zombieworm

That's because those ones are wild. The ones we have are a lot more fluffy and ponsy, and like clean water with their blue cheese and chardonnay - lol. Actually, I've always kind of wondered about that myself. Cool that you got to see them in the wild!

Did you ever get your ottos? If not, try Hollywood Fish Farms.

Try the guy who sell the Repashy fish food - he specializes in breeding all sorts of plecos. I don't know what his handle is on this site, but you can contact him thru his FB page https://www.facebook.com/GeoffsFishRoom

Hiya all. I am wanting to buy a male betta in each of the following colours: green, gold/yellow, orange, and all white. Any fin type (dragon, crown, etc) except veiltail. Thanks.

Thanks gligor . I just recently re-scaped it. Previously I had everything spread out along the sides and back, but I moved all the rocks into a pile in one corner (the zodiac loaches and green phantom pleco love it), added another big piece of bogwood, and put all the wood in a line down the centre. The ENF chase each other up and down and around the wood, and I see a lot more of all the other fish too (including the catfish) because they have something to hang around in the centre of the tank now, rather than all hiding behind things at the back and sides. The Indian Waterfern on the surface has gone insane, which the African butterfly fish love.

Depends on where you get your info - ok, how big they ACTUALLY get doesn't depend on where you get your info, just how big you THINK they get - lol. When I first decided to get them, I had read they get 6 inches, then after I got my first two I read somewhere they get up to 9 inches, but generally stay smaller - ok, I can still deal with that. Just recently - after I got the other 4 - I read they get up to 14 inches! Of course my first thought was "OMG I hope not!" I guess we will find out. There is so much conflicting info about them out there. I heard they are really difficult, that it is really hard to get them to eat at all, that they are really sensative to any kind of change in the water, that you can't keep them with boisterous tank mates, and that tend to drop dead at the drop of a hat. Thats why I only got two originally - I wanted to make sure I could keep them alive and well first. I also heard conflicting stories about whether you could keep two together or not. So my experience with them is as follows: If you keep only two, the bigger one will pick on the smaller one, but as long as the tank is large, well planted, and has good hidey holes, it isn't a big issue - a bit of grumpiness, but no real nastiness. My little dude stayed healthy, with no signs of stress, and they did spend some time together. But I don't think I would keep two together in a smaller tank. They really like being in a group. Although they do each go find their own place to sleep - in a log ornament, in a bolt hole in the rock pile, cradled in amongst the thick plants - when they are awake, they spend most of their time all together, playing or foraging. Singly (or in pairs) they tend to be shy, and a bit lonely, tending to only come out after the lights are off. But in a group they are active, lively, and boisterous, even when the lights are on. As far as boisterous tank mates go, I originally had my three large yoyo loaches in that tank, and Petey - the bigger one - use to hang out with them all the time. He had no problem head-butting them if they got too annoying, and he joined in on their chases and games. I had to take the yoyos out though as they were stressing the discus, and Petey became a lot more reclusive after that. Now having a group, I can see why he liked the yoyos so much - they are very similar in their antics. The ENF don't hassle or chase the discus or other fish though, like the yoyos did. They are fussy eaters, only eating live or frozen foods not dried or prepared foods, but there are a lot of fish out there like that, so I didn't really see that as a problem. My bumblebee gobies are fussy eaters, my puffers are fussy eaters, if you feed the tropheus the wrong thing the get bloat and die (I've never had that happen as I'm careful what I feed mine), and don't get me started on marine fish! But as long as you stick to the live and/or frozen, they are fine, and are very entusiast eaters. As I said before, hand feeding is important if they are in a community tank, but once you have that down, there is no problem, and it isn't that difficult to get them to do it. As far as water parameters and water changes go, I have found them to be no more difficult than any other fish. Not like the discus, which seem to drop dead if you just look at them wrong - discus are just one of those fish I can't seem to keep. The ENF don't seem bothered by the ph change at water change time, they don't care about the water going in being cold, and they are fine with fortnightly water changes. All my tanks are very stable and even after a month the water parameters are still really good, but I do waterchanges fortnightly anyway.

