess of 2 tonnes. I rest my case.

Hi All Let me explain if I may, as to how I built my units. :roll: After deciding on the sizes of the tanks and the total weight per shelf I then calculated the "FRACTURE Strength per "Square cm" of the steel that was needed, thus being able to work out how thick it had to be; 1mm, 1.6mm or 3mm. The shape was then decided so as all the tanks I had SPECIFIC DUTIES for could be accomodated in the available space. Next was to cut all the steel to the required sizes. Then it was layout time. The ends were laid out first and squared and tack welded using a HIGH TENSILE BRONZE rod. (STEELBRAZE by EUTECTIC). This type of rod has a low temperature melting point as opposed to steel rods and also flows well to give a very smooth finish without having to grind or file the joint after welding. This rod is very high tensile compared to ordinary Bronze rods but it heat hardens. It actually hardens when it is reheated to flow into the joins, and has a TENSILE STRENGTH of 7 Tonnes per square cm. The ends were then stood up and braced to the length of the unit and when leveled the runners were welded in place. You can then choose how it is finished. I had my unit sand blasted and then I finished off with Etch Primer and about four coats of top coat. You can opt for powder coating or getting it epoxy coated, your choice. You can buy adjustable feet which fit into the bottom of the BOX SECTION steel. NOTE WELL: I AM AN ELECTRONICS ENGINEER NOT A FITTER AND TURNER OR BOILERMAKER, but I actually made these racks myself unaided.

Hi All Thanks for that. The stands that are white are eight years old and so far haven't rusted away David R. If steel is prepared and painted with good quality paint and workmanship, and looked after, there is no reason why it wont last a lifetime. :roll: Etch primed steel is incapable of rusting unless you break through the etch coated layer itself and that is very hard to do as etch primer is as hard as nails. I know of many people that built stands out of "TIMBER" not "Weetbix Board" and had them rot in a couple of years. I personally think whatever you use to make a tank stand is a matter of economic choice, but INO steel far outweighs the cost of using timber.

Hi All The last rack that I made, it's painted BLUE (piccie is on the website in "TECHNICAL" Forum) cost me about $150.00 plus the paint, about $35.00 for "Etch Primer" and spray cans and it holds four tanks 24 x 12 x 12 tanks I use for my breeding angels. The cost of the lighting for all the tanks was about $100.00. :lol: So all up it was a very cheap build. :roll:

Hi All in relation to cost versus strength I would and have used hollow "EWS" steel and painted it. Works perfectly and lasts forever. :roll:

(Edit Wok: - Keep to topic please)

Hi All. To run that particular setup in "My Fishroom" it would cost no more than about 60 cents per day. My current "Fishroom" (there are pictures on this site) which houses 50 Tanks only costs me $45.00 per month. I am certainly aware of electricity prices. I am in "The Trade". :roll:

Hi All. As of Friday 21st November I am no longer President of the above club. Due to the actions of the few that attended conference as delegates, my position as President has become untenable due to them being given information that should have best been keep out of the spotlight until the matter was sorted. My departure from the Presidency has created a vacuum as the "FNZAS or TASMAN CLUB" members can no longer buy from AMAZON AQUARIUMS or DOWN 2 EARTH and receive any discounts on their purchases. Also, all sponsorship of TASMAN AQUARIUM CLUB has ceased as of 21st November. It is a sad day for the hobby, as I am taking away much valuable knowledge and years of experience which I am no longer willing to share with members. I have already been asked by some Tasman members to start another club and I will give the matter a lot of thought.