Murray cod

[ashdavid]

Has anyone kept a murray cod?　I have been thinking about getting one for years.

[rayman45]

what are they

[ashdavid]

what are they


Check this out, http://www.nativefish.asn.au/cod.html
Australia's monster. :drool:

[rayman45]

i want one

[ashdavid]

I've got one, it is only 4 inches at the moment but it ate my 6 inch bala today, i knew they had big mouths ,but I didn't know they were that big. You should see his stomach it looks like it is going to explode. I just want to know if anyone eles has grown one of these beasts up to a good size. Vry slow growers and it wont eat anything else but feeders.

[ashdavid]

Here is another site, click (http://images.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http://www.mudeyelures.com/Cod_126cm_Gav.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.mudeyelures.com/mudeye_lures_-_video_archive.html&h=200&w=241&sz=15&tbnid=U7k5JzP2vuEJ:&tbnh=87&tbnw=105&hl=en&start=58&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmurray%2Bcod%26start%3D40%26hl%3Den%2 6lr%3D%26rls%3DGGLD,GGLD:2005-16,GGLD:en%26sa%3DN)

[piranha45]

surprised they'd be such growers, having such a large max size and voracious appetite.

they are critically endangered, according to fishbase.org

[IoStrisciare]

whoa.... this is def only suitable for a single fish tank...

[ashdavid]

surprised they'd be such growers, having such a large max size and voracious appetite.

they are critically endangered, according to fishbase.org


They can live up to 100 years, and they are endangered but with all the aqua culture going on these days , they can now be found in the aquarium trade for little cost.

[Steve_89]

Do you live in Australia ashdavid??

[The TRUST]

Very cool fish. another cool Aussie Native I liek is the eel tail catfish :)

[ashdavid]

Do you live in Australia ashdavid??
I am Australian living in Japan, and I had one imported for me. Steve you live in Australia right? :)

[Kutty]

What the...? A 4'' fish eating a 6'' fish? WTF?!!!

[ashdavid]

What the...? A 4'' fish eating a 6'' fish? WTF?!!!

I couldn't believe it either, I had been feeding him 1" feeders, but I wanted him to eat some dead fish strips or pellets and he wouldn't touch them, all the while my 6" bala was in with him cleaning up all the food he refused to eat. So I was starving him for about 4 days when I came home from work and he had the bala almost completely swollowed, his stomach was was sooo out of shape and was like he had swallowed a deformed pin-pong ball. I swear his stomach was going to bust a seem , but it didn't. :cry: :headbang2

[Hasi]

Insanity!!!

I will find some pics of this MONSTER to post for you guys, you should see how big these things get, and their mouth....my GOODNESS.....can swallow a human head no problems!

[Hasi]

Here are some i have found, will post bigger ones of these monsters.....
NOTE: These fish eat ANYTHING!! They have been caught on sausages, cheese, pork you name it. :hitting:

Smallish (http://www.fishvictoria.com/pyoursay/galleries/050404crabby.php)

Medium cod (http://www.fishvictoria.com/pyoursay/galleries/041207jack.php)

Biggish (http://www.fishvictoria.com/pyoursay/galleries/041021djcod.php)

Big (http://www.fishvictoria.com/pyoursay/galleries/041027redgirl.php)

Hugeish (http://www.fishvictoria.com/pyoursay/galleries/040706gar.php)

Huge (http://www.fishvictoria.com/pyoursay/galleries/040421david.php)

Had to add this (http://www.fishvictoria.com/pyoursay/galleries/030513cod.php) one in...

Enjoy!

[Kutty]

The first three or four all look the same size...

[Steve_89]

I am Australian living in Japan, and I had one imported for me. Steve you live in Australia right? :)


Yeah man I do :)

What plans have you got for this fish??

Should be awesome :drool:

Im going fishing for ozzy arowana tomorrow. I might catch a cod of some type *fingers crossed*

[piranha45]

those are some impressive pics. Like kutty said, if the weights hadn't been listed I would've thought the first 4 were all the same size.

[redtailfool]

Love how it looks! Can anybody import these badboys to the us? Paging Wes (not myself) ...


Is it eaten too ? If so, how does it taste?

[Hasi]

Yes it is eaten. Some say it is great eating and some say they have had better, these fish stay in ONE area of a lake/river their whole life. They dont relocate or anything like that (the big ones anyway) and thats what makes it hard to catch the big ones, but the little ones are just like any other fish. They have an enormous appetite and as i said will eat anything.

You are what you eat and if the fish is eating other fish and meaty foods then i guess it will taste better then a fish that eats stuff like cheese so i think thats the factor.

Dont know about importing them, i'll ask around if you cant find anything on the internet.

[Hasi]

Steve where in Aus are you? And WHERE can you catch aussie arowana? I'd love to give it a go and drop one in the tank!!!!

[Steve_89]

Im in Brisbane. You can get them in Wivenhoe damn. But they are restocking them because the numbers are down. So I dont ever take any home for aquarium use even though my aro is a wild caught. I also find that wild caughts are way way more skittish and will jump all the time. There are a few other places aswell if you want them PM me.

Where are you??

[M|L]

Murray cod = I want.

:)

[redtailfool]

Yes it is eaten. Some say it is great eating and some say they have had better, these fish stay in ONE area of a lake/river their whole life. They dont relocate or anything like that (the big ones anyway) and thats what makes it hard to catch the big ones, but the little ones are just like any other fish. They have an enormous appetite and as i said will eat anything.

You are what you eat and if the fish is eating other fish and meaty foods then i guess it will taste better then a fish that eats stuff like cheese so i think thats the factor.

Dont know about importing them, i'll ask around if you cant find anything on the internet.

Cool. Thanks for the info. :cheers:

[ashdavid]

　　I was just wondering , have any of you guys kept one to a big size?

[hardb0iled]

Just stumbled across this thread, so thought I would drag it back up!

I have a Murray Cod which I just aquired about 3 weeks ago. Only about 8-9cm at the moment but growing quickly.

