buzzy Posted October 3, 2004 Report Share Posted October 3, 2004 hi what would you need to start a n.z sea water tank, im thinking about trying to keep a snapper/kahawai? is it possible or will it be really expensive to set up?.i have a 450ltr tank,2 -1200lph externals and lights etc, what else would i need?can you get anomene's for our water,does anyone on here have one setup that can help me. cheers carl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livebearer_breeder Posted October 3, 2004 Report Share Posted October 3, 2004 this probably should have gone in the the saltwater forum not a freshwater one!! Cheers Shae Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted October 3, 2004 Report Share Posted October 3, 2004 There has already been quite a discussion in here re native marines but usually to set up as a rock pool and easy to do if you can keep the tank cool enough. I would not like to see snapper and kahawai kept in a tank as they are meant to be able to swim quickly in large expanses of ocean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve slack Posted October 16, 2004 Report Share Posted October 16, 2004 i used 2 hav 1 with sprats crabs and messels in.i wuldnt reccomend using kahawai as dey need room.but a small snapper may be ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buzzy Posted October 16, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2004 what equipment would i need to set one up as i have no idea? thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan_from_nz Posted October 16, 2004 Report Share Posted October 16, 2004 If you are not wanting to put anything special in it then a simple set up is good enough ie tank (hopfully one that holds water without leaking ) substrate some rocks a filter that is all I have. If you could get your hands on some black coral (this is unique in many ways in New Zealand) you would need a very good set up but due to the fact that I think it would be highly illegal to try and grow it and immoral as it is so rear and would be wrong to try Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cees Posted October 17, 2004 Report Share Posted October 17, 2004 this probably should have gone in the the saltwater forum not a freshwater one!! Cheers Shae moved Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubaferret Posted February 23, 2005 Report Share Posted February 23, 2005 contact [email protected] he looks after two salt water aquera and has his own set ups Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suphew Posted February 23, 2005 Report Share Posted February 23, 2005 Believe there is a size limit on snapper, which means you cant keep them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendan Posted February 24, 2005 Report Share Posted February 24, 2005 ive had mine running for afew weeks now, no fish in it yet, i see a guy on trademe is selling live crays though! i been doin a 50% water change every week with sea water from the westcoast. its really starting to balance now! i cant wait to add some fish. as for kahawai, there palegic so they would need a huge tank to do well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suphew Posted February 24, 2005 Report Share Posted February 24, 2005 Sorry theres a size limit on crays to. DOC don't care if you are taking them to eat or keep in a tank, if they find out you will get fined. You would need a pretty large tank to keep a legal one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petplanet Posted February 24, 2005 Report Share Posted February 24, 2005 You can legally buy small crays. There is a company that sell them. I had a price list sent to me but tossed it out. They do paua as well and there was a place that raised baby snapper and then released them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newtman Posted February 25, 2005 Report Share Posted February 25, 2005 i set up a nz salt water rockpool tank abt a month ago, and it seems to be going well...so far...lol running on it i have >an ehime extearnal canister filter(with filter wool & crushed shell in a bag as substrate) > >two power heads for circulation > >a wooden air stone driven protien skimmer> > >light - a 'blue moon' fluro and two LED's (striped down $4.99 w-house garden lights) Substrate and rock> >the gravel is just from the baech,and it has a sorta grey+brown mix look to it. >the rock--i collected it from rockpools mainly so that i could get it with groth on it...like the alges an live bugs'n'things. Inhabitants >fish--i currently have a mixture of tripplefins but had a cling fish that came in on a piece of seaweed(to which i was very supprised)+i am on the look out for a crested blenny<-------(cool lil fish) >crustations--in there at the moment there is about three small hermit crabs, and a flat backed spider crab(very interesting)+ a whole load of ghost/glass shrimp. moluscs--a few catseyes and periwinkles,limpets+chittens+a flatworm thing and abt three lil ducks bill sea slugs,and abt three tiny black mussels(jus to see how they go) anomenes-- i have 4 types of them...they are...red with pinkish tenticals,brown,white with orange foot and center,spotted brown...there are also more avalible but they are less comon..or harder to get off sometimes. if you want to find out more abt my trialing of this nz salt, feel free to pm me.. cheers Newtman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted February 25, 2005 Report Share Posted February 25, 2005 Sounds great Newtman! Those crested blennies are definately characters. But they are VERY aggresive feeders, hard for anything else to get much. I think you will need more light for some of your rock life to survive longer term. But overall a great set up. If you ever come to Auckland get in touch. I can send you to a place where you can get awesome coloured anemones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newtman Posted February 25, 2005 Report Share Posted February 25, 2005 yea thats all the lighting i have at the mo, but imm hopefully getting somthing more soon to add to the moon lighting i curently have... the tank seems to be going realy great and even gets up to 26 deg's (which i thought everything would almost die)but i use frozen salt water and it brings itdown to about 21-23deg's ill try an get a pic up soon... Newt.