Majestic Aquariums stock a very large range of fresh and salt water fish, plants and coral but also offer you a fish wish list. To complete a fish wish list simply send us an email with your details and the fish you wish to get. We will return that email with the likely availability and price of the fish on your list. Due to our huge network of contacts this fish wish list is a great way for you to get hold of rare or exotic species not commonly found.

If you want the best fish, ask the busiest store!

Due to the fact that most of our suppliers run low salt levels we suggest you run your salt level at about 1.020 when you add new fish. We suggest that you raise your salt level to 1.024 over time if you run coral and are not adding new fish.

Check out our huge range of fish!

Please send us am email if you want to get different numbers of the fish to that which are available on this site? We can arrange anything that you need, in any numbers!

If you know you can get the same fish some where else, send us an email and we will look at matching it for you!

Will will do what ever we can to keep our customers happy and coming back!

What can we do for you?

Please email us about the lessons or tips you have learnt lately!

Really watch the amount of light you have on the tank. Don`t leave the lights on longer than 10 hours a day and make sure you replace your globes yearly, run zero phosphate or you will get too much algae.

Keon Hey
KDK Designs

With time nitrate will affect fish and increase algae. Make sure you keep your filters clean and use a gravel siphon when you do a water change.

Robert Heidel

Do what you have to to look after your aquarium but don`t mess around with it too much. Sometimes when you just leave it alone it seems to run better.

Nick Sarkis

Make sure you only buy hardy fish and don`t feed them too much - less is more.

John Douglas

If you have a well stocked fish only marine aquarium you really need to ensure that you have a good protien skimmer and lots of biological media. One large fish will produce many times more waste than a smaller one.

Marc Skuse

I place a bit of polyfilter in the filter and replace it when it turns black. It will polish the water like you can`t believe! The polyfilter will remove all the bad stuff from the water including phosphate, which is what creates algae!

Ken

Be careful not to have mirco-bubbles in your aquarium! They can get in the blood of the fish and make them sick, as with my Puffer!

Don`t put the venturi on your pumps!

Maria

Due to the fact that most fish wholesalors run a salt level of 1.018 and most retail shops run a salt level of 1.020 it is important to drop your salt level before you add new fish! Accumatized fish can handle up to 2 points change per day. Fish can handle going from high salt to low salt much better than they can handle going from low salt to high salt because it is a decrease in osmotic pressure.Once the fish have settled in you can raise the salt level back to make the corals happy again.

Tim Cahill

I had a Lion fish that would only eat live food and I wanted to get it to eat frozen food or pellets so I went to see Paul Talbot at Majestic Aquariums and he told me how to train your fish on to other foods, this was very helpful.

He told me to get the live fish in my hand and tap on the top of the tank, then raise my hand up in the air and throw the fish into the water. What this does is reprogram the fish to trigger its feeding responce to your movement, instead of the movement of the fish. Once the fish is feeding well using this action you can start to use frozen food, then go from frozen to pellet food using the same action. Thanks to this advice my Lionfish are happy eating Spectrum pellets now and my tank is cleaner and my hobby is cheaper!

Elvis S

I have found that it is very important to focus on ensuring the debris does not accumulate at the back off the reef!

Over time I have found that any crashes that my aquarium had experianced has been due to dead spots which have built up in the back of the tank!

My tank is running amazing well now that I focus on keeping the back of the reef clean. I have found that products like Polyfilter and Lysofoss have been very helpful!

I find it so much better if you focus on directing your water flow to the top, for gass exchange.

Fred Dowe

Please email us about the lessons or tips you have learnt lately!

If you ever get Red Slime Algae, check that the phosphate is zero, then add API Marine Algaefix. I did everything to get rid of this algae problem and lost over $500 worth of coral until I started using Algaefix! Try it!

If you ever have problems growing coralline algae, do a large spring clean of your reef and clean the sand. I tried everything and it would not grow and I was loosing many corals. You will be amazed how fast your coralline algae returns and how great your corals look when you only have a thin layer of sand that is not full of Detritus!

Alex Mei

Don`t get slack on water testing and don`t forget to add your supplements. Over a long period of time it really makes a difference.

Peter Wood

Fish that eat your corals, of which there are many, are easy to put in the aquarium, but very hard to get out unless you break down the whole tank.

Many corals and anemonies go a lot better if they are fed with organic foods and trace element supplements.

Peter Halloran

I have been keeping reefs for a long time but when I started using Easy-Life, I noticed the coral open up a lot more and the tank seems to keep cleaner and the fish seem to be healthier.

Adam McIntyre

The key to a successful aquarium is patience. Build it up slowly because the faster the fish stocks go up the faster they come down. Feel free to add the corals quickly but take it EASY with the fish.

Garth Harvey

Maintain the balance! Once you achieve your targot water quality you can`t afford to let it lackin off and thats not hard to do. The key is to make sure you are on top of your system to produce long term results. It is best to tweek it every day and try to use natural products and not chemicals!

Nick Salta

Don`t be afriad to feed your fish a lot, I find it makes the fish and corals healthier as long as you have a good skimmer and as much water flow as you can get. Food, flow and skimming is the funamentals and everything will grow.

If you get a sick coral use Revive by Julian Sprung it works amazingly! Dip corals one at a time till the problem is fixed!

Gino Ambriano

Best to keep SPS coral in 28C if you want them to grow, but soft corals don`t like it that high. Soft corals would rather 25C. Many corals die when the temperature gets to 30C.

Regal Angel can be hard to feed but mix well with other Angels.

Tony Care

You can use Vodka (1ml per 500lt daily)as an organic carbon source that will encourage bacteria that will reduce Nitrate and phosphate. Don`t dose it is your levels show zero!

When you have had high Nitrate and Phosphate it will take 6-12months to control it because the live rock and filter media will have to leech out what is soaked up before the level will drop. Continue reducing the level untill it stays down.

Tim Cahill

Keeping a reef tank is 90% knowledge 10% action. It is not what you have to do that makes it hard to keep a reef tank it is what you need to know.

Ensure that you have the Marine DVD because this is the easiest way to learn!

Joel Davis

I place a bit of polyfilter in the filter and replace it when it turns black. It will act like a skimmer and suck out all the bad stuff but not touch the good stuff!

Better than a skimmer!

Ken

Ozone is great when you have high loads of fish but it can stripe all the good stuff out of the water if you only run small loads, so be careful.

Bob P

Make sure that your sand is not too finer grain size or too thicker layer because anoxic bacteria may form and release hydrogen sulphide, which can effect your pH and kH levels.

Nick S

Make sure you are careful where you position your water pumps to ensure that you don`t get micro bubble! Over time these can create problems for your fish and coral!

Peter B

When you use algaefix it can be very effective at killing algae! You must remember that algae stores a lot of organic waste to when it dies your waste levels may go up? While treating with algaefix also test ammonia, nitrite and nitrate protect your fish, so you can water change and add Prime if need be, because of this be careful with the second dose!

Andre Caval

Many corals get full of sediment and coral slim over time, so it is a great idea to regularly vigorously wave your hand over each coral to free it of sediment. If a lot is dislodged then do it more regularly. This is very important for any porus corals.

Catherine W

If you get Micro bubbles in your Red Sea Max, make sure that the inlet is totally clean and free of algae. Ensure that the sponge, carbon and bio media can easily pass the water. The bubbles are a result of the water not being able to freely pass into the pump section.

Mark Y

Over time you can start to have problems with your fish and coral even though the tank has run well for a long time. If everything tests ok and you can`t work out what to do I suggest doing a spring clean. This maybe a large water change tring to remove as much waste out of the coral sand as you can or even do a total clean!

To do a total clean you will have to remove your fish, coral and rock and vacuume the sand or replace or clean it. Then return the water that you have kept, plus the rock, corals and fish with new water the same temperature, salinity and pH as the old water.

