Petes Native Rainbowfish
Aquariums and Frog Ponds
Brisbanes local rainbowfish the Crimson-spotted Rainbowfish - Melanotaenia duboulayi
widely thought to be the reason "Rainbowfish" got their name
We collect different species of Rainbowfish and Blue-eyes from the wild in my local area South East Queensland
then take them home for display and to breed in ponds and bathtubs
We also do some underwater filming in these areas too with some incredible footage, see my "LIFE IN" series of videos on youtube
Click here - "LIFE IN" underwater in Creeks and Rivers around South East and Central Queensland
In this webpage I hope to give you an idea of how easy it is to keep and breed Australian Native Rainbowfish
and how beautiful our natives really are
The following is how I do it and what works for me
The best fish for your pond is always native species from your local waterways
A few key points are
- Direct sunlight for at least a few hours or more each day
- Cane toads cant climb, my ponds are higher than about 40cm to stop them jumping in and frogs can still get in
- Fish follow the flow, holes at the desired water level covered with mesh prevent fish escaping when raining or overflowing
- I use aeration, the fry seem to love the flow, keeps oxygen levels up when hot and helps plants filter the water
- I prefer one species per pond for breeding purposes, but native community ponds are great too
- Dragonfly larvae are in my ponds, I like to think they get the slow and sick fish if they eat them at all, I dont notice any losses
- Plants in and around for shade, shelter, spawning, temperature stabilty and utilising nutrients
- one quarter water changes every few weeks and only a handful of fish, the larger the pond the better
You can catch your own fish as seen in the video below or during the warmer months I can usually supply
some young fish or fry for free although I do accept small donations to keep my fish fed
Great for natural mosquito control, will live outside all year in South East Queensland
and also make a great aquarium display
PLEASE ABIDE BY NATIONAL PARKS AND DEPT OF FISHERIES RULES WHEN YOU FISH AND COLLECT
If you want information on any of these things please feel free to email me
Pacific Blue Eye - Pseudomugil signifer - North Pine River - My no1 choice for Mosquito control
Honey Blue eye - Pseudomugil mellis
Occur only in small areas in Queensland and Fraser Island
Conservation status listing as Vulnerable in QLD and Endangered with IUCN Red list
My intital stock was given to me by ANGFA members
Under current QLD threatened species legislation it is illegal to collect Honey Blue Eyes from the wild.
It is also illegal to buy or sell a threatened or endangered species in Queensland.
Honey Blue eyes will only be given to people with some experience and with an interest in breeding them
NATIVE FISH SPECIES THAT I KEEP
Crimson-spotted Rainbowfish - Melanotaenia duboulayi - North Pine River, Noosa River, Obi Obi Creek, Snapper Creek
Ornate Rainbowfish - Rhadinocentrus ornatus - Snapper Creek, Teewah Creek, Noosa River/Lake Cootharaba
Pacific Blue eye - Pseudomugil signifer - Obi Obi Creek, North Pine River, Calliope River
Honey Blue Eye - Pseudomugil mellis - unknown location
Empire Gudgeon - Hypseleotris compressa - Snapper Creek, Noosa River
Flyspecked Hardyhead - Craterocephalus stercusmuscarum - Boyne River Calliope River
Eastern Rainbowfish - Melanotaenia splendida splendida - Calliope river
non natives
Turquoise Rainbowfish - Melanotaenia lacustris - Lake Kutubu PNG
Cherry Shrimp - Neocaridina heteropoda var. red
Currently breeding only Honey Blue Eyes (Pseudomugil mellis) and Ornate Rainbowfish (Rhadinocentrus ornatus)
More great native fish are available at ANGFA QLD auctions held after meetings
Some more pics, information and videos below
There can be alot of variation within the same species between different locations and even within the same creek as shown here
Ornate Rainbowfish - Rhadinocentrus ornatus - Snapper Creek - red and blue morphs
Ornate Rainbowfish - Rhadinocentrus ornatus - Noosa River
Ornate Rainbowfish - Rhadinocentrus ornatus - Teewah Creek
Crimson-spotted Rainbowfish - Melanotaenia duboulayi, young female in the middle
Handfeeding wild Crimson-spotted Rainbowfish and Pacific Blue Eyes in Booloumba Creek
Empire Gudgeon - Hypseleotris compressa - My argument for those who say Australian native fish are dull
Our native fish always look much better in a planted tank and take a little while to settle in and show their "true colours"
Turquoise Rainbowfish - Melanotaenia lacustris - A PNG native, endemic to Lake Kutubu
Listed as vulnerable on the IUCN red list due to industry pollution, overfishing for the aquarium trade and introduced species to its habitat
Flyspecked Hardyhead - Craterocephalus stercusmuscarum - Boyne River Glassfish - Ambassis agassizii - Nth Pine River
Eastern Rainbowfish - Melanotaenia splendida splendida - Boyne River
The variations in colour and pattern are incredible, in a planted tank or pond they really show why they are called "Rainbowfish"
Eastern Rainbowfish - Melanotaenia splendida splendida - Calliope River
I find that my fish, frogs, tadpoles, water striders and dragonfly larvae all seem to get along fine
Bathtubs and old spa baths are great for breeding and growout
Eastern Dwarf Tree Frog - Litoria fallax
one of about 5 species that have found their way here in the last few years - gets a bit noisy some nights
Water lillies are the most useful plant in ponds, plenty of shade and cover for fish and frogs and quite beautiful too.
