--------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 229 AQUARIUMS Ref: DA100017 Date: 05/31/96 From: ROBERT RICE Time: 01:54pm \/To: ALL (Read 3 times) Subj: FUN FUN FUN "The Southern Redbelly Dace (phoxinus erythrogaster) as an Aquarium Species." Robert Rice 2213 Navarre Florida 32566 Many aquarist have finally realized the folly of the cycle of continual importation and exploitation of exotic fish. These aquarist have begun to seek practical alternatives to the current situation. Aquarist are joining Naturalist and many others and beginning to take a second look at the value of aquarium rearing and study of our native species. With this fundamental shift, natives have taken on a greater and more respected role within the Aquarium field. With that increased interest in natives, it is not surprising that we are rediscovering suitable aquarium species that were once forgotten. The Orange Spot Sunfish is established in Europe and is just beginning to creep into the American fish trade. Almost all of the Gar and Pickerel Family are alive and well in Asian Aquariums. While various Darters, Pygmy Sunfish and the odd Longear Sunfish appear occasionally in both European and American aquariums. Not surprisingly the shiner family has a diversity that lends itself very well to domestic life. Species such as the Blue Nose Shiner (Notropis Welaka) make fascinating species for the Aquarium but due to their limited population and delicate nature are only for the experts. However there are many Species out there who's range ,temperament and beauty make them an excellent aquarium fish. they will make you wonder why you ever keep Danio's and tetras. The Redbelly Dace in all it's forms is one of those species , Currently it is classified as Northern Redbelly Dace, Southern Redbelly Dace and last but certainly not least Mountain Redbelly Dace. I prefer the Mountain Redbelly for sheer beauty but I realize that for durability ,availability and beauty the Southern Redbelly Dace rules supreme. Here is how Bill Plieger in his classic book "The Fishes of Missouri" describes the Southern Redbelly Dace . Life Colors: Back olive-brown with scattered dark spots and a narrow dusky stripe along the midline. Side with two black lengthwise stripes, the upper narrower than the lower, separated by a broad, golden or yellowish stripe. Belly white. Breeding males are among the most beautiful of Missouri fishes. The pattern of light and dark markings is more intense at this time, the undersurface of the head and body are crimson red, the lower fins and undersurface of the caudal peduncle are lemon yellow. Small tubercles are scattered over the head , body and fins. For many aquarist interested in Natives acquiring suitable species is a concern. In the case of the Southern Redbelly dace that is not a problem. They occur in a broad range from Northern Illinois south past Tennessee and west to Kansas. Recent collecting Data indicates they are expanding their range. While in Missouri last year I took my brother in Law on his first "real " collecting trip and on a small creek in southern Missouri on our first pass through with a seine we pulled up a basketball size mass of foaming ,wriggling Redbelly Dace. Our bait license allowed us to keep three hundred each per day so we spent the next hour bagging and identifying then headed home .Offspring of that collecting trip occupy tanks in twelve states and three countries! As a matter of fact a NANFA friend while in Europe stopped in at a pet store and was surprised to see Southern Redbelly Dace proudly displayed for sale at a hefty price. The Southern Redbelly Dace is extremely hardy, taking a variety of Aquarium conditions in stride . It will take all forms of food with no apparent problems and is as easy to breed as any egg scatterer can be! What is perhaps most surprising to most aquarist is the day to day changes in a Redbelly Dace. As environmental fluctuations and feedings occur the Dace literally will change from a golden color to a blood red in the belly (as the name implies). It's fins will go from clear to lemon yellow as it begins to display to a potential mate. Its overall behavior is in my opinion one of the most fascinating of our Native shiners. I find the Redbelly Dace an excellent community