NANFA-- Re: Mexican Yard Fish

Jeffrey Fullerton (tcmajorr_at_westol.com)
Fri, 29 Mar 2002 01:42:10 -0500

> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2002 18:08:16 -0500
> From: "Bob Bock" <bockhouse_at_earthlink.net>
> Subject: NANFA-- Mexican Yard Fish
>
> Hi, all. For my summer project I'd like to learn more about the fishes of
> Mexico. NANFA is officially concerned with the fishes of Canada, the U.S.,
> and Mexico, but few NANFA members are knowledgeable about Mexican fish.
>

Hey Bob and others

Getting close to completion of the greenhouse. My brother and I installed the roof
panes and vents today and I also got two front wall panes in later in the evening
before the rains came.

Once I have achieved total enclosure and we have the rear stud wall insulated and
sealed off I will dig out a small pond and build terraces to plant both vegetables
and tropical foliage plants. Already I have lots of plants and seeds on order- a
good number are species indigenous to either Florida or Mexico and Central
America. Also I will house turtles and a few other herps in there.

As for fish I am leaning more toward using Florida species like Dollar Sunfish and
Fundulus escambiae but Mexican fishes might be a good idea too. I have often
thought about trying a few species of cold tollerant cichlids and livebearers like
platties and maybe even a school of Mexican Tetras - same fish as the blind cave
tetra but the sighted form which might be obtainable from Texas.

And I might shag my tail a bit and try some Blood Fin Tetras which come from the
more temperate areas of South America and can tollerate cooler water.

What I keep in the future greenhouse pool will ultimately be determined by how cool
the waters get in winter. I think many Mexican fishes will do well. I had some kind
of blue platties that were feeder fish that survive in one of my turtle tubs in the
basement where the water got down in the 60s sometime and they thrived and bred for
a few years until some Green Swordtails in an adjoining tub jumped over and
hybridized them into oblivion!

Green Swords are also a Mexican fish and they also did well at lower temperatures.
And they are also easy to come by in the trade.

Jeff From PA
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