willyp123

I haven't heard much about their environments overlapping, it does happen occasionally, but bandeds prefer a forested stream and being good climbers, while inanga can't climb - I would have thought that they would be uncommon to be found together

I think 2 koura should be fine in that, I considered that but I am wanting to be more representative of their environment, so inanga wouldn't really work, but one full grown banded should provide enough movement, shouldn't it?

Yeah generally, and economy gold aquaone I think

Yep thats only because I have yet finished setting it up, i'm planning on 1 banded, probably about 6 bullies and a few koura, that's the plan anyway.

Fair call, i'm a bit hesitant in too much live food as i've noticed it decreases my water quality

Banded kokopu whitebait, 1 inanga, 1 pair of crans bully and 1 koura Crans have paired up, so i'm hoping that they will breed.

Currently a 50L, moving onto a 155L at the moment.

As kiwiraka said, it's difficult to feed them at times, i've had some success getting them onto commercial food. My suggestions: Worms and larval insects, then once they're into eating that put it a few squashed pellets and they'll go onto that slowly. Inanga i've found go onto small pellets pretty easily with no fuss - but still start them on live food Sinking pellets work well for bullies. For koura - keep a close eye on pH. You don't want it acidic otherwise it breaks down their exoskeleton (this happened to me and fortunately i managed to intervene quickly). - on koura, I suggest feeding them vege wafers (the sort fed to catfish), and a worm maybe once a week or so. - they're cool because you can feed them from hand, if you feed them worms from hand then they'll learn to take food from your hand, then you can start off vege wafers. - Also, put a raw almond in once a week for your koura, they'll eat it for calcium when they need it (also remove it after a few days, they don't eat the whole thing and it will become a bit slimy).

I've moved my fish into the foyer where there is a mesh door thing, with a fan on it i'm keen mine down to 15-16 degrees without ice. Lots of ventilation I've found to work incredibly well

Water can just be normal tank water, just needs to be properly cycled and de-chlorinated. Any standard aquarium substrate will do, i'm currently using some brightwater i bough from hollywood fish farm, plants can be bought or taken (be careful which you take, i think some are protected and some are invasive), but koura will generally uproot any plants so it may not be such a good idea. Inanga and bullies often overlap in habitat, koura and bullies do, but koura and inanga i've never heard of. banded kokopu, bullies and koura would be a good idea though. Temperature ranges is probably 20 degrees is your upper limit, you should aim to keep it around 15-16 degrees I think. What size tank are you planning? How do you plan on keeping it cold? Keep in mind, i've read that koura are sensitive to de-chlorinator, so rather than using a standard one it may be better to let the chlorine gas off.

Hey guys, I'm keen to get some luminescent limpets for a tank (http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/resources/identification/animals/freshwater-invertebrates/guide/no-jointed-legs2/molluscs/limpets/luminescent-limpet) Any idea on how to get them/where/how to best keep them? Cheers

You'll need to cycle it though, so it will take a while before it's 100% ready Also why sand? Why not a gravel? A bullies natural habitat isn't in sand

Can you show us some pictures?

Nevertheless, to keep your fish happy you will want one. I've notice my fish tanks getting over 20 deg (20 deg is too hot in my opinion) and it hasn't even reached summer yet. Your tank WILL get hot unless you get a chiller.

Have you ever kept many bullies before? Before jumping straight into a big tank, i suggest you keep a smaller tank (like 60L) with a couple of bullies till you understand how to keep them. Make sure you understand the natural habitats of each of those types of bullies, as you'll want to replicate the environment the best as possible to keep them happy. What filtration do you planning on having? You'll need a powerful canister filter to be able to keep a tank that size clean.

They keep the tank cold. Many fish prefer warm water, our native fish like cold water - in summer the weather is too hot and makes your tank warm. By having a chiller your tank is kept cold just like the fish like. If the tank gets warm (pretty much anywhere about 20 deg) you start running into issues with keeping your fish healthy - so you'll want a chiller before getting any fish. Also because your tank is large, the temperature is more difficult to control, while on smaller tanks you can keep the temperature down by using ice, it won't work efficiently on a tank the size of yours.

Also, you might look into getting a shoal of inanga, shouldn't need a chiller (their ideal temp is about 20 deg, but they can tolerate higher, so you would probably be able to get away with fans on the tank if it's inanga) But yeah with pretty much any other fish you're gonna need a chiller on a tank that size

oops, didn't see that :facepalm:

To add: If you do plan on taking lots, take them from plenty of different populations or if you can find someone on here that's breeding bullies you might be able to get a few off them. I'm hoping mine start breeding soon

Make sure you have an airstone on the tank, as algae dies from light deprivation it uses up oxygen in the water and causes an anoxic environment.

Sorry, about that - reasonably new to the forums

Hey guys, I was just wondering how you guys keep your tanks cool without chillers over summer (I have 2x 50L tanks with koura, crans bullies and inanga). I can't afford a chiller - i've heard slicker pads and frozen water bottles work really well, as well as fans. I've started doing both and found fans keep the tank coolest (generally about 16 degrees, rather than the 20ish it is without a fan). I ordered a cling on fan like: It arrived today and worked really well, but had to ship from Hong Kong, anyone know of a source closer to home?

I'm not sure, I know males will be reasonably territorial, but females probably to a lesser degree. I'd recommend reading Stella's native aquarium book if you get a chance at some point - that would probably give you the information you need. However I think probably a >40L tank would be fine for a pair of females. Also - are you planning on trying to breed them if you get a mating pair?

Depends on gender, if you got a mating pair then you could probably keep them anywhere higher than a 40-60L tank while they're smaller (5-6cm), once they're bigger probably anywhere upwards of 120L. I'm possibly being a bit generous in tank sizes (but there's never any harm in giving them that extra space)

I'm inclined to say no (water level dependent though). I haven't heard of them jumping, so I doubt you'd need a lid but I might be mistaken.