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Research on Things to do in Australia
1/13/18 Fish map, Australian fish distributions
3/3/13 WetWebMedia Crew, Heron Isl.
7/22/10 Daphnia (sourcing, AUS.) 12/02/08 To the Wet Web Media crew. The thing I would like to say is I'm very impressed by the information provided on your website. I would also like to apologize as I know I'm in the wrong place but I'm going to ask anyway. I have had the internet since October 12th and its now 2nd December and every night I search in vain for someone who can supply me with a live daphnia culture. Magna , Pulex , Moina any type will do! I live near Townsville Qld. I will be more than happy to pay and pick-up or wait for delivery. I would take any days off work. I'm getting frustrated (I guess you get frustrated about dumb Qs like mine but I don't know and can't seem to find a supplier in Australia). I would consider any price as my alternative is flying to a creek in NSW I know. Again sorry to bother you. ANY info would be appreciated! Thanks Leigh <Hell Leigh. I'm not really familiar with the fishkeeping industry in Australia, and would encourage you to get in touch with, for example, the excellent 'Australian Aquarium' magazine if you're after information on suppliers and retailers. You could also consult the members of ANGFA, one of the better Australian fish clubs. Although interested in native fish faunas, many of its members are expert fishkeepers, and I've been lucky enough to work with several of them over the years. In any case, culturing daphnia shouldn't be difficult; here in England at least most any ditch or pond sooner or later seems to develop a thriving population. Bags of live daphnia sold in pet stores are common here, and I can't think why you could just add these to a barrel of water seeded with some decaying vegetation and left somewhere sunny for algae to grow. Frozen daphnia may be an option for your fish, though I have to admit none of mine ever seem to eat them! Cheers, Neale.> Re: Daphnia (sourcing, AUS.) 12/02/08 thanks for the reply. <No problems.> I live in a major banana growing area here and there is twice daily aerial spraying of insecticides to control mites. the waters here are crystal clear and nearly lifeless. we also have huge numbers of cane toads (a very hardy introduced poisonous pest) it, and the occasional Gambusia (mosquito fish) are the only creatures I've found. no dragonfly larvae, few mosquitoes, but vast swarms of saltwater sandflies. <Sounds pretty grim! Almost an object lesson in the impact of intense single-crop agriculture on the local environment.> thanks again for trying. I guess I'm going to have to travel to NSW (3-4 days hitch) Ill try the organizations you have mentioned. wish me luck!(I'm not giving up yet!) <Good luck! Neale.> Where is Bob? Not a Waldo puzzle, but wishing he was in the "Land Down Under" 9/19/08 Just wondering if Bob is in Australia for this great new find of all these new species... seems like he should be fronting the expedition. http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/100s-new-species-discovered-Australia/ss/events/sc/091808ausreefspecies#photoViewer=/080918/ids_photos_wl/r3318256877.jpg thanks, Alan <Man! I do wish so... Thank you for sending this story/link along Alan. BobF, in sunny S. Cal... but out to Raja An/mpat next month...>
GENERAL HELLO - CHARLIE VERON... Book notice Date: Mon, 23 Jun 2008 6/25/08 Dear Bob, <Hey Marty!> Just a short note to say Hello to both you and Diana and that all is going well with you guys. Assume you are getting ready to again start buying real-estate - looks like that part of the cycle is coming round! <Uh, Mmm, no... time for me to move out of this rats nest more likely. The economy is still in free fall... There's no way to invest and beat recession (devaluation, inflation) currently> Meanwhile - any interesting dive trips as of recent? <Mmm, yes... Red Sea last month, Borneo the one before... next month and the one after HI, in Sept. Curacao, October Raja Ampat...> Aside from our January N.C. trip where bad weather curtailed the majority of our planned diving & dredging (though we all still had a good time) - an April jaunt to Cebu where I got in a good day of scuba - has been it so far. I did manage to collect two species of Cypraea that were new for me - so that's always a bonus (like imaging a new fish). <Great!> I won't go on as I've got to get out of here shortly - but just wanted to check and make sure you know about Charlie Veron's new work (which I'm sure you do). Anyway - just in case you don't - A Reef in Time - The Great Barrier Reef From Beginning to End (pub. 2008) is a must read. <Thanks much for this notice. Had not heard/seen> Keep in touch - Regards, Marty <Will do. Hello to Angela. BobF> Marty Beals Tideline Great RC Thread... Dive shots from the Great Barrier Reef 6/12/08 Dear Crew, <Hi Andy, Mich with you tonight.> I don't know whether any/all of you scan Reef Central, <Oh yes, on occasion.> but there is an incredible thread posted by a guy who lives off of Wheeler Reef/Great Barrier Reef--probably 300 pictures he has taken while diving. <Wow 21 pages! Some very nice photos.> It is definitely worth the 2 hours it takes to go through the thread! <And 2 hours it will take! But wow some beautiful pictures and I'm only half way through. Thanks for sharing!> http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1409040 Andy <Cheers, Mich>
