fishyNZ Posted January 9, 2015 Report Share Posted January 9, 2015 Hi I am relatively new to this hobby, started about a year ago. Currently have a 350L tank, stocked with American cichlids. This year, I am looking to "expanding my horizons" and thought, why not natives? Anyway, planning to start small, got a spare 130L tank I bought off TradeMe. So basically, what can I do with it? One thing of concern is how to get native fishes. They don't seem to appear in LFshops (illegal?). Should I start begging around here? Appreciate any comments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwiraka Posted January 9, 2015 Report Share Posted January 9, 2015 First what are the dimensions of the tank? If it's less than 3 feet you can't have inanga or smelt (4 foot is better) and if it's less than 4 foot you can't really keep kokopu, unless you're planning on upgrading soon.... It isn't legal to sell natives without a permit. But you can collect them from the wild yourself, just don't catch "whitebait" out of season! And also how are you planning on keeping the temp down? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishyNZ Posted January 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2015 It is about 3 foot wide, so I am thinking a couple of bullies and perhaps other smaller ones... I live in the Hutt valley but not quite the outdoorsman so not sure where the nearest "hotspots" are. As for keeping the temp down, probably easiest path is to get a 2nd hand chiller if I can. Otherwise, a battery of brushless fans might do the trick. Using peltier modules is an alternative albeit fancier route. Got an electronics background anyways so I might try that as well. Thanks and appreciate the response. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwiraka Posted January 9, 2015 Report Share Posted January 9, 2015 Bullies and koura would be your best bet! You don't really need a "hot spot" just an unpolluted stream.... if you do manage to diy a chiller, many of us would appreciate a step by step guide I'm not experienced with inanga and smelt in 3 foot tanks, but watching the smelt in my tank and since they're shorter than inanga you might be able to have a small school of smelt. I think someone else would probably have a better idea on that. No problem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueether Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 inanga, bullies and koura should be fine. smelt can be very flighty and I've had one or two try and knock them selves out even in a 4ft. peltier modules can work on a small scale but I'd not use them on a tank... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishyNZ Posted January 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 Thanks for the responses kiwiraka and blueether. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted January 20, 2015 Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 peltier modules can work on a small scale but I'd not use them on a tank... They make excellent heaters though, from what I've seen when set up properly, higher than 100% efficiency. But more complicated than a normal submersible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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