They don't usually take to dry food - one of the reasons they are often considered a "difficult" fish. They don't breed in captivity - not even for commercial breeders, so all the ones you ever see in shops are wild caught, and wild caught fish that eat primarily insects and invertabrates generally find it very difficult to transition to dry food. But in saying that, when I started feeding the discus specialized discus food (Hikari Discus Bio-Gold), Petey did take a bit of an interest in that. I feed them a mix of frozen bloodworms, brine shrimp, and daphne. Possibly once you have them hand feeding, you could mix dried bried shrimp or dried daphne or something like the discus food in with the thawed bloodworms, see if you can add variety that way. But I think there is enough variety available in frozen food to keep them healthy. Even with just those three frozens, that is more variety than my dwarf puffers get - the little buggers flatly refuse to eat anything other than snails! Not even bloodworms or brine shrimp! Getting the ENF to hand feed is fairly important if they are in community tank, since everthing else in the tank loves the fozen foods too, and your ENF could easily miss out and end up starving. I feed all the other fish first, that way if any are ravenously hungry they have usually stuffed themselves before the 'good stuff' shows up. But they figure it out pretty quickly and start waiting for the good stuff - lol. Hand feeding at least ensures the ENF get some of it before everything else starts grabbing for what's dropping down. When I have finished hand feeding, I turn the tank lights off, and since the ENF are nocturnal feeders, they will immediately start snuffling around looking for what fell, and the fish that aren't night feeders back off, so there isn't as much competition (depending on what other nocturnal feeders you have). They are such a wonderful fish - they get very friendly and interactive. Petey knows when it is getting close to feeding time and positions himself in "the feeding spot" and waits. When he sees my hand come in he gets so excited, and rushes up waggling his whole body like an over-excited puppy

They are a whole different critter in a group than singly. Singly they tend to be shy and hide a lot, but in a group they are really active - even with the lights on. They are really reambunctious, chasing each other around, laying ambushes - not fighting just playing. They remind me a lot of the yoyo loaches in how boisterous and playful they are. They are also really curious, trying to squeeze into every crevice, trying to get their heads into every ornament, checking out every nook and cranny. There was a huge fight when they were first introduced, as you would expect. But now they all get along great. The original two are so much happier with more. One of the original ones is a little under half the size of the new ones, but he is still part of the group, and doesn't get bullied. When there were only two, he did get bullied. It is really worth having them in a group. At night, the featherfin sydontis - which is the same size as the biggest one - joins in with them and swims around as part of the school.

Ok, so no-one seems terribly interested in elephantnose fish, but they are my all time fav, so I'm going to keep posting anyway - lol. I had been waiting for more to come into the country, as I wanted to add to the two I had, and they finally came. I bought another 4, which came a couple of days ago, so now have a nice little group of six. They have settled in really well, and are very lively. It took almost a month to train Petey to eat out of my hand, and now every time I stick my hand in the tank to clean etc., he gets all excited looking for food. But the new ones saw Petey eating out of my hand, and within 3 days they were all doing it, and even the discus and featherfin sydontis are joining in! It is so cool! So here is a pic of my new ENF.

Hi Adrienne. I came across this post while searching for info on tank converting. I have several Aqua One 850s and am considering converting from tropical to marine. Can you tell me what would be involved? Thanks.

Wow, so many posts just don't get an answer, do they? Have you had a look at the filtration system on the Aqua One betta trio? It uses a small charcoal cartridge followed by a small bio-bead cartridge, and two sponges. I have made changes to mine though, to make it more powerful as a bio filter, seriously reducing the water change frequency needed. Where the two cartridges go I have put another sponge instead, then in the first empty area before the two sponges I put charcoal, and in the empty area after the two sponges I put bio noodles. If you are making your own, then something like that would be easy to set up.

Ooo... and here is a link to the Aussie Aqua One site that gives info on the new LED tubes that are replacing the flouros. www.aquaone.com.au › lighting

I found this on the Aqua One site when I was looking for info on something else. I thought it might be of interest to you. "As the red colour spectrum cannot penetrate more than 5m through clear water, photosynthetic organisms below this depth would not be exposed to red light and will have evolved the ability to use the blue colour or spectrum of light that can penetrate this depth. Consequently, marine algae and many corals need a very high proportion of blue light to survive. Photosynthetic organisms that inhabit shallower water or even grow above the surface of the water, such as aquatic plants, will have evolved the ability to use a far greater proportion of red light, and could not survive if provided with the same blue light as required by marine zooxanthellae... The iridescent colours of fish such as Neon tetras, Siamese fighting fish or even goldfish and Koi with a red pigment may be enhanced by installing a light that produces a red spectrum of light." The 'Tropical' light tubes produce the red light. I have one of those in every tank. If you wanted to keep the blue for its visual effect, try replacing one of the white tubes with a Tropical (red), since the Tropical tubes are specifically for the plants, and the Sunlight (white) are mostly for general illumination.

