NANFA-- Re: PNW minnows in aquaria

Christopher Scharpf (ichthos_at_charm.net)
Fri, 14 Apr 2000 23:27:19 -0400

Thanks, Norm.

I've always wondered if the chiselmouth adapted to aquarium life considering
their specialized feeding strategy. Interestingly, it's not the algae they're
after. Instead, they feed on the diatoms and microcrustaceans that live within
the algae. Very little of the algae they eat is actually digested.

Do you have any photos of chisel- or peamouth in the aquarium? Might make for a
nice article.

Chris Scharpf
Baltimore

>Actually, a minnow that I really enjoy keeping is the chiselmouth. They
>have a modified lower lip that they use to rasp algae off rocks, etc. They
>do this in an aquarium (although they too will eat anything thrown into the
>tank), so, are interesting to watch. Juveniles are readily captured
>schooling with redside shiners, juvenile peamouth, and juvenile pike
>minnows. Occasionally some the Rhinicthys spp. will also be found
>schooling with the above minnows. All these minnows can make a nice
>display, particularly with a few juvenile suckers added, and perhaps a
>sculpin or two.
>
>Norm
>
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>A proud member of
>The Greater Portland Aquarium Society
>www.gpas.org
>-----------------------------------------------------------------
>The North American Native Fishes Association: over
>20 years of conservation efforts, public education, and
>aquarium study of our native fishes. Check it out at
> www.nanfa.org
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Norman Edelen <normane_at_edelendoors.com>
>To: <nanfa_at_aquaria.net>
>Sent: Friday, April 14, 2000 6:04 PM
>Subject: Re: NANFA-- native fish trivia question
>
>
>I have kept peamouth juveniles in a 55 gallon aquarium with undergravel
>filters and powerheads. No problem. They eat voraciously, whether fed
>flakes, pellets, or live foods, and school with the redside shiners. They
>really have little color, but then few fish in the PNW do.
>
>Norm
>
>-----------------------------------------------------------------
>A proud member of
>The Greater Portland Aquarium Society
>www.gpas.org
>-----------------------------------------------------------------
>The North American Native Fishes Association: over
>20 years of conservation efforts, public education, and
>aquarium study of our native fishes. Check it out at
> www.nanfa.org
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Christopher Scharpf <ichthos_at_charm.net>
>To: NANFA Mailing List <nanfa_at_aquaria.net>
>Sent: Friday, April 14, 2000 4:15 AM
>Subject: Re: NANFA-- native fish trivia question
>
>
><< What native North American minnow is the only minnow in the country (if
><< not the world) that naturally inhabits coastal islands?
>>
>>
>>The peamouth (Mylocheilus caurinus).
>>
>>Richard Hopper
>
>You are correct, sir!
>
>The peamouth is native to Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, mainland
>British
>Columbia, and on BC's coastal islands near Nanaimo and on the west side of
>Vancouver Island. The peamouth is one of the few minnows in the world that
>can
>tolerate salt water. How it reached the BC islands, however, is something of
>a
>mystery. The peamouth's ability to live in salt water (usually an impassable
>barrier to freshwater fishes) probably allowed it to survive riding a plume
>of
>brackish water from the Fraser River estuary on mainland British Columbia
>across
>the Strait of Georgia to Vancouver Island. How the peamouth reached the west
>coast of Vancouver Island is even more of a mystery. Since it occurs in
>Ozette
>Lake on the Olympic Peninsula of northwestern Washington, it's possible the
>peamouth crossed over during the last glaciation when melting ice sheets
>decreased the salinity of the Pacific Ocean coast and Juan de Fuca Strait.
>
>As far as I know, there are no published references about the aquarium care
>of
>this handsome fish with the red lower lip. Despite growing to 14", nothing
>about
>its biology indicates it woul be difficult to keep.
>
>Do any of the northwesterners on this list have any experience with the
>peamouth?
>
>Chris Scharpf
>Baltimore
>
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