I don't presently have a way to test the water salinity, but I must be
somewhere in their happy zone. So far, I haven't observed any change in
body color. As for the fat lips, these guys still haven't shifted out of
2nd gear...very tranquil, and only less so during feeding times.
I really appreciate your help catching and tranferring this batch. I
learned some important tips that will save me many fish in the future. I
look forward to collecting with you again soon!
Steven A. Ellis
Kennesaw, GA
At 07:07 PM 11/15/01 -0600, you wrote:
>When I kept silversides in Tucson, I fed them flake nearly exclusively. I
>kept 14 of them in a 55 gallon tank with red river pupfish and 1 f.zebrinus.
>They did really well for about a year. At one point in time (during the
>winter), I had troubles with their normally translucent bodies turning
>opaque. WHen this would happen, the fish would die within 24 hours. Since
>the other occupants of the tank can tolerate (thrive in) straight saltwater
>and even higher salinities, I added a bunch of sea-salt to bring the
>specific gravity to 1.013. Everyone was happy and the silversides stopped
>dying.
>
>Over the next 6-8 weeks, I brought the salinity back to Tucson tap water,
>which is very hard and has a fair amount of salt in it.
>
>
>I also ran into problems with the fish bumping their noses on the side of
>the glass. THey developed big bumps on their noses, although no fungus.
>
>I did not notice more die-offs during warm weather- in fact, I lost more
>fish during the winter.
>
>
>I do think that keeping the fish in the water when they are in the net makes
>a big difference. I would wonder if silversides are more susceptible to
>heat injury while on the bank before getting into the buckets.
>
>Geoff Kimber
>Lexington,KY
>
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