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Australian Smelt (Retropinna semoni)
Australian Smelt (Retropinna semoni)
AUSTRALIAN SMELT – NATIVE AUSTRALIAN FISH
*FROG FRIENDLY*
Other names: Southern smelt, Victorian smelt, Kantari
Minimum volume requirement: at least 75L for 5 smelt
Size: 75mm – 100mm
pH: 6.5 – 7
Temperature: 10°C – 20°C
Life span: 2-3 years
Description
The Australian smelt is a small fish of 75mm – 100mm in length. They have a long, tubular shaped body primarily transclucent/silver in colour though occasionally with a purple/olive back and orange highlights. The dorsal fin is located on the posterior half of the body in front of a small adipose fin.
Smelt are sexually dimorphic (sexes are visually distinct) upon maturity. Males have enlarged, showy fins whilst females remain relatively bland. Mature males will also have a greater number of nuptial tubercules on the scales and fin rays.
Distribution
Smelt are found in large schools (often thousands strong) living in slow moving/still waters such as in billabongs, dams and lakes. They are widespread throughout the south east of Australia, in coastal drainages from the Fitzroy River in QLD to the south-east reaches of SA. They occur extensively in tributaries of the southern Murray Darling System including a number of small disconnected river systems in north-west NSW and south-west QLD.
Breeding
Sexual maturity is reached at around 12 months of age. Spawning takes place during spring and summer when water temperature reaches about 15°C (occasionally mid-winter to autumn in QLD). Females will lay between 100 – 1000 eggs that will sink to the bottom and stick to rocks, vegetation, substrate, etc before hatching after 9 – 10 days as larvae 4.5 – 5mm in length.
Diet
A carnivorous species, in the wild smelt will consume a wide variety of small aquatic insects, planktonic organisms and micro crustaceans. In captivity, their diet can be supplemented with fish flakes or high-quality pellets no larger than 2mm.
Smelt in Ponds
Australian smelt are fantastic for small backyard ponds where the owner does not want to keep large fish but would like to control mosquito breeding. Smelt will happily consume mosquito larvae within your pond but are unable to consume tadpoles of frog eggs, making them the perfect candidate for frog ponds!
In larger ponds they are a good addition to bring some diversity to your ecosystem, they may also be of use as forage or feeder fish for larger inhabitants. Due to the fact that their life cycle does not require them to migrate in order to breed, it is possible for them to set up a sustainable population right in your backyard!
