kiwiraka Posted October 17, 2014 Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 As the title states i will not be starting this project for awhile, til next year (Money dependant) but im planning on getting it right. It wont be set up til i have everything ready e.g. chiller, sump etc... But being the impatient person i am i want to start planning and gathering decorations, the decoration part is easy but i need some tips on planning. My planned stocking is: 8 smelt (from a very healthy local population) 8 inanga (raised from whitebait for low impact) 2 torrent fish 2 giant bullies (moved to a different tank if they became a problem) 10 common bullies (i already have 6 or 8 ) 9 redfinned bullies (3 male 6 female) 3 banded kokopu (from the healthy population of (with over 30 breeding age/size) in our farm drains) 2 giant kokopu (will be raised from whitebait) What size tank would be needed? I want it to be understocked so im guessing well over 600 litres? And what dimensions? Ill be aiming for a large ground area of about 3 foot by 5, especially with all the bottom dwellers. And i have no idea how to build a sump so any tips or links would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueether Posted October 17, 2014 Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 I would think 5 or 6 ft x 2 or 3 ft x 2 ft deep... Some options: 1800 x 900 x 600 = 970L 1500 x 900 x 600 = 810L 1800 x 600 x 600 = 650L 1500 x 600 x 600 = 540L 900 deep (wide) would look fantastic, I find the 600 of mine a little compact depth wise. I don't think you will have to ant deeper than 600. I heard banded kokopu can be a bit agro to each other :dunno: I've found that both the giants I've had were very laid back, the redfin bullies are much grumpier and will chase anyone away from their spot. At a guess I would say that each redfin male needs close 600x600. One of mine will chase anyone from about 200mm from his cave and the other redfin male from an area of about 300mm from is cave. I think he even killed one of the small redfin males in there. If he is not at his cave then he is less grumpy. The torrent fish don't seem to mind each other most of the time, just every so often there is a little chase around the tank at very high speeds. I would get hold of a few Cran's too, the two big males in my tank are always front and centre, often 1/2 way up the water column. The commons seem less show-off-ish. For the chiller you will want at least a 1/2 hp for the 500L and maybe close to 2/3 or 1 hp for the top end :dunno: all depends on the temp diff, insulation, lights and pumps/powerheads. If I turn off the 3200 l/h that is doing mechanical filtration the temp of my tank drops by 2 deg easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwiraka Posted October 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 I think the 810l or the 650 would be my top choices (obviously bigger is better so ill aim for the 810) Yes, i have heard that alot but in our drains we have a stretch of drain 1m wide and 3m long with over 15 15-20cm bandeds with only 1 with scars (which i suspect is actually from an eel), so im im guessing plenty of caves and a large tank they should be okay? If not i guess id just need another tank or two 8) Hmm, maybe 2 males and 4 females then, mine are still young so havent been a problem, luckily i only have 2. I would like a mix of crans common and upland but they are sparse uo here and i am yet to find any. For pumps id have 2 or 3 powerheads and a pump to push the water from the sump through the chiller and back to the tank and i will be going low light. But being up north i think i will aim for a 1 hp. This is going to be pricey, oh well :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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