Rainbows/orangethroats, Breeding, And Current

Can rainbow or orangethroat darters be kept and possibly bred in an environment without a powerhead?

Can rainbow or orangethroat darters be kept and possibly bred in an environment without a powerhead?

I have kept rainbows in a 20 gallon long aquarium with only an air pump and a 6" airstone. It required regular cleaning (weekly if not more often), but they lasted nearly 2 years that way until I upgraded their living conditions. I also kept it in the basement which always stayed cool. I havent kept orangethroat darters, but I imagine it would work for them too. I had my rainbows in with banded and fantail darters and they all lived just fine. While I was training them on to freeze dried foods I only filled the tank halfway. That brought the floating bits of food closer to them and they seemed much more willing to take it. Once one of them figures it out, the others catch on to the feedings fairly quickly. As far as breeding is concerned, temperature and hours of light per day seem to have greater impact than current. As long as you can keep the tank cool and clean you have a chance. The ones I kept in that tank never bred because I only had males.

Right now I have an orangethroat darter in a ten gallon with a filter, and an air stone. I have it with a blackside darter, logperch, white sucker, and a few other fish. It's doing really well. I didn't even need the air stone until I got the sucker.

Aeration is definatly a key for darters! You may be suprised at how much of a difference an airstone makes! Right now I have a logperch and an orangethroat in a ten gallon tank. No powerhead but a strong flow from a power filter and good aeration!

What about breeding? Will they breed without much current?