On a collecting trip a few weeks ago (Two? I think?) one of the fish I brought home was a pirate perch. It hung out under the plants in my tank (No cave/strutures, but lots of low plants to hide in) regularly, until tonight's feeding time.
I'm feeding frozen bloodworms, which are well received by all the other fish in the tank. I don't know if it's the smell or the activity that brought the pirate perch out of hiding, but it finally came out and started poking around the tank. I can't say I've seen it eat, although I have spent at least 15 minutes after feeding to keep an eye on things.
Tonight, I noticed that instead of the dark blue/purple I had seen the fish, it's now a pale white. It's more active now, due to either extreme hunger or it's just gotten used to things. Don't notice it any thinner, just pale.
Any ideas on what's going on or is it normal?
Pirate Perch Color Change
Started by
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, Jul 10 2008 10:12 PM
13 replies to this topic
#2
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Posted 10 July 2008 - 11:20 PM
I believe pirate perch require a period where they are first weaned from live foods onto some form of moving, quality frozen food. I like to place small pieces of market shrimp on the tip of thin plastic coated wires used as wire ties, and wiggle it. All of the Pirate Perch I've kept cannot resist this. I then then move them over to just tossing in pieces of shrimp and later sinking pellets.
I usually first try live blackworms on small fish but believe that hungry fish over 2" will readily eat "wiggling food on a stick" even when recently wild caught. I think you might have a hungry fish and need to fatten him up.
I usually first try live blackworms on small fish but believe that hungry fish over 2" will readily eat "wiggling food on a stick" even when recently wild caught. I think you might have a hungry fish and need to fatten him up.
#3
Michael Wolfe
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Posted 11 July 2008 - 08:43 AM
On a collecting trip a few weeks ago (Two? I think?) one of the fish I brought home was a pirate perch. It hung out under the plants in my tank (No cave/strutures, but lots of low plants to hide in) regularly, until tonight's feeding time.
I'm feeding frozen bloodworms, which are well received by all the other fish in the tank. I don't know if it's the smell or the activity that brought the pirate perch out of hiding, but it finally came out and started poking around the tank. I can't say I've seen it eat, although I have spent at least 15 minutes after feeding to keep an eye on things.
Tonight, I noticed that instead of the dark blue/purple I had seen the fish, it's now a pale white. It's more active now, due to either extreme hunger or it's just gotten used to things. Don't notice it any thinner, just pale.
Any ideas on what's going on or is it normal?
Keith, I brough home three and put them in a heavily planted tank ith no other occupants. Didn't see them for the first week... now I have seen at least two of them and I would agree that mine are also a good bit lighter in color. I have been feeding frozen mysis, and I am pretty sure that I saw the fish eat these (moving through the outflow of the HOB filter).
I wonder if it has to do with the clarity of the water (they came from a pretty tanin stained habitat).
Dustin, y'all have some experience with PP? Have you seen this "lightening" of the fish body color when moved from wild to tank?
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#4
Guest_dsmith73_*
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Posted 11 July 2008 - 09:18 AM
I can't say that I have ever seen this color change in a tank. We typically see them darken a bit if anything. I can say that PP are notoriously difficult to feed in my experience. They need for the food to be moving. Many people don't realize how predatory these fish are. They don't have that giant mouth for nothing. I have had them eat pygmy sunfish and small mudpuppies while still in the bucket. When I have kept them, I have typically kept a fair number of grass shrimp as their main diet. THey are locally abundant and readily accepted. Frozen mysis would also work as long as you get them into the current somehow. Small fish would, of course, also work well.
#5
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Posted 11 July 2008 - 09:36 AM
On a collecting trip a few weeks ago (Two? I think?) one of the fish I brought home was a pirate perch. It hung out under the plants in my tank (No cave/strutures, but lots of low plants to hide in) regularly, until tonight's feeding time.
I'm feeding frozen bloodworms, which are well received by all the other fish in the tank. I don't know if it's the smell or the activity that brought the pirate perch out of hiding, but it finally came out and started poking around the tank. I can't say I've seen it eat, although I have spent at least 15 minutes after feeding to keep an eye on things.
Tonight, I noticed that instead of the dark blue/purple I had seen the fish, it's now a pale white. It's more active now, due to either extreme hunger or it's just gotten used to things. Don't notice it any thinner, just pale.
