Pern Posted April 24, 2012 Report Share Posted April 24, 2012 Hi to all - I'm a long term browser of the great information and pictures on here - in part, I have you to blame for developing Multi Tank Syndrome although my tanks are still down the smaller end (2x 70l and one divided 70l). Tank 1 has a male betta, 6 panda corys, a golden bristle nose and (at last sighting) around 4 (very shy) emerald dwarf rasbora Tank 2 has a female betta, 6 peppered corys and 6 dwarf rasbora Tank 3 has (wait for it...) a male betta in each side and around 8 pygmy corys. I've only been keeping fish for around a year and have made (and still make) more than my share of mistakes through lack of experience (including siliconing myself to the tank divider right before work - when it says use a wet knife to smooth, it doesn't mean use a wet finger and take your time!!) and ( :facepalm: ) chopping off a rasbora's head while trying to fit a filter buffer (felt so guilty). Live and learn - good to 'meet' you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted April 24, 2012 Report Share Posted April 24, 2012 Welcome Sorry still laughing :rotf: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hovmoller Posted April 24, 2012 Report Share Posted April 24, 2012 :sml1: Hi and welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted April 24, 2012 Report Share Posted April 24, 2012 Hi, welcome and enjoy your time here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkLB Posted April 24, 2012 Report Share Posted April 24, 2012 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted April 24, 2012 Report Share Posted April 24, 2012 welcome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Li@m Posted April 24, 2012 Report Share Posted April 24, 2012 & Welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calculator Posted April 24, 2012 Report Share Posted April 24, 2012 (including siliconing myself to the tank divider right before work - when it says use a wet knife to smooth, it doesn't mean use a wet finger and take your time!!) . :slfg: :slfg: :slfg: :slfg: welcome, and looking forward to seeing pictures of your wonderful sounding tanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cricketman Posted April 24, 2012 Report Share Posted April 24, 2012 :rotf: Welcome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted April 24, 2012 Report Share Posted April 24, 2012 :slfg: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caper Posted April 24, 2012 Report Share Posted April 24, 2012 Hi there...love your post :thup: :slfg: Take care! Caper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pern Posted April 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2012 Wow, what more can you ask than a forum full of friendly, kind people :thup: Thank you for the warm welcome! I'd very much like to put up pictures of my tanks - my lovely husband is good enough to show interest but, I think, would like to just 'lie down till it passes' sometimes. Poor man :love: I'll have a hunt for instructions on adding photos maybe today or tomorrow and have a go. I'd love to see pictures of other people's tanks and fish and hear your stories. Is it ok to do that in this section or does that belong elsewhere? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zev Posted April 25, 2012 Report Share Posted April 25, 2012 Hi and welcome. Info on posting pics can be found here: http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=2406 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted April 25, 2012 Report Share Posted April 25, 2012 Welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfishybuisness Posted April 25, 2012 Report Share Posted April 25, 2012 Just a tip instead of water to wet your finger with use methylated spirits as silicone doesn't stick to it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pern Posted April 26, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 26, 2012 Calculator - thanks for the encouragement - I've uploaded pictures to the members tank section - the risk is that I may never stop Zev - thanks for the info - it worked! Myfishybusiness - I was eying up a spare tank the other day and wondering about dividing it... thank you.... somehow I didn't enjoy the plastic fantastic feeling last time - meths it will be! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caper Posted April 26, 2012 Report Share Posted April 26, 2012 Love your tanks :thup: Your bettas are beautiful! :happy2: Caper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pern Posted April 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 27, 2012 Thank you - big smile on my face! Where can I see yours Caper - started to browse the member's tanks section - do you have one in there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Posted April 27, 2012 Report Share Posted April 27, 2012 Wow your tanks are amazing Also I love the betta in the last photo - he has the most surreal colours !drool: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pern Posted April 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 27, 2012 Thank you He was at Organisms and our eyes met across the crowded room... I have no self discipline I've been scrolling through the photos of your biotope - it's golden - just surreal! Had to laugh at the little fellow with the punk hairdo and black lipstick - fantastic facial expression - looks ready to take on the world with one hand (fin?). How big is he in 'real life'? