ajbroome

Cees said... > Should I add a category to the Fish Survey called 'Not on List' > where all of you can register species that you 'spotted' (not > necessarily own) that are not on the list? I think that might be a good idea. I've seen many things over the years that aren't on the permitted list. I remember seeing a tank full of Pangasius sutchii catfish once. Not that they're a practical animal for captive maintenance really... I've also seen 'Electric catfish' in NZ. Things come in from time to time as contaminants with more common fish or else as mimics in the case of some Corydoras. Andrew.

Benny said... > does anyone know the scientific name of the cichlid known > as the 'strawberry blue'? They came into Wet Pets as Cichlasoma synspilum several years ago as far as I can remember. The 'Strawberry Blue' bit was made up on site... It's amazing how far the name has spread. Nice fish though, if you like big SA cichlids. Andrew.

Caryl said... > Aphyosemion scheeli would be good to start with. That's good advice. Epiplatys dageti might also be worth a go... Or perhaps Aphyosemion australe. Get in touch with me if you're interested in some killies. Stuart Lord in Upper Hutt generally has some available and I'm sure he would be happy to help. Check out http://nzka.killi.net Andrew.

Derek said... > ... let me know if you want some crypts. I'm sure I can spare > one or two plants of a few species to get you started again. Thanks for that. I'll be sure to be in touch once I've got things sorted out. Probably wont be until closer to the end of the year... Andrew.

Bigfish said... > do you heat the new water that is going to be put into a > tropical tank to about the same temp or can you go straight > from the tap to tank? If it's a relatively small change (say about 10% of the water volume) then I wouldn't be too concerned. Generally I do about a 25% change per week and mix hot and cold water to 'close enough, as judged by my finger' sort of a temperature. When I kept red-earred turtles I regularly did 90% water changes straight from a hose in through the window. The tank also contained fish at various times (swordtails and/or goldfish mostly). They didn't seem to care too much although eventually the turtles ate them Andrew.

Ira said... > What's the treatment? I hate diagnosing things without seeing the fish in question but it *sounds* like some sort of fungal growth, probably on some sort of wounds, perhaps from agression from other fish. The salt thing is probably a good idea. I'm never a fan of moving fish if they're sick, the extra stress seems to do them in more often than not... Andrew.

Cees said... > One of his crypts produced a flower and we took a picture. Mmm... you've got to love aroids. Most of the big scary ones I grow are not aquatic unfortunately. I have flowered a couple of Crypts in the past but don't currently have any. However, I intend to get back into them once I get settled into the new house. Andrew.

Cees said... > I noticed the following entry > Acanthophthalmus spp, Coolie loaches > Is that correct ?? > I always thought it was Kuhli loach The beauty of common names is that they often come in a variety of spellings... It's derived from the specific name of one species, A. kuhlii. There's a good article at: http://www.loaches.com/kloach.shtml Interestingly enough, I'd met Al Castro as he was a killifish guy, but he died back in February. Andrew.

Nicky said... > ... the stones are definately going. Probably a good idea. > i was wondering if i should just start afresh since i have no fish, > and i can wait a while to get them, id rather get the water > conditioning sorted first. Personally, once I'd removed the stones, I'd be inclined to change maybe 50% of the water (fresh tap water should be fine) and leaving everything else as it is. > are there any tips on conditioning my tap water without chemicals? My suggestion would be to get a 20L plastic bucket to use only for fish stuff. Every Friday night (or at some point convenient to you) I'd fill it with tap water and then leave it overnight. Every saturday I'd remove 20 - 25% of the tank water and replace with the aged water from the bucket. At that rate I wouldn't worry about removing the chlorine or warming the water up to the same as the tank. It should be close enough. Used tank water makes good water for your pot plants, assuming no other chemicals (even salt) have been added. > im from auckland and would love to join a local club There are several. Have a look at: http://www.fnzas.org.nz/clubs.0.html > as well as get a name of a good pet store. The ones I visit when I'm in AKL are Jansens and Hollywoods. Both are quite close to each other and tend to have similar stock. I'd go to whichever one had the most helpful staff at the time. If you're at Jansens on a Sunday, ask for Lawrence > about my filteration- i have a shark 3 internal power filter and > a scuba heating system. I've never used either so can't really comment. Just be sure to follow the manufacturers instructions and all should be well. > i also have a testing kit to measure PH, ammonia and nitrate > levels. I wouldn't worry about these too much until you'd introduced your first fish. This is when the biological cycling will start. Once the water has settled down to your satisfaction, it's time for your first fish. I'd be inclined to buy a pair of guppies and leave them in the tank for a week (at the very least) after that increase the stock slowly at about the rate of a couple of fish per week until you reached the level you were happy with. Your tank should support 15 to 20 guppy sized (as adults) fish in my experience but it's better to be on the low side, especially when you're starting out. Oh, and be warned, the guppies *will* breed and the adults *will* eat the babies if they're left in there. This is the way many a 2nd tank is acquired... ;-) Keep us posted how you go and keep asking questions here. Andrew.

Caryl said... > You would think Javacus fernicus would be simpler eh? Except that there is probably more than one fern on Java. It's a pretty big island... with *lots* of nice Nepenthes... ;-) Andrew.