Any ideas on what's going on or is it normal?
Normal.
I have seen the response in the field and in aquariums. To see how rapid the change can take place, alter the background (bottom or tank sides) of the tank containing a pirate perch or any other fish for that matter. The pirate perch will blanch or darken to reduce contrast with the background. I used to follow pirate perch around at night as they forages in manner I think is like a ceolocnath (please ignore spelling). When they were in the open over light colored bottom they would be blanched. Upon moving over deposits of dark vegetation or into the stick piles they darken.
Not long ago I demonstrated the phenomenon to a bluegill farmer. Several thousand bluegill in a large tank that were very well feed trained and tolerant of disturbances were enticed to swim over flat pieces of plastic. When swimming over white pieces they would become very light grey, when swimming over grey they would darken. They attempted to match the shade and the change could be completed in seconds. Warmouth are even more capable.
#6
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Posted 11 July 2008 - 09:36 AM
Frozen mysis would also work as long as you get them into the current somehow. Small fish would, of course, also work well.
The bloodworms that hit the tank bottom are definitely moving in the flow - my powerhead pushes 350 gallons/hour and it's a 55 gallon tank. There's quite a bit of flow (stream tank, of course).
I'll see about doing the shrimp-on-a-stick bit and report back on how that goes. I'll have to bend me up a coat hangar, but it wouldn't be the first time. ;P
#7
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Posted 11 July 2008 - 11:16 AM
I can't say I've seen it eat, although I have spent at least 15 minutes after feeding to keep an eye on things.
Leave the room after you feed, I bet he'll eat.
#8
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Posted 11 July 2008 - 11:36 AM
Try feeding after lights go off. They are largely nocturnal. Can you culture mosquito larvae? Great food they will not pass up when alive.
#9
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Posted 11 July 2008 - 01:10 PM
Try feeding after lights go off. They are largely nocturnal. Can you culture mosquito larvae? Great food they will not pass up when alive.
Problem is that the shiners in the tank won't pass up the mosquito larvae either. ;P
What's required to culture mosquito larvae other than placing a tub of water outside?
#10
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Posted 11 July 2008 - 01:12 PM
... When swimming over white pieces they would become very light grey, when swimming over grey they would darken. They attempted to match the shade and the change could be completed in seconds. Warmouth are even more capable.
Did you ever try plaid? I saw that on TV once.
#11
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Posted 11 July 2008 - 05:38 PM
[quote name='khudgins' post='41407' date='Jul 11 2008, 06:10 PM']Problem is that the shiners in the tank won't pass up the mosquito larvae either. ;P
What's required to culture mosquito larvae other than placing a tub of water outside?[/quote]
Adding the mosquito larvae after lights out may help PP get their share. Heavy planting also helpful. I have had PP that readily consume chunks of appropriately sized earthworms.
[quote]
Did you ever try plaid? I saw that on TV once.
[quote]
Never tried plaid as done with one of the flatfishes. Something that might be real is that somefishes as individuals appear hestitant about moving over boundaries between light and dark patches. Maybe they want to begin color change before crossing over? Do not know if PP so inclined as did not watch them so closely.
What's required to culture mosquito larvae other than placing a tub of water outside?[/quote]
Adding the mosquito larvae after lights out may help PP get their share. Heavy planting also helpful. I have had PP that readily consume chunks of appropriately sized earthworms.
[quote]
Did you ever try plaid? I saw that on TV once.
[quote]
Never tried plaid as done with one of the flatfishes. Something that might be real is that somefishes as individuals appear hestitant about moving over boundaries between light and dark patches. Maybe they want to begin color change before crossing over? Do not know if PP so inclined as did not watch them so closely.
#12
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Posted 17 July 2008 - 08:09 AM
Update on feeding regime:
Aside from the PP there's 8 shiners (2 full sized, 6 juveniles), 4 darters (3 blackbanded, 1 tesselated) and 1 shrimp of undetermined species, all in a 55-gallon tank. (Oh yeah, not native, but I've got 2 rubberlip plecos in, since I have the occasional green thread algae problem, and these guys are workhorses.)
I feed a small pinch of flakes every other day, less because of nutrition than because I like to watch the shiners go bugnuts. It's fun.
