Tara Posted February 26, 2008 Report Share Posted February 26, 2008 Hi Was wondering if anybody had heard of this fish. Just before christmas we took the family down to the creek for a swim my eldest daughter caught 5 little fish in her hands and insisted we bring them home. I said yes thinking they wouldnt survive well a few months down the track we have four fish it looks like one male and three females who have been living with the female bettas. I got called over to look at the tank, my daughter was all excited because we now have 6 more little fish swimming around. The funny thing is it happened the day after the female bettas were removed and it also looks like the two other females are pregnant, I will try and get some photos tomorrow, I read in some states they are illegal to keep and were introduced to keep mosquito numbers down but instead started eating the native fish eggs instead of the mosquito larvae and are classed as a pest in most states. I also thought my female Bettas had been nipping each others fin's but from what I have read the mosquito fish will do this. If anyone could confirm this info or give me any extra on this fish it would be extremely helpful. :balloons: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bettarazzi Posted February 26, 2008 Report Share Posted February 26, 2008 You should probably check with the Dept of Environment or whichever one is in charge of things like this to see if you're allowed to keep them. They're related to guppies. The bettas were probably eating the babies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callatya Posted February 26, 2008 Report Share Posted February 26, 2008 They are indeed illegal (declared noxious) to keep in most areas, with exceptions for metro sydney and a few other places. If I recall, they have a similar standing to carp (koi) so keep this in mind and research the exact rules for your location. Wherever you are, I believe release is illegal. I *love* these fish. I really wish they weren't so much of a pest so that more people could enjoy their little behavioural quirks. I've kept them for years and they are simply fantastic! They even survived my pre-fishkeeper days when I'd just dump them in a tank of cold tapwater and feed them breadcrumbs! *cringe* Thankfully that was long ago, but these little fish are still high on my list of "must have" critters. To me they are a big fish in a tiny body, always carrying on with dominance displays and taking decent chunks out of passing finnage. They are, without a doubt, evil little munchkins with very sharp teeth! I generally keep them in with larger fish (barbs, bristlenose, platies, etc) to get around the bullying/biting problems. In that situation they just spend a lot of time posturing instead of nipping fins. They seem dull and boring from the outside but once they get going with courtship displays, the delicate black lace marking in the fins and the glowing pastel iridescence really shine through. The males seem to bond with one or two females and will choose to chase them more than others however it really is a case of 'love the one you're with' for these fellows. I've seen them try to mate with platies, bettas and on more than one occasion with the filter intake. They seem to have more trouble-free births than guppies and although they seem to eat more of the brood, the young appear more precocious. Given enough plant cover I think you could easily increase the size of your school. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tara Posted February 26, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2008 My daughter just loves them she sits there for hours watching them she pays more attenion to them then her Tetra's that she has in her Bedroom. I found out it is illegal to release them but as yet havent found anything to say we cant keep them. I've noticed the male chases one of the females more then the others, but then the other two are already pregnant. They have been chasing the babies but they are pretty quick to hide in the rocks or plants will add some more plants tomorrow. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod Posted February 26, 2008 Report Share Posted February 26, 2008 Link to Government page Gambusia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishchick Posted February 28, 2008 Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 cane toads of the waterways. and like the toad, introduced as biological control. most councils were still spreading these until a couple of years back. Initially the laws were so strict you couldn't have them in your possession AT ALL. Then they realised a lot were harvested by fish keepers as live food. So now it's more a case of do not distribute or breed. Collecting for live food is tolerated (or so i am led to believe) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tara Posted February 28, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 Thankyou all for the feedback, unfortnately it was decided that it was best to get rid of them needless to say I am not in the good books. :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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