livingart

Being bred here

A couple of more common fish Parore Girella tricuspidata Difficulty: The Parore is easy to keep and can tolerate low quality water. Description: A dark brownish-green coloured fish with narrow darker vertical bands and slowly growing up to 60cm. Habitat: Found inshore, in habours and estuaries. Fry can be caught early summer around weedy rocks and wharves Temperament: A peaceful fish in a mixed tank. Can be aggressive to its own species as they grow. Minimum Tank Size: 100 litres but these guys ultimately will need 1,000 litres plus. Tank Age / Maturity: At least 6 months Diet: In the wild they are primarily a plant eater but will readily adapt to eat everything from flake to mussel flesh, even scraping algae off the rocks in the tank. Special Requirements: Need room to swim, Incompatibilities: No noted issues, but these guys as they grow can become quite territorial with new fish. Spotty Notolabrus celidotus Difficulty: Easy, tolerate poor water conditions. Good starter fish but be warned hard to catch out later as it outcompetes slower fish. Description: The Spotty is a typical elongate wrasse shape; it has a Protruding mouth with noticeable teeth. The body is a creamy colour with brown flecks over it and a large black spot on each side, they change colour and sex with growth, from an initial phase very small juveniles can be green or red but soon lose this in the aquarium. Large females can change sex into a brilliantly coloured terminal male phase with blue lines on their heads. Males dominate several females. Max length: 23.9 cm. Habitat: Inhabits shallow water, but may reach to depths of 15 m Temperament: Can be aggressive as an adult, young seem peaceful. Minimun Tank Size: 100 litres preferably larger. Tank Age / Maturity: At least 1 months Diet: Spotties feed on a variety of invertebrates, hermit and other crabs, molluscs, and echinoderms, will eat anything you feed it. Special Requirements: None reported, Incompatibilities: I have found Spotties tolerate poor water conditions and are easy to keep. They will eat almost anything offered and outcompete slower fish, they can be impossible to catch out of your tank without removing all the rockwork. A good starter fish but can rapidly become annoying, young fish up to 3cm can be netted amongst seaweed in shallow water from October onwards they can be red or green but quickly lose this in the tank. Not recommended.

Personally i would remove the silica sand, this is probably feeding the diatoms on the rockwork still

Sorry another question, was the coral rock from a freshwater tank from the look of the rock you may still be cycling

Just the tip of a large iceberg Cam

The leather jackets i get are about 10mm long but i will change that :sage:

Leatherjacket (Parika scaber): Difficulty: Medium: Mature tank, Description: Diamond shaped fish with brown leathery skin and extendable trigger above dorsal fin, grows up to 35cm, Can change colours in camouflage patterning depending on mood Habitat: The Leatherjacket can be found as youngsters around weed in shallow water from November onwards. Larger fish can be caught by line around most N.Z. waters Temperament: Quite a peaceful fish in a mixed tank. Very easily tamed, but can nip if food not coming fast enough. Minimun Tank Size: 1000 litres, when caught as 2.5cm youngsters can attain 10cm+ in their first year. Tank Age / Maturity: At least 6 months Diet: Eats everything from flake food to mysid, partial to shellfish. Special Requirements: If chased in tank can wedge itself in rockwork by extending its trigger, wil usually release if left alone. Incompatibilities: No noted issues. will eat sponges and invertebrates owing to their teeth arrangement. Sweep (Scorpis lineolatus): , Difficulty: easy to keep and recommended in a large enough tank. When young best in a school. Description: Similar to Blue Maomao but gray as an adult, silver with red spots on the belly as a youngster, grows up to 35cm, but commonly around 25cm. Habitat: Found inshore, near rocky reefs to 100m. Fry caught early summer around weedy rocks and wharves Temperament: A peaceful fish in a mixed tank. Minimun Tank Size: 100 - 1,000 litres depending on size of fish. Tank Age / Maturity: At least 6 months Diet: Eats everything really, especially mysid and minced tuatua, but happy on flakes Special Requirements: Need room to swim, Incompatibilities: No noted issues. Blue maomao Scorpis violacea, Difficulty: easy to keep and recommended in a large enough tank. Description: Bright blue as an adult, but silver with yellow spots and fins as a youngster grows up to 35cm, but commonly around 25cm. Habitat: Found inshore, near rocky reefs to 100m. Fry caught early summer around weedy rocks and wharves Temperament: A peaceful fish in a mixed tank. Minimun Tank Size: 100 - 1,000 litres depending on size of fish. Tank Age / Maturity: At least 6 months Diet: Eats everything really, especially mysid and minced tuatua, but happy on flakes Special Requirements: Need room to swim, best in a school. Incompatibilities: No noted issues.

