I have a 20g tank that is setup right now with some fathead minnows that I am hoping I will be able to get to breed( 1 as a fun project and 2 to give my sunfish in the 75g a treat every once in awhile).
I was wondering if I could throw a Darter in there with them just to add color and something different the tank. Would the darter cause a problem when the fatheads start to breed? would I need a powerhead for current and would that effect the breeding of the fatheads? Thanks in advance for any help!
Can I add a Darter or 2?
Started by
Guest_Vandee_*
, Mar 24 2014 08:52 PM
4 replies to this topic
#2
Michael Wolfe
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Posted 24 March 2014 - 09:31 PM
You could certainly have a couple of darters in a tank with a few minnows. I have had such tanks before and everyone was fine. However, I think it may defeat your purpose. Darters are predators of very small things... like fry. Now maybe your fathead male will protect them some (at least while they are eggs), but you will not be happy with your production at all (if you ever see any).
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin
#3
Guest_Vandee_*
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Posted 24 March 2014 - 09:48 PM
Hmm so If I were to add a couple of darters I would need to remove the fry or more likely remove the eggs to keep the darters from getting to them. That doesn't sound too bad, I will have to wait for the ice to thaw before I go looking for any darters here in Michigan. I have a creek behind my house but i've never seen any darters only creek chubs, green sunfish and the salmon when they run in the fall. Does anyone happen to know the native darters to michigan?
#5
Guest_MichiJim_*
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Posted 25 March 2014 - 03:20 PM
The Michigan DNR publishes a fish atlas online. Go to www.Michigan.gov/dnr and click on publications. It should be there under fisheries information. It is pretty good with dots indicating sites where the various species have been captured. Note that it is not a static document. I have captured greenside darters and starhead topminnows in areas not included in the atlas. Ranges change over time due to colonization and the simple fact that no one has ever checked that particular location for non-game species. In Michigan generally, the number of species of darters gets smaller as you go north. In the UP, where I live, it gets pretty thin. Southeast Michigan has the most. In southern Michigan, April was my favorite time to collect. It might almost be spring by then this year. I am hoping for ice out by July.
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