DURING A VACATION IN TROPICAL AUSTRALIA in October 2016,
I had the opportunity to observe two representatives of
the genus Pseudomugil (blue-eyes) and several species of
rainbowfishes in their natural habitats. Before setting
out I had contacted Bruce Hansen, the former presi-
dent and a present member of ANGFA (Australian New
Guinea Fishes Association), who promised to show me
some rainbowfish habitats near Innisfail in Queensland,
northeastern Australia. One site was just south of the
city, the other along the Bruce Highway to Gordonvale,
not far from the coast south of Cairns.
The climate in that area is tropical, and there is
significant rainfall during the rainy season—about 11.5
feet (3.5 m)—so water values in these habitats fluctu-ate considerably, depending on the season. According to
local experts, the water is soft and acidic during the dry
season and soft but neutral during the rainy season. It is
pointless to examine the water parameters once dur-
ing a holiday trip—it should be done at least twice, once
during the rainy season and once during the dry season,
to get accurate values. ANGFA recommends keeping the
tropical species from this region under the following
conditions: 68–80°F (20–27°C), pH 7.0–7.2, hardness
4–10°dGH.Fishing
When I arrived in Cairns, Bruce and another member of
the local aquarium club, Dominic Ruggiero, took me on aOpposite Top: Harvey Creek,
home to a number of native
Australian rainbowfishes and
blue-eyes.
Opposite Bottom: The Cairns
Rainbowfish, Cairnsichthys
rhombosomoides, is an
Australian rainbowfish rarely
found in the hobby.H. H. BOECK
AMAZONAS
The Pacific Blue-Eye, Pseudomugil
signifer, from Harvey Creek.