*Virgil

The biggest problem with most heaters on the market is the contacts that open and close to apply power to the heater element. Since these contacts handle a fair bit of power, they tend to arc when making contact. Over time these contacts become pitted and at some point may weld themselves together when they arc which causes your heater to stick in the on postion. The obvious result is poached fish. All my heaters have been modified to add a triac to the heater circuitry. With the triac installed, the contacts are only used to turn the triac on and off with very little power, which means no arcing. The power to the heater element is handled by the triac. No high power to the contacts means no arcing, which means no contacts welded closed. The plans for this modification can be found in FAMA's For What Its Worth - Volume 1. Virgil

I have another friend with a 230 gallon plywood tank. He chose black for a background. Black would be my choice. Here is a link to a webcam of his tank. http://www.treppel.com/fish.htm Virgil

He filters it with a home made wet dry filter. It is also on an automated daily water change system. It works well. Any time Ive been over there the water has been amazingly clear for all the large fish he keeps. I like the Gold Arrowana. It is the king of the tank. Virg.

Though not in New Zealand, a buddy of mine built a 12' X 4' X 3' plywood tank. Thats converts to 3660mm X 1220mm X 915mm. 1077 Gallons or almost 5000 litres. Thats a lot of water. The sides, bottom, and back are made of 2 thicknesses of 19mm plywood. I believe the front glass is 19mm thick. Though the pics dont do the tank justice, here is a link to some pics of it. The webpage states that the tank is 12 X 4 X 4, but Im pretty sure it is only 3' tall. I will confirm that this evening. http://www.nwstar.com/~sas/dana.htm Cheers, Virgil

Good Post Bill Ive never done any work with Gouramies. You've inspired me. I'll have to go shopping sometime soon. Virgil

I have spawned the Black Phantom. It was about 12 years ago. I didnt have an RO unit back then, so I was able to do it with my house water supply which is quite hard and alkaline. Apparently, all tetras eggs are somewhat sensitive to light, but the only fish eggs that I have put in total darkness have been for neon tetra. Other fish eggs I just shade from direct bright light. I have yet to try any hatchets, but I do plan on trying the marble hatchet at some point. I will try to offer you any advice I can. I guess that is the best use of a forum of this name. I have no experience with the fruit flys though I understand they are quite good. I have had a lot of luck conditioning my fish with a beefheart mixture, BBS, and a good quality flake. In the past I have collected live pond food, and I intend to do that again soon, though this year is looking so dry, finding ponds may be difficult. I just may culture some mosquito larvae in by back yard this summer much to the dismay of my nieghbors. Thanks for your welcome. Virgil

I dont know too many people that are interested in breeding these fish. They are my favourite. Does anyone else share this passion with me? Virgil

Looks like I just have to be patient. Maybe they will be more successful as they get older as the article suggests. Virgil

The check is in the mail. LOL Im honored to be ****100**** Virgil

Thanks for the warm welcome people. Virgil

Anyone had any success with these little guys. They produce eggs for me on a regular basis, but almost all are not fertile. Virgil

I recently purchased a pound of brine shrimp eggs from USA for what seemed to be a good price. The company name was brine shrimp direct. The web address is http://www.brineshrimpdirect.com/. Im not sure how it would work shipping to NZ, but they do advertise World-wide shipping. Virgil

Im new here, so I guess this is where I introduce myself. My name is Virgil. I live in the city of Saskatoon in the province of Saskatchewan in the country of Canada. I am a husband and a father of 4 children. Im the only one in the house with the aquarium bug. I was quite heavily involved in the hobby about a dozen years ago, and have become re-involved over the last year and a half. My fishroom quickly grow from 0 to 15 tanks. My tanks are all 15 gallons and under which works nicely for the fish I like to keep and breed. I do have plans for some larger tanks at some time in the future. My main interest is in breeding fish, especially small characins and corys. I get a lot of satisfaction out of raising a tank full of tiny fry to adult hood, particularily if it is one that is known to be a little tough to do. I heard about this board through another board that pegasus happened to drop in to for awhile. I look forward to getting to know you all a little better and hope I can contribute something useful to this board. Regards Virgil