Today's a new day.

[elephantnose3334]

I can't help with pet shops because I haven't been to one for a long time. All I can offer you is the links for Aquarium Industries (AI) and Bay Fish who supply most of the fish to shops in Australia. Bookmark the links and check them every week or two. If you see the fish you want, contact a pet shop and ask if they can get them in for you.

AI

Aquarium Industries - Current Stock

Each week, Aquarium Industries posts a list of the stock that we currently have available for order on our website as a downloadable excel file.

www.aquariumindustries.com.au

Bay Fish

LIVE FISH - Premier Pet Pty Ltd

Listing of LIVE FISH products

www.premierpet.com.au

Oh, right. I was looking for Bornean blackwater tankmates for Boraras brigittae and Parosphromenus. AI and Bay Fish does not have them, I'm going to ask the Canning Vale LFS if they have Parosphromenus species. They may have come from an importer other than the two mentioned. I priced Boraras brigittae, which cost $15.95 ea, I'm going to ask the LFS what Parosphromenus they may have, and I'll price them as well. Is Pangio semicincta (traded as Khuli loach in LFS's) a suitable tank mate?

Here are the pH range for the fish I'm using for the project (may include Pangio semicincta when the water part's big enough) according to Seriously Fish:

Boraras brigittae:
pH: 4.0 – 7.0

Pangio semicincta (may add):
pH: 3.5 – 7.0

Parosphromenus deissneri (for now)
pH: 3.0 – 6.5

 

[Colin_T]

They might not have them right now but they get new fish in every few weeks and sometimes every week, so you keep checking and when you see something you want, then ask the local shops to get them in for you.

If you do order fish from these suppliers, try to pick them up straight out of the esky when they get to the shop. Don't let them put the fish in their tanks and then catch them out for you, it's too stressful for the fish. If they do put them in their tanks, leave them there for at least 1 week before you take them.

 

[elephantnose3334]

Today's Friday. It will be a busy day today. Done my pricing except for the licorice gourami species and plants.

 

[elephantnose3334]

@Colin_T and @GaryE,

Would you like to share your experience with southeast Asian fishes (i.e. Parosphromenus, Pangio, Boraras, Betta, Trigonostigma), especially the endangered ones that are found in the hobby? I would love to know how to make an appropriate, biotope (not community tanks) environment for them.

 

[Colin_T]

never cared for rasboras. the only asian fish i kept were gouramis and bettas.

 

[elephantnose3334]

It's Saturday, the weekend. Continuing costing what I need for the paludarium, slowly getting there. The O'Connor LFS only has paro deissneri gouramis, since they're the only legally importable species. So, I might have to remove the Boraras because of this, unless the Canning Vale LFS has Bornean paro gouramis. I will check later today with dad. I'm targeting to add species from Borneo, nothing else. It's not the last horizon yet. I still have a way to go before I start the project.

 

[elephantnose3334]

Priced out the plants and lighting. The Canning Vale LFS has an adjustable 75 watt Zetlight, don't know which model, with the adjustable brackets costing a total of $370 ($280 for light, $90 for the brackets). Also, they don't have Paro gouramis for a long time. Better check the O'Connor LFS on Monday to see if they have any in stock. I need to price the pump and other important things in the paludarium.

 

[Colin_T]

That's a lot of money for the light. Have you got a link to it?
You can probably find a good light for less at a hardware store. Or Google around and see if someone sells the same thing for less.

 

[GaryE]

I went through a Rasbora phase and kept as many of the group as I could find in Canada. The same of Parosphromenus. But I already said how I thought they should be approached, and you've glossed right over that. I guessed I posted when you were distracted or busy. I won't say it again. - just go back and check your threads.

 

[elephantnose3334]

I went through a Rasbora phase and kept as many of the group as I could find in Canada. The same of Parosphromenus. But I already said how I thought they should be approached, and you've glossed right over that. I guessed I posted when you were distracted or busy. I won't say it again. - just go back and check your threads.

Oh. Sorry.

 

[elephantnose3334]

Today's Sunday. I've made a significant change on the paludarium. Originally it was going to be a blackwater setup, but it's hard to look after a blackwater setup since I'm a beginner. This setup is more for experts. I'm going for a normal, slightly acidic aquarium (6.5 pH) because I'm not fully ready for a blackwater setup yet. I hope that's understandable. It's going to take a long time before I get a blackwater aquarium. Plus it takes an hour to boil Cattapa leaves and twigs before you put them into an aquarium. The fish are mostly from Borneo and islands near Sumatra, but the plants will be in East and Southeast Asia. I'm not good at breeding paros, so the blackwater setup will go on the waiting list until I'm fully ready to do so, with expertise.

