ajbroome

Ira said... > Anyone here know what's going on with it? I'd e-mail Cees directly, in case he doesn't check the site in time. Tank crawls are fun, but they *make* it rain... Andrew.

Sayhitosteve said... > ... how many were you and your friend after??? If the price was right I'd probably take a dozen. Happy to swap for some killies Andrew.

Janey said... > Can someone tell me what the eggs should be labelled as to > get them past customs without any hassles? My understanding is they have to be clearly labelled as being Artemia salina. I spent quite a lot of time several years ago working with Stu Macdiarmid (a senior guy at MAF at the time) getting this approved. Going back to my correspondence just now, I find this (dating back to Sept 1997 - I keep *everything* ) ... > MAFRA Standard 152.10.08.502. which states. > 1 The aquaria foods should comprise non-viable animal or > aquatic animal products only, with the exception of Artemia > salina cysts. Hmmm... interesting stuff. Ah. Poo. Seems there's been some updating since then: Ignore the above, the following *should* be definitive... http://www.maf.govt.nz/biosecurity/impo ... ic.all.htm The important bit of which states... > ... > As such, they do not require a permit to import. > > 6 Eligibility > > 6.1 The product must comprise non-viable animal or > aquatic animal products only, with the exception of viable > Artemia salina and Artemia fransiscana cysts. > > The product must: EITHER > > 6.2.1 be shelf stable and packaged for retail sale as aquaria > food in hermetically sealed containers; OR > > ... I suggest people quote the above standard at anyone who detains Artemia cysts that qualify. Hopefully that will clear it up. Andrew.

Pegasus said... > Are we talking 60 bucks NZ or 60 bucks US ? I said... > > That works out at around NZ$60 a pound. Pegasus went on to say... > Around $792:00 NZD is a lot "o" money for shrimp NZ$792 divided by 12 = NZ$66 per pound. Depends on what exchange rate you were using, I guess. I worked on 0.55 you seemed to have been using 0.50. I'd still buy 2 or 3 cans, or other 1 lb sealed units, even at NZ$66. Once they were in NZ. Andrew.

Sayhi2Steve said... > ... my Marleri Julies have paired and spawned. I know someone who is looking for these fish. Please contact me if/when you have some to spare and I'll put you in touch. I may even want some myself... Andrew.

colinmarshall said... > ... you can purchase a 12lb case of Grade A Brine shrimp for > US$396.44 freight included. That works out at around NZ$60 a pound. If they came as pound cans at that price, I'd buy two possibly three. Anyone want the other 9 or 10 cans? I wouldn't want to pay that for one 12 pound container though... Andrew.

Ira said... > If you look close you can actually see clouds in the water This makes me wonder if you're getting 'blooms' of paramecia... Andrew.

Cat said... > ... unless you happen to come across a fish keeping vet > **ducked for the flying pig** they probably have no idea > what sort of illness is what! We used to have a good fishkeeping vet here in PN. He had one of the better fishrooms I've seen and bred a lot of species, sadly (for us) he now lives in Australia (at least around Noosa was where I last heard of him living). Many vets just plain don't know about fish ("fish aren't pets, fish are what pets eat" to paraphrase ) and most people aren't prepared to pay the kinds of money that typical cat or dog owners are for a diagnoses and treatment, that may or may not work. Peety said... > ... when I know what will cure my fish i.e. a hex treatment, > or anti biotics, the vet can't give me meds due to his own > ignorance. I just get replies like "i don't know anything about > fish so can't sell you the meds you require" CRAP. I'm completely in favour of vets (and Drs) tightly controlling the distribution of anti-biotics. There is far too much mis-use of these powerful chemicals in the world and I don't think it should be added to lightly. Sometimes, if you have a 'tame' vet (ie one you've built up a long term relationship with) then you can the appropriate drugs easier. Another way of looking at it is, what are we doing to allow our fish to get sick? Many illnesses can be avoided by careful quarantine and maintenance of good water quality. Fish generally have good immune systems and can fight off most ailments if they're in a good environment and well fed. Pegasus said... > ... The fins stay folded, the fish swims restlessly around, and > often scrapes against objects... erratic dashing around. > More than likely the fish has skin parasites, or possibly > ammonia probs, eg: damaged gills, but sounds like parasites. If these are the symptoms then (without seeing the fish) I agree that it's likely that your fish has some sort of external parasite. I'd suggest 'whitespot' which you should be able to see or perhaps 'velvet' which can be more tricky to spot (no pun intended) and is therefore, IMHO, more dangerous. Salt can be used against both, in freshwater fish. There are plenty of resources available on the internet which will suggest alternative treatments as well. Just my thoughts. Andrew.

Cat said... > Do you have any three or four foot tanks? Not at the moment. Most of them are 2ft and under. > Has the fishroom progressed further than the supporting > wall yet? No, not really. Sorting out the polystyrene this weekend (via Bruce in Napier) and the wall lining (via Daniel) so things should start progressing again after the weekend. Then it'll be time to work on the stands. It's getting closer, but I WANT IT NOW!!! I've only been waiting 15+ years... Andrew.

Folks, As mentioned elsewhere I just got some new fish. Some nice Epiplatys annulatus and Aplocheilus lineatus gold. I'm looking forward to propagating them and hopefully getting them spread around the country to interested hobbyists. Thanks to those who helped me out on this mission Can't want to get the fishroom up and running. Tank space is getting very limited. Hopefully that'll be sorted in a couple of weeks though. Getting polystyrene from Napier this weekend and the wall lining sheets early next week. Andrew.

