kiwiraka

Thanks, do you know how the whitebait size and growth rate compares between koaro and shortjaw?

Also if you find freshwater rock pools by rivers you should find bullies.

Cool, when are you planning on getting fish in?

Maybe you are further inland? I'm on the northernmost peninsula so most locations are within 10ks of atleast one coast.

I have found 4 populations of bandeds around here, 3 also had inanga, the one population without inanga is our farm drains there are a fair few culverts on neighbours properties before reaching the sea. All our natives like cover but due to deforestation and farming that isn't possible in many areas (far north included) I guess it depends whether you're copying a specific stream or a specific habitat. Just another thought, kokopu seem to be more active if there are smaller fish out in the open (small fish = no big dangerous fish)

I guess so..... But when bandeds get bigger they become more of a lurker, inanga are relatively active 24/7 all their lives. Yeah 2 should be fine, I was under the impression you meant more than that. With their natural enviroment banded and inanga are often found together which isn't surprising due to the fact that they both like slowish flow.....

A few koura? That'll be interesting.... :spop: You won't have much mid water movement you might want to think about 3 or 4 inanga?

That's a very low stocking for a 150, are you planning on getting more fish? How many bandeds do you have?

Is it from bug guts? Pond bugs seem to be easier to swallow whole (Not speaking from personal experience ) What brand food do you use?

Mines over 200 litres, just out of interest what fish do you have?

That's interesting, I didn't know almonds contained calcium? Another option for calcium would be would be bugs with strong exoskeletons I.e. beetles. Also they recycle most of the calcium by eating the exoskeletons they moult. Also you can feed them boiled peas as well as or instead of wafers.

I keep my windows open so there is always a breeze, living in the far north there aren't many cold places.... It will be interesting to see how our temps compare throughout summer, how big is your tank?

About 23.6 degrees,.

Now that they are (a little bit) bigger they have almost exactly the same body shape as this http://www.fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/3672 galaxias brevipinnis. Do koaro have the same body shape as their Aussie cousins? So anyway, just picture that fish only really pale blue (and tiny) and that's what I have, ID anyone?

Just wondering how everyone (without a chiller) has been going, I'm still keeping mine around the 15 degree mark (I did a bit of a test to see how warm it would get without ice, I left it for 24 hours and it crept up to 19.8 so it appears that 3 litres of ice lowers the temperature by atleast 1 degree and gets back to original temp after 24 hours) What are your tanks currently sitting at or fluctuating between during the day?

Oh, also If you want to read a good thread about a native tank build: viewtopic.php?f=41&t=50025 it was what gave me the incentive to get into natives.

Willyp gave good advice, as he said koura are apparently exetremely sensetive to dechlorinaters. You can have all those together, just make sure they all have plenty of hiding places. Make sure you keep it below 20 degrees, with a banded kokopu and inanga you'd be best off getting a 4 foot tank. If you got a 200 litre you could probably have a banded kokopu, 5 or 6 inanga, 6 or 8 bullies and a couple of koura, as long as you keep it cold and oxygenated. Chillers are the best option, some of us use bottles of ice (can be time consuming, I currently only have to do it once a day but I suspect in the peak of summer I'll be adding ice between 3 and 4 times per day. So if you don't think you'll be able to keep it cold, you could build a summer pond for them (well shaded) and have them inside for the rsst of the year, but as long as you add enough ice you'll be fine. You haven't asked about feeding? Have you already read about it? Or are you assuming they eat commercial food? Natives can be really fussy, heart is the easiest staple diet, I've found they like softer meat, all my fish dislike ox heart(will still eat it if hungry), they like sheep heart (will eat it til full), love poultry heart (They will keep eating til they physically can't force anything else in). The best possible diet is live bugs, garden, pond or flying they're not fussy (about bugs). But finding (or culturing) enough food is almost impossible. Also add your area someone local might be able to help you find some fish.

Depending on species they range from 4cm anywhere up to 30cm (extremely rare) Crans and upland about 8-12cm, common 8-16cm, bluegill 4-8cm, redfin 6-10 and giant 15-30. Above is an estimate I can't be bothered double checking at the moment.... :yaw2:

Yes, but probably not much. It may also ruin the look...

You'll just have to wait, depending on the type of wood you'll be waiting for anywhere between a few days to a couple of months.

- Does your water contain chlorine?* No - Do you use a dechlorinator?* No - Do you know where your water comes from, if so do you know the average levels (eg residual chlorine) in your water supply? Bore water - How old is your tank? 1 year

Congratulations!!!

Switch to android

It should have blue dots inside the squares, do you have access to a computer?

I have no idea what that means but I'll be waving up at the sky