Back to basics. Learning the nitrogen cycle, how to acclimate fish that usually live in blackwater environments and everything else in between. Patience is all I need. The basics of fishkeeping is learnt first, then build the tank. A testing kit is essential because I want to make sure everything's on track in terms of water parameters. Learning is therapy. In terms of testing kits, which ones are the best to use to test water parameters?

 

[elephantnose3334]

That's a lot of money for the light. Have you got a link to it?
You can probably find a good light for less at a hardware store. Or Google around and see if someone sells the same thing for less.

I think this is it:

O2 - Freshwater

O2 - Freshwater

www.zetlight.com

I don't know if the lights are controllable via app, but it should do for the paludarium. I was thinking if I can make a lush, rocky rainforest with wood roots as the hardscape. A few designs later I can pick the one that best suits the setup.

I'm going back to basics. There is a website dedicated to paludariums here so I will learn more about them:

Information on Paludarium flora, fauna, equipment, maintenance, and more >> Paludariums.net

A paludarium is a beautiful semi-aquatic environment, typically rich in moisture loving plants and mosses. Whether a simulated rainforest, riverbank or even shoreline, this is the perfect biotope for amphibians, mud skippers and many other creatures.. but animals are not essential; a lushly...

www.paludariums.net

 

[Colin_T]

The only fish that need black water and wild caught fish from black water habitats.

You can use some of the filter media from your current tank in the new tank to cycle it.

Instead of going Borneo fish, why not do Pseudomugil gertrudae or something like that.

 

[Colin_T]

I think this is it:

O2 - Freshwater

O2 - Freshwater

www.zetlight.com

I wouldn't waste my money on that light. The only setting you can use is the 6500K setting and it costs a lot. I am currently growing plants (palms, orchids) indoors under spotlights I bought from the hardware. The links are below.

This one has a clamp and I have it clamped to a bench and the light shines down on the plants. You can buy higher wattage globes for it if you want more light.

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www.bunnings.com.au

This one comes in 2 different styles. One is in a blue, green & grey box (this particular link) and has 5000K globes. The other types is in a black, yellow and white box and has 6500K globes. I use the 6500K type. This unit is on an adjustable stand and you can hang the lights upside down so they face straight down on the plants, or have them on an angle.

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www.bunnings.com.au

You can buy aluminium square tube from the hardware and make a frame to hang or rest the lights on the top of the paludarium/ aquarium. You might be able to clamp the light to the top of the paludarium and not need a frame to hold the light.

They aren't programmable but you can buy cheap timers for about $8.00 (for a 2 pack). You can set one timer with light to come on and 30-60 minutes later the other timer and light can come on. At night they turn off 30-60 minutes apart.

 

[elephantnose3334]

I wouldn't waste my money on that light. The only setting you can use is the 6500K setting and it costs a lot. I am currently growing plants (palms, orchids) indoors under spotlights I bought from the hardware. The links are below.

This one has a clamp and I have it clamped to a bench and the light shines down on the plants. You can buy higher wattage globes for it if you want more light.

Loading…

www.bunnings.com.au

This one comes in 2 different styles. One is in a blue, green & grey box (this particular link) and has 5000K globes. The other types is in a black, yellow and white box and has 6500K globes. I use the 6500K type. This unit is on an adjustable stand and you can hang the lights upside down so they face straight down on the plants, or have them on an angle.

Loading…

www.bunnings.com.au

You can buy aluminium square tube from the hardware and make a frame to hang or rest the lights on the top of the paludarium/ aquarium. You might be able to clamp the light to the top of the paludarium and not need a frame to hold the light.

They aren't programmable but you can buy cheap timers for about $8.00 (for a 2 pack). You can set one timer with light to come on and 30-60 minutes later the other timer and light can come on. At night they turn off 30-60 minutes apart.

It's interesting. Okay, I might get those lights.

The only fish that need black water and wild caught fish from black water habitats.

You can use some of the filter media from your current tank in the new tank to cycle it.

Instead of going Borneo fish, why not do Pseudomugil gertrudae or something like that.

Maybe. Hmm... I'll have a think about it. I'm very interested in Australian (my home country) and Southeast Asian fish, but Psuedomugil sp. would do good for a riparium, but don't know if they do great in a paludarium. I think Borneo and the small Sumatran island of Bangka are a nice part of Southeast Asia in terms of fish diversity. They're under threat from habitat loss and human activity. Home to peat swamp forests. I go against normal community tanks (putting fish from different continents of the world in the same tank), but not community tanks in a geographically accurate (only focusing on one region of the world) sense. Southeast Asia could fit that definition of a geographical community tank.