Heir Posted October 4, 2008 Report Share Posted October 4, 2008 Huh? you are not in possession of them. They're in a pond. Possession is (for example) where you get caught by someone with them in a bucket and they're alive. That's what the law refers to. and FYI "Evil Guppy Inc" is trademarked lol 8) Why don't you just ask DoC if you can go electro-fishing You can pay me to eradicate them! haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted October 5, 2008 Report Share Posted October 5, 2008 However since it would cost us over $5000 to get permission to release native fish Really? You say there are in ponds. It *is* a big issue moving fish from one *waterway* to another, but a closed system like a pond should be fine. That is why it is legal to move them into aquaria, it is not attached to a waterway. Can't you get some kind of funding to eradicate the gambusia? There is definitely money available to do pest and weed control on private land. Apparently this is a major one and applications for the next round conveniently close at the end of october: http://www.biodiversity.govt.nz/land/nz ... ition.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purplecatfish Posted October 5, 2008 Report Share Posted October 5, 2008 The pond is fed by storm water and overflows into the sea so its not a closed system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ianab Posted October 5, 2008 Report Share Posted October 5, 2008 The pond is fed by storm water and overflows into the sea so its not a closed system. If it feeds to the sea then many natives will find it (Eels, bullies and galaxids anyway) without you doing anything. It's likely you have eels in there already, getting fat on the gambusia? But I can see how it's hard to make a business case for spending $$. But as a PR move, setting up a native fish reserve might work? Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HaNs Posted October 5, 2008 Report Share Posted October 5, 2008 Drop a pile of eels in there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heir Posted October 5, 2008 Report Share Posted October 5, 2008 Drop a pile of eels in there i dont see how eels would help. the pond behind my house has about 1000 gambusia per square metre of water and is full off eels too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purplecatfish Posted October 5, 2008 Report Share Posted October 5, 2008 Drop a pile of eels in there We've got eels, they eat the ducks. If it feeds to the sea then many natives will find it (Eels, bullies and galaxids anyway) without you doing anything. Unfortunately the discharge system is designed to empty on the low tide only. When the tide comes in it closes the outlet, so inanga won't naturally find it. We'd have to introduce the bullies and inanga hence the $5K fee to DOC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snorkel Posted October 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 5, 2008 Meanwhile, back in the bully tank.... When I got back from a weekend away, I discovered that one of the male bullies managed to get another female to spawn on his nest. Thats two clutches of eggs in the same nest. Here it is... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkLB Posted October 5, 2008 Report Share Posted October 5, 2008 :bounce: :bounce: That is very cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snorkel Posted October 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 5, 2008 And while I sit here typing out this, he's getting it on with another one. Crikey! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purplecatfish Posted October 5, 2008 Report Share Posted October 5, 2008 He's Da Man 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snorkel Posted October 6, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2008 The male just keeps on making his nest larger and larger! The nest contains eggs that are hatching and eggs that have just been laid. Its a continuous thing. Here it is at lunchtime today... . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted October 8, 2008 Report Share Posted October 8, 2008 wow.... that is impressive! I second Purplecatfish.... So the female in the photo, is she spawing there? There is an interesting piece of film in the educational native fish dvd Guardians of of the Mauri which shows a Cran's female spawning, but she has lost all her patterning and turned bright yellow....! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supasi Posted October 8, 2008 Report Share Posted October 8, 2008 WOW!!!!!!!! that is awesome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted October 8, 2008 Report Share Posted October 8, 2008 What about the other male? Did no one else want to spawn with him? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snorkel Posted October 8, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2008 Yes Stella, both males have spawn to look after. They get along surprisingly well. Interestingly the egg laying females will lay in one nest and then go and lay in the other nest. They dont put all their eggs in one basket.... The Giant Bully that I have been keeping has developed an "ovipositor"?, does anyone know what this means? I am worried that it might become egg bound and die? Mabee I should put this fish back into the wild? Mabee I shud catch a couple more? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted October 8, 2008 Report Share Posted October 8, 2008 That is really interesting that they are spawning with both males! Eggs in baskets :lol: I wouldn't worry about your giant bully. They are able to lay their eggs without an appropriate spawning partner. I have had two do that, and promptly eat them. The 'ovipositor' is the genital papilla. Though 'ovipositor' is a pretty good understanding of it. Both sexes have it and they do become more pronounced around spawning. Apparently the male one is more pointed and the female one more rounded. Again apparently it tends to be more pronounced in fish that deposit their eggs rather than just squirt them all over the show. The males bullies have more of a 'brush' on the end of it (microscopically!) so they can apply the milt with greater precision... This photo shows a small (4cm) female upland bully I had last year. She was so stretched with eggs I thought she would explode! She just kept growing and growing, despite the attentions of the two males in with her. I guess she knew when they were ripe. (Normally bullies don't look like guppies, the abdomen is more like a straight line between gills and tail) The photo is before she spawned (obviously) and the papilla is huge: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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