tank fish. Their willingness to adapt to a variety of aquarium conditions makes them an excellent choice for the aquarist who is a novice to natives.Not terribly surprising given the lack of research data on North American Native Fish, Redbelly Dace are continual spawners if given the right conditions. I've found that at a water temperature of Seventy two degrees F, a strong current from a powerhead just a few inches from a pea size or larger gravel bed and an extended photo period and you are almost set for spawning. I say almost for a couple of reasons. Of all the fish I have kept, I have never seen a fish with as quick a response time to food availability and visual stimulation. What I mean is this , if you keep the above set up and don't have success. Try this add lot's of quality food (Yep, Southern Redbelly Dace are chow hounds!) and add a red colored fish of similar size and shape (I prefer neon tetras). That will most likely get `em going within twenty four hours. Foods I have found that work well include Crawfish tails (raw and cooked), oysters, bloodworms (frozen and live), earthworms and large quantities of mosquito larvae (live only). You will notice females will began to get a lumpy appearance and the other fish will begin "The Chase". I prefer spawning groups of larger than six fish, and in the wild have observed spawning aggregations in the hundreds! Again contrary to most data I find that BOTH males and females will color up, the males of course are more intense. After about thirty six to forty eight hours of this activity you will notice alot of considerably thinner fish! Now remove all fish from the tank turn off all filters and powerheads and in seven to ten days, if you have been successful, you will see free swimming young. I feed mine on powdered flake food and baby brine and they seem to do fine. In my experience it is not uncommon to bring one hundred young up to juvenile size out of a spawning aggregation of six adults. As you can see from the information here the Redbelly Dace is among my favorite Native fish. I am sure that you also have local species of fish that would make excellent aquarium species . Perhaps the Redbelly Dace is one of them.Take a look around and give it a try and let me know what you find! Until next time good luck and good fishing. The author is involved with NANFA (North American Native Fish Association) and speaks regularly about native fish. He can be reached at Robert_Rice@Oblique.org or 2213 Prytania Circle Navarre Fl. 32566 --- Maximus/2 3.01 * Origin: Emerald Coast/2 (1:366/47) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 229 AQUARIUMS Ref: DA100018 Date: 05/31/96 From: DAVE WILLSON Time: 02:25am \/To: DARREN HANSON (Read 3 times) Subj: FISH DH> In a message originally to Crusader, Darren Hanson said: DH> 144 DH> > I had a fish tank once but it cracked on the bottom it was a cheap 10 DH> > gallon tank i want to know why you fish experts DH> My first two guesses are that either the tank was not set DH> up on a completely level surface and the tension caused it DH> to crack, or a rock or other decoration was dropped, DH> knocked over, etc and caused the damage. DH> Now, if you don't mind me asking, who am I *REALLY* talking DH> to? Somehow I don't think your parents were strange enough DH> to name you 'Crusader'.... DH> __ DH> \/ dj DH> --- FMail 0.96 DH> * Origin: The Otter Limits (GSN) (1:203/172) thanks for the advice i appreciate it if i ever have anymore questions, ill know who to ask for. from Crusader. --- FMail 0.98a * Origin: - The Emerald City BBS - Winter Park, FL - 407-671-0148 - (1:363/334) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 229 AQUARIUMS Ref: DA100019 Date: 05/31/96 From: BO LAU Time: 03:53am \/To: PETA CLARK (Read 3 times) Subj: My fish won't eat > It is probably closer to 30 litres - I was just guessing. > They reckon you can get about 5 decent size fish in a tank > that size and they'll be happy. > Thanks for trying, assuming it is ammonia poisoning why is it > that the little guy is the only one who has it? Any ideas on > what to do about it apart from the flush treatment? Well, assuming it is ammonia, :) gۘ]]]Y˙ݙ^ --- * Origin: The Aquarium BBS - Fishies Unite! (1:203/112) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 