All the plants are potted with normal garden soil, or potting mix, fertiliser tablets and river sand or gravel on top
See some fish videos below or click here to see whole list
Here are some older pics of before I was really into the natives
Golden Killifish very easy to breed too.
These next pics are all marine/saltwater fish
We used to catch most of our marine fish too
A 2ft6 marine/saltwater tank with Blennies, a Yellow Damsel, a Humbug, a Pistol Shrimp, Coral goby, Hermit Crabs and Shrimp.
Funny how the little Blennies always get the most attention from people no matter what other things Ive had in the tanks.
A tank bred Tomato Clown and a Red Coral Goby
Nemo (A tank bred percula clown) who didn't get all his stripes and a grey damsel about 6mm long
Humbug or magpie fish and a Blenny
Red Coral Goby and a Blue Damsel
Lunar Wrasse and Sebae Clownfish
A small barracod and tomato clown
A coral beauty. Two Percula Clowns.
Mixed Reef fish in 6ft tanks. Fijian damsel, Boxfish, Humbug. Clownfish, Barracod, Snowflake eel, Lionfish.
Barracod on the move, Percula Clownfish.
Clarkii Clown and some coral, Snowflake eel,
and about to be cleaned by the shrimp.
Lion fish and maroon clown, blue surgeonfish, coral beauty and a mono
Harlequin Tuskfish and a Yellow Goby.
Clownfish anemone and shrimp in the small tank, and a salt n pepper goby.
Red banded cleaner shrimp. Little rock pool anemones, and a rock pool shrimp.
Devilfish, live coral and a damsel in a 2ft tank, two clownfish and some corallimorphs..
A Blenny, Snowflake Eel, and live coral close-up.
These pages have been brought to you by,
The Rainbowrunner
Peter Hansler
Brisbane Queensland Australia
phansler@hotmail.com
Click on the turtle to return to my homepage
Aquariums and Frog Ponds
Brisbanes local rainbowfish the Crimson-spotted Rainbowfish - Melanotaenia duboulayi
widely thought to be the reason "Rainbowfish" got their name
We collect different species of Rainbowfish and Blue-eyes from the wild in my local area South East Queensland
then take them home for display and to breed in ponds and bathtubs
We also do some underwater filming in these areas too with some incredible footage, see my "LIFE IN" series of videos on youtube
Click here - "LIFE IN" underwater in Creeks and Rivers around South East and Central Queensland
In this webpage I hope to give you an idea of how easy it is to keep and breed Australian Native Rainbowfish
and how beautiful our natives really are
The following is how I do it and what works for me
The best fish for your pond is always native species from your local waterways
A few key points are
- Direct sunlight for at least a few hours or more each day
- Cane toads cant climb, my ponds are higher than about 40cm to stop them jumping in and frogs can still get in
- Fish follow the flow, holes at the desired water level covered with mesh prevent fish escaping when raining or overflowing
- I use aeration, the fry seem to love the flow, keeps oxygen levels up when hot and helps plants filter the water
- I prefer one species per pond for breeding purposes, but native community ponds are great too
- Dragonfly larvae are in my ponds, I like to think they get the slow and sick fish if they eat them at all, I dont notice any losses
- Plants in and around for shade, shelter, spawning, temperature stabilty and utilising nutrients
- one quarter water changes every few weeks and only a handful of fish, the larger the pond the better
You can catch your own fish as seen in the video below or during the warmer months I can usually supply
some young fish or fry for free although I do accept small donations to keep my fish fed
Great for natural mosquito control, will live outside all year in South East Queensland
and also make a great aquarium display
PLEASE ABIDE BY NATIONAL PARKS AND DEPT OF FISHERIES RULES WHEN YOU FISH AND COLLECT
If you want information on any of these things please feel free to email me
Pacific Blue Eye - Pseudomugil signifer - North Pine River - My no1 choice for Mosquito control
Honey Blue eye - Pseudomugil mellis
Occur only in small areas in Queensland and Fraser Island
Conservation status listing as Vulnerable in QLD and Endangered with IUCN Red list
My intital stock was given to me by ANGFA members
Under current QLD threatened species legislation it is illegal to collect Honey Blue Eyes from the wild.
It is also illegal to buy or sell a threatened or endangered species in Queensland.
