Ianab

Well it's something that cant live in a large beer handle anyway.... Ian

One of the worst fish killing devices I've ever seen. The advertising pics shows THREE tiger barbs, in 0.6l of water. Mods: can you allow the link to Trademe to remain as this is another thing like the I-Tank that needs to be stopped. Ian

Where it normally lives, 300-1000m down in the ocean, it's probably the top predator. There are some pretty crazy fish living down deep like that. Ian

A nitrate level of 10 is GOOD. Suitable for Discus and other delicate fish. Most common fish are fine up to around 30ppm If you drop the level below 10 you will have trouble growing plants, no nutrients for them. You dont have a problem, just keep doing what you are doing. Ian

Hmm.. yes the way it's sitting clear of the bottom it's not a bully is it. I have seen Bullies in there for sure, just thats not one of them :oops: And there are Adult trout in the river that I have seen as well. Ian

Went for a walk the other day and had a look in the local river. Patea River where it flows through the park in Stratford It's a nice spot Looking in the shallows If you look close enough.... I didn't have any nets, so it's still there and and several buddies. I'm not sure what it is, Common, Crans or Upland? I also caught a little (4cm) Koura in there, but let it go as I already have one. So anyway... I have a fishing spot now. 8) Ian

Just looking at the magnet cleaner in the front.. it's a biggie 8) About twice the size of of my one. Ian

Umm.. I have one with a red chillis and one with yellow chillis, just what M10 had in the garden dept when I was there. :roll: Ian

I have got my chilli seedlings in too. Got a good crop last year from a couple of plants in a big plastic tub sitting on the sunny side of the house, so I've planted some more this year. Nothing like picking and using some fresh chilli in a meal. 8) Mmmm.. Chilli :oops: Ian

90l is a Palace for a Koura. They dont get very big, 10cm max and it takes years for them to grow. The overseas (tropical) species are faster growng and get a bit bigger. Mine is in a 20l at the moment and has been for the 6 months. It has a little power filter, airstone and gets plenty of water changes of course. Ian

Nice setup No such thing as too many Koura tanks Ian

I'm not familiar with the filter, but the standard filters on most large tanks are OK, but only OK. It may just be struggling to process the amount of waste your large fish produce. The cycle is obviously working or the ammonia would just keep increasing. I would be looking for a 2nd filter of some sort, doesn't need to be huge as it's only an auxillary / backup one. Some more water flow around the tank also improves the bio-filtration from the gravel etc. Ian

Whats your filtering? If the filters are a little small for the fish load that will result in a trace of ammonia left in the water, even if they are fully cycled. If there's not enough water flow through enough media then there will allways be a trace in the water. Ian

Can you post a picture, they are relatively easy to tell apart once you know them. Ian

Not kept one in a tank, but we have a 4ft 'Pet' one in the back garden, and about 3 smaller ones (2-3ft). I would suggest just a 'normal' setup as for any other LARGE fish, lots of water changes and ours seem to like bits of chicken and fish. It might be better to start with a little one, under 30cm. They grow slowly so a small one like that could live for decades in a decent sized tank. Ian

According to the folks at Monster Fish Keepers, nylon pot scrbbies are the best budget media. Because they are springy they dont clog or pack down like filter wool can. Lots of suface area and they last for years. Ceramic filter media is the best, but expensive. If you have the space the nylon scrubbies are more cost effective. Scoria will work, but it's not as good as either of the above. A popluar setup seems to be a 'Wet / Dry' setup where a plate is used to rain water down over the media. The media stays wet, but there is plenty of oxygen in the system for the bacteria. Here is an example - http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=67797 Ian

Umm.. yeah. :oops: I have done some more, but not enough to be worth posting pics. It's still 1/2 done, and I've been off doing other higher priority jobs, like rebuilding an old Oak dresser and fitting a dishwasher into the kitchen for the lady. But I have to get it finished as it's taking up 1/2 the workshop now :roll: The other tank stand I built has drilled finger holes in the removable covers, so you can grab them and pull them off the magnets. The covers sit on a small ledge, and the magents just stop them falling off if they get bumped. I know the front supports aren't really needed, but I've designed it that way anyhow. Belt AND braces, it's RIGID for sure. Also increases the footprint of the stand to spread the weight and conter the weight of the top tank being so high up. Ian

I had my little koura tank all nicely arranged with several bits of driftwood stacked up to make caves... Apparantly I didn't do it right as over the last few months the koura has pushed all the gravel to one side of the tank, and all the driftwood to the other :-? It now lives in the pile of driftwood, watching for food to be dropped onto the pile of gravel. Then it races out, grabs the food scoots back to it's 'nest' Ian

No reason they cant live together. They are both large active (sometimes) fish and shouldn't harm each other as long as they have space and plenty of hiding spots. Ian

They love Mushroom too 8) Cut one in half and weigh it down with a fork. Once they get the taste for it they will even chase the leftovers around the surface. An occasional meaty treat like a piece of shrimp or sinking shrimp pellets is good too. They are omnivores and will eat almost anything, but keep most of their diet vege based Ian

Yes they are edible, but you have to have a real good spot to catch enough for a feed. They are common, but seldom in huge numbers. Ian

No, it's an old photo. It's moulted since then so it's slightly bigger and the tank is slightly greener :-? SouthernG. dont worry too much about the lights, my koura tank has no lights, just normal room lighting and the koura seems a lot more settled and is out around the tank most of the time. He seems to have learnt the the lid moving means food, and will climb up on the wood waving his feelers and looking for the food. They certainly like some hiding spots, and can dig and move even large gravel to to get things how they want them. Mine lives in a 18l tank by itself, gets fed a sinking catfish tab or 1/2 a pleco tablet each day. Have had it 6 months, one moult and zero problems, so they are pretty easy to keep. Keep the water cool and fresh and they will be fine. Not running bright lights will help keep the temp down too. I'm not brave enough to hand feed mine.. I'm sure you could, but I'm not sure how good they are at telling fingers and food apart. Ian

Dont let Mr Crawly hear you say that 8)

I think one of the better brands of bottled water IS actually Christchurch tap water. Some of the others are just Auckland tap water - 2nd best But basically bottled water is just that, tap water in a bottle. Ian

Thats pretty normal for Tiger Barbs, they do seem to rest like that. As long as they perk up and swim straight when food appears they are OK. Ian