cold water guppies?

[julio]

Was in local pet store the other day and noticed they were selling "cold water guppies". They look a lot like what I have thought are mosquito fish in my pond, of which there are literally thousands :-? - how can you tell the difference?

[cees]

mosquito fish, Gambusia affinis

Did a bit of searching on google. Found an interesting link

http://www.aquaria.net/art/finart/phalloc.html

and

http://www.aquaria.net/art/finart/gambusia.html

Andrew was mentioned as part author there. Perhaps he could shed some more light on this

[Rob]

Often what are sold as cold water guppies are wild type guppies and not really cold water at all. Tepid water would be better - so would probably go OK in an unheated tank inside but not too hot in an outside pond during winter.

Male wild type guppies don't usually have much colour in their tails but should ahve some colouring in their bodies.

If you want a legal cold water(ish?) livebearer (Mosquito fish are illegal to possess - you can get fined for having live mosquito fish in your possession - that's what the DoC worker told our club meeting anyway) then about your only option is Leopard fish (also called spotted caudos - Phalloceros caudimaculatus?).

Leopard fish look very similar to mosquito fish but have irregular black spots over them.

[ajbroome]

Cees said...

> Andrew was mentioned as part author there. Perhaps he could

> shed some more light on this.

'Part author' is perhaps somewhat generous of Mark, all I did was

offer some suggestions. But anyway, I've seen Gambusia affinis

for sale as 'cold water guppies'. Avoid these at all costs. They are

truely nasty little fish and no good to anyone (well, OK, my turtles

used to eat them but they weren't known for the pickyness).

As Rob said, they are illegal to have on your property (this

includes ponds) and DOC are putting some efforts in to stop

their spread through NZ. This is a good idea as they're not

alternatively known as Damn-busia for nothing... They are

a pest fish worldwide.

Leopard fish (Phalloceros) are a much better bet if you want something

with a low-ish temperature tolerance. I've found them to not

like frosts though so if you're going to keep them outdoors you

might want to make sure it's a relatively frost free area or else

bring some inside over the winter. People often confuse Phalloceros

with the 'holbrooki' (ie spotted) form of Gambusia affinis but I have

never seen this fish in NZ, although I have caught some in nets

while fishing in Florida. They are superficially similar but quite

different once you've seen both.

Leopard fish make an excellent livebearer for an un-heated indoor

aquarium and I usually try and have a few on hand although I'm

down to only a pair or two at the moment.

Hope that helps.

Andrew.

[julio]

Anyone want about 5 million gambusia?

[Warren]

A friendly bit of advice.

It is illegal to catch and move Gambusia. You are therefore not allowed to keep them. Gambusia are now classed as a noxious fish in NZ. It is possible (although I don't know how likely) to get written permission from DOC to catch Gambusia for feeding to larger fish only. You are not allowed to breed them and must be very carefull not to accidentally transfer them into another waterway.

Once you have written permission it is a bit like a trout licence. If you are catching them and a ranger finds you, you'd better have the paper on you.

I don't know what the penalties are for catching them. It is likely a smack on the hand the first time as it is not widely known they are a noxious fish.

DOC is quite approachable on the subject of catching them as feeder fish as it help keep the wild populations down. I am currently waiting for my written permission to be processed.