Australia Collecting License and fence/barrier nets 1/17/06 Hi Bob am looking to buy a fish collecting licenses in Australia what do you think and were can you bye fence nets etc Hank <Mmm, licenses in the "Land Down Under" are closely numbered and regulated. Likely you would have to become a citizen, and either buy into an existing one, or add your name to a list, lottery to win one if/when same became available. Fence nets can be made (I used to do this... don't!), or bought from outfits that make them by machine... Look to the aquaculture industry, magazines... I used to get mine from Memphis Net & Twine. Bob Fenner> Greetings again from South Pacific 7/7/05 Hi Bob, Nice to know that vast stretch of water has not deterred you in visiting this side of the Pacific. Heron is still on the to-do list as with Lady Elliot and many others. <Very worthwhile> If you come this way again don't hesitate to get in touch; the reefs here are not as exotic as your probably aware; but has many interesting critters all the same. I've been traveling to the Solomon Islands this year with another 3 to go. I'd be interested if you had any recommendations. Regards Ross <Thank you for this. Nothing like knowing folks locally who have "been there, done that". Bob F>
Great Barrier Reef Dive Business dive boat brokers <Neat concept. Will keep on file. Bob Fenner; Ph:;+61 7 55345972 Fax:;+61 7 55250575 Address:;Box 63/955 Gold Coast Highway Palm Beach, Queensland, 4221 Australia. Email: <mailto:enquires@diveboatbrokers.com> enquires@diveboatbrokers.com Web Site: < http://www.diveboatbrokers.com/> www.diveboatbrokers.com Dive Boat Brokers provides operators in the dive industry with a professional service to source second hand and new dive vessels to match operational needs. We also represent business owners looking to buy or sell their operations. Through our 8000+ contacts in the industry and our focus on the world dive fleet, we provide dive vessels to meet your needs. With over 30 years experience in the finance, commercial, design and project management aspects of the Marine Industry we can confidently and comprehensively cover all your needs in buying or selling liveaboard and day operational dive boats. Our company web site is www.diveboatbrokers.com < http://www.diveboatbrokers.com/> so please take the time to visit, as it provides guidance in support of your enquiries. Dive Boat Brokers is pleased offer for immediate sale the attached day dive vessel. If you have further interest in this vessel please contact us. If you would prefer not to receive any further emails from us please let us know. Best Regards Dive Boat Brokers How do I get live sand in Australia? Dear WWMCrew, << Blundell here. >> How do I come across live sand, as in Australia we don't have this in the shops. Would it be as simple as going to the beach with my bucket. << First of all let me say I have no idea what the laws and regulations are in Australia. If it is legal to do so, then yes I would just walk out into a bout waste deep water and scoop up a bucket of sand. That is it. >> If so what do I need to do before using, if not how do I make some. << You can make some by using some other sand, and seeding it with ocean water (live water) and a small amount (few handfuls) of live sand from another aquarium. >> Thank You Chris << Blundell >> Metal halide in Australia 9/21/04 Hi, How much would a good metal halide bulb cost AU as cheap as possible?? Thanks <I really have no idea. In the US, the range from about $60 up to about $100 USD. "industrial grade" lamps can be purchased as cheaply as $15 USD. Simply figuring the exchange may not account for different shipping rates, tariffs, etc. Do look for one of the Aussie marine aquarium message boards for more help. Best Regards. AdamC.