I spent many days trying to catch these things fishing as a kid and the best we managed was a 15cm baby! On one trip to the Murray River as a child I remember some guys spotting a huge one in a shallow backwater. It had obviously become stranded in the lagoon as the flood waters receeded. They chased it around the lagoon and shot at it with an air rifle, eventually dragging it from the water. This thing was so big you could fit your head inside its mouth! They took it home tied to the roof racks of their car! Such a shame for a great fish to come to an end like that.

They are getting very rare now - the combination of plague propertions of european carp in the murray river, motorboating causing bank errosion and silting up the water, low water levels due to farming irrigation etc. as well as over fishing have all combined to make the Murray Cod now pretty rare. Expecially the big ones!

[Steve_89]

If you dont mind, how much did you pay for it??

Have you got pics??

[Hasi]

Mate it is shocking, i hate carp with a passion - such a shame to be losing a monster native such as the murray cod BUT i must say from last season to this season there has been an improvement in juvenile cods

[hardb0iled]

I only paid about AU$12 for it.

I usually see about 2 or 3 appear in my LFS then once they go it will be another 6-12 months before I see any again. So this time I grabbed one whilst I had the chance. Unfortunately I think he will outgrow and eat his tank mates pretty quickly. At the moment he is sharing a 4x2x2 tank with a 25cm Bala Shark and a couple of Angels. The angels if I cant find a good home to give them to I will prob trade them back to the aquarium store. The shark I'm not sure what to do? Its about 12years old and at the moment the Cod doesnt bother him due to its size but as people have mentioned - as soon as something will fit on the cods mouth they will eat it! Even if its as big as they are! I may have to set-up another tank for the shark.

I dont have any pics at the moment but hope to get some this weekend so I will post back when I do.

Yeah carp are a major nuisance! We would catch 100's of them just for fun and then have to dig a big hole to bury them in because its illegal to throw them back in the water!

[M|L]

have to dig a big hole to bury them in because its illegal to throw them back in the water!

LOLLLL that's funny. :ROFL:

[hardb0iled]

...awwwww arent they cute! :hearts:

http://www.scieng.flinders.edu.au/biology/people/qin_j/cod.jpg

..this isnt mine by the way, but it does look like an aquarium raised fish.

[Hasi]

Indeed it does. Dont cod do better at about 22 or less degrees? I wanted to get one but i keep my temp at 26 - 27

[hardb0iled]

I'm not sure what temps they do best at but they do come from non tropical waters (ie. S.E Aust). I have my temp set at ~24c which tends to keep him and the Bala Shark/Angels happy.

I think their metabolism speeds up in warmer water so they eat a lot more and grow a lot faster? The colder the water they tend to slow down a little. If it was just him in the tank by himself I would probably drop the temp to 18-20? But I'm no expert on the subject?

[hardb0iled]

Ok, I managed a few quick piccies of my baby Murray Cod. At the moment he is probably only about 8-9cm long. After seeing all these magnificent photos of everyones fish, I didnt realise it would be so hard to photograph them! My pics turned out terrible! :cry:

Anyone have any tips for photographing fish in aquariums? The camera is a basic point and shoot digital. I'm pretty sure I need a lot more light as the fish always come out blurry due to slow shutter speed. I disabled the flash because the flash caused the photos to look terrible.

Also my fish wont co-operate and act natural! They see me coming and all hang around at one end of the tank waiting for food! :swear:

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=2/medium/mc5.JPG (http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=2/medium/mc5.JPG)

Some more badly photographed images in my gallery if anyone is interested ;)

[Hasi]

Nice juvie you have there. Well here in Vic they are found in freshwater rivers and the temp wouldn't be higher then 22degress in my opinion but im no expert on these fish.

I want one aswell but my temp is at 27 :(

[hardb0iled]

I'm a Vic resident too, Melbourne.

[Capo]

OH!
Hey im from Australia and i have had 2 of Murray Cod in the past, one grew to 27cm, he was great!
The most recent one was bought as a really little baby :D he was the coolest fish, he ate anthing and everything, then i put a redfin in the tank (known as yellow perch in US) and the murray was smaller so he became scared, he grew from 1"-6" in about 6 months.
I returned him to my LFS about 3 weeks ago.... :( for mlawis.....ahhh, now i want him back, i wish i didnt find this thread, i really want my murray again :cry:

(what to do.....get 12 calvus or....some aussie natives?) :naughty:

[Capo]

Here is/was my baby :grinyes:

[Hasi]

Wow what a character! GET IT BACK! hehe

I'm from Melb aswell good to see some Aussies getting into MF and MFK.com! :headbang2

[Steve_89]

Nice fish guys :)

[m-codrule]

hey im new 2 this site im from australia i have had my cod 4 a while now he is atleast 25cms so he is relatively small he eats any fish the same size or smaller, yabbies, shrimp pellets and beef heat, here is some pics of him in his 6 foot tank enjoy :)

http://users.on.net/~richard.norrish/karl/mcod1.jpg

http://users.on.net/~richard.norrish/karl/mcod2.jpg

[bundy]

Hey

This is my Murray Cod, purchased as a fingerling he is now around 13cm long, pics are a bit out of date sorry.

http://www.users.on.net/~richard.norrish/aquarium/mcod2.jpg

http://www.AusFishForum.com/forum/album_pic.php?pic_id=979


enjoy ;)

[Richie]

With all those carp, you can either eat them, the main reason they have been moved around the world, or make them into fish food. Bit of a waste to throw them away?

[Vince]

A Predator fish that eats cheese!!! Very cool. Wish my dats would eat cheese!!!

This is based on the first picture caught on cheese bait.

[hardb0iled]

With all those carp, you can either eat them, the main reason they have been moved around the world, or make them into fish food. Bit of a waste to throw them away?

Nup, they taste like crap unless you take the time to prepare them properly (salt the meat and use spices etc.) I know I have tried to eat them! There was an old Italian guy who used to fish near us on the Murray and he told us how you could cook them so they were reasonably edible but its not worth the trouble. Especially when you catch so bloody many of them!

Its illegal to put them back into the water so the only option is to bury them a certain distance from the bank.

