I am not really new to native fish, but I have not attempted to keep them until recently. I was just curious what most people fed their darters. I have small greensides and johnny darters, and they sometimes pick the frozen bloodworms i feed them off the bottom. They dont feed aggresively, and im not sure they are getting enough. Do they need live food? I hear from a friend that after about a week they will eat just about anything
Feeding Darters
Started by
Guest_fishfray_*
, May 17 2013 09:40 PM
4 replies to this topic
#2
Guest_gunner48_*
Guest_gunner48_*
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Posted 17 May 2013 - 10:21 PM
My darters have always done well on Grindal worms. They are cheap and easy to culture and are quickly accepted by new captive fish. I have never had a fish refuse them. The forum on captive care has some excellent posts for raising them. Fish growth is very good with Grindals. I also raise cherry shrimp and darters will quickly hunt them down. Cherry shrimp only go in about once a week. If you can find a local source of black worms, these are also taken by darters. Black worms do require some care to keep them alive and fresh, so I only use them on occasion. How much food the darters are getting depends on the tank mates. I keep mine in their own tank. Grindals dropped into the current from the power head get blasted around the tank, but they do sink and even better they will stay alive for quite awhile under water. I do not know how long because they are all eaten very quickly. Frozen foods are taken if it is presented in the current, so it looks alive. I do not use frozen food until after the fish have settled down since it can pollute the tank if not eaten quickly. My brother has kept darters using sinking pellet food. It took a few months of grindals and gradual introduction of the pellet food. Fresh caught fish will not touch dry food, but they accept it after they have settled down to tank life.
#3
Michael Wolfe
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- North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage
Posted 18 May 2013 - 11:44 AM
I agree with most of what gunner says above, but I do not culture any food.
- Frozen is the most common thing that all my darters eat (introduced into the current is a good way to make new darters think they are hunting something).
- Soft pellets, Spectrum by New Life 0.5 mm pellets (also introduced in the current, but eventually they learn these are food and even hunt for pellets between the rocks after they fall)
- Flake food, they prefer something like earthworm flake (Zoomed makes one). Seems like they need that "strong" flavor to convince themselves it is food. Most of my darters have learned this one.
- Snails. Greensides in particular are snail eaters (although I think that many darters are, look at the mouth shape).
- Ghost shrimp are hunted and eaten by larger darters. While this is not really feasible as a full time food, it is interest to watch.
- Most other small live foods (mosquito larva, scuds, etc.) Darters sometimes hint stuff you cant even see, so just pond water (from my water lily ponds) seems to hold organisms that interest them.
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin
#5
Michael Wolfe
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- North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage
Posted 18 May 2013 - 07:22 PM
Yep, my browns will fight to the surface against the current to get the first bite! Not all species or all individuals seem to learn this, but if you have one fish in there that "gets it" then often the competition for food will "teach" the others to eat flake as well.
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin
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