Stella Posted January 16, 2011 Report Share Posted January 16, 2011 Maybe when the koura is bigger and stronger he can rearrange bits of the tank; but until then it'll have to be my job haha They can move stones as big, if not twice as big, as their bodies. Koura rock. It is lovely seeing you so excited about your new toy! I so need to get me one. My last one died two years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted January 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2011 Get better soon and we can go to that stream on a hot summers weekend. I'm not getting my paws wet at night :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nativelover Posted January 16, 2011 Report Share Posted January 16, 2011 nice koura once the tank is finished im sure it will look as amazing as your tropical tanks. :happy1: :happy1: :happy1: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 Depends if P44 can train it to like plants or not. nice looking Koura you have there p44...wish you all the best with your new friend! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted January 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 Thanks! I am happy to report that phase 1 is complete. Went to the river after work. Put the buckets in the car, and as I opened the door this great big wet, drooly, drippy chocolate Labrador jumps in my car and decides to make it his :facepalm: :lol: Then he shook himself in there and much to his owners horror just sat there as I played with him. :lol: But yeah... phase 1 is complete. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 I went there tonight, that beachy area between the first two bridges. (Yes am still dying, but I had to get some thesis pilot stuff going, pneumonia or no pneumonia.) As always, HEAPS of bullies (mostly redfin I think), loads of troutlets, about six eels and we caught five crays. 8) I tell you, night is the best time to go. Even electrofishing during the day doesn't catch much. I took home the two smallest crays, both about 4cm body length. Will be nice having some crays again Also got a ponga frond to put across the back of the tank. Is violently green at the moment, but will brown off over the next few months. I am sure the labrador will look great in your tank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted January 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 see - It will sink one day. Tank needs.... height. Plants... some sort of plant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueether Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 Tank needs.... height. Plants... some sort of plant.Glossostigma elatinoides? or some thing a bit taller... Lilaeopsis ruthiana? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 Nice gravel! From TUritea? Always thought that stuff was pretty. Hmm, plants the koura won't eat... plastic ones? Ponga? Leaf litter? I could give you some Nitella if you want, I think the koura could do less damage as it isn't rooted as such. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insect Direct Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 lol my koura tank has a bit of wood floating aswel, wish it would hurry up and sink. will they destroy mosses firmly rooted to rocks? ive got a bit of xmas moss in my koura tank and so far all good.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted January 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 I have about 2sqft of glosso :lol: easiest plant to grow... ever! hahaha. it won't grow in this tank though. what about a pest plant? it could be like a semi educational tank - native fish + pest plant that threatens other fauna? I have some nitella, I recognised it from some other posts and i took a tiny bit from the stream. almost felt like i was plundering so I took tiny bits of gravel from different parts of the stream. lol. I think mosses would be cool. Will see how it goes eh.. I put some prawn meat in there for the koura. dunno if he has found it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insect Direct Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 my tanks are currently low light so no glosso attempts atm. good point, you would think koura would be thriving with all the pest plants around. try an earth worm, mine went mad for them last night. koura was a bit slow to start off but then walked over a worm and thats when things got a bit mental lol. ps past your bedtime isnt it :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted January 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 yah! 43 minutes past my bed time! Third night in a row now. :dunno: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Posted January 19, 2011 Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 Wow I love it But please take that poor Blue Ram out I feel so sorry for the little fella Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nativelover Posted January 19, 2011 Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 if you dont want the ram send him to me :bounce: :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted January 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 Ram is fine. eats like a pig, but I don't want it in my main tank ATM. Will go back in a few weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted January 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 My little koura shed his exoskeleton! :happy2: :happy1: That's so awesome! Will he eat it? Because if he wont I want to dry it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted January 22, 2011 Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 The first time I saw that I got a hell of a fright - thought my poor Ronnie had died! :nilly: He will likely eat it over the next week. It is important for them to resorb the calcium lost. An interesting exercise is to keep one claw each time, then you can see directly how much it is growing each time. Just keep the 'forearm' part, and make sure you get the same arm each time (an easy way to remember could be to take the right arm if your are right-handed). By taking just that part of the shell you are still leaving plenty of calcium for him, and often they leave the arms as they are so tough. After a few days he will be fully hardened again. I usually find they then start marching around the aquarium thinking that they are so The Greatest and try to take on fish or attempt escape routes that foiled them last time. Must be pretty cool to do all your growing in sudden steps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted January 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 When I was a kid, we had some crabs as pets. We caught them (this was not in NZ) and kept them in a rock pool that they could not escape from. One day we got back from school and went to play with the crabs and we saw a whole lot of exoskeletons and only one mega big blue crab that we had never seen before. My brother and I instantly blamed that crab and said he killed all the others and ate them up, and suddenly grew for some weird reason. Then we got mum who laughed her head off and explained how the whole exoskeleton thing works. Later that day we found all the other crabs. :facepalm: Koura pic! I never see him eat. I hope he likes prawn. I put some in there for him. The bullies like blood worms. They go crazy for them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueether Posted January 22, 2011 Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 One of mine shed it's exoskeleton the other day as well, must be the season for it :happy2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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