Back in December, while looking for some redside dace to put in the tank at
the school, I made the choice to finally work with some mottled sculpin
(another species I feel that is only going to benefit from cold water
collection). I think I can keep them cool enough having placed them pretty
much right on the basement floor... I have 3 of them in a 5 gallon that is
competely air driven to avoid _any_ heat with maximum surface aggitation. I
spent the extra for one of those nice n quiet Dolphin air pumps... I'm
running two airlift towers and putting filter floss in the recepticles to
work as a mechanical filter. No one is fighting yet, it's been a few
months. I think the tank size will work fine with their sedentary nature,
unless they get all fiesty wanting to spawn?
What I'm trying to figure out now is how to best provide nutrition. I could
only get them to take krill now and then... They really want their food
moving. Is it obtainable to get them converted to prepared foods?
So I set up a 10 and 5 gallon for guppies (10 is for main food, 5 is for
rearing young). I've been "gut loading" the guppies with spirulina
soft-n-moist soaked in the all the yummy fatty stuff that comes off of the
Piscine Energetics mysis shrimp. The guppies beef up _fast_ and I think I'm
delivering a reasonable food package to the sculpin with the extra work...
but it would be preferable if I could get them eating either krill or mysis.
Anyway... My other question is how cool the guppies can take the tank water?
I'm heating them right now at 78 F, and the shock getting thrown into 65 F
with the sculpin helps the sculpin make quick catches without expending too
much energy.
Is it advantageous to spend the money on electricity to heat the guppies or
not?
64 F seems to be as cold as I can get any tank down there. What are their
tolerances and what will help them grow the most quickly?
On a side note about the PE mysis shrimp... I am continually amazed at how
good this food is. Trout-perch is growing instead of wasting... Greenside
and banded darters are making humps behind the head. Everyone else is just
plain FAT. :)
Thanks!
Todd
It's never too late to have a happy childhood.
http://www.farmertodd.com
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