A spring clean will distroy any dead spots that maybe producing hydrogen sulphide. Some aquariums seem to need this after a number of years to continue thriving, while other tanks don`t ever seem to need it?

This process will take a day to do but can give your aquarium a whole new life!

My tank looks great now and the corals are open and happy again!

Alex M

If you want to keep SPS dose Kalkwasser at night and feed the tank twice a week at night with Marine Snow and baby brine shrimp!

I have found that this is the secret, I have been tring to keep Acro for years and am finally growing it at an amazing rate!

Bob Popivich

If you have problems with phosphate be sure to check the drum that you hold your salt water in, because I was fighting it for years and ended up finding out that the phosphate was coming out of the drum that I was storing my water in!

Never give up until you find the answer to a problem!

Every problem has an answer!

Louise H

Please email us about the lessons or tips you have learnt lately!

Freshwater mussels are a great filter feeder that helps to filter your tank and are great to watch moving around at night. We find they are happy in temperatures from cold to up to 30 degrees.

Mark Jelic

Tiny Yabbies are great to watch and excellent to clean up your tank, but you must remove them before they get large enough to eat your fish.

Christina Jelic

When you clean your filter make sure that you don`t use tap water, the chlorine in the tap water will kill the bacteria in the filter.

Also make sure that you don`t use tap water to fill up the filter when you are finished the clean.

I made this mistake and lost a few fish!

Keep treated tap water away from your filters.

Paul Sharp

I had an Oscar that was getting hole in the head disease, I fed him bloodworms, prawn and whitebait. Paul explained to me that this diet is full of protein and lacks vitamins. I could not feed him pellets because he will not eat them even if I don’t feed him for a week. Paul told me to push Spectrum pellets through the flesh of the prawns and whitebait. This was great because the Oscar would then eat the spectrum and not even notice. I slowly increased the amount of spectrum in the meat until now the Oscar will eat the Spectrum pellets because it is used to the taste. My Oscars is now healthy and happy and the hole in the head is gone and my tank is cleaner than ever!

James Andrews

I place a bit of polyfilter in the filter and replace it when it turns black.

The polyfilter will remove all the bad stuff from the water including phosphate, which is what creates algae!

It works amazingly!

Ken

Sloping your gravel so it is high at the back and low at the front is a good idea if you have an undergravel filter or run plants at the back, but is a bad idea if you have lots of decorations in the tank.

It can allow waste to accumulate at the front of the tank where you can service it, but it is wise to have only a thin layer of gravel if you can`t service the entire bottom of the tank.

Tyson B

I have a wall tank and no matter what I did the fish kept dying, untill I was advised to totally clean out the whole unit! Maybe there was something toxic in there?

Since then my fish are happy as Larry!

Thanks again
Peter

I have has a a case of a skinny Angelfish with a bloated belly that keeps floating upside down in the middle of the tank. It is showing a bacterial infection over its head, it is still feeding a little but will swim around a bit then it will go back to floating. Melafix has been added daily for a week, the water quality seems to be OK but the kH level is 1dKH.

Advice from Majestic:

I would continue with the Melafix and ensure there is no carbon in the filter to help surprise the bacterial infection. I would ensure 1gm per litre medicated salt is in the aquarium water, to increase immune system.

I would consider doing a salt bath for 3-5 minutes by mixing 125g into 5lt of water. This may stock the internal osmoregulation of the fish and help the bloating?

I would raise the kH level to 4dKH using a kH generator. I suggest that everyone has a kH test kit. I would not be too hopeful of a good out come because exposure to low kH levels can be likened to a diet without calcium in humans. Carbonate is an essential element for fish so it is important that it is not low for fish in the future or the same thing may happen again.

This is the most common killed of fish in Sydney!

My fish are looking great now think you!

Ronny

The top 5 reasons why pet fish die!

1. There is no kH in most tap water!
2. Don’t expect that your filter will provide oxygen for the fish and never clean your filter media in tap water!
3. Don’t change more than 25% of the water at a time!
4. Don’t feed too much!
5. Don’t add too many fish too quickly!

Paul Talbot

Please email us about the lessons or tips you have learnt lately!

If you Don`t run a CO2 system, make sure you use Flourish Excel! It gets rid of algae and allows the plants to thrive.

Marc Slater

I place a bit of polyfilter in the filter and replace it when it turns black. The polyfilter will remove all the bad stuff from the water including phosphate, which is what creates algae!

Flourish excel is a must for all plant tanks, it will change the state of organic carbon so it can be used as CO2! Black algae is a thing of the past!

Ken

Please email us about the lessons or tips you have learnt lately!

Regular small water changes are the key to my aquarium running well, but large water changes will spark them to breed. I do my small weekly changes, then when I let my female Frontosa fatten up I do a large water change using lots of African salt and they breed for me.

Scott Bird


Get the Cichlid DVD, it really helped me. There is always a dominant fish so you must make sure it is not too aggressive and ensure that you have lots of fish and many places for them to hide.

Michael Farrow

Fish do die of old age! If your cichlid is over 4 years old and it becomes sick it is most likely because it is old. Old fish get weak and die from a range of problems.

Jarrod Sharp

I place a bit of polyfilter in the filter and replace it when it turns black.

The polyfilter will remove all the bad stuff from the water including phosphate, which is what creates algae!

It is amazingly how it polishes the water!

My tank is so clean!

Ken

Please email us about the lessons or tips you have learnt lately!

It is worth building your pond above the ground using a glass panel, so you can also view your fish from the side. It really gives the pond extra dimension. It is worth the extra cost!

Jarrod Sharp

Watch your pH and kH, it will fall over time. It sneeks up on you and you don`t notice until your fish start to die.

Just don`t overload or overfeed your pond!

Don`t add fish in winter!

Peter Halloran

Having lots of water flow is soo important in a garden pond! I did everything to get my pond clear, but nothing worked! After one visit from Paul Talbot he advised to increase my water flow and the pond has been perfect ever since!

Neil Tooze

I did everything to get rid of string algae in my pond. I spent money getting people to come and fix it but it kept growing. I told Paul Talbot at Majestic and he said increase the waterflow, add Algaefix test kH and I am soo happy because it is now all gone.

Thank you again!
Mary
Sylvania

I got millions of tiny black bugs growing in colonies in my pond, mainly in the waterfalls and pipes.

Majestic told me that they are Black Fly Larvae and they can be removed by hand or killed using Paragon or Para Ex.

Jason

I place a bit of polyfilter in the filter or in the water of the pond and replace it when it turns black.

The polyfilter will remove all the bad stuff from the water including phosphate, which is what creates algae!

It works amazingly!

Ken

DO NOT run the tap straight into the pond! The chlorine and other things in the tap water will kill the bacteria in the system and poison the fish! You MUST treat the water in a bucket with ager before you add it to the pond. If you have to treat the pond with ager you have to treat the whole pond.

If you add chlorine in the pond it may take up to a week before problems seem to occur.

Richard T

Make sure that you clean out the impellors in your pumps by pulling them out and cleaning them or your pump will have a short life!

Minh

Make sure that you clean the internal glass sleeve of your UV every 6 months and replace the tube every 18th to keep your pond nice and clean.

Mick

Make sure that you have lots of water flow in your pond! You will find your fish are happier and the water cleaner and healthier!

If you have green water first increase the amount of oxygen in the water, this will lower the CO2 and reduce algae!

I love my Pond!

Ron C

If you are getting algae in your pond and your UV tube does not need replacing, be sure to totally pull apart and clean out the quartz sleeve. This should be cleaned a couple of times a year because a build up will stop the light from penertating the water in the unit.

Kevin

Please help us by giving us your feed back on which catogary you believe each fish should be in!