Honey Blue eyes will only be given to people with some experience and with an interest in breeding them
NATIVE FISH SPECIES THAT I KEEP
Crimson-spotted Rainbowfish - Melanotaenia duboulayi - North Pine River, Noosa River, Obi Obi Creek, Snapper Creek
Ornate Rainbowfish - Rhadinocentrus ornatus - Snapper Creek, Teewah Creek, Noosa River/Lake Cootharaba
Pacific Blue eye - Pseudomugil signifer - Obi Obi Creek, North Pine River, Calliope River
Honey Blue Eye - Pseudomugil mellis - unknown location
Empire Gudgeon - Hypseleotris compressa - Snapper Creek, Noosa River
Flyspecked Hardyhead - Craterocephalus stercusmuscarum - Boyne River Calliope River
Eastern Rainbowfish - Melanotaenia splendida splendida - Calliope river
non natives
Turquoise Rainbowfish - Melanotaenia lacustris - Lake Kutubu PNG
Cherry Shrimp - Neocaridina heteropoda var. red
Currently breeding only Honey Blue Eyes (Pseudomugil mellis) and Ornate Rainbowfish (Rhadinocentrus ornatus)
More great native fish are available at ANGFA QLD auctions held after meetings
Some more pics, information and videos below
There can be alot of variation within the same species between different locations and even within the same creek as shown here
Ornate Rainbowfish - Rhadinocentrus ornatus - Snapper Creek - red and blue morphs
Ornate Rainbowfish - Rhadinocentrus ornatus - Noosa River
Ornate Rainbowfish - Rhadinocentrus ornatus - Teewah Creek
Crimson-spotted Rainbowfish - Melanotaenia duboulayi, young female in the middle
Handfeeding wild Crimson-spotted Rainbowfish and Pacific Blue Eyes in Booloumba Creek
Empire Gudgeon - Hypseleotris compressa - My argument for those who say Australian native fish are dull
Our native fish always look much better in a planted tank and take a little while to settle in and show their "true colours"
Turquoise Rainbowfish - Melanotaenia lacustris - A PNG native, endemic to Lake Kutubu
Listed as vulnerable on the IUCN red list due to industry pollution, overfishing for the aquarium trade and introduced species to its habitat
Flyspecked Hardyhead - Craterocephalus stercusmuscarum - Boyne River Glassfish - Ambassis agassizii - Nth Pine River
Eastern Rainbowfish - Melanotaenia splendida splendida - Boyne River
The variations in colour and pattern are incredible, in a planted tank or pond they really show why they are called "Rainbowfish"
Eastern Rainbowfish - Melanotaenia splendida splendida - Calliope River
I find that my fish, frogs, tadpoles, water striders and dragonfly larvae all seem to get along fine
Bathtubs and old spa baths are great for breeding and growout
Eastern Dwarf Tree Frog - Litoria fallax
one of about 5 species that have found their way here in the last few years - gets a bit noisy some nights
Water lillies are the most useful plant in ponds, plenty of shade and cover for fish and frogs and quite beautiful too.
All the plants are potted with normal garden soil, or potting mix, fertiliser tablets and river sand or gravel on top
See some fish videos below or click here to see whole list
Here are some older pics of before I was really into the natives
Golden Killifish very easy to breed too.
These next pics are all marine/saltwater fish
We used to catch most of our marine fish too
A 2ft6 marine/saltwater tank with Blennies, a Yellow Damsel, a Humbug, a Pistol Shrimp, Coral goby, Hermit Crabs and Shrimp.
Funny how the little Blennies always get the most attention from people no matter what other things Ive had in the tanks.
A tank bred Tomato Clown and a Red Coral Goby
Nemo (A tank bred percula clown) who didn't get all his stripes and a grey damsel about 6mm long
Humbug or magpie fish and a Blenny
Red Coral Goby and a Blue Damsel
Lunar Wrasse and Sebae Clownfish
A small barracod and tomato clown
A coral beauty. Two Percula Clowns.
Mixed Reef fish in 6ft tanks. Fijian damsel, Boxfish, Humbug. Clownfish, Barracod, Snowflake eel, Lionfish.
Barracod on the move, Percula Clownfish.
Clarkii Clown and some coral, Snowflake eel,
and about to be cleaned by the shrimp.
Lion fish and maroon clown, blue surgeonfish, coral beauty and a mono
Harlequin Tuskfish and a Yellow Goby.
Clownfish anemone and shrimp in the small tank, and a salt n pepper goby.
Red banded cleaner shrimp. Little rock pool anemones, and a rock pool shrimp.
Devilfish, live coral and a damsel in a 2ft tank, two clownfish and some corallimorphs..
A Blenny, Snowflake Eel, and live coral close-up.
These pages have been brought to you by,
The Rainbowrunner
Peter Hansler
Brisbane Queensland Australia
phansler@hotmail.com
Click on the turtle to return to my homepage
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