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MDWfield <MDWfield at aol_com>: Re: NANFA-- Re: Brook silversides

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From: MDWfield <MDWfield at aol_com>
To: nanfa at aquaria_net
Subject: Re: NANFA-- Re:  Brook silversides
Date: Sat, 17 Jan 1998 01:28:18 EST
Message-ID: <79001c58.34c04f84 at aol_com>

Try collecting at night, with a light and an aquarium dip net.  I haven't

had any problems with initial mortality on brook silversides caught
either in
daylight (with a cast net) or at night, but those caught at night seem to
fare
better.  My problem has been the first couple of days on most of the few
I've
kept.  Three lived for close to a week before being eaten by a young
longnose
gar (the reason I caught them), while my longest lived was somewhere
between
one and two weeks if I recall correctly.  I believe a larger tank would
help
immensely - I have attempted to keep them only in 20G long tanks.  I have
noticed a great difference in behavior from individual to individual, so
from
my limited experience I wouldn't expect every one to survive captivity.
Incidentally, the silversides I have caught during the day have been
small and
in schools, while those I have caught at night have been 3" - 4", very
brightly colored, and by themselves.  I put on a headlamp and waders and
waded
slowly until I found one either slowly swimming or motionless on the
bottom.
    I really thought I had it licked the last time - one individual was
feeding well, colorful, not running into walls, and showed neither
visible
disease or distress.  In the space of just a few hours it went from
schooling
"happily" with some shiners to stone cold dead.  I haven't tried any
since
then (summer before last) because I didn't want to needlessly kill any
more.
If someone has a recommended tank size and layout that works I'd like
details.
The greenish-blue colors on some of these fish are amazing.

Mike

<<   I have tried three times to collect these fish in small quantity and
bring
 them back alive, and failed every time.  The first time, I just handled
them
 as carefully as I would any delicate "minnow" - and they all died soon
after
 removing them from seine.  The second time I was prepared with ice packs
to
 chill their holding bags, as well as bottled oxygen...but they all died
within
 an hour.  The third time, I used MS-222 as an anesthetic, and got 10
fish to
 survive three hours of transit time, but they died once removed from the
 treated water when I tried to place them into a receiving tank.  
    The only reason I kept on trying with these fish is that when I
worked for
 the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago back in the mid-1980's, they had a sole
brook
 silversides on exhibit that lived for at least two years, and was very
hardy.
 Nobody there really knew how this fish was handled initially, but it's
 presence in that display tank kept driving me on to try to display this
 species myself.  I've since written that one case off as a "fluke", and
have
 stopped killing these fish in a vain attempt to keep them alive in
captivity.
 However, I'd welcome ideas from anyone who has been able to overcome the
 apparent transport problem with this species. >>
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