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Darter ID


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#1 coreyhkh

coreyhkh
  • NANFA Guest
  • London Ontario

Posted 22 July 2016 - 12:15 PM

Hi all I am new here but have been reading the forums for a couple years now.

 

I caught this darter the other day and I am not a 100% sure what it is, I am thinking maybe a young green sided but was also looking at johnny darter. It was caught in a tributary of the Thames river in southwestern Ontario.

 

 

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#2 UncleWillie

UncleWillie
  • NANFA Member
  • Georgia

Posted 22 July 2016 - 12:21 PM

I think your initial guess of a greenside is correct.  Excellent photograph, by-the-way.


Willie P


#3 Josh Blaylock

Josh Blaylock
  • Board of Directors
  • Central Kentucky

Posted 22 July 2016 - 01:30 PM

Corey,
 
I really can't tell if this is an in-tank photo, but I think it is.  You may not know, but one of NANFA's rules is we do not accept in-tank IDs as it's poor ethics to bring home a fish that you cannot correctly ID.

 

 

 
Identification Assistance
Rules of ID Section

ID requests from home aquaria will not be accepted and topics will be removed. Please take the time to catch, photo and release unidentified fish streamside.

 

 


Josh Blaylock - Central KY
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#4 Matt DeLaVega

Matt DeLaVega
  • Forum Staff
  • Ohio

Posted 22 July 2016 - 03:24 PM

Josh is correct. However the mistake has already been made and letting the fish go is a worse option. Luckily here we are dealing with a greenside darter, and it is hard to imagine any areas where they are threatened or endangered.

 

 That being said, now that you know our policy, please do not submit any additional in tank photos for identification. It is very important ecologically that you don't remove fish from the stream until you can properly identify them. This protects both you, the fish and indirectly our organization. Had that darter been a listed species(endangered, threatened, or protected in any way) you would have just put yourself in jeopardy with the law. Believe me when I tell you that this forum is monitored by wildlife officials. Some even happen to be members. Ecologically, that goes without saying, I am certain you don't want to remove an endangered species from the wild and keep it from spawning and keeping the species and that particular population viable. And lastly NANFA cannot condone or tolerate the practice of removing unidentified fish from the wild. That is very contrary to our mission.

 

 So in the future, your solution is to take streamside photos then release the unknown fish right back to the stream it came from. You can take photos in hand, but that is not ideal, as many fish are difficult to ID without a good in the water photo. Now the photo you posted is ID quality. Keep that quality up by getting a small acrylic container. A critter keeper tank from a pet store will work. Then you can go to home depot and get a piece of clear acrylic have them cut it, or cut it yourself. The idea is to make it just small enough that it will fit inside of your photo tank. Pretty tight fit. You can then use it as a paddle to gently squeeze the fish up against the front of your photo tank and take an ID quality photo streamside.Release the fish, get a definitive ID, then once you know it is legal and ethical, return to the stream and bring home a specimen or two.

 

 Good luck, and now we should look forward to your streamside ID photos.

 

 

  Now if we were wrong and you took that photo while snorkeling, then keep up the good work, and we would love to see more underwater photos of that quality!

 

 Nevermind my last sentence, I see dried water droplets on the glass.


Edited by Matt DeLaVega, 22 July 2016 - 03:36 PM.
added content

The member formerly known as Skipjack


#5 gerald

gerald
  • Global Moderator
  • Wake Forest, North Carolina

Posted 22 July 2016 - 04:42 PM

Greensides need a nearly constant supply of food to grow and remain healthy.  I'd suggest using some live foods (in addition to frozen) such as blackworms that will stay alive until eaten.  Watch out to make sure he gets enough food; they are prone to getting thin in captivity.  I'm not 100% sure that he's not a Johnny -- they're pretty similar when small. 


Gerald Pottern
-----------------------
Hangin' on the Neuse
"Taxonomy is the diaper used to organize the mess of evolution into discrete packages" - M.Sandel


#6 Matt DeLaVega

Matt DeLaVega
  • Forum Staff
  • Ohio

Posted 22 July 2016 - 04:59 PM

I see enough of both to be certain it is a greenside. Gerald has a point. Feed it well. A variety of snail sizes will be great, as they are snail specialists. Actually suck them right out of the shell. So throw a pile of smallish pond snails in front of him, and watch him go to work. It is quite entertaining. Blackworms would be great as Gerald mentioned, food whenever it feels the need, and I have never had a problem with them eating bloodworms. Flakes.. Forget about it.


The member formerly known as Skipjack





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