Apologies for not writing for so long – things have been very busy! We have two new species to add to our menagerie. Shown above is one of four of our new Schwartzi Cories. It will be fantastic if I can get these guys to breed – they’re apparently very difficult to convince to get in the mood, and as a result are priced quite nicely. Much of New Zealand’s Schwartzi stock is imported, so it will be good if I can get a home brew going.
I will try to breed them in much the same way as I have had success with other cories: first, a period of a highly nutritious diet of foods such as bloodworm, earthworm, brine shrimp and mosquito larvae. Then, a cold water change needs to be done with acidic (pH 6.8) water. This is to mimic the onset of the spring in their native Amazonian environment of Brazil, when the rains begin, bringing with them wonderful meals. I will certainly keep you posted.
We have also invested in four new Panda Cories:
The Pandas have proven to be very active and managing to take a photograph was quite a challenge: an infinitesimally quick shutter speed was required! The Schwartzis are a little more docile and photogenic. I will also certainly be trying to breed these fellows as they are quite wonderfully patterned.
Our 11 tanks now have entirely catfish distributed through them. This Sterbai was having a good rest, allowing me to take a good photo with a second-long shutter speed (approximately a zillion times longer than was necessary for the Pandas…)
We have many many GBAs available for sale: please view my TradeMe listings at
Tags: Ancistrus, auckland, catfish, corydoras, GBA, panda, schwartzi, sterbai, tropical fish
