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inungas? (adult whitebait)


beckyboo

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dont know if i spelt it right but its the only name i know them by. just wanting to know how long they live in captivity? caught them when i was 8 years old and stuck them in the fish pond with the goldfish and theyre still going strong!! thats 12 years! theres only 3 of them but i was wondering how they would go being put back in the creek where i found them and letting them do there thing and breed. or would it be a bad idea incase of disease etc?

ta muchly

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Hello Becky,

I doubt inanga would live that long. They usually only live a year in the wild (dying after spawning). In captivity they cannot spawn so can live longer. I had one die of old age at 3, but saw another aged 5 years!

It is possibly a different sort of galaxiid. There are five species that make up the whitebait run, and in your are a there is probably a good chance of them being the banded or maybe giant kokopu.

Bandeds get to about 25cm and have vertical stripes down the sides. Giants can get to 30-40cm and are spotted. Both have a quite dark body with paler or yellow markings.

If you can get me some photos I can give you an ID. If you can catch one in a net and get a side-on photo that would be great. I would also love to see some photos of the pond! (note:I have a slight obsession with native fish)

As for putting them back: technically illegal without a permit, as supasi says: disease issues. Also, these fish have been out of that sort of environment for almost their entire lives and it may be hard for them to readjust.

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will try and get a pic tommorrow. they are around 10cm long and are very hard to catch lol will attempt it though. pond isnt very flash just a smallish pond with a couple of lillies (that dont grow very well) and some goldfish. i have a book on native fish so will check that out and see what looks similar.

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