Deleatidium

Hi everyone, I am currently undertaking an ecological assessment to inform Wellington Water's integrated catchment management planning (ICMP) process. I am interested in the Island Bay-Houghton Bay and Lyall Bay catchment areas (see red areas on the attached map). Like most urban areas most waterways have been piped such that now open waterways are scarce and those that remain are often high up the catchment and/or ephemeral or just seeps. I am interested in any freshwater ecological information (fish or invertebrates) from these catchments. Have any native fish enthusiasts had a hunt in any of the waterways in this area? If so, I would like to know where you went and what did you find. Thanks, Alex

Hi everyone, I am currently undertaking an ecological assessment to inform Wellington Water's integrated catchment management planning (ICMP) process. I am interested in the Evans Bay and SE Coast areas (think all areas discharging to Evans Bay - Hataitai, Kilbirnie and the entire Mirimar Pensinula). Like most urban areas most waterways have been piped such that now open waterways are scarce and those that remain are often high up the catchment and/or ephemeral or just seeps. I am interested in any freshwater ecological information (fish or invertebrates) from these catchments. There are no NZ Freshwater Fish Database records from this area. The only fish info I have uncovered thus far is an anecdotal report of eels being present in a heavily modified waterway in the Miramar Golf Course. Have any native fish enthusiasts had a hunt in any of the waterways in this area? If so, I would like to know where you went and what did you find. Thanks, Alex

Aquatic introduced plants and animals can be found all over the place even in seemingly isolated locations. To ID it and any other aquatic macrophytes download the NIWA quickguides at: http://www.niwa.co.nz/our-science/aquat ... uickguides

There is an increasing awareness of the problem of fish passage in New Zealand. These ropes are a cool idea for the species that are excellent climbers but not for inanga which comprise the bulk of the whitebait catch in many areas. The following report gives some good background on the abilities of New Zealand native fish to get past in-stream obstacles: http://www.envirolink.govt.nz/reports/d ... HZLC45.pdf

My tank had a film such as you described for a period (at least a few months) but then it disappeared by itself. It didn't seem to harm my fish. I assume it had something to do with water chemistry.

How about giving them the addresses of some good basic fishy websites with good overviews of the hobby?

Naturally bioluminescent fish evolved such mechanisms for prey capture and communication. Thus it is an integral part of their being. They also can turn their luminescence on and off at will. Most such fish are either nocturnal or exist in the deep sea thus use their luminescence in a dark environment. To impose such a mechanism on a fish that is largely diurnal and has no use for it, IMO, is cruel. Just because we think the fish will not be suffering means nothing as we perceive the world in a different way to them.

Fair enough. Just thought I'd add that some selective breeding is also somewhat unethical. The breeding of Canis familiaris, the domestic dog comes to mind. While most dogs do just fine, some breeds such as the British Bulldog are sometimes shaped such that they cannot copulate without human intervention. All the breeds with pushed in noses that have breathing problems also spring to mind. Just saying that I don't think selective breeding is always good either.

That is a predicatable, dodgy, old argument. There is a large step between selective breeding (i.e. making use of the genetic information/variation that is held in the genome of a said species) and the inputting of novel genes from other species (in this case a species of jellyfish) into the genome of another species.

I would hope such organisms are never allowed into New Zealand. Genetically manipulating organisms for no other reason but to create a curio that may sell well is ethically wrong.

I find it sad this topic has gotten semi-aggressive when all we are talking about here is the price of fish.

What if one was to purchase a large container, keep it in the fridge or freezer and feed out of a small container that can be refilled every month or something?

Finally I got myself to Wellington and took my less than a year old blown 50watt Jager heater back to Animates. I had the receipt and got a new 100 watt replacement. The price of heaters in NZ is odd. There are hardly any cheap ones and the difference in cost of different wattages is minimal to non existent. They had 100 watt Jagers at Animates and I asked if I could have one of those. They said sure but you will have to pay the difference. Thing is, the price was the same as a Jager 50watt and the guy thought that was odd but it has always been like that when I have looked at heater prices. Is it best to buy the highest wattage heater that will fit in your tank or what? How many people have two heaters in their tanks?

When I started keeping fish a few years ago I was fanatical about having the new water at just the right temperature. I was nuts with my thermometer adding hot then cold then hot until it was just right. Now I look back on what a dork I was being and just do a mix of hot and cold that feels about right to me.

Flake, freeze-dried tabs, pellet and Tropical Tucker frozen food. Tomorrow I am performing their first cold water change.

I am attempting to breed my gold spot otos (Parotocinclus spilosoma) for the first time. I have three individuals and have had them for over a year. I am pretty sure I have 2 females and a male. I hope so anyway. I'm following Derek Heath's instructions as to how he did it as posted at planetcatfish.com. I'll keep you posted as to how I do.

Inanga favour gently flowing and still waters - estuaries, lowland rivers and streams, lagoons and backwaters, where it is found in small to large, roving midwater shoals. They are found pretty much generally at low elevations around the entire NZ coast.

A few days ago my less than a year old Jager 50 watt heater that cost $60 and was heating a 30 L tank stopped going. On closer inspection the element had blown. Luckily only two guppies in tank at time. One died and the other now looks much happier in my 150 L tank. I am not impressed.

How long do people expect aquarium heaters to last? Should an expensive heater last longer than a cheaper one? What are your experiences along these lines?

Hi Snaily, you need to get hold of some books or find an online resource on gastropod classification and identification.

I don't think my 8 cm kuhli loach is going to win this 'competition'.

My folks had fish for awhile when I was younger (I am now 22). When I moved into a flat in my 3rd year at uni that had the space for a tank I thought why not. That was a 30L tank. Soon it was too small and I bought a second hand 150L tank which at the time looked HUGE to me. I would love a bigger tank but finances, space and the fact I am in rented accomodation and have yet to settle in a place due to being a student still means I wil just dream of bigger tanks for now. One of my plans in the future is the construction of my own house. I want to have a large conservatory with pond and turtles and somewhere to house my cacti (another hobby). I also want a built-in 1000 litre tank that is the focal point of the lounge. What got me hooked? Well I guess I just like the underwater environment since I am studying freshwater ecology at uni right now.

KMattingly, MAF stands for the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. This the government department here in New Zealand that is in charge of regulating the movement of organisms across NZ's borders.

Warren, when I upgraded from my first 30L tank to my 150L tank it seemed so big. It is adequate for me at present but I want a bigger one. Your bigguns make mine feel very small indeed. Howver as I am a student in rented accomadation, the logistics and hassle of moving anything bigger are definitely an issue. What is the biggest tank you have had to move? I mean a set up tank that has had to be disassembled and reassembled.

I had a go at breeding wingless Drosophila fruitfly and had trouble with my media going mouldy no matter how sterile I tried to be. I did however have one very successful colony that grew no mould. That was my first attempt actually, begginers luck I reckon. I am thinking of having a go using the simple banana method. I get mozzie larvae when available. I have a colony of meal worms also but at present I don't have any fish large enough to eat them. My girlfriends frog eats them sometimes though when flies are scarce. Once I did try to fed some earthworms to my fish but they were too large and escaped into the gravel. I thought I would suck them out dead when I gravel vacced the next day. However, I never saw them again until I found them alive and well some months later when I was disassembling my tank for transportation. My water must have been high enough in O2 for them to survive.