Keeping Natives In A Tank

[BradZ]

Hey guys, please dont crucify me for not posting in the pets sub-forum but it hasn't had a post in nearly a year so I thought I'd get a faster response here.

I've just put a small redfin and slightly larger yellowbelly in a tank together and I'm just curious about a few things.

Firstly, they're in river water with an aerator for now. I want to clear up the water so I can see them, will Ph correcting drops be enough to keep them happy?

I'm getting a filter system asap and was also thinking about getting a recirculating pump to stir the water up for them, is this a good idea or not?

And lastly, what do i feed them and how often? I'm thinking worms and shrimp but is there any off the shelf food they'll like? I'd rather not have to go and catch their food constantly.

Cheers guys.

[BradZ]

Seems ive posted this topic twice, sorry. Feel free to delete one!

[fifis101]

In my opinion you should know the answer to all these questions before you put them in a tank. By the time you have it all figured out they may not be alive any more.

[Gad]

cheers fifis 101, just got in before I hit submit. your reply is more tactful than my intended reply

[BradZ]

I understand that, but for now they're in the same water they came out of which is getting oxygenated and I can feed them exactly what I know they eat.

I think its fair to say no damage has been done, I'm just after some advice on how to move foward.

[Joe K]

Hi BradZ,

Do a 20% water change every week using tap water and a chlorine neutraliser. And put in a filtration system asap. It will take a week for your bacterial colony in the filter to build so don't feed them or 4-5 days  or your water will spoil, killing the fish. Fish can go without food for weeks. I find most shelf food unsuitable for Aussie natives.

You can feed them cut up peeled prawns from the seafood shop, not the prawns from the bait shop as the chemicals will kill your fish. Worms are fine but make sure you remove all uneaten food as the rotting food will spoil your water. 

The right sized filtration system will clear up your water within 12-24 hours. Please visit your local aquarium shop as these guys have a wealth of experience. 

PM me if you need to speak to me. Good luck  

Cheers... Joe. 

[BradZ]

Thankyou very much for the information Joe, thats exactly what I needed! Heading to the local fish/pet shop this afternoon to get the required items.

I've read you can starve them for a week or so to get them to eat dry pellets, any truth to this?

Thanks.

[Joe K]

Yes, you can feed high protein dried food which is convenient, if the fish accept it. I feed my togas, yellas, cod and bass live shrimp. 

[BradZ]

I'm getting the impression you cant switch between live food and dried? Best to stick to one?

Thanks for your help

[Joe K]

Yes, either or both together are fine. My opinion is that if the fish thrives on whatever food you provide then it's fine. The deadly mistake is to overfeed the fish as the water will spoil.  Mate of mine has a toga which wasn't feeding. Three weeks later he dropped a cube of rump steak in the tank and he hasn't looked back. That was 2 years ago. 

[Thirstyman]

I used to feed my Murray Cod pellets and when I could be bothered going scooping at the creek I would get shrimp. He didn't seem too fussed either way.

[Tybo]

If your yellow belly is bigger than your redfin, then there's a pretty good chance that one day the yella will eat your redfin. I've kept most natives over the years, and one thing I know for sure is that the species with the biggest mouth ends up eating everything else. Seems to be a very common scenario when it comes to natives.

[Joe K]

In my tanks I find the Aussie natives to be very territorial. The worst are the togas and sleepy cod. 

BradZ! I misread your last post so I've edited my reply. Hope it all works well out for you. 

Cheers... Joe. 

[BradZ]

Thankyou for all the information guys.

The tank now has a filter system with an aerator bar, aswell as a recirculating pump which they seem to really like.

They woke up quite a bit once the pump started moving water.

The yella is only slightly bigger than the reddy, maybe an inch in length so i think for now they'll be okay.

I won't feed them for a week just so the filter can build bacteria, plus the bastards got a decent feed of worms from when i pulled them out of the river!

[BradZ]

Thankyou for all the information guys.

The tank now has a filter system with an aerator bar, aswell as a recirculating pump which they seem to really like.

They woke up quite a bit once the pump started moving water.

The yella is only slightly bigger than the reddy, maybe an inch in length so i think for now they'll be okay.

I won't feed them for a week just so the filter can build bacteria, plus the bastards got a decent feed of worms from when i pulled them out of the river!

Edit: After re reading all these replies I'm now wondering is it a bad idea to keep them together?  Seeing as they're territorial

[Ovington]

Also mate on a side note be aware of your local regulations as redfin are a noxious fish in most states as far as I know and is hence illegal to have them in your possession. As for the Yella it should also be of legal size if it was taken from the wild. Not accusing you of anything just a couple points that are often overlooked 

[Drop Bear]

I have kept a few territorial fish with other fish in the past and it always ended in tears. A fish like a Yellow will want to kill everything else in the tank so I would plan to have him in there on its own. If you have a massive tank or the fish are small it might work out ok.

[BradZ]

3 hours ago, Ovington said:

Also mate on a side note be aware of your local regulations as redfin are a noxious fish in most states as far as I know and is hence illegal to have them in your possession. As for the Yella it should also be of legal size if it was taken from the wild. Not accusing you of anything just a couple points that are often overlooked 

I knew redfin are regarded as a pest but i wasnt aware they were illegal to keep :/

Im under the impression they're treated like carp? So im guessing they're not to be thrown back in after being caught.

The yella is definitely legal size, I just didnt think the redfin would be a problem, perhaps I better get rid of it..

Thanks for the heads up

[BradZ]

3 hours ago, Drop Bear said:

I have kept a few territorial fish with other fish in the past and it always ended in tears. A fish like a Yellow will want to kill everything else in the tank so I would plan to have him in there on its own. If you have a massive tank or the fish are small it might work out ok.

Sounds like I might have to get rid of the redfin for more than one reason. Neither of them are very big fish but it seems like this is only going to end one way.

Thanks for the advice 

[Doyley]

Yeah I would destroy the Redfin. Illegal to transport live ones in Victoria.

[BradZ]

6 hours ago, Doyley said:

Yeah I would destroy the Redfin. Illegal to transport live ones in Victoria.

Ah damn, they aren't a bad looking fish either, bit of a shame..

I'll get rid of him tonight. Quick question, a lot of people round here actually fish for reddies and we even have redfin fishing comps, are they any good to eat?

Fyi, my reddy is that small you'd barely get a nugget out of it lol so i wont be cutting it up.