Yes, they are supposed to be a very good community aquarium fish. http://demitry.co.nz is where you can get some if you are interested. I have gotten quite a number of fish from her, and all have been very healthy and are doing very well.

Thank you I have been running the flouro for 12 hrs, because I know they need the UV for that time, but I have only been running the heat lamp for 4 hrs a day, because I didn't know how long they needed that for. If they need the heat lamp for 12 hrs, and they will get enough UV from that even though they don't bask continuously for the 12 hrs, then I can just run the heat lamp, not the flouro as well. They get plenty of natural light, including direct sun in the afternoon, which they love. They hang out in that corner of the tank when the sun hits. (Yes, I do know that because the sun is passing thru glass - the window and the tank - that no UV gets thru from it).

I had never even heard of rainbow fish until you mentioned them, gligor. I don't remember ever seeing them for sale either. But I have kept my eyes open ever since, and yesterday I found some Boesemani Rainbow for sale, and bought 6. I think they will be great once they get their colours. And at only 3 inches when full grown, they are big enough to see from across the room, but small enough that you can keep a nice number in a community tank

OK, I am going to try one more time rephrasing this, to see if I can get people to actually understand what I am asking. I have TWO - read that again - TWO sources of FULL SPECTRUM UV. The first is a Flouro. A proper full spectrum UV producing light, which goes almost the full width of the tank, so they get their UVA and UVB no matter where they are in the tank. But (obviously) it is not a source of heat. The second is a Reptile One brand heat lamp. Top of the line, full spectrum, UVA and UVB producing heat lamp. They get their UV only when under the lamp, and (obviously) it is their source of heat for basking. Ok, so hopefully we have established that much. I am NOT asking what other people use, I am NOT asking what people think I should use, I am explaining what I have - TWO sources of full spectrum UV. What I AM asking is: do I really need to have TWO sources of UV? Do I really need to have BOTH going at the same time? The flouro is big and ensures that they get their UV no matter whether they are basking on their platform or not, They spend a lot of time "basking" at the surface, asleep on the rocks or driftwood that are just under the water level. They are getting their UV, but, (obviously), are not getting their shells dry. The heat lamp is small (in comparison to the flouro) and only provides their UV when they are under it, but give them heat, and dries the shell. Ok, the next part of the question is: how long do turtles NEED for basking? How long does the heat lamp NEED to be running? I have been told everything from 24 hrs a day, to not at all. I am wanting to know if anyone KNOWS (not just guessing) how long, on average, turtles NEED to bask for their shell health, assuming they are getting their UVA and UVB whether they are basking fully out of the water or not. OK, now lets put the two parts together. In nature (or outside ponds), turtles bask not only to dry their shells, but to warm up, because the water they are in is often cold. Mine live in a tank, and their water is never below 22C, so they only need to bask for shell health, not warmth. Note I said NEED, not WANT. Obviously they also WANT that extra warmth, because it feels good. Who doesn't like a bit of sunbathing... and the opportunity to sit on your buddy, stacked up like something in a Dr Seuss book. At this point, I am trying to establish their NEEDS. I can take into account their WANTS, after I know what their basic needs are. So, how long do they NEED the heat lamp for? If is only for a few hours, or not at all because they can get dry just sitting on their dry platform (I would give them a couple of hours anyway, just because it makes them happy), then obviously, I run the flouro as well, for the 12 hrs they need for the UV. But if they NEED the heat lamp for a much longer time, then can I just run the heat lamp, and not the flouro? Will they get all their UV needs with just the (UV producing) heat lamp? And how long should it be on?

Yeah, I wouldn't use the rainwater around here as I would be too concerned about contamination, but I have no way to collect it anyway, and am not in a position to set that kind of thing up. I did try to talk to the council about the tap water, but they didn't want to know. Just kept saying the water was fine, must be my pipes - but wouldn't say when they last tested. I tested the neighbours' water as well, and theirs tested the same as mine, so it isn't my pipes. I did find one interesting thing from them though - apparently Hastings water ISN'T chlorinated, only flouridated. I have gone ahead and bought a DI unit, since I am in the process of setting up my first marine tank, for corals. Most of the tanks will be fine on the town water, with the extra Prime, but I will use the DI unit for the marine tank and the big tropical which has all the most sensitive fish, and is the only one I have trouble with. Sapphire, who died last night, was only 5 cm. She was the smallest. The others have all been around 8 to 10 cm. Yup, they flick around, rub a lot - they have quite bare patches, and yup, one gill fin is clamped. I thought that was kind of weird when I first noticed it. So nice to finally put a name this - thank you! How do I deal with fluke? That tank also has my elephantnose, African butterfly fish, and Green ghost pleco, all of which are quite sensitive to antibiotics.

