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Question about baby bullhead identification


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#1 Truenameamended

Truenameamended
  • NANFA Guest
  • NEPA

Posted 03 July 2019 - 07:21 PM

Hi, everyone.

Pretty excited I found this forum. Been keeping native fish almost my whole life, but have recently gotten back into collecting after many years with just standard tropical fresh and saltwater tanks. I can spare everyone the details for now. What I want to know is...

I recently collected a baby bullhead that I assumed was a yellow (I live in NEPA), but the chin barbels are black. It is only about a half inch long. I have an adult yellow bullhead currently, but I honestly dont remember if his chin barbels were white or black when I caught him as a baby. Do I actually have a black bullhead, or will the barbels change color as he grows? It would be really cool if it was actually a black and not a yellow, because as far as I know, we dont even have blacks around here.

Thanks so much!

#2 lilyea

lilyea
  • NANFA Member
  • Peace River Watershed, Central Florida, USA

Posted 03 July 2019 - 08:38 PM

The few times that I was able to breed brown bullheads the fry were all black.  They looked like tadpoles with whiskers.



#3 Truenameamended

Truenameamended
  • NANFA Guest
  • NEPA

Posted 04 July 2019 - 05:33 AM

The few times that I was able to breed brown bullheads the fry were all black.  They looked like tadpoles with whiskers.


I’m pretty sure they all look like that as hatchlings/babies. We are within the native range of brown bullheads as well, but I have never seen one, be it collecting or fishing. It’s always yellows. Who knows, maybe it’s a brown. I was mainly just curious if the chin barbels could start off black and turn white.

They grow super fast, so I shouldn’t have to wait too long to know.

#4 Matt DeLaVega

Matt DeLaVega
  • Forum Staff
  • Ohio

Posted 04 July 2019 - 11:02 AM

White chin barbels are an accurate key to ID yellow bullhead fry. So, if they are lacking, it is almost surely another species.


The member formerly known as Skipjack


#5 Fleendar the Magnificent

Fleendar the Magnificent
  • NANFA Guest
  • Ohio

Posted 04 July 2019 - 12:54 PM

I am central Ohio, and the baby bullhead I caught 2 weeks ago is a yellow bullhead. It's jet black with a white belly and white lower barbels. When I caught it, it was just about 1/2" and the lower whiskers were white. You have a different species other than yellow more than likely.

 

Chris M.






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