KerryO said... > My plan is to get a large block of polysterene... This may seem obvious but don't forget that polystyrene wants to float... > I'm still not sure what fish I want, and will probably start of with > some schools of the cheaper fish. Just remember not to try and add them all at once. Your biological filter will need time to establish. Get half a dozen (or so) of one type of fish, add them, and wait a couple of weeks before adding the next group (either more of the same, or a different species). I'd also get some algae eating species as well as some type of corydoras to help clean up left-over food (make sure they get fed as well though). Sounds like you're well on the way though. Good luck. Andrew.

Ira said... > Anyone know how long a mealworm life cycle is? Have a look at: http://www.hortnet.co.nz/publications/h ... 401013.htm > Wifey thinks I'm nuts for trying to grow mealworms for the fish. Note: It's Valentines day. > Oh, any tips other than throwing an occasional potato in for moisture? http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/cmeal.htm http://www.icomm.ca/dragon/mealworm.htm etc etc etc. Andrew.

Caryl, > I use it to keep my spawning mops floating in the killie tank. Did you say the 'K' word? Andrew.

KerryO said... > How many litres in a 3' tank? How long is a piece of string? Obviously, the volume of an object depends on all the external dimensions, not just the length. There doesn't seem to be any rule governing the height and width of 3 foot tanks. Often they're 15 inches high and wide or 18 or some other dimension. To calculate the volume of a tank in litres, measure the inside and multiply the length x width x height (in cm) and divide by 1000. A 3ft x 15 x 15 inch tank equates to approx 90 x 37 x 37cm which when divided by 1000 gives you about 120L. You can safely subtract 10 or 15% to allow for gravel and space at the top etc so you'd be looking at about 100L. All calculations above are approximate, of course, and the final volume will depend on the actual dimensions of the tank you're using. Bear in mind that if you use a sump and trickle filter that this will need to be incorporated in the calculation. Personally, I'd try and use two x 100W so neither one is working too hard. Andrew.

Aqua said... > ... I've dubbed it a 'he' out of simplicity Males have dorsal fins that look way too tall to be 'right'. They're generally smaller and thinner than females too, but comparisons only work if you've got both options to look at Get another one or two, the one you've got will appreciate it and probably become even more entertaining. I'm hoping to get some for my LF-WCMM tank soon. Andrew.

Joze said... > ... why is it that cheap tanks only seem to be selling in Auckland grr. If they know you're looking for them, they go into hiding. They will re-appear once you've paid top dollar for others. I *should* have some spare tanks available once I've set up the fishroom. I've been stashing them away and have about 75 of assorted sizes at the moment. I'll probably end up with 50 or so in the fishroom, mostly smaller ones. Andrew.

Caryl said... > Bring a van to conference Andrew as we have a factory here > that makes polystyrene sheets any size you want. I'm a bit tighter schedule than that, thanks though Caryl. Actually, there's a place here that sells the stuff too. I'm just investigating cheaper options since I need a bit. Thanks again, Andrew.

Aqua said... > Does anybody know who I can get in touch with Have a look for PM Bakker in the whitepages... (If you have problems, contact me privately and I'll give you the correct phone number, I'm not keen on posting other peoples contact details on public fora). Andrew.

Folks, Although not directly connected with this thread, I thought I say that my fishroom wall frame went up this afternoon. Just got to track down some good sheets of polystyrene for insulation and some lining material, then get the door organised and I'll be well on the way. Woo-hoo! Thanks Daniel (in case you're reading this ). Andrew, getting closer...

colinmarshall said... > ... any ideas on how many times they will eat their eggs ... Like most pairs of cichlids, some will always eat their eggs and/or fry while others never will. There is no rule but it has been said that more mature pairs are more likely to raise their fry so it may just be a matter of time. Are you sure you've got a pair and not two females? Andrew.

Mitch said... > Do I take the eggs out? If you want to raise the fry from this batch then I'd remove the eggs ASAP into a smaller tank with some methylene blue and an airstone to keep the water moving. > leave things alone? You could leave things alone but I'd bet the eggs and/or fry will get eaten within a week. You could remove all the fish other than the angels but the adults may still eat the eggs and/or fry - especially if stressed by your fishing... > panic? No need. > wait till the possible fry hatch and then remove them? That could work, if the eggs make it that far. > or what do you experts suggest ... I'm no expert but since the eggs are on a tank ornament you may never have a better opportunity to try raising the fry away from the adults. From now on they'll spawn on something immovable - I bet Whatever happens, the adults will probably want to spawn again in 2 or 3 weeks... Andrew.

Macka said... > otocinclus are for sale at redwoods for only 3-4 dollars Of course! I'd happily buy more at that price. Each day, my tank looks cleaner. Andrew.

Dennis said... > .... i have 3 male and 2 female how many of ea do i put in? Apparently, more males than females is a good thing. Have a look at: http://www.corydoras.net/breeding.aspx Andrew.

Whetu said... >... Can anyone tell me where I can get nylon wool suitable > for making spawning mops? For my killies, I use a lot of mops. Generally I make these by wrapping any handy *acrylic* wool numerous times around a suitable book and then cutting one end. The other end has another piece of wool tied around all the strands. I clamp one strand into a 35mm film cannister to make the mop float. Have a look here: http://www.petfish.net/mop.htm Andrew.

Folks, Just an update. Over the weekend, the 4 Otocinclus have done a great job of cleaning up much of the algae in my LF-WCMM tank. I expect it to be spotless in a week or so. Hopefully I'll be able to supply enough greenery to keep them happy once they've cleaned up the current lot. BTW: It's quite humourous to see them try and school with the WCMMs Andrew.