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First fry of 2016 spotted tonight


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#1 Ken

Ken
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Posted 10 April 2016 - 10:20 PM

Spotted fry in the following grow out tanks: Mud Darter (Etheostoma asprigene) 12+, Sunburst Darter (Etheostoma mihileze) only three and have just hatched, Redfin Darter (Etheostoma whipplei) only one and it's tiny.... at first I thought it was a glassworm but after watching for it, nope it's a fry..... All are firsts for me! Might be another good year!


In Seine Creek Stomping

 

Admin: Percidae Husbandry; a Closed Facebook Group


#2 thedood

thedood
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  • Illinois

Posted 11 April 2016 - 03:24 AM

Congrats on the fry!



#3 littlen

littlen
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  • Washington, D.C.

Posted 11 April 2016 - 06:09 AM

Are you expecting to reproduce many of the other species from last year as well?

Very cool. Are the Redfin the smallest fry you've seen of any of the species you've bred?
Nick L.

#4 Sean Phillips

Sean Phillips
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  • Allegheny River Drainage, Southwest PA

Posted 12 April 2016 - 09:27 AM

That's great! How many tanks are you running, also, do you chill your fishroom to the 40's and 50's to simulate an over wintering period or just change lighting hours?
Sean Phillips - Pine Creek Watershed - Allegheny River Drainage

#5 Michael Wolfe

Michael Wolfe
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  • North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage

Posted 12 April 2016 - 11:33 AM

read Ken's article on his darter breeding setup in AC... which you can actually access here on the forum if you are a member... Vol 40 No 4


Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin

#6 Ken

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Posted 12 April 2016 - 05:59 PM

Nick, I have a number from last year, though the number has decreased due to loss and the inability to replenish them. Some I have taken out of the system such as Johnny and Fantails as the're not the challenge I like. Plus I still have a couple dozen of each left that need to find new homes or become objects for conditioning of some of my other fish. And though you didn't ask but I'm sure you're curious about, I still have Redline darters both wild caught and F1's I hope to breed this year.....  :biggrin:


In Seine Creek Stomping

 

Admin: Percidae Husbandry; a Closed Facebook Group


#7 smbass

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Posted 12 April 2016 - 10:47 PM

It must just be time for darters... I made my first serious attempt at conditioning some darters this past winter in my garage. Just two species Frecklebelly Darter and Redline Darter. The Frecklebelly's got into spawning condition great and yesterday after reading your post I figured I should check up on them... I saw one little fry so I immediately removed the 6 adults. Also went outside and netted a bunch of daphnia and other little critters out of one of my ponds and added them to this breeding tank. This evening there were a lot more little P. stictogaster swimming around in the corner of the tank, much larger fry than any of my minnows I recently spawned. Nothing from the redlines yet but I think they need warmer temps so there is still hope.

 

Ken keep us posted! I like hearing about others doing captive breeding. Have you bred any Percina species? Have any suggestions for me with these little P. stictogaster?


Brian J. Zimmerman

Gambier, Ohio - Kokosing River Drainage


#8 littlen

littlen
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Posted 13 April 2016 - 06:01 AM

*Shivers*

I have some ripe female Redlines, Bluebreast, and Snubnose in my 150 which receives really good ambient (natural) light.  The tank is kept @ 67F.  I've seen some torn fins on the male Redlines but it would be nearly impossible to retrieve eggs or fry from that tank before they get eaten.  The powers that be won't allow me to set up additional tanks.  So I'll continue to live vicariously through you, Ken.  Thank you! 


Nick L.

#9 Ken

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Posted 15 April 2016 - 09:57 PM

Yes Brian, I have bred and raised (though in limited numbers) Percina nigrofasciata (through F3) and Percina roanoka. I did have some Percina caprodes last year but lost them when I went to the convention.

 

As far as the Frecklebelly Darter fry I have never raised them but live foods will be your best bet. I use as many types as I can from bacteria (I add dried leaves in the fall/early winter so they are breaking down @ this time of year., phytoplanktonzooplanktonmicro & walter & banana worms etc. Knowing the parents are active off of the bottom I would assume the fry are also? If so, have good current to keep that food moving, just not too fast. I also used aged water..... it has enough food in it phytoplankton/zooplankton to sustain some fry. There have been a few cases I hadn't found fry until they were quite a decent size. I had made no effort to feed those tanks not knowing there were fry in them.

 

Nick, depending on the number and density of hiding places within your tank you may get lucky. I had a dozen or so Fantails grow up in the breeding tank (15 gal) with the parental group of eight adults.... who knows???? :)


In Seine Creek Stomping

 

Admin: Percidae Husbandry; a Closed Facebook Group


#10 Ken

Ken
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Posted 16 April 2016 - 09:48 PM

I can​ add river darter (Percina shumardi) to the list as of tonight.... :)


In Seine Creek Stomping

 

Admin: Percidae Husbandry; a Closed Facebook Group


#11 Ken

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Posted 17 April 2016 - 12:46 PM

After 5+ plus years (and three different breeding groups) of trying I FINALLY just saw my first Iowa darter (Etheostoma exile) fry in it's growout tank!!! YAH!!!!


