ajbroome

Warren said... > I have P.Norths registrations for their delegates. Also > 1 payment without a registration (???????!!!....) Dunno anything about that, sorry, best you talk to the PNAS hierarchy. Maybe someone generously decided to pay for me? :-) I still don't know when you need the money... Andrew.

Warren said... > Please send in ASAP. There are currently only 18 official registrations. > Get off your butts and send them in now (please). PNAS had its meeting last night and it looks like there will be two delegates and at least 4 observers, all of whom promised to get their paperwork in the mail right away. Some will have their own accomodation sorted out personally. Do you need just the paperwork, a deposit, or all the money up front? Thanks, I know the hassles involved in organising these things... Andrew.

Hi, I've been to several US fish stores (as well as a few in the UK and Australia and perhaps the odd NZ one ). I'd say, in general, the better NZ stores are up there with a good overseas one. The prices are similar and the range of species available is not even all that different. Of course, there are a few species that you just don't see in NZ shops but in general you have to go to the really good stores in the US to see them anyway. As usual, the best fish are held by hobbyist breeders. I've seen some really nasty stores in the US, ones that made me shudder and turn around to leave immediately. These have generally been older, run down, stores where the owners have lost interest. The really disturbing trend I've found with US stores is the proliferation of 'chain' type shops. The 'McDonalds' of aquarium suppliers. All are the same and mostly only stock the basics. It's shops like these that put at risk the good, privately owned, shops which carry the different or unusual fish, in my experience. I see you're in the Wellington region, Ira, and I must say that that area has been sadly lacking in a good fish shop for several years now. To see good shops you really need to head up to Palmerston North, Hamilton, Auckland or down to Christchurch from what I've seen (sorry to have missed anyones favourites out, I'm generalising). There really isn't that much that isn't available here for the general hobbyist. Granted, not all fish are available all the time (as you might see in bigger overseas shops) but things generally become available if you wait long enough. It's a good idea to form a good relationship with your favourite retailer so that you can be advised when things of interest become available. Fish clubs are also good sources of unusual species, if you ask around. Anyway, just my thoughts... Andrew.

Hi, I especially like the idea of a 'morning tear' at 9:45 on the sunday. I've had mornings like that Looks to be a good conference. Looking forward to it. When do 'observers' have to have sent in their forms etc by? Andrew.

Caryl said... > I am sure there will be plenty of wine for you Andrew as Napier > keeps trying to tell everyone they are the best wine district in NZ. > They can never compete with Marlborough but they can continue > to kid themselves. I expect I'll cope. You could always bring some of your local produce so we could compare Actually, I've had nice wines from both areas. Generally the kinds of things I've been drinking lately have come from the south or Martinborough (lots of Pinot Noir etc) although I've had some nice Cab Savs/Merlot/Malbec blends from the Hawkes Bay too. When I was drinking more whites, most of the preferred ones were from Marlborough. I couldn't get over the amount of new land converted to grapes when I was in the Hawkes Bay over Easter after not being there for the best part of a year. I have plans to visit the Alpha Domus winery after conference since it's owned by a family I know (one of whom was an old PNAS member actually). Since spending some time Western Australia last year, I've been converted to Shiraz... Andrew.

Cees said... > Andrew was mentioned as part author there. Perhaps he could > shed some more light on this. 'Part author' is perhaps somewhat generous of Mark, all I did was offer some suggestions. But anyway, I've seen Gambusia affinis for sale as 'cold water guppies'. Avoid these at all costs. They are truely nasty little fish and no good to anyone (well, OK, my turtles used to eat them but they weren't known for the pickyness). As Rob said, they are illegal to have on your property (this includes ponds) and DOC are putting some efforts in to stop their spread through NZ. This is a good idea as they're not alternatively known as Damn-busia for nothing... They are a pest fish worldwide. Leopard fish (Phalloceros) are a much better bet if you want something with a low-ish temperature tolerance. I've found them to not like frosts though so if you're going to keep them outdoors you might want to make sure it's a relatively frost free area or else bring some inside over the winter. People often confuse Phalloceros with the 'holbrooki' (ie spotted) form of Gambusia affinis but I have never seen this fish in NZ, although I have caught some in nets while fishing in Florida. They are superficially similar but quite different once you've seen both. Leopard fish make an excellent livebearer for an un-heated indoor aquarium and I usually try and have a few on hand although I'm down to only a pair or two at the moment. Hope that helps. Andrew.

