ajbroome

Back in December I said... > ... we lost an excellent fish breeder and a good friend to > the hobby on Wednesday morning... Today, in the mail I got a bit of a suprise. Floris' wife Denise sent me a bunch of killifish photos and slides (along with a really nice note) she'd found while sorting out his stuff. I'm well chuffed. He always had way too high an opinion of me. Andrew.

Chris.L said... > Here's a long-finned one ... Is that a long finned version of a regular Ancistrus or a different species that happens to have ridiculously long fins? Andrew.

Ira said... > Fiction. Well, there is the concept that it's illegal to have noxious fish or anything that might be mistaken for one... I don't know if the legislation still says this but apparently it once did. BTW: Did anyone see Stuart MacDiarmond 'Breakfast' this morning? He used to have fish (may still do, I haven't been to his house for several years) and was a good guy to know when he worked for MAF. He was largely responsible for clearing up the importation of Artemia for example, now he's a big wig at ERMA or some such place. Andrew.

Alisha said... > I am also looking for live food for my seahorses... Baby guppies live quite a while in salt water... Mysis shrimps are also good and found at various places around NZ, where are you based? Welcome aboard, BTW. Andrew.

Interfecus said.... > I have a female with a terrible temper which has already > killed one male and almost finished off another. Sure it's not a short finned male? Not saying you can't sex your Bettas but it's a common mistake. Andrew.

Caryl said... > You can go rockpooling any time Andrew. This is a PNAS club outing though. You know how *hard* it is to find a weekend that fits in with as many people as possible and to get people motivated to actually turn up? Of course you do... ;-) BTW: I like the sound of the Wairarapa tank crawl etc this year. Might have to see if I can make that one. Andrew.

Doc Holiday said... > Another thing that causes brown algae is sunlight I would tend to disagree. The diatoms that cause brown 'algae' don't need a lot of light (from the sun or anywhere) in order to do well. It's more a case of them sucking up available nutrients (usually in a newly set up tank) until other things out-compete them. > And as for cleaning it up, bristlenoses are masters at this. I've found time is your best friend when clearing up brown algae. Good plant growth also helps. Algae eating fish tend not to like the silica shells diatoms have and so aren't efficient controls in my experience. Andrew.

Ira said... > Where in Paraparararumumumu would be best to meet? We're meeting at the KFC at 11:00, Sunday 15th. Can't miss it on your left as you come into (Para)*2umu*1 > PM me your cellphone number, just in case? Done. Andrew.

Folks, Peter Sebborn had a culture going for several years in a stupidly small container outdoors. They'd come to life when it rained and slowly die off as the tank dried up over the summer, only to come back at a later stage. There were various sizes in the culture so I'm sure there were different generations, probably some eggs didn't go into a resting stage and just hatched as they do in the wild (otherwise you'd only get one generation per year which is not a good thing if your lifespan is only a few weeks). He used to feed adult brineshrimp to his fish very occasionally. All was hunky-dory until some neighbourhood kids emptied the culture onto the ground and stole the tank. Swines! Andrew.

Janey said... > I thought I would issue an official invite to everyone ! If we end up cancelling out rock pool outing due to bad weather, can PNAS join in? We'd bring our own everything of course so as not to be a drain on resources. This is assuming people at this end are keen. Andrew.

Janey said... > ooh, I will be coming through Palmy on Sunday on my > way back from the exec meeting in Turangi, THEN I will > be seeing Caryl the following weekend. I could play messenger? This coming Sunday, the PNAS is poking around in the rockpools at Pukerua Bay. I'll be away from home between around 9:00am and, at a guess, 6:00pm or so (hoping to visit a Ceropegia grower in Waikanae on the way home) ... I'll be home saturday though, if you're passing through? Or you can try ringing me on my cellphone as you get close in case we're home early or not too far away, 025 6868773 Andrew.

Ira said... > I've read suggestions that you throw a few earthworms in > with your whiteworm culture. It keeps the media stirred up > and helps stop it from going bad... I do that. Can't say if it actually helps or not. Doesn't seem to hurt. I still reckon it's important to have a bit of glass sitting on top of the medium, covering the food and at least some of the rest of the surface. Helps with keeping things damp near the food, I reckon. Andrew.

