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Keeping white bait and native shrimp.


Dixon1990

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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.

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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)

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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?

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photos photos photos!!! :)

What natives do you plan to have?

What i want a what i get may be two different things. I have metal halides a pmdd, just need diy co2

I have a few snails in there and have a native eel in a smaller tank.

Can anyone out there supply me whitebait live?

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Can anyone out there supply me whitebait live?

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 :)

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Im willing to drive a few hours to catch some with someone....i just dont know anyone who goes white baiting

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

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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.... ;)

Stella

Cheers for the offer, iv found a family friend in Napier and am heading up that way when i can.

Ill get some photos of my tank soon, its not looking great yet :(

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  • 16 years later...

Hi

im new to aquaponics but have everything prepared except pump.  I can get live white bait and look forward to being with the catcher.  If this forum is still running I would like to contribute and learn. Have learned already from comments thanks.  Stella I’m sure your book must be available now?  As I see 2007.  Pamela

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The forum runs but with few people making use of it as they prefer instant answers from random unknowns on the internet! (old lady opinion 😉 )

Stella has 3 books published - Freshwater Fishes of NZ (available from Fishpond, Mighty Ape, The Nile NZ) and 2 versions of The NZ Native Freshwater Aquarium (Mighty Ape, Trade Me, The Nile NZ) and now lives in the South Island.

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On 8/17/2024 at 10:20 PM, Pamela said:

Hi

im new to aquaponics but have everything prepared except pump.  I can get live white bait and look forward to being with the catcher.  If this forum is still running I would like to contribute and learn. Have learned already from comments thanks.  Stella I’m sure your book must be available now?  As I see 2007.  Pamela

Hi Pamela Welcome, 

as mentioned, the forum is a bit slow, but a few of us are still here - there is a native fishkeepers facebook page which Stella is active on. 

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