DocBrown Posted February 28, 2014 Report Share Posted February 28, 2014 Hello all, Im relatively new to this forum, having read it often but never posted before. However this is changing as I am now planning on setting up my own native fish tank. In the past I have kept a marine reef aquarium and a wide assortment of other popular tropical setups, but I have always loved the idea of a native tank. Currently I have a glass tank which is 50cm deep, and 70cm square. This has a large sump for filtration and a Hailea 300a Chiller to help with the temperature. I will probably post a picture when I have completed the stand. the back of the tank also has about an inch cut out of it to allow for pipes in, through which I plan to place a strong spray bar to create a current. My question is, can anyone list the suggested parameters for the water, and what species I'd be best displaying? Also what are the rules for collecting species? What plants, if any should I have? Basically anything I should know? I should note that I have read Stella's article, however I have yet to locate a copy of the book I keep reading about. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueether Posted March 1, 2014 Report Share Posted March 1, 2014 Collecting is sometimes a grey area, but: Don't collect whitebait out of season Native mosses seen to have some protection Don't collect from parks, reserves, etc Plants; most streams have very little native aquatic plants, there are a few lake/slow water ones and lots of marginal plants. My native tank is un-planted except for moss and algae. Square footprint will be harder to do 'flow' in but 700mm will allow for a great depth. I would go for lots of wood and large/flat-ish rocks. As for stock I would look at: Redfin bullies for the centre piece, the males can be very territorial so probably only two males and maybe 3 or 4 females Common and or Cran's bullies - maybe about the same numbers as above? The redfin males will try and boss these around as well as there own species. Torrent fish are fantastic if you can get some good flow - my 430L has about 15-25,000 L/h flow with a variable 5-15,000 l/h wavemaker, a 5,000 l/h wavemaker, a 3,200 l/h powerhead running a coarse sponge filter, the aquaone 2700 and a 1,200 l/h pump on the chiller. Mid fish you will be looking at Smelt and Inanga. I'd guess about 5 or 7 of one or the other. Smelt are very fast swimmers and spook very easily, and will often die in the first 24h. Inanga are easier. It's best the get either of these in very early summer, or as whitebait in late spring. A banded kokopu may be ok in there, but 1200 long would be better - but remember that they can live for many years. As for water, most of our natives have a very wide range, and migrate from salt to fresh water - a change in pH from mid 8 to anything as low as 6 and below for some of our peat streams/wetlands. Keep the temp below 20 and keep the O2 up. My tank is sitting at 20 now (don't want to go too low as the redspot pleco is in there atm) and I was running it at 16-17 last summer. It gets down to about 14 over winter as the canister and chiller are outside, and I have seen it drop to 10 deg. The pH sits about 6.2 - 6.4 and I have about 1/2 a kg of crushed lime in the filter to stop it going too low. Too low and the ammonia -> nitrate cycle slows down and the snails shells dissolve, not that there are many snails as the bullies tend to eat them if the venture out. Any other Q's just ask. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocBrown Posted March 1, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2014 Thanks heaps for all the info! Very helpful. Do you have any advice perchance about how to best strengthen a stand? Also curious about best lighting systems. Can i increase the flow sufficiently with a few strong tunze jets? Also what is the best food options, and is a straight current best? Or swirling eddies similar to a reef tank? sorry for all the questions! So much i don't know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueether Posted March 1, 2014 Report Share Posted March 1, 2014 Thanks heaps for all the info! Very helpful. Do you have any advice perchance about how to best strengthen a stand? Also curious about best lighting systems. Can i increase the flow sufficiently with a few strong tunze jets? Also what is the best food options, and is a straight current best? Or swirling eddies similar to a reef tank? sorry for all the questions! So much i don't know. Not a builder but have a look through the tank build DIY threads for some ideas. For lighting I have a twin 4ft t8, not very bright a 1200x600x600 tank, but then again it doesn't have to be as I'm not growing plants The flow in my tank is quite random but directional if you get my drift. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocBrown Posted March 1, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2014 Interesting. Are there laws surrounding removing stones from native rivers that you are aware off? Looks like a very interesting build you have! Can you post a photo? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueether Posted March 1, 2014 Report Share Posted March 1, 2014 Interesting. Are there laws surrounding removing stones from native rivers that you are aware off? Looks like a very interesting build you have! Can you post a photo? viewtopic.php?f=41&t=50025 looks a bit different now, but more or less like on page 6 Yes, you aren't allowed to disturb a natural river bed, the rocks in a river have more protection under the law than most of our native fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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