Re: NANFA-- Hogsucker husbandry secret revealed?

Bob Bock (bockhouse-in-earthlink.net)
Tue, 29 Jun 2004 06:37:30 -0400

Maybe the sand acts like the stones in a chicken's gizzard--to help process
food. Do they eat a lot of plant matter?
----- Original Message -----
From: "Todd Crail" <farmertodd-in-buckeye-express.com>
To: <nanfa-in-aquaria.net>
Sent: Monday, June 28, 2004 11:45 PM
Subject: Re: NANFA-- Hogsucker husbandry secret revealed?

> From: "Hoover, Jan J ERDC-EL-MS" <Jan.J.Hoover-in-erdc.usace.army.mil>
> > Although they are selective predators, cardinal shiners are broadly
> > omnivorous, as are hogsuckers, and it would not surpirse me that the
> > sand-sifting of both species is a way of obtaining specific high quality
> > prey (e.g., diatoms).
>
> But diatoms are dirty and need filtered by expensive equipment! :)
>
> Should this be the case, it will be interesting if the 48"x12"x1/2" of
> Diat-oh-magic (tm) they currently have available is enough. I will be
> moving them into a 100 gallon that will use metal halide lighting, which I
> hope to encourage even more photo-utilizing microorganism growth deeper in
> the substrate, to act as a better refugia.
>
> What throws me in this scenario is that they only seem to do this when
they
> have other food already going down the pipe. I'd love to get both papers,
> if you wouldn't mind Jan. Let me know of any costs incurred :)
>
> I think Wally has a good suggestion as well, although I think that would
> just be a side effect/benefit/selection and not a root cause for
swallowing
> the sand. I think it really is geared toward either nutrition or
digestion,
> which would have started as a side effect/benefit/selection too, so I'll
> just shut up on that :) However.... I will say on this "ballast"
note...
>
> After having snorkelled in a mountain stream finally... I bumped the
current
> waaaaaaaaaay up in-in-least the 30 long. I have become incredibly
enamoured
> (was that obsessed?) with "the physics of the biology".
>
> The hogsucker is a great example, as the head acts like a forward facing
> keel . They arch their backs and use their tail to keep that head down,
> which allows them to effortlessly move about where they want in the
current.
>
> I highly suggest adding a bank of powerheads (if they're laying around) if
> only just to watch how different your fish will behave. It's really
amazing
> to watch, and see how niches are created in the same small space between
> direct current and eddy, and the suprises on who occupies which! My new
> riffle tank mantra is... "If there ain't sand blowin' around... It ain't a
> riffle tank." :)
>
> What we need to do is figure out how to do this (velocity AND volume), but
> minimizing the number of devices (thereby minimizing the heat). I think
it
> looks something like this:
>
> http://www.farmertodd.com/nanfa/littlegiantmod/
>
> But the only "modification plans" that I've seen are pretty big scale. I
> plan to use something like this on the 150. Now to figure it out for
little
> tanks. This particular example is a little giant pond pump with a model
> boat propellor. And man does it move water!
>
> Liquid, do you have the plan online someplace? I think this is something
> people can really use 'round these parts.
>
> Okay. Enough excitement for today. Time to use those pillows behind the
> pump! :)
>
> Todd
> It's never too late to have a happy childhood.
> http://www.farmertodd.com

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