We used to walk through the back water lagoons, they would be about chest height(but he mud was nearly waist deep!) and we'd feel around and herd 100's of them into a corner of the lagoon and just throw them on the bank with our bare hands - some were so big you had trouble dragging them out of the water! We would literaly pull hundreds of fish from each lagoon! :eek:

[Capo]

Hehehe, ahhh carp. Worst fish ever introduced in history lol
Yeah ive caught a few carp, and seen plenty over 10kg but havent caught one that big myself.
Oh and that lagoon sounds AWESOME! that would be heaps fun!
OH btw, im getting another murray cod, im changing my substrate too because if you saw in my last pics, the substrate is black which gives him that wierd colour so i will use some light browny coloured substrate with BIG river rocks! COOOOOOL!

[Hasi]

Hey fellas,

I live in Melbourne in the western suburbs, i wouldn't mind a good fishing trip to kill some time fishing for carp. If you guys can spare some great spots for carp fishing let me know please... PM me or on here will do fine...we could even get together at the location if you guys are interested?

Let me know

[hardb0iled]

The place we used to go to was near Tocumwal, the exact spot is hard to find because you have to cut through private property(a couple of cow paddocks and through some bush), but the beauty was that no one really knew about it at that stage so we would camp there for 3 or 4 days without seeing anyone else. Loads of carp!

The backwaters are seasonal, the river floods, all the carp go into the bush and then the water receeds and the fish are trapped in these lagoons which keep getting smaller until the carp number are concentrated so much you wade through the water and feel them brushing against you! The water is that muddy the only time you can see them is by looking for the disturbance on the top of the water as they swim around. This one time it was really bad, so many carp. The reason we tried to catch as many as we could was coz as soon as the river floods again all these fish end up back in the main river!

[Steve_89]

Hey fellas,

I live in Melbourne in the western suburbs, i wouldn't mind a good fishing trip to kill some time fishing for carp. If you guys can spare some great spots for carp fishing let me know please... PM me or on here will do fine...we could even get together at the location if you guys are interested?

Let me know

Or you could come leichardti fishing with me :headbang2

Warmer weather is among us!

[Hasi]

Or you could come leichardti fishing with me :headbang2

Warmer weather is among us!


For sure! Might come down to QLD at end of the year with a few mates, will definitely take you up on that if i get a chance :thumbsup:

[rumblesushi]

This sounds interesting, I've certainly never seen one for sale anywhere here in the UK.

Could you tell me how on earth it eats fish the same size as it? :D

By biting them into chunks or by digesting it over a course of days, catfish style?

[hardb0iled]

Yeah mine eats anything I put in the tank, I take a bit of beef heart or fish fillet which I think is plenty for him, drop it in - bang! Its gone and he's still there wanting more! They have like this elastic stomach that just expands until it looks like they swallowed a basket ball - that and huge mouth!

[Hasi]

HUMONGOUS, HUGE, BIG MOUTH!

[m-codrule]

i was wondering what other australian natives you guys can get overseas :) ?

[guppy]

Hiya and welcome to MFK.
Not a lot of fresh water aussie fish show up in the US. I was just whining about that in the welcome posts. Australian aros do and sometimes lungfish. You have some great natives, huge crayfish, and a lot of unique brachish fish like eel cats. I would love a small tank full of jellybean jollytails, even the name makes me smile, and as for salt water how about a couple banded tonguesoles and a couple mouth almighties? We do get archerfish fairly often, I'm going to make a list of goodies I would like and can't find. How about you diggers tell me about the natives you keep?

[m-codrule]

today i gave a 15cm goldfish 2 my murray cod :D

[MFK_23]

Hey fellas,

If ur interested in a medium murray cod there is a 8incher at wetpetz, brisbane.

Hey steve u gone fishin yet? I'm goin fishin in the leslie harrison dam on friday, it is illegal to fish there, but have heard that there are tons of fish in there so i am gonna chance it lol :headbang2 . Hopefully will catch a nice tandanus cat (eeltail catfish)

I went fishin for toga in wivenhoe b4, but all i caught was salmon tail catfish caught 2 that were 2.5ft. Hope u have better success than me in catchin toga.

Dylan

[Mahseer]

Murray Cod, yet another Aussie fish that I wish to God would make it to the States :(

[m-codrule]

im surprised u guys don't have that many aus natives in america :( , we have alot available here :D

[guppy]

How many north american darters do you see? lol
Hiya m-codrule, welcome to MFK.

[m-codrule]

the only american natives i think i have seen in aus. are cichlids :(

[Goodoo]

Hi guys, great site, great thread.

As somone who takes the biology and the conservation of the Australian cod species seriously, it's nice to see such interest in them. Thought I could assist with some of the things people were wondering about.

Very slow growers and it won’t eat anything else but feeders


Actually Murray cod can grow very quickly in seasonally warm water temperatures to about the 50-60 cm mark. Most Murray cod can hit 60 - 65 cm in 5 years in seasonally warm water temperatures and food rich conditions. In one newly flooded warm impoundment a 4 year old fish weighing 12 kilos was recorded, though this water an extreme growth rate.

They are live food specialists in the wild, taking other fish, crayfish and other living creatures opportunistically. Yep, in tanks they can become fussy and spoilt and quickly get to the point where they refuse to take anything but live food. Some owners don't mind this ;-) The only way to avoid this is to feed them lots of dead foods and keep live foods an occasional "treat".

they are critically endangered, according to fishbase.org

Murray cod have fared better than the other cod species and sub-species. While all of the other cod species and sub-species are endangered or critically endangered, Murray cod are listed as "Vulnerable" under most state legislation and under Commonwealth (national) legislation.

All cod species are big, slow growing, long-lived, territorial, aggressive species with a relatively low fecundity. They are incredibly vulnerable to overfishing and habitat degradation. As indicated above, all the other cod species and sub-species are in BIG trouble. There's a lot of concern now over the future of wild Murray cod stocks too.

Is it eaten too ? If so, how does it taste?

