keeping anchovy alive, tips needed

N

natan

New member
Everybody feeds them frozen to the predatory fish, or to the cats from the can.

Question is, is there anybody with experience keeping silversides alive as aquarium specimens? From what little I was able to find (and experience myself) they are extremely difficult to keep alive during and after transportation, but once acclimated few survivors make rewarding subjects. So, does anybody know how to limit mortality in transport (I am going to net them myself)?
Bet once I crack this one they'll become the holy grail of truly schooling fish for the reef tank, which is something many people are looking for but very few ever get.
They may be dull when in the can, but in the sea they are truly mesmerizing, gorgeous and unforgettable fish, with somewhat hypnotizing quality to them. After watching them in the sea I just could not let the idea of having some in the tank go. 2 years later I got the necessary paperwork and ready to go for it, but know it's a tough proposition, with 90% and above mortality. So if anybody got some tips to reduce that, the info will be appreciated greatly.
 
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Battery operated air pump and minimizing transport time helps to get them home.

Might need a round tank once they get there, they don't deal well with walls.

The main issue is they need a ton of oxygen, all the time.
 
First, thank u for reply.
1. Unfortunately transport time is beyond my control, it is going to be around 6h.
2. Aeration-getting the pump on batteries 2morow. It is going to be 20 fish in ~7liters of water for 6h.
3. The last time I did it all 10 fish survived the transport but 9 perished in a couple of days afterwards from a nasty white fungus-like infection. I strongly suspect it was trauma-related, but possibly ammonia burns as well. Any ideas what can it be and how to prevent it? Add antibiotics to the transport bucket, or start them on as soon as I am home? This time I am going to add some Prime from seachem in hope to reduce ammonia damage. Trouble is it is also going to reduce available oxygen, which is bad.
4. I have a dilemma actually. I can collect and transport to the makeshift aquarium (in minutes) for 2 days, than hit the road. This gives me a chance to replace any damaged specimens that are dead within 2 days. I can also starve them for 24h to reduce ammonia. The tank can run on an internal filter with a sponge from an established tank, and large water changes. Should I do it, or should I collect shortly before hitting the road?
 
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7 liters of water seems like very little for transporting 20fish especially when they are oxy hungry species im thinking they have fast metabolisms which also creates waste faster and requires more oxy and more food. This might be something to consider when transporting....
 
Well, its way more than what fishes get when transported from abroad, 24h+, and than they are shipped in closed plastic bags (mine are going to have an air pump). BTW they are small fish, under 8cm and wery slim. So the trick, i believe, is to handle and package properly (wish i knew more about how its done) to prevent complications later on. As to the ammonia-this is where the starvation idea (standard prosedure with imports) comes from. Hungry fish excretes less.
 
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I have not done this myself, but I would think that adding a product like Amquel or Prime to the water would help to reduce any ammonia related problems.
 
Isn't there a temperature differential? If anchovies are used to 65F degree water, I believe you'll have a big problem. And yes I would try several meds together to prevent infections due to stress shock.
And they grow to 18" as well.
Where are you collecting them?
 
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You will need to transport them in something round and house them in something round with tons of aeration on for both. Their noses get banged up very easily by corners.

Transport wise - how many are you moving and in what size of container? Are they freshly caught or have they been cured in a bait pen? There is usually significant mortality associated with capture. It would help if you get get some cured ones. They really are pretty delicate fish.
 
First, I want to thank all who provided constructive comments.
Some clarifications:
The species is Spratelloides gracilis, which reaches adulthood at 4cm, seldom reaches 8cm in the wild and never grows beyond 10cm (if some bigger fish approaching 8cm are caught, I'll just let them go). Collecting is to be done in the Red Sea (Eilat). No bait pens available, so I will have to net them myself. But it also means they are to be collected carefully with large aquarium nets. However, all silversides are trouble to collect, and are similar in many ways. So any experience with similar species is most valuable to me. I don't count on finding a person experienced with handling this particular species, it's simply too much to ask for.
~20specimens will be transported in a 7-8liter bucket, and housed in the makeshift 30l tank for 2 days.

So far the constructive comments that are going to be applied (and gaps that need to be filled) are:
# Any and all day collecting tips welcome (must do it with hand nets, 1 or 2 people, don't know about the second person yet, day collecting may be difficult) If I manage to get night collecting permit, than it's easy. The nets are to be home-made with an opening at the bottom to be closed with rubber band. This can be opened and fish transferred to the bucket without lifting them in to the air, to minimize trashing.
# Another point on collecting: if I can catch the fish early in the morning, I may be able to get hungry fish before they had an opportunity to feed, and after they excreted all night long. This way I may be able to reduce ammonia spike always produced by the newly collected fish. I can also put them in a mesh basket and leave them in the sea for a few hours, to let them excrete some ammonia before transfer to any container. Laundry mesh basket may be good for this. Comments on this are needed and welcome.
# Transport collected fish in the round bucket (one left from the salt shall do nicely)
#collect as early as possible and keep in a makeshift tank, rather than doing the last minute collecting.
# Use the time to let them adjust and replace casualties, or possibly collect more than needed to account for expected mortality and hopefully avoid trouble of another collecting attempt. Do ~50-70% water change every 12h.
# Treat with melafix??? (any comments on this and any other drugs welcome!)
# Starve them 24-48h before transfer (which means I won't feed in a makeshift tank, how convenient).
# Add Prime to all of the water
#use battery operated air pump when fish are transported
#travel in the air-conditioned car and preferably at night
#Keep fingers firmly crossed :)
Does that sound like a plan? Am I missing anything or are there any changes to be made to it? Drugs to use in the makeshift tank?
 
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I believe methelyne blue (spelling?) increases oxygen in the water and helps against certain ailments during shipping.
 
I realize this is a very old posting but I just joined and I am trying to do the same thing that natan is, that is transport and keep anchovies alive. Any recommendations would really be appreciated and I know this is a tough challenge.

thanks
 
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