Fish Folk Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 (edited) I think that I’ve unlocked a simple recipe for breeding Mountain Redbelly Dace (Chrosomas oreas). I have a breeding group of 19 adults in a 20 gal. long with a spraybar, sponge filters, and a Hydor circulator. No heater. Rocks, wood, and perimeter move the fish towards the front center. I feed a largely frozen food diet with omega-enriched brine shrimp, blood worms, daphnia, and even frozen herring eggs to help them develop roe & milt. once they’re looking loaded with eggs (ca. 2-weeks), I lower in a small glass oven tray — like you’d use for making banana bread — filled with small, smooth landscaping gravel. I try to mix light and dark stones. Then I stop feeding, and _leave the lights on_ for 24-48 hrs. The Dace gather over the stones and spawn. Here are photos and a video from mine last night… The next morning, I check for eggs. Sometimes it takes an additional day / night with lights on 24-hrs… From there, I remove the stones carefully to reveal eggs… From here, I drop the eggs and tray into a cycled tank with a couple ml. of Methylene blue and added air-stone, and wait for 1-week to let them rise… I have hundreds of fry right now. Hundreds… Edited January 13, 2023 by Fish Folk 4 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theplatymaster Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 nice! Ive never seen these fish before, where did you get them? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted January 13, 2023 Author Share Posted January 13, 2023 On 1/13/2023 at 10:04 AM, Theplatymaster said: nice! Ive never seen these fish before, where did you get them? Some folks in US collect them in the wild. State game laws vary. My brooders were wild-caught. To purchase, look up where to buy NANF (North American native fish) online. Licensed dealers get them seasonally. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwcarlson Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 That's extremely cool. I feel like I'm on a collision course with some creek dwelling natives at some point. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted January 14, 2023 Share Posted January 14, 2023 Can I be placed on the wait list? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted January 14, 2023 Author Share Posted January 14, 2023 On 1/14/2023 at 3:43 AM, Beardedbillygoat1975 said: Can I be placed on the wait list? I’m sure you can. Shoot me a private message or email sometime. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AquaHobbyist123 Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 Maybe I should consider keeping Mountain Redbelly Dace in my biotope, because those are stunning! I might be able to collect some myself. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhitecloudDynasty Posted February 13, 2023 Share Posted February 13, 2023 Sweet! Looks like you have having fun. I'm on the hunt for some saffron shiner this year but the more yellow. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted February 13, 2023 Author Share Posted February 13, 2023 On 2/13/2023 at 12:37 PM, WhitecloudDynasty said: Sweet! Looks like you have having fun. I'm on the hunt for some saffron shiner this year but the more yellow. Sadly, I lost my Saffrons to something nasty. External bacterial gunk. They never colored up for me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PineSong Posted February 14, 2023 Share Posted February 14, 2023 Those are great looking fish--super sporty! Fascinating how they gather over the stones, and very good of you to post your technique for others who may be researching the same kinds of breeders. So neat! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonder Posted February 21, 2023 Share Posted February 21, 2023 Theyre beautiful. How is the population? I'd love to see them in the hobby. I have white clouds. These guys have a similar vibe, I'd love to have some. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted February 21, 2023 Author Share Posted February 21, 2023 On 2/21/2023 at 4:25 AM, Sonder said: Theyre beautiful. How is the population? I'd love to see them in the hobby. I have white clouds. These guys have a similar vibe, I'd love to have some. I ship most of mine off to a NANFA specialist who grows them out for a year, and sells them. I do happen to be shipping 50x off to Philadelphia, PA today. They’re larger than whiteclouds. Adult MRBDs grow to 2.5-3 inches. I breed them in a 20-long, but a 55-gal is probably about right for a proper setup. Send me a personal message if you want to discuss reserving some down the road. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tech Posted July 10, 2023 Share Posted July 10, 2023 How is this going? I was wondering if you used this method to separate the eggs because they will eat the fry or do they just need a gravel bed? I'm in the process of setting up a 50Gal right now and I'd like to keep an NA native but options seem limited for smaller schooling fish. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted July 10, 2023 Author Share Posted July 10, 2023 The rocks protect eggs from being eaten. In a stream / river, hatched fry are also protected, while ample micro-foods flow through. In a home breeding setup, I pill eggs and hatch in a protected space. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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