I know they are a challenge to keep alive, but I'm looking to challenge myself with trying to keep them. Is it okay to get them at 2in? can they handle current? I would assume that frozen rotifers and baby brine would work for feeding them?
I have read the article on here about them, but I'm still a little confused.
Thanks
Edit: I'm probably not going to get them, but I'm going to keep this topic here because I'm writing care sheets in a notebook.
Threadfin shad aquarium?
#1
Posted 15 November 2015 - 11:32 AM
#2
Posted 15 November 2015 - 11:38 AM
#3
Posted 15 November 2015 - 11:46 AM
These have been captive bred, but they are still most likely going to be hard to keep I guess. I'm not going to get them I guess because it wouldn't be worth the price for them to just all die... ($50 if you include shipping)
#4
Posted 15 November 2015 - 01:33 PM
Typically people can't even use them for live bait. They die in the bait cooler before they make it on the hook. Certainly an interesting fish. I have a pretty decent school in my pond. I did not mean to stock them, I suspect there were some eggs mixed in with the water willow that I collected and planted. Quite a few 8-10 inch fish.
Oh, and I have heard that they do keep longer in a round container than they do in a square one. If there is any truth to this, then an aquarium would make an already difficult fish even tougher.
The member formerly known as Skipjack
#5
Posted 15 November 2015 - 03:00 PM
#6
Posted 15 November 2015 - 07:38 PM
I've kept gizzard shad, I thought they were threadfins but it would more reasonable for them to be gizzard but they did have the threadfin, catching very small individuals and a large tanks seem to be the trick, they also like hikari micro pellets and live daphnia. I scooped up a bunch near my home and they survived the 10 minute or so trip quite well.
Life is the poetry of the universe
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#7
Posted 15 November 2015 - 07:40 PM
A short wide hexagon or octagon tank might work. Not a bowfront - the back corners are too square. Use salt during transport.
Gerald Pottern
-----------------------
Hangin' on the Neuse
"Taxonomy is the diaper used to organize the mess of evolution into discrete packages" - M.Sandel
#8
Posted 15 November 2015 - 08:15 PM
To mitigate stress associated with transport and possibly while in the display tank, increase salinity to between 5 and 10 ppt. You should see a marked increase in their ability to survive stress.
#9
Posted 15 November 2015 - 09:00 PM
#10
Posted 16 November 2015 - 12:19 AM
You'll probably want to get them as small as possible- the smaller the fish, the quicker they adapt. I haven't dealt with anything as fragile as a shad, but I keep blacktail shiners, and the larger ones take much longer to adapt. Also, I once had several full-sized ones just up and die right after capture. The small ones just panic for a few hours (lots of hiding, lots of fast breathing) and then are fine.
#11
Posted 16 November 2015 - 09:41 AM
I'll second using a round bucket to transport. I kept a few gizzard shad, a couple years ago. They about beat themselves to death in the cooler on the way home. Those that made it cornered themselves in the aquarium and died quickly. I thought they were cool when I caught them, once in the aquarium, those are some ugly fish.
Josh Blaylock - Central KY
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#12
Posted 17 November 2015 - 07:02 PM
Freshwater Aquarist
South Carolina Aquarium
Charleston, SC
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