Long Time Fishkeeper, New to NZ

[fmueller]

Hi All,

I have been keeping fish since the tender age of 10. Had to give it up when I left Germany to follow my wife (a Kiwi) first to Colorado and then Oz. Eventually we settled in Ohio where we bought a house, and I could re-enter the hobby with some decent sized tanks - a https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRo3AfE7SPY, a

and a https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTI-adNbdiQ. I am mostly into Tanganyikans. Ohio is a hotbed for cichlid breeders, and the local fish club scene is a dream. I belong to three of at least a dozen clubs that meet in convenient driving distance from my home, and there is an auction or other fish related event nearly every weekend of the year, especially in winter. You can pick up a bag with six juveniles of all but the rarest species for under $10. All this makes the Ohio winters almost bearable, but the cold eventually got to us - especially my wife - and after 12 years in Ohio, we will be relocating to Auckland in mid 2014. I am looking forward to meeting all of you people in the coming months and years, as I am starting to rebuilt my aquarium setups.

Some of my old setups are featured on my web site http://www.fmueller.com. Also, I moderate on cichlid-forum.com.

I'll leave you with some shots of my 240G when it was about 4 years old and at it's best

[camtang]

Hi there.

I have watched that video of your 240 over and over again, I have also tryed to mimic the stock list before I got carried away and back ground on a smaller scale.

[hovmoller]

Hi there!

I remember having visited your website in the past perhaps while googling eartheaters and funny to see that you are now coming to live in Auckland.

Always good to have another keen fishkeepers around.

[calculator]

Welcome to NZ, you seem to have had some real nice tanks in the past, good luck with setting up tanks over here. (and not get too disappointed about the lack of variety and cost of some fish).

[fmueller]

Wow - am humbled

I had no idea my usually non-existent fame would proceed me in this way! Now to the real question, does anybody know of a pet friendly flat in or around Auckland for rent starting July? I won't set up any 240Gs in their yet, but my two border collies will be with me once they get out of quarantine. I will be out as soon as I can find a house I can afford :dno:

[alanmin4304]

Welcome to the forum and to NZ

[Dr A]

I will be out as soon as I can find a house I can afford :dno:

Expect to be renting for a long time.

[fmueller]

Expect to be renting for a long time.

That wouldn't work for me at all. I am kind of a home-handy kinda guy, and my house is always a bit of a work in progress. If I can't rip out floors and walls and replace them, I simply don't feel complete. Besides, one needs to drill through walls for automatic water change systems, install dog doors, and all that stuff. Most landlords don't really seem to appreciate that :dunno:

Thankfully I have a house to sell here in Ohio, which has to make do for a down-payment. Also, my wife isn't paid too badly, and then we have to look for a fixer upper and/or continue looking further away from CBD, which means more of a commute for my wife, but so be it. At any rate, I expect to own a house within six months - a year by the very latest.

I know plenty of folks who are happy renters - can't see my brother ever owning a house - and there is nothing wrong with that, but it's not for me. I'd rather nail a few boards together for a shack than live in a rented mansion.

[Colour_genes]

Welcome, and good luck with a house. DIY is a major pastime in NZ

[fmueller]

Welcome, and good luck with a house. DIY is a major pastime in NZ

So I hear. I have a brother in law in ChCh. Bought a nice house - very nice actually - shortly before the big quake. Major damage! For the longest time he didn't even know if he would be allowed to rebuilt on his property. Tradesmen in ChCh seem to be booked out for years. So if you want it fixed, you better DIY!

[reptilez]

Welcome to the forums! Wow that it the nicest frontosa tank i have ever seen. Thanks for sharing your videos and pictures!!!

[ryanjury]

Hi and welcome, it will be awesome to have you in the country and on the forums.. I to have seen your tank and thought it was amazing such a small world to think you are moving here. On the sad side you may be quite disappointed by the quality and availability of good quality fish here but we try our best with what we have..

[Daz]

[BikBok]

hi and welcome.

Housing can be expensive in Auckland but if you don't mind looking towards the suburbs there are some more affordable options.

I love where I live! Have duck ponds and reserve right across the road form me.. my morning commute sees pukekos , geese and ducks wandering about as we are on a wetlands peninusla. For the golfers, it's walking distance.