Supposed to be good, but then Golden perch (another native) are supposed to be good too, and they're very ordinary. Haven't tried to eat Cod, don't intend to. Could never kill one.

these fish stay in ONE area of a lake/river their whole life. They dont relocate or anything like that (the big ones anyway) and thats what makes it hard to catch the big ones

Migration in cod species is not fully understood yet. Most are showing that they can be quite migratory at times. With Murray cod, larvae deliberately drift downstream at night for 4-7 days after leaving the hatching site, and adult (radio-tagged) Murray cod have been recorded migrating up to 120 kilometres upstream (during floods and freshes in late winter and early spring) for spawning. What is remarkable is they then head back downstream and return to the EXACT SAME SNAG (sunken tree) they left from.

think their metabolism speeds up in warmer water so they eat a lot more and grow a lot faster? The colder the water they tend to slow down a little. If it was just him in the tank by himself I would probably drop the temp to 18-20? But I'm no expert on the subject?

Even though they get close to sub-tropical latitudes in their natural distribution, the cod species are basically temperate fish species.

Cod have wide temperature tolerances, from roughly 4 degrees through to the low 30s Celcius, so they certainly don't need heated tanks.

However, Optimum temperatures for growth and comfort of fish is much more restricted. Cod don't do much growing below 20 degrees, almost none below 18 degrees. They do most of their growing in the warmer half of the year - late spring, summer, and early autumn. An excellent all-round temperature for them in a tank would be around 24 degrees.

I have grown my Murray cod to almost 30 centimetres in less than 12 months. Even though Murray cod don't need tank heaters - and I don't use a heater now - to get my Murray cod from the tiny stage to the start where he could start eating feeders, I kept the tank at 24 degrees for the first few months, and fed him tons of whitebait, prawn pieces and small live shrimp. Once he was big enough to take feeders I gradually turned the heater down and then removed it. Now he lives in an unheated tank and is fine. As mentioned above, they live in the temperate parts of Australia and cop cold temperatures in the wild, so they can handle them.


I suppose in finishing I would say that Murray cod are indeed a great fish and a unique Australian animal. They are certainly worth keeping. They are very beautiful in their colouration and markings, and have a lot of personality and character for a fish. They are aggressive and territorial and they DO have big mouths. It is usual for all tanks companions to be either beaten to death or eaten. But a single cod in a large tank is more than enough entertainment, especially with live feeders.

Murray cod certainly should be of interest to people keeping BIG fish in aquariums. Most Murray cod will reach 15- 20 kilos if fishing pressure and food resources allow, and some will reach sizes of 40 - 50 kilos. They have been aged to 49 years old and definitely reach ages in excess of 70 years. A great fish indeed.

cheers


Simon

[Goodoo]

Just realised that my post sounds a bit contradictory in that I said Murray cod can grow quite fast, but described the cod species as a whole as slow growing.

Just to clarify, cod species can grow quickly in food rich conditions, but in most habitats in the wild grow more slowly. Also cod species grow very quickly to the size of first sexual maturity (50-65 cm) and then slow down quite a bit. The rub is that is fish well into this slower growing stage that are the best and most fecund breeders.

cheers


Simon

[Hasi]

Simon (Goodoo),

GREAT post and interesting info you have provided us with! Thanks for the post and hope to see more of your contribution to this great site! :thumbsup:

[1tina]

I just found this forum today, and GooDoo, you beat me to it.

I have kept Murray Cod in the past, and curretnly have 1.
The last 2 that I had I had to sell due to them outgrowing their tank.
I had them for just over 12 months. Originally purchased at 3 Cms, they grew to 30 Cms before I sold them.
They are now happily living in their own tanks.

I do not have any type of heating in my native tank. The temp does change, and quite dramatically during the year as well. From as low as 14 degrees in winter right up to around 35 degrees in summer.

They are a slow growing fish in the colder months, however they do gow quite quickly in the right enviroment.

As for importing, I don't know if this is available.
If it is, I would suggest to those who are thinking about getting one out of Australia to buy a huge tank, as releasing them into the wild over there is not a good thing. (this is how carp got into our waterways.)

Carp is one of australia's biggest vermin. It is illigal to relase them back into the water, even when dead as their eggs have a huge survival rate even if the carp is dead. I usually just leave them on the bank after cutting their throat. Or use them for bait for other types of fishing.
Cod, in my opinion would have to be one of the best tasting australian native fish, however due to increasing numbers, I only get to 1 a year.
As some-one else has suggested, golden perch is another great tasting australian native, some say that the goldens are almost as good cod, I doubt that.

Hope some of this info helps.

GooDoo knows a lot about australian natives, so I woudl take notice when he has something to say about them. I have learnt lots from him on other forums.

[Capo]

Hey! i have decided that i will stock my Semi above ground pond with Aussie natives!
It should house a few since it is 890 or something gallons.
Its going to have Murray Cod, Silver Perch, Golden Perch, Tandanus Catfish and maybe some aussie bass.
I cant wait, i start building in the next two weeks!!!!

[Hasi]

Hey! i have decided that i will stock my Semi above ground pond with Aussie natives!
It should house a few since it is 890 or something gallons.
Its going to have Murray Cod, Silver Perch, Golden Perch, Tandanus Catfish and maybe some aussie bass.
I cant wait, i start building in the next two weeks!!!!

Sounds awesome! Get some pics up of the process

[m-codrule]

spot on goodoo :D

[Goodoo]

Thanks guys. Glad you found the info interesting.

Realised I didn't touch on the Carp issue above... Yep, I hate Carp too. They have done massive damage to our inland rivers and I believe this damage has been seriously underestimated. All of the people who lived/fished/swam in our inland rivers said they were very clear with rich weed growth in summer and autumn (sometimes you could see the big cod swimming about!) and all of these people said this clear water and weed growth disappeared instantly when the Carp came in and has never really come back.

Certainly our inland rivers are permanently turbid today with little weed growth. And there are studies that show Carp DO destroy water weed and raise turbidity now.

All of this has massive implications for river productivity, functioning of river ecosystems and small native fish, which again I think most people including most scientists haven't thought about.

I suppose you could say in the simplest sense that millions of tons of biomass that should be taking the form of aquatic weed, biofilm, invertebrates and small native fish is now taking the form of millions of tons of Carp, and that has to be a bad thing.