What skimmer are you running, brand of test kits and if you are feeding daily you will need maybe 2 x 25% every 5 days or so depending on how much you are feeding? does the wavemaker cause disturbance of the water surface?

:lar: Always the way when the tank god speaks

Hopefully you will get one with expertise now

?

It was never said your figures were incorrect, just that they are different

Thank you for the information you have shared as this along with other info that has been shared with us will help us make a well informed decision. As these were private requests we are unable to share without the persons permission, sorry

We are not anti commercial traders in fact it is the opposite for as you state without them there is no hobby, there has also been some excellent feedback to requests to businesses for their stance on MPI's proposals.

Oblique-swimming triplefin Obliquichthys maryannae Difficulty: Easy to keep in a mature system if you can supply live foods. Description: The body is orange-brown with a red tinged head, a black eye, and a wide black lengthwise stripe on each side, it grows to 8 cm. The only triplefins to spend most of their time swimming in loose schools rarely resting on the bottom, their common name comes from swimming at a slight upwards angle. Habitat: found along the north east coast of the North Island of New Zealand from depths of about 5 m to 50 m. Usually inhabiting sheltered coastlines amongst seaweeds around rocky outcroppings. Temperament: A peaceful fish Minimun Tank Size: 100 litres preferably larger. Tank Age / Maturity: At least 6 months Diet: Oblique-swimming triplefins are planton feeders taking their tiny copepod and euphausid crustacean food in mid-water. Special Requirements: They don’t have a swim bladder though so have to keep on the move. They settle down at lights out and hide in the live rock. unfortunately they are a bit vulnerable as they emerge in the morning to school up. Incompatibilities: Easily out competed for food by faster fish, does well with Weed fish and seahorses Variable Triplefin Forsterygion varium Difficulty: Easy - They are comparatively hardy and do not require a large tank, but do require clean water. Description: Variable Triplefin are small fish that enliven the tank, they are a mottled red brown with 7 darker saddles on their backs, breeding males have a bright blue tip on fins, grow to 12 cms. Habitat: They are found around the coastline in rock pools and to depths of about 30 metres. Temperament: Usually peaceful, but will compete with their own species over territory. Minimun Tank Size: 100 litres Tank Age / Maturity: At least 6 months Diet: Readily accept all foods both live and frozen Pods, mysid, raw mussel, prawn and flake foods, will also graze green algae. Special Requirements: None Incompatibilities: Large aggressive fish (who will eat them) Can be aggressive towards other triplefins and same species. The mottled twister, Bellapiscis lesleyae, Difficulty: Easy. Description: Mottled Twister are small fish that enliven the tank, they are a mottled pattern of dark and light with speckling of red on their backs. Can grow up to 6 cms. Habitat: This triplefin is commonly found around the coast of New Zealand in rock pools and down to depths of about 5 m in reef areas of broken rock. It length is up to 6 cm. Temperament: Usually peaceful, but will compete with their own species over territory. Minimun Tank Size: 100 litres Tank Age / Maturity: At least 6 months Diet: Readily accept all foods both live and frozen Pods, mysid, raw mussel, prawn and flake foods, will also graze green algae. Special Requirements: None Incompatibilities: Large aggressive fish (who will eat them) Can be aggressive towards other triplefins and same species.