Caryl said... > My husband and I will be at the BBQ too ... Coming up as far as P. North Caryl? I could give you those Oxalis bulbs instead of mailing them... Andrew.

Doc Holiday said... > The more protien the better. It depends. Electric Yellows (I *really* hate that name) may not be best evolved to make use of fish as a main protein source. You can feed a vegetarian fish lots of fish but it wont be as good a diet as one based on vegetables, for that fish... Andrew.

Jammos said... > I have a breeding pair that I bought ... Sure they're really a pair and not two females? Not doubting your supplier but mistakes can be made. I could pop around and have a look for you, if you like since I'm also in PN. Andrew.

Matthew said... > I am purchasing some of these soon. May I ask, from where? All the ones I've seen (or heard of) lately are males... > They will be my first killies that I have kept. Not the species I'd chose as my first killie. > I currently plan to keep six in a 1.5 foot tank *1*1. That'll be fine. > Any tips on the care of these... Riccia is your friend. ;-) Lots of very small live food (BBS etc, small daphnia, maybe grindals). They're not all that hard to breed but raising the fry is tricky. I've never managed to get them past the 2nd or 3rd generation, and I've spent a lot of time and money trying... I'd still try again though, they're one of my favourite fish ever but have been a constant source of frustration over the last 15 years or so... Good luck. Andrew.

Folks, I'm quite happy at the moment. I found 20 or so baby leopard fish in with the adults today. It's been 2 years or so since I had any youngsters of this species. Woo-hoo! Moved them out into a tank of their own and they're happily snacking out on brineshrimp at the moment. Andrew.

Ira said... > There's a pullout right where the road meets the coast heading > from wellington area. Seems like a fairly easy spot to get water. > It can't be too far from where you guys are planning on going. I know where you mean and that's the kind of place we had in mind. Since we're coming from the north we might stop at an earlier one, or else there's an interesting spot just past that (heading south) where the sea is not visible but you turn off the main road towards it. I've seen geckoes etc there as well as the usual sea-life. Paraparaumu is only 15min or so up the road, it'd be great if you could meet us there, Ira, so we could all stick together. Otherwise, as I said earlier, I'll have my cell phone with me. Andrew.

paddy_whack said... > So it is Pukerua and not Pukeura then?... It's Pukerua Bay, near Wellington. People near there will know where I mean. Andrew.

Ira said... > Pukerua Bay...Hey, That's near me, isn't it? That bit of coast opposite (ish) Kapiti Island, between Paramata and Paekakariki. > I'll have to see if I can meet you guys there then! You'd be most welcome, of course. Andrew.

Caryl said... > I would have printed more of your photos too if the cost > wasn't prohibitive. I'll try and make them cheaper next time ;-) Andrew.

Folks, The Palmerston North club is going to spend some time poking about in the rock pools down at Pukeura Bay on Sunday the 15th of Feb. If anyone wants to join us they'd be more than welcome. It's pretty much a 'bring your own everything' kind of deal. Contact me for more info. Happy to shuttle fish etc from PN to anyone who can meet us in Pukeura Bay or vice versa if that's useful to anyone. Andrew.

Matthew said... > has anyone bred these? if so any tips appreciated. I've been wanting to have a go with mine. I'm pretty sure, based on body shape, that I've got at least one female and probably a couple of males. They're not a commonly bred fish although I have heard reports from NZers of finding more fish when stripping down a tank than were put in there... There are some online references: http://www.otocinclus.com/breeding.html Andrew.

Benny said... > Have you got any pics of your JD I could post pictures of my JDs. Would you like the 700mL or 1L size? Single barrel? Andrew.

Folks, Got mine in the mail today so others should expect theirs any minute now too. Another fine effort from Caryl and her cast of contributors, despite having the dubious taste of allowing one of my incoherent ramblings to be published Looking forward to the next issue already... Andrew.