> Flying fish in the Land Down Under Hi there Mr. Fenner While on the internet looking for information on flying fish in the Great Barrier Reef off Australia, I came across your email address on a site. I wondering if you could recommend any sites with information as we are having a lot of trouble locating any with much information at all on flying fish. It is for my grandsons assignment due this week. We have been searching for weeks, but cannot hit on much info. I have looked under Exocoetoidei, flying fish and Atheriniforms. At this stage we are looking for the life cycle and reproductive system with pics if possible & the internal structure of the flying fish. We have also tried the encyclopedia etc. Hoping to hear from you soon, Joan Christie <Flying fishes are important commercial fisheries organisms in a few places in the world, so much of their natural history has been studied. I would start with fishbase.org in your online search for information, and once you have the scientific name/s of the species you're interested in, go back and plug this/these into Google, other search engines for more... and if this doesn't get you enough of what you want, utilize the services of a reference librarian at a large college library. Bob Fenner> Re: freshwater Jawfish??? hello bob, thanks for your quick response. I'll try to go in that direction you pointed out. I will be happy if I find something native. I'll let you know. Silvia <Hotay, real good... there are surprising (at least for me!) many interesting, odd-ball fishes in "the land down under"... You may have to dig a bit, perhaps even go collecting, but well worth the effort. Bob Fenner> FW fishes down under hi bob, <Silvia> I know
that we have a lot of interesting species out here. but I just started
to learn by scratching the surface. I started with a guide about the
local wildlife and joined the ANGFA( Australian new guinea fish
association) 2 months ago because you don't find many native fish
in the shops around. last month I went on a field trip with them to an
area half an hour away from my place and I was amazed about what we
found. I mean it makes a real difference to see a picture of a fish in
your creek in a book and than actually find it. it was really exciting!
<Does sound like it!> last year I found a fish magazine in our
local library. I borrowed the whole year's subscription and read it
during my kids Easter holidays. they haven't been very happy
because they had to prepare dinner by themselves. Aussie livestock locals hi bob, <Silvia> you're right with the locals. you hardly find them here in aquarium shops but probably overseas. sometimes I read in an article in an American magazine that someone keeps an Australian rainbow. I then wonder what species it would be. I am with the Australian new guinea fish association (ANGFA) and we take great care to recognise every species. and we even separate the different strains and try to keep track of them. <Yes, very important... for breeding, identification... many are quite different> when you are into it is so interesting. depending on from which creek you select the colouration is very different. we have people in the group who can tell by the colouration from which creek/ area the fish come. I find that amazing. <Indeed> people often don't appreciate the environment they live in. it is a shame. we had visitors from overseas over the xmas period and they were stunned. just what we have in our backyard! they only find it in the supermarket in the exotic area and the wildlife they only see in the zoo, just if. here there are so close you nearly can touch them. sometimes you can. <Well put> there is so much beauty in the little things. people often don't see it and don't take care of the environment. sometimes things are destroyed before we even got to know them. <Amen> because the natives are quite hardy they make good beginners fish from my point of view. I don't know why so many people start with goldfish in a little bowl. I like them only in a big pond outside. and the locals are really colourful too. but I was always a fancier of the "wild type" fish. Silvia <Keep on "beating that drum" Silvia. Bob Fenner> Great Barrier Reef Corals mostly dead by 2050 Have you seen this article? I guess our hobby is actually a good thing. If this is true I guess taking coral out <No. Thanks for sending it along> of the ocean and bringing to a more stable environment is a good thing. Maybe that is the only chance for survival? <Umm, no... as the planet goes, so do we. Bob Fenner> SYDNEY (AFP) - The brightly-coloured corals that make Australia's Great Barrier Reef one of the world's natural wonders will be largely dead by 2050 because of rising sea temperatures, according to a report released Saturday. Instead of the rich environment depicted in the recent movie Finding Nemo, the coral reef will be bleached out and replaced by ordinary seaweed, costing the tourism industry billion of dollars, the report into the impact of global warming says. Authors Hans and Ove Hoegh-Guldberg -- the head of Queensland University's marine studies centre and his economist father -- spent two years examining the effects of rising sea temperature on the reef for Queensland tourism authorities and the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF). Their 350-page report found no prospect of avoiding the "chilling long-term eventualities" of coral bleaching because greenhouse gases were already warming the seas as part of a process it said would take decades to stop. "Coral cover will decrease to less than five percent on most reefs by the middle of