Silverdollarboy2 Posted April 30, 2017 Report Share Posted April 30, 2017 How are everyone's native tanks going? My kokopu is doing well (getting a new tank soon). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shilo Posted April 30, 2017 Report Share Posted April 30, 2017 Tanks going well. Butch the GK is living up to his name in both shape and attitude as he rules all of his domain. The 2 female Redfins are their cheeky self & I still haven't got my a into g and got some males for them. The Inanga's have dropped in numbers from 15 in November down to 9. No dead fish found and since it was only the smaller ones that disappeared and the GK looks fat each time I know the cause....... As the GK grows I expect the Inanga population to proportionately fall. One major change was adding a small shortfin eel in December. I hadn't seen the cray for a few months so decided it must have died in its hole so got the shortfin. It is not something I recommend for a tank even one of 500ltr as it will outgrow it (the originally 15cm eel has doubled its size in only 5 months). But it is very intelligent & entertaining. Within 2 days of getting it, it was coming to the surface to feed from my hand. Feeding time is 4.30pm and will make itself known during that time and insists on being hand feed even if my fingers are a couple inches above the water. It also puts up with being petted and will come out of hiding & weave itself through my fingers during the day (good party trick for camp guests). A couple of weeks ago I spotted the eel and the cray having a territory dispute over a hole so the cray is still alive and kicking butt. The tank is in the reception area of a camping ground and very few NZ'ers seem to realise that they are natives. After I advise them that they are natives they automatically assume that its a saltwater tank because "only trout live in streams". Depressing how many can recognise a native bird but have no idea of freshwater fish. Silverdollarboy2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silverdollarboy2 Posted April 30, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2017 Sounds like your tank is doing great! Any photos of the eel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shilo Posted April 30, 2017 Report Share Posted April 30, 2017 Where's my food! Its been 2 hours since you've fed me!!!! Fionasye and Silverdollarboy2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silverdollarboy2 Posted April 30, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2017 Wow! Very nice looking eel. How does it get along with the other fish? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shilo Posted April 30, 2017 Report Share Posted April 30, 2017 Its fine with the others. As above the GK is the boss of the tank and even tries to take food out of the eels mouth - the eel just ignores him. Bullies move out of the eels way but only when they are about to be pushed not because they are scared of it. My fingers are another matter as it can bite when hand feeding because my fingers smell of food and its eye sights not the best (doesn't hurt). Interesting to watch him feed because when hunting for left over food it will start to swim straight past a piece then back up and grab it. Think he approaches a piece of food as the smell increases then when it starts to diminish he can pinpoint which side it is on (via nostrils sticking out either side above his mouth). P.S. the white line on its back is just something stuck to its slime coating. Thought it had ich the other day only to realise it had grains of sand stuck to it. Butch also wanting to be fed despite a stomach stuffed full (better count my Inanga's again). Silverdollarboy2, livingart, Fionasye and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silverdollarboy2 Posted April 30, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2017 That kokopu has a very deep body. Nice fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silverdollarboy2 Posted June 5, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2017 Hoping to get my 270 litre tank set up in the next few weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwiraka Posted June 7, 2017 Report Share Posted June 7, 2017 Is that for your GK? Will look at doing an update with photos this weekend. Slowly getting everything looking nice again. Silverdollarboy2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silverdollarboy2 Posted June 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2017 Yes, possibly other natives too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwiraka Posted June 17, 2017 Report Share Posted June 17, 2017 Bad shots of my tanks and fish. I've got two 230l tanks hooked up together with my big GKs in one and 8 young inanga, 2 small smelt, 3 small bandeds and 5 bullies in the other. You can see the GK in the background has a missing eye, was like that when I got it... Silverdollarboy2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silverdollarboy2 Posted June 17, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2017 Very nice, would the kokopu eat the inanga? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwiraka Posted June 17, 2017 Report Share Posted June 17, 2017 At the size the inanga are now, probably. But I've had them with larger inanga before without a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silverdollarboy2 Posted June 17, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2017 How big are the kokopu? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwiraka Posted June 17, 2017 Report Share Posted June 17, 2017 I now have a total of five big ones which will be going into my 2 metre tank in a couple of weeks. They're probably between 15 and 19cm? I'll measure them when I move them. Silverdollarboy2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silverdollarboy2 Posted June 17, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2017 I wish I could find them around here, I might try smelt or bullies (pretty much the only natives in my area) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwiraka Posted June 18, 2017 Report Share Posted June 18, 2017 Go whitebaiting, any large river system should have them. Have you tried coastal streams? Semi-tidal streams seem to be the best for inanga. Silverdollarboy2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silverdollarboy2 Posted June 18, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2017 Coast is pretty far away, I will try Napier, thank you. kiwiraka 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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