Majestic Aquariums Fish rating scale!

Number 1 fish are fish that most people can easily keep in regular aquarium conditions.

Number 2 fish are fish that from our experience work for some people and not for others.

Number 3 fish are those which don’t work for most people. So you should only get them if you are experianced!

Number 1 fish;
Damsels
Clownfish
Dottybacks
Triggerfish
Pufferfish
Foxface
Rabbitfish
Wrasse
Blennies
Cardinal fish
Lionfish
Moray Eel
Yellow Tang
Sailfin Tang

Number 2 fish;
Tangs
Boxfish
Angels
Gobies
Dartfish
Sweetlips
Some Butterfly fish
Anthias
Ribbon Eel
Sea horse

Number 3;
Moorish Idols
Powder Blue Tangs
Achilles Tangs
Filefish
Pipefish
Mandarin fish
Some Butterfly fish

Majestic Aquariums Coral rating scale!

Number 1 coral are coral that most people can easily keep in regular aquarium conditions.

Number 2 coral are coral that from our experience work for some people and not for others.

Number 3 Coral are those which don’t work for most people. So you should only get them if you are

Number 1;
Pachyclavularia
Sarcophyton sp
Sinularia sp
Blastomussa wellsi
Catalaphyllia
Caulastrea
Cycloseris
Cynarina
Diaseris
Duncanopsammia
Euphyllia
Favia sp
Favites sp
Fungia
Herpolitha
Lobophyllia
Physogyra
Plerogyra
Scolymia
Discosoma sp
Metarhodactis sp

Number 2;
Gorgoniidae
Cladiella sp
Dendronephthya sp
Xenia sp
Balanophyllia sp
Favites sp
Galaxea
Goniastrea
Heliofungia
Hydnophora
Leptoseris sp
Merulina
Montipora
Pachyseris
Pectinia sp
Platygyra sp
Plesiastrea
Porites sp
Symphyllia sp
Tubastraea sp
Tubipora

Number 3;
Ellisella sp
Paracis sp
Acropora sp
Dendrophyllia sp
Goniopora
Stylophora sp

Majestic Aquariums is currently running a coral propagation program, which aims to reduce the number of corals removed from the wild. Majestic Aquariums aims to one day have a self-sustaining supply of corals, even to the point where they can be sold to supply other stores.

Majestic Aquariums uses one-on-one training and seminars to teach people how to take their hobby to the next level. Our customers are trained how to propagate their corals, with the goal of trading them back to Majestic Aquariums so they can be sold to other customers. This program is running very successfully and you can often find corals for sale in Majestic Aquariums now which have been bred by other Majestic Aquariums customers.

Isn’t it time that you gave something back to this wonderful hobby and joined this awesome program?

Please come and speak to Paul or Luke in-store to become a part of it!



Welcome to my Dream.

I have a dream that if every person that kept a reef aquarium propagated their corals, we could have an almost self-sufficient industry.

In my dream you would buy a coral from an aquarium store, which someone else has propagated and propagate it yourself and sell multiples of that same piece back to that same store so they can sell it on to other people.

The stores that heavily participate in this program could then wholesale these corals to other stores. The amazing thing is that this dream is so simple and possible, yet even now it is just a dream.

Some corals are very easy to propagate while others are harder. In my dream, every coral you buy would be bought with a view to propagate it.

If you can learn to keep coral, then you can learn to grow it, if you can grow it then you can learn to propagate it, if you can propagate it then do it. Every person that propagates their coral is a credit to this wonderful industry.

The easiest corals to propagate are mushrooms, leathers and fluffies. To propagate these corals it is as simple as cutting a piece off them and securing the pieces to a new piece of rock. The cutting is most commonly secured to a small piece of live rock using fishing line.

When propagating leather coral I have found it more effective to ensure that the cut surface is pointed to the direction of the waterflow instead of trying to secure the cut surface to the rock. There seems to be less chance of developing an infection and the healthy uncut surface will be able to attach to the rock faster then the damaged side which will heal faster if allowed adequate water flow. This also applies for acropora- even a stag will attach faster if the healthy side is the point of contact.

When ever you are cutting a piece of coral ensure that there is ample room around the cut so it is not stung by surrounding specimens as the coral will be weak at this time. Also be wary of fish such as Angels that may pick on the damaged coral.

Don’t be a wimp! Many people love the idea of propagating their coral but are to scared to cut them because they think they will hurt it. Corals don’t feel pain as we do so be brave and remember that what you are doing it for the good of the species.

Remember that you can’t win them all, but you will find that as you get better at it with practise, it will be rare for you to fail in your propagating attempts.

Big warning- never cut a mushroom, fluffy or anemone out of the water. It is better for you to cut them submerged in a shallow bowl of water from your tank. We learnt this the hard way as one day my brother was cutting a mushroom coral out of the water when it sprayed him in the eye with poisonous neurotoxins. The pain was excruciating and we spend the whole night going from doctors to hospitals to eye specialists.

To propagate stony corals is it just a matter or cutting them with a hacksaw or better yet on a ban saw. Once again, allow room around the cut so it doesn’t have to also deal with competing with it`s neighbours. After the stony coral has been cut, you can towel dry the bottom of it and superglue it to a larger rock to safely secure it. Allow the glue to set before returning it to the water.

Don’t be scared to handle the coral roughly because they are actually very tough. After all, they are built to ensure tonnes of water being dumped on top of them in the form of a wave. Most corals can safely be removed from the water for a period of time too, for example low tide on a natural coral reef.

I do suggest having at least 14 times per hour waterflow in any tank that you wish to propagate coral in and pay attention to iodine levels. Maintaining an iodine level of 0.06pp when propagating will decrease the instances of bacterial infection among the new corals.

Before you handle any coral it is important for you to know what it is in order to avoid handling a poisonous coral that my sting your hands such as fire coral Millepora. It is recommended to use gloves when handling live rock and coral. Corals are closely related to jellyfish and as with jellyfish, some are more poisonous then others.

If you ever are stung by a coral or fish the best thing to do is place the stung area under hot running water, which will break down the neurotoxins.

Anemones can also be propagated like a mushroom, but I rarely recommend it. An anemone is a beautiful display when coupled with clown fish, but not always successful long-term. I would suggest trying an anemone with the aim of seeing how long you can maintain it first, and if you find you are one of the few that can keep them long-term, give propagating anemones a go for sure. If you do propagate them long-term then I believe it is your responsibility to share your experience with as many people as you can. There must be something that you are doing that other people aren’t. This is a subject I will really be experimenting on in the coming years. It is common for anemones to split by themselves in people`s tanks.

Currently coral propagation is the most realistic approach over breeding corals. Corals can be bred in captivity as moonlight cycles and temperatures can be used as a trigger. The problem with breeding coral is that they mass spawn which will choke many systems. If you were to breed the coral, it would be quite a long period of time until you have specimens ready to sell. When they are propagated they will often be ready in as little as 3 months.

It is not the intention of this article to teach you comprehensive techniques on how to propagate coral but rather to tell you that it is something that you should be considering doing, yes I do mean you! The internet is full of information and techniques which will set you on your way to being an enviro-hobbyist coral farmer. Read several articles and obtain a few ideas before you try your first. Remember that each person will tell you what works for them, this doesn’t mean that there is a definitive right or wrong way to do it.

Please do not let possible failures stop you from succeeding in this. The only way you will fail is to not try. Even if the first few go wrong, I encourage you to keep trying until you are doing it so confidently that you will wonder why everyone doesn’t do it. I will tell you now that there are people that propagate coral and there are people that are scared to try. The service that you are doing for your hobby is too big not to do it.

