Hey guys!
I was wondering if anyone out there has ever successfully kept Sheepshead Minnows outside of brackish water. Here in the Tidewater area of Virginia, I've only ever seen them in brackish and salt water. I work at a bait & tackle shop and every now and then, the guy that brings us Mummichogs doesn't take them out of his deliveries. I've tried twice to bring them home to my freshwater tank because the man says that he catches more and more of them the further up the Elizabeth River, where there's less salt, but they never make it in the tank. Also if there's anyone who has done an sampling in my area and knows where I can catch some in freshwater, that would be great too. I think they are beautiful fish and I would love to have some in my tank.
Sheepshead Minnows in Freshwater?
Started by
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, Sep 15 2013 11:50 PM
11 replies to this topic
#2
Guest_njJohn_*
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Posted 16 September 2013 - 09:38 AM
I've never kept them, and I'm not sure how brackish the water is where I have seen them. Do you know where the restaurant Citrus off Shore Drive is? Theres a little stream along the side street with them clearly visible.
#3
Guest_EricaLyons_*
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Posted 16 September 2013 - 11:20 AM
The few fish I know of that can transition from salt to freshwater need several days of gradual acclimation. I've read papers on on saltwater mollies and guppies. The guppy paper used a gradual increase of salinity once every 12 hours over the course of several days to a week to acclimate the guppies to a marine tank. It might be not only the freshwater, but also shock from lack of gradual acclimation that is doing your fish in. I wish I could remember the name or find the paper, but it's saved on my other harddrive. If you want, you can e-mail me at websurfer89@hotmail.com and I'll send you the pdf file. I don't think I can share publicly with the whole world, but they probably wouldn't throw me in jail for one share. But yeah, that's basically the procedure: increase the salinity gradually over the course of the week, not changing salinity except once every 12 hours.
#5
Guest_Dustin_*
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Posted 16 September 2013 - 12:16 PM
I have kept them in freshwater before. I actually have some right now in FW that have been there for about 6 months. I collected them from brackish water pond and threw them in a freshwater tank with no issues. I also have sailfin mollies and marsh killifish that I did the same way.
#6
Guest_EricaLyons_*
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Posted 16 September 2013 - 12:52 PM
I didn't use to use drip acclimation. I went to the pet store, paid $20 for 20 neon tetras, and tossed them all in my tank. All were dead within a few hours. I went back to the store, bought another $20 of neon tetras, and over the course of five hours acclimated them slowly to my tank water. I didn't lose a single one. That's why I now drip acclimate my fish.I have kept them in freshwater before. I actually have some right now in FW that have been there for about 6 months. I collected them from brackish water pond and threw them in a freshwater tank with no issues. I also have sailfin mollies and marsh killifish that I did the same way.
Never acclimating fish ever can lead to the occasional death. Sure it works sometimes but definitely not every time.
I recommend drip acclimation (shown below)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSnJjTEjWyU
for changes like going from freshwater to freshwater, or for going from mostly-freshwater-brackish to freshwater.
For salinity acclimation when transitioning a creature from pure fresh to pure salt I recommend the 12 hour procedure described in the guppy paper. They didn't just use that procedure for one fish; they transitioned dozens, which is why for large numbers of animals it's best to use a gradual acclimation or you'll start to see loss of life.
#8
Guest_diburning_*
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Posted 21 November 2013 - 10:48 PM
Although it can be done, they will not be happy in fresh water. I've done it before. They appear to be fine at first, being very active, and eating voraciously, but then they start to clamp their fins and shimmy like mollies with parasites. They then start deteriorating. Deteriorating? Yes, deteriorating. They almost look like they're dissolving into the water. It's not a pretty sight. They also produce a lot of excess slime, and in the end, they die.
I think their organs may not be adjusting to the osmotic change fast enough that causes this. I have tried drip acclimating, to the same result. You will probably want to do the week-long acclimation method mentioned above.
I think their organs may not be adjusting to the osmotic change fast enough that causes this. I have tried drip acclimating, to the same result. You will probably want to do the week-long acclimation method mentioned above.
#9
Guest_Doug_Dame_*
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Posted 22 November 2013 - 01:58 AM
Why not just keep one moderately-brackish tank ???
It's (almost) just like keeping a f/w tank, except for keeping the water somewhat saltier. The great thing about many brackish water fish, and especially the killies, is that they tend to be tolerant of changing conditions ... salinity levels, temperature changes ... because that's what happens in their native environment. So they're usually robust and hardy.
Male sheephead minnows can be quite territorial though. I'd never keep them in anything with a smaller footprint than a 20L personally. In a tall tank, like a 55, you can find a top-water fish that will use that upper space, e.g. native mollies.
It's (almost) just like keeping a f/w tank, except for keeping the water somewhat saltier. The great thing about many brackish water fish, and especially the killies, is that they tend to be tolerant of changing conditions ... salinity levels, temperature changes ... because that's what happens in their native environment. So they're usually robust and hardy.
Male sheephead minnows can be quite territorial though. I'd never keep them in anything with a smaller footprint than a 20L personally. In a tall tank, like a 55, you can find a top-water fish that will use that upper space, e.g. native mollies.
#10
Guest_Irate Mormon_*
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Posted 23 November 2013 - 12:04 AM
e-mail me at websurfer89@hotmail.com
This address explains all Erica's posts with graphs, charts, verbose explanations, and 11x14 color glossy photos with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one explaining what what each one is.
#11
Guest_jetajockey_*
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Posted 07 January 2014 - 04:07 AM
Although it can be done, they will not be happy in fresh water. I've done it before. They appear to be fine at first, being very active, and eating voraciously, but then they start to clamp their fins and shimmy like mollies with parasites. They then start deteriorating. Deteriorating? Yes, deteriorating. They almost look like they're dissolving into the water. It's not a pretty sight. They also produce a lot of excess slime, and in the end, they die.
I think their organs may not be adjusting to the osmotic change fast enough that causes this. I have tried drip acclimating, to the same result. You will probably want to do the week-long acclimation method mentioned above.
I had this same result with a group that I collected in a brackish bayou. They lasted around 3-4 weeks but eventually just withered away. Next round will definitely be with a little bit of salt.
#12
Guest_Mysteryman_*
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Posted 05 February 2014 - 12:44 AM
Back when I worked at the Gulfarium we kept them in full seawater, and they spawned like crazy pretty much constantly. I tried them in freshwater, but never had much luck with them. They definitely prefer some salt. Heck, they can live in near-brine. They are abundant in the little puddles that form during the month's highest tide, and they survive in the superhot, supersalty water until freed by the next monthly high.
By the way, they didn't need any substrate to spawn. They produced fry aplenty in barebottomed concrete pools.
By the way, they didn't need any substrate to spawn. They produced fry aplenty in barebottomed concrete pools.
Edited by Mysteryman, 05 February 2014 - 12:45 AM.
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