Successful reproduction of Rainbow shiners in captivity

The Rainbow shiner, (Notropis chrosomus) is a stunning species of freshwater fish that rivals even the most beautiful species of tetra, or tropical marine reef fish.  This peaceful, schooling fish grows a little over 2 inches and can be found thoughout much of central Alabama and northern Georgia.  While the Rainbow shiner can be found in the same habitat as the Tangerine darter (see previous post), this species is much more tolerant of higher temperatures typical of the Southeast.

This is a male adorning his bright pink pigmentation

along with some stunning, electric blue.

 

 

In May of 2012, I took a trip down to Tuscaloosa, AL to collect a few Rainbow shiners for display.  At the time, the fish were nearning the end of their breeding season but were still brightly colored.  After a long drive back to Washington, D.C., the fish were held off exhibit in order to be quarantined.  This allows us time to monitor the fish for any signs of disease and prophylactically treat them with various drugs to rid them of any internal/external parasites.  Eventually all of the adults made it onto display in our "Southern Stream" exhibit.  There, they live alongside other species of stream fish that are commonly found throughout the South.  Such species include, the Blackbanded darter (Percina nigrofasciata), Alabama darter (Etheostoma ramseyi), and Alabama shiner (Cyprinella callistia) to name a few.  Several months past and I began to notice a few of the males coloring-up....a sure sign that they were getting ready to breed.  While working one weekend in late February, I nocticed several of the Rainbow shiners were spawning with one another between some large boulders in the exhibit (first picture below).  Typically these fish, like many shiners, will lay their eggs on a Chub nest.  (A chub is a much larger species of stream-going fish that collects quarter sized stones into a large mound).  After watching them for several minutes, I decided to carefully collect, and rear the eggs.  The video below shows the fish in action.

Here you can see some males luring females

with their bright colors, to breed.

 

 

 

After about a week, the fry hatch out and sit on the bottom in order to finish absorbing their yolk sac.  During this time, the fry do not feed.  The picture below show the fry just after they became free-swimming:

Age: 8 days post hatching.  Size: ~5mm.

 

Age: ~2-3 months.  Size: ~1cm.  You can see their stomachs

are full of artemia nauplii .  Their orange pigmentation is

just starting to develop above the black, mid-body line.

 

Age: ~6 months.  Size: ~1.5 inches.  Even though this young

individual won't be ready to breed for another several months,

you can clearly see the bright colors typical of this species.

 

 

As you might imagine, Rainbow shiners have become quite popular among native, freshwater, enthusisasts and are commonly bred.  While this species has not gained popularity in the pet trade, there is a growing demand for this species across the Atlantic in Western Europe where the Rainbow shiner is considered "exotic"!



 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tangerine Dreamin'

As an Aquarist at the National Aquarium in Washington D.C., I have amazing opportunities to get out in the field and enjoy some of nature's little known secrets.  Among the perks are the ability to travel all over the U.S. and catch fish in order to keep my exhibits stocked with native species.  The picture below was taken during a collecting trip to the North Fork of the Holston River, looking for Tangerine darters (Percina aurantiaca). Although I didn't see any at this particular location, the view wasn't too bad....

Where the stream converges in the center of the picture above, we did find Redline darters (Etheostoma rufilineatum, pictured below) and Bluebreast darters (Etheostoma camurum, second picture below).  Both of these species can be found in strong riffles tucked around medium sized river-rocks, picking off prey as they get washed by.

It's safe to say that I have a particular fondness of the Redline darter.  So much so that I have a large tattoo of one.

Males of many native stream fish, including darters and shiners, color up during the spring and dawn breeding coloration to attract females.  At the time this photo was taken, (November) the male Bluebreast darter in the picture had lost most of his vibrant colors.  You can catch a faint glimpse of the light blue pigment just behind the gills which is how this fish gets its name.

As our quest continued, we finally made it to our destination on the Clinch River.  The picture below shows the preferred habitat of the Tangerine darter.  The confluence of the merging creek with the main river provides sufficient current for this large species of darter.

Here we were able to finally catch and photograph one of my favorites.  The Tangerine darter is a much larger species of dater than those found in the genus, Etheostoma of which there are approximately 250.  The genus Percina is composed of robust, elongated fish that tent to be found in more open-water habitats.  All darters are in the perch family.

This large male still retained some of his breeding coloration late into the fall.  This particular specimen was 5-6 inches in length.