Captive Care Notes: Desert Dace (Eremichthys, Family Cyprinidae)

Because of their protective status, North America's desert cyprinids cannot be collected or kept in home aquaria. However, several species have been kept in laboratory aquaria and experimental ponds by researchers studying their biology. Gary L. Vinyard, a biologist at the University of Nevada, Reno, spawned Desert Dace (Eremichthys acros in aquaria with dense algal growth and pebble substrates. Unfortunately, Dr. Vinyard passed away before more details of his spawnings could be made available. Thirty years earlier, graduate student David Nyquist, also from the University of Nevada, Reno, produced a total of 13 offspring from 15 13-month-old specimens; water temperature was 23C (73.4F) with 10-12 hours of diffuse artificial light per day.