ajbroome

KerryO said... > The Iron Chelates are available at the garden centres. Ah. I looked but couldn't find any. > Don't forget there is already some in the cheap > Trace Element mix. That's what I figured so I thought I'd go with that in the short term. > I don't know how much though. No, it's a pain they don't seem to have a list of ingredients... Andrew.

Warren said... > ... it is highly likely the cloudiness is caused by a > precipitate reaction of the trace element mix. Bear in mind that if you're using a cheap 'garden store' trace element mix it will not've been optimised for use in aquaria so it's possible that there is just some less soluble material in the mix which causes temporary clouding. I've just made up a mix containing cheap stuff (trace elements, potassium sulphate, magnesium sulphate basically at the levels suggested in the 'Sears-Conlin report'). It's a cloudy solution (and was from the start) that temporarily clouds the tank water but it clears soon enough. The fish seem to be coping but I've only added it for the last 2 days. I'm adding about 8mL per day to my approx 300L tank. > 0.25 Teaspoons of Manganese sulphate > 4 Teaspoons of Iron Chelates What's the suggested benefit of the Manganese sulphate? Where'd you get the 'Iron Chelates' from? > The water is from the hot tap This may be significant. I used cold RO water and no HCl. > I have a very controlled environment with no organics > or other unknown dissolved salts... You're not adding any nitrates? I didn't have easy access to Potassium nitrate so skipped it. But, am now wondering if I should add Manganese nitrate (which I can easily do - there are benefits to working in a lab ). What about Sodium nitrate? Thoughts? Andrew.

Caryl said... > I thought you were taking time off and continuing on > to Christchurch? Yep, Peter Sebborn and I were planning on doing that but now he's off to the tropics for work for several weeks so that kinda puts the kibosh on that. While I could, of course, go to Blenheim anyway, part of the appeal was the Chch trip. I'll see what happens over the next few weeks but it's unlikely I'll get organised enough in time. We'll go down to Chch later on in the year perhaps. Maybe wait for spring and go see Kelly too. > Carey was looking forward to seeing you. Yes, well, I was looking forward to catching up with him too and checking out the shops etc. Ah well, can't be helped. Andrew.

Caryl said... > A note of warning to those who have yet to send in their > registration forms The PNAS AGM is next wednesday so hopefully we'll sort out who is going from here, then. Looks like I wont be able to make it after all Andrew.

Warren, For NZKA: President Stuart Lord Secretary Hazel Goodin Treasurer Peter Sebborn You should be able to get contact info from the yearbook... PNAS: President Daniel Giles 3 Oriana Place Palmerston North Secretary Andrew Broome 15 Rata Street Palmerston North 06 3585996 Treasurer Cathy Marchant (see her profile here for contact details 'Cat') Hope that helps. Andrew.

Robin said... > To make matters worse my taste in fish was rather > exotic for South Africa. The range of fish in ZA (from what I've heard from people I know there) is better than in NZ generally although we do get quite a few species but generally the rarer stuff only comes in sporadically and is expensive. Feel free to get in touch with me next time you're heading to Palmerston North - I live quite close to Wet Pets. Mostly, I do killies and can certainly help you if you want to get into those There's a club here, our next meeting is April 16th at my place and is the AGM. Andrew.

Nico said... > What tools, techniques etc are required to cut/drill holes in > 10mm thick glass. Get it done by a professional. Andrew.

Pauly said... > It is a 120 L tank 55cm deep and I have 2 20 watt > biolux lights . Any advice would be appreciated . I'd start by adding more light. Try 2 (or even better 4) x 30W tubes. Light levels drop off rapidly with depth. Make sure you use new tubes. Andrew.

Caryl said... > Can I send 4 more to you Andrew? Hang onto them for a minute and I'll find out who the NZKA ones should go to so you can send them there, then I can use the ones you sent to me (nice job BTW ) for PNAS. How does that sound? At worst, you could probably send the NZKA ones to Stuart Lord. > ... it has been difficult with no Year Book. You're not wrong there. Thanks, Andrew.

Richard said... > ... if I fill it up with water from my existing tank (say from a water > change)... how long would the tank need to cycle? It'll speed things up a bit but it'd be better to use some gravel or media from your filter as well. Of course, the time taken will depend on the fish-load you intend for the new tank. Bio-filters vary depending on the current availability of nutrients for the bacteria. A tank that can support one small fish will not necessarily be able to cope with 20 new fish being added without having to 'cycle' to some degree again... Andrew.

Caryl said... > Andrew 4 are coming to you for NZKA They should've probably gone to who-ever is secretary. I never have been. Stuart Lord (current President) would know who is. > ... the 4 for PN went to Edwards/Cowan as I was told one of > them was secretary. Back on January 30, in this very thread, I asked for them to be sent to me since the Edwards/Cowan combo had left town. Ah well, I guess I can photocopy the NZKA ones and use them for PNAS. I'll see if I can find out who the NZKA secretary or delegates are and forward the paperwork to them. Andrew.

