21 replies to this topic

[Sean Phillips]

I went collecting Tuesday night and took home what I thought were 6 Rosyface Shiners but that's just what they looked like because of stress coloration. Turns out 4 of them are Silverjaw Minnows and 2 of them are Redside Dace (I know I should've observed them better and I'm learning from that as well as the white sucker I took home thinking it was a stoneroller ). They're sharing a 20 high with 2 greenside darters, 1 Rainbow Darter, 2 Juvi Swamp Darters, 2 Bluefin Killies, and 1 Pugnose Minnow and I'd like to get 2 more dace so they don't feel stressed being just 2 of them. However at the moment I don't think there's any more room in that tank for fish space wise. Do you guys think I'd have room for another two dace? I do 50% water changes weekly and there's a ton of hornwort, water sprite and hair algae plus a sponge filter and some mussels to filter out some nitrates. I'm more concerned about space more than bioload since I can always up water changes. The tank is 24"x12"x16". I'm also aware that all the fish in it now when fully grown would be to many and I'm soon looking to upgrade to at least a 30 Long to meet space requirements and then I could have a school of 6 of each minnow species but until then I don't want the Dace to die. So is it safe to add another 2 in your guys opinions?

Also, in addition to those I took home a single Blacknose Dace (100% getting a school soon) for a different 20 high which I'm turning into a swamp biotope. This is more just an aesthetics question but can you find Blacknose Dace in swamps or should I remove it from the tank?

Edited by Everything Fish, 19 September 2014 - 01:02 PM.

[Sean Phillips]

I think I am getting another two dace. I just did a water change and the large dace almost killed itself because it was so scared it jammed half way into the sponge filter and got stuck so I had to pull it out. Hopefully I'll be upgrading the tank soon.

[Sean Phillips]

The two mussels I purposely added a while back I just removed while they were on the surface. I don't know if they "spawned" or anything in the tank but those were the only two I added. Might be a few that slipped in the substrate though.

As far as the Redsides go, the two of them keep their distance from the Silverjaws and the ones almost died from getting stuck in between the sponge filter and glass during a water change earlier. I'm going fishing in a bit near the place I got the dace so I might bring my seine and go get another two when I'm done.

[Sean Phillips]

Put in another 2 redsides last night after I got back from collecting. Also got another 5 Blacknose dace for the other tank for my original one to school with. Everyone is getting along good for now.

Any reason that the Silverjaw Minnows, Redside Dace, and (in a different tank) some Johnny Darters aren't eating 6 days after introduced to captivity? I've tried frozen brine, frozen bloodworms, and live mosquito larvae.

[Michael Wolfe]

Silverjaws are dedicated sand feeders. I saw them wasting away in one tank and thriving in another and the difference was substrate. Maybe no one really understands those pearl organs. But it seems to have something to do with the way they sense food in the sand.

[Sean Phillips]

Silverjaws are dedicated sand feeders. I saw them wasting away in one tank and thriving in another and the difference was substrate. Maybe no one really understands those pearl organs. But it seems to have something to do with the way they sense food in the sand.

That shouldn't be a problem since I have about 4" of pool filter sand for substrate.

[Sean Phillips]

BND will be found in beaver ponds and other small impoundments of the small streams which can get pretty swampy but I would not consider them "swamp fish". As minnows go, golden shiners are the only ones in my experience that really like and choose swampy habitat, at least here in the northeast.

Your stocking plan seems extreme to me. You're gonna need way more filtration than is usual for such small tanks. You also should prolly check your IDs better before taking fish, or at least don't admit your mistakes here. Surprised you haven't been scolded already.

I'm doing 50% changes at least once a week and more often than not, twice a week. I also am upgrading to a 36"x12"x16" very soon. I don't plan on letting anything spiral out of control in this tank especially since it's my favorite one now. I thought I knew what I took but it was just the different coloration they had from stress that threw me off and I've already been scolded thank you very much

[Sean Phillips]

Is there anything specie that they eat out of the sand? I see them sifting through it every now and then but I'm not sure what they're eating out of it.

[Sean Phillips]

I must've also forgotten to list the current sizes of these fish which is why I'm not to worried about waste yet. The Greenside darters are 2" and 2.5". The rainbow darter is 2". The swamp darters are both 1". The killies are both 1.5". The Pugnose is 1.5". The redside dace are all 3". And the silver jaws are all 2.5". They're all still pretty small which is why the tank isn't getting as dirty as fast, I'll definitely have them upgraded before it becomes a concern.

[Sean Phillips]

Oddly enough the two redsides I added yesterday are readily eating brine shrimp and bloodworms already but the two originals seem hesitant to.

[Michael Wolfe]

Is there anything specie that they eat out of the sand? I see them sifting through it every now and then but I'm not sure what they're eating out of it.

I don't know exactly what they are eating, but I know that if I get sinking food like wardley shrimp pellets or spectrum micro pellets down onto the sand they seem to be able to eat better.

[Sean Phillips]

So about those blacknose dace. I had to take one of the six out earlier because it was nonstop chasing everything in the tank: he other dace, the darters, even the two yellow perch! It's now in a 10G with some juvi cichlids that have the same attitude as it until, I figure out what to do. Since the half hour ago I took it out now the next biggest dace has stepped up and is chasing everyone, not near as viciously or as often but still it's chasing fish. I can't believe the perch are letting themselves get she'd around my things that they eat like candy when adults. Any ideas how to calm them down? By the way, the tank dimensions are 24"x12"x16" in case it was a territory issue.

I'm also noticing occasionally it will go nip at another dace gently and the other dace will just sit there while the dominant one nips then the dominant one leaves it alone, doesn't appear to be any biting out of anger sometimes and more just like a random nip for no reason, although it will chase other fish too.

Edited by Everything Fish, 23 September 2014 - 03:56 PM.

[Sean Phillips]

Well I've got the blacknose dace eating, all the silver jaws I believe are eating (I see them pick at the sand occasionally), all 5 darters eating, and 3 of the 4 redsides are eating. Sadly the one redside not eating I don't think has much time left, it'd caudal peduncle back is really pale and it's swimming oddly. I guess I'll just wait it out since there isn't much I can do to help it.

Edited by Everything Fish, 25 September 2014 - 05:20 PM.

[Sean Phillips]

The dace was dead this morning. I figured our it was from either a broken back or lack of blood circulation in the back part of the fish.