The Dream tank

[DAVE 89]

Hey Guys stumbled accross this site this evening..... Bloody ripper! So i thought i tell you all about the new tank im currently setting up. After many many many years of collecting, raising and studying native fish i finally decided to setup a tank based on the ecosystem of the creeks in my area. I live in south Queensland which is home to many wonderful natives. So in the tank i have now im setting it up to house a mixture of natives like Rainbows, empire, firetail, and purple spotted gudgeons, tandanus catfish and salmon tailed catfish and to top it all of a few turtles. Previously i used to work in an aquarium where we sold turtles and im awear that turtles in the wild do eat live fish. but if the fish are living in the tank before the turtle goes in there is a greater chance of the turtles living in peace with the fish. So if all goes to plan then the end result will be magnificent. Please do note that the fish going into the tank will be coming from my other tanks except for the catfish (both species) will be bought. No ecosystems will be intruded on have fish removed from. I will keep you guys posted on the tank's progress and when its all finished i will be posting some pics.

cheers and have a good one
DAVE

[wombat1100]

Sounds great Dave, I cant wait to see it. I too have natives Rainbows and once kept turtles, but to keep them both in the same tank would be magnificent, i hope it all works out for you. How large a turtles are you thinking of keeping? how big a tank?
Dazz

[DAVE 89]

Well im looking at getting them as penny turtles and growing them up from there. Tank wise i will be using a custom 6ft X 3.5ft H x 3ft W.

[Woodsy]

If you want some further information about what is where in regards to natives, Dave, you might want to get in contact with the Australia and New Guinea Fishes Association (ANGFA). They do a lot of surveys and things like that, and if you want to know about anything native (plants or fish) in great detail, these are the guys to get in contact with.
Good luck with the tank, I've seen some beautiful terrariums with rainbows and turtles over the years, so it's by all means possible :D

[wombat1100]

Have a look at this site, lots of native plants and fish info
http://www.australianrainbowfish.com
Dazz

[turkilurki]

Sounds good pal, although it might be an idea to forget the Tandanus cats because i can assure you they will eat/attack the other fish