Bloody Carp... Yep, it was a sad day when they got into our inland rivers.

Hopefully Daughterless Technology (look it up on the net) will allow us to get rid of them one day.

cheers


Simon

[m-codrule]

here are some pics of my murray cod-coddly, he is relatively small at 31cm's i have had him since he was realy small and he is just over a year old now :D enjoy
http://www.AusFishForum.com/forum/album_pic.php?pic_id=1023

http://www.AusFishForum.com/forum/album_pic.php?pic_id=1022

http://www.AusFishForum.com/forum/album_pic.php?pic_id=1021

http://www.AusFishForum.com/forum/album_pic.php?pic_id=1020

http://www.AusFishForum.com/forum/album_pic.php?pic_id=1019

http://www.AusFishForum.com/forum/album_pic.php?pic_id=1017

[hardb0iled]

Cool, great fish m-codrule!

A friend sent me some pics of his ~40cm Murray Cod. They arent the greatest pics but you get the idea, here's a couple:

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=2/medium/Billy_web.JPG (http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=2/medium/Billy_web.JPG)

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=2/medium/Phase_2_web.JPG (http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=2/medium/Phase_2_web.JPG)

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=2/medium/Bill_and_Sailfin_web.JPG (http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=2/medium/Bill_and_Sailfin_web.JPG)

[m-codrule]

cool cod :D, what does he get fed?

[Capo]

Hey those cod are awesome!!!! So envious right now!
I love it, that 40cm cod is starting to look cool because its getting a high back now, the big fatto fish :D
Ahhh, cant wait to get one again, how big are the tanks those 2 cod are in?!?!
Again, awesome fish! congratulations!

[hardb0iled]

Yeah, he is getting to that size where they start to actually look like fully grown MC. I cant wait for mine to get to that size! A few months to go yet.

I feed my MC on white bait and beef heart at the moment. The large one in the pics above is now being fed on white bait after I told the owner how much my MC loved them but before that I am not sure what he got fed. I dont know the owner that well, just via email because I posted these pics of his fish up for him.

I think the tank size for the one pictured above is 4'x2'x2'? hopefully the owner will join up here and provide a little more info. My tank size is currently 4x2x2 but I have on order a 6x2x2 which I'll be housing mine in. After he outgrows that I'm not sure what I'll do, maybe time to build a plywood monster tank by that stage?

[m-codrule]

my cod is in a 6x2x2 :D and eats shrimp pellets, beef heart and live food occassonally :)

[ashdavid]

I got my cod at 4" and it has been nearly 4 months and he would be lucky to be 4 1/2" right now. He absolutly will not take dead foods and will only eat certain live fish.

[deedevotee]

M-codrule, as hardbOiled said now I've gotten him onto whitebait but before the beginning of this week he was eating only live bronze comets. Amusing but expensive.
I did an experiment yesterday and he actually took the whitebait before the live feeder! (However, I must admit the feeder was hiding for his live in a very good spot. He didn't swim around too much either! I can't understand that?)
Capo, my cod is in a 4x2x2 the same as hardbOiled's. After he outgrows that I'm planning to put him in a heated, deep garden pond with a waterfall! I've just got to learn how to build them. My research has already begun.
ashdavid, he will. I highly reccomend whitebait when he gets a bit bigger!!! Maybe you could just chop them up a bit?

[m-codrule]

i once gave my cod white bait and he ate it in less than a second :P

[ashdavid]

ashdavid, he will. I highly reccomend whitebait when he gets a bit bigger!!! Maybe you could just chop them up a bit?

There has never been a fish that I could not get to eat pellets or dead foods,ranging from asian arowanas to leaf fish(leaf are generally one of the hardest fish to get to take live foods) but this fish is different. I did not feed him live foods for almost 2 months, and in that time he refused to eat any kind of dead food, and I have tried everything,the only reason why he didn't die is b/c I gave up. Also he will not eat his feeders in front of me, he will wait until I get out of the room. This is one stubborn fish.

[Capo]

:D, just found a tank for sale, 6x2x2.5 i think i'll snap that one up, and then i wont be sure whether to put the cod in that tank, or my pond......

grrrr.....went to a fish store yesterday, they had murray cod everywhere, some around 45cm, and callop too....they were in 4' tanks, not 4x2x2 probably 4x18"x20" or something and about 3 in each tank...made me sad, the callop were big too and all of these fish had HITH :( very disturbing.....and smelled of cat piss

[oscar1]

i want one yes i do , i really really want one i'd be the envy of every kid on the street

[m-codrule]

lol

[hardb0iled]

.....and smelled of cat piss

...probably high ammonia levels in the tank water. Thats very sad, makes you wonder why people run an aquarium shop if they cant look after fish!? :(

[hardb0iled]

A new pic I found on the net of an adult Murray Cod, unfortunately lacking water :( , but just imagine him prowling around in a very large tank!! :headbang2

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=2/murray_cod_r2_c2.jpg (http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=2/murray_cod_r2_c2.jpg)

Will try and get some updated pics of my little MC over the weekend and his new 230g tank which I'm currently getting ready.

[Hasi]

PWAHHHH thats a MONSTER!

[m-codrule]

that is HUGE

[Steve_89]

I saw one yesterday for $140.

It was approx 30cm. Nice fish.

[hardb0iled]

My house mate has been playing around with her new camera and just emailed me a couple of pics of my MC and Bala Shark, I would have cleaned the tank glass if I'd known she was going to be taking some pics, but anyhow you can get a bit of an idea of how quickly the MC has grown in 3 months ;) the Bala shark is almost 12'" long and about 12+ years old :thumbsup:

Here he is the MC 3 months ago (awwww what a cutie!):

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=2/medium/mc3.JPG (http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=2/medium/mc3.JPG)

Here are some dodgy pics of him today:

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=2/shark_and_mc_2.JPG (http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=2/shark_and_mc_2.JPG)

Here they are telling me they're hungry!