the century under even the most favourable assumptions," the report said. "This is the only plausible conclusion if sea temperatures continue to rise." Warmer sea waters make corals suffer thermal stress, eventually making them bleach and die. The report said this could occur if temperatures increased by as little as one degree centigrade, well below the two to six degrees water temperatures around the reef are expected to rise by over the next century. "There is no evidence that corals can adapt fast enough to match even the lower projected temperature rise," it found. Organisms reliant on coral would become rare or even face extinction, the report said. It said the bleaching would cost the economy up to eight billion dollars (6.24 billion US) and 12,000 jobs by 2020 under the worst-case scenario. Even under the best case scenario, about 6,000 jobs would be lost and tourists would be forced to visit "Great Barrier Reef theme parks" offshore to view the remaining coral. The reef covers more than 345,000 square kilometers (133,000 square miles) off Australia's northeast coast, making it the world's largest coral reef. Consisting of 2,900 interlinked reefs, 900 islands and 1,500 fish species, scientists consider it the world's largest living organism. Yet the delicate habitat faces numerous environmental threats, including chemical run off from farms, over-fishing, bleaching and the parasitic Crown-of-Thorns starfish, which attacks coral. The government announced plans in December to reduce farm run off and ban fishing in about a third of the reef in a bid to protect Australia's number one tourist draw card. But the report's authors said the government needed to do more, recommending Canberra ratify the Kyoto protocol on reducing greenhouse gases and take the lead in emission reduction. The WWF said urgent measures must be put in place to minimize reef damage and reduce greenhouse gases. "The argument for instant action is undeniable," WWF said in a statement. "Major reductions in greenhouse gas emissions must occur now, not in five or ten years time. This is likely to deliver major benefits to our societies both in the near-term and at times beyond 2050." Great Barrier Reef Questions 5/5/03 Why do the Great Barrier Reef is referred to as the world's largest living organisms?<Well... in short. Everything on the reef is dependent. The marine fish require the corals to live. The corals attract small fish which in turn attract larger fish.> Describe 3 major threats to the health of the Great Barrier Reef?<Global Warming, overfishing, pollution.> What do you think might be the wide-ranging effects on other living organisms if White Syndrome cannot be eradicated and the Great Barrier Reef is destroyed?<My gosh.. a LOT would happen. Mass deaths of marine animals would be the biggest result. Try a google search for more info on the reef. Hope this helps! Phil> Book: Sea Urchins of Australia and the Indo-Pacific It's finally available! Sea urchins of Australia and the Indo-Pacific Ashley Miskelly December 2002 180p. soft cover full colour throughout ISBN 0 9577455 6 7 The first full colour book ever published on Sea Urchins of Australia and the Indo-Pacific, this book describes and illustrates 85 of a known 220 species that occur throughout Australia and its offshore territories. Most of the species likely to be found from low tide to about 20m deep are included. Discover the variety of sea urchins that inhabit Australia and the Indo-Pacific as each sea urchin is described in a format that is not over-scientific nor too simple. Beachcombers, naturalists, divers, professional and amateur marine enthusiasts will all find this book useful. Each species is described in detail and illustrated with a number of colour photographs, showing, in most cases, the live urchin, and four different views of the test If you have previously ordered a copy, you do not need to do so again regards Patty **************************************************************************** ********** Worldwide postage A$10 per order! Bookshop: http://www.booksofnature.com **************************************************************************** **************** This is a once-only mailing to people dealing with the study of sea urchins. I am sorry to have disturbed you if you do not appreciate this information Dr. Patty Jansen Bookshop: http://www.booksofnature.com Publishing and info site: http://www.capricornica.com Books of Nature P.O. Box 345 Lindfield NSW 2070 Australia phone/fax: 02 9415 8098 international: +61 2 9415 8098 E-mail: capric@capricornica.com or books@booksofnature.com <Thank you for this notice. Will post on our root web. Bob Fenner, WetWebMedia.com> Re: 600,000L display tank in Australia <Now that's a
tank! And worthwhile visiting... even if you might slip into the water
yourself... Bob F> Cheers, Pete! > All is well over here in
Australia. Excellent to hear :) Our new tank is still going up slowly.
