Australian natives

[PygmyPepperJulli]

Hi TFF,

Recently was out at the creek doing ‘recreational‘ fishing (not with a rod and reel, with nets) and saw some unusual fish I hadn’t seen before. The creek had been very dry for a long time and suddenly filled due to a large storm we had recently, so that may explain their presence, but was wondering whether anyone had experience with these critters. I know I caught some smelts, as they had very bright orange colouration and the right body shape, but also belive I caught some juvenile rainbows. Does anyone have any pics of younger rainbow fish? They had black-edged fins and the right body shape, but were fairly small, hence why I believe they were young.


TIA!

 

[GaryE]

If I were in Australia, I might never buy a fish. Your freshwater fauna is astonishing.

Look up Melanotaenia splendida, and Rhadinocentrus ornatus. I am jealous, sitting here in a snowstorm. My Australian geography is poor, and Queensland looks large and diverse, but those are two of several possibilities. Australian and Papua/New Guinea rainbows are very fun fish to keep.

Melanotaeniidae and Pseudomugilidae

A website dedicated to Rainbowfishes of Australia and New Guinea

rainbowfish.angfaqld.org.au

 

[gilltyascharged]

If I were in Australia, I might never buy a fish. Your freshwater fauna is astonishing.

Look up Melanotaenia splendida, and Rhadinocentrus ornatus. I am jealous, sitting here in a snowstorm. My Australian geography is poor, and Queensland looks large and diverse, but those are two of several possibilities. Australian and Papua/New Guinea rainbows are very fun fish to keep.

After having our first snow October 30, I am more than ready for a little sunshine
Over there, is it legal to collect native fish? I know that in my part of the US only certain species are permitted, with most being small and invasive like Gambusia sp.. It's probably a completely different story farther down south, where the presence of other, more "exotic" species exist (the only species native to my area include the Lepomis humilis and the Banded Topminnow, which of course doesn't inhabit most of it's range)

 

[GaryE]

There is a very active group called ANGFA in Australia, a native fish group. From the outside it looks like a great scientist/citizen collaboration. They are very open and knowledgeable. I joined at one point just to get their journal, and it was a good mix of hobby and science - some really good reads.

In Canada, it goes province by province. All I need is a sport fishing licence, and I can go for the local dull coloured killies. When I lived in a province with beautiful darters, there were severe restrictions. I don't know what the Australians face, but it seemed reasonable.

Here, the fish need winter for their breeding cycle, and aquariums and very cold don't mix well. So I don't keep natives. If I were in Australia, I would. Melanotaenia duboulayi is one of my favourite fish, but the ones in the hobby all seem to die young of tb. I'm jealous of people who have them in their creeks. At least it's too cold for saltwater crocs where I am, but too warm for polar bears.

 

[PygmyPepperJulli]

I think someone I went with has some pics, I'll upload them when I can. The smelt's orange/red colour was amazing though... and they had a black dot right at the tail, making them look like some gigantic rasbora


EDIT- just looked up what you said your favorite fish were, and it's them! Exactly the same, but I think the ones I caught were juvies. They had the spot and everything... I thought that was because they were sick or something

Sad that all your specimens died of tb. One day I would love the idea of just a native biotope... possibly full of wild creek specimens. I'm allowed to collect if the certain creek says so. And obviously not if it's national park or something.

 

[Sgooosh]

There is a very active group called ANGFA in Australia, a native fish group. From the outside it looks like a great scientist/citizen collaboration. They are very open and knowledgeable. I joined at one point just to get their journal, and it was a good mix of hobby and science - some really good reads.

In Canada, it goes province by province. All I need is a sport fishing licence, and I can go for the local dull coloured killies. When I lived in a province with beautiful darters, there were severe restrictions. I don't know what the Australians face, but it seemed reasonable.

Here, the fish need winter for their breeding cycle, and aquariums and very cold don't mix well. So I don't keep natives. If I were in Australia, I would. Melanotaenia duboulayi is one of my favourite fish, but the ones in the hobby all seem to die young of tb. I'm jealous of people who have them in their creeks. At least it's too cold for saltwater crocs where I am, but too warm for polar bears.

I'm jealous of you here in southern Norcal...
we only got mosuquitofish, down south there's a tiny bit more fish variety.

 

[gilltyascharged]

I'm jealous of you here in southern Norcal...
we only got mosuquitofish, down south there's a tiny bit more fish variety.

Ah, northwest Iowa isn't much better

 

[Sgooosh]

Ah, northwest Iowa isn't much better

Hmm, I thought the northeast and the southeast had the most fish?
well maybe Iowa isn't super eastward...
I really want to go on one of those wild-fish observation trips like some members here went on.

 

[gilltyascharged]

Hmm, I thought the northeast and the southeast had the most fish?
well maybe Iowa isn't super eastward...
I really want to go on one of those wild-fish observation trips like some members here went on.

I think northeast would be the coastal areas--i.e., Delaware, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, etc. No, Iowa is right smack dab in the center of the country, in the Midwest...all we have out here is corn, cattle, and more corn!

But on the other hand, we do have the Missouri River bordering between my town and another right across the border in Nebraska. A little further investigation found that right in my area is where some of the largest numbers of American Paddlefish are found, not to mention Pallid Sturgeon. I take it back--I guess we do have something

 

[gilltyascharged]

I think someone I went with has some pics, I'll upload them when I can. The smelt's orange/red colour was amazing though... and they had a black dot right at the tail, making them look like some gigantic rasbora


EDIT- just looked up what you said your favorite fish were, and it's them! Exactly the same, but I think the ones I caught were juvies. They had the spot and everything... I thought that was because they were sick or something

Sad that all your specimens died of tb. One day I would love the idea of just a native biotope... possibly full of wild creek specimens. I'm allowed to collect if the certain creek says so. And obviously not if it's national park or something.

That sounds amazing! I know you've posted about the creek plants before, but this is the first I'm hearing about the fish. Seems like a great place to be. Is it close enough to your house that you can walk or is it a bit of a drive out?

 

[GaryE]

If you're in America, darters and killies abound. In Australia, rainbows, gudgeons, and lots of fish.

In eastern Canada, the last Ice Age messed us up. The glaciers wiped everything out, but shaped the land so the fish recolonizing after the melting couldn't get into my area. We have a lean freshwater fauna compared to 1000 km west of here. No darters...

It seems people undervalue the fish they could learn the most about. I've known Brazilians who only wanted African fish, Americans and Australians who didn't know they had native aquarium beauties - the Vallisneria is always greener on the other side of the sea.

If I moved to Australia, I would try to get native fish - Melanotaenia, Chlamydogobius, Rhads, Blue eyes, and above all, healthy threadfin (Iriatherina) rainbow. They are one of the most amazing small fish out there, but the farms are selling skinny sick specimens that have been treated to only be males. If anyone anywhere lucks into healthy specimens of what used to be a common fish in the hobby, get them.

 

[Colin_T]

Post pictures of the fish for identification and sexing purposes.

Rainbowfish have different colour varieties in different river systems so keep the fish from different river systems in separate aquariums.

If they are rainbowfish, they are easy to breed and will live outdoors in ponds all year in Queensland.

 

[Ichthys]

I've known Brazilians who only wanted African fish, Americans and Australians who didn't know they had native aquarium beauties - the Vallisneria is always greener on the other side of the sea.

Don’t know if it’s still true, but the most popular ‘pet’ in Brazil used to be the Goldfish.