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Posted April 27, 2012 Report Share Posted April 27, 2012 Organism is my favourite place to visit in Christchurch, along with Redwoods When I went to Petworld a few weeks ago while I was in Christchurch they had a stunning halfmoon betta that had a pale iridescent lilac body and pale golden fins streaked through with lilac. It was simply stunning !drool: It was $80, so I wonder if it has sold yet. It might pay to pop in if you are going past and see if its still there. Honestly it was one of the most amazing fighters I have ever seen! You would love it Thanks so much for your compliments on my biotope tank In the latest photo the tank has been cleaned and the leaves replaced so everything looks way better than it did originally. I added a lot more leaves than last time too. I just found out that the council add limestone to our local water supply ("to make it taste better" :facepalm: ), which is why the pH is always 7.5-8 despite all the oak leaves I keep adding. So there is no chance of the fish breeding. I am planning to build a rainwater collecting system but I have nowhere to put it (can't use the roof because apparently the type of paint we have or something might taint the water). I will have to build a structure to mount a piece of plastic and guttering on to. Also I am planning to get a full range of test kits. The Apistogramma trifasciata are a few centimeters. About the size of a fighter, if not maybe a bit smaller Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pern Posted April 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2012 Love that something so small has such 'attitude' What are their personalities like, Joe? I love Organisms and Redwood too. Bit dangerous going there though - I often seem to come out with something extra, actually quite a few something extra - wonder if it's just me that does that? :lol: Petworld. Hmmmm, wonder if hubby would like to take me out for a drive tomorrow. Better to go on scouting expeditions by myself usually - easier to apologise than ask permission (just) where fish are concerned but got a bit carried away at netball and on crutches. Strangely enough I've been banned from driving for a few days - go figure huh :dunno: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Posted April 28, 2012 Report Share Posted April 28, 2012 Their personalities are brilliant! These are the best fish I have ever kept. I've had fighters before, and I've had Laetacara curviceps, and I've got Emperor Tetras, all of which are fish I've found to have good personalities. But honestly the trifasciata are the best, and by far are the most interesting Apistogramma to keep IMO. Also the most nicely coloured IMO and I prefer their small size to the other species I keep. I measured them today. The females are approx. 30mm TL, and the male is around 45mm TL. They will still probably grow a bit more. Also TL = Total Length, which is the length of the fish from the mouth to the tip of the tail. SL (standard length) is another term you might come across, which is the length from the mouth to the end of the caudal peduncle (the bit of the fish where the tail grows from). Although Apistogramma are quite expensive, I highly recommend them (as long as the hobbyist is prepared to provide them with adequate care and has done research on them so they have an idea of what they're doing). I started fishkeeping when I was 9 or 10. My first tank was 90x30x30cm and I had various tetras, Rosy and Lipstick Barbs (which sadly died a couple of months later of an unknown illness. All the barbs died suddenly overnight and all the other fish were perfectly fine) and a Skunk Loach. I had dark pea gravel and a few easy-to-keep plants, a 25w 6,700K T8 and an Aqua One CF-1000 for filtration. Soon afterwards I started selling fish and buying others, and sold those and bought more, to get a taste of different fish and what I preferred. Over this period I had bristlenoses, various gouramis, various barbs and tetras, a few different loaches, livebearers and some other things. I got a pair of kribs (the standard P. pulcher), and I ended up selling them because I didn't really like them that much. I then got the Laetacara curviceps which I had for ages and I bred them. They were one of my favourite fish. I also got a pair of Apistogramma trifasciata from Redwoods which I loved. Sadly the tank had a columnaris outbreak and I lost nearly everything, including all of the cichlids. A while afterwards I started to get fish again. I decided I liked Apistos the most so that's what I have kept ever since up until now My favourite fish that I have ever had was that pair of trifasciata I got from Redwoods. They were amazing !drool: The ones that I have now are really cool but I still liked the ones from Redwoods a lot better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pern Posted April 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2012 Oh - are you the Joe who supplied photos to someone selling apistogramma on Trade Me? I've got them on my watch list and am so tempted to 'buy now.' We have to move out of the house for months while earthquake repairs are done so I'm trying very hard not to give in to temptation as finding temporary accommodation (and moving) with the 6 tanks we have between us now will be tricky :roll: Please get yours breeding!!! I think I'm going to miss out on the Trade Me ones but have to have some in the future :happy2: That's awful with the columnaris - fish don't seem to be easy to 'fix' once something's taken hold. So many pills/potions and lotions - more chance of ending up with fish-medicine stew than a cure!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Posted April 30, 2012 Report Share Posted April 30, 2012 Yeah those are my photos Dan breeds some wicked fish so don't hesitate to buy from him. Also I've had a few fish shipped to me before and I must say his were packaged the best :thup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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