Redfin sources

[MarkEinOz]

Hi Folks,

My father successfully kept redfin in his version of flood and drain AP. Interestingly he is only really focussed on hydro side of things and so simply has a plastic lined bench with polystirene fruit boxes filled with gravel, and simply cycles a pump every 1/2 hour from the 1 sump tank.

This is where it gets odd. He had 1/2 dozen redfin in the tank and where doing just dandy on their handful or worms a couple of times a week. The weird bit is that whilst Dad do not believe in using chemicals or hydro solutions, he would just stick 1-2 kgs of dynamic lifter into a hessian sack and submerge in the tank - WITH THE FISH!

He did that monthly, and the fish lived for about 8 months, until he topped up the water from a chlorinated supply and they all died within 30 minutes.

What do you make of all that??
Oh and my other question was - does anyone know of a supplier of redfin fingerlings(which I am doubtful)?

[GaryD]

Hi Mark,

I'm always amazed at how someone can do something that all of the conventional wisdom suggests is wrong.......and succeed admirably.

Of course, that sense of amazement only happens after I get over the initial irritation that arises from my view of the world being overturned again.

I'm not aware of anyone providing Redfin fingerlings. I thought that they were a semi-pest sort of fish.

Perhaps Fishfood might know if someone's got them.

Gary

[MarkEinOz]

I'm with you on this on Gary. My father is contrary with most things - part of his charm! Also being a career mixed farmer and orchardist he is a master of observation and can anticipate the needs of his charges well. A skill that skipped a generation darn it!

Re the Reddies, they are a great sporting fish, and are extremely delicious flaky white flesh. They are astonishingly aggressive hunters though and live in a same size shoal, and they operate just like wolves, herding baitfish into a nook and then 2-3 of them go to town on the chow.

So in AP a mixed tank just wont work, but they will do well when they are the same size.

They also have the strange ability to shrink their muscle mass and skeletons to accomodate the food supply when scarce. A really interesting fish.

They are a threatening fish to natives, except where carp are present which apparently stuff the reddies nests up and thereby control populations. Who would have thought that carp would be a champion.....

[GaryD]

Hi Mark,

My father is contrary with most things - part of his charm!

I've been described as contrarian, too. If the alternative is to run with the herd on everything, I'm happy with the title.

Gary