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bgcajun at juno_com (B. G. Granier, Jr.): Re: NANFA-- Feeding darters?Collecting madtoms.
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From: bgcajun at juno_com (B. G. Granier, Jr.)
To: kenway at planet_net
Cc: nanfa at aquaria_net
Subject: Re: NANFA-- Feeding darters?Collecting madtoms.
Date: Tue, 2 Sep 1997 11:54:42 -0500
Message-ID: <19970902.115443.3382.1.bgcajun at juno_com>
References: <199709021552.LAA04853 at saturn_planet.net>
Hi Ken,
On Tue, 2 Sep 1997 11:56:37 -0400 "Kenway" <kenway at planet_net> writes:
>Hi All
>Well, I finally got around to setting up my first native tank and
>stocked
>it with 6 Lake Chub collected from nearby brooks that feed the
>Musconetcong
>River, near Hackettstown NJ. I sampled several such brooks and
>rivulets
>over two days and found these fish to be almost the only species,
>excepting
>a single example of another chub or minnow that I couldn't identify.
>Next I went down to the Musconetcong and harvested three Swamp
>Darters.
>These were my intended quarry from the start, my 5 yr old son
>insisting on
>taking the chub home. I collected the three specimens in 8-10 inches
>of
>water in a spot that was near the shade of a bridge. They were all
>three
>out in the open and simply quided into my net by hand.
>I had a breif skirmish with a 3-4 inch yellowish brown catfish in the
>same
>area where I found the darters.
>It got away.
>All 9 fish appear to be doing well in their low 20 gal tank.
> A few questions re the above for anybody.
> #1- Will the Swamp Darter get by on a diet of mostly young live brine
>shrimp?
I have been told that they like small earthworms, cut into small enough
pieces for their mouths to handle.
>I can't tell if the darters are eating their 2-3 day old live brine
>shrimp
>because the fish are small and stay close to the light colored gravel.
>.The
>darters are perky, but look thin.( My cichlids are usually noticeably
>fuller after mealtime) I put a very small quantity of finely chopped
>goldfish flake food in the tank and it looks as though the darters may
>be
>picking at it.
> #2- Is it not better to trap madtom catfish(assuming it's legal) and
>how
>DO you catch them anyways?
I always use a handnet or dip-net through the vegetation. Never tried a
trap, but it may work overnight, and baited with earthworms in a
small-holed container.
> #3- Is there any way, short of experience, to tell a MadTom from a
>young
>Bullhead?
Yes, the madtoms have four pairs of barbels; long, low adipose fin joined
to, or slightly separated from the caudal fin. (From "Peterson's
Guide-Freshwater Fishes" by Page and Burr.) And, usually a rounded caudal
fin as opposed to a square or forked caudal fin.
> #4 Does anbody know if and where it may be possible to find other
>darter
>species in NJ? The only reference book I've been able to find would
>lead me
>to believe not.
"Peterson's" also shows the Tesselated Darter, E. olmstedi to be found in
the Atlantic drainage system. And, the area shown includes N.J. state.
BG Granier
>Ken Bassett
>kenway at planet_net
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