Snorkel

I didn't know that! I'm almost certain that I would be fined if I caught one and put it back alive. Aren't they considered a "pest" fish?

Yes that's right, hen fish is female, jack is male. Cam, I saw a big gold colored goldfish where this was found. It was in good shape and took off as soon as the light went on it. I'm no expert, but I think the majority of them are a drab bronze colour. Gold ones probably get thinned out quickly in the wild. Will learn more shortly, I've only just become interested in these fish. However, they are common thru-out the country I believe. Coars anglers actually catch plenty of them, and to surprising sizes as well. Dough baits work well I'm told.

Yeah, the compost bin! I was kinda blown away by how big it was. Dont know if its possible to tame something as wild as this. Gonna give it a go thou....

Good on Ya. Look forward to the pics.

I'm thinking of catching some small, freshwater bullies out of a local lake to keep in my tank. I'm wondering what I could feed fishes like this? Also this lake has freshwater shrimps in it. They are kinda cute. What would they eat in an aquarium?

If it doesnt clear up noticeably in 4 or 5 days, I'd syphon 90% out, then refill with clean/clear water. It's so hard to be patient thou, eh!

Last night armed with a spotlite and a scoop net, we took a walk around Sullivan's lake. This is the result... Sadly it was sick and died overnight. It was a hen fish, 380mm long, about 2-3lbs in weight, and heavy with spawn. It appeared to have some type of fungal scale disease, I'm no expert and just guessing thou. It could of been anything, but had no obvious injuries. We saw one other which was healthy and took off quickly when the light went on it. Wild goldfish.

Hi, Scuba diving in Lake Rotoma (Rotorua area), koura are absent untill you get down into the cold water layer that starts (in summer) at 20meters. Once this layer is reached koura are everywhere and the water temperature changes very quickly from 18*C to 12*C. Brrr! In this enviroment, they space themselves out on a clear sand/scoria gravel bottom about 3-4 meters apart and seem to feed by sifting thru the sand for organic? matter. Any trout/divers that approach are greeted by waving nippers! Also, any cover(something to hide under) will have koura crowded together living under it.

Very nice. Reading Ya posts is like learning another language! Must be time for a new pic?

Mabee, but I dont think so. There is a big sign up saying "keep our waterways free of koi" or something like that. If I can get one I'll put up a photo. Meanwhile here is the tank the wild goldies are gonna go in... Hopefully. 1500x450x450. Been up and running for a week.

Thanx for the offer. Very kind, I was gonna restart my tank with bristlnose and neons and CO2'd plants untill I saw this quite large dead, floating fish in our local pond (Sullivan's Lake), and now I'm quite keen to catch a couple and have a go at keepin 'em. I'm not really sure what they are, but I'm curious to find out. I googled "wild goldfish" and it is said that they can get to 3.5 kilos! Now I'm learning about carp, goldfish and all sorts of fish I had never bothered with. The weird thing is, no-one seems to know much about the ones living in Sullivan's. I talked to a man who lives right there on the lakeside, and He said in the spring, at night the fish leap right out of the water and land with a resounding slap, which goes on all night. He said that He has seen dead ones to about 5 lb! Fishermans exaggeration I'm sure. I cant wait to get one!

Cheers for that camnbron. Yes,I have been wonderworld, awsome shop. I'm over spending loads of money on my tank thou, and thats just the place to do it! I was in there two weeks ago gettin a thermometer, and I kept getting drawn to a huge tank/cabinet combo down the back for 5G's..... One day! Meanwhile, back in reality, I,m looking for some wild goldfish.

That is a terrific looking tank mate! Ya gotta be thrilled with that. Very nice.

Thanks for the friendly welcomes everybody! Nice... Fish shops in Whakatane are non-existant, nothin at all. Trying to get a couple of fish for my tank in the local small lake that was an old Whakatane River course. I found a dead one floating, I think it was a wild goldfish, about 300mm, a cool looking fish. Big scaled, bronzed coloured thing a bit too far decomposed to touch! I,ll put a photo up if I can catch one.

Hi eveyone! I 've just joined up. Been keeping fish on and off most of my life. Not a beginner, but definately no expert either. I have one 300litre tank which I have just set back up after a three year break from it. While wondering what to put in it, I lucked onto this site... Looks great! One of the things I have found about fish-keeping is that not many (if any) of my friends are interested (not surprisingly!) so a place like this is much appreciated by me ..... Yay! I wont be lonely anymore!!!