Melanotaenia species Morehead River.
Mar 24, 2017 4:42:35 GMT -6
via Tapatalk
rainbowbratt likes this
Post by dave pauls on Mar 24, 2017 4:42:35 GMT -6
Okay so this is one of those weird lost fish. Hopefully I'll get this story right. Gary might need to correct me on it.
This fish was collected in the 90's by Heiko Bleher. He didn't make too much of a fuss about it and distributed it to just a few people. He said it was from the Morehead River. People saw the fish and immediately said, "that's a really nice trifasciata." Because there is a Morehead River on Cape York Peninsula in Australia, and Heiko had been collecting in Australia in that time period, people assumed that that is where this "trifasciata" was from. But, every time the Australia Morehead River was surveyed, no trifasciata were found. And that's how it stayed until the mid 2000s when Gary was up here in Canada at the CAOAC convention doing a talk on rainbowfish.
Heiko was also at the convention and when the slide of this fish came up, Gary discribed it as trifasciata Morehead. Heiko put his hand up and said "I collected that fish in New Guinea" and I actually witnessed Gary's mind melt. It was fairly amazing.
So way back in the 90's, before sp. Kiunga and picta, aru IV, Timika and Dekai, there was Morehead. And it is an awesome fish.
They don't grow as big as most fish in this species group, maxing out at around 4" and they change colours like a squid. They have become extremely rare and for no good reason. They are easy to keep and Breed and their colour and shape can rival any trifasciata.
This fish was collected in the 90's by Heiko Bleher. He didn't make too much of a fuss about it and distributed it to just a few people. He said it was from the Morehead River. People saw the fish and immediately said, "that's a really nice trifasciata." Because there is a Morehead River on Cape York Peninsula in Australia, and Heiko had been collecting in Australia in that time period, people assumed that that is where this "trifasciata" was from. But, every time the Australia Morehead River was surveyed, no trifasciata were found. And that's how it stayed until the mid 2000s when Gary was up here in Canada at the CAOAC convention doing a talk on rainbowfish.
Heiko was also at the convention and when the slide of this fish came up, Gary discribed it as trifasciata Morehead. Heiko put his hand up and said "I collected that fish in New Guinea" and I actually witnessed Gary's mind melt. It was fairly amazing.
So way back in the 90's, before sp. Kiunga and picta, aru IV, Timika and Dekai, there was Morehead. And it is an awesome fish.
They don't grow as big as most fish in this species group, maxing out at around 4" and they change colours like a squid. They have become extremely rare and for no good reason. They are easy to keep and Breed and their colour and shape can rival any trifasciata.
.