With your DIY attitude sounds like you will fit right in here!

Where will your wife be working? Motorway commutes can be pretty life draining but if you're close enough to a train station its really handy. My student daughter trains from sth auckland to Queen street in Auckland city everyday and she loves it.

The train system is getting an overhaul this year, buses are ok, not the worst around. an AT Hop card is the best option for public transport as it gets you onto rail, bus and ferry. You probably have something similar over there.

Its a good idea to rent at first so you cna see whats what and get the lay of the land and what is going to suit you.

Good luck with everything!

I think fish in NZ are not as varied and can be expensive. Auckland has Hollywood fish farm which is really good. I'm sure there are others good ones around , but that's where I go.

[fmueller]

Thanks everybody for the warm welcome and good advice. I am not into golf, but living next to a reserve sounds very appealing to me. Dog walking opportunities are super important, because my pups go out 2-3 times per day. My wife will be working for AUT (Auckland University of Technology), and she will be at their main campus, which is smack bang in the middle of CBD. For the last 13 years or so we have lived within 5min walking distance from her work, so she can say goodby to that. There are rumors that AUT will move the sciences (my wife is a chemist) to the North Shore within 3-4 years. If you talk to folks already living on the North Shore, it is a done deal. According to those living on the other end of the bridge, it is pie in the sky stuff that is unlikely ever to happen. With this uncertainty it might make sense to buy on the North Shore and join the crowd cheering for the move. Especially since we couldn't afford anything in the inner city suburbs anyhow, let alone with a property large enough that a single dog turd wouldn't obscure the entire lawn. On the other hand, even places like Birkdale and Glenfield are anything but cheap, and some of the nicest properties we have seen so far (we are looking online) are down near Titirangi - decent sized properties even though steep, bordering on native bush, reserves, and so on.

Just yesterday my wife discovered our dream home, and totally affordable, but over in Piha. I am guessing th, e public transport system doesn't reach over there :lar: By the way, public transport in Ohio is atrocious to non-existent. Also, with my wife working the totally irregular hours of an academic, I doubt she'd be too happy with it. She used it with enthusiasm when she spend six months in NYC, but that's a different story.

Regarding fish, I am not one who always buys the latest and greatest. Even in Ohio I have always preferred fish that were available locally in good quality over the latest fashion. What I have come to appreciate though is quality - no cross-breeds or fish that have poorly been line bred. For that reason I usually buy from private breeders rather than chain stores, and to my surprise I have found that I no longer had to deal with disease since I do that. The quality of fish you have in NZ can't be worse than what the big chain stores sell in the US, and what good is it that otocinclus cost only 69cent when all 20 you bought expire within the first week in the quarantine tank you put them into. I am confident I will find some responsible breeders in NZ. Why else would I hand around places like this :thup:

[Adrienne]

Welcome

Piha - we were over there yesterday They were having tests of the tsunami warning system - that was one way of making 18 motorcyclists leave pretty fast. It's a decent commute and no the public transport system won't really be suitable. I have extended family living in Henderson Valley - my brother in law is in the Science/Engineering block at Auckland Uni in the city. He leaves home about 6.15am to 'beat the traffic'. It's not so much the getting in to the city in the mornings that is the issue but the North Western Motorway going home is pretty gridlocked at times (mind you which Auckland motorway is not). My daughter is building at Hobsonville Point which is up the Northern. If you go north there is a much better transport system in place, with park and drives and bus lanes.

Its pretty hard to find rentals in Auckland. You will need to start looking early, be prepared to pay a lot and possibly an extra 'bonus' amount to make sure can get one. Get some really really good references, that will help. We have two rental properties and our tenants are sitting tight!

[hovmoller]

Agree that Piha is not really realistic for commuting to town. Also if you live in Piha you will be on tank water (roof collected) and have a septic tank, etc..

I live in Titirangi and it is a wonderful and affordable suburb (and you can actually find flat sections between all the steep ones) + the water out of the tap is collected in the waitakeres which makes it very nice and soft and with a surprisingly low TDS which means it is just great for all my south american cichlids.