Stella

Does anyone know the requirements for the above plant? And is it native or introduced? It is listed as native in the aquatic plant survey, but others suggest it is not native. http://tinyurl.com/2x7nka I am considering it for a tank in which to breed native mudfish for a massey university thing. It will possibly have a peat substrate and low light levels. Probably will have some artificial light, but less than usual. I think because it grows on the surface the light would be ok, and the matty roots and branches would be great spawning media. Thanks

Apparently you need to soak it for several weeks. You scoop off the unsinking stuff on top and keep changing the water to get out the initial leechates. Also apparently it is fairly inert. Sphagnum contains a natural antiseptic, which is why the peat forms, it doesn't fully decompose when it is submerged. All sounds fairly positive. Hopefully water changes would stop it from dropping the pH too low. Since mudfish live part of the time in fairly stagnant water (drying wetlands over summer) I am imagine they would be more hardy to these things. Am feeling a bit more positive about using it, just found out the above stuff today talking to Andrew Broome, who is one up on me and has actually *seen* a mudfish!

No offense taken and thanks for the praise, Purplecatfish Yes mudfish are threatened, technically in a state of gradual decline. They live in wetlands, of which 90% or more have been 'drained' for farmland. What remains are usually small isolated and highly degraded pockets. This breeding project (of which I know fairly little, they said "do you want to breed us some mudfish?" and I said "hellyes!!!") is for a masters student at massey uni to relocate some captive-bred mudfish to Mana Island. The reason for doing captive-bred, I think, is so it is not depleting wild juvenile stock. The adults will be returned to whence they came. My background is not very long with these fish, but long enough to become completely obsessed about them, and become frustrated that there was no information out there about keeping them in aquariums. Heaps of information is the real basic intro to species stuff (this is a redfin, this is an inanga...) or scientific reports, but no middle ground and nothing on how to keep them in captivity. So being me, I started writing the book...! This got me in touch with the massey people, who have read over a draft a while back, and discussed the ethical issues amongst themselves and approve. I am keeping it very focussed on the conservation, ethical and legal side of things, and specifically only mentioning fish that are fairly commonly available and otherwise suitable - ie NOT mudfish Personally I would not 'own' mudfish had this project not come up, they are too threatened. SO back on topic, I feel completely comfortable that I can look after them perfectly well, the reason for this topic was to learn about peat substrate and what plusses and minuses there were etc. Mudfish actually come from peaty areas, and they burrow into it to aestivate (like hibernate, but over summer) when the water completely dries up. It is just the use of it in a tank that throws me. I found out today that apparently some killifish people use it as a substrate, new search term

I am getting some mudfish (native) soon for a massey breeding project and am contemplating what to use to make their aquarium as natural as possible to hopefully eventually get them in the mood... In the wild they live in wetlands. Lots of muck and sticks and plants and sludge... I had heard of using peat as a substrate, which would make the water nice and tannined, lower the pH and give them something to burrow into (apparently the ones that have already been caught keep burrowing into whatever they are using as substrate). I know absolutely nothing about peat as a substrate... any help would be greatly appreciated. What sort? How do you use it? How do you then maintain the tank? Gravel vacuums would be out.. Will it just make a horrid sludge and I will never see the fish again? Thanks

I think 'yonks' is one of those words they don't really know how it started. A quick google suggests it originated in the UK and also found Aust, NZ but not US. I love words Back to the topic, I think I might buy a few more, one site suggested they can keep for two years in the freezer. Stella

Animates has a special on at the moment of 'buy one get one free' for bloodworm. Just wondering how long bloodworm keeps in the freezer? Presumably a couple of months. Am tempted to stock up a bit

old credit cards make the BEST algae scrapers. Not only the most effective I have used, but the least able to pick up bits of grit and scratch the glass (learned this the hard way And once you have perfected your set-up, it is pretty much all that credit card can be used for!

