I wish to thank all those who have viewed the blog ( Own your own ) I have had well over 3000 hits. To those people who are dedicated to the long term recovery of native fish in Australia keep up the good work .

Cheers

Stephen

If you are an native fish lover and own a aquarium you may wish to own a native blackfish  I have been given permission to sell some to the public so I can recoup some of my expenses.

they will cost $20 each and must be picked up at the hatchery for direction and sales you must phone stephen on 0407843998

these fish are great aquarium fish they have a personality unlike any other fish they will eat earth worms meal worms crickets any insects blood worms etc you can get all the food you need from a pet shop or catch your own , no heater is required these are cold water fish and just need clean water preferably tank water to avoid chlorine and fluoride  .

The next batch will be born in Nov-Jan this year if you would like to own one you will need to pre book at the no. above. Continue reading →

We are lucky to live near  two of the best and most accessible lakes in Victoria Australia, lake Bullen Merri and lake Purrumbete , these are lakes that have formed in the bottom of dormant volcanos they are deep and cold and hold good amounts of salmonoids (trout) Bullen Merri has some issues with fish kills from time to time and blue green algae also closes the lake nearly every year, to much nutrient in the water, this should be looked at and a remedied  however it is in the to hard basket, that basket is quite full.

lake Purrumbete is superb and if you haven’t been there you  should go, you can see quite a bit from the shore but to experience it properly a boat is needed.

The photo above is south beach lake Bullen Merri

The water in the outside cement tanks is 10 degrees that is still comfortable for these fish however if it gets to 5 6 7 it could be a problem so I have put this 500 litre black tank inside the green house the water should warm with the heat from the greenhouse and then if needed I can flush it into the tank outside, the water in the black tank is already 11 degrees so already it would be of benefit.

We have had good rains at the farm and all catchments should fill in the next day or so, this is pond no 4 and it is near full.

I travel a lot with my work and I come across things that I think are interesting here is a toadstool I came across recently growing in pine needles.

UPDATE: Well over 4000 views

UPDATE: It is impossible to reply to over 3500 views but it is fantastic to see such passion for this great little fish, many have asked where am I , I am in the southwest of Victoria Australia if you wish to contact me my mob is 0407843998 you must ring before a visit because my work involves some travel and I am often away during the daytime  

If you would like more information on anything you see here please don’t hesitate to  get in touch.

Stephens

MOB/ 0407843998

Everyone who has come to see the fish get to stick their heads in this bucket its a good way of seeing into the water here I am showing a guest how to use it, all I did was get some glass from an old pair of diving googles and silicone them into the bottom, you can buy commercially made ones if you like. notice the water snails around the edge of the tank they help to keep it clean.

If you wish to visit the breeding facility you must phone stephen on 0407843998 the best time to visit is the spring to summer period .

Blue gums are they friend or foe ? I don’t know however lots of individuals believe they are bad for the black fish that inhabit the streams and river which flow through or past the trees. As far as I can see there are several ways a tree could be dangerous to fish the first is any herbicide that was used when the trees  were first planted second is there a chemical in the leaves that could cause problems and third is it the monoculture plantings, meaning that all the trees are of the one variety and if there is some chemical being exuded from the trees could the grouping of so many of the same trees cause a build up of chemicals that then make there way into the rivers and streams. Test will need to carried out to determine which one is causing the problem.

These birds are in my greenhouse looking for insects they are in no danger from chemicals because there are none, I don’t use any chemicals just fresh water  I realise that if you have a balanced environment then chemicals are not needed I accept if you have a higher density of fish some chemicals are required to maintain health however they must be kept to a minimum we are farming water just as much as fish good water equals good fish. It follows that if we wish to have these balanced and diverse ecosystem in the wild we must keep chemicals out of our environment and of course our water.Blackfish have a habit of stirring up the detritus on the bottom of there habitat and then trawling back through it to collect any food that may have been dislodged this behaviour could be a reason why they are exposed to higher levels of toxins than other species of fish.  I think these birds are a type of finch.