Congo Killies - PageSuite

Collecting Rainbow Darters is best done with
a team: Patrick Miller and Phillip Kukulski
collaborate to capture the elusive darters in a
Michigan stream.
AMAZONAS
net. The darters are flushed from hiding into the waiting
net, and a number of them can be collected at one time
using this method. Occasionally the “dancer” will lose
his or her balance and end up taking a dip in the cold
water, much to the enjoyment of the others.
Bringing your treasures home
Personally, I have not experienced any problems transporting
or acclimating newly collected Rainbow Darters,
and they typically start feeding within a few hours of
relocation. Proper transport entails bagging a small number
of fish with clean river water into a thick 3–4-mil
plastic or breather bag, then placing them in a cooler or
other insulated container in order to keep them at a cool
temperature. If the fish will be traveling for an extended
period of time a battery-powered air pump may be used
to circulate the water in the transport container. Typical
acclimation procedures for aquarium fishes should be
utilized, especially if the fish are going from very cool water
into a home aquarium. Acclimating the fish to room
temperature in an open bucket with an airstone and a
drip line from the tank is sufficient.
Showcasing your collection
Hiding places in the form of driftwood or rock caves are
appreciated by these fish and make them feel more secure
when first introduced to the aquarium, but once they
have become accustomed to their new environment they
soon learn to recognize their providers and approach the
front glass of the aquarium in anticipation of a meal.
Rainbow Darters are diurnal feeders upon benthic insect
larvae, but will rise to take food from mid-water in the
aquarium. They prefer frozen bloodworms, daphnia, and
live blackworms and eat them with enthusiasm, and
these also work best in conditioning the fish
for spawning. Some specimens eventually take
prepared foods in the form of small pellets or
flake, but they still prefer “real” foods. Placing
the food into the current in the tank often
helps to trigger a feeding response.
Provide their aquarium with clean, cool
water and good current created by an external
filter or internal powerhead, along with
sufficient biological filtration, such as an airdriven
sponge filter. The temperature of the
water in which I housed my darters fluctuated
between 68°F (20°C) in the summer to a low
of 62°F (17°C) in the winter. This roughly
corresponds with their high-end temperature
range in the wild. I am fortunate to live in an
area that draws its drinking water from Lake
Michigan, since this water chemistry has proven satisfactory
for the darters. The water out of the tap has a pH
of 7.5 and a hardness of 142 ppm. I perform 70 percent
water changes every two weeks using dechlorinated tap
water, and any detritus that has collected is removed at
that time.
The substrate in the aquarium should consist of
rounded, pea-size gravel up to a depth of 2 inches (5
cm), or if the aquarium is going to be used only for
breeding, it can be left bare and a separate shallow dish
or other container of gravel can be placed in the current
where the female can deposit her eggs. I would recommend
using gravel that is natural in color, similar to
what you would see in the fish’s natural environment.
In areas of softer water, dolomite may be added to the
gravel, or a piece of limestone can be placed in the tank
to increase water hardness.
Increasing the bounty
Breeding occurs in the early spring, when the days
lengthen and water temperatures rise. The females
become visibly swollen with eggs when they are ready to
spawn, and the males exhibit their most brilliant colors
during this time. The males stake out small territories
within preferred spawning areas, which is important to
keep in mind if multiple males are housed together.
The easiest method for spawning Rainbow Darters in
captivity is to collect a pair or trio of adult fish in early to
mid-April and introduce them to an aquarium specifically
set up for breeding. The spawning aquarium can
be from 5 to 20 gallons (19–78 L) in size, depending on
whether or not you will be pulling the eggs. A tight-fitting
lid is recommended, and the aquarium may be lit with a
fluorescent bulb if desired. Once the fish are acclimated
KEN ZEEDYK
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