> Thanks very much for your previous thoughts on our project. A
pleasure, my friend. > Having not been on the net long I've been
familiarizing myself with some marine-based sites and have been most
impressed with coralrealm and WetWebMedia. Are there any other sites
you consider essential viewing? Wow... so many great places to visit.
Photography, ID, etc I like fishbase.org for fundamental taxonomy/ID...
and even some of the big message boards like reefcentral.com can offer
a nice pulse on the cutting edge techniques by aquarists in the hobby
(a lot of amateurs there as well... but some really good stuff too).
The e-zine Advanced Aquarist (http://www.advancedaquarist.com/) at
reefs.org is pretty good. And if anyone in your company can read
German, Daniel Knop's articles and work have been quite good
(fascinating recent article on Entacmaea quadricolor imposed
propagation in captivity). > For a very large tank such as ours,
what would be the best quarantine procedure for fish we have just
caught? Do follow zoological protocol: 4 weeks bare-bottomed, dim lit
display. Sponge filtration (easily maintained/sterilized), non-porous
artifacts (PVC pipe fittings) for hiding security and sterility
(non-absorptive to meds if necessary). Medication is optional but
recommended. I'd suggest freshwater dips coming in and/or going
out. Formalin for all for first several days to one week. Malachite
green in concert with Formalin for those that can/will tolerate it
(large scaled fishes yes... but never scaleless, Elasmobranchs or small
scaled species). I do not care for copper at all... there are very few
things that it is truly effective against. More often it is
inconvenient and ineffective. Anything if can kill... formalin can kill
as well or better (especially with malachite). Still... it is an
industry standard for controlling "Ich". If you choose to use
it... please dose and test for concentrations twice daily... critical
to maintain therapeutic levels. My best advice for controlling
parasites in QT is a daily water changes siphoned from the bottom every
day for the first 8 consecutive days. It has been proven to
"cure" Ich without any meds by breaking the larval (Tomite)
cycle. I learned this from Blasiola and Gratzek (fish pathology at U.
Georgia/Athens) Do individuals need to be held in separate tanks, or
could we put through say 20 green Chromis in one tank? For most fishes
it would be best to keep one per tank. However in this case (with so
many tiny fishes of the same species) I could live with the group QT if
you are strict with the 4 week QT. I cannot emphasize strongly enough
how critical the full 4 week QT is. While most diseases will be
expressed within the first 2 weeks... some can be dormant for nearly
one month. Be strict my friend. > Is a freshwater dip followed by
four weeks observation and bottom-siphoning the best treatment? Right
on, my brother! Would you recommend combining methylene blue with the
dip for newly captured fish? It is a good idea for most fishes... but
some small scaled (Chromis) and scaleless species are quite sensitive
to it. Yes... a little M. blue is good. > Similarly with corals and
other invertebrates, can we hold more than one specimen per quarantine
tank? Definitely in this case... with inverts infectious diseases are
expressed quickly as a rule. Qt with inverts is really for screening
pests and predators (bait for hitchhikers in the tank by suspending
corals on racks or tiers and leave meaty foods on the glass bottom to
lure predatory crabs, mantis, etc from the rocks. Many great tips and
tricks here for screening corals of problem worms, crabs, shrimp, etc.
We have some 4600L fiberglass aquaculture tanks with the floor
sloping to a centre drain that we could use for this purpose.
Excellent... just try to do small batches to reduce the impact if an
infectious disease should manifest. > I'm happy to ask these
questions via a site such as WetWebMedia if you > prefer, so that
others may also benefit from your wisdom. Actually... that would be
great, my friend! Many aquarists around the world would love to hear of
your facility and learn from our exchanges. Always feel welcome to
e-mail me privately just the same... but please to submit husbandry
queries to WetWebMedia.com And I thank you for your consideration :) I
will forward this to Bob just the same so that he can post it. >
Regards, Pete McKenzie |
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