Hi HaNs, I live in Palmy, and last season went whitebaiting at Otaki (which is an hour-ish south of Palmy). We still have access to the whitebait net (and a DoC friend who may be able to suggest somewhere closer) and could put you up for the night if you fancy a trip south to chase wriggling eyes in the middle of nowhere with a couple of complete strangers.... Serious offer though. As for plants, I had vallisneria and misc other plants (wild collected). The val survived best as it is tough, but got so covered in muck it got rattier and rattier. I find it much easier without plants now. The rocks take a punishing clean much better Stella

I went whitebaiting last year. Borrowed a net. First check out local areas and watch what others are doing. I found (with a huge amount of guts) I could go up to people and ask to look in their buckets or ask what they were using different things for. If you are polite and act like you know nothing and aren't about to steal their patch you can learn a lot. .... 'a lot' being slightly more that blood from a stone..... whitebaiters can be weird.... but anything gleaned is 'a lot'..... On the other hand, I think a damned good bet would be to buy a six pack of beer and hit up someone with a good few in their bucket. 1 beer = 1 bait. Or whatever looks right for the numbers running. They are a delicacy, hard to get many of and sell for megabucks. DON'T get them from a bucket with hardly any water and/or lots of dead ones. Often the fish are damaged by the way they scoop them out of the nets so be careful. Have a container you can clearly see the fish through to check them first. I'm sure it would work

photos photos photos!!! Good luck with the plants... I found they just got covered in algae and went icky But if you have an algae eater that doesnt mind a short bout in a colder tank it could be sent in for cleaning I would love to hire one from someone Ah I need more of this sort of talk, makes me want to hurry up and get my book out!! Still a while to go, but definitely getting there. What natives do you plan to have?

In the wild all native fish are insectivorous (make that a loose definition, they don't bother counting legs before scoffing), the type of insect largely depending on the depth and habitat of the fish. I feed my aquarium fish frozen bloodworms. Convenient But supplement with aquatic insects when I can find them. I also melt them in a tea strainer under the tap so the water frozen to them washes away and doesn't pollute my tank with worm-juice..... Inanga are supposed to take commercial food, as are a few other natives, but they don't really like it and waste it (just spit it back in tiny bits). How hot does your garage get? They can get really hot over summer. A good method of cooling is a fan aimed at the surface (the downside is always topping up the water and filling your house with moisture)

I have not kept any sort of pond but native fish are my obsession I suspect that any main issues would relate to sediment and temperature. Sediment: Native fish tend to live in flowing streams with little mucky sediment gunk that tends to collect in still ponds. May not be toooo much of an issue for whitebait (commonly inanga) as they are mid-current fish, but would not work for bullies who sit on the bottom. Temperature: all natives are particularly finicky about temperature. Preferably below 18 degrees C. They are evolved for cold water and thus higher oxygen levels. Make sure the pond is in the shade. Shrimp: Might work, might never see them again (they are virtually invisible in an aquarium! Use a torch at night, their eyes reflect orange. Whitebait: I assume you mean inanga, they are by far the most common galaxiid/whitebait. Probably the best species for a pond too. They do not climb (read 'escape') like as the others. Also more tolerant of temperature, food, daylight etc and have a nice mid-water schooling habit.

I have seen this a couple of times, what is happening when a fish's tail goes stiff, strangely thin and awkward to move? I am talking about the whole area or 'body' (not just fin) from behind the dorsal/anal fins back. Not plain old clamped fins. I had one do it quite suddenly a little while back. A friend who has been into fish for a zillion years and should know what he is talking about said it was a gonner but it came right. Now I am suspicious about another fish.... Thanks for any ideas.

so this morning neither versions of my photo were working, now Zev's is and mine isn't..... Anyone understand this? Is it a Picasa issue?

hmmm now my original attempt is working too...... weird...... Thanks Zev

ARGH!!!!! It worked last night, now it is not working!!! Can someone help me please?? I have not changed anything and I followed the instructions.... The pic is here: http://picasaweb.google.com/stellamcq/N ... 8342362242 BTW mark, you put him in CAPTIVITY, that is what is wrong

This photo is awesome huge, if I may say so myself.... the focus is perfect and does not look at all like there is 1cm of glass and 20cm of water between the lens and the cray.... Tis my weeny cray, one inch long.

