Javascript Disabled Detected

You currently have javascript disabled. Several functions may not work. Please re-enable javascript to access full functionality.

will darters be able to be collected this time of year?

Started by Guest_macantley_* , Jan 07 2012 07:24 PM

Next

Reply to this topic

20 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_macantley_*

Guests

Posted 07 January 2012 - 07:24 PM

im looking for some rainbow darters, ive got one in my tank now, but want a few more, its a 180 gallon tank with three cory cat's and 1 darter, also a few pleco's

im sure the water temps are around 40-50*F but im not sure if the fish will actually be out or not, the creek is approx 4-8" deep that i collect them in, and its very low right now cause it hasnt rained in a few days.

does anyone see the temps being a problem?

matthew

#2 Guest_frogwhacker_*

Guests

Posted 07 January 2012 - 07:33 PM

Not a problem at all. This is actually a great time to collect them. I just collected a female rainbow darter last week out of 45F water. Just make sure you drip acclimate. It may take all night to bring the water temperature up slowly enough, but it will pay off in the long run.

Just noticed also that you're only a couple hours away from me. It's great to hear from someone who's somewhat local to me.

Have fun collecting.

Steve.

#3 Guest_keepnatives_*

Guests

Posted 07 January 2012 - 07:35 PM

im looking for some rainbow darters, ive got one in my tank now, but want a few more, its a 180 gallon tank with three cory cat's and 1 darter, also a few pleco's

im sure the water temps are around 40-50*F but im not sure if the fish will actually be out or not, the creek is approx 4-8" deep that i collect them in, and its very low right now cause it hasnt rained in a few days.

does anyone see the temps being a problem?

matthew

You have a good chance of finding rainbow darters though you may need to look in any small pools as well, I've collected rainbows thru out the winter here in NY as long as able to get in he water.

#4 Guest_exasperatus2002_*

Guests

Posted 07 January 2012 - 10:57 PM

You have a good chance of finding rainbow darters though you may need to look in any small pools as well, I've collected rainbows thru out the winter here in NY as long as able to get in he water.

Absolutely. I just received a shipment of orange throat & banded darters. Shipping water was 50*f. I was able to acclimate them to my 72* tank water in about 4.5 hrs. They ate within 5 minutes of being put in the tank and all are well now 24 hrs later. Im tempted now to get some tesselated darters & a few (4) Fundulus diaphanus from my local water to join them.

#5 Guest_jblaylock_*

Guests

Posted 08 January 2012 - 06:08 PM

During this time of the year, I find more darters in the riffle margins, instead of the riffle itself. Search all over, riffles, margins, pools, leaf litter, etc... and should should find some. I have collected darters from water that was covered in ice. We literally had to break the ice off the surface to use our nets.

#6 Guest_macantley_*

Guests

Posted 03 February 2012 - 03:04 PM

i caught some minnows that day, but no darters, i wasnt going in more than knee deep, it was cold!!!!

im wanting to goto virginia at some point and collect in big stoney creek, looking for candy darters if possible, they are a "species of interest" in WV so i cant collect them here, but in virginia they arent on endangered or "interest" status, infact they are wildly abundant in those streams, id like to collect a dozen or so and set them up in my stream tank and hope they breed.

matthew

#7 Guest_Drew_*

Guests

Posted 06 February 2012 - 12:28 PM

i caught some minnows that day, but no darters, i wasnt going in more than knee deep, it was cold!!!!

im wanting to goto virginia at some point and collect in big stoney creek, looking for candy darters if possible, they are a "species of interest" in WV so i cant collect them here, but in virginia they arent on endangered or "interest" status, infact they are wildly abundant in those streams, id like to collect a dozen or so and set them up in my stream tank and hope they breed.

matthew

You probably shouldn't be collecting candy darters from VA. They aren't yet listed but should be. I believe they are a Federally SOC.

#8 Guest_blakemarkwell_*

Guests

Posted 06 February 2012 - 01:29 PM

Yes, they're a SOC/SSC. Heck, I'd be hesitant to photograph one alive, let alone go and collect a dozen. If you're really hell-bent on slowly killing Poecilichthys (E. kanawhae, E. osburni, E. tetrazonum, etc), pick a species that is better off such as E. variatum. Also, the invasion of E. variatum into portions of their range has imperiled the genetic integrity of E. osburni (via hybridization); thus, the range of pure E. osburni is even smaller than typically reported.

