I have 8 NRBDs. When I collected them last fall several were decently colored up. -Not like the ones in the pond where I grew up though. Unfortunately that pond no longer exists.
Anyway, I find one or two colored up in the morning, but they go back to a brassy color by an hour after the lights come on.
I have them in a heavily planted 30 gallon tank with Swamp Darters and a Dollar Sunfish with a medium colored sandy substrate.
I have added darker stones and have let the plants cover the whole top in hopes of getting them to stay colored, but to no avail.
Meanwhile I collected some lemon yellow NRBDs upstream from the beaver dam where I caught the red NRBDs and these I put in my stream tank with a light colored sand and they have stayed colored up.
I am considering switching to a black substrate for the NRBDs, but it will be a major undertaking as all of my tanks are aquascaped Walstad tanks.
The NRBDs were very small when I collected them, is there a chance that they will color up more when they get older?
Advice?
Thanks!
Nothern Red Bellied Dace
Started by
Guest_Elijah_*
, Jun 03 2010 12:13 AM
9 replies to this topic
#2
Guest_gerald_*
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Posted 03 June 2010 - 09:55 AM
Never kept NRBD, but with MtRBD I've seen the same thing: best color early morning before tank lights come on. Yes they color up more as they get older, and in cooler water, 65 to 70F. Above 75 F they rarely show much color. Also feed plenty of veg: peas, zucchini, greenbeans, sweet potato ...
#3
Guest_Elijah_*
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Posted 03 June 2010 - 10:59 AM
I've been feeding them peas and zucchini about every 2-3 days. When not feeding fresh veg I feed high quality flake with veg in it, algae tabs, and frozen spirulina brine shrimp. They do get blood worms every other day. Do you think that is enough veg, or too much protein?Never kept NRBD, but with MtRBD I've seen the same thing: best color early morning before tank lights come on. Yes they color up more as they get older, and in cooler water, 65 to 70F. Above 75 F they rarely show much color. Also feed plenty of veg: peas, zucchini, greenbeans, sweet potato ...
#4
littlen
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Posted 16 June 2010 - 10:27 AM
I had a school of older RBD (picture attached) that would seem to color up randomly throughout the year, although more frequently in summer. The temps were ambient but would generally range from 68-74. I didn't feed any vegetables out, but did throw in some omnivore gel every once in a while. They mostly ate mysis, bloodworms, blackworms, adult brine, and sometimes crayfish tails or filet cut up into tiny pieces. For the most part they would lose their colors after the lights had been on for an hour or so, but the male in the picture would stay colored up for days. Could you have a younger population? I recently came into some that are probably a little over a year and the red comes and goes but nowhere near as intense as the older crowd I used to have.
Additonally, I used to work at a facility where the stream exhibit was kept chilled year round (~60) and they still colored up in the summer. This leads me to believe that photoperiod plays a large role.
Additonally, I used to work at a facility where the stream exhibit was kept chilled year round (~60) and they still colored up in the summer. This leads me to believe that photoperiod plays a large role.
Attached Images
Nick L.
#6
Guest_bumpylemon_*
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Posted 16 June 2010 - 03:19 PM
my only experiences are with MRBD and i caught them last September and they have stayed colored up since. bright red. and ive had them in 4 different tanks now. i hear that NRBD lose their color the most out of the red belly daces.
#7
Guest_Elijah_*
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Posted 19 June 2010 - 08:38 AM
Yep, my fish were all about 1" or less when I got them. Now they are 1 1/2-2", so I would say they are pretty young. When I first got them they had red bellies, but not really deep red.I had a school of older RBD (picture attached) that would seem to color up randomly throughout the year, although more frequently in summer. The temps were ambient but would generally range from 68-74. I didn't feed any vegetables out, but did throw in some omnivore gel every once in a while. They mostly ate mysis, bloodworms, blackworms, adult brine, and sometimes crayfish tails or filet cut up into tiny pieces. For the most part they would lose their colors after the lights had been on for an hour or so, but the male in the picture would stay colored up for days. Could you have a younger population? I recently came into some that are probably a little over a year and the red comes and goes but nowhere near as intense as the older crowd I used to have.
Additonally, I used to work at a facility where the stream exhibit was kept chilled year round (~60) and they still colored up in the summer. This leads me to believe that photoperiod plays a large role.
One or two of them are usually colored up in the morning. I keep the lights on from noon to 10 pm, the rest of the time they get some southern morning sunlight.
There used to be a pond behind my house when I was a kid that had red, yellow, and orange NRBDs. Man, those things were spectacular. The pond is gone now and only a trckle of a stream is left. I think these folks who built a dam/pond on their property are getting all the water.
Maybe I will try putting some in my stream tank which utilizes sunlight for most of the day. I have some yellow NRBDs that are in that tank, and while their colors seem to be a little washed out, they are always present.
Nice fish in the pic BTW.
#8
Guest_Elijah_*
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Posted 19 June 2010 - 08:40 AM
Yeah, I sure would like to get some of those MRBDs! I don't see myself getting down south, or buying any in the near future though.my only experiences are with MRBD and i caught them last September and they have stayed colored up since. bright red. and ive had them in 4 different tanks now. i hear that NRBD lose their color the most out of the red belly daces.
#10
Guest_Elijah_*
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Posted 09 July 2010 - 11:23 PM
Today I moved my Red Bellied Dace into a new tank with a black substrate. One turned red immediately and some others started to show reddening bellies. I have treid to get them to turn red for about a year with different diets and such. It was humorous to me that after all this time, black sand, boom! Done.
I had to wait to try the black substrate until I could get a 40 long and set it up.
I had to wait to try the black substrate until I could get a 40 long and set it up.
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