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Flagfin shiner
The Flagfin Shiner (Pteronotropis signippinnis) as an
Aquarium Species
Robert Rice
2213 Prytania Circle Navarre Florida 32566
email robertrice at juno_com
Lying quietly back in the small tannic coastal springs of
Florida and Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana is the
Flagfin shiner . He lives as a virtual unknown to those who
live around him. He is one of the most colorful and tolerant
aquarium species around. He also is one of the most obscure.
This common Southeastern shiner should be a shining star of
the aquarium. He rivals all the well known tropicals in
looks and he surpasses almost all of them in toughness. He
takes flake , frozen and every other kind of food with
relish. Once established in the tank he is gentle, almost
disease free, and showy. He is an excellent community tank
member. Unfortunately he has remained an unknown species to
the Aquarist, and to a greater degree the general public.
Only a few odd collectors, NANFA members and fisheries
personnel even know he's there.
In this country there has developed a shyness of sorts
against keeping common native species. Why ? Who knows?
Fortunately this species is one of literally hundreds of
North American Native Species that are suitable aquarium
species. They pass the Aquarist test they are colorful ,
durable and breedable. All the priorities a serious
Aquarist should have . The only missing factor for most
Aquarist is information . Is there public information on
breeding habits, food requirements etc. ? In this case the
answer is no. There are little or no public records
available on most North American Native Species in general ,
and the Flagfin Shiner in specific. With the exception of
the odd article in small native fish clubs like NANFA's
publication American Currents this species has remained
anonymous. While this lack of species documentation presents
a challenge , it is not an insurmountable one .
Aquarist unique skills in breeding and rearing unusual
species would change the published life history for this
species and so many others in a heartbeat. Imagine the day
when all the State agencies have full and complete life
histories on this and other species without spending a dime
. This input from Aquarist could help preserve the species.
The agencies would know the how, when and why of breeding,
they would know the intricacies of raising and rearing. In
short they would know the Flagfin Shiner or any other
species Aquarists set there sights on. How could the state
agencies get all that information for free ? The answer is
simple and can be summed up in one word , Communicate .
Aquarist can do that ! If we can breed and raise and
document habits of rare Discus and Cichlids , then unusual
temperate water species should be a snap. We should share
our results with the local fisheries personnel and Colleges
then the whole country and the Flagfin shiner could benefit!
Fisheries personnel would then take our requests for
expanded legislated access to Native Fishes more seriously
if we shared breeding, rearing and collecting data with the
greater fisheries community.
You decide the Flagfin sounds like an interesting fish and
you'd like to try this native species for your next tank.
You have a few questions first. You want to know is it worth
the time and effort to do a serious attempt at breeding and
rearing ? Will it be colorful ? Will I be proud of my Native
Species tank ? Basically , is this fish one I should spend
my time, money and efforts on ? The answer to all the
questions is yes. For a unbiased opinion here is what the
benchmark of native fish guides Peterson's Field Guide to
Freshwater Fishes by Larry M. Page and Brooks M. Burr says
about the Flagfin Shiner (keep in mind this excellent book
is written for the Scholar/Biologist in the field not the
Aquarist ( page 118 ) " Identification : Olive Gold above;
upper side yellow front red at rear: broad blue black stripe
along side with vertical orange dashes; pale gold lower
side; gold snout. Red orange edge on yellow dorsal, caudal,
anal, and pelvic fins ; yellow pectoral fins deep compressed
body, strongly tapering to caudical peduncle..........".
Beautiful, common, unloved and unknown , a prime candidate
for the efforts of the serious Aquarist .
Certainly the Flagfin Shiner is a colorful fish and when
compared with the various tetra's and danios out there, it
is defiantly worthy of a serious look . Let's say you are a
Naturalist at heart . You have decided you want to take the
challenge and rear and breed the Flagfin Shiner . Well first
off, I congratulate you , and second off , I warn you. Most
likely you will fail several times before you succeed. You
are venturing into uncharted waters. There is scant
documentation out there. Do not be discouraged that is part
of the learning process. Here is my experience with this
"Rose of the South". When I have collected this shiner it is
always in coastal seepage springs. Seepage springs , are
springs with no particular head to them. All along the bed
of the spring are very small little seeps that bubble a
small amount of spring water. What this does is equilibrate
the temperature all along the small creek beds that this
species occurs. You see , with no central concentration of
spring water there is no hot or cold end to the spring. It
bubbles along with a bit here , and a bit there , and in
general maintains a very constant temperature , pH and
salinity all the while remaining pretty insignificant
(usually less than 6 feet across). During a creeks long
ramblings it picks up large amounts of leaf litter and pine
needles thus it maintains a tannic , acidic quality
throughout it's stretch. This leaf litter gives it it's
tannic nature. Typically these "springs" vary only slightly
in temperature ( 65-71 degrees F) and pH (6.0.- 6.5) during
a year. This constancy is the key to rearing this species .
