tandemcartshrimp Posted January 4, 2014 Report Share Posted January 4, 2014 howdy all, I just got given a 54L tank (60x30x30) and I have seen some people post things like this for help and inspiration. Atm I am using it as a tank to raise my WCMM fry ( about 25 of the buggers ) about a third filled with a sponge filter and some plants and rock bed. After that though what can I put in there? I would kinda like to have something native in there as I already have 7 of the native shrimp in the 45L tank I have. would the tank be big enough for a koura? or a smaller breed of native crayfish? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted January 4, 2014 Report Share Posted January 4, 2014 This just so happens to be my favourite aquarium size of all time, the space constraints make for a great challenge. Personally, I'd run it as a densely planted low-tech aquarium with 30-40 small schooling fish such as rasboras or tetras. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueether Posted January 4, 2014 Report Share Posted January 4, 2014 howdy all, I just got given a 54L tank (60x30x30) and I have seen some people post things like this for help and inspiration. Atm I am using it as a tank to raise my WCMM fry ( about 25 of the buggers ) about a third filled with a sponge filter and some plants and rock bed. After that though what can I put in there? I would kinda like to have something native in there as I already have 7 of the native shrimp in the 45L tank I have. would the tank be big enough for a koura? or a smaller breed of native crayfish? Koura will out grow it in a year or two. Bullies could do ok in there say 2 or 3 female and 1 male. I'd go with crans or common. common bullies from a lake would be best as they tend to only get to about 1/2 to 3/4 the size so around 6cm or so Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tandemcartshrimp Posted January 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2014 How big of a tank would I need to keep a Koura happily in? 2.5-3 foot? where would I be able to find some bullies I can have in the tank if I was interested? Also, I have taken quite a liking to inverts, are there any other native inverts that are easy enough to find and I would be allowed to keep in a tank like that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aotealotl Posted January 5, 2014 Report Share Posted January 5, 2014 where would I be able to find some bullies on every school ground... where are you from ? put a location into your profile, would be easier for everyone to recommend places, cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tandemcartshrimp Posted January 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2014 There we go, I am in rotorua for the next month-ish, then I will be moving back to hamilton to study. I did a bit of reading online about Koura, apparently if you find them in lakes etc they tend to be smaller (around 7-8 cm fully grown) so maybe that would suit my tank a little better? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueether Posted January 5, 2014 Report Share Posted January 5, 2014 From a lake might be better, just get a small one to start with. There are common bullies in Hamilton lake and the lakes at the UNI. Dobson fly larvae are cool as are dragon/damsel fly, we have a freshwater limpet (that excretes a glowing slime), we have a freshwater crab and two freshwater mussels - the larger one is not really suited to an aquarium, although you will sometimes see the for sale at pet stores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tandemcartshrimp Posted January 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 Well, I made my own trap (from flax only) and left it in a stream overnight. this morning I showed up and found a 8cm ish koura sitting inside inside munching on some meat :D he is now in my 54L tank with a section of downpipe to hide in and some fern fronds for shade/ comfort. I will post some pics a little later on tonight of the trap and the trapee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinnadian Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 I attempted a native tank a couple years ago, with koura and bullies. Unfortunately due to the nature of these animals, they spend practically all their time hiding or being motionless lest they be eaten by something. Plus the cold water makes them quite docile, and it becomes quite hard to keep these tanks cold enough in the summer (need to be <15-18 degC from memory), so you will need a chiller or an air conditioned house. Good luck, but I didn't really find these creatures terribly rewarding to keep. Some may really enjoy the "native" aspect of them, but do not keep your hopes too high. Also for catching bullies, most streams actually have a lot of them. When I was hunting for them I found them predominantly off to the side of a river, in the part with slow moving water and lots of rocks. Lift up random rocks and after 5-20 rocks you'll find a couple of them; just stick a fish net downstream of them and lure them into the net. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tandemcartshrimp Posted January 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 So here it is, "The New Guy" the Koura This is the trap I caught the newbie in "The New Guy" himself And a pic for reference of size Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SanityChelle Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 That is a cool trap! Where did you learn something like that? All I can do is make flax flowers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tandemcartshrimp Posted January 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 I actually just sat down and figured it out tbh. I was a little bored on monday night so I got some random flax from the front garden and made a mat out of it. you have to weave back some of the fronds to keep the edges in place, then weave the remaining ones into the other side to form a tube. The ends I found a little tough so I just randomly poked them through different places in the trap to keep it together and thats what I got. Not quite as pretty as I wanted, but it clearly works Also if anyone in the Rotorua area wants one, I left the trap in over night again and I may have another one in the morning. I cant keep it for long since my tank is pretty small, but let me know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SanityChelle Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 Smart thinking! It would be cool to have a natives tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueether Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 two koura of that size in a small tank may fight, just a heads up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tandemcartshrimp Posted January 9, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 Thanks blue, I wont keep more than one in there for any more than a day I think, if it takes longer than that to find one a home I will probably just end up eating it or giving it to someone else to eat The new guy seems happy enough, still alive in my tank which is always a bonus. what sort of food do Koura need? I have some sinking algae disc things and access to enough plant life, but is there anything specific like frozen meat vs fresh, same with veggies? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueether Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 Thanks blue, I wont keep more than one in there for any more than a day I think, if it takes longer than that to find one a home I will probably just end up eating it or giving it to someone else to eat The new guy seems happy enough, still alive in my tank which is always a bonus. what sort of food do Koura need? I have some sinking algae disc things and access to enough plant life, but is there anything specific like frozen meat vs fresh, same with veggies? They are nomally detritus feeders so mostly plants (and small inverts I guess?), but will eat meaty stuff, they are scavengers so anything goes in the wild Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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