229 AQUARIUMS Ref: DA100020 Date: 05/30/96 From: JAMES MCGRAIL Time: 12:28am \/To: ANGELO FELIX (Read 3 times) Subj: saltwater AF> -> There is no affective difference in the oxygen level at the top or AF> You'd be suprised No I wouldn't. AF> -> bottom of a properly maintained tank. While the oxygen exchange is AF> -> at the surface, the water is in constant mix. Plus don't forget, AF> -> most external filters, get their water from near the bottom of the AF> -> tank AF> The filter's work, but not fully (Bacteria populations) - You'd be surprised. AF> -> A properly maintained tank, will have the gravel vacuumed, on a AF> -> regular basis and binding never sets in. AF> Neither do the bacteria.. you keep killing them. Yes, enough that are replaced in a few hours, as the colony is refreshed. AF> what you do today, shows a reaction weeks away ... You fool with AF> the bed today (cut the power off, "Vacuum" it (It's not a rug that AF> gets dirty), ect, you may see a result two weeks later ( High AF> nitrites, Ick, ect), nothing will be visible right away Never had any of those reactions. Esp since if anything was going to happen, it would happen, as soon as the water flow starts again or within a few hours. AF> If you say so, I've never owned one, so I can't really say -Like I AF> said , they don't sound effective , I'll never know because I'll never AF> buy one to find out (Don't need it). Then how can you talk about them? AF> Anyway, I'm really not into argueing much over all of this - I'm AF> not PHD in any of this. I've collected, kept tropicals(In quantitys) AF> over half my life(that's my own PHD), and currently, they Don't die AF> anymore. I will tell you all I know about keeping tropicals with AF> hopes that they will live longer in your tank - ANd I've kept fish for over 40 years, and always had UGF's in my tanks. Plus external back and canister filters. AF> Back to the "Vacuum" cleaning subject... AF> When you're Undergravel "Rug" gets dirty and you "Vacuum" it AF> here's what happens; AF> Aerobic Bacteria forms on the first fraction (about 1/10) of the top AF> part of your undergravel filter (thats where most of the Oxygen is). AF> Need I tell you what happens when you "Vacuum clean" the gravel? AF> Bacteria is, Bacteria! We can't make it or tell it what to do. just AF> provide for it - it needs Dirt, waste, and in our case, the more AF> oxygen, the better. That's why you don't vacuum all of the gravel, at the same time. --- ViaMAIL!/WC5 v1.00b * Origin: Xanth BBS - Wildcat - Sacramento CA 916-264-1826 (1:203/996) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 229 AQUARIUMS Ref: DA100021 Date: 05/31/96 From: SAM MCDANIEL Time: 10:48pm \/To: ROB GREEN (Read 3 times) Subj: Marine Fishkeeping > Tom. > Excuse me, but the context of this conversation was: > "I've been told that it's possible" followed by > "absolutely positively not" followed by Harry's reply > (with all the previous messages quoted) saying "it can > be done". > It is very clear he is not advising it. You seem to > be picking on him for his reply, and frankly, a newby > who doesn't bother reading the messages through is > going to get into trouble. > It just seems that you decided to pick on, or > contradict, Harry. > Rob > PS., I am not new to this echo, but have been around > it for over 4 years. I wish this nattering and > nitpicking would stop. Rob, Then dont contribute to it! Calling Tom a newbee, shows a real lack of knowledge on your part! :) I went back and read the quoted part of the message and its quite clear that the hs> quote indicates it could be done! Harry offered an opinion and it was accepted with a few quite correct reservations. Nothing wrong with that. If you have been around here for sooo long why dont you recognize Tom? He's usually over at the reef echo where he's quite an advanced saltwater hobbiest/expert. He's also been here for longer than you have! If its the same Tom Phillips that used to hang out here and left to help start the reef echo and im sure it is.. Maybe you should listen to his advice..? He's really quite good. He knows some stuff about saltwater, and dosent just talk a good game...:) Sam --- FMail 0.94 * Origin: Data Resource Independence, Missouri 816-254-8146 14,400 (1:280/112) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 229 AQUARIUMS Ref: DA200000 Date: 05/31/96 From: RICKY SHEHORN Time: 10:34am \/To: ROGER COTTON (Read 3 times) Subj: Re: FISH Ricky is replying to ROGER who replied to CRUSADER on 29 May 96 08:23am -=>> Quoting Crusader to All <=- Cr>> I had a fish tank once but it cracked on the bottom it was a cheap 10 Cr>> gallon tank i want to know why you fish experts RC> I think you answered your own question ..... You said it was cheap !!! Cheap dosen't always mean It'll break in a day or two, My parrents bought a chaep 1g tank about 3 or 4 years ago and it's still in one peace, we pritty much had to trash the under gravel filter that came with it but other than that the tank is still in good shape RC> ... If anyone sees a grenade laying around without a pin .. It's mine No It's mine :-) TTYL _ |_) | \icky Shehor/\/ ... -- END OF MESSAGE -- * Evaluation copy of Silver Xpress. Day # 5991 --- GEcho 1.02+ * Origin: TenderFeet's BBS [1-302-492-0701] (1:2600/130) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 229 AQUARIUMS Ref: DA200001 Date: 06/02/96 From: JEREMIAH GAEFKE Time: 12:0Eam \/To: ROBERT MCCARTHY (Read 3 times) Subj: Re: Hazy Glass RM> Hope someone can help me. I have a 17 yr old 55 Gal tank that has a lot RM> of mineral deposits on the inside of the glass. Does anyone know of RM> something that will clean it up? I think I remember someone saying RM> something about muriatic acid but am not sure. If anyone has any RM> suggestions I sure would appreciate it. Thanks. RM> Bob RM> RM> --- PCBoard (R) v15.22/M 2 RM> * Origin: 1:361/204 (1:361/204) You might consider trying vinegar. From the experiment that I have done with it it, it will eat up Calcium. So I would think it would do the same on minerals. Hope this helps --- RG 05-11/CDRMAIL 103 * Origin: LOTL * 412 746 3592 * V.34 33.6k * RGSNet PA Host (1:129/230) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 229 AQUARIUMS Ref: DA200002 Date: 06/01/96 From: MARTIN CUKJATI Time: 05:01am \/To: STUART SNYDER (Read 3 times) Subj: Re: saltwater SS>>AF> want to hear something funny? You know all those fancy lights ompany SS>>AF> are always peddling to you for your tank? One of the best you can get SS>>AF> is the common light bulb - If had some of the best results in algae SS>>AF> growth with a plane old light bulb. The worst results were with SS>>AF> florescent lights. Are you talking about a plain jane florescent or one designed for tanks? Florescents are easier on electricity usage. Mine's a pain since I have to hold in the starter button to turn it on. It's a heater type similar to the one on my stove. I don't understand why they still use this old technology. You can't put it on a timer. I have incandesent in my small goldfish tank. Those sucker produce a lot of heat. The plastic reflector is melted in a few spots. At least they work on a timer. SS>>Mine gets afternoon sunlight and I also have 2 daylight florescent tubes on SS>>it....the glass is so green, you can't see into the tank. Do you ever clean it? ;-) Mine dosen't get direct sunlight but I have to watch my plant grower lights. They're set up right next to the tank. They're a spot incandesent type, with a reflector, so I can aim them away from the tank. I want to hang a florescent there so it could become a problem. Marty. --- OLX 2.2 Oh my Canada...what are you doing? --- QScan/PCB v1.17b / 01-0182 * Origin: Balmy Beach Toronto 416-690-9641 (1:250/422) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 229 AQUARIUMS Ref: DA200003 Date: 06/01/96 From: BOB HALL Time: 05:38pm \/To: CAROL BURKE (Read 3 times) Subj: Rabbit Alert.... Hi Carol, Not a problem. I will watch my mail with *baited* breath. :) --Bob --- * OLX 3.01 31-1526 * History is written by the survivors. --- GEcho 1.20/Pro * Origin: (1:142/91) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 229 AQUARIUMS Ref: DA200004 Date: 06/01/96 From: BOB HALL Time: 05:44pm \/To: CHRISTINE LABONTE (Read 3 times) Subj: Fishy Prizes Hi Christine, Haven't heard from you in a while and internet mail is evidently not getting to you. I was wondering if your contest prizes ever made it up to the great white north? --Bob --- * OLX 3.01 31-1526 * And now for something completely different. --- GEcho 1.20/Pro * Origin: (1:142/91)