It seems that we are all introducing ourselves and thought that I should
get in on the act as well.
I am a PhD student at the Australian National University working on
disease resistance in Cotton.
Mt fish keeping is only a fairly recent thing, I began keeping fish only
three years ago because someone offered me a cheap seconhand tank. I now
have 6 tanks, 4 120l and two smaller ones for the ocasional bit of
breeding. Two of the tanks are full plant tanks with CO2 etc. Plants are
steadily becoming a real focus of my interest, especially those few
natives that I am able to get a hold of.
The interest in plant has really taken off here in the ACT because of a
talk by Eddie Tootell at the 1995 ANGFA conference here. A great many
more people are able to keep them alive and get them to grow after his talk.
The fish that I am interested in are spread amongst a few groups. I like
the rainbows, especially the trifasciata types. I would however love to
get a hold of some of the Chilatherina fasciata forms other than
clearwater creek (ie Fauwi). Gobies and gudgeons are becoming a favourite
because of their behaviour. I am breeding peacock gudgeons again now
(just ignore them and they breed, treat them special and they refuse to)
but would love to have a real go at redigobius bikolanus. I had some of
them once, but they died while I was away on an extended european trip. I
have a coal grunter because I could not bear to see him passed in at
auction for $3 at ANGFA ACT's auction last year. Seeing it dive out to
meet you whenever you come into the room, on the off chance that you have
more food, is entertaining. Before that I was not really interested in
big fish.
I think that about covers it, however there is one question I want to ask
of the Quenslanders on this list, is there a ban current on the
collection of wild aponogetons? I have heard more than a strong rumour
that it is now in effect, the person that told me that is involed as a
consultant for aquatic plant conservation throughout australia.
Peter Hughes