Another simple way that you can help is to ask every time you are in an aquarium store if they stock any propagated coral. If they do, I encourage you to consider buying it over any wild caught options. That fact that you are asking will reinforce to the retailer that propagated coral is something that people want. Imagine if every person asked at every shop they went into, retailers would be doing anything to be able to supply such a requested product..

I have been educating people with a passion for many years on the benefits and realities of this dream. I would love to see more people just like you enrol in this dream. Not matter whether you have a tank or not, it is never to late to start. You can make a difference! Please share this idea with as many people as you can until one day this dream is realised.

Good luck and enjoy,
Paul Talbot

Join our `Save the Cichlid` Program.

Majestic Aquariums run an extensive program called ‘Save the Cichlid’ which aims to stop Cichlid species being lost to the hobby. To become a part of the Save the Cichlid program simply email your name, phone number and what species you choose to be responsible for to paul@majesticaquariums.com.au. Majestic Aquariums are currently collecting information to post on their website under `Save the Cichlid`. Breeders will soon be able to access a full comprehensive Cichlid list.




A call to all Cichlid Breeders.

Australian law allows very few Cichlids to be imported into Australia, this is to allow the authorities an amount of control over this family of fish. The laws are to lessen the potential risk of these fish being released into Australian waterways, which may effect the native fish stocks. It is important that any person keeping any type of aquarium fish is aware that they should never allow any ornamental fish or aquatic plant to be released into an Australian waterway. Any Cichlid which you no longer require should be returned to an aquarium store or destroyed.

As there is only a limited number of Cichlids allowed into the country, it is therefore very important that we need to be doing everything in our power to preserve the other species that we have here by ensuring that we never allow our fish to crossbreed. A crossbred fish is where two different species of fish produce young together. The way that you do this is to make sure you are breeding the right male of a species with the right female of the same species. If you are not sure that you are breeding the right male with the right female then you should not allow the fry to leave your possession.

Any Cichlids bred in a community aquarium should be regarded as crossbred, unless they are grown up to a size in which they are clearly able to be distinguished as a true species. These fish should never be sold as juveniles as many fish are not able to be recognized as crossbred until they mature. Remember that within a batch of fry from one mother, several males may have fertilized the one set of eggs. So within a community aquarium you can never be sure they are all true, even if some clearly are. You must never allow a fish to leave your possession unless you are totally sure it is a true species. The only way that you can ensure this is to have a designated breeding tank in which you keep the parents for any spawning.

The problem with crossbred fish is that if everyone started breeding crossbred fish, it would dilute and eventually destroy the true species we do have by crossing them all together.

Most people start out with a basic community Cichlid aquarium. Once their fish grow and start to breed in their tank, they soon realise the pleasures of Cichlid breeding. They then get another tank to raise young, then another, then another and then another. What started out as a pleasurable hobby soon consumes their life as they develop the idea of becoming a professional breeder.

I believe it is important for most people to understand that this really a hobby, it started out a hobby and is always will be a hobby. The amount of outlay involved in breeding enough fish to make enough money to support a family is immense and almost never achieved in Australia. My advice is to grow slowly as a breeder and never loose sight of the fact that you do this for fun. I have seen too many good breeders come and go because they grow too fast and the house is soon full of fish tanks, which often puts too much stress on their family and their time. They try harder and harder to make it profitable and soon give up altogether with frustration.

Most common Cichlids sell to the shops at about $3 each at 4cm, but rarer Cichlids can sell for up to $20 each. The problem is that all the breeders try to breed the fish which they make the most money on, this is always the very popular rare fish. This means that a lot of the breeder are breeding all the same fish at the same time. When a new or rare fish comes on the market everyone is happy to pay a high price and try to breed them hoping to sell them at a high price. Once the new or rare fish become common and the price then drops, most of the breeders stop breeding them. Once people stop breeding them again they soon become rare again and the price starts to rise again. Once the price starts to rise again everyone wants to start breeding them again and so it goes on.

The problem with people breeding fish for the return value is that many Cichlids that were once common in Australia soon become lost to the hobby because everyone stops breeding them at once. This is because they are not returning the same money and then they are soon all gone. This has happened to countless species over the years.

My request to all breeders to select at least once species for each person, which you will stay responsible for to ensure that these fish keep breeding and surviving in Australia. Not for the money but for the hobby. If everyone tried to pick one species that is at the time not so common, we could ensure that all species will be here for good and we can stop losing so many wonderful diverse Cichlids to this hobby. When picking a Cichlid to be responsible for, communicate with as many people as possible to ensure you don’t pick a fish that a lot of people are breeding already. Various aquarium stores have lists of who breeds which fish to ensure their own supply and that you can access to help you choose which fish to support.

Majestic Aquariums in Taren Point, Sydney run an extensive program called ‘Save the Cichlid’ which aims to stop Cichlid species being lost to the hobby. To become a part of the Save the Cichlid program simply email your name, phone number and what species you choose to be responsible for to paul@majesticaquariums.com.au. Majestic Aquariums are currently collecting information to post on their web site under `Save the Cichlid`. On the website, breeders can access a full comprehensive Cichlid list.

This way anyone can see how many people breed the same fish or which species need to be bred. No private information is accessed by any person except one single staff member who is responsible for updating the list. Majestic Aquariums will be in contact with each person on the list twice a year to ensure the list is valid. Any one registering a fish on the list is to agree to keep breeding that fish unless they find someone else to take over their registry or they contact Majestic Aquariums by email to tell them that they will no longer be breeding this fish. At this point for any rarer species Majestic Aquariums will try to find a new person to register that same fish ensuring they stay strong in the hobby forever.

We must try to support people like Anthony Ramsey and the PIAA that are working to ensure the laws are fair in regards to the importation of Cichlids to Australia. Any new fish that we are able to get on the allowable import list helps to improve and expand our hobby.

Another issue facing availability of Cichlids in Australia is the release of hormone-based colour enhancing food. As many of the Cichlids have beautifully coloured males while the females are quite bland in colour, people are tempted to use hormone-based foods to allow them to have a display tank full of coloured fish. These foods will make the male`s colour look amazing and also make the female colour up as well. As attractive as this sounds, it has massive negative effects on the long-term health of the fish. With extended use of this food, the immune system of the fish will close down and the fish will become impotent, therefore no longer able to reproduce. If everyone used this food, we would be faced with even bigger issues in terms of the availability of non-importable Cichlids.

There has been claim that over 200 species have come and gone from the Australian Cichlid hobby in the last 15 years. I can only imagine the impact those 200 fish would have had on the variety available now if they were all around now because of a program as simple as Save the Cichlid. It is a shame to see so many wonderful Cichlids come and go from this great hobby when with a little dedication and communication we can ensure that they all live on for us all forever.

Please try to educate every Cichlid hobbyist about these issues for the benefit of everyone and make sure that any Cichlid breeding is registered by emailing paul@majesticaquariums.com.au

Good luck and enjoy

Paul Talbot

Killer kH WARNING: Your fish, plants and invertebrates may be dying!

Sydney tap water seems to have a reduced level of Carbonate Hardness (kH) compared with one year ago. Recent kH tests of Sydney tap water show levels as low as 0-20ppm. This is a concern, as to keep a happy freshwater aquarium you need a minimum kH level of 40-60ppm and 200ppm for marine aquariums.

kH is important to all biological processes and is also essential to the break-down of nitrogen by bacteria, which cannot occur without the presence of carbonate. It also acts as a stabiliser and buffer to pH.

Below is a list of some of the low kH fallout:

Dead yabbies

Many people are finding that their yabbies which have been happy family pets for years are dying, generally after a water change or while they are trying to shed their skeleton. This can be attributed to low water kH.

Sick turtles

A higher than usual number of customers are reporting that their turtles are developing bacterial infections and shell abnormalities, which can also be traced to the fact that their kH level is too low.