I am aware that it is the heat that draws them to the basking spot - they are reptiles, cold blooded. And the lights are fine, I keep them up to date. My question was, if I am running the basking light do I really need to have the flouro going as well, since both are producing the required UVA and UVB? And how long do they need for basking - i.e. how long should I run the basking light?

The Gold Rams are still available. I am in Hastings - probably a little too far for you to trundle down for a few fish - lol. You can find where a person is located by looking to the left of the post. There you find their forum name, status, profile pic, reputation score, number of posts, and lastly, their location. Cheers

Hiya all. When I got my turtle babies, of course I got the whole shebang in terms of set up for them. This included a full spectrum flouro light in reflector hood, AND a heat lamp. I was cleaning out the back of the cupboard this morning and found the box the heat lamp came in, and it is a Reptile One that produces full spectrum UVA and UVB. So my question is... do I need to be running both lamps? If they BOTH produce full spectrum UV, then isn't it a bit redundant running both? And how long should the heat lamp be on? I have never been able to get a satisfactory answer on that from anyone locally. I've been told everything from "it should be on 24/7" to "I don't bother with a heat lamp, they don't need one" (Yikes! My turtles LOOOOVE their heat lamp. Even if they didn't "need" it, which I'm pretty sure they do - correct me if I'm wrong - it certainly makes them very happy!)

The tank has been up and running for quite a while - well established, with rampant plant growth. The biggest issue for me at this point is that the ammonia levels were higher AFTER the water change than they were before the water change, and when I tested the water straight out of the tap it tested at 0.5. Someone from my LFS has also recommended double-dosing with Prime as an emergency measure, which is what I have done at the moment. Someone else has recommended a deionizer (a DI unit), especially since I am in the process of setting up a marine tank for corals, and they are even more sensitive than freshwater fish. The next - and ongoing issue - is the discus. I would really appreciate your expertise in this area I lost one that went totally psycho, smashing itself all around the tank until it knocked itself out... then died. Then another one died for no apparent reason. It looked healthy - no spots, no fuzz, good colour. It just languished and died within a 6 hr period. I waited a couple of weeks until I was sure no others were going to to mysteriously drop dead on me, then replaced the two I lost. Three hours later, one of the originals dropped dead. A few days later the remaining 5 all went black, listless, fins folded, and became covered in slime. That was about a week ago. It is heartbreaking watching them die, and even more heartbreaking watching them suffer like this. I had the original discus for about 4 months before all this started. All the rest of the fish in the tank are fine. I have no idea what is causing any of these problems with the discus, or how to fix them. Apart from the amonnia issue (I now have an ammonia scrubber in the filter and did the emergency dosing with Prime to bring that under control), all the other tank parameters are excellent, and have been the whole time. I even moved the yoyo loaches out into another tank (which is really too small for them and I am trying to rehome them), as they were running riot - as yoyos do, stressing a number of the fish including the catfish they kept ploughing into and over in their high speed chases. If I lose the discus this time, I won't try again. Apart from the heartbreak, it is hurringly expensive!

Sooo... is anyone actually interested, or not?

I had a similar problem when one of my first tanks got a horrific brown algae bloom, and no matter what I did, I couldn't seem to get rid of it. At one point I could barely see the ornaments at the front of the tank (160 ltr tank). I finally forked out for a Blue Planet UV purifier, 24watt, and within 24 hrs the water was crystal clear. I was told it could take up to a week with the purifier, but it was literally within 24 hrs. I had been a bit iffy about getting one, as so many people say they are a waste of time/money. After that I put one in every new tank setup, and I have never had an algae problem of any kind in any tank since. Be prepared for some major filter maintenance after, though. All that dead algae going through the filter system is murder on it. I had to take apart the filter system and strip the powerhead, to get everything running properly after that. Fun times!

I should have included that I use Prime at every water change. It is something I have always done, and I just assume that others will expect that I have declorinated. I forget that some people don't dechlorinate their water.