Before the bi-annual ANGFA National Convention 2007, Heiko went together with Zehev, son of Asher and Adele Benzaken-Schwartz, the active and famous Australian fish breeder Bruce Sambell and his friend to some remote areas in the Northern Territories to research its aquatic fauna and flora. Here below a few photos from this adventures trip. Articles with details will follow in magazines worldwide.

^{_{The beautiful, untouched Wangi Falls…}}

^{_{…unfortunately off limits because of the croc danger in which Heiko does not believe}}

^{_{Anodontiglanis dahli, the toothless catfish, is a unusual endemic species to northern Australia and we saw them in this undisturbed creek dwelling in large groups}}

^{_{This fantastic creek was full of aquatic vegetation – a real natural aquarium with fast flowing water. In it we found Blyxa, Myriophyllum, Potamogeton, Utricularia, Nymphoides and many more aquatic species, and…}}

^{_{Heiko discovered one amazing, red-leafed underwater plant, which is still to be classified by Professor Bogner in Germany…}}

^{_{…in this creek we also collected what should be Amniataba percoides, but the adults in this nature-aquarium habitat were much larger than those recorded, more than twice its normal length and the juveniles (right) were much more colourful}}

^{_{We camped out every night in tents near to a creek or a river and next to most we found a sign like this one (left). Australians fear all crocs, more than anything. Another fact hard to understand is then introduction of the South American toad Bufo marinus. From 102 toads today hundreds of millions roam Queensland, the Northern Territories and are moving across Australia, even into desert areas. These toads were imported to combat the cane beetle, a pest of sugar cane crops. Like with many other introduced exotics their biology had not been studied before. It was discovered later that the toad can’t jump very high and cannot eat the beetles, which stayed up on the upper stalks of the cane plants. So the toad had no impact on the beetles and multiplied as the rabbits, as it has also no natural enemy down under}} 

 _{^{Zehev Benzaken was studying even at night on the behaviour of rainbowfishes for his masters degree at the Brisbane University (left)}}

^{_{The barramundi Lates calcarifer it is the most asked for Australian eating fish…}}

 _{…for about 50,000 years or so, because already the aborigines war-shipped this fish, as can be seen on ancient rock art and paintings in many parts of Australia, like here near the East Alligator River}

To see more pictures of this trip

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