In Seine Creek Stomping

 

Admin: Percidae Husbandry; a Closed Facebook Group


#12 Evan P

Evan P
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  • Knoxville, TN

Posted 17 April 2016 - 05:39 PM

Hey Ken, glad to hear this season has been going well for you!


3,000-4,000 Gallon Pond Full of all sorts of spawning fishes! http://forum.nanfa.org/index.php/topic/13811-3560-gallon-native-fish-pond/page-3 
 

#13 Ken

Ken
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Posted 18 April 2016 - 08:49 PM

Thanks Evan.... Hoping to get up your way pretty soon......

 

Brian, if  you want to try artificial "first foods" powdered Spirulina , Golden pearls (#2 I think, maybe #1... I'd have to go downstairs to verify which) and de-capped brine shrimp eggs are some I use.


In Seine Creek Stomping

 

Admin: Percidae Husbandry; a Closed Facebook Group


#14 mattknepley

mattknepley
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  • Smack-dab between the Savannah and the Saluda.

Posted 19 April 2016 - 05:01 AM

Fantastic, Ken! Love to hear success stories like these! Inspiration for "someday" for me!
Matt Knepley
"No thanks, a third of a gopher would merely arouse my appetite..."

#15 Ken

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Posted 24 April 2016 - 11:28 AM

Matt, I've been trying to help and encourage people to try their hand at it. Actually, I'm looking at redesigning my system again which should have the same results allowing me to add more tanks with a smaller overall footprint. Kind of scary since this seems to be working pretty good at this point..... By the way, The Rainbow (Etheostoma caeruleum) and Brook (Etheostoma burri) are once again adding their contributions this season!


In Seine Creek Stomping

 

Admin: Percidae Husbandry; a Closed Facebook Group


#16 mattknepley

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Posted 26 April 2016 - 05:23 AM

Matt, I've been trying to help and encourage people to try their hand at it. Actually, I'm looking at redesigning my system again which should have the same results allowing me to add more tanks with a smaller overall footprint. Kind of scary since this seems to be working pretty good at this point..... By the way, The Rainbow (Etheostoma caeruleum) and Brook (Etheostoma burri) are once again adding their contributions this season!


Cool, Ken. I think if I ever get to that point, I'd like to try breeding rearing in outdoor setups. Much less control in some regards, but the seasonal cues would be less problematic to deal with. Also, it would aid feeding fry greatly, as any fry produced are gonna starve if they have to depend solely on me! I'm giving it a try with Etheostoma collis; I appear to have healthy, happy fish, but don't know if there's been any reproduction. Might not ever know, this is not a "dedicated" pond, so fry are gonna have to lay low...
Matt Knepley
"No thanks, a third of a gopher would merely arouse my appetite..."

#17 littlen

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Posted 25 May 2016 - 06:48 AM

*Apologies for the terrible pictures.  My excitement and unwillingness to disturb them lead to these quick snapshots.

 

 

 

 

The Darter Gods finally heard my prayers and allowed me to catch a pair of Bluebreasts in the act.  My largest male, who hardly ever shows his face was out front and breathing heavily which was unusual and caught my eye.  After a few minutes I saw his female (who was very dark green) tucked under the log:

 

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The male chased everyone away for a couple of minutes before finally laying next to the female under the wood and starting their dance. 

 

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(That blurry looking thing is the male in the middle of vibrations, with poor light, with a bad camera, taken quickly).

 

They did their dance a few times before finally departing.  I was able to sneak this picture of the eggs in:

 

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The eggs are quite large and distinguishable with a light, orange glow.  Or that could have been self-imposed as I was pretty euphoric at that moment.

 

Then the snoopers started investigating.  You can see two, Redline females anxious to grab a meal.  There are still some eggs left, but only the ones that made it down into the gravel.

 

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I have no intentions of salvaging these eggs as I don't have the means to raise them at home right now.  At least I know it is happening, and will try again this time next year.  In the last pictures, you can see the reflection of the big, bay windows that I feel, are responsible for the magic....by means of them getting a sense of lengthening days through the ambient light.   As I mentioned in a previous post, the tank stays at 67F all year and I saw many gravid females of multiple species. 


Nick L.

#18 Michael Wolfe

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Posted 25 May 2016 - 12:21 PM

Very cool. Nice job.
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin

#19 mattknepley

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Posted 25 May 2016 - 01:53 PM

Nice!
Matt Knepley
"No thanks, a third of a gopher would merely arouse my appetite..."

#20 MtFallsTodd

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Posted 25 May 2016 - 06:02 PM

That's awesome Nick!!!!!
Deep in the hills of Great North Mountain




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