Aquatic plants

If you are replacing your aquatic plants every few months, chances are you are not caring for them properly. Even if your fish nibble on your plants it is still worth the effort to ensure that they are healthy. Aquatic plants should thrive in an aquarium providing that they have adequate light, fertilizer, CO2 and a suitable level of kH. To keep healthy aquatic plants, you need to be aware of the kH level of your water and never let it reach levels as low as 20ppm, as plants need carbonate to live.

Increasingly in the Sydney area, due to the low kH level of the tap water, kH is becoming a more important test to perform than a pH test. Of course you should perform both! Though some people believe that the kH level will be right if the pH level is right, this is myth. While Sydney tap water has a pH of 7-8 which is high but tolerable for most fish, kH levels are quite low. You really do need to test both.

Another myth is that maintaining adequate kH levels is only necessary in order to stabilise pH levels. The truth is that carbonate has many other important functions. It is involved in the metabolic and respiratory processes of both fish and plants and assists in osmo-regulation.

Chances are that if you don’t test kH, then it will not be at the right level for your aquarium and you are risking the health and well-being of your aquatic pets.

Low kH is a killer and it affects everyone. Take action now!

It is frightening for fish lovers to find out that many of the saltwater fish (mainly from Asia) are collected using techniques harmful to the environment. These techniques include the use of dynamite and cyanide.

Dynamite collecting is done by simply detonating an explosive in the water over a coral reef then collecting all the stunned fish on the perimeter of the blast. Obviously, all the fish and coral in the centre of the blast are killed, but the fish in the surrounding area are just stunned. The collector then simply collect which species they want out of the sometimes thousands of stunned fish. All of these fish are taken back to the export station where the dead are separated from the fish that come to. Any of these fish that survive are shipped off to the retail trade. Most of these fish die in the coming months as their immune system is rarely able to totally cope with such a stress.

When fish are collected using cyanide, a diver will enter the water generally on a hooker line with a bottle of cyanide spray on his back. The bottle is connected to a nozzle which allows him to spray cyanide into caves and crevasses. The fish in the direct area are killed while the fish on the perimeter of the poison are induced into a coma. These fish are easily collected.

When the divers return from a collecting trip all of the fish which have come to are sent to the exporter while the fish that are dead are thrown back in to the water. These fish are quickly consumed by other fish and animals which can all become sick from the cyanide still in the fish.

Every day more fish are thrown out until they are finally sent to the retailers. Only a small proportion of the fish collected survive for any length of time, most are dead within 3 months. There are no easy tests to find out if a fish is caught with cyanide. You can easily buy a cyanide caught fish which will appear healthy until it finally dies due to its exposure to this poison. This is why it is so important to on buy fish from a trusted source.

I have done a lot of travel around the world and have had the chance to speak with cyanide drug collectors. I have been so shocked to find that some of they seem almost unaware of the problems they are creating. I have had collectors tell me that the drug only puts the fish to sleep and allows stress-free handling. Some seem to believe that if the fish don’t wake up, then they just need to be returned back to the water as they will wake up overnight. The bad news is that most of them don’t wake up and are eaten by other predators that can also be affected by the drug. They have even told me that they believe that when the fish get to the aquarium store then they are treated and live out a happy life.

This lack of education means that some of the very people killing our reefs may be doing it without knowing. Most of the cyanide collectors are local peasants desperate to provide for their families. These people work for the export companies who would never endanger themselves with this activity. Many of the collectors are unaware of the dangers and have short lifespans from exposure to cyanide. Others still use these techniques because of greed or desperation.

We must do what we can to educate the public and allow informed discussions surrounding this activity. Majestic Aquariums has the best reputation in the industry for its quality of fish. Paul Talbot regularly visits its suppliers just to be sure of the technique they use. Majestic Aquariums have built a wonderful relationship with the best suppliers in Australia and is therefore able to provide the best range of quality net caught fish. Majestic Aquariums extensively test the survivability of the fish from any new suppliers. Due to this you can be assured that the fish you buy from Majestic Aquariums are free from any of these issues. Some of the less creditable stores and online suppliers are more interested in making a quick buck and moving on.

It’s every kids dream to hand-feed a live shark.

Since the year 2000 Majestic Aquariums have been conducting FREE shark feeding shows. These shows are used to increase public knowledge on these wonderful and important animals. The shows cover shark education, conservation and actively promoting the atrocities of shark finning.

Since the shark shows have started, thousands of people have chosen never to eat shark fin soup, many even choosing to blackban restaurants that serve it. Several restaurants have even taken it off their menu once they have seen this show, including the Ocean room restaurant at Circular Quay.

Over 100 million sharks are killed annually just for their fins. If it continues then one day there will be no sharks left. When the sharks are caught their fins are cut off and the sharks are thrown back into the ocean, where they take about an hour to die in excruciating pain.

In some cultures, shark fin soup is a symbol of riches and wealth and is often served at celebrations.

The Japanese have developed a synthetic shark fin material but no one chooses to buy it. We need to make people aware of the problems this is creating, as sharks have the best immune system on the planet and are very important to the balance of the oceans. When fish get sick they are meant to be eaten by sharks, but if the sharks are all turned into shark fin soup, the diseases are passed onto other fish and animals.

The sharks will be back soon in a bigger and better tank!

Majestic Aquariums have a comprehensive breeding program with many breeders suppling Majestic Aquariums exclusively with high quality locally bred stock. This assures good quality and keeps more of your money in Australia.

Australia has one of the best environmental conservation programs in the world, enforcing strict,effective guidelines and laws. This ensures the preservation of its fish, corals and waterways. Because of this, Majestic Aquariums prefers where possible to endorse and offer Australian caught fish and only deal with importers with the best reputation.

Majestic Aquariums is totally against the supply of cyanide, dynamite or any other damaging fish collection methods. Majestic Aquariums aim to supply mainly tank or farm bred fish and insist that any collected fish are net caught. Majestic Aquariums take regular trips to suppliers to build relationships and inspect the method of our suppliers, breeders and collectors.

Unfortunately there are still too many greedy and irresponsible people in the industry looking for a quick buck and happy to sell low quality stock, not likely to survive. Majestic Aquariums aims to set the benchmark for safety, morality and quality.

You can see for yourself how our fish are caught by watching the videos on collection in our video page!

If you want the best fish, ask the busiest store!

Some fish are much easier to keep than others. Knowing this is important information when selecting fish for your aquarium. We have found that some fish adapt very well to aquarium life and seem to thrive for even the most novice aquarium-keepers as long as they are offered adequate conditions while other fish don’t seem to do well even if they are taken by the most experience aquarist and placed in a healthy environment.

To make it easy for everyone to make the correct decision, Majestic Aquariums has placed a fish rating before the name of every fish for sale within our tanks.

A number 1 fish is a hardy fish that will do well for most people.

A number 2 fish is a less hardy fish that will do well for some people and not for others, even if they are offering good conditions.

A number 3 fish is a fish that should only be attempted by an experienced hobbyist and is not expected to do well for most people.

We welcome cross promotion ideas and are happy to talk through ideas which may prove to be mutually beneficial. Please email your ideas to paul@majesticaquariums.com.au

Majestic Aquariums have an extensive customer data base which offers you various benefits. Incentives, notification of specials and information on fish care are regularly offered to Majestic Aquariums customers only. The database also allows all guarantees to be traced so you don’t have to scrounge for receipts for proof of purchase if you have a problem with a product.

Next time you are in store, ask your Majestic team member to start up a customer number for you, or to check and update the details of your old one.