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=2/medium/shark_and_mc_1.JPG (http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=2/medium/shark_and_mc_1.JPG)

[ChickenTeeth]

I've only heard of em, apparently they are the only natural predators of the largest Crayfish in the world The Murray Crayfish

[hardb0iled]

I've only heard of em, apparently they are the only natural predators of the largest Crayfish in the world The Murray Crayfish

Well I'm pretty natural and have been known to eat few Murray Crays! :ROFL:

But yeah I think you could be right! I'm not aware of too many other fish capable of downing them! They are also known to eat birds, possums, basically anything that falls in the water and will fit in their mouths! My cat nearly got a nasty fright the other day when he decided to take drink from the tank water through the gap in my cover glass! Little MC was hovering below in attack mode, fins up, doing his little rapid water treading movements he does before striking at a target (in this case the cats nose!) Luckily I was quick enough to shoo the cat away before MC made a strike! :D

[m-codrule]

hahahahahahaha :p cods have also been known to eat dogs and cats

[Stone Like Fish]

Also, carp, the reason there are so many is because as soon as anyone catches a decent native they eat it, these are the main predator of carp and they are the brood fish, i have a freind who used to live in a place so thick with carp they were forced to the surface and he could shoot them, they stocked cod in that water and now there are almost no carp and hundreds of small and large cod, so, the problem is not so much the carp, its the farmers, also, farmers pump creeks so their so low that nothing other then air gulpin carp can survive, then when the rain comes the carp are there with no predators, so, the problem is not so much the carp, but the people, anglers and farmers, doing all the damage.

[stotty]

Monster that was caught on a lure :drool:

[eatbroccoli]

Thank you for all the information, I have never heard of a Murray Cod before. In Las Vegas we get very few Australian fish or reptiles. It is amazing the diversity of fish you have available there.

[Stone Like Fish]

hahahahahahaha :p cods have also been known to eat dogs and cats



i beleive they arn't known to

[Opiate]

yeah my mate has 1 in his pond just up the road from me!!! it's such a cool fish...he was feeding it blue acara fry for like 6 months....made it grow into a MONSTER! wierd thing is the pond is in his front yard! =/

[Stone Like Fish]

any pics?

[hardb0iled]

Just some local aquaculture news, some may find interesting, most wont! ;) :

COD IN - CARP OUT
Members of Carpbusters have released 6,900 Mary River Cod fingerlings into
the Logan and Albert Rivers catchment in their drive to get carp out of the
area. The juveniles were sourced from the Lake MacDonald hatchery at
Cooroy. It's a largely community-run facility taking advantage of
assistance from the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries. The
fingerlings were supplied under the Mary River Cod Recovery Program.
Source: Beaudesert Times (7/12/2005).

RE-STOCKING PROGRAM IN THE WARWICK AREA
Some 5000 Murray Cod have been placed in Leslie Dam and, over the next few
weeks there'll be further additions in the area. Leslie Dam will receive
90,000 golden perch and 10,000 silver perch. The Connolly Dam will get 200
Murray Cod, 1,500 silver perch and 6,500 golden perch. Some 2,000 Murray
Cod, 2,000 silver perch and 10,000 golden perch will be placed in the
Condamine River. The fingerlings will cost $26,687. The Leslie and
Condamine Dam stockings will be paid for under the Stocked Impoundment
Permit Scheme. The Condamine River stocking will be paid for by Warwick
Fish Stocking Association membership fees, a Warwick Shire Council
contribution, and the Fish Enhancement Program. Fingerlings will be
sourced from the Granite Belt Fish hatchery, Hanwood Fish Hatchery and
Sunland Fish Hatchery.
Source: Dan Imhoff in the Daily News (3/1/2006).

STOCKING CLUB RELEASES THOUSANDS
Over two weekends the St George Fishing and Restocking Club has released
thousands of fingerlings into Thallon, Bollon and Dirranbandi, and into St
George from 'Whyenbah' to Beardmore. Some $15,000 was invested, with first
6,000 Cod fingerlings, then 60,000 yellowbelly fingerlings turned loose.
They were sourced from the Murgon-based company, Hanwood Fish Hatchery.
Source: Balonne Beacon (15/12/2005).

[hardb0iled]

Heres a couple of crappy mobile phone pics of an MC I visited yesterday:

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=2/medium/boronia_MC1.JPG (http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=2/medium/boronia_MC1.JPG)

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=2/medium/boronia_MC2.JPG (http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=2/medium/boronia_MC2.JPG)

This guy is at an aquarium shop in Melbourne (Boronia to be exact) and I'd estimate he'd be around 60-70cm! :thumbsup: They can grow to more than twice this size :grinyes:

[benzjamin13]

Good Luck with the cod :thumbsup:

Mmmm...cod :drool:

[Steve_89]

Thats a nice sized cod.

The ones I always see just lay around which turned me off from getting them.

So I bought datnoids instead...

[hardb0iled]

Thats a nice sized cod.

The ones I always see just lay around which turned me off from getting them.

So I bought datnoids instead...

Previously I'd never really seen many in private aquariums, I had seen a couple in large aquariums(Melbourne aquarium etc.) and they seemed reasonably responsive to 'spectators'. I had seen a few Sleepy Cod in LFS's and yeah all they seemed to do is lay in a corner and do nothing! Knowing their nature I thought I may have the same problem with the MC, but had always wanted one so got it anyway! :grinyes:

Mine does spend a bit of time lazing under a log or hiding in a hole, but is still very responsive to people outside the tank. He will come up the glass when I approach the tank, and move around searching under the wood for yabbies and things, he digs burrows in the sand(this is funny to watch). Maybe not as active as a mid water fish but just as active as any other bottom dweller I've had(besides some catfish). The big one at Boronia aquarium(pictured above) was very responsive too(he didnt really have anywhere to hide though), it came straight up to the glass when I approached and I ran my hand across the top of the tank and he followed it across. But I've also had a few guys contact me and say that all theirs does is hide and the only time they get to see it is if they disturb its hiding position? Maybe its just luck of the draw? :confused:

[Goodoo]

Also he will not eat his feeders in front of me, he will wait until I get out of the room. This is one stubborn fish.

The ones I always see just lay around which turned me off from getting them.