Nicky said... > hi . im a beginner at keeping fish Welcome to the hobby > ... and am in need of some advice The two best bits of advice that Ic an give any newbie is to a) Nip down to the library and borrow a couple of general aquarium books. They'll do you the world of good, I'm sure. b) Find out about your local club and attend a meeting or two. It's unlikely that anyone there will demand you join up immediately but I'm sure they'd appreciate your membership once you've now or once you'velearnt some more. > ...my partner and i decided to buy a fish tank (24X12). That's a good size to start with. I wouldn't recommend anything smaller to someone fresh to the hobby. > it was filled with tap water, lined with gravel, i have a driftwood, > some white marble stones and a few plants. Since youmention later that you're planning on keeping guppys I assume you have a heater? What about filtration? > i treated the water a couple of days ago using an aquarium > set up kit (aquarium pharmaceuticals) and the water has been > cloudy since then. the kit suggests that this is due to the hardness > of the water and that i buy another of its products! I'm not a big fan of dropping stuff into your tank to 'fix' things especially at this early stage. > im not too sure what to do next and would like some advice > on how to clear the water. It's definitely worth trying to work out what's causing the cloudyness before we go any further. I'm keen to hear about your filtration... > ... i intend to buy guppies at the end of the week. I'd be inclined to wait until the water had cleared. At best only buy a pair or two of guppies to start with. Patience now will pay of in the long run I assure you. Andrew.

Pegasus said... > What is the latin name for Java Fern?? Generally it's known as Microsorium pteropus. But apparently Polypodium pteropus may also be correct... Interestingly there may be 60 to 100 odd species, I don't know if any others in cultivation but apparently M. brassii (New Guinea) and M. schneideri (Sumatra) at least are aquatic. Andrew.

Pegasus said... > Where is the problem Cees. This is a good discussion, and > very interesting to breeders of fighters. I can see Cees point though. It's much easier to follow threads a year or two later if the subject line is kept relevant. I'm as guilty as the enxt person but promise to try harder in the future ;-) It's easy enough to do. Andrew.

Bruce said... > WOW, What a response already Be warned, this may all get waaaay out of hand ;-) > Those wanting to come up for the weekend will need to > start booking accomodation NOW. Labour Weekend is a > busy time in the Bay, if you need any information on this > please let me know and I will help you out where I can It's much too early for me to actually book anything. I have pencilled it into my diary and fully intend to be there but October is just too far away to be 100% sure of anything yet. I figure if I can't find a bed towards the end of September then that'll just be too bad... > Who Mentioned Red Wine???? That may've been Derek. Damn catfish breeders, you can't trust 'em you know... ;-) Andrew.

Rob said... > Tentatively I'd be keen on heading down to Napier and > staying a night - meeting up with fellow fish people. See if you can convince Richard Littin or someone to travel with you. I expect he might be up for a trip by then... > Just no Dutch auctions, right Bruce? You did alright out of the last one though Rob But you're right, they are evil. Andrew.

Derek said... > Are you bringing the red wine Andrew? Count on it! Sounds like everyone is getting behind this Hawkes Bay plan. Should be a good weekend. Andrew.

Benny said... > what other geophagus are available here? G. steindachneri (G. hondae) is sometimes available. Nice, smaller species that's pretty easy to breed (a maternal mouthbrooder). I bred a bunch of them years ago... Andrew.

Folks, For anyone interested, there's one for sale at Wet Pets in PN for $111. Just a juvenile... Andrew.

Ira said... > How long of a drive is that from Wellington? It'd be about 4hrs each way, maybe a little less. Well worth an overnighter I reckon. A good chance to see the aquarium too... And you could make the slight detour to PN to check out Wet Pets... Maybe Fishroom people could get together for dinner somewhere on the saturday night? Andrew.

Bruce said... > The Hawkes Bay Club is looking at putting on a Fish Display >on the Saturday of Labour Weekend (19th October), As in a non-competative fish show sort of thing? Sounds good to me. I suspect PNAS will get behind it and I wouldn't be suprised if the NZKA didn't have something to offer on some level too. Keep us posted. Andrew.

David said... > Just a thought-if as a group you wanted to get some eggs you > could have them certified and then sealed-that should appease > the pesky beaurocrats. You'd think, wouldn't you? Sadly, not an option as far as the law here goes > I didnt actually get them from Wright-but he is a member of > the Aquatic plant growers society with me. I visited him in 1996. Tell him 'Hi' from me next time you see him Andrew.

Benny said... > so are you guys saying you have never seen a black arowana? If you look at my last message you'll see that I say that you may occasionally see a 'black' arowana. I can remember seeing one or two, several years ago but not for ages... then again, I haven't been spending as much time in fish shops as I used to... Andrew.

Bigfish said... > when you say 'plecostomus' does that mean all types like > bristlenose catfish and ottos? I meant the regular big 'pleco' that you see everywhere. This is not to say others might not work, it depends on how cold the tank drops to. A lot of the 'pleco' type fish are from fast flowing waters which, even in the tropics, tend to be cooler... The same can be said of some rainforest fish that come from shaded forest streams or up mountains. There are some killies from western Africa for example that live up mountains and as such will not tolerate 'tropical' temperatures even though they definitely come from tropical countries... Anyway, the weekend has started so I'm off home Andrew.

Bigfish said... > i saw that you could keep peppered catfish without heaters > so i was wondering do most good fish stores have them? > especially in christchurch? I would expect even bad fish stores to have 'Peppered cats'. They might be labelled as 'Corydoras paleatus'. Adults are easy to sex, the males are much smaller and have tall dorsal fins. They're pretty straight-forward to spawn in aquaria too... Andrew.

Rob said... > It's a little difficult identifying one Killi from another when > they're eggs. Yes, you could tell MAF what they're supposed > to be, we're dealing with an arm of the government here... Sad though that all manner of plants can be imported as seeds, and we know how invasive some plants are and that there are many more plant weeds than fish ones... ;-) Andrew.