Chomp is a large female Giant Gourami that lives at Majestic Aquariums and is the prized possession of Mrs. Talbot. She is named Chomp because she is often seen chomping at the glass anytime someone walks near the tank. Comp has been in the Talbot family for most of her life and because of her boisterous personality she has always been loved by everyone that meets her. We believe she is about 11 years old and is currently very safe at home at Majestic Aquariums. In India and south-east Asia, Giant Gourami is a customary food and is often found on the menu. Chomp loves to eat strawberries, bananas, nori, pellets and most frozen food.

Majestic Aquariums does annual Aquarium and Pond Tours which will be
held on a Sunday from 10am to 5pm.

This is a great chance to get to know other hobbyists, gather new
ideas, learn a lot and have a great time. Spend the day with Paul Talbot and
visit some of the best aquariums in Sydney. At each house you will have
a chance to speak with the owner of each of these magnificant aquariums
and hear advice from Paul Talbot.

2009 tours dates yet to be released.

In the 7 hour tours you will
10am meet at house 1
10.40am depart for house 2
11am arrive at house 2
11.40am depart for house 3
12am arrive at house 3
12.40am depart for house 4
1pm arrive at house 4
1.30pm sausage sandswich lunch
2.40pm depart for house 5
3pm arrive at house 5
3.40pm depart for house 6
4pm arrive at house 6
5pm leave for home

Please let us know if you are driving and if you will have spare seats
in your car or if you need to arrange a lift. If you are not driving
please meet at Majestic Aquariums at 9.30am.

To be included in a tour you must book and pre-pay $25 (including lunch)
so we can secure numbers and alert the home owner. For more
information please contact paul@majesticaquariums.com.au

If you have a beautiful aquarium and would be proud to show it off and
talk about it, please email photos of your tank to
paul@majesticaquariums.com.au for selection.

Majestic Aquariums is a perfect, free, fun, educational study trip for any school science class.

For details contact Paul Talbot at paul@majesticaquariums.com.au

Majestic Aquariums carry free Aqua One aquarium logbooks which are a perfect way to keep track of what is going on with your aquarium.

A must for all reef aquariums.

Majestic Aquariums are committed to the education of our customers and our team. Majestic are leaders in industry training using many educational tools, DVDs, seminars and training programs designed by Paul Talbot.

Paul Talbot has hosted and produced industry and corporate instructional DVDs released in 27 countries in 8 languages for top brands such and Red Sea, Aqua One and Fisheye films.

Majestic Aquariums have supplier nights every few couples!

Many of the best brands on show!

Huge discounts!

Top brand seminars and information nights.

Meet the

Only available to Majestic Club Customers.

All you have to do to be in the Majestic Club is to ensure we have your valide email address by joining our mailing list now!

If you are having problems with your aquarium or pond and you live in the Sydney area, give us an email and tell us that you need a magic moment!

We are committed to helping you get the aquarium or pond of your dreams and you will be supprised what length we will go to, to ensure this comes true!

Let us be appart of fixing your problems and let us be a part of your joy!

Our experts are at your service!

Seeing your tank thrive is our pride!

Would you love to get a new aquarium but you are not sure what to do with the old one?

Majestic Aquariums will trade in your old tank for credit on a new tank!

Why feel stuck with a tank that doesn`t reflect your love for your fish?

Imagine how happy your fish will be swimming around in a beautiful bigger new aquarium!

Simply bring us you old tank and we will supply your with the tank of your dreams!

If your aquarium is large we can arrange to pick up your old tank and install the new one for you!

What are you waiting for!

Our ezipay system makes it amazingly easy, you can pay the tank off over 10 or 24 months interest FREE!

Print out this page and hand it to us when you get the new tank and we will also give you and extra $20 worth of FREE fish!

Trade and upgrade!

We can also do trade deals on other aquarium equipment e.g. filters and lights.

We need your feedback!

Majestic Aquariums is considering redoing our website!

We really need to hear from you!

Please send us an email and tell us exactly what you would like to see changed and what you would like to see remained the same?

Please answer;

Is the site easy to use?

How can we make it easier to use?

Why would you buy from our site?

Why would you not buy from the site?

What can we do to improve our site?

We really appreciate your feedback!

Please send us an email and tell us exactly what you would like to see changed and what you would like to see remained the same in our store and our service?

Please answer;

What do you like about our store?

What would you like to see improved in our store?

What do you like about our service?

What would you like to see improved in our service?

How can we help you better?

We really appreciate your feedback!

As retailers it is our job to offer the customers with the best fish keeping experience possible. Allowing the customers to have the healthiest fish in the cleanest tank possible has to be our goal!

Low quality and bulk fish food is our enemy!

We should always aim to offer every customer with the best quality fish food possible. This is because high quality foods are healthier and cleaner than cheaper foods. High quality fish food will improve the experience that the customer will have with their fish and the hobby, because the immune system of their fish will be so much higher and the fish will be more robust and easier to keep. This is because the food will offer an even balance of all of the ratios of vitamins, trace elements and nutrients that they require. These specific ratios are set at the absorption rate of fish, giving them everything that they need and nothing that they don’t.

It is amazing when you study fish digestion and find out that all fish basically require the same ratios of vitamins, trace elements and nutrients. It is actually the way that they process the food that varies from one type of fish to the next. Fish have different ways of processing food because in times of scarcity every type of fish has had to evolve to be able to take advantage of unique feeding niches available in their natural environment. Every fish is perfectly adapted to survive in the natural environment in which it came from.

Meaty foods offer fish the protein that they need but normally lack all essential vitamins and trace elements, while green foods offer vitamins but they are not able to be processed by most fish.

Just because the fish enjoy eating a food it does not mean that the food is actually good for the fish, many foods pass right though the fish, polluting the water without offering them any benefits at all.

High quality foods offer an even balance of vitamins, trace elements and nutrients so only very small amounts are required, so the fish remain healthier and the tank remains cleaner with lower nitrate and phosphate levels. Fish fed on low quality foods require more quantity to hold a healthy body shape and the tank will need to be cleaned more often due to increased waste.

Our aim as retailers really needs to be to offer the customers with the best quality food possible. We owe it to our customers to ensure that every customer gets the best food possible regardless of what type of fish they have. Every fish keeper will appreciate having healthier fish with a stronger immune system and amazingly better colour.

With 20 years of experience I am sure that New life Spectrum is the best quality food on the market, it is also the best natural colour enhancers.

If you have not tired New Life spectrum then NOW is the time!

Why wait to feed the best!

By Paul Talbot

To help educate our customers Majestic Aquariums stock a huge range of books but we are currently overstocked with lots of books!

Many to clear at cost!

e.g.
The Amazing Cichlid Pictorial Guide by Pablo Tepoot volume 1 or 2 for only $89 normally $149

or the Practical Guide to Aquarium Plants by Pablo Tepoot for only $89 normally $149

and the Marine Companion, South East Asia by Pablo Tepoot for only $89 normally $149

Lots more CRAZY deals like this available NOW, HURRY HURRY!

To redeem this great special over the counter at Majestic Aquariums you must print out this page and present it at the time of purchase.

What are Reefresh Refugium Blocks?

Reefresh20 Refugium is a block of cell pore media which offers the perfect place for all different types of bacteria and micro organisms to grow. It is the perfect way to control Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate. These blocks can be placed in a sump or in the back of a tank.

This media is Revolutionising aquarium-keeping, making it easier than ever to keep fish!

What are Reefresh Refugium Balls?

Reefresh Refugium Balls are perfectly designed to make the most advanced media available for a canister filter!

For more information look at www.reefresh2o.com
Reefresh2o will be released in Australia by Aqua Premium.

Bring in a water sample to the store so we can do our 20 point health check for you for FREE (valued at $29).

