Fish Folk

Great looking setup!

This looks like a very nice start! Best wishes. I recommend planting an absolute garden in there before adding fish.

Found a dashing species of Darter while looking things up: Bluespar Darters (Etheostoma meadiea) The blue on the face is as close to the Federally Endangered Bluemask Darters as I’ve seen so far… They range between TN and VA. I’m told the coloration may be very limited to spawning seasons. TN game law is tricky. VA would be a safer bet for catching in the wild. There might be some in KY. iNat info is scarce.

Etheostoma spectabile, Mr. and Mrs….

Nice! I’m not a Puffer keeper, but they’re really cool to see. Appears to be two different species. Took me a minute on the Keyhole Cichlid. That looks like an old, old male. Possibly it’s a donation from someone who couldn’t keep him anymore. Notice the eye appears to have a spot. Bottom photo… looks like an African Bushfish? Some kind of aggressive old world Anabantid… Is there a Military Base near you by chance? Looks like maybe there’s some local market for big, strong, predatory / aggressive-looking species…

Ok. That’s proper. Do you know your KH?

Are you testing your water right out of the tap? If so, fill a large Tupperware container with tap water, set it aside with an air stone running in it for 48 hrs, _then_ test that water. That is the best way to ensure you’re getting a fair reading. What are you using? Test strips? Titration drops? Digital?

I prepare Zucchini like this…

My M. ansorgii never jumped out, but my B. imbellis did…

Here is how I use the “pic line” to drain water from the baby betta tub… Here is how Daphnia are fed back through the port… And here is a closeup look at the babies. It’s a theory of mine that many bottom-budget box-store Bettas are the “outcasts” of breeding projects. Desired fish go to higher end buyers. However, due to mendellian genetics, fish tend to look like their grandparents. SO, breed a so-so pair from the bargain rack, and you might get some very pretty orchids. (Might…)

Here is a side-by-side of three fish doppelgängers. The Elassoma is from Florida. The Aphanius mentos is from Turkey. As named, the Astrolebius is from Argentina.

You definitely would enjoy becoming a member at the East Tennessee Aquatic Association (ETAA). I looked into regulations in TN. It’s a gray area with tank-bred Notropis chrosomus. They’re technically both part of the ornamental fish trade, and a native species. Laws strictly forbid taking from native waters to jeep in home aquaria… but may allow for non-local sources. But against this, they are also not allowed to be imported. Safest bet is “no.”

They are beautiful… however, they very rarely color up in home aquaria. I kept some for awhile but they never colored up.

I’m doing research on your regulations. I’ll get back to you…

I’ll always love tropical fish, but lately I’m a native fish pusher 😂 I shared a few photos of some we’ve kept over the last several years last week…

Several of the team members are active on FB groups. Check out: “NANFA - North American Native Fishes Association” and “North American Native Fish Keepers” NANFA is a hilarious blend of Field Biologists, Conservationists, Aquarists, and Fishermen.

They’ve forgotten more about fish breeding than I’ll ever learn. Derek and I have exchanged fish. He hooked me up with Fieryblack Shiners that he bred…

Welcome back aboard! Knoxville, TN is home to my absolute favorite fish-breeding place on earth: Conservation Fisheries. They are a nonprofit dedicated to propagating endangered North American freshwater fish species. I visited last March. Blew my mind…

I miss our EBAs already! We bred several hundred a few years ago. In the end … we were so overwhelmed with trying to maintain them well and move them for a reasonable price that we eventually bagged up the entire grow out tank into two large bags in two standard styros (ca. 80x fish), drove an hour and a half, and sold them for a few hundred dollars to a guy starting a new fishroom breeding / selling business. If you can sell them young, do it! They’re adorable at this size… As for your questions about the setup… Acaras are less “geophagus” (Latin: earth-eater) than other species. I found them to be less so than Rams, Apistogramma cacatuoides, Threadfin Acaras, etc. They appreciate hardscape of some sort to spawn on. Males, when engaging in pre-spawning displays, will sometimes perform “feats-of-strength” for females by tearing plants apart / pulling plants up by the roots. I have never before kept a dirted or Walstad tank. They seem nice. You’ll want to think through your goals very, very carefully. If you want loads of fry, but ease of cleaning, catching, feeding, treating… then you want bare-bottom tanks with sponge filters. Every other sort of setup will involve certain challenges. If you want a pretty tank, with breeding as a bonus, then go for your Walstad setup. But if they spawn… good luck 😎 Here’s a video-loaded spawning report prepared for our fish club on EBAs:

Welcome! Awesome to have another NANF keeper onboard.

It was ca. 83°-F

Just speaking personally… not saying anything one way or the other to you… Because there are already many more tested, proven aquaculture methods to adopt into my hobby, I don’t worry about testing new ideas very often. But if you do… I hope that you take excellent notes, and share your complete research results!

So... I know that the conservation status of these are listed as VU (vulnerable), but I do not currently see them on the CARES List. We have kept a few. They are hardy. Our tank temperatures were too warm to let them thrive, spawn, etc. I think they are egg-scatterers. The male will chase females around Java Moss to get her to release. A reasonably empty tank with a big, big clump of healthy Java moss is a great start. Some old breeders used to cover the bottom of a 10-gal with marbles. Then set a huge clump of java moss on top. Eggs fall through, get down into the marbles where they cannot be eaten. Feed females separately from males until ready to spawn. Get them conditioned with live foods. They can release hundreds of eggs. Once they have spawned, remove the adults... and wait for it... Some breeders lower the water level so that fry can more easily reach the surface to fill swim bladder.

Thanks! Honestly, my son started the channel and bred a bunch of fish. Then took a break from the hobby. I post most things unlisted because I don’t want to become a YouTuber myself 😂 … plus most of my videos are rather LoFi. My little boys jump in now and then.

For each species of fish, there are certain “triggers” to cue them up for spawning. As you’ve correctly inferred, live foods tend to be a very good method for conditioning — but they may also be a trigger in certain circumstances. If you want to condition fish to breed using dry foods, you need to select a variety of quality foods to compose a balanced diet. Then figure out multiple other triggers to get your fish to spawn. The most important foods will assist in the production of milt & roe. Enough fatty acids are key. If you’re Ok buying frozen foods, you can get away using that in the place of live foods. Certain fish do not do well on blood worms. Others thrive on them. Frozen Tubifex worms (hard to come by) are excellent. For dry foods, I like Bug Bites, made from Black Soldier Fly Larvae, for fatty acids… Xtreme Krill Flakes for carotenoids… and some vitamin-supplemented Omega One flakes. But many picky fish will refuse to eat. I suggest fasting your fish for 2x days before switching to dry foods. Just feed a little at first to ensure they’ll eat it.