DuchessofSquee

Thanks! LA mentioned 300L (+sump) as a good starting point, would you agree with this? What sponges do you have and do they grow fast enough to support your nudi(s) or do you gather more to keep up?

From what I've read so far there doesn't seem to be no, but don't quote me on that, the lawspeak can be hard to unravel! The majority of the cool coloured nudis seem to be mostly just in the North Island. The odd common one can be spotted here but I haven't found much documentation about that. The Otago Uni database is awesome for showing distribution and habitats of various nudis: http://www.otago.ac.nz/marinestudies/da ... index.html i.e. my fav the Clown Doris: http://www.otago.ac.nz/marinestudies/da ... index.html North Island only Even if there are local ones I live pretty far away from any beaches except Birdlings Flat and theres no way I'm snorkelling there! (Its just one massive rip with sharks not far off the shore! Probably too violent surf for sponges I'm guessing)

Sorry dude, I seem to have misunderstood the tone I was already aware this wasnt going to be simple or fast ;P I have been researching as much as possible but sometimes its not possible to find the info you need without asking such as how much sponge will one wee nudi eat and how fast will it grow? Hehe yeah I'm not planning to collect here as clown doris aren't found here and therefore I'm assuming their foodsource isn't either? Or maybe its just too cold for them here I will collect anems and rockpool inhabs, sand, seawater and rocks etc though. Although a snorkelling trip to the NI sounds tempting for the summer!

I'm unable to create an account on this site, I've been trying all afternoon, apparently neither my gmail, hotmail or xtra ISP accounts are allowed >.< Otherwise yeah thanks that would be great!!!

Thanks, I will do

Thanks for giving my name out I'm assuming thats MR

Awesome, thanks very much Now I have a good idea where to start! Cheers!

Cool thanks, I'm aware it will take a while to get going before I can add slugs. What size tank would you recommend I look at?

Well from what I've read it IS done so why not! Yes I have plenty of time, and as I've mentioned have fairly established aquariums already so I think I'm ready for the challenge! I get a bit frustrated when ppl try to put me off doing things in this hobby, we all started somewhere! I know I'm going to have to piece it together very slowly, I'm prepared for that Does anyone know if there are any sponges available in the South Island that nudis might eat? So what sort of size tank minimum do people suggest so I can get an idea of where to start?

puttputt this is an absolutely stunning setup! I really want to do something similar with a real focus on nudis, I'd appreciate any tips!

Well thats why I want to grow my own sponge also? Thanks for the link but that describes setting up a basic tropical marine tank, which I already have, is there a guide for local marine? What about tank size without a cray, just nudis?

Hi all, I've got several freshwater tropical tanks and one marine reef tank which we just added our first frag to yesterday but I've become fascinated with nudibranches of late, especially the ones which live in NZ coastal waters! So I'm looking at setting up a coldwater marine tank so I can keep them! At minimum I'd be happy if I could keep a clown doris or two and cultivate enough blue sponge to feed them but ideally if its not too tricky I'd love to collect a few different species and perhaps throw in a new native corals or a cray etc in time! I think I can source the creatures themselves ok, I just need some help with getting set up. I know enough about tropical tanks to get by and even a little about tropical marine but not enough when it comes to native coldwater marine! Hopefully a few kind souls will be happy to answers my questions to help me get started! Firstly, what sort of size tank would I be looking at? Keeping in mind I want to grow enough sponge to sustain the sea slugs Chiller required? I live in Canterbury and the clown doris is mainly only found in the slightly warmer North Island areas so I was hoping to get away with no chiller? Skimmer? I assume this is just an essential Rock, I've read a fair bit of discussion on coral rock vs "native" sea rock, thoughts or tips? What corals or sponges etc could I keep in there also. Anemones? Is it ok legally to collect these creatures providing they arent endangered/threatened and not in marine reserves? Would I need to collect fresh seawater or could I use RO water with salt added like tropical marine? Any other tips you can add? I'd love as much detail as you can throw at me, especially from others who have kept these fascinating creatures!