Surface agitation (bubbles or water pump) –

Filter flowing –

Filter media cleaned monthly in water from the tank (not from the tap) –

25% water change monthly using gravel cleaner –

Replace Biochem Zorb every 3 months –

Replace Phosban every 2 months–

Lights on no more than 10 hours a day –

Light tubes replaced every 9 months –

Supplements, trace elements or fertilizers added –

Fish fed spectrum, what they can eat in 30 second 5 times per week –

All fish (and coral) compatible –

pH –

kH –

Ammonia –

Nitrite –

Nitrate –

Calcium –

Phosphate –

Temperature –

Salt level (Marine only) –

To redeem this great special over the counter at Majestic Aquariums you must print out this page and present it at the time of purchase.

See the articles section of our website for more information www.majesticaquariums.com.au

Bring in a water sample to the store so we can do our 13 point health check for you for FREE (valued at $19)

Surface agitation (bubbles or water pump) –

Filter flowing –

Filter media cleaned monthly in water from the tank (not from the tap) –

25% water change monthly using gravel cleaner –

Lights on no more than 10 hours a day –

Fish fed spectrum, what they can eat in 30 second 5 times per week –

All fish (and coral) compatible –

pH –

kH –

Ammonia –

Nitrite –

Nitrate –

Temperature –

To redeem this great special over the counter at Majestic Aquariums you must print out this page and present it at the time of purchase.

See the articles section of our website for more information www.majesticaquariums.com.au

Did you know that if you want to grow plants and corals in your aquarium you should replace your light tubes regularly? This is because the intensity and spectrum produced by the gasses in the bulb fade and change over time.

For best results you should replace:

Fluorescent globes every 9 months
Power compact and T5 every 12 months
Metal halide every 18 months.
UV-C globes every 18month.

It is a good idea to record when you buy the tubes in your logbook so you know when to replace them.

If you buy your lights from Majestic Aquariums you should be able to reference the purchase date on your club number on the shop computer.

Please email us feedback on any product that you have tired!

Aqua Clear power heads are amazing but ensure that you don`t add the inlet cone to the inlet unless you hook it up to an undergravel filter pipe, because it can create a vacuum which can suck onto the fish!

Mario

Polyfilter and Easylife are amazing!

It is a must to every person with a tank!

Frank

Brightwell Supplements give me the most amazing results! My corals have never looked so good! Thank you!

Russ W

I love my Red Sea Max 250! With a good chiller it makes coral keeping soooo easy!

Deb

Don`t buy supermarket or NO-name brands, because they are rubbish when you can`t get parts for it!

Stevie E

Ad Konings Cichlid books are amazing! The more you learn the more you love these fish!

John

I got your DVD set before I started up this hobby & find them fantastic. I recommend them to every one.

Cheers,

Phill

A nitrate test kit will fail positive and may only last 6 months, most test kits will last 12-18 months.

Russ F

EasyLife is an amazing product! Any time that I get a sick fish I dose up the tank with Easylife and they come good in days!

Jane Howe

Hi Guys, just wanted to say thanks for the 20 kg of live rock and the exceptional service today. Both were great, and I have to say the live rock looked even better in my tank and under lights Hope fully see you again once the tank cycles, and I start looking at livestock and other accessories.

Cheers Ken

I have been keeping a heavily over stocked AR-620 Goldfish tank for 3 years now. Due to the huge amount of fish in the tank, I have to do a 20% water change twice a week and clean the filter weekly because my water becomes green and dirty. I also have to regularly increase the pH and kH levels because they fall so fast. The tank has lots of oxygen and matrix in the filter and the fish are all healthy but it is a lot of work.

I just wanted to let you know that 8 weeks ago I purchased some Polyfilter to go in my top filter.

Since I have added Polyfilter to the tank the tank has remained crystal clear and the water quality is always stable even though I have not done any water changes in this time.

I can’t believe how good this product is!

I would never run another tank again without using this product!

I would suggest that everyone tries Polyfilter!

Thank you for selling it to me!

Reg

The Malwai Cichlid scale is a guide for beginners to understand the aggression of their Cichlids.

1 = not aggressive
5 = medium aggression
10 = very aggressive

All listing are generalization of genus.

Please consider that the more fish you have in the tank the less aggressive your fish tend to be!

How aggressive your fish are can be a result of which fish is the boss of the tank.

Please get Your instructional Cichlid DVD guide for more information on Cichlid keeping!

Please email us your opinion on the aggression of each type of cichlid, so we can update our Malawi Cichlid scale!

1

2
Labidochromis
Placidochromis

3
Aulonocara
Diplotaxodon
Lethrinops
Tramitichromis
Trematocranus

4
Alticorpus
Chilotilapia
Nyassachromis

5
Fossorochromis
Haplochromis
Hemitaeniochromis
Hemitilapia
Lichnochromis
Mylochromis
Naevochromis
Nimbochromis
Otopharynx
Protomelas
Sciaenochromis
Taeniochromis

6
Corematodus
Ctenopharynx
Cyathochromis
Docimodus
Exochochromis
Iodotropheus
Oreochromis
Ncheni
Pallidochromis
Stigmatochromis

7
Aristochromis
Buccochromis
Caprichromis
Rhamphochromis
Tyrannochromis

8
Astatotilapia
Champsochromis
Cynotilapia
Cyrotocara
Dimidiochromis
Gephyrochromis
Metriaclima
Pseudotropeus
Serranochromis
Tropheops

9
Labeotropheus

10
Genyochromis
Melanochromis
Petrotilapia
Tilapia

Colated by Paul Talbot

The Tanganyika Cichlid scale is a guide for beginners to understand the aggression of their Cichlids.

1 = not aggressive
5 = medium aggression
10 = very aggressive

All listing are generalization of genus.

Please consider that the more fish you have in the tank the less aggressive your fish tend to be!

How aggressive your fish are can be a result of which fish is the boss of the tank.

Please get Your instructional Cichlid DVD guide for more information on Cichlid keeping!

Please email us your opinion on the aggression of each type of cichlid, so we can update our Tanganyika Cichlid scale!

1
Cyhotilapia

2
Cyprichromis
Gnathochromis
Triglachromis

3
Ectodus
Enantiopus
Lestradea

4
Chalinochromis
Greenwoodochromis
Haplotaxodon
Julidochromis
Microdontochromis
Paracyprichromis
Telmatochromis
Xenochromis
Xenotilapia

5
Altolamprologus
Asprotilapia
Aulonocranus
Baileychromis
Bathybates
Benthochromis
Callochromis
Cardiophrynx
Ctenochromis
Cunningtonia
Cyathopharynx
Hemibates
Interochromis
Lamprologus
Ophthalmotilapia
Reganochromis
Tangachromis
Teltrematocara
Tylochromis

6
Grammatotria
Lichnochromis
Limnotilapia
Lobochilotes
Variabilichromis

7
Boulengerochromis

8
Neolamprologus
Simochromis

9
Eretmodus
Lepidiolamprologus
Orechromis
Spathodus
Tanganicodus
Tropheus

10
Perissodus
Petrochromis
Pecodus

Colated by Paul Talbot

The American Cichlid scale is a guide for beginners to understand the aggression of their Cichlids.

1 = not aggressive
5 = medium aggression
10 = very aggressive

All listing are generalization of genus.

Please consider that the more fish you have in the tank the less aggressive your fish tend to be!

How aggressive your fish are can be a result of which fish is the boss of the tank.

Please get Your instructional Cichlid DVD guide for more information on Cichlid keeping!

Please email us your opinion on the aggression of each type of cichlid, so we can update our American Cichlid scale!

1
Apistogramma
Microgeophagus
Dicrossus
Taeniacara
Symphysodon

2
Uaru
Heros
Acaras
Krobia
Geophagus
Gymnogeophagus
Acarichthys
Satanoperca
Aequidend
Laetacara
Pterophyllum

3
Thorichthys

4
Archocentrus

5
Hypsophrys
Astronotus

6
Cryptoheros
Aequidens

7
Chuco

8
Theraps
Herichthys
Paratheraps
Vieja
Archocentrus
Cichlasoma

9
Petenia
Cichla
Crenicichla

10
Neetroplus
Amphilophus
Nandopsis
Parachromis

Every person with an Aqua One all in one style aquarium needs to read this!

