Interested in setting up Native NZ Biotope.

[blondfish]

blondfish, fine sand is the best substrate. if you put rocks in there, it will pay to half bury them in the sand. you do not want food and other debris dissapearing into unseen areas. it is a common mistake. poor water quality will be the result. you must be able to vacuum away any "unpleasantness". thats what i find anyways.

What's the best way to "vacuum" the tank? I have a gravel cleaner thing but I can never get the siphon started.

[Caryl]

Best way is to use a siphon. Either suck to get it started (easy) or put thumb over hose end. Submerge siphon then tip up so hose and tube fills completely with water. Tip so tube is facing down, under the water, then release thumb from end of hose. Should start siphoning. Make sure hose end is over bucket, or out window, at this time!

[blondfish]

Best way is to use a siphon. Either suck to get it started (easy) or put thumb over hose end. Submerge siphon then tip up so hose and tube fills completely with water. Tip so tube is facing down, under the water, then release thumb from end of hose. Should start siphoning. Make sure hose end is over bucket, or out window, at this time!

Thank you, I will try that tomorrow when I do my water change.

EDIT: Just checked and I don't have that siphon thing, any idea where I can buy one on it's own without having to buy a whole new gravel cleaner?

[wonka]

most of the gravel/sand vacuums have to short a hose. lengthen the hose.

for uneaten food, i just use a bit of airline tube, cable tied to a stick.

and two or three times yearly, i get the big one out and do the sand.

more often, depending on stocking rate.

[wonka]

the garden hose works great!

[blondfish]

Okay, another question:

What would be the best way to catch the bullies and shrimp? I'm going to just catch the Inanga during white baiting season as I figure I will have them for longer.

Also one more question:

If something was to happen (say my tank cracked) and I could no longer keep my fish, would they be fine of I just put them back in the river or would they have become dependent on me so they would then die in the wild?

[blueether]

Okay, another question:

What would be the best way to catch the bullies and shrimp? I'm going to just catch the Inanga during white baiting season as I figure I will have them for longer.

Best way to catch bullies is at night with a spotlight and net, shrimp can be caught the same way but an easier way is to drag a net through weeds/plants in the stream side during the day.

Also one more question:

If something was to happen (say my tank cracked) and I could no longer keep my fish, would they be fine of I just put them back in the river or would they have become dependent on me so they would then die in the wild?

They would be fine in the wild, but it is illegal to release them back without permits. There would be people around that would be willing to help out if the worst happened.

[blondfish]

Thank you. I hope to keep you updated.

[blondfish]

Just another question:

When I'm cycling this tank, I'll want to do it fishless so where is the best place to buy pure ammonia. I looked at the supermarket closest to me but they only had cloudy ammonia.

[wonka]

i have never heard of doing that. are you serious?

[blondfish]

i have never heard of doing that. are you serious?

Haha yes I am serious. Do you know about the cycling process?

[blueether]

I'd just throw a shrimp in, or squze the cat;)

Do a search on here, I'm sure someone has posted a brand that has no additives

[Caryl]

Wonka many people like to do a fishless cycle, especially those living overseas. Never tried it myself. I think the pure ammonia can be bought from chemists?

[M@.]

hey guys, just going back to the conversation about chlorine we had before -

I found a chlorine test kit at my work! tested my tankwater after doing a 30% change using untreated tap water and got a reading of less than 0.05 ppm, so I was pretty happy with that!

out of curiosity I then tested the tap water and got a reading of between 0.05 and 0.1

according to this: http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/chlorine.pdf it should be sitting at arround 0.2-1 ppm... so maybe the test is dodgy, or maybe we just use less in NZ?

[blueether]

off the top of my head the max in NZ is .4ppm but it often tests at about .1 - .2ppm at the tap.

If I see my old man today I'll ask him what it normally sits at in TA at the Fontera plant.

[wonka]

i have never worried about it.

i knoe from experiance that a 100% water change can kill some/most of the fish in your tank. mabee it is the chlorine, i dont know. mabee it is something else? a 50% water change most fish, seem to like. even straight out of the tap.

i know that everyone knows this, but it is worth repeating... change your water often, and in small amounts.

when you catch your fish from the wild and put them in your aquarium, the different water will be a huge shock to them. i always keep this in mind. a completely bare quarantine tank for at least two weeks, preferably, four, is/should be mandatory as well. i hate white spot. yukkk!

[blueether]

with whitespot, at least with natives we can dump in 6 or more g of salt per liter (over 24h) and and not have to too much (no excuse for no quarantine though).

I have lost all my smelt in one ~75 - 80% w/c one day - some 14 fish in the end and none of the others were worried at all

[wonka]

thats interesting. i am gonna have a go at smelt. one day soon!

i very nearly killed a giant bully when i moved from whakatane to taupo. the water chemistry was just so different, i think. i rushed it, and had to much taupo water in the new tank. it was touch and go for a cple days. thought that bully was a gonner. but it just pulled thru. white spot is so much easier to treat in a bare tank. ie, no sand. i have found new/wild fish are just not worth the risk, not to quarantine in a bare tank. i wont do it. it is rule number 2. right after rule no1, never change more than half the water. ha!