]V[onster in the making!! FW BB Grouper
- Thread starter michael
- Start date
Bogwoodbruce;2712318; said:Yep.... They only spawn in Marine conditions.
They spawn in more brackish water conditions then I would say Marine- estuaries. Then the ADULTS swim back into the freshwater river systems. I have seen pictures of lakes that people have stocked Barri with for fishing and these guys are huge.
ultimatejay;2715258; said:
Actually, you're sort've half right.
Barramundi do require brackish/salt water to breed.
However, the adults do not all move into freshwater when spawning is done. There are extremely large adult barramundi in completely fresh bodies of water as you said. However, they're also found in the marine environment. They just seem to go where there's food when they're done. The same goes for the baby barramundi, though they do have a stronger tendency to head upstream onto the floodplains and wind up in creeks and billabongs where they can fatten up and not worry too much about larger predators.
Anyway, back on topic.
That's a nice fish you picked up Michael, but like the others have said, be aware that adults of this species do NOT occur in freshwater in the wild. I have seen evidence of another forum member who's maintained one to quite a large size, but if these are the ones I think they are, they get over 2m long and wind up weighing about as much as a small pony (There have been a couple caught in my area that threw up full-grown green sea turtles). They also lose their colour when they get to an adult size, but I doubt that you'll be able to maintain a fully grown adult at home.
Sorry to be a bummer, but in the animal's best interest, it would probably be better for you to either start a marine aquarium at some stage (and GRADUALLY acclimatize it again), or donate it to a public aquarium if you find you can't cater to its needs.