Aqua One all in one tanks come with a top filter comprising of a carbon cartridge and noodles media. This style of filter can be very effect if set up correctly. The disadvantage of this system is that if the filter is left to get dirty it is possible for them to clog and over flow water out the back of the unit (mainly with the 126, 510, 620, 620T, 850, 980, 980T units). This is often very deceptive because you can’t see the water creeping out the back and travelling around the plastic edge, the water tends to become visible first in the front corner of the tank, which is the furthest point from the actual place it is leaking. This often makes people think that their tank is leaking when it is not leaking, it is over flowing. This can become overly frustrating when the overflowed water also damages the timber of the aquarium stand!

Also be careful that it is not because of the water splashing back into the tank from the filter. You can have a problem when you keep and water leave too low, just as you can have a problem when the water leave is too high. Keeping the water level about 5mm under the plastic lip seems to work well.

If the aquarium appears to be leaking, first remove the lights and filters and inspect them. You will often find evidence of salt and mineral stains where the water has been over flowing. Most of the time completely cleaning out your filter and ensuring it is not packed up with too much media will stop any leaking problems.

Also most all leaks in an Aqua One tank are a result of dirty filter media or too much media in the filter. The water has to be able to easily flow through media back into the aquarium. Water flowing out of the back of the tank is almost always a result of the media being dirty or clogged and not able to escape back into the aquarium.

It is important to keep all of the plastic surfaces clean and free of salt creep, as the capillary action of water can allow it to siphon over the side.

It is important that these tanks are on a flat, level surface or the water condensation on the top of the tank may keep running to one side. This can cause the water to escape continually at the top, making the aquarium appear to leak. To test if this maybe the case turn off all the pumps and filters and measure from the water level to the top of the tank in each corner, this will allow you to see if it is level.

You can easily test if your aquarium is leaking by turning off your filters and airpumps and making a pen mark on the tank. As long as the filters, pumps and air is not running and you see the water level drop. It helps to enure that you have a lot of Easy-Life in your water for this test. Easy-Life will help keep up your water quality and oxygen levels.

If you still thing the tank is leaking place the fish in an aerated foam box and drain the tank and place it on paper in the garage. Ensuring the floor is level fill the tank with water. If the tank is leaking you will easily see the water wet the paper at the source of the leak. Mark with a permanent pen where the leak is and call your Aqua One supplier ASAP!

It is very rare for an Aqua One aquarium on a flat level surface to leak, it is common if the surface is not level or if the filter and tank is not clean!

I strongly advice that every person using an Aqua One all in one aquarium to upgrade the carbon cartridge to a sheet of Polyfilter. Polyfilter is the world’s best biological and mechanical media and it will not clog. Using this media you will get amazing results, you will not have to pack in as much media and it will not bank up the water and over flow the tank.

I also suggest that you run Reefresh Biological filter media along with your Polyfilter! Reefresh is the best bio-media in the world therefore you do have to cram in so many medium, reducing the chance of overflow.

Keep these points in mind and enjoy your Aqua One aquariums, they really are great units and can capacitate a huge load when run with the right filter medium.

Knowledge is Power!

Good Luck and Enjoy!

Paul Talbot

It seems that more and more of the major supermarket chains are selling basic fish tank packages. This is great for the industry because it gets people to start keeping fish, but it can be bad for the costumer because these supermarkets carry units that are imported from china and there are NO spare parts available!

We very often hear of customers that have bought these tanks and have happy fish until they need a new pump or light tube, where they are shocked to find that these simple parts are not available at all, anywhere! This means that if anything goes wrong with the tank you have to buy a new tank. At this point most people will switch to a more reliable brand such as Aqua One, where you can easily get the spare parts.

These supermarket tanks also have very small filters and lights so it is very important that you don’t put too much stock in them!

My advice is to save your money and start with a good aquarium, with a good filter and light in the first place which you can get spare parts for!

People often end up paying more for what they though was a cheap tank!

It seems that the wall mounted aquariums are becoming very popular these day’s especially due to the lack of space that people tend to have in their homes units.

The most important thing to understand about these tanks is that they have a very small filters and surface area, so it is very important that you don’t add to many fish to the tank. These tanks must be kept with about a quarter of the fish that you would keep in a normal tank due to their low oxygen levels and low Redox potential.

Also be warned that spare parts are often not available for these units. There is nothing worse than setting up a nice display and having to find out that the light tube or pump can not be replaced.

Become a Majestic Aquariums Club member!

Simply make sure that we have an up-to-date email address for you in our system and you will receive regular emails about seminars, supplier nights and offers and discounts including our 20% off everything discount nights with a FREE Sausage SIZZLE!

Our discount nights are held every 3 months and notification is only available via your email so make sure yours is up-to-date NOW!

Email us your address to be included!

NEWS FLASH!

Check out the world`s first ever aquarium video website by Paul Talbot the aquarium coach!

http://www.saltwaterhub.com is a video website that offers free advice on saltwater aquariums.

Email us which videos you would like to see added next! We are currently building www.saltwaterhub.com but also check out http://www.cichlidhub.com which we will be working on soon.

Tell a friend now!

Now you don`t have to read a book to learn about aquariums.

You can have your own aquarium coach!

Be very careful from who you buy product from online because here at Majestic Aquariums we are being confronted more and more regularly by people that have bought product online and have been very unhappy with the product or service!

We hear of people not being able to get faulty products replaced or they have to pay large amounts of freight to return it or they are unable to get spare parts for what they have bought. Other people become frustrated if they are unable to understand or use what they have bought due to lack of personal support, these people end up becoming very embarrassed and bringing it down to the store and asking for our help even though they have not purchased it from us, which we are happy to do to help out!

Most internet companies are a 1 man backyard operation, that are able to offer low pricing due to low over heads and service. In most cases they do it as a second job or a hobby in the hope of earning a few extra bucks.

In many cases they display a huge range of products but actually carry very little stock! When you need a product they simply buy it and sell it to you, which can be a problem when you have paid for it and their supplier is out of stock for several weeks or months.

Many of these people are very happy to get your sale but they can be very hard to get hold of if you have a problem. They often don’t leave a phone number and have no shop front address so you have to rely on email communication which can be very frustrating if they choose to start ignoring your email.

In other cases they import product directly from China, some doesn’t even pass Australian standard’s so would be void on your insurance! I have heard stories of internet companies receiving claims against them so they close the business and start again under a similar name and redirect the traffic!

These people do considerable damage to the integrity of the industry!

In an attempt to provide our customers with service and products that you can trust, at a price that you can afford Majestic Aquariums will match all internet prices (conditions apply).

Email us your enquiries any time!

Did you know that many of the fish and corals that you keep in your aquarium can potentially sting you e.g. Lionfish, Fox face, Rabbit fish and fire coral?

These fish have poisonous spines in their fins which if prick you will inject you with a neurotoxin that will course sever pain.

If you do ever get stung place the effected area in hot water. The hot water will break down the neurotoxin and the pain will stop. Ensure the water is very hot to touch but not hot enough to damage your skin! Once you apply the hot water you will forget about the sting, once you can’t stand the hot remove the hot water and the pain for the sting will be gone too.

Many corals contain self defensive nematocysts stinging cells so be careful when handling live coral. It is best to handle them from their stony base.

If you get stung by a coral rinse the sting area in the tank of saltwater. Don`t rub the area or use fresh water to rinse it because you will activate more stinging cells, causing a more painful sting.