BK

Haven't used it yet. Have a Discus that is not getting any bigger may be smaller and has stringy poo's. So when new tanks are set up in the weekend migth try this. Have used Metronidazola on Angels that weren't putting any size on. This worked well apart from the two smallest (something needed to happen one way or the other) didn't last out of 8. The rest are now breeding 3-4 weeks after treatment. If yourl'd seen them they weren't well. Formalin is 5% Formaldehyde.

My girlfriend came home with this last night for the treatment of protozoan's/internal parasites/worms. What are peoples experience with this. I used Metronidazola in the past for this with good results but its not cheep.

Look at that. Reading in the paper today that the average house price has dropped between 3-5% over the last quater. Now you can get a bigger house and bigger tank. I think this market could continue to trend down for the next 12 months and depending on who wins the elections ,may be longer.

What I do for my Discus is get beef/ox heart cut all fat etc off and cut in to strips. Roll these in to a sauage size roll and freeze. Once this is frozen grate and mix with flake or what ever u want. Roll this in to finger size roll and freeze. When u want to feed out just break of how much u want. If waters looking drity feed less and top up with flake. My Guppies love it and the Discus has to get in when he can. Put the Guppies in with the Discus for live food but the Discus like there Beef far to much to bother chasing around for food.

lLFS in CHCH sell 2-3 inch Discus up to $170.00 each and Chch LFS are ment to be cheep. Unless you want to buy a few say of Discus it would probably easyer to order in from your local and ask for discount because they wont have to stock them for any length of time. Discus you could try NZDiscusman and trade me for others. Depends how much you want as you could find that the freight makes it just as dear unless you are buying in some numbers.

Go Amazon. Discus, Tetras(Neons etc), Rams, Corys in a heavly planted tank. As above work out what you want before you go to the LFS as I always seem to come away with something that has to have anther tank etc

Redwood do have some interesting plants that I haven't seen any where else and these also a guy on trade me. I have better luke with fish, my plants always look beer at the bottom or start rotting in the centre and thats when the Pleco's not ripping them out.

Interesting that I've been offer these through trademe at $230.00 when reserve was $1.00 and highest bid was $220.00. I'ld be pissed if I was the highest bidder.

So RnB what would u do? Buy now or later?

When and where.

Its all luke really, got my first house about 8 years ago and lost money stright away on it (on paper). House prices do go down and I can remember when interest rates were at 25% and it wasn't that long age that the Auckland market was dieing and people lost money. We have to look at NZ as if it was a preson. If that preson was sending more than they made they would have to sell someting to make the difference up, if you can't sell anything it gets taken of you and sold for less. It dosen't take much to make things go the other way. This is just my opinion and could be completely wrong.

Oh, Layton you seem to know your stuff. I've not got a reef tank yet but I'm working on reducing my freashwater so within 12months would like to start is there a chacne in the coming months I could have a look at your set up. Hard to understand what you guys are talking about sometimes not having one of my own and you only get one chance with reef tanks so would like to get it close to rigth first time.

Isn't the Crown of Thorns" eat the reefs??

Yes all good points. But i do beleive that prices will fall when the dollar comes of and if the banks aren't getting the same return for there dollar (not locally but internationaly) the money will leave our shores and if you cant service your debt the banks will sell. We have at the moment an econ that is being push by housing market and this is not surstainable as our products have increase in value or volume to match the increase in hosuing price so when this adjusts things will go the other way and the only way to stop this is it the export market takes of. Its all up or down, higher means lower. All the best with your tank and the house. Price in chch aren't that bad if you can handle the frost.

House price will come down. NZ can't continue to over spend so when the correction comes dollar will fall along with house prices but may be interest rates could rise. Either way your better of waiting, u have more deposit house prices are lower, could save u 10s of thousands. I've just spent 3 years doing up my place, repiled reroofed and everything inbetween. Wont be doing this again, even being in trade it was to much of my free time taken up. I'm planning my next house around to 3 tanks I want, Discus, Predator and Salt. By the way I'm a Rep 4 an export company so don't know every thing but heres hopeing I'm rigth or I could be out of a job.

Look brown to me but then I'm new to Discus. Would of been keen if they had some colour but abit plain and price to high. Try the NZDiscusman better looking fish and better value for money. He has Heckles give these a go?

I 've found Gromi's hard to keep and prone to disease. I've had good result with Furan 2 and Aquaflavine. Sorry about the spelling but the people at your LFS should be able to sort u out. Melafix has never really been popalur with me I'll use Cure-ex for the same problems I'ld use melafix on.

