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ID if possible please


Hazara

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I honestly wouldnt know the difference from an inanga, glaxid or any other natives...

My boy "rescued" this feller from a shrinking pond at the river while we were camping a few weeks back - it's taking flies and seems to be getting friendly.. But would love to know what it is so he can do a school project on it.

fish.jpg

fish2.jpg

fish3.jpg

Thanks in advance!

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LEGEND - thanks fishkeepa

http://www.niwa.co.nz/our-science/freshwater/tools/fishatlas/species/koaro

Blueether - thanks for the link.. I have bookmarked it..

another possibility - but it was only about 400 metres asl where he found it..

http://www.niwa.co.nz/our-science/freshwater/tools/fishatlas/species/canterbury_galaxias

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oooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooo!!!!!!

That thar fish ain't no koaro. :sage:

Well, it doesn't look like a classic koaro to me. :oops:

It looks too stumpy, the head isn't pointed enough, the eye seems too big and the dorsal and anal fins look too erect. I don't have my books with my at the moment, but the species name for koaro is 'brevipinnis' which means 'short fin', which refers (IIRC) to the short/low dorsal fin.

So yeah, short version is: probably some non-diadromous galaxiid. :smln:

Canterbury galaxias is the most common therefore most likely one, but apart from that I don't know much about the non-diads. I need to learn them though, so this is exciting for me too :)

Could you please give me a location and I will see if I can get a local fishy expert to identify it for you?

(excellent photos!)

:spop:

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In light of new information I wish to change my guess to say that it doesn't look like a Koaro to me :slfg:

This has happened to me once or twice when Stella enters the conversation... she is very knowledgable and I love learning from her threads and posts! :bow:

I'm guessing you are starting to recover well now Stella?

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LOL thanks guys! :oops:

What I love now is finding natives threads where there is little that I can add to the conversation because my well-educated minions have beaten me to it ;) :cofn:

:love:

Thanks, am mostly recovered, just some minor neck pain at times. Just so lucky to be alive! I hope we didn't squash too many fish in the process.

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LOL thanks guys! :oops:

What I love now is finding natives threads where there is little that I can add to the conversation because my well-educated minions have beaten me to it ;) :cofn:

:love:

We are here to your bidding master :bow:

Thanks, am mostly recovered, just some minor neck pain at times. Just so lucky to be alive!

Glade that your are, and are recovering well.

I hope we didn't squash too many fish in the process.

It didn't look like you did too much damage to the stream, and they probably heard you coming down the cliff. Did you get resource consent for the track that you two clear-felled down to the stream?

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When I wrote off our 4WD in a stream up the Molesworth, a local DOC worker drove past and said he would fine me for improper use of a waterway :lol:

(He was known to me and he was only joking) :slfg:

I bet there are a number of people who would claim Stella was often a small pain in the neck :wink:

We have so many more people now interested in native fish and it is all totally thanks to Stella with her knowledge and enthusiasm :bow::hail:

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Oh bugger, sorry to hear about the (accident?) - Stella, I sent you a pm re: the location..

I just tried to video it, but I only have a DSLR & had to lock the focus because it was so close...

It's really getting around now, this was just after eating 3 flies :D

Click picture to play vid

th_MVI_4209.jpg

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And word from on high is:

Our guess from the photos is that the mystery fish is G. vulgaris. Though, it can be difficult to tell them from Koaro in some places and at small sizes. Hopefully, the kid will be a budding fish geek too.

Excellent :D

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And word from on high is:

Excellent :D

WOW thanks so much! That's greatly appreciated Stella, I'll keep you up to date on how it develops.

Tonight we can fire up the google & see if there is any information, but from the lack of a friendly name I guess not!

It's gotten to the point where it recognises me or the motions of a fly being put in the tank & gets quite aggressive! I have a suspicion it wont like tankmates much.

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Tonight we can fire up the google & see if there is any information, but from the lack of a friendly name I guess not!

AKA common river galaxias or Canterbury galaxias.

Google scholar will likely be your best bet for information. Unfortunately there isn't much in between the scientific papers and the 'wot fish is this 101'.

Also make sure you check out your library for R.M. McDowall's books on native fish.

And the archives here. I don't think we have ever talked of these chappies before, but general natives info is relevant to all species, and of course anything on koaro more so.

(and my book)

Sounds like he is a fast wee learner! Does he have a name yet?

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G. vulgaris is the Canterbury galaxias, and that would have been my guess.

Edit:

And the archives here. I don't think we have ever talked of these chappies before, but general natives info is relevant to all species, and of course anything on koaro more so.

(and my book)

Nice plug there Stella ;)
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@Stella - yep, have plans on buying your book - will just have to wait a while: the kids have chewed up their birthdays for the year :cofn: and no, it doesnt have a name yet - but looking at the middle picture below a few spring to mind.

Here's tonights video, I tried a little harder & put some torches on top of the tank (it's never had lighting before and got a little spooked).

Would like to get a bigger tank, but this one fits perfectly in the kids room on a shakey proof table thing - not sure how big these fellers get yet... Will also start looking into reducing the summer temps a bit, perhaps a peltier on a timer?

This was after already eating 2 flies - it just wouldnt go near the top with the lights on.. but you can tell it's not too worried.

(click to play)

th_MVI_4298.jpg

Managed some stills too..

canty_galaxid3.jpg

canty_galaxid2.jpg

canty_galaxid.jpg

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Wow, that second picture is fantastic! :hail: Submit it for next month's Photo of the Month competition :)

Ages ago I read up on peltiers for cooling aquaria, seem to be a few who have done it. Not sure about on here, but there is info online.

He looks like he has plenty of room in that tank for the moment, just make sure you are doing lots of water changes to compensate for the size of the tank and the number of flies that fish is inhaling!

(I am traveling around the country for the next year doing various fishy things, I may have to visit your fish and go fish hunting with you! :)

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LOL I'm not even happy with the photo, it's out of focus up the nose end :facepalm:

Feel free to give us a shout if your coming through North Canterbury, I wont claim to have knowledge of the waterways - but if you give enough warning I could contact the landowners & see if we could 4wd from the Waipara Mouth to SH1.. The boys & I have seen some cool fish in the past, there's heaps of pools depending on the time of the year - it can run dry in summer. IIRC the green LED light we have was the best, but the HID spotty has a 5 metre cable on it..

I can get to a farmland creek, but have never seen anything in it but we could always go up the "hill" :wink:

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