new zealand discus man

Hi Males usually are narrower ..Males have hair area in face,,Should stick them out if picked up..But i have only sold very few to date so might not brown tiger,,Phill

Hi African Your other e mail did not work last time..Just wondering when are you sending the rest of daffs..Cheers Phill

Hi Dont worry we will sent a Kiwi to look after your rugby team.. Cheers And welcome Ps ..Understood L numbers and south america fish were not on your countrys import list.. :evil: Cheers Phill

Hi Phill Collis writes this with very sad feelings..Never had a clue till just found posts.. Been trying to work out just how many years ago Alan came to visit us. { My Self & Paddy My wife of 38 years.} We think firstly about 30 years ago when we were Burbank Aquatic Supplies.. Alan popped up ever now and then and did so at out new house after we sold our goldfish farm.That must have been about the time there was a show at in auckland.Cant think of when but feel early this year. We had a good old talk about old times and i'll miss that.. All my best to Rose Cheers Phill

Most reliable is the Dairy Company ones used in milk vats..Floating in plastic drop protection sleeve.Dont always save. Wrightsons ,Profarm or simular at about 20 bucks..Other than that smith biolab for lab grade..Cheers Phill

Hi The starters came by accident..Out mushrooming in farm about 2k's away know for good mushrooms. I came accros a mudded area but not a pond to say..Say just few so took a hand full of mud home.. This is just last april..Now i have two bunches of worms.{stay in tight balls} about 30mm dia each. I have a adult discus that stopped feeding after being picked on by mate.. Gave a few worm and is now on blood worms and starting to take meat again.. Discus at any age can just stop feeding and often impossible to get them started.Hopefully this is the answer so ill be just keep for problem fish.. Subject is live food thats why added this thread as thought others later on just want a few to get started, Mine are in rain water and i feed my Discus Tucker.. Cheers Phill

Hi New names are Rhinoloricoria..Very hard to fine info as i imported from Peru as Loricorica base name..Mail me direct for photo's Cheers Phill

Hi Please stay on the subject as im interested to know if anyone else has live ones. Mine came from an area that has never had any fish life..they can often be found in puddles in paddocks..K's away from any water or ponds ..Thats where mine came from one day out looking for mushrooms. It is remembered by many as the main food for years sold via pet stores. We used to sell stores around 30 k a week..if i can find quicker growth then it is possible again.. They are unlikely to have any problems ive read about as never been with fish or snails..Cheers Phill

Hi If you move eggs or new hatchings they die very quickly..My best sucess is to leave them completly alone,Including young till many months old..Fry from other fish if same size are unlikely to have any effect on them as hatching are quite large. My Pinoccio males are all holding a mouths full of eggs and i see just one female giving all 4 males eggs.. My brown tiger whiptails are the same..Move and loose.. I have another came in as black loricaria..Completely the same..I opened tube to remove male as female ate young as hatched..When male was removed one day before hatch the eggs started to die..What the male did was beyond me but out of 200 approx due to hatch only 12 made it..Female died a month later but i now have 13 at 30% grown.. Spirulina flake is a must and heaps of hatched bb shrimps..Cheers Phill

Hi Any one got any live tubeflex worms..I have managed to get some breeding in tropical tank but very slow to multiply..Cheers Phill

Hi Are you trying to heat a fish room..? Cheers Phill

Hi Yes hopefully we are back on Just " Discus as i posted.." To tank first..Why not cover the bottom and use ug filters or Power filter as well..Then even add the likes of Amazon swords that suit just about most types of waters.. After all its water quality you need to keep all in good health..And plants have a major affect to removing nitrates..And look nice.. EDIT - More self promotion and has nothing to do with the thread. Alan MOD But i enjoy being able to give free advise and after all im 65 and been involved in fish for the last 40 or so years.. If us oldies dont help the hobby for most will be going backwards.. Cheers and good fish keeping..Phill

3 PH will kill all living fish and no one uses hormones now days note even over seas breeders.. 3 to 4 cm is just the right size to move them away from the parents.. But i did start the answers to question here on forum and also requested to stay on subject.. What to add to tank is the subject.. Cheers Phill Collis