I had both Cobalt and the Red ones as well, sorry can't remeber there names but first noticed white fluff on one of the red ones and then the second red one also got it. The Cobalt ones then started to get the inlarge belly's of Dropsy. Treated with Aquflivine first then Furan 2, Melafix and final corse of Flygal. Lost one of the Cobalts first then a red one, put the last Cobalt out of pain. The remaining Red one looked to have surived with no signs of illness but after 3-5 days started getting the swollen belly again and the fungus back. The Rummy nose tetras and Cardanils started to show sign of fungus so decided to put the last Grom down as well. The small Sunset (i think) Gromi's in the samll tank were fine and I still have them. I think that the Cobalt look great but from the reading I've done It apairs that they are weak fish due to being line breeded for colour. As Alan said above try to find someone that has breed them. Think I can remember that only about 25% last more than 12 months. I hate losing fish, almost puts u off looking at the tank and my girlfriend thinks I'm a killer.

Does the water smell of sulphur. I do recomend u get the water checked not just for the fish but for your family as well. Cost my mate $15,000.00 to sort his water supply out with new deeper bore and filter system.

Use peat but check that it is just peat with no additives like fertilizer. What kind of stones do u have in the tank. If fruit salad (white/gold)shingle if could contain shell so will increase pH. Is this bore water? or town supply (Rangoon). If bore water get it checked. When I was living in Woodend b4 they put the new water plant in it wasn't suitalbe to drink-nearly and the farm I worked on between Kaiapoi and Rangiora was worse. A friend of mine just brough a place in Ohoka that required a new bore as water wasn't even suitable for live stock. If on town supply get them to send you a break down of whats in the water. It will be a surprise. Did you track down some Discus?

Yes sometimes LFS don't have great plants but then again they are only cuttings and will only look good when they are given a chacne to get a foot hold. If your looking for different plants try Redwood. Ask what they have out the back. Last time I was there the tanks infront of the counter had some plants that I hadn't seen b4. Large leafed sword type plant but on stem not just a crown plant and there was another that the women said producers lots of vines that the fish swim in and out of. One day I'm going to get the second one so I can plant it in my tall Discus tank i think it would really start to give that natural look. If it's for Discus check what the plant requires as my Vallis in this tank aren't great due to requireing a higher than Discus would like Hardness.

Yes they do seem to be on the veins and because the fish seem fine I've not been treating them with anything but interested in what they are. Same as our finger nails maybe?

I get little white stops on the tail of my Discus that seem to grow out as the tail gets bigger. Doesn't seem to cause any problems or transfer to other fish? Anyone seen this b4.

Went diving on holiday in Ozzie and Fiji and this is what got me interested in keeping fish. Started of with freashwater but plan to have reef tank within a year.. The best dive was when the local fiji boys took me out on a nigth dive b4 we went to have a good buy Kava drinking sestion. No bottles only mask snokle and flippers and $10.00 torch. The boys(3 guys from the local footy team) got 9 stonefish, 5 mackel and about a dozen reef fish about diner plate size. The stonefish tasted great after a couple of kava's. Great nigth, we were about 50-100 metre's from the shore in a channel, Moon was full. Back on shore ask the boys what was rubbing up against me every now and then in the water. This was only reef sharks, ONLY??? they said if it was a Tiger we would'nt be having anything for tea as the tigers eat every-thing and if it wasn't the catch bag if would be one of us. A month before we got there they had a 16' Tiger in the lagoon. This they caugth in there 12' diggy with a crow bar and graden fork but only after being knocked out of the boat a couple of times. Would love to dive more but to cold here and can't find the time to do my ticket.

I agree with the above. Discus aren't as hard to keep as some people make out. A breeding pair would really be the icing on top. I have a tank about the same size but tall with tetras, rams (only one pair as they can be a problem), 3 cory's and 3 small Discus. Lots of plants as well but due to depth these aren't looking so great. I water change between 25%-30% both sat-sunday only because I'm mad. My water comes out of the hot tap in to a bucket into the tank. I have peat in the filter just to keep it from bouncing around to much. Tap water in CHCH doesn't have any chems added so you migth have to age it and ph of 7.4 with dh at about 4 if I can remember. If you can keep things like Rams I'm sure Discus wont be to hard. Good luke. Try the NZDiscusman for good fish at fair rates.