I believe that is called 'let me out!!!' not affection... Though I think of it as dancing

Hi Markoshark! Do a search, there have been quite a few crayfish threads in the past. I feed mine frozen peas and they get the bloodworm when I feed my fish (natives). You will soon learn how often to feed your cray. They should have a good appetite and come running when you feed them, if food is ignored they are overfed. I have only had two crays (and a tiny one who is too small to count) and they have not got tame. They are pretty timid creatures really. Bit like the guy who tries to look all staunch and tough to hide how inferior he feels inside They can take chunks out of your fish, or a whole fish if they are lucky. The bigger they are the worse they get. I am going to have to put my one back in the stream as he is too much of a worry now. A well fitting lid is vital, they are good escape artists. Even if he doesnt seem to use hiding holes, keep them, even try increasing them, your cray being out all the time may mean he is nervous. Then again, when they feel safe they will spend less time hiding or trying to escape. See a photo in the link in my sig of my old crayfish Stella

Thanks to all involved for this good trip! I have uploaded a couple of photos from the Aquarium. Yeah, yeah, they are all natives, my pet obsession.... Stella

not yet, still trying to find out the details, I hardly know anything about the project. Need to pester them more.... Realised a way I could fit another tank in, hopefully will be able to get some so I can get used to what they need. Stella

good choice 8) Go for a smaller cray if you are planning to get fish. Makes for less stress. Always remember that you are not allowed to put a native fish into a waterway that it did not originate from. So note where you are going if it is far from home. Actually it is really handy to make notes of where, when and how long things were when you got them. Useful to look back on and check they are growing. Any questions, just ask Natives rock :bounce:

check out my photos in the sig below of native freshwater. You will need a way of cooling native freshwater too. I have a chiller but I think it struggles to cope with the volume. Am a totally convert to using a fan 24/7 directed at the surface of the water. Go for what you can: afford are near to the habitat to collect/learn get information on Native marine CAN be done without all the fancy gear, but I do think a cooling system is vital (having lost freshwater natives to a temp spike). Stella

Since losing three of my four bullies suddenly (I think they were males and had started defending nests under stones, which made them more catchable) I have become a bit paranoid about crays eating fish. I still have two, but smaller than my old big mean fish-eater. I think the trick is to scale the cray to the fish he is with, and even smaller when you are particularly attached to the fish!! They are mostly defensive and not actively trying to catch fish, but once they get a taste for one, they want more. However I am finding that they can have quite different personalities, and desire to eat fish is one of the variables...

So the next bit is to reply to a few points The fry of bullies and torrentfish are often caught with whitebait as they also have a marine juvenile stage, however they have a body shape very closely resembling the adult and are easily identifiable as to which type (bully/torrentfish) they are, but telling which species (redfin/common etc) usually comes later. Indeed bully species can be very hard for even the serious employed-to-do-this-sort-of-thing experts to tell apart! Whitebait have a different look to the adults and are very hard to tell the species apart: *INANGA are the easiest (and commonest, 95-ish% as Coelacanth said) who have little black dots along the body, usually mostly around the head and pre-dorsal area. They can be clear and/or with a greenish or yellowish tinge. They are also the longest, 55mm. *KOARO are slightly shorter and can be milky coloured. They have very large pectoral fins and easily wriggle out of buckets. *KOKOPU of all species have an amber colour, particularly noticeable en-masse. They are the shortest, and may also be climbers. When they reach freshwater they become shorter. Don't know why, apparently it is one of those things that affects various species with this type of cycle. Growing them up is kinda easy, kinda hard. I had stupid amounts of deaths. Embarrassing really. I think they are really really skittish and need to feel very secure. They stopped dying so readily once I had them in a more natural tank. Very prone to whitespot (often leave the sea infected) so it might be a good idea to treat when you get them. BlueandKim said "I've read that the dwarf galaxiids live their entire life in cold water and thinking of giving them a go. We have some darn clean water in NZ and it's going to be tough getting them adjusted to aquarium conditions, but they should be sweet a generation or two down the line..." Firstly our rivers and lakes and stream are in SHIT condition. Seriously. Seriously seriously. And very few people know or care. :evil: Personally I think it is good to encourage people to get into keeping native fish (in an ethical manner) as they then become aware of these issues. If you are out there poking at streams and reading papers you learn what is going on. I think galaxiids would be reasonably hard to breed in captivity. It can be done I think, but would be very involved. Bullies would be easier, they have often spawned in captivity and there are species that do not have the marine phase. I have also found the the natives I have dealt with (inanga, koaro, kokopu, and bullies: redfin, upland and common) become very well adjusted to captivity very quickly. Bullies will eat immediately as if nothing had changed and soon become a nuisance when doing waterchanges, they are so curious! Stella