This is all part of the same problem. What problem? A lot of Murray cod can be quite timid for the first few months of life. Be patient! Most Murray cod, upon reaching a certain size (20-30cm, which can be achieved in less than a year) suddenly realise there's nothing to fear, and that they're the boss of their tank, and suddenly become very confident and outgoing.

Most of the 30cm+ Murray cod I've seen in tanks have been stunningly alert and interactive fish - always in mid water, always turning to face you when you walk up to the tank, and always begging to be fed. Mine smashes goldfish (when I give them to him) in 3 seconds flat and he also takes grasshoppers off the surface in big surface strikes. Awesome fun. My Cod is about a year old now and is 30cm - I could have easily grown him even larger in that time but I'm trying not to, so that he'll last in my 5 foot tank for another year.

Murray cod are NOT to be confused with Sleepy Cod (Oxyeleotris lineolatus). Sleepy cod are unrelated and are in a completely different genus and family. Sleepy cod WILL simply sit there and not do much.

RE temperatures, Murray cod would be OK in a 27 degree tank with tropicals. I would be cautious of taking the temp much higher though. I noticed somebody said their cod tank got into the low 30s. In my opinion this is too high - it is pushing the upper temperature limits of Murray cod - and should be reduced somehow. So, in short 27 degrees would be OK if you wanted to keep a Murray cod with tropicals. By itself, 24 degrees is a good temperature for Murray cod, and there's no need to go higher.

I've only heard of em, apparently they are the only natural predators of the largest Crayfish in the world The Murray Crayfish

Actually, the largest crayfish in the world is the Tasmanian Giant Freshwater Crayfish (Astacopsis gouldi). Reliably recorded over 80cm in length and up to 6kg in weight in the early days. Such giants would have been many decades old however and due to many years of overfishing (now banned thankfully) no longer exist today. The Murray River Crayfish (Euastacus armatus) is the 2nd biggest crayfish in Australia after the Tasmanian Giant Freshwater Crayfish. Murray River Crayfish are probably the 2nd biggest crayfish in the world too, but I can't confirm that.

And yes, big Murray cod are probably the only predators of big Murray River crayfish. Big crays are still vulnerable after moulting when their shells are soft. Smaller native fish would get stuck into juvenile Murray River Crayfish .

[hardb0iled]

Actually, the largest crayfish in the world is the Tasmanian Giant Freshwater Crayfish (Astacopsis gouldi). Reliably recorded over 80cm in length and up to 6kg in weight in the early days. Such giants would have been many decades old however and due to many years of overfishing (now banned thankfully) no longer exist today. The Murray River Crayfish (Euastacus armatus) is the 2nd biggest crayfish in Australia after the Tasmanian Giant Freshwater Crayfish. Murray River Crayfish are probably the 2nd biggest crayfish in the world too, but I can't confirm that.

Wow, I'd never actually heard of a Tasmanian Freshwater Giant Crayfish! you've got me intrigued, I wonder if its possible to get hold of one for an aquarium?

Thanks for posting the MC info too :thumbsup:

[Goodoo]

Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries Fisheries Site should have info on them.

They are protected now so they are probably VERY difficult to get hold of, and would almost certainly require a permit.

The Giant Tasmanian Freshwater Crayfish is an awesome creature, and is severely threatened by massive siltation caued by $#@#%$%^$ clear-felling logging by good old Gunns we-own-Tassie-and-have-bribed-the-politicians-and-can-do-what-the-f***-we-like Limited.


Simon

[hardb0iled]

The Giant Tasmanian Freshwater Crayfish is an awesome creature, and is severely threatened by massive siltation caued by $#@#%$%^$ clear-felling logging by good old Gunns we-own-Tassie-and-have-bribed-the-politicians-and-can-do-what-the-f***-we-like Limited.

I hear you there :(

Here is some info I just dug up on the Giant Tassie Feshwater Cray(look at those claws! :eek: ) :

http://www.arkive.org/media/3043700C-52A1-4D09-9398-25E860E6ACCF/Presentation.Large/large-Giant-freshwater-crayfish.jpg


Facts
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Arthropoda
Class Crustacea
Order Decapoda
Family Parastacidae
Genus Astacopsis (1)

Size Length: 40 cm (2)
Weight 2 – 3 kg (2)

Status

Classified as Endangered (EN - A1ace, B1 + 2abce) on the IUCN Red List 2003 (1) and as Vulnerable on Tasmania's Threatened Species Protection Act 1995 (3).

Description

This magnificent crayfish is the largest known freshwater invertebrate and has particularly powerful pinchers (2). They range in colour, according to habitat and location, from dull brown to greeny-black, but can have steely blue sides, or be dazzling blue all over (4).

Range

The giant freshwater crayfish was previously found in all rivers that flow into the Bass Strait, which runs between Tasmania and the Australian mainland. Today, however, the distribution is patchy and limited to less disturbed areas (3).
View a distribution map for this species at UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre

Habitat

These crustaceans inhabit dark, slow-moving rivers and streams with high water quality and little suspended sediment, as well as still, deep pools with logs and overhanging banks to shelter beneath (2) (3) (4). The water needs to be below 18 oC with high oxygen content (5).

Biology

The giant freshwater crayfish is a mere 6 mm long as a hatchling, and matures extremely slowly, living for up to 40 years (5). Reproductive maturity occurs at around nine years in males and 14 years in females, with females breeding just once every two years (2). Mating occurs in autumn and the eggs, attached to the female's swimming legs during development, hatch the following summer, remaining attached to the swimming legs as hatchlings for another month. Such a long reproductive process means that females spend much of their life with their young attached to their legs – a good strategy as fully grown adults have no natural predators (2). However, fishing of adult crayfish by humans results in the removal of not only the adults but all their young as well (3).

The giant freshwater crayfish is omnivorous, eating primarily rotting wood and animal flesh, as well as leaves and insects that fall into the water. Juveniles tend to hide in shallow water where they are less at risk from their large predators including fish and platypuses. Adults hide under submerged logs in deep pools where they appear to tolerate each other, despite being aggressive elsewhere (5).