Hi, People looking for a good fish shop, close(ish) to Wellington, should not forget Wet Pets in Palmerston North. The best shop I've seen south of Auckland. In Auckland I usually visit Jansens and/or Hollywoods. Hope that helps. Andrew.

Folks, I'll be there, arriving Friday night. Peter Sebborn will be too since I'll be hitching a ride with him We'll both be observers. I can say that Jan Payne and Rowan Lee will be delegates for PNAS. I expect that there will be a few other observers from PNAS too, since the club has lots of new keen members. Alan Wakelin and (I think) Jane McCarthey will be delegates for NZKA. Looking forward to what should be an interesting weekend. Wine? Who mentioned wine? Andrew.

Folks, Just letting interested people know that the NZKA held its AGM in Hamilton over the previous week and I think I can safely say that it went well. Even though there were less people there than I'd hoped (all those Aucklanders who said previous AGMs were held too far away still didn't attend one almost in their back yard) it was a good meeting. I know I had a good time. As usual lots of fish and eggs changed hands and we managed to pick up at least one new member so that can't be bad. There has been some changes in who is running the association, with Stuart Lord being the new President, Hazel Goodin is the new Secretary, Peter Sebborn remains as Treasurer and journal producer, Richard Littin continues in his roll as 'species controller' and Dave Dalziel is going to edit the journal. I wish all the above good luck and hope 2002 is a good year for the NZKA and the people (and fish) in it. I'll still check in here when I can, and will try to help anyone who has any questions. Later, Andrew.

Hey people, This is just to let you know that tonight I went to a meeting designed to regenerate the PNAS. It looks like things might be taking off again. Fingers crossed anyway. Some of the same old faces, but enough new ones to hopefully make a go of things. Anyone who wants contact details should feel free to get in touch with me at [email protected] and I'll point you to the appropriate people. See you all in Napier for Conference. Andrew.

Hi Michael, Good meeting you on Sunday. There hasn't been much in the way of shows in NZ over the last few years, although they were held regularly in the early 1990s and before. The FNZAS held a small show at the last conference, in Hamilton. The NZKA has a killifish only show in conjunction with its AGM and and auction every year. Hope that helps. Andrew.

Folks, Anyone with an interest in killies should feel free to contact me ([email protected]) at any time. Also, check out the NZKA web page at: http://nzka.killi.net Our AGM is being held in Hamilton on the weekend of the 13th, if anyone is in the area. Andrew.

Caryl, Some good photos there. The 'Killifish' is Aplocheilus lineatus gold. It's good to see NZKA members represented in so many of the pics... Andrew.

I'm always on the lookout for a good supply of brineshrimp eggs. I've typically paid around the $100 a pound (can or bag) and am not too keen to pay the 2.5 x that I've been hearing about lately. Any ideas gratefully received. Once upon a time we brought in a bunch of cans for $25ea but that was when overseas prices were much more reasonable than they have been lately. Having said that, prices seem to be dropping in the US at least this year... Andrew.

Ooops! Forgot to mention that Epiplatys dageti would be another good place to start your killifish breeding efforts. Mine are producing eggs at the moment and I am getting fry so I'm hoping to have some available in the near future. Of course, you should check in with Stuart Lord to see what he's got at the moment. Generally he'll have something worth trying. It might be worth talking to John Philips too... I'll probably be disposing of some annual killifish eggs soon, mostly Nothobranchius species... Obviously they'll be offered to NZKA and AUNZZA members first but any spares will be available to anyone who wanted to have a go... Andrew.

D'oh! How did I miss the following from Cees...? > I've been breeding guppies for quite > sometime but I'm considering expanding > to other species. Simple question, what > would be a good killifish to start with? Kellys suggestion of the gold form of Aplocheilus lineatus is a good one. The fish does get quite big though but does have the advantage that it'll happily eat guppies... Another good, perhaps more colourful, species to consider starting out with might be Aphyosemion scheeli. Both species are non-annual, the eggs taking about 2 weeks to hatch at typical aquarium temperatures. There is plenty of online info available, including the NZKA web page at: http://nzka.killi.net which has articles about the fish and photos available off the 'species' page. Another good source of local killifish info is the AUNZZA mailing list that I run. If you (or anyone else) is keen to get any killies, feel free to contact me privately via [email protected] or any of my other various addresses Once again, sorry for missing the question earlier.

Cees, I know that Peter Sebborn ([email protected]) and Kelly Rennell took photos at the FNZAS conference. Both will probably claim to not have anything worth posting but I'm inclined to disagree... Caryl et al weren't without a camera either... It may be worth bugging them specifically, I know Peter is yet to start visiting this site. Andrew.