ajbroome

Matthew said... > ... keeping a vft alive for 6 months is a miracle let alone > experimenting with it... Says who? I've had some plants for several years now. No worries. My plants aren't exactly 'molly-coddled' I don't think CPs would make good subjects for the kind of experiment suggested here though. They don't like too many nutrients at the best of times for a start. Secondly, VFTs are liable to go dormant on you half way through a long term experiment... Chris, if you wanted to use CPs and wanted to get really keen, you could experiment with Trichopel (a commercially available fungus) and Cephalotus, there is anecdotal evidence that plants of C. follicularis when grown with the fungus do better than without. I've been meaning to give it a go myself one day but my Cephs are too precious to risk. To reduce variation, you could take some leaf cuttings of your Ceph now and get them established before starting the experiment by the addition of Trichopel to some pots and not to others. I don't agree that 30 is any sort of minimum for scientifically valid results either. More replicates are better than less but if there is only one variable being tested, fewer than 30 should still give a worthwhile answer as long as all other conditions are monitored and controlled. I'd say even 5 of each (you'd probably want to start 20 cuttings to be safe) would give a result that's reliable enough to be 'fit for purpose' as far as a science fair goes. If you can't get 20 leaf cuttings started from your current Ceph then obtain a few more and randomly mix the cuttings (if they're from the same source they're probably the same clone anyway - no one grows Cephs from seed) so that any variation from this is removed. There are heaps of opportunity for cleverly planned experiments in areas like this. Andrew.

Warren said... > A copy of this information + a registration form has been > sent to every FNZAS member which you will receive in the > next few days. Got mine today. Andrew.

Pegasus said... I'd go with the top one being a severum, the bottom ones look like green chromides to me but a lot of juvenile cichlids look similar... Andrew.

catfish_dude said... > no i cant say it looks like ne of those fish in that URL, it looks > like this 1 tho ... How does that fish differ from the 6th one down on my site? For a wide range of pictures of Fp. gardneri (and other West African fish) try (ugly URL but great site): http://www.killifish.f9.co.uk/Killifish ... _Index.htm Andrew.

Cat said... > ... we have a real laugh (usually at Andrew's expense) ... Grumble mumble grumble... ;-) Andrew.

catfish_dude said... > my killi looks nothing like that btw Like what? None of the pictures at that URL? > will weekly water changes be enough? I aim to do about 25% a week and that seems to work. More often probably wouldn't hurt. Andrew.

catfish_dude said... > ok after wading thru hours of killi sites, my killi looks the > most like this... Looks like a pretty typical Fp. gardneri. The true N'sukka strain doesn't have a yellow stripe in the anal fin. Does yours? Does it look like anything here: http://www.oxalis.50megs.com/fish/fishr ... hroom.html These are my fish. The fish that was in NZ and known as Fp. gardneri N'sukka is actually something else. The Fp. gardneri I have are pictured in the site above. > i got them from rewood aqautics btw Ah, right. Apparently they've just imported some killies but I've not been able to find out what. Thanks for the info. I *need* to get to Chch sometime... > i hav 7 plants in the tank...and it looks slightly empty so im > wondering if i should get some wood or more plants More plants and/or some wood would probably be good. > pH is 6.6-6.8 @ the moment..ive got peat in the filter....im > doing good right? Sounds good to me. Regular water changes and good food should see breeding. Andrew.

catfish_dude said... > ok for those that care....... That would be me. > i got a pair of Fundulopanchax gardneri (cf N'sukka) Do you know who the 'breeder' got them from? As far as I knew, the so called N'sukka strain was lost in NZ. > ... and a pair of Nothobranchius foerschi Nice fish. Watch them for velvet. Some salt in the water will help keep it away. > ... they r doing well @ the moment... Glad to hear it. > ... and they eat granules > (i thought they only ate live food ) Depends on what they're used to. Live food is certainly best for them when it comes to breeding and long term health. > oh and should i add more plants to their tank More than what? > or a peice of wood? Maybe... I'd still love to know who you got them from... Andrew.

Caryl said... > As affiliates, this suggests a lower fee and fees are so low > now it is ridiculous. I wouldn't suggest making any affiliate membership fee significantly lower than a typical club membership. Maybe capitation + $10 or something of that nature. We don't want to discourage people from joining their local club, rather offer an option for those who are unlikely to join otherwise. Andrew, appreciating the rational responses.

FNZAS folks, I wonder if there is a place, in this day and age, for a club for people who aren't able or willing to join a local (to them) club? Perhaps the FNZAS should think about offering 'affiliate' type memberships so people can get the Aquarium World, club discounts, etc? There is the danger that this might draw people away from local clubs which need all the support they can get and could therefore result in the creation of a NZ-wide club, doing essentially what the Federation is doing now. Is it worth the risk? Can the Federation do this without a major change to the constitution? Does anyone care? Something to ponder over the weekend... Andrew, looking into the can and wondering what the squiggly things are...

catfish_dude said... > how kan u join a club u kant attend? Well, there's always the NZKA which only holds one meeting a year, the AGM. The rest of it is done by post or informally. Even if you can't attend meetings for more traditional clubs, you still get their newsletters, access to their resources and, of course, the many and varied benefits (specifically the Aquarium World) that come from belonging to (and supporting) the FNZAS. Andrew, long time member of assorted clubs...

paddy_wahack said... > ... do you ever suggest anything other than joining a > FNZAS affiliated club? Since the FNZAS pays for this site, it's not a bad idea to nudge people towards it... Andrew.

