Piranha relation reels in fish show viewers

KELLY SCHICKER/Waikato Times

FISHY WONDERMENT: Jayme Irwin, 2 1/2, from Hamilton watches a pair of angel fish at the National Fish Show.

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An amazonian giant pacu was the showpiece attraction at the first National Fish Show held in Hamilton this weekend.

The 5kg pacu is a close relation to the fearsome piranha, but Waikato Aquarium Society president Helen Gollop said the fish was a strict vegetarian.

"You can throw a whole apple in the tank, and it will happily chomp away on it," she said.

The Waikato Aquarium Society hoped to have reeled in 5000 visitors to the three-day show held at the Hamilton gardens Pavilion.

It finished today.

The show included a diverse range of aquarium and tropical fish, as well as native freshwater crayfish, a pair of breeding sea horses, turtles, an octopus and reptiles such as the blue tongue lizard.

Mrs Gollop hoped the show would spark people's interest in fish-keeping, especially among children.

"A neat attraction we set up for children is the open goldfish pond which lets them catch their own fish. For just $3 children can net a goldfish, which we'd then bag for them to take home. It's every kids dream to be able to catch their own fish."

Mrs Gollop said she would classify herself as an enthusiastic fish-hobbyist, with 20 fish tanks in her living-room at home alone. "I have what's known as MTS Multiple Tank Syndrome," she joked.

Fish hobbyist Dave Dalziel said the show's display of live exotic butterflies was also an Australasian first.