[Killietalk] Looking in the feeder tanks

[Scott Davis <unclescott at prodigy_net>]

One of the suppliers of live feeders for aquarium fish to the Northern Illinois area must be out of Florida. A couple of weeks ago, on the black worms - dog food - bird feeder seed - run I noticed a contaminant in the grass shrimp tank. I asked my guy there what the odd looking shrimp cost. He did a look at the shrimp tank and deadpanned "the same as a one regular feeder shrimp." Of course that oddball shrimp looked a lot like the blue fin killifish, Lucania goodei.

Another customer gave me a rather sharp glare. Grinned and mentioned to her that I'd love to collect in Florida; this would have to do for today.

I can't remember when I last paid 41 cents for a fish at a pet shop. (Actually I'm struggling to remember when I last bought a fish at a pet shop other than Gary Greenwood's place in Cudahy, WI or the  Sailfin shop in Champaign, IL.) Two weeks later on another run I asked him if there were any more contaminants in the feeder shrimp. He grinned and mentioned that there were three. Turned out to be a reverse trio.

At other shops have also found F. chrysotus, though not the neat melanistic ones in the hobby. (Really wanted to "collect" in bait shops on the Chesapeake's Eastern Shore after the Rockeville convention.) Also, some shops keep such shabby care of feeders that those creatures are hardy worth bothering with. That place mentioned (Capital Pet Supply) does pretty well by them or is real quick to remove casualties.

Both purchases are still in quarantine (easy to say if one keeps species only tanks). Treatment with Praziquantel in small tanks will be followed with a 100% water change and a bit of Flubendazole. If shops are museums of fish diseases, how much more are the feeder tanks?

May hold off on contaminant purchases a bit. They have a better per unit price on a dozen "shrimp." ;)

All the best!
uncle "big bucks"
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