Edited by blakemarkwell, 06 February 2012 - 01:37 PM.

#9 Guest_blakemarkwell_*

Guests

Posted 06 February 2012 - 03:26 PM

*I should note that as far as I know, E. osburni and E. variatum are syntopic at only one or two sites and these are all within West Virginia. However, that doesn't mean those genes can't move down/upstream. The study I read did find cases of introgression throughout a decent portion of the Greenbrier and New rivers. Luckily, there's a few lakes/waterfalls (Kanawha Falls?) that will/should prevent further contact (then again, this probably all started through bait-bucket introductions). So, not all E. osburni populations are plagued, but it's one more reason that this wonderful fish deserves our attention.

#10 Guest_gunner48_*

Guests

Posted 06 February 2012 - 10:30 PM

I have found darters at this time of year but the water is cold so they need a gradual warm up. I put them in the garage, then basement. Depending on their temps. If they have plenty of water movement and places to hide they settle in fairly quickly.I feed mine black worms or grindal worms. I wait a few days and then add a few black worms. If they are not ready to eat the worms just go to the bottom and don't foul the water. Mine have always started quickly when the see grindal worms dipped into the water flow so the worms scatter across the tank. if you don't have some live food I would not try keeping them. I would also not try feeding them until they are settled into the tank that is above 50 degrees for a day.

I have found Rainbow Darters to be quite hardy when it comes to temps. Last Summer I kept a 55 gallon tank outside with just strong aeration and while it got warm the fish continued to eat well and did just has well has when i kept them in my basement and I had no losses. The tanks had plenty of rocks and nice water movement. They were kept under a deck so they were not in sunshine but the tank warmed into the eighties. This time of year they would need some gradual adjustment, but with a powerhead or strong airstone they should adjust to normal room temps. If the water is low then now might be the best time to go for them. Last year Southern Ohio had the rainiest year on record and the local water never got very low.

#11 Guest_steve_*

Guests

Posted 06 February 2012 - 11:45 PM

Last year Southern Ohio had the rainiest year on record and the local water never got very low.

That's for sure. It changed a lot of my normal fishing/sampling/collecting strategies and sites.

Also, Welcome to NANFA too. It's good to hear from someone else from southern Ohio. Are you more east or west?

Steve.

#12 Guest_macantley_*

Guests

Posted 11 February 2012 - 12:05 PM

yes, my brother went fishing at a lake called "cave run" i think its in northern kentucky, im not sure, but the water levels were 10-15 feet above normal due to rainfall, he said you could see some of the shelters under the water, the lake was about 1/3rd to 1/2 larger than it normally is because of the flooding.

also, kanawha falls is supposed to be the geographic break on the candy darters, however ive never heard of any populations being found anywhere close to kanawha falls, most are found above bluestone dam probably 60-70 water miles away. i hear the best locations for candy darters is near pembroke in virginia, its probably 20-30 miles via the water above bluestone.

matthew

#13 Guest_gunner48_*

Guests

Posted 11 February 2012 - 10:06 PM

I live in the southwest part of the state. I have collected in Eastern Indiana, Northern Kentucky, and several of the Southern Ohio water sheds. The Little Miami River is the river I know best and it is a classic warm water midwest stream that is a national wild and scenic river. The year before last we had a severe drought, and last year record rains so the fishing was difficult. Like a lot of fish keepers I got interested in natives when I collected a few rainbow darters. I found them easy to keep, if you have black worms and Grindal worms to provide has food. They like water movement, need water changes, and they need a lid on the tank has they are quite the jumpers.

#14 Guest_FirstChAoS_*

Guests

Posted 11 February 2012 - 11:03 PM

I live in the southwest part of the state. I have collected in Eastern Indiana, Northern Kentucky, and several of the Southern Ohio water sheds. The Little Miami River is the river I know best and it is a classic warm water midwest stream that is a national wild and scenic river. The year before last we had a severe drought, and last year record rains so the fishing was difficult. Like a lot of fish keepers I got interested in natives when I collected a few rainbow darters. I found them easy to keep, if you have black worms and Grindal worms to provide has food. They like water movement, need water changes, and they need a lid on the tank has they are quite the jumpers.