Hi I have breed more Discus than i guess anyone in nz and out of the last 1000 young i think i remember 2 bottom skidders that cant swim .. In fish breeding i have breed millions being the past owner of a major goldfish farm..Breed Discus years ago and now its my retirement business ..Some retirement with 80 square meter fish room.. Its like i said not the size but the actual quatity of breeding stock..And dont believe such a thing as Runt but a very sick Discus.. Visitors that come here cant believe how Discus come racing up demanding to be feed..Even by hand... Cheers and good luck with what ever you pick..Remember.. Discus are the King of the a aquatic world.. But any way,Question was what can i add.. Lets keep to that..Phill

Hi Carefull with koura as under MAF control and fish farming licence is usually required to keep..Over 3 grand a licence.. Also others get involved if dont actully occur on your property.. Conservation dept have strange laws so best to use '' mums the word '' ..Phill

Hi I have just on 180 tanks about 40 thousand litres..And all on under gravel filters with fine punus river sand and pad on filter to keep seperated. We have been down this track before on forum about whats best..But.. There is no place in bare tank for good bugs or enzymes to live..But in bare tanks discus can actually ingest droppings from others. In gravel or sand there is billions of places so makes sence that water quality is going to be better with ug filters. Air operated 24 x7 x365 and dont ask for day off.. I also have emzymes that eat all droppings and rarelly see them on bottom. But just amagin trying to syphon my tanks..Dont work unless your in a different country.. EDIT - Alan- This is not a thread for sale promotions thanks Phil. I deleted a paragraph on promotion. Cheers Phill Collis New Zealand Discus

Hi Beware that many tank gravels come from south island beaches on the west coast and can contain iron sand..That on magnet cleaner or under pad will destroy your nice tank glass.. I know the hard way..Phill

Hi 100 w for 100 L is a proven factor or use more w just makes it easier on heaters.. Cheers Phill

Hi Discus at 4 to 6 x 70mm body..Its not how many fish but if nitrites are high you can expect trouble.. So good water is the key factor..Test kits are not to expencive.. I can keep 12 adult Discus in 270 L with no trouble as we do a lot of water changes.. Your tank is around 420 Litres.. Cheers Phill :-?

Hi Cut with rain water..Phill

Hi Main problem is its just about imposible to know what air fish need when in plastic bag..So oxygen is a must to ensure they dont die..To spiney fish.. Discus are about the worst for spines..Some of my own custom made bags are 90 micron thick and a 50mm discus can spike it..So we use up to 3 bags per fish or... Simple way is the put several layers of WET news paper between inner and outer bag..I have had 300mm panaques come from Peru and bags lined with cut down water barrels. Hope helps..And Alan my memory is better than elephant.. I can still remember some of the first imports i had and now have stopped importing and just stay breeding..Less hassles..Cheers Phill

Hi Phill Collis here.. Freight depends on the courier firm.. I send Discus and other Fish all over nz and always delivery by noon next day.. Never have i even had a worry if they get there or not..So its not a problem freighting just problems with couriers that you cant rely on.. If they did what they were paid for then you know the rest.. For proof go to my auctions on T/Me and see feed back heading to 400 mark.. You have to just find the right courier that suits what you do.. The courier i use is the same one i have used mostly even when we owned Burbank Goldfish Farm..Cheers Phill Ps my courier is Courier Post thats part of air nz group..

Hi They are growing well 50mm for oldest Also found because my discus food is ox heart containing veg ,garlic,many flakes,that whiptails love it. Cheers Phill

Hi Few members have stock list as offered via banners. If you had then you would know that i have true corys including Jullii and Panda and many more but these are the last of my imports from Peru forever. Must say a bid dissappointed with menbers as very few have actually purchased any Amazon Fish But many ive kept and will be breeding here,some actually started like Apistogramma. But if you want the real fish then still some in stock Banners should by now be stopped as not effective. Phill Collis

Hi Try not moving to young to clear tanks because as bottom feeders it to easy to pick up the wrong bactrica of the bottom. Try very fine sand at least 20mm thick and add spirulina powder for parents and fry,leave fry with parents. The tiger whiptails that breed here are still in with parents and now some are 50mm in just over two months old.About 90 odd and not one has died. Also i think 74 is to low to get blood flowing correctly.my bottom tanks are at least 82 and all the amazon fish did well in to tanks that are more like 84F I read this from a breeder in usa thats very successful at cat breeding and his key was leave them alone,+ spirulina Cheers Phill Collis