AMAZONIAN

Hi All I dont have heaters in the three hatcheries i use and they are not required either. The Grassmere shrimp are in damned cold water anyway, but the Fish Room temp. even in the winter is no less than 18 degrees C.

hi All. I hatch 10 grams every day and only use "SEA WATER" from the local boat harbour. Hatching of NZ cysts takes 24 hours while I find that Artemia from the Great Salt Lakes or Bohai Bay in China take 30 to 36 hours.

Hi All UPDATE: The eggs have hatched and both mum and dad are being great parents, ( although I dont trust them and keep a good eye on them ) they are both moving the fry around the tank and have done so three (3) times today already. :roll: There are a few I have observed taking small darts away from the "mob" but they soon fall back into the bunch. Progress is really good.

Hi All UPDATE: The eggs have hatched and both mum and dad are being great parents, ( although I dont trust them and keep a good eye on them ) they are both moving the fry around the tank and have done so three (3) times today already. :roll: There are a few fry I have observed taking small darts away from the "mob" but they soon fall back into the bunch. Progress is really good.

Hi All Well just another post and piccies for your eyes. I can now announce that I have managed to spawn the 'DWARF FLAG" Cichlids, Aequidens Curviceps. It doesn't rain, but it pours. I made the bold statement "That once we get past the Conference, I can start breeding again." Seems like it's coming true eh? :roll: EXPERIENCE DOES MATTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi All I can now proudly announce that I have added another colour mutation to my stable of Angel's. The Albino's have spawned. Although they are both young and this is their first try they have done reasonably well. :roll: About 200 eggs but only about half of them are fertile. :lol: They were laid on two leaves of Echinodorus bleheri, one of which I have removed to artificially hatch and rear while "Mum and Dad" look after the other leaf. :oops: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

Hi all Fighter fry need at least a 25% water change each day (in my experience) and I have raised so many that if any fishkeeper arrived at my home it was compulsory to take a couple home. If you are using imported shrimp cysts they may be too big for newly free swimming fry and as in my earlier posts on "Anabantidae" you should be feeding green water for the first week, then onto newly hatched BS nauplii. Start sorting sizes as they grow also to give them enough space. Done correctly (my way works) you will end up with an 85% success rate at least.

Hi welcome to the site. May your time be enjoyable and informative, and at times, contraversial.

Hi All The oldest fish that I still have and breed from him occassionally is my golden male angel. At this point in time he is seven and half years old and very placid even though he is the size a a saucer. Long may he live.

Hi All I use a pH tester daily in the Fish Room and I've had it for three years now. I had it recalibrated two months ago and was told that it was perfect and didn't need adjusting but did I want a calibration Certificate? 8) The calibration was done by the CAWTHRON INSTITUTE. I imported the units for resale but have kept them as the local DSE sells a unit for $49.00 which you can throw away if you arent happy with it's accuracy. The imported units were going to be about $75.00. REPLACING ELECTRODES EVERY COUPLE OF MONTHS---WHAT A LOT OF RUBBISH. THE ELECTRODES ARE DESIGNED TO LAST THE LIFE OF THE METER.

Hi All the next meeting of the Club is on 20th June at 7:30pm 2 ALDINGA AVENUE.[/b] As always, we welcome new members; and extend the usual invitation to members from out of town Club's . The main topic for discussion will be a report from "Conference" by our delegates and then a workshop making BRINE SHRIMP HATCHERIES.

Hi ALL The conference has been cancelled right this minute as the sitting President has decided that he isn't going to come. :lol: :lol: Thats the sort of thing my old mate WOK does. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Hi All If "WOK" had taken the plane he started out with he wouldn't be here for the conference. :roll: But thats our "WOK" And as for the conference:............ I'll be there. 8)

Hi All. Well it is only a couple of days away and so far everything is going "swimmingly". :roll: There is a bit of "HOUSE KEEPING" to tidy up and that is this:.... "I NEED TO KNOW WHAT YOUR TRANSPORT ARANGEMENTS ARE" This is so as I can organise for someone to pick you up at the airport. My mate "WOK" arrived a few days ago according to the data I have on hand, but if you all update that data I will get you to the conference from the Airport. We are all looking forward to seeing you in Nelson and having a great time. Please either email or PM me with your travel itinerary. :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

Hi All. They sure as hell are angel eggs. I would keep an eye on her and any other fish in the tank. Good luck with rearing them.

Hi All. Apart from all the incessant chatter you are all a bit slow here guys. I would have thought that you would have asked your conference delegate if they could pick them up and take them back with them. After all the Conference is in Nelson , and I assume you are in a club; aren't you? :oops: But then I am a mean old coot and am always trying to save money or help out fellow hobbyists so what would I know?

Hi Allm I forgot to add that 98% of the tank heaters are only 55 watts and the other 2% are 100 watts. It was calculated be me when building the room that the heaters would have about a 12% duty cycle over 12 hours, which is about 2.7 hours running per day.

Hi All Even though I have a very well insulated fish room I still have a small heater in every tank with the exception of WCMM, Killies and Leopards. They are ALL Aqua One and I have never had one fail yet. Ive dropped one and it broke the tube, but I replaced that and it still goes very well. The only problem I have with the Aqua One is when they are new. The Silicon Rubber they use to make them is a "Bacteria Food" and they grow a slime over them which I found suffocated the fry by covering their gills and killed them. I dont use new Aqua Ones near Fry any longer but place the new heater in an established tank to age the Rubber. The slime is extremely apparent on the suction cups and the top of the heater.

Hi All There is one other option here; and I have struck it before, and that is that the supposed females are actually stunted, short fin, throw back males. But then I have seen the occassional female "CAT FIGHT" so to speak.

Hi All. Nice piccies, and I like the Albino Angels. Did you breed them or are the strain that Shaun bred? I only breed fighters once a year and I have that many I am going to make it compulsory that everyone who turns up to our monthly meeting, and everyone that turns up to Conference will have to take at least one. IT'S COMPULSORY Because they are tying up tanks, and jars.

Hi All Well the "TASMAN AQUARIUM CLUB" can have their copies hand delivered to save on postage.

Hi All. I think the stainless steel nails are only available from the "WOK" Shop. :roll: I only used ordinary steel nails and punched then in and then put filler in the holes. The walls got painted after all that and there is no evidence of rust showing up yet. If you are really concerned you can use "ANNULAR RINGED MARINE NAILS". They'll cost you an arm and a leg but they will last until HELL FREEZES OVER. :lol: :lol:

Hi All because walls are generally 100mm thick I used used polystyrene sheet that was 100 mm thick. Suprisingly it isnt expensive to buy. I went to a coolstore maker and got sheets of 2.4m x 1.2m x 100mm Poly for $20.00 per sheet. I lined the inner walls with 7mm "C" Grade construction ply which was $17.95 at Mitre Mega. Good luck.

Hi All. I run 50 tanks and my power bill for the coldest time of the year is only about $54.00 per month. In the summer it is only an extra $12.00 per month. Thats economy.

Hi All. the next meeting of the TASMAN AQUARIUM CLUB is on 16th May at at 7:30pm2 ALDINGA AVENUE STOKE All affiliated club members visiting Nelson are most welcome. I AM ALSO STILL WAITING FOR CLUB DELEGATES & OBSERVERS NAMES TO BE SENT TO ME AS A LOT OF YOU DIDNT INDICATE WHICH HAT YOU WOULD BE WEARING AT CONFERENCE.