I never heard of a darter jumping before. Ethestoma have weak swim bladders and rarely go near the tanks surface unless they follow structure up their.

#15 Guest_steve_*

Guests

Posted 12 February 2012 - 12:18 AM

I've actually had the unfortunate experience of having a couple Etheostoma jump from a tank; a rainbow and a johnny. They seem to be sensitive to large water changes if there is a significant difference in the PH or hardness of the new water compared to what is in the tank. The water I replenish with is much softer with a lower PH. I haven't had this trouble in my heavily planted stream tank. This may be partially because water changes are only to replace what I remove by using the vacuum to suck up algae, and therefore are very small. It may also be in part due to the fact that the main water current in the tank is limited to the bottom. I can't say for sure if that helps with darters but I know it seems to keep dace from jumping. All this said, the best method of leap control is always a secure lid.

Steve.

#16 Guest_dredcon_*

Guests

Posted 12 February 2012 - 12:23 AM

I never heard of a darter jumping before. Ethestoma have weak swim bladders and rarely go near the tanks surface unless they follow structure up their.

I think some species are more likely to hang out up in the water column than others.
I used to keep E. parvipinnie and I think some of them spent more time near the top than the bottom.
They also had more personality than any other darter species I kept.

#17 Guest_jblaylock_*

Guests

Posted 12 February 2012 - 02:16 PM

i caught some minnows that day, but no darters, i wasnt going in more than knee deep, it was cold!!!!

im wanting to goto virginia at some point and collect in big stoney creek, looking for candy darters if possible, they are a "species of interest" in WV so i cant collect them here, but in virginia they arent on endangered or "interest" status, infact they are wildly abundant in those streams, id like to collect a dozen or so and set them up in my stream tank and hope they breed.

matthew

Agreed with Blake and Drew, you probably shouldn't be collecting Candy Darters. Nobody is trying to beat you down (I've been in your shoes) but we care about these fish and they are up against enough as it is. I don't know what fish are in your area, but a quick (2-3h) drive from your location would get you to E. variatum in Kentucky. They aren't quite as beautiful as the Candy, but a great alternative.

#18 Guest_gunner48_*

Guests

Posted 12 February 2012 - 09:19 PM

I added lids to all my native tanks when I had a few jumpers and is very cheap protection after the time, gas, and effort it can be to collect fish. The 'R darters normal behavior is to stay on the bottom or work their way along the rocks. The darters do not spend much time up in the water column and because of their anatomy they struggle to stay off the bottom. But when they get scared they have no problem making a jump out of every tank. I put some in a 180 gallon grade school tank and one made the jump out.They are wild fish so panic behavior should be expected.

But, over time they settle down to the routine of living in a tank and there less prone to jump. Now when I move some of the flat rocks they just move off to another place to hide.Providing a few flat rocks with a few smaller rocks under them to provide some space between the flat rock and the bottom seems to make them feel secure. All of the wild fish I have collected usually want to hide the first few days and I try not to disturb them. I try to keep the light cycle to what it was when I collected them. After a day or so I add some black worms or some Grindals by placing them in the water flow so they appear has natural food. I add just a few and I stand back from the tank and watch from the other side of the room to see if they start feeding. When they start eating I add enough for them to polish off in a few minutes. Within a week they begin to associate my arrival with feeding time and they will come out from under the rocks when I l add a few grindals has a starter. The starters they can smell in the water flow everybody in the tank pops out from under the rocks and I can do a head count to make sure nobody has died under the rocks. When comfortable my darters are usually visible and so far I have not seen them fight or any signs of fin damage from fighting.

#19 Guest_exasperatus2002_*

Guests

Posted 13 February 2012 - 08:56 AM

I had two that had tried jumping out of the 5 gallon bucket I was drip acclimating them in. I had the bucket only 1/3 full. One made it on the floor. The other was stuck to the side of the bucket. Both survived. I dont know how long they were out of water for though. As it took 4 hrs to raise the temp from 55*F to 72*F that my tank is running at.

#20 Guest_fundulus_*

Guests

Posted 13 February 2012 - 11:10 AM

We were out yesterday in a tributary to the lower Paint Rock River in Marshall County, Alabama. We caught some of the most intensely colored Tennessee snubnose darters I've ever seen. So sure, the darters are out and around, they really don't have anywhere else to go.