Since the early 70s we have been family camping at Mungo Brush in the Myall
Lakes National Park and I often noticed these colourful little fish dart
into the Casuarina roots at the edge of the lake then dart out again. I
always said I would one day try and catch some. Well over 20 years later
when trying to convince my youngest son (age 9) that another camping trip to
Mungo Brush would be fun I told him about the fish and that we could catch
some for our aquarium.
Well we initially caught 6 but I wasn't even sure they were the same species
as some were colourful and some not, although they all had the same pretty
blue eyes so I did suspect the "uncolourful" ones were females. But I was
rapt in them!!
A couple of weeks searching the net and going through our library of
Australian wildlife books were fruitless in identifying these little jewels.
There was not even anything of them on the Native Fish website.
Then by accident a friend brought into work a borrowed Freshwater Fishes of
SE Australia to ask advice (he wanted to keep a Barramundi in an 18 inch
tank! and of course Barramundi is not even in that book). And there it was!!
I was very excited ..
PSEUDOMUGIL SIGNIFER. Putting this into my search engine I came up with
Adrian Tappin's incredible website and from there ANGFA.
I now have 17 P. signifer (Myall Lakes) in two 3 foot tanks and they have
been laying eggs so I have just set up a breeding tank. I also have 3 small
Gudgeons which I think are Cox's
Gudgeons??
My next step is to search around my old home town area of Casino in northern
NSW for some M.
duboulayi and perhaps more tanks? :-)
It is really satisfying to be able to keep fish which you know first hand
where they come from and also observe them in their native habitat.
Does anyone from else keep P. signifer from this locality? Mine are approx.
2.5cm max. The lake was completely fresh and "tea" coloured when caught in
September but at
times of the year is brackish and sometimes salty. Unfortunately there are
large numbers of Gambusia present in the lakes and Myall River.
I must confess I never checked on laws regarding collecting in NSW (let
alone National Parks!) Perhaps someone can please enlighten me?
Cheers, Darrell
vk2mna at yahoo.com