Tony
Mysteryman wrote:
>
> anutej_at_loxinfo.co.th wrote:
> >
> > Splendid fish. A few questions:
> > 1] Does the bluenose found only in cool water or spring-fed water?
> > 2] Can they adapt to warm water [26-30'C]?
> > 3] Have you bred them yet?
>
> They'll live in warmer water. They won't especially LIKE it, but they'll
> do okay. They live in water a bit warmer than most of the other minnows.
> For that matter, their habitat preference is quite a bit different from
> most of the others as well, and that's part of the reason this fish is
> so seldom seen...they're a royal pain to catch, because they live in
> areas that are hard to reach. For example, one of the best spots in the
> country to find them is only an hour away from my house, but I'd rather
> drive three more hours to another place. Why? Because the closest place
> where they're so plentiful is nearly inaccessible, being a deep creek
> running through a dense swamp. The water there is a lot warmer than the
> water only a few miles north in the same river.
>
> Breeding... As I understand it, only twice has this fish ever spawned in
> an aquarium, and frankly, I can't help but wonder about one of those
> times.
> The tricky part about spawning this fish is that it lays it's eggs in
> the nest of another fish, preferably a Longear Sunfish. ( A Pumpkinseed
> was used as a proxy once with success, as I understand it. ) It has a
> fixed breeding season as well. Therefore, what you have to do is keep
> this fish in a tank with sunfishes old enough to breed, but small enough
> to not eat the Bluenoses. Then, you have to condition them ALL for
> spawning. Then, the sunfish have to spawn, and then finally, if you're
> lucky, the Shiners will follow.
>
> I have an idea about using a big tank, 100 gallons or so, with a
> partition in it. The Shiners would be on one side, and the Longears on
> the other. They'd be able to see each other, but that's it.
> After conditioning the fish to spawn, I'd make a fake Longear nest.
> After letting the Longears swim over the fake nest a few days, I'd
> remove the longears and the partition. With any luck, the Bluenoses
> would seize their opportunity to spawn over the fake nest.
>
> Just an idea. There's GOT to be an easier way.
> My other idea is to simply strip the ripe breeders of eggs and sperm and
> mix them together in a bowl. A bit drastic, but I bet it would work.
> Sadly, this fish only lives about 2 & 1/2 years, and dies a few weeks
> after it spawns.
> Maybe the fry raised in captivity without any sunfishes around may be
> more inclined to spawn without them?
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