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Strange Looking Blacknose Dace?

Started by Guest_dsaavedra_* , Jan 26 2009 03:59 PM

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12 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_dsaavedra_*

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Posted 26 January 2009 - 03:59 PM

i caught these two in the creek yesterday. they are the biggest black nose dace i've ever seen. they're also different than any i've ever seen. its like they have a bit of copper color mixed in their lateral line. all the ones i've ever seen were only tan, black, and white.

Posted Image

also, what do you think about the little white spot on the top of the right fishes head? something i should be worried about? i noticed about three tiny white spots on the left fishes tail (much smaller than the spot on the other ones head). anything to be worried about or am i just being paranoid?

edit: if you look closely you can see the silhouette of two of the spots on the left fishes tail.

Edited by dsaavedra, 26 January 2009 - 04:00 PM.

#2 Guest_UncleWillie_*

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Posted 26 January 2009 - 05:07 PM

Could you maybe get a profile or shot of their heads? How large are they?
With this pic, they look like BND to me. I am unsure if longnose dace (Rhinichthys cataractae) occur in your area (Matt Ashton may know). But they don't look like the longnose dace I see.
Try to get some headshots and you can confirm BND.

Added: In regards to the white blotches - they look more like pigmentation (or lack thereof).

Edited by UncleWillie, 26 January 2009 - 05:09 PM.

#3 Guest_ashtonmj_*

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Posted 26 January 2009 - 05:42 PM

Nothing out of the ordinary to me. Might just be a seasonal difference in pigmentation you are seeing.

#4 Guest_dsaavedra_*

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Posted 26 January 2009 - 05:45 PM

here is a profile with flash on. its hard to get a good pic of these because they are constantly swimming against the current, and they never stay still. flash is the only way i can get a clear photo.

sorry its kinda zoomed out.

Posted Image

#5 Guest_UncleWillie_*

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Posted 26 January 2009 - 05:54 PM

Yeah, no doubt BND. I have kept a few BND in the past that had a larger lateral stripe like yours. The ones I have now have a much thinner stripe, but may change when the seasons do.

#6 Guest_sandtiger_*

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Posted 26 January 2009 - 07:02 PM

There seems to be a lot of individual variation among BND, at least in the streams around here. Both your fish appear normal and are indeed BND.

#7 Guest_dsaavedra_*

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Posted 26 January 2009 - 07:06 PM

i just witnessed some strange behavior (probably common for bnd though).

the big one and the smaller one were just "dancing" in the middle of the tank, and the big one frequently chases the smaller one off. the big one seems to be quite territorial, he chases other fish out from under the log, and i've seen him jam his whole head down into the gravel under the log several times.

normal? getting ready to mate? any ideas?

#8 Guest_CATfishTONY_*

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Posted 26 January 2009 - 07:16 PM

Yeah, no doubt BND. I have kept a few BND in the past that had a larger lateral stripe like yours. The ones I have now have a much thinner stripe, but may change when the seasons do.

UncleWillie,
I'm with you our minnows change as the season goes on.

#9 Guest_dsaavedra_*

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Posted 26 January 2009 - 07:32 PM

do you think putting them in the warm tank water would induce spawning overnight like that? their behavior is very weird.

#10 Guest_smbass_*

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Posted 26 January 2009 - 07:39 PM

What you witnessed is two male blacknose dace fighting over the best territory... They will chase one another in very tight circles. While they are doing this their body will turn very dark and their stripe can turn bright red on a large mature male. I have never captured a photo of this real well but have a couple that come close. I have captured the red but never how dark the rest of the body gets, it just happens so fast, you have to be sitting there waiting because it is an almost instant change. Females do this as well but instead of red the stripe turns a light gold color, their body as well becomes very dark. These are a very underated fish because you usually don't see this sort of color or behavior unless you take the time to watch them and keep them for an extended period of time. Large males will keep a rusty brown to their stripe all the time.

breeding_male_blacknose_dace1_wrathburn_run_4_22_06_by_BZ.jpg

A male I pulled out of a stream and Photographed as fast as possible

Typical large female

male_w._blacknose_dace2_from_OH_by_BZ.jpg

male_w._blacknose_dace_from_OH_by_BZ.jpg

Two of a male in a tank that I currently have

A pair of them in a tank next to each other

#11 Guest_dsaavedra_*

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Posted 26 January 2009 - 07:55 PM

thanks for that reply smbass, great photos.

mine are definitley both males. i guess i'll have to go back and get a female and see if i can get them to spawn. would going from the cold creek water to the room temperature water of my tank trigger spawning or is it just not the right time of year?

#12 Guest_UncleWillie_*

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Posted 26 January 2009 - 07:59 PM

Wow, Brian! Those are great pics. About 2 years ago I had 9 mature BND and the males got like the yours in the very last pic, but nowhere near as beautiful as the others. Mine never tubed-up like that either. Incredible! I can't wait for my schoal to grow up.

Added: Temp may have something to do with it, but as others have noted - I find that photoperiod has a very large impact. They need to also be fed high-quality foods. I have noticed that only the minnows in tanks that I keep on timers and/or near windows are the ones that tend to start to get into spawning condition. A lot of things to be in sync for them to spawn.

Edited by UncleWillie, 26 January 2009 - 08:04 PM.

#13 Guest_dsaavedra_*

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Posted 28 January 2009 - 05:59 PM

today i picked up a 1.2oz can of Flukers Gourmet Style River Shrimp, which are actual tiny shirmp, about 1/2" long in a can, for $1.00 on clearance at petco.

i dropped in one for my mudminnow and two for my crawfish, and the bigger blacknose dace came over and took one away from the crawfish and ate it! i wasn't expecting the blacknose dace to be such carnivores like this.