Ahab Posted May 30, 2015 Report Share Posted May 30, 2015 Hi All, I'm keen to keep some small shortfin eels in a bathtub pond in my garden. I want them to be happy and healthy, and to be able to migrate when they feel like flying the coop. We're in Kingsland, Auckland Central. Some questions: Do eels need aeration, and if so, what is the best way to do this? If I just put in a lot of boulders for cover, will this be enough? What are the best aquatic native plants for this kind of pond? Will they co-exist with koura? Any other advice would be gratefully received. I'll try and upload photos of the habitat now. Regards, Tom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ahab Posted May 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2015 Not sure how to add photos, sorry. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/430023464397247574/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwiraka Posted May 31, 2015 Report Share Posted May 31, 2015 Good to see more and more interest in natives, there's a section on this forum just for threads about native fish. Like all native fish eels require cold water, so in most instances they will require a chiller. If you bury the bath tub and but it in high shade you might be able to keep the temperature below the recommended max of 20c. Burying the tub and totally filling it will also allow eels to leave if unhappy or ready to go to sea. How big is the tub? Eels grow big and produce a fair bit of waste and if fed well they will grow fast. They need a large volume of water per fish so without filtration your tub may not be big enough for even 1 (depending on frequency of water changes) You could put crayfish in but even if they has plenty of hiding places the eel/s would get them eventually. Aeration would be recommended, a small pump or fountain would be good, a solar powered fountain would be an easy option as it will supply aeration when it is most needed. Good job on posting your first photo BTW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ahab Posted May 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2015 Hi Kiwiraka, Thanks for this advice. I'll take it on board and see how I get on. I'm not sure of the exact dimensions of the tub, sorry. I'll check it out, as it still has its shop stickers on. I'm going to leave the plug as a functioning drain, straight into a sump of scoria. Hopefully this will allow me to be able to quickly change the water. However, I imagine that putting hose water straight in to replace the old water will be no good, as it will be chlorinated? I'll get hold of some big plastic barrels to keep the water in until it's gassed off. I've decided against putting crawlies in. It'll just be eels/an eel. Thanks again, Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ahab Posted May 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2015 PS. I have a lot of ferns and sedges that I'll plant in close, which will hopefully keep it shaded. I'll monitor this and put up shadecloth if it's getting too much sun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willyp123 Posted June 1, 2015 Report Share Posted June 1, 2015 Good reply kiwi, a bathtub may be a bit shallow is my main concern and I suspect the eel likely leave simply because in order to rock up a nice environment you would take up a significant amount of water volume. There's no harm in trying, but i'd be inclined to try something deeper. You're likely to get more replies if you chuck this on the Natives section. If your confident in identifying a shortfin vs. longfin then you should be able to get away with a shortfin in a bath, but definitely not longfin. I've got a few barrels over here in the shore you're welcome to for gassing off chlorine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwiraka Posted June 1, 2015 Report Share Posted June 1, 2015 Here's a link to the native section, it's located in the specialist corner: viewforum.php?f=41 The ferns will definitely help keep it cooler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ahab Posted June 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2015 Thanks Fellers! How do I move this post to the natives thread, or will I need to rewrite it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willyp123 Posted June 1, 2015 Report Share Posted June 1, 2015 Thanks Fellers! How do I move this post to the natives thread, or will I need to rewrite it? A mod can move it if you PM them otherwise yeah you'd need to repost it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted June 1, 2015 Report Share Posted June 1, 2015 Ta dah! Moved :bggrn: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ahab Posted June 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2015 Thanks Caryl. I've dug the bathtub in now. About to make a mesh cover to keep the bark etc out of it. Then I'll put in some boulders for habitat, and plant some hen and chicken ferns and sedges around it for low shade. Any advice/tips from people who've kept eels would be much appreciated. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/430023464397267412/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjansss Posted June 1, 2015 Report Share Posted June 1, 2015 It would be better to get two or three kokopu an eel would nearly certainly try and escape looking for a better habitat and if an eel where to stay until it was ready to breed it would have great trouble finding a water way to travel down (unless you have one in your neighbourhood) leading to death Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nativelover1 Posted June 1, 2015 Report Share Posted June 1, 2015 Eel are big travellers and would not be suitable for a small bath as they are always searching for new areas and in a area like Kingsland there is minimal, waterways and in my guess you live no where near one, even the ones around central are all polluted due to the citys run offs. so the eel would go off searching and just dry up and die. I would'nt suggest kokopu ether as they are so rare and unique/ are big travellers to so would have the same fate as an eel. The bath is also so small that it would heat up due to the shallowness so would best suit harty goldfish or other less native critters. Sorry to put a damper on but in my opinion its just whats best for the natives. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willyp123 Posted June 1, 2015 Report Share Posted June 1, 2015 Eel are big travellers and would not be suitable for a small bath as they are always searching for new areas and in a area like Kingsland there is minimal, waterways and in my guess you live no where near one, even the ones around central are all polluted due to the citys run offs. so the eel would go off searching and just dry up and die. I would'nt suggest kokopu ether as they are so rare and unique/ are big travellers to so would have the same fate as an eel. The bath is also so small that it would heat up due to the shallowness so would best suit harty goldfish or other less native critters. Sorry to put a damper on but in my opinion its just whats best for the natives. Thanks Banded kokopu are both abundant and unique - they'd be fine. They are afterall the only whitebait species not currently in decline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nativelover1 Posted June 2, 2015 Report Share Posted June 2, 2015 Banded kokopu are both abundant and unique - they'd be fine. They are afterall the only whitebait species not currently in decline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjansss Posted June 2, 2015 Report Share Posted June 2, 2015 What about short jaw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willyp123 Posted June 2, 2015 Report Share Posted June 2, 2015 What about short jaw Shortjaws are our rarest kokopu, a very bad idea to keep considering we know so little about them. They are also big jumpers and would gurantee they wouldnt last over a month, and having worked for Doc the Auckland numbers are dramatic decilne. In regards to bandeds, i've seen them a huge amount on the shore, having done extensive trapping, monitoring and having worked alongside council I'd be interested to see the data on that, as I haven't actually noticed that trend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwiraka Posted June 2, 2015 Report Share Posted June 2, 2015 Also bandeds habit of jumping can be prevented by digging the tub down to ground level and slightly sloping the ground around it inward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ahab Posted June 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2015 Thanks for all your comments, folks. My plan has stalled due to other commitments, but I'll be getting back on track this weekend. I have built a mesh cover for the tub, and will get a couple of very small shortfins. I'll monitor them for health/happiness and if they aren't feeding or are unhappy, I'll return them to their creek. I think I'll leave our little kokopu alone for the present. Kind regards, Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJWooble Posted June 11, 2015 Report Share Posted June 11, 2015 Am I correct in thinking that it is illegal to return them to the native waterways due to concerns about disease transfer, etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted June 11, 2015 Report Share Posted June 11, 2015 You are very correct that it is illegal to return or release anything in to the waterways. The fundamental rule here is that if you don't know what you are doing because you haven't done your research then don't touch or take anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willyp123 Posted June 11, 2015 Report Share Posted June 11, 2015 Hey mate, As others have said it is illegal to release the fish back, i'd also be very concerned about keeping multiple shortfins. They grow quite fast in captivity and will be fight and you'll likely end up with all dead or all but one dead and one very unhappy shortfin. I'd say just get one shortfin, when I kept one I had 1 shortfin in a 500L tank, and a bathtub is alot smaller than that. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ahab Posted June 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2015 Thanks Willy, I'll get a single shortfin. Simplifies things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ahab Posted June 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2015 I'm getting advice from a friend at Napier aquarium, so I'm not flying solo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjansss Posted June 11, 2015 Report Share Posted June 11, 2015 You could get a few inanga or common bullies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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