Re: Cold Temperatures (was Re: Darwin Residents)

Andrew Hamilton (andrewha at tafe.sa.edu.au)
Thu, 25 Jul 1996 10:15:51 -0700

>We have had a minus 7 (Celsius) here in Canberra recently. Does anyone know
>of any native pond-able fish (such as the aforementioned Galaxias olidus,
>possibly?) that can survive extremes like this in a relatively shallow
>(bathtub 45cm deep) pond? I am thinking of putting one together with a
>waterfall arrangement for water movement/filtration through a gravel bed.

Andrew,
these Olidus were in a f/glass pond but the pond was raised above
ground (had not got around to digging a hole), therefore the water mass
would have not been able to sustain an real temperature. The water temp
probably got lower than that at times. I think that most of the galaxids
would suit lower temps, they seem to be more vulnerable at higher temps. The
best thing to do would be to try and collect some fish in relatively shallow
streams at some altitude. This would ensure that they were reasonably
climatised to cooler temperatures. The Galaxid family is good for ponds as
they quite often swim in the top water layer making them occassionally
visible, unlike Melat. species. You had better watch out for kookaburras
though as they gratefully accept those fish which are kept in confined spaces.

Andrew (Da-jar-voo????)