M@. Posted March 26, 2013 Report Share Posted March 26, 2013 Hi all! I have a small 20L tank with a Koura and a Banded Kokopu. They are only little at the moment - 60mm and 50mm respectively - but will obviously outgrow this tank fairly soon. I am going to up size the tank in a couple of weeks, and wanted to get one that these guys could grow to full size in. What size would you recommend? I prefer more length over depth and height if that makes a difference? Also, would a pair of redfin bullies be ok with the Koura? (haven’t got any atm, but if the new tank is big enough it could be cool to find some!) Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reptilez Posted March 27, 2013 Report Share Posted March 27, 2013 Are you hoping to upgrade again or keep them in this upgraded tank for the rest of their lives? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M@. Posted March 27, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2013 if possible I was thinking a rest of their lives kinda thing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueether Posted March 27, 2013 Report Share Posted March 27, 2013 As the banded can grow to over well 20cm, maybe closer to 30cm, I would say at least a 3ft tank and 4ft would be better. With a standard 4fter (4x2x2 ft or 1200x600x600mm) you could probably have 3 or 4 adults and many bullies. You could also have a few inanga or smelt, say around 5-7. I would recommend inanga over smelt as smelt always seem a bit flighty and they are more sensitive to water changes. Smelt don't like chlorine and koura don't like de-chlorinators. Inanga can live 2+ years in an aquarium - My oldest one is about to have it's third birthday this autumn. I think banded kokopu can live to over 5 years in the wild. I would guess that banded and giants do most of their growing in the second and third years. If you have any other questions just ask. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M@. Posted March 27, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2013 Thanks Blueether, good info! - Just had another look through your native tank thread very cool! I was thinking (hoping) I wouldn't have to go quite that big, considering I wasn't really thinking of getting more fish... but those bigger guys just need the U-turn room aye! :nilly: Might have to wait till I move and just get the biggest one for the space I also thought the Bandeds could get a bit aggressive in groups? :smot: there is a Banded that lives in a 'puddle' near my house - he's about 200mm long and the thing he is in comes from nowhere, goes to nowhere and is only about 600L x 300W x 200deep at its deepest point! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueether Posted March 27, 2013 Report Share Posted March 27, 2013 I guess all big kokopu can be stroppy, especially at feeding time. The giants in my tank seem to be all good unless there is live food on offer. If you can't stretch to a 3 or 4 ft tank then a 2ft will probably do for another year or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M@. Posted March 27, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2013 Thanks! Ill let you know how I get on. I'll aim for three I think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reptilez Posted March 28, 2013 Report Share Posted March 28, 2013 Thanks! Ill let you know how I get on. I'll aim for three I think Let us know how of goes :bggrn: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted April 1, 2013 Report Share Posted April 1, 2013 At least you only have one kokopu - they get extremely aggressive when they become sexually mature (2-3 years) and at feeding time, so far more space is needed to accomodate them. A 3ft tank that was also fairly wide and deep (eg. 45cm in each direction) would probably be ok, but a classic 4x2x2 would make your life much easier - the large water volume has a more stable temperature and water chemistry, and also gives you more options for layout and Driftwood of Awesome Proportions. Length over height is definitely the way to go with natives, but front-to-back depth is important as it increases the ground area. Banded kokopu will definitely use the height if it is available, but it isn't as important as the other two. (Banded kokopu are gluttons and grow incredibly quickly. I didn't realise that I was underfeeding my first tiny kokopu till I saw some of others of the same age that were eating the more nutritionally dense ox heart. I swapped mine onto that and they doubled in length and trebled in girth within a month or two!) It can be difficult keeping koura and bullies together, as they are both ground-dwelling species and bullies taste good. Koura rarely actively hunt fish, but may accidentally stumble upon them and cause injuries or even kill them. I found that koura over 7cm were more risky. Make sure you don't get any bullies that are smaller than the koura as they are at most risk, and providing a large complex of caves will both keep all three of these species happy AND reduce the risk from the koura. Looking forward to seeing what you create! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M@. Posted May 29, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 29, 2013 Hi guys! figured it was time to sort out some images so hopefuly this works! all just taken with my phone, so not fantastic quality sorry! so this is the old tank (only good photo I have, got the diatoms under control and the snails got put in as a koura snack just before the photo :oops: ) and here is the new tank! (900x400x400) so stocking is: 1x Banded Kokopu, 1x Inanga, 1x Koura, 3x redfin bullies (1m, 2f) and maybe 15 shrimp managed to get most of the occupants in one pic Male redfin bully. Love his colours! and the view from my seat! (a bit glarey) one more of the male and an old older one of the koura Let me know what you guys think! Thinking I should probably try and get another Inanga for the one to school with, but he seems pretty content by himself? (wasn't trying to catch one, but he swam into my bucket as I was filling it with water to transport the other new additions!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trinox Posted May 30, 2013 Report Share Posted May 30, 2013 Nice Photos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted May 30, 2013 Report Share Posted May 30, 2013 :thup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted May 30, 2013 Report Share Posted May 30, 2013 Oh that looks great! Ponga fronds are such handy aquarium decor. Nice healthy fish too! :thup: Hmmm, they need to start making anti-reflection thingys for aquaria. Damn that would be revolutionary! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M@. Posted May 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2013 Thanks guys! yea I wasn't too happy with the layout till I got the ponga in there. will probably move it all around before too long, but need to at least pretend to focus on work for the next while :rolfl: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueether Posted May 30, 2013 Report Share Posted May 30, 2013 Looks nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wonka Posted May 30, 2013 Report Share Posted May 30, 2013 way cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey Posted May 30, 2013 Report Share Posted May 30, 2013 :nfs: How do the Shrimp get along with the Koura? you find many have gone "missing" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M@. Posted May 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2013 How do the Shrimp get along with the Koura? you find many have gone "missing" Supprisingly no! its not for lack of trying on the koura's part (he cracks me up!) had three shrimp in the old 20L tank for three months, and he didnt manage to catch any. Hard for me to keep track of numbers in this new tank, but think they are all still there :thup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey Posted May 30, 2013 Report Share Posted May 30, 2013 Supprisingly no! its not for lack of trying on the koura's part (he cracks me up!) Agreed... Koura can get themselves into some very interesting predicaments, very entertaining little beasties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hovmoller Posted May 30, 2013 Report Share Posted May 30, 2013 Yeah very nice.. well done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M@. Posted June 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 16, 2013 so I noticed today that I have a berried shrimp... Do the females survive after the eggs hatch? From what I have been reading on here its pretty much lights out if they have eggs, but that is normaly when they have been taken from the wild with them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueether Posted June 17, 2013 Report Share Posted June 17, 2013 I had one that came into berry while in a tank, didn't see it die so she may have survived :dunno: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted June 17, 2013 Report Share Posted June 17, 2013 Interesting, so she came into berry *after* she put in the tank? So far, people's experiences are that berried females die within days of coming into captivity (unknown why), but I don't know of any that are known to have survived being in berry in captivity. The larvae won't survive, as they move to estuaries after they hatch, like the whitebait etc. It will be very interesting to see what happens to her! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M@. Posted June 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2013 yea, I'm 99% sure it has happened in the tank. Had them for about a month now Has anyone tried separating a beried female and then converting the tank to salt water when the larvae hatch? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M@. Posted July 8, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2013 So, bit of an update - berried shrimp is still alive, still berried too. Nearly been a month now, how long do they hold for? I saw a post on here a while ago (couldnt find it again) about black shrimp and the connection to BBA. I was away unexpectedly for a bit, and the lack of upkeep lead to some BBA developing, but as a result one of the shrimp is heading towards black which is pretty cool! on an unrelated note, my banded kokopu hides all the time. he comes out for feeding, and then I dont see him for the rest of the day... any tips to encourage him out? I have tried to create plenty of cover in the tank to make him feel more secure, and was thinking about putting in a small school of WCMM for a bit (thinking something smaller and less flightly might make him feel safer/give him something to look at?) Do you think he will get bolder as he gets bigger? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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