Mikey Posted October 27, 2011 Report Share Posted October 27, 2011 After a few months of me talking about it... it is finally happening... I'm setting up the 60L tank for a Koura occupant. I have been doing research and planning into how this is all going to work (mainly using Stella's book and various internet sources), working out a good location for the tank and procrastinating about tidying up the spare room where I am going to put it. I finally got off my backside last weekend and there is now a tidy room with a spot for the tank stand. So the set up will be: 60L Tank - I have recently painted the back of the tank black, and it is ready to go Aqua one CF500 external filter - Not 100% necessary in a Koura tank but I figure the flow it gives provides a more natural living environment within the abode LED lights, only going to be a low light level to help replicate the shady forest stream that they reside in, and I have found that a few LEDs shining into the tank is much easier to get right rather than a full tube set up. Mesh lid, (similar to the ones on the exo terra set ups) this will help with temp control as it will expose the surface to the air, while also being small enough to keep the occupant contained... no Prison Break: Koura Edition in my house! :thup: I am thinking I will have a bed of gravel, built up towards left end where the filter output is, and then will set up a bunch of rocks in random configuration using tips from Stella's book to get the natural look. I am thinking of having the wood set up so it is towards the right end of the tank... I will have a play and see what looks good. I've got the tank, filter, and a stand. The stand will be built this weekend, I will be raiding a local stream in the next few days for some gravel, rocks and wood. The LED light I will buy from Hollywood fish farm, they have a nice small unit at the moment that has blue and normal LEDs on it, you can turn the different colours on independently or at same time, I figure this will be pretty cool for getting different looks in the tank. So, it is all underway... further progress updates and photos will be forthcoming in the near future. Cheers! :happy1: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkLB Posted October 27, 2011 Report Share Posted October 27, 2011 Hi I'm looking forward to pics. I kept a Koura a couple of years ago and she was a fascinating creature. Be sure to keep the temperature below 20C, they do not handle warm water very well at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueether Posted October 27, 2011 Report Share Posted October 27, 2011 keep us updated They can grow quite fast, one in my big tank is now over 10cm, was about 5 or 6 last year, and I'm thinking I'm going to have to remove it - keep getting fish with nipped fins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted October 27, 2011 Report Share Posted October 27, 2011 waiting with baited breath :mbh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey Posted October 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2011 Be sure to keep the temperature below 20C, they do not handle warm water very well at all. Yup, got all my temp control techniques sorted, I have done some testing of the different areas of the house and the spot it is going into doesn't heat up at all over the day and the tank water temp doesn't fluctuate much at all... I also have the mesh lid set up which will help a lot. They can grow quite fast, one in my big tank is now over 10cm, was about 5 or 6 last year, and I'm thinking I'm going to have to remove it - keep getting fish with nipped fins Yeah I did some searching on growth rates and stuff :smln: Found some information on a commercial growers website on the sizes they are getting over time. http://www.clearwatercrayfish.co.nz/koura.html they reckon they are getting to 15cm or so over a three year period... that is with them going hard out trying to get them to grow fast... so I figure if I get a little one I have a few years up my sleeve. Agression wise I won't have a problem cos the Koura will be by itself, size wise I have longer term plans to move said cray into bigger tank when needed. I have been thinking about the ideal tank for a decent size cray and was actually thinking a good size turtle tank might be an idea due to crays liking a large tank footprint. You could set up a cave complex under the basking part... and on top of it... plus turtle tanks tend to have bigger footprints than your standard tanks... so you could set up a really cool multi level place for crays to hang out in... thats my thoughts at this stage anyhow Bring on the weekend! I'll get photos of my progress up in the next few days with an update Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted October 27, 2011 Report Share Posted October 27, 2011 Looks like you have done a wonderful amount of research, Mikey! Most impressed. Looking forward to seeing how this comes together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey Posted October 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2011 Bit of an update on how the weekend went Painted the back of the tank black: Cabinet constructed and good to go: Light installed and working well, it is a LEO LED light, there are three options, first is only white LEDs on, second is only blue LEDs on, and third is all LEDs on... you can see the difference in the photos below: You may notice the tank is empty... that is because when I went out to get some gravel and stuff I hit a bit of a stumbling block.... the "gravel" in the local streams closest to me aren't stone, they are all weathered clay and sandstone. So I need to go to some other streams to see what they have. If no luck then I'll just head to the LFS and pick some bits and pieces up. So that's the progress thus far... pretty much ready to go, just need to attach pipes to filter, get some gravel, rocks and wood and then will be good to go. Next update will be early next week, as I'm heading off on holiday tomorrow. :happy1: Who knows.... maybe I pinch some gravel from Taupo region while I'm down there haha. Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nativelover Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 nice work in my big tank i originally put two tiny crays in then found a big one and put it in aand thought it had eaten the two little ones but cleaned the whole 400letre tank out and found them hiding and twice the size. a couple of bullys would look real cool in the tank with the cray :thup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueether Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 be prepared to not see the cray for days or weeks at a time. In my 400l tank I see the large koura about twice or maybe three times a week, and I almost never see the smaller one. I think nativelover's comment about a few bullies is a good one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#!CrunchBang Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 Being the north shore, all the streams will be sandstone and clay, unless the stones got there artificially. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nativelover Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 when i first got my cray i didnt see it for months but then slowly started geting sick of the cheeky bandeds stealing his food and would come out nipping so be prepared not to see him every minute but that size tank is perfect for a nice little comunity with bullys snails shrimp and your cray :thup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey Posted November 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 So, while I was in Taupo I found some nice rocks and bits and pieces to go into the tank, didn't really have time or tools to hunt down gravel while there, so I think I'll just head to the LFS this payday and buy a bag of gravel, then I can get the tank set up and filter running this weekend! I will see how we go in terms of the suggestions above putting Bullies in there as well, it isn't a massive tank, so I was thinking of leaving it at a really low stocking level to minimise potential issues. I could always keep a couple of bullies in this tank with Koura while they are small, and as the cray grows up, move them into the bigger cray complexs I have planned... hmmmm things to think about and consider :cofn: The other long term thing I have been thinking about is actually getting rid of the south american fish in my tropical tank, attaching a chiller to it and going native on that tank as well. :smot: National Trout Centre visit Got back from holiday last night... had a nice relaxed time... went for a visit to the national trout centre just outside Turangi... the Native Aquaria there are fantastic! I would highly recommend it to anyone going through that way. Thank you Stella for recommending it! Several big tanks full of all sorts of fish, plus a stream with perspex sides which runs down the middle of the room, torrent fish and bullies playing around in there. Information sheet that is supplied is really good as well and includes "bad fish" as well which is handy to know what is good and what isn't. I liked the bullies tank the most, there were several out and about and climbing up and down the rocks that they had set up for them. No photos I'm afraid, the camera was left on the bed back at base :facepalm: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted November 8, 2011 Report Share Posted November 8, 2011 You could also try looking at a local landscaping/gardening place. One of my current tanks is decked out with rounded gravel and sand ($3 for a 20L bag!) and the crayfish can't do extreme landscaping I know you have read all the stuff already, but just be careful with sizing when mixing bullies and crays. Being a bottom-dwelling fish bullies are at greater risk from crays than other fish, but since your tank is on the smaller end of the scale it might not be suitable for other natives. As long as the bullies are the same size or larger than the cray, and there are plenty of caves, things should be ok. You may even find with no fish that the cray is a bit more bold. Crays have SUCH varied personalities, it is all a bit luck-of-the-draw. I thoroughly support the idea of turning your tropical tank to natives :thup: :smot: Great to hear what you thought of the Turangi aquaria! I haven't been up there since the got the lighting installed on all the tanks (the stream and bully tanks were pretty hopeless unlit). Glad to hear the bully tank is looking so good. I was really dubious about the design at the start, but it seems to suit the bullies so well. Putting the rocks in was a NIGHTMARE. The rocks are supported by this giant interlocked plastic structure which took far more engineering than we intended. Then I had to climb inside the tank and perch each stone by hand, with a guy down the bottom telling me where the supporting structure was still visible, as I couldn't see from where I was sitting! Wound up with only two rocks I could perch on and climb out from. Let's just say I am so glad there was a bath in the staff quarters for soaking out those aches! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey Posted November 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2011 You could also try looking at a local landscaping/gardening place. One of my current tanks is decked out with rounded gravel and sand ($3 for a 20L bag!) and the crayfish can't do extreme landscaping I wandered into Mitre10 Mega yesterday and managed to locate a decent size bag of gravel. It is a larger grade than anything i've used before (8-14mm grade) and from what I can gather it has come from the Oreti River in Southland. So i'll use that and see if I like the look. I thoroughly support the idea of turning your tropical tank to natives :thup: Hah... I had more than a sneaking suspicion you might support me in that idea, I wonder why? :slfg: Glad to hear the bully tank is looking so good. I was really dubious about the design at the start, but it seems to suit the bullies so well. Putting the rocks in was a NIGHTMARE. The rocks are supported by this giant interlocked plastic structure which took far more engineering than we intended. Then I had to climb inside the tank and perch each stone by hand, with a guy down the bottom telling me where the supporting structure was still visible, as I couldn't see from where I was sitting! Wound up with only two rocks I could perch on and climb out from. Let's just say I am so glad there was a bath in the staff quarters for soaking out those aches! I must admit when I first saw it I wondered what the heck was going on in the head of the designers... but then I saw the bullies and how much they seemed to be enjoying swimming and "jumping" up, down and through the set up, and how visible they were to observers because of it... I ended up standing there for quite some time watching them in action and I left convinced that it is a good set up, so it was worth the nightmare effort you had to set it up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nativelover Posted November 17, 2011 Report Share Posted November 17, 2011 any updates :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey Posted November 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 18, 2011 Only update since the last at this stage was I head into the bush found some recently fallen tea tree branches which I hacked up and bought home.... so have peeled some of the bark off and have it soaking. The weekend is pretty much upon us, I am hoping to get the gravel, wood and stones in and have the filter set up and going by the end of the weekend... so hopefully I have a nice update for all on Monday with photos of the set up etc. Then in the next week or two after that I can go capture the occupant. Watch this space! :spop: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey Posted November 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2011 Right, the weekend has been and gone... and I got some stuff done on the tank. Gravel has been rinsed and put in, Wood is scrubbed and in both look good in my opinion. Rocks.... struggling a little bit... most of the ones I got from Taupo aren't quite doing it for me, They are either too big, wrong shape, or they look weird, like they don't match the rest of the tank. The one on the right hand side of the tank I am happy with so that will stay... one of the left is essentially just weighing down the wood atm... the rest I have removed while I think about what to do... here are some photos: The random piece of Fern was me testing how it works/looks/and how much shade it provides... I like Fern being in the tank, so along with the rocks I have some playing around to do before I am happy. I have found that I probably won't need the lights... the last photo was taken without the lights on, and I think it looks better, and you can still see into it easily. I'll leave the light attached and use it when/if needed. I will attach the filter this week, planning to have outlet on left hand side and inlet on right hand side... get a bit of flow going from left to right. So any thoughts/comments from you guys about possible rock placements and the tank in general would be cool.... otherwise, watch this space for the next update. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted November 21, 2011 Report Share Posted November 21, 2011 woo, progress! Gotta love that black silicone and painted back. Regarding the rocks, here are my thoughts (feel free to disregard at will) The rock on the right looks good because it blends with the gravel, in both colour and texture. The one on the left doesn't really work for the same reasons. When going for natural aquarium design, odd numbers of things seem to look better than even numbers. You clearly noted the trick of half-burying rocks to make them look more natural When next playing with the piece of wood, try propping it up in the corner upsidedown to the way it grew.... hard to describe... try the end on the left up at the water surface, and the branches dangling down. Southern Encounters did that to great effect so it looked like roots coming down into the water. It looks nice where it is, but just looking at the shape that way may work also. I am pretty sure you had plans for a lid? A cray would be out of there and grumpily stomping around your room in no time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueether Posted November 21, 2011 Report Share Posted November 21, 2011 I quite like the general look but the left rock does look off to the rest of the tank. It can be hard to find good rocks that fit well in aquariums and to get the placement natural looking. I don't know if I like the fern, but that is just me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nativelover Posted November 21, 2011 Report Share Posted November 21, 2011 i like the fern and find it to be good enrichment for my crays as it doesnt last long so you ether replace it with a diffrent piece or remove it. i agree on the left rock but it is good in a way because the cray has a cave where he will feel safe. happy to help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey Posted November 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2011 Regarding the rocks, here are my thoughts (feel free to disregard at will) The rock on the right looks good because it blends with the gravel, in both colour and texture. The one on the left doesn't really work for the same reasons. When going for natural aquarium design, odd numbers of things seem to look better than even numbers. You clearly noted the trick of half-burying rocks to make them look more natural I quite like the general look but the left rock does look off to the rest of the tank. It can be hard to find good rocks that fit well in aquariums and to get the placement natural looking. Completely agree with the assessment of the rock on the left, it is the wrong type of rock to be with that gravel etc, it seems to be too bright, as said above it is only there at the moment because it is weighing down the wood because it is still a bit bouyant I really like the way the one on the right blends in, so I will try head out over the next few days to find rocks a bit more like that one. And yes Stella I have used the "bury and sprinkle" technique on the right rock, I use the method in my tropical tank as well, I reckon it makes the rocks look like they belong really well. When next playing with the piece of wood, try propping it up in the corner upsidedown to the way it grew.... hard to describe... try the end on the left up at the water surface, and the branches dangling down. Southern Encounters did that to great effect so it looked like roots coming down into the water. It looks nice where it is, but just looking at the shape that way may work also. Haha yup, I got a little frustrated with the rocks I had on Sunday so ended up leaving the tank as is... I will try some different positions with the wood when I play with the rocks next. I am pretty sure you had plans for a lid? A cray would be out of there and grumpily stomping around your room in no time 100% correct. I do have a lid sorted... just haven't had it in the photos, it is pretty much a solid mesh lid with small enough gaps that cray cant get out, but airflow etc will pretty much be unimpeded. I wonder what the cat, dog and baby would do with a cray charging them. Dog would probably freak out and run off, cat would tap away playing with the cray until it got a nip and the baby would probably pick it up to examine closer before trying to put it in her mouth :facepalm: Thanks for the thoughts, I'll get some more rocks have another play and update you all soon :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted November 21, 2011 Report Share Posted November 21, 2011 I wonder what the cat, dog and baby would do with a cray charging them. Dog would probably freak out and run off, cat would tap away playing with the cray until it got a nip and the baby would probably pick it up to examine closer before trying to put it in her mouth :facepalm: Years ago one of my crays got out and I found it in the bedroom (tank was in the lounge) and I couldn't decided if the cat had bailed up the crayfish or the other way around! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey Posted November 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 22, 2011 Haha, my money is on the cray... probably saw the cat and figured it would pick a fight! How long can they last out of water? This is something I haven't found out... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted November 22, 2011 Report Share Posted November 22, 2011 How long can they last out of water? This is something I haven't found out... Not sure, but I think it is like most aquatic critters: until their breathing apparatus dries out, which depends a lot on temperature and humidity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey Posted November 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 22, 2011 Heh, living in Auckland with our lovely humid days would give it a better chance then :rotf: But the plan is that it doesn't escape in the first place... no random aquatic creatures shall roam my halls! :sage: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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