We keep lots of sunfish indoors, bluegill mostly, and all must consume pellets to meet nutritional needs. Virtually all we keep were lab spawned and reared yet many are causing problems when comes to ensuring good feed intake. Coppernose and handpaint bluegill as well as crappies in particular are real boogers when comes to getting them to eat. With these guys we often have to shade tanks which is not always practical. Something we are seeing which I think is real involves fish eating better when water gets the tea like appearance. When we up make-up water causing water to clear, feed intake goes down while reverse happens as water goes greenish brown.
Impact of Stained Water on Feeding Activity
Started by
Guest_centrarchid_*
, Jan 31 2013 02:29 PM
10 replies to this topic
#2
Michael Wolfe
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Posted 31 January 2013 - 03:03 PM
I know you know this, but tannin stained water is often more acidic as well. Is your makeup water different pH?
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin
#3
Guest_centrarchid_*
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Posted 31 January 2013 - 04:41 PM
Alkalinity of system water consistently pushing 180.
Edited by centrarchid, 31 January 2013 - 04:42 PM.
#4
Guest_GoFisch_*
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Posted 01 February 2013 - 04:55 PM
Forgive me for my non-scientific approach, your situation makes me think of the times I've fished stained or off-color vs. clear water. Fish often seem to scrutinize flies and lures more closely in clear and are 'more spooky' than they are in off color water in my experience. Of course there are other factors that could cause fish to feed more heavily in off color water, such as a flush of food coming down the stream after a recent rain, temp change, etc., but I think that fish often feel more comfortable in off color water. I would imagine it could be a problem for species that are adapted to a certain constant level of turbidity.
That reminds me of sampling studies in our South Dakota plains streams that were historically turbid but have become clearer with the building of dams. We are seeing a shift from species like the flathead chub and sturgeon chub that were adapted to turbid streams to more generalized species like the red shiner and fathead minnow.
Not sure if that tells you anything you didn't already know. I used to be a fisheries major....but that was many moons ago.
That reminds me of sampling studies in our South Dakota plains streams that were historically turbid but have become clearer with the building of dams. We are seeing a shift from species like the flathead chub and sturgeon chub that were adapted to turbid streams to more generalized species like the red shiner and fathead minnow.
Not sure if that tells you anything you didn't already know. I used to be a fisheries major....but that was many moons ago.
#5
Guest_gerald_*
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Posted 02 February 2013 - 01:09 PM
Aha! so turbidity is good and erosion control is bad for fish ... I knew it. Mr. Limbaugh could get some mileage with that one.
I think depth is a factor too. In stained or turbid water sunfish (and probably other spp) seem more willing to venture toward the surface or into shallows areas that they avoid when water is clear. Bird-paranoia I guess.
I think depth is a factor too. In stained or turbid water sunfish (and probably other spp) seem more willing to venture toward the surface or into shallows areas that they avoid when water is clear. Bird-paranoia I guess.
#6
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Posted 02 February 2013 - 06:45 PM
OK, but what about feeding at night? I don't ever do it, but I think it would be worth trying out to see if feeding responses in clear vs. stained water are the same. If they're significantly different. I'd look deeper into the chemical reasons for it.
#7
Guest_Auban_*
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Posted 03 February 2013 - 04:57 AM
tannins are pretty good at blocking UV. maybe the fish just dont like looking into the sun(or bright lights)?
i have been using some pretty ridiculous(super bright and lots of UV) lights one of my tanks lately and have noticed that the fish only come out when i dose a home made blackwater extract. otherwise, they hide. if i over dose on the fertilizers(the tank is more for the plants) i can see how far the UV penetrates by looking at the cyanobacteria growing on the tank walls. cyano pretty much refuses to grow in the presence of UV, or at least the kind that usually plagues tanks does. with a lot of tannins in the water, the cyano will grow right up to within an inch or two of the surface.
as the tannins clear, the cyano recedes deeper and deeper into the tank, until it disappears wherever the lights hit it directly.
just a thought.
i have been using some pretty ridiculous(super bright and lots of UV) lights one of my tanks lately and have noticed that the fish only come out when i dose a home made blackwater extract. otherwise, they hide. if i over dose on the fertilizers(the tank is more for the plants) i can see how far the UV penetrates by looking at the cyanobacteria growing on the tank walls. cyano pretty much refuses to grow in the presence of UV, or at least the kind that usually plagues tanks does. with a lot of tannins in the water, the cyano will grow right up to within an inch or two of the surface.
as the tannins clear, the cyano recedes deeper and deeper into the tank, until it disappears wherever the lights hit it directly.
just a thought.
#8
Guest_Bob_*
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Posted 03 February 2013 - 09:45 AM
I've never found water clarity to be a factor in getting Lepomis to eat. They need an inital period after capture to calm down before they'll eat pellets. Also, a lot of them don't seem to realize right away that pellets are food. What helps is to have one fish in the tank who eats well. The others will soon copy him/her and begin feeding after a few days to a week.
One other variable that may be a factor: generally, sunnies don't have the dentition that cichlids do. I've had better luck getting Lepomis species to eat pellets if I soaked the pellets first.
One other variable that may be a factor: generally, sunnies don't have the dentition that cichlids do. I've had better luck getting Lepomis species to eat pellets if I soaked the pellets first.
#9
Guest_centrarchid_*
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Posted 03 February 2013 - 10:16 AM
Bob, these are tank spawned and raised bluegill that have been eating pellets since 14 days old. Northern bluegill have not the problem that similarly raised coppernose and especially handpaint bluegill have.
Gerald I hope you are not talking about Rush, he is a Missouri treasure now and I was trying to shut that out of my mind.
rjtmx, the night feeding thing will be addressed soon with larvae but it might also be important for adults. Not all adults roost all night. They do effectively roost based on what I have seen.
Gerald I hope you are not talking about Rush, he is a Missouri treasure now and I was trying to shut that out of my mind.
rjtmx, the night feeding thing will be addressed soon with larvae but it might also be important for adults. Not all adults roost all night. They do effectively roost based on what I have seen.
#10
Guest_SunfishGuy99_*
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Posted 09 February 2013 - 01:15 PM
Hi, are you Ray Wetzel? If so, i am wondering how you got your liscense in nj to catch blusespotted sunnies and all those endangered eneacanthus sunfish? If you are not Ray Wetzel, sorry for bothering you.We keep lots of sunfish indoors, bluegill mostly, and all must consume pellets to meet nutritional needs. Virtually all we keep were lab spawned and reared yet many are causing problems when comes to ensuring good feed intake. Coppernose and handpaint bluegill as well as crappies in particular are real boogers when comes to getting them to eat. With these guys we often have to shade tanks which is not always practical. Something we are seeing which I think is real involves fish eating better when water gets the tea like appearance. When we up make-up water causing water to clear, feed intake goes down while reverse happens as water goes greenish brown.
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