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Chubsucker coloration

Started by Guest_Newt_* , Jan 09 2009 03:45 AM

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5 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_Newt_*

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Posted 09 January 2009 - 03:45 AM

I caught a brassy, red-finned juvenile chubsucker in a murky, weedy ditch. I put him in a bare-bottomed tank and he looks like an entirely different fish- black-barred and clear finned! I transferred him to a tank with a brown gravel substrate and some driftwood, but he retains the same color as in the bare-bottomed tank. Does anyone know if anything other than turbidity can bring out his initial coloration? Not that I dislike his current appearance, I'm just curious as to what exactly he's responding to.

#2 Guest_smbass_*

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Posted 11 January 2009 - 01:36 PM

It could very well be the turbidity, it seems quite often fish look different when taken out of murky water than when they are in clear waters. I have kept quite a few chubsuckers and they also seem to change their patern as they age. Young ones always have that dark stripe and it tends to break up more as they get older.

#3 Guest_ashtonmj_*

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Posted 11 January 2009 - 01:58 PM

I've seen similar differences. In turbid coastal plain streams when they first break the surface while electrofishing you'd think they are yellow perch. Brian is right about the appearance as they age too.

#4 Guest_Newt_*

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Posted 12 January 2009 - 11:10 AM

Thanks, guys! I may try a few more experiments with this guy to see how he responds. If I could get him to show the strong body pattern and red fins at the same time, that would be perfect.

#5 Guest_ashtonmj_*

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Posted 12 January 2009 - 12:10 PM

Okay the first two pictures are from a second order coastal plain stream that has visibility up to 3 ft in the summer.

The second set of pictures come from a first order stream near the fall line, unsure of vis, I was not there.

Finally the last picture comes from a coastal plain pond/impoundment.

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#6 Guest_Newt_*

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Posted 12 January 2009 - 01:01 PM

When caught he showed the coloration of the mid-sized fish in pictures 2-4, though he's just a little fellow (ca. 3"). I haven't seen him show the strong dark lateral stripe; instead he has interrupted vertical bars.

Man, that last one is a whopper! I've never seen a chubsucker near that size.

Edited by Newt, 12 January 2009 - 01:01 PM.