Caryl said... > The weekend starts with the usual get-together on Friday night ... Everything seems to be under control, I'm looking forward to the weekend. I'll be heading to Chch the week after and will be keen to catch up with any fishkeepers there... > We have a nightclub called Goats Don’t Shave Which is, oddly enough, the name of a band too... http://www.cookingvinyl.com/goats/ > ... a tour and tasting at Montana Wines Ltd Woo-hoo! > If anyone knows of updated club contacts since the ones > posted on this site, please let me know ASAP. I'm stand-in Secretary for PNAS and can be found at: 15 Rata Street Palmerston North. Andrew.

Aqua said... > What're the dimensions 44 x 22 x 22 inches (111 x 57 x 57 cm), about 360L - or more like effectively 300L. Andrew.

Folks, I took some quick photos of my tank yesterday using Peter Sebborns Nikon CoolPix 950 and they now live on my Oxalis site. Photos were taken during the day so there is some reflection on the glass, at some stage I'll get some better ones. Thanks to Ang for the HTML Have a look at: http://www.oxalis.50megs.com/tank.html Comments are welcome. Andrew.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/timaruhera ... 71,00.html

Aqua said... > huh? Think Homer Simpson (not Caryl ) and the Saxamophone... Anyway... Andrew.

John1 said... > Is it safe to buy a 4' x 18" x 18" and 6mm glass? Buying is safe. Filling with water, now that may be a different story As a data point, I've used (suitably braced) tanks of those dimensions in the past with no problem. I wouldn't go over 18 inches deep, over any reasonable sort of length, in 6mm glass regardless of bracing. $60 seems a good price, assuming quality of build is decent. Andrew, not Warren.

KerryO said... > ... how about posting a picture of your tank... Funnily enough, I was thinking about that today. Hopefully I'll be borrowing a 'digimital cramera' this weekend so will try and remember to do a pic then. Got some more Stapeliads in flower to record 1st though Andrew.

Folks, Just about got my indoor community tank to where I want it. The plants are settling in and many of the swords and crypts (ex-Len, Rob and Warren) are sending up new leaves. I'm about to put together a fertilizer mix to keep them a bit happier as well as improve the light spectrum they're getting with some new tubes but even without that I'm pretty happy with the way they're doing. The tank, you may remember, is almost 4 ft x almost 2 ft by almost 2 foot. Not a conventional size but the price was right... Anyway, the fish population consists of a pair of Angels (ex-Cat), 8 Corydoras metae (ex-Derek), 5 Aplocheilus lineatus (ex-Fee), a male Aphyosemion scheeli (ex-Me), 4 Ancistrus (ex-Bruce), 9 Harlequin Rasboras, 4 clown loaches and 4 Neon Dwarf rainbows (all ex-Wet Pets). I plan on adding 4 SAEs and perhaps a nice pair of Pearl Gouramis. Maybe a red-tailed shark too... My problem is, I want another type of larger (Angel or Gourami sized) peaceful mid-water fish. Preferably red but orange or bright yellow would work too. The tank is primarily viewed from 10 or 15 feet away and while most of the fish are visible at various times, I want something obvious and attractive to be a focal point. Just to make things difficult, there are various things I *don't* want: No, more Angels, Gouramis, or albino fish of any sort. Also nothing that will dig or eat the plants. So, any suggestions? I'm considering the one of the red rainbowfish such as Glossolepis incisus or Melanotaenia trifasciata but would really prefer something else... You input, as always, is welcome. Andrew.

Oscarfan said... > Sounds promising, how do I get in contact with Warren? See: http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/profil ... ofile&u=22 > This is the website of the guy on trademe. > > http://paul.aaquaria.com/Enter.html That's Paul Parsons. I've seen some ads lately on TRADEME. I've never seen the plant in NZ. See: http://www.fnzas.org.nz/index.php?320&user_plants=16 Andrew.

Hi, Good luck with the new group, fingers crossed it takes off. There's got to be enough keen fishkeepers in the area. Andrew, Palmerston North.

Pegasus said... > We have quite a few African keepers here, and we would all > like to hear about yours. And don't forget to tell us about your herps. I'm always interested in snake talk Andrew.

Artist said... > i was just wondering how big of an aquarium they will need? While they're supposed to get up to 12 inches in the wild I've never seen half that in aquaria. Still, they're a fairly chunky fish and need a bit of space. They can get a bit agressive as adults too, apparently. > i got 2 of them and they're about 2-3" You can probably expect them to get a little bigger but, from what I've seen, not too much or too quickly, especially in your tank. > ... is there any way to tell if the kissers are male or female? They will be one or the other There is not supposed to be an easy way to tell the genders apart. Andrew.

Richard said... > when you say they are better off in pairs or groups... do they > have to be of the same kind? I think they're better in groups of their own species, yes, although the albinos and bronzes (both Corydoras aeneus) school together nicely and seem to 'recognise' each other as being one species. Andrew.

Folks, I'm now on the lookout for some of the above since it's the ideal plant for Epiplatys annulatus fry to hide in. Anyone able to help me. Happy to pay or swap for killies. Andrew.