Chris said... > I have bred the C. aeneus (Bronze Cory). Ah. Cool. Can you do it on demand though, or did the fish spawn in the community tank and you raised the fry? How many did you end up with? > I was thinking the next step up from those. I'd go with Robs suggestion. I'm hoping to have a go at my pygmy Corys at some stage. Andrew.

Chris said... > I'm going to breed cory's soon.. still deciding which ones to do. Ah, you've got to love optimism. :) I'd start with one of the easier ones, such as C. paleatus or C. aeneus. Once you can do those reliably, try one of the commoner bred rarer species before you tackle any of the really tricky ones. Some fish are expensive for a reason... Andrew.

DubbieBoy said... > ... I'm originally from Dublin... I spent some time there (not enough!) in 1996. Great place. Don't remember much about fish shops, too much fun in Temple Bar Andrew.

Rob said... > No I didn't get any albinos Bummer Somebody did relatively recently. May've been Dave D. I gave heaps away to various people and then lost my own ones. > I'm not keen on albino anything. No, me neither as a rule. I feel obliged to keep these going though for various reasons. Thanks anyway. Andrew.

Rob said... > Unfortunately I don't have E. annulatus anymore. Bummer > So the breedings in Otautau only yielded males? Yep. Sid was packing some up to send to me, caught some males and then started looking for females. Eventually he put the captured males back in with their brothers He doesn't have the adults anymore either. Fingers crossed someone out there has some. BTW: Did you end up with any albino Fp. gardneri? Andrew.

catfish_dude said... > Nothobranchius foerschi > Fundulopanchax gardneri > and maybe..Northobranchius caprivi ...if he has ne left... I'd love to know who has these... Are his initials 'CP' perhaps? I'd buy them all and send the two Nothos to me I'm very keen to get some annuals again. Seriously, I'd advise getting the Fp. gardneri if you're looking. Ideally I'd suggest 2 males and several females in an 18 inch or 2ft tank, on their own. With good food and some hiding places you should get fry within a month or so, some of which may survive in with the adults. > and i think a pet shop had thse guys once: Epiplatys annulatus, > even tho it said 'doubtful' These have recently been imported again although I don't know of anyone (exept maybe Rob???) who has females... There are lots of males in Otautau... Andrew.

catfish_dude said... > im getting them on sat Which species? Imports or from a breeder? > ne extra tips with killies would be gr8 Can advise you better once I know what you're getting. The NZKA site has some good info and there are many fine webpages in the 'links' section there. Andrew, NZKA President and general dogsbody.

Doc Holiday said... > By birchir do you mean Osteoglossum bicirrhosum ... I was assuming Polypterus spp... Andrew.

Binkles said... > We have 3 cats Furball (aka Fat Cat), Sugarplum and Coke > (male). If you want to see what these guys are like - well > they are currently flying around the world ... You're a strange and twisted man. I like that in a fishkeeper. Andrew.

Caryl said... > ...will have to search... There's a big PDF here that bears looking at: http://www.niwa.co.nz/rc/prog/aquaticpl ... plants.pdf and all sorts of good info/pictures here: http://www.niwa.co.nz/rc/prog/aquaticplants/index.html Andrew.

paddy_whack said... > ... who'd want to cycle with guppies? That'll mean you might > have to live with them in your tank! (ewwwww) ... That shouldn't be a problem if there's going to be a knifefish and a bichir in there. I've never cycled a tank without fish. If done slowly it generally works fine and doesn't do any long term harm to the fish used. I wouldn't pick any of the fish in the initial list though... Andrew.

Rob said... > Would have been nice to have been contacted personally > with the complaint. It's the usual story, people are quick to publically complain when things don't go *exactly* as they (rightly or wrongly) expect but rather slow to acknowlegde all the good things that go on all the time, apparently un-appreciated. Of course, volunteers are supposed to maintain a high level of motivation and not be distracted by actual real life at all times... Can we say 'burn out'? I thought we could... Andrew.

Caryl said... > I use a python for my 4ft lounge tank and don't know if it > would work for multiple tanks unless the tanks are considerably > lower than the water source. Doesn't yours have the 'venturi' water pump that attaches to the tap? That's the whole attraction of 'pythons' I thought... http://www.pythonproducts.com/nospill.htm BTW: I've notified them of the metric conversion error > I am wondering if you could set up some sort of watering > system like the Plassay (except fatter hoses going to each > tank) to fill them... That's the kind of thing I'm thinking about... > ... and dig a drain near the garage (or in the middle of the > floor but if I remember correctly it is concrete) where you > can empty siphoned water, or put in overflows. Actually, now that you mention it - I remember there is a drain on the outside of the back of the garage. Perhaps I could poke a hole in the garage wall somehow and put a big-bore hose through it and down the drain... Hmmm.... that could work... Thanks for the thought. Andrew.