Snorkel Posted August 21, 2008 Report Share Posted August 21, 2008 If anyone is interested, here are a few pics of a giant bully and also a couple pics of a common bully to compare it with.... and a photo of the six spines on the first dorsal fin (apperantely this ID's it as a giant) And here is the common bully (I think?) As You can see, they are quite different. Excuse the strange colour casts, I have not mastered white balance with the camera at all yet. If I can get a photo with the two fish together in the same frame, I will put it up so You can see the size difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purplecatfish Posted August 21, 2008 Report Share Posted August 21, 2008 Way Cool 8) Awesome photos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkLB Posted August 21, 2008 Report Share Posted August 21, 2008 Thanks Snorkel. It's great to have the comparison :bounce: Nice pics too 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supasi Posted August 21, 2008 Report Share Posted August 21, 2008 Thanks Snorkel Awesome clear pics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enzoom1 Posted August 21, 2008 Report Share Posted August 21, 2008 Cool pics Snorkel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted August 21, 2008 Report Share Posted August 21, 2008 WOW SNORKEL!!!! Awesome photos!!! Just to be bloody annoying.... I don't think that common bully is a common bully..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkLB Posted August 21, 2008 Report Share Posted August 21, 2008 I don't think that common bully is a common bully..... Upland?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted August 21, 2008 Report Share Posted August 21, 2008 Sorry, hit send waaaaaay too soon and couldn't hit stop in time! Ok, firstly that fish has the strangest profile I have ever seen on a bully! So very blunt! Nothing like a common at all. It also lacks the 'whiskers' under the eye that commons often have (others have it too sometimes, this is not a major identifying feature). Imagine three very fine black lines under the eye, radiating back from the mouth, just as if someone drew whiskers on it. It is very much a male, from the bluntness of the head and the red/orange stripe in the dorsal. From where your location, the blunt profile, the seven dorsal spines and the reddish dorsal stripe, I am saying Cran's. It has very little facial patterning (the presumed-giant has more typical cheek patterning of a dark Cran's, but also seen on giants). Normally Cran's have kinda swirly dark patterns on the face, but this particular fish is very pale all over, some are just like that. Uplands are also very blunt in the profile, but they 'always' have small orange dots on the cheeks and the northern extremity of their range is about Lake Taupo. (wordy I know, but I figure explaining why I come to a conclusion will help you learn to distinguish them yourself, rather than just saying 'it's an X') Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkLB Posted August 21, 2008 Report Share Posted August 21, 2008 I really want a copy of that book when it's ready Stella Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted August 21, 2008 Report Share Posted August 21, 2008 hehehe sure Mark. I don't think I have you in my list of email addresses to notify when it comes out. Drop me a PM with your address Of course the Fishroom will hear all about it, but I figure people come and people go, and the list includes random others I have run into that want to hear also. Still no word back from the guy reading over it. OH! Snorkel, to keep up with the food demands of this huge bully without depleting the worm populations of the Earth, buy an ox heart, cut off all the fat, valves and misc, cut into schnitzel strips, lay on a baking tray and freeze. Allow it to dehydrate by not covering it (freezerburn). This does not affect the nutrition but makes it MUCH easier to cut up. Cut up with a knife, or my latest discovery: scissors! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snorkel Posted August 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 21, 2008 Thanx people for the interest. Thank you Stella for the ox heart recipe, will get one today, the fish is either satiated or bored with earthworms at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yeeahboy Posted August 22, 2008 Report Share Posted August 22, 2008 You say its a giant bully? very ironic name It looks small compared to pebbles, or are they large stones? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snorkel Posted August 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2008 It is 130mm long. Fat as a pig today thou! Full up on beef heart... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted August 22, 2008 Report Share Posted August 22, 2008 hahaha that didn't take you long! (aren't they grotty things to cut up?! I treat it like an anatomy lesson, but still, the red meat smell is not nice! At least it doesn't have to be done very often, those hearts are HUGE!) Oh, the reason for cutting off the fat: (apparently) mammalian fat can not be processed by the fish - too cold for them to do anything with it! Stuffs up the liver eventually. Yeeahboy - even giant bullies start off 7mm long Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishfreak Posted September 8, 2008 Report Share Posted September 8, 2008 Got to love Giants they allways look grumpy to me. Nice pics btw. Tend to feed ours on a mix of stuff usually washed chopped mussel , bloodworms etc but have taken fine diced up squid if ive had any leftover at the end of the day. sometimes ill chuck a few live mysids in with him if we have plenty on hand but not too many there fast little suckers when they want to be Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted September 9, 2008 Report Share Posted September 9, 2008 I finally saw some giant bullies in the wild last saturday. Went spotlighting in a stream on Himitangi Beach. Saw a good dozen, but no huge ones unfortunately. The strangest thing was seeing your typical beach stream: sand, seashells etc, and there is what looks to me like a totally freshwater fish sitting there! And another! And another! It would be so strange to set up a tank for one with a sand substrate and shells etc, it would look totally marine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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