The Flagfin is often the most common fish in the places it
inhabits. It is easy to collect and a lot of fun . If you
are able to collect the species yourself with a day or
weekend trip, by all means do so. It is the type of
collecting many people pay thousands of dollars for. It's
tannic home and the variety of flora and fauna you encounter
during your collecting trip will make you believe you are in
a deep , dark foreign land. Luckily for you may be able to
collect the Flagfin Shiner for the cost of gasoline, time,
lunch and a fishing license. The streams in which it occurs
are cool , comfortable and a pleasure to seine or dipnet.
These tannic creeks usually carry few if any predatory
species and a nice variety of Darters, Shiners and plants.
Check your Peterson's Guide, your local Department of
Natural Resources folks or a NANFA member for suitable
locations to collect and local regulations. With a bit of
research you will find them an ease to find and collect.
Suddenly you realize you have caught the dreaded Native
Fish fever . What now ? You sadly realize collecting this
species is just not a possibility ? Perhaps your physical
limitations preclude you from collecting this fish? What if
you live in Alberta Canada or Des Moines Iowa ? Inspite of
all this you are still burning with the fever to rear and
breed this fish ! Relax, there are regular trading post
sections in NANFA's publications which can help you get
suitable specimens with little sweat ! If you are not a
NANFA member and would like a trading post anyway try their
WEBSITE at WWW.NANFA.ORG or the NANFE echo on the fido net ,
or email me or send me a self addressed stamp envelope. I'd
be happy to send you a trading post (see end of article for
details). Trading posts are fast becoming the most
economical way to acquire native species ! Make a trade , it
is easy . Perhaps you are uncertain what you have to offer
as a trade (many people love to trade tropicals for natives
and vice versa) ! In many cases if you just have nothing to
trade some people are happy to send you fish at no charge,
of course you must be willing to pay the postage .I use
priority mail with a very high success rate.
With a bit of elbow grease and bit of communication and a
collecting trip or trade anyone can posses some Flagfin
Shiners. If you are a wise soul you will adjust the water a
bit before they arrive and take the liberty of taking a
water sample from their home waters with you when you
collected, Or asked your trading partner to send one along .
Anyhow you have all it takes to make a go of this . You know
a bit about the former home of these fish so you can match
things in a reasonable manner. Unfortunately , you and I and
most of the world are still are ignorant of the intricacies
of their lifestyle, reproduction and rearing. Welcome to
the club and by all means let me share with you what I know.
This species is an egg scatterer , they spawn in gravel
depressions in the stream bed. Contrary to published myth
they will spawn all year around if conditions are right. I
suspect temperature around 70 F will get them going but only
in combination with other factors. What are those factors ?
I don't know ! Aquarist could learn those factors . I have
collect gravid females in the spring , fall and winter. So
temperature must be a factor. Their diet consist mainly of
small insects and crustaceans in the stream. The closer that
you can mimic that the better off you will be. In my tank
they thrive on bloodworms, earthworms and mosquito larvae.
When I have collected gravid females they have quickly
spawned . They young are durable and become free swimming
in 6 days and feed mainly of "green water " and daphnia ,
then baby brine shrimp and finally bloodworms.
I know there is much to learn about this species and there
are better Aquarist who should take up the torch. Their
input will make the difference. Biologist just do not have
the time and resources to further this species research.
Their efforts are just spread too thin. Fisheries personnel
have to many hats to wear. Aquarist are needed in the
environmental fray more than ever . The breeding of these
more common species with documented data is a very practical
way to help our fishes and the knowledge about them. A last
note of warning , Flagfin Shiners are very sensitive to
temperature changes and chlorine so plan your tank
maintenance accordingly and please by all means let us know
of any success you may have . The states of Florida, Alabama
, Louisiana , Mississippi and many of us out here await
your results.
The writer is the President of NANFA and writes regularly
about Native species and environmental issues. If you have
questions or comments I can be reached with via a self
addressed stamped envelope at 2213 Prytania Circle Navarre
Florida 32566 or email robertrice at juno_com. If you are interested in
receiving more information about Joe Tommellerri's Native Fish prints
or in purchasing one of his prints. He has hundreds of species
available. Please send a request to Tommelerri Prints 2219
Washington Blvd. Kansas City Ks. 66101, phone # 1-800-240-
3378
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