Will list a few of the local marines I have kept and things a few local keepers have noted for general care. Crested Blenny Parablennius laticlavius Difficulty: Easy - Suitable for beginners who have done their research. Description: Crested Blennies are endearing little fish that lurk in rock work and graze algae from it surface. They can often be found with just their heads protruding from a favourite hole, watching their keeper. They are comparatively hardy and do not require a large tank, but do require clean water. Can grow up to 8 cms Habitat: The Crested Blenny is found around the coastline in rock pools and to depths of about 3 metres. Temperament: Usually peaceful, but will compete with their own species over territory. Minimun Tank Size: 100 litres Tank Age / Maturity: At least 6 months Diet: Readily accept all foods both live and frozen Pods, mysid, raw mussel, prawn and flake foods, will also graze green algae. Special Requirements: Crested Blennies are generally easy to keep so long as the aquarium is well maintained and there is some green algae present for them to eat - they cannot eat filamentous (hair) algae. Incompatibilities: Large aggressive fish (who will eat them) and other Blennies - keep only one Blenny per tank. Blue Eyed Triplefin Notoclinops segmentatus Difficulty: NOT recommended for beginners. Suggest a mature tank before attempting these fish. Description: Small common (up north anyway) triplefin with striking colours. Black vertical stripes on a white body with reddish fins, gets its name from its bright blue eyes. Habitat: Blue Eyed Triplefin is found around the coastline in rock pools and to depths of about 3 metres. Temperament: Peaceful little fish that can be intimidated easily by other more aggressive triplefins Minimun Tank Size: 100 litres Tank Age / Maturity: At least 6 months Diet: Can be difficult to get to eat and suggest a good supply of live food, either pods in tank or separately grown, from experience, some will just not eat other food, some will. Current one in my tank eats bloodworm, brine shrimp, pods from the rocks and glass, and is developing a taste finally for flake food. Special Requirements: Newly caught fish require live food until weaned onto other foods. Incompatibilities: Large aggressive fish (who will eat them). Yaldwyn's triplefin Notoclinops yalwyni Pic by Puttputt Difficulty: Difficult, Needs mature aquariums Description: Stunning coloured triplefin, male bright orange fading to yellow, female duller but lovely spotted pattern. Pics show a pair. Habitat: Found around coastal reefs and offshore islands in the north. Temperament: Delicate fish, but once eating well become active and freindly, perching on jewel anenomes. A difficult fish from my limited experience, suggest only for mature peaceful tanks. Minimun Tank Size: 100 litres preferably larger. Tank Age / Maturity: At least 12 months Diet: The paler female refused to eat, may have eaten live food but gradually became skinny and died, the bright male on the other hand ate frozen food, blood worms and mysid, and gradually developed a taste for flake Special Requirements: Mature large tank, A difficult fish from my limited experience, suggest only for mature peaceful tanks Incompatibilities: Would not place in tank with large boisterous fish. MORE TRIPLEFINS TO COME Leatherjacket (Parika scaber): Difficulty: Medium: Mature tank, Description: Diamond shaped fish with brown leathery skin and extendable trigger above dorsal fin, grows up to 35cm, Can change colours in camouflage patterning depending on mood Habitat: The Leatherjacket can be found as youngsters around weed in shallow water from November onwards. Larger fish can be caught by line around most N.Z. waters Temperament: Quite a peaceful fish in a mixed tank. Very easily tamed, but can nip if food not coming fast enough. Minimun Tank Size: 1000 litres, when caught as 2.5cm youngsters can attain 10cm+ in their first year. Tank Age / Maturity: At least 6 months Diet: Eats everything from flake food to mysid, partial to shellfish. Special Requirements: If chased in tank can wedge itself in rockwork by extending its trigger, will usually release if left alone. Incompatibilities: No noted issues. will eat sponges and invertebrates owing to their teeth arrangement. Sweep (Scorpis lineolatus): , Difficulty: easy to keep and recommended in a large enough tank. When young best in a school. Description: Similar to Blue Maomao but gray as an adult, silver with red spots on the belly as a youngster, grows up to 35cm, but commonly around 25cm. Habitat: Found inshore, near rocky reefs to 100m. Fry caught early summer around weedy rocks and wharves Temperament: A peaceful fish in a mixed tank. Minimun Tank Size: 100 - 1,000 litres depending on size of fish. Tank Age / Maturity: At least 6 months Diet: Eats everything really, especially mysid and minced tuatua, but happy on flakes Special Requirements: Need room to swim, Incompatibilities: No noted issues. Blue maomao Scorpis violacea, Difficulty: easy to keep and recommended in a large enough tank. Description: Bright blue as an adult, but silver with yellow spots and fins as a youngster grows up to 35cm, but commonly around 25cm. Habitat: Found inshore, near rocky reefs to 100m. Fry caught early summer around weedy rocks and wharves Temperament: A peaceful fish in a mixed tank. Minimun Tank Size: 100 - 1,000 litres depending on size of fish. Tank Age / Maturity: At least 6 months Diet: Eats everything really, especially mysid and minced tuatua, but happy on flakes Special Requirements: Need room to swim, best in a school. Incompatibilities: No noted issues.

Can only keep them if you have a constant supply of live food, can be hard to get them to eat frozen foods

Blueether kept them in freshwater there is a post in native section about it

maybe halides for light penetration, 3 x 150w plus leds?

Yes I can see where it is a big extra cost to boutique importers which could make the business less viable

Only ones with wet trousers

I suppose the bigger importers are able to spread the extra costs over their freshwater and marine shipments and lighten the per fish load

:gopo:

Because people try to help you and you seem not to listen to their well meaning advice, could only assume you were young or ...