On alternate days, I drop in one thawed cube of frozen bloodworms. This, of course, wakes up the entire tank and everyone ties on their bibs and tucks in... except for the PP. He hasn't quite figured out yet that bloodworms are good eatin' but smells what's cookin' and starts to poke around for something yummy.
Per everyone's suggestions, I've cut up some frozen shrimp, bent me up a coathanger and sharpened the tip so's it can hold a small piece of shrimp, and dangle a piece in front of yon pirate perch. He really likes it, and is quite aggressive with taking his shrimp. Color is still pale, I'll keep everyone posted to see if that changes. Not sure it will in this tank.
Aside from the PP there's 8 shiners (2 full sized, 6 juveniles), 4 darters (3 blackbanded, 1 tesselated) and 1 shrimp of undetermined species, all in a 55-gallon tank. (Oh yeah, not native, but I've got 2 rubberlip plecos in, since I have the occasional green thread algae problem, and these guys are workhorses.)
I feed a small pinch of flakes every other day, less because of nutrition than because I like to watch the shiners go bugnuts. It's fun.
On alternate days, I drop in one thawed cube of frozen bloodworms. This, of course, wakes up the entire tank and everyone ties on their bibs and tucks in... except for the PP. He hasn't quite figured out yet that bloodworms are good eatin' but smells what's cookin' and starts to poke around for something yummy.
Per everyone's suggestions, I've cut up some frozen shrimp, bent me up a coathanger and sharpened the tip so's it can hold a small piece of shrimp, and dangle a piece in front of yon pirate perch. He really likes it, and is quite aggressive with taking his shrimp. Color is still pale, I'll keep everyone posted to see if that changes. Not sure it will in this tank.
#13
Michael Wolfe
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Posted 17 July 2008 - 10:51 AM
Hey Keith,
I went the other route and just added a group of feeder shrimp to the 25gallon heavily planted tank that has my PP (I have seen two regularly, so maybe one of them didn't make it... or maybe they are just extra cryptic). At the time I put em in, I saw one PP, and he immediately went nto a head down hunting pose... I didn't hang around long enough to see astrike (other tanks to feed) but I'm betting that I will have decreasing numbers of shrimp as the days go by...
I went the other route and just added a group of feeder shrimp to the 25gallon heavily planted tank that has my PP (I have seen two regularly, so maybe one of them didn't make it... or maybe they are just extra cryptic). At the time I put em in, I saw one PP, and he immediately went nto a head down hunting pose... I didn't hang around long enough to see astrike (other tanks to feed) but I'm betting that I will have decreasing numbers of shrimp as the days go by...
Update on feeding regime:
Aside from the PP there's 8 shiners (2 full sized, 6 juveniles), 4 darters (3 blackbanded, 1 tesselated) and 1 shrimp of undetermined species, all in a 55-gallon tank. (Oh yeah, not native, but I've got 2 rubberlip plecos in, since I have the occasional green thread algae problem, and these guys are workhorses.)
I feed a small pinch of flakes every other day, less because of nutrition than because I like to watch the shiners go bugnuts. It's fun.
On alternate days, I drop in one thawed cube of frozen bloodworms. This, of course, wakes up the entire tank and everyone ties on their bibs and tucks in... except for the PP. He hasn't quite figured out yet that bloodworms are good eatin' but smells what's cookin' and starts to poke around for something yummy.
Per everyone's suggestions, I've cut up some frozen shrimp, bent me up a coathanger and sharpened the tip so's it can hold a small piece of shrimp, and dangle a piece in front of yon pirate perch. He really likes it, and is quite aggressive with taking his shrimp. Color is still pale, I'll keep everyone posted to see if that changes. Not sure it will in this tank.
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin
#14
Guest_khudgins_*
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Posted 18 July 2008 - 09:56 AM
I went the other route and just added a group of feeder shrimp to the 25gallon heavily planted tank that has my PP (I have seen two regularly, so maybe one of them didn't make it... or maybe they are just extra cryptic). At the time I put em in, I saw one PP, and he immediately went nto a head down hunting pose... I didn't hang around long enough to see astrike (other tanks to feed) but I'm betting that I will have decreasing numbers of shrimp as the days go by...
Nice. Glad to hear they're adjusting. Since I'm keeping shrimp in my 55, I'm hoping my PP will adjust to frozen foods, etc, so that I don't wind up missing a few inverts. ;P
If he gets a taste for freshwater shrimps, at least they're not expensive.
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