Fish Folk Posted February 3, 2021 Share Posted February 3, 2021 Rainbow Darter is starting to color up. Read a NANFA spawning report that one aquarist had success breeding them using spawning mops (!) So, made a mop that blends in pretty well. We’ll see... Rainbow Shiners coloring up. Did light timer narrowing for a bit, now expanding to simulate seasonal change. Males have begun chasing females. Added a spawning tray. We shall see... 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyler Posted February 3, 2021 Share Posted February 3, 2021 Those are great fish! Highly underated. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Levi_Aquatics Posted February 3, 2021 Share Posted February 3, 2021 That is super exiting! Can't wait to see when they spawn! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul_Obermiller Posted February 3, 2021 Share Posted February 3, 2021 I will definitely want to know if they spawn. Are the Rainbow Shiners egg scatters like Danios? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted February 3, 2021 Author Share Posted February 3, 2021 2 hours ago, Paul_Obermiller said: Are the Rainbow Shiners egg scatters like Danios? Yes. In North American streams and rivers, they breed in shallows over rocky bed. Eggs fall into crevices, and are unable to be eaten by parents. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colu Posted February 3, 2021 Share Posted February 3, 2021 Good luck hopefully they breed 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul_Obermiller Posted February 4, 2021 Share Posted February 4, 2021 @Fish Folk I bet crayfish are a problem for the eggs. Good luck breeding them! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted February 4, 2021 Author Share Posted February 4, 2021 @Paul_Obermiller probably! We've got zero crayfish (or crawdads) in this little setup. It does appear, however, that the Shiners are a bit uninterested in the white stones. Will have to be creative. The Darters, interestingly, do climb up the wood and onto the spawning mop. Will try pulling sometime tomorrow . . . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul_Obermiller Posted February 4, 2021 Share Posted February 4, 2021 @Fish FolkTry some dark colored marbles or nice round black river rocks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted February 4, 2021 Author Share Posted February 4, 2021 1 minute ago, Paul_Obermiller said: Try some dark colored marbles or nice round black river rocks. Probably a good idea! I kept seeing German breeders use white stones. Best I can tell, the shiners like some contrast. @WhitecloudDynasty is very experienced with breeding them. He has a clever setup where he uses a pond basket suspended 1/2 way into an outdoor tub with a few shiner pairs all fired up and full of eggs ready to spawn. Just a few random rocks in the bottom of the basket. They go to town . . . and the eggs drop through the holes in the basket down into the tub, and hatch from there. Very effective! Check out his channel. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steph’s Fish and Plants Posted February 5, 2021 Share Posted February 5, 2021 I hope you have success, those are both awesome species. I want to work with them someday. How did you get your hands on them? I need to look into legality and collecting and such. Rainbow darters are so cool looking! Good luck 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted February 5, 2021 Author Share Posted February 5, 2021 1 minute ago, Steph’s Fish and Plants said: How did you get your hands on them? I need to look into legality and collecting and such. Very interesting fish to work with. Check out Jonah's Aquarium in Columbus Ohio. jonahsaquarium.com They keep a list of available species. That's where we got ahold of our Darters. He gets them wild-caught out of the Ohio River drainage. The Shiners are trickier to come by. For Rainbow shiners, look them up for sale by their scientific name: Notropis chrosomus. Expect to pay between $5-15 each for them. We got ours from a breeder. These were actually his culls! when they're really all "fired up" with color, they're one of the most beautiful little fish in the world, especially when kept outside. See video below. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Ellsworth Posted February 6, 2021 Share Posted February 6, 2021 I would try water changes every day with cooler water for the rainbow shiners. I had them in a quarantine tank when I first got mine and did lots of daily water changes to reduce nitrates and keep them low and they spawned in the quarantine tank. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted February 6, 2021 Author Share Posted February 6, 2021 Just now, David Ellsworth said: I would try water changes every day with cooler water for the rainbow shiners. I had them in a quarantine tank when I first got mine and did lots of daily water changes to reduce nitrates and keep them low and they spawned in the quarantine tank. Thanks for sharing that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhitecloudDynasty Posted February 7, 2021 Share Posted February 7, 2021 I bred rainbow darter a long time ago, did get a few fry from 2 set but very little, I wouldn't say it was a success...I got lucky It was a 10 gallon with an aquaclear 70 on the side. With gravel at the bottom and a few big rock. Also had a sponge on the inlet. The filter was overkill but thats how they like it and the spawn next to the side wall of the bigger rock. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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