Threats

The major threat to this species has been over-fishing, since these crayfish are a popular food dish, but this has not been sustainable due to extremely slow maturation and infrequent breeding (5). Habitat loss is also a threat, as a result of increasing agricultural expansion, forestry operations and changes in water quality (3). In-stream barriers have reduced the dispersal potential of the crayfish and erosion following agricultural expansion has caused silty water, which is less favourable for the giant freshwater crayfish (4).

Conservation

The decline of giant freshwater crayfish numbers following intense resulted in a fishing ban in January 1998, although an ongoing commitment is needed in order for the crayfish to recover from its endangered status. Population surveys and behavioural research are being undertaken in order to be able to provide better habitat protection and improved management of riverbank vegetation (3).

Further Information

For more information see:

Animal Diversity Web (September 2004):
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Astacopsis_gouldi.html


Taken from: http://www.arkive.org/species/GES/invertebrates_terrestrial_and_freshwater/Astacopsis_gouldi/more_info.html

An interesting thing I just read - the humble yabby (Cherax destructor) is an introduced pest in Tassie!

[hardb0iled]

Sorry! I found this beauty and couldnt help adding it to this thread!

This is from Fish Base and the stats say he's 110cm and >20kg :D

http://filaman.ifm-geomar.de/images/species/Mapee_u0.jpg

:thumbsup:

[Hasi]

WOHOHOHOHO sign him up to MFK!

[Goodoo]

These crustaceans inhabit dark, slow-moving rivers and streams with high water quality and little suspended sediment...

So you can just imagine what clear-felling does for them.... :-(


The giant freshwater crayfish is a mere 6 mm long as a hatchling...

And you can imagine what those nasty introduced Trout do to this vulnerable life stage.

[m-codrule]

hi i recently lost my cod :( and after almost a month i am wanting 2 get another 1 but i would like 2 get a bigger 1 and i was wondering if any1 could suggest sum places other than aquarium store 2 try any help will be greatly appreciated

[blue31]

nice ;)

[m-codrule]

got my new murray cod will post pics soon :D

[guppy]

You catch it?

[hardb0iled]

Looking forward to seeing pics! :thumbsup:

[m-codrule]

sorry havnt been on in a while will post pics very soon :D

[Stone Like Fish]

looking foward to it

[RojXMugwump]

I've got a little cod, about 5" at the moment living in a 3x2x2 tank...

feeding on yabbies, gunna pick up some feeders tomorrow and see how
they go...

ill post the video tomorrow night if it turns out any good :thumbsup:

cheers
roj

[Opiate]

that's a friggin huge fish!!! and yeh ur right about the murray crays! i caught 1 that was 25 cms in length!! gawd it was huge! lol

[Sunpoe]

hahahahahahaha :p cods have also been known to eat dogs and cats
Now thats MONSTER!! :grinyes:

[m-codrule]

i have only got one shot of him so far so enjoy, btw i will post better pics later :D

http://www.AusFishForum.com/forum/album_pic.php?pic_id=1085

[hardb0iled]

Cool, is there something wrong with his eye? Looks a little bulgy? ;)

[m-codrule]

yes his right eye is very bulgy it looks like its going 2 fall out :( but its always been like that ;). any tips for this problem? thanks

[m-codrule]

he has grown 8cms in 5 weeks :D

[hardb0iled]

he has grown 8cms in 5 weeks :D

Good stuff! Well he seems healthy then, regardless of bulging eye.

The bulging eye is usually a result of a bacterial infection and may be treated with anti biotics. I'm sure with his current growth rate he is in good conditions now but he may have previously been exposed to less then ideal conditions?

Here are some possible diagnosis:

Corneybacteriosis
Symptoms: Bulging eyes
Treatment: There are a few commercially available products which treat corneybacteriosis. Penicillin and tetracycline are among them.

Information: Corneybacteria causes swelling in the head which will push the eyes outward. It is caused by overcrowding and water of poor quality, having an excess of ammonia and / or nitrites.

Pop-eye (Exophthalmia)

Unusally bulging of one or both eyes.

OTC medication for bacterial infections and/or parasites. Check for other symptoms of bacterial or parasitic infections.

...and a good read here about the possible causes and remedies:

http://www.flippersandfins.net/pop-eye.htm

Good luck ;)

[m-codrule]

thanks hardboiled for the reply ;) is there any particular treatment that i could try that would be availabla at most LFS once again thanks for such a detailed answer. the place were i originally got him was an aquaculture place so he probably hadnt had the greatest of conditions 2 live in :(

[hardb0iled]

Thought I'd revive this thread with a little bit of video footage of my MC I took yesterday. I estimate he's at about 14inches long at the moment. Not all that active during the day but he knows its feeding time when the lights go out and he soon starts moving then!

I usually drop slices of fish fillet into the top of the tank and he makes an over-excited attempt to gulp it before it hits the water and ends up splashing water all over the place! I'm, not game enough to hold onto the fillet as he'd nearly take my fingers off I reckon!

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m141/HalfArsedRacing/Other%20-%20Misc/th_Mc1.jpg (http://s103.photobucket.com/albums/m141/HalfArsedRacing/Other%20-%20Misc/?action=view&current=Mc1.flv)

[filiportela]

will it get along with a jardini a sleepy cod and a barramundi? if so, it's a nice project.;)

[matymic]

I once had a murray cod 12 inches. I just bought a saratoga at about the same size for 120 bucks. went away for the weekend and got back to find the cod with an extreamly large belly and no saratoga. from that day forward i called my cod the 130 dollar murray cod. lol

[gruntaz]

you gotta love murray cod :)

[spartan]

hye guys iv just got a new tank 6x2x2 and im chasing a murray cod to take up residency in there...anyone in sydney with a murray cod willing to sell i would be interested...thanks again i love this site

[amehel0]

dude a 6x2x2 is way to small. om getting a 26x10x4 pond and thll be to small

[matymic]

I got a Murray cod. He's about 9in now. I got him at 2.5in 10 months ago. I feed him white bait, beef heart, and murray river shrimp. I love this fish!!!!

[matymic]

i got a murray cod at 10 in my fav fish by far