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klaymann Posted June 15, 2005 Report Share Posted June 15, 2005 I have kept numerous nz saltwater tanks when living down in tauranga .. not here to tell you all what you should be doing as I was only having fun , but thru my time with these tanks ya' all might get alittle insite from what I found out.. first tank .. 3ft 160 ltr ... sand base .. massive amount live rock and seaweeds (from te kaha, best collection site in the bay).. sponges ( kept under ledges) .. numerous crabs ,shrimps , + "other baby inverts" .......... Fish , baby marble fish ,clingfish , various tripplefins.. baby mao mao's , baby leatherjackets , ... kept for 2 years ... leatherjackets have to be fed often to stop grazing on everything ... fine seaweeds thrive .. slimy seaweeds are a no go .... green 50/50 ....MH good + fluros.. adding cucumbers helps with the sand cleaning ....... filteration was u/g filter , base of 1" crushed shell,mesh on top and 2" coarse sand .. weekly change of 40 ltrs ... oh , and a cute little carbon filled box filter ... second tank ... 80 ltr ... marine rock base .. baby octopus ... very cute .. easy to look after ..... need good canister for them third tank ...300 ltr .. large octopus(3ft extended arm to arm)..sand base u/g filter .. carbon/bio filled canister .... most interesting to keep , have major personallity... slaughtered paddle crabs by the dozen ....but once a week have a major crap .. so massive water changes needed. released after 6 months . sigh! forth tank ... 150 ltr deep ... thin sand base .. massive amount live rock/weed.. shrimps ... seahorses + 2 sp pipefish .. green longnose/black shortnose.. as well as feeding brine & baby glass shrimp.. frozen mysis for the ones that will eat it... pays to replace the live rock every couple of weeks to restock with pod's off the rocks... seahorses spent most of the time peckin' at the rocks.. fifth but not final ... 90 ltr .. canister .. u/g .. 8" ling .. (think cod family) .. not friendly ... fed on sprats and baby mao mao( not from first tank) released after 8 months as grew really fast.. have had time keeping stargazers , baby moki , squid... but like prevoius postings , keeping snapper and pelargic species is not the best I know people hate u/g filters but had two identical 2 fts set up .. sand rock etc as a experiment.. one with u/g filter ... always kept the tank cleaner mega times more than not having one. by the way .. all tanks where kept in the basement of an old brick house ... brrrr. anyway thats my 2 / 50 cents worth .. may not be of any use but these are my findings.. cheers Klay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deeveus Posted June 15, 2005 Report Share Posted June 15, 2005 Sorry theres a size limit on crays to. DOC don't care if you are taking them to eat or keep in a tank, if they find out you will get fined. You would need a pretty large tank to keep a legal one. As said above there is a guy on trademe who legally sells them, myself was interested in going cold marine before I decided on tropical, cold would be much cheaper to fill due to fish prices whereas you just have to catch the cold for free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puttputt Posted June 16, 2005 Report Share Posted June 16, 2005 Hey Newtman, Watch out for the crested blennies, they are cool looking but will enjoy snacking on your anemones. (speaking from experience). Keep local tanks for years and had great success. West Coast beachs esp. Muriwai are a fine area for livestock. Baby red moki, parrot fish, small hiwihiwi, triplefins, baby sweep, seaweed of varioius types, baby sole and flounder in rock pools etc.. In all the years i keep these type of fish i only lost 1 or 2 and most were returned to rockpools when they got to big, and the last fish and a Jansen brought crayfish that had grown to 10" long were returned now that I have gone to a reef aquarium. Shawn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klaymann Posted June 16, 2005 Report Share Posted June 16, 2005 Regarding livestock that is legal to keep ... a crowd up in Silverdale sell small Paua 1- 2" live ( cocktail paua for the japs ) for about $3 each.. good for algae grazing (need chiller to survive along time...dont think they can live at cold room temp)..+ down at westhaven there is a place that sell Crayfish and Packhorse Crays live .... + off Kent St Newmarket an Asian seafood shop sells live crays plus if your lucky the muddies ( Morton bay bug type crays) think we call them slipper crabs over here.?... As for the West Coast, that is the best place to collect the Anenome ( i call them Bearded Anenome) very large and good colors..greens , violet , pink, orange ,olive green , etc , pays to have a long thumb nail to slowly prise them off thier base without damage ) cant know what damage you do with metal instruments) .. and at Piha at low tide, find the overhanging rocks and you can find under them the blood red Anenomes ( fingernail treatment again) .. but beware they travel all over the tank and really need bloody cold water to keep the color .... have found a species of large shrimp 3"+ down in Tauranga living around the island past the mount that are blue/red stripped and live in the wave wash area of rock pools .. bloody hard to catch but "say jesus these are impressive inverts" I have abit of info on cool east coast inverts and fish collection points(BOP mainly) to collect NZ species but 80% require scuba collecting..... hope this helps. cheers Klay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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