unsolved mystery

[OO7:BASSINASSASSIN]

A long time ago, when you could still access the Wahiawa STP, while the treated sewage was still discharged at the surface and there were still a lot of tilapia I noticed a few orange baby "tilapia" mixed in with the other baby tilapia. I never did find out what they were. Come think about it, I have never seen baby red devils. I see a lot of adult RDs but not the little ones. Do they change color when they become bigger or are they just hiding in cover? Maybe just living down deep?

[fisher dude]

I caught the little reddevils while trying to catch chiclids for bait usually tight in deep cover or under the cement slab on the right side of the ramp caught them orange and purple there hiding from the tucs if u got one of those and theres a tuc around they grab it fast when there in the open!

[Stan Wright]

I don't remember seeing any little orange fish in Lake Wilson, But there is a talipia that is bred to be orange. The PR people figured an orange or white talipia (Hawaiian Sun Fish) would go over better at the supermarket.
They started out orange. I had some in an aquarium that I got when they were 1/2 inch long.

I was looking for red devils at a pet store... (to see what the little ones looked like) and they are black. Or a dark moddled color.... I guess they get red as they get bigger.

[Ahnkochee]

I used to have a pet Red Devil long before they showed in Lake Wilson. I bought it at a pet shop in Kailua (Pet Kingdom, out of business for years) and the little 2" guy was brownish gray. Within a couple years he grew over a foot into handsome solid orange with bump head we all know. He was extremely obnoxious and could not get along with any other fish, and dug holes constantly in the gravel. When you looked in the tank he would try and bite your face through the glass. He try to bite the hand that fed him too.
I traded back to that pet shop for some more mellow fish. Anyways my RD was a solid brownish gray as a keiki.

[BillFHM3C]

As an underclassman at Honolulu Community College I raised several varieties of fish & crustaeans, of both fresh and salt water varieties, as part of an Aquaculture class. The orange, or beige, color Talapia are hybrids, a.k.a. Hawaiian Sunfish, that are many (hundred) generations removed from Kapalama Canal. Yeah, yuk times ten. It took dozens of generations to lose the K Canal smell from the flesh. But I digress. The Hawaiian Sunfish was bred by a classmate, Becky, who went on to work for the state of Hawaii specifically to bring the Hawaiian Sunfish to profitability/marketablity. This was back in 1985 and she did a hell of a job because Talapia are big sellers on the mainland. And they are still marketed as Hawaiian Sunfish. I even had the opportunity of trying some on a trip to the mainland. My host made a special, surprise dinner for my family and I. Surprise! It's Hawaiian Sunfish, Yum! I wish I could of caught their reactions on film when the family and I went..."YUK!". Well, after we explained the state of "Local Hawaiian Talapia" they understood. When they came out I took them to Kapalama Canal to fish and they said the same thing. Big difference! But Talapia are a very hardy fish and easy to raise. You can take them from fresh water and dump them in the ocean and they don't miss a beat. And they're very resistant to diseases. So if your looking for a fish to raise, or have it raise itself, the Talapia is for you. And if it's farm raised it does taste excellent. It's very popular on the mainland. But be careful of the local, wild version as they tend to build up certian toxins, or characteristic smells, of the environment they swim around in. We raised Malaysian Prawns in the tank with the Talapia. Feed the Talapia and the Talapia feed the Prawns. I, as all my classmates, enjoyed the Prawns every chance we got. They were the same prawns that ended up out in Kahuku. Big, juicey, succulent, and great with garlic butter. Hope this helps. Aloha!

P.S. The aquaculture book is probably still available at the HCC Bookstore.

[Stan Wright]

Wow, what a great story. I remember we did a show (Let's Go Fishing) on the Hawaii Sunfish... and it tasted good...

When my daughter was in grade school we got a note from the teacher asking for donations of aquarium stuff. The class was going to put together and take care of the aquarium that year. I took my little dip net out to the UH test facility near Kaneohe Bay and they gave me two little Hawaiian Sunfish.... about an inch long.... which my daughter took to class.

Several months later my daughter brought home two huge gold talipia and a note from the teacher. Seems the sunfish had killed all the other fish and eaten all the plants... they were starting over....

I sent a note and ask if they needed more fish, but I never heard back from the teacher.

[wahiawabasshunter]

Probally a baby Koi fish..I have seen them in the lake more ans more often lately..