4 replies to this topic

[Riffledace]

A while back I located a fairly nearby stream that has blacknose dace. Problem is, there's been a severe drought here and they've been trapped in tiny pools of warm water, no doubt stressing them and causing illness. Once the temperature cools down a little I'd like to collect some dace, but would it be a bad idea after a summer like this and I should wait until spring to avoid bringing sick, stressed fish into my aquarium? Or will the weaker fish have been weeded out and only the toughest, hardiest individuals are left?

[fundulus]

I would wait until cool weather, many species are living at their upper thermal tolerance in the summer and are stressed under the best of circumstances. In Mass. it should be good by Columbus Day, as the bluefish depart the coast....

[Michael Wolfe]

I get Bruce's point... but if you had a separate tank to put them in (of cool, air conditioned or basement  room temperature water) with a functioning bio-filter ready for them... seems to me that they would be better, faster, than leaving them in the tiny hot pools.

 

If it was me I would go get a dozen and put them in a currently empty but cycled tank.  I sure would not introduce them into an existing tank full of other fish, but I would try them on their own,

[gerald]

Yeah if they are crowded in shrinking pools, what's to lose?  Scoop them carefully and quickly from pool to transport cooler (with waterlogged leaves to hide under), and hope for the best.  Sometimes I bring my own bucket of water, if collecting in stagnant water.  The "shock" of transfer to new clean water may be less stressful than transporting them in bad quality water.

[Riffledace]

I don't have a spare tank, so I'm definitely going to wait for cooler weather. (Getting cooler already actually.) What I'm wondering is, would it still be a bad idea to collect them in case there's illness leftover from the drought?