reef

i have two ribbon eels which i have had for 5 months. i am aware of someone else whos is still going after 6 months. once they get eating they are easy to keep.

which eels kill corals? there is only ribbon eels that come in and they dont kill coral.

You can use Isopropanol. It is also a good cleaning agent and often used for cleaning electronic devices such as contact pins It is more toxic than ethanol.

Comes down to price most times. Hobbyist are not prepared to pay for cultured coral/fish. Most cultured stock cost 20-30% more than wild stock. That is why I believe if you can't afford to buy quality filtration then you should not attempt the hobby as so much stock is lost because of people trying to do it on the cheap. In the States it is so cheap that they just replace the stock every month. In NZ we have the same problem as for example about 100 copper bands have arrived this year and that continues every year, 90% of them die and we just keep replacing them.

Nightline news highlighted the effects of collection of coral/fish. Clown fish and anemoes are hard to find on some australia reefs due to over collecting. Maybe it is time to stop importing fish/coral unless cultured. more facts found on the net.

some nice underwater pics

these gobies are cool.

underwater pics

check this goby out nice pic of a scrribble angel.

AVAILABILITY NOTE This fish is nearly impossible to obtain. Be prepared for a long wait and to jump on it immediately when available! Only a handful of these fish have ever been collected for the trade. With a limited distribution and inhabiting particularly deep water, Xantyhicthys caeruleolineatus is rarely collected, and perhaps the most elusive of all triggerfish. Only a few specimens have been collected to date. Like the closely related crosshatch trigger, the Goldenback is wary initially in captivity, gaining confidence slowly, becoming a great aquarium fish. All specimens we have had have been a giant 12". Customers who've bough these fish all have the same reaction; "I though I had some huge fish, but this is HUGE! The visual impact of a fish this large can only be experienced in person. Not for the weak at pocketbook. would be like lotto tying to get one.

General Info: The Black Ocellaris Clownfish closely resembles A. percula, but is all black with white stripes. Clowns are relatively hardy fish with great personalities. They are fine in a reef tank. They are also fine in groups. Should host in the following anemones:-Heteractis magnifica (Magnificent Sea Anemone)-Stichodactyla gigantea (Gigantic Sea Anemone)-Stichodactyla mertensii (Merten's Sea Anemone) .

Sure they will. Just order from you favoured shop. Will possible be the last time every in nz. So hopefully someone can breed them. great project for someone to make money by selling them. these clowns sell for big bucks in the States.

the clowns are priity much as any Amphiprion ocellaris in Aggression. The angel is about 15cm. When i ordered it they told me small. funny how small overseas is big.

Getting bored with my reef. so a FO my spark some interest for me as there are so many nice fish that people dont see in NZ. Pitty i missed out on my Gem tang, at least my wife is happy as it saved me $5000. There is always next time.

Wasp ,The blue throats are cool. the colours are far better but i cant get a decent pic. The black Amphiprion ocellaris are not so nice when they are young, here is a pic of juv ocellaris, great how they change colour to black Amphiprion ocellaris

Adding these clowns, its been a long time since these were in nz. Amphiprion ocellaris These are pretty hard to come by.

Sand going in soon once hair algae goes. Going add some carib sea supa white sand. hopefully it can handle the stream.

New fish only tank. Decided to go for a small fish only tank. Currently housing 2 male blue throat trigger and a comet. Basic tank with a Tunze stream and Deltec hang on mce500 Light hood contains 2x 3ft t5s. To reduce the direct flow of the streams I cut off the end. This gives you a very wide flow. Looking to patent it. Looking to add big boy to the tank soon, Scribble angel, best looking angel I have seen.

Iwan should win the award for the best photo shopped tank. Wish he would show some real photos for once. However the aquascaping is pleasing on the eye. one thing my tank lacks.

i doubt your tap water is any good. contains too many nutrients to be good enough for a reef tank. however your algae will love it and grow really well with tap water

For most hobbyist when you have problem in your tank it is the basics that can be the cause, having a nitrite/ammonia test kits handy is a very good idea especially for hobbyist with less experience . Some times I do random check on ammonia and found that there is a slight ammonia reading. If hobbyist take a risk and use NSW then these test kits are a must and most times in Auckland you will get a ammonia reading from NSW. If $60 is too much to afford them the hobby is not the way to go as $60 is a drop in bucket compared to the cost of marine tanks.

TASH, you are welcome to try a quality skimmer, Deltec mce500. The cheap skimmers don’t cut it and long term getting a good skimmer will actually be cheaper in the long run as you won’t have to keep upgrading. also save 3 fish and the skimmer will pay for itself. The hobby is not cheap so if getting a good skimmer is not affordable then it is better not to get into the hobby as it won’t get any cheaper and at the end of the day the life stock suffers from poor water quality . There is a big different from keeping livestock alive vs livestock that is thriving.

Could also Try Hollywood and Jansen’s, I think they will have all that stock available now as they are the largest marine specialist so they do carry them sometimes. If they dont have it they will order it .

yep, sixlines are pricks some times.

funny you should say that as i never think anything grows until i see old photos or someone comes around that has not seen the tank for some time.