Free Swamp Darters

[Sonny Disposition]

I came by a couple of Florida swamp darters recently, which arrived in an area feeder tank.

If you would like them, let me know.

If you're not familiar with darters, they're a really interesting family of native fishes, most of which live in the riffles of small streams. Because they spend their lives in current, they don't have swim bladders, and so hop or "dart" around the bottom.

Unlike other representatives of the family, swamp darters aren't particularly colorful. But they do have lots of personality, and will hop over to the glass to beg for food from the person who usually feeds them. They don't get very large--probably no more than a couple of inches or so. Although I've never known them to take flakes or crumbles, they love blackworms, daphnia, brine shrimp, and just about any other small moving creatures they can fit into their mouths. They can even be trained to take frozen brine shrimp, bloodworms, and what not, provided you simulate movement by dropping the food items in the filter outflow.

Although other darters require a strong current to survive, swamp darters inhabit still waters and so don't need a strong current.

Since they inhabit the bottom, I wouldn't keep them with apistos or any other small bottom dwelling cichlid, which would probably beat the heck out of them.

http://www.nanfa.org/articles/acswampdarter.shtml

http://www.floridaconservation.org/fish ... th-fus.jpg

[JMLenke]

AWESOME fish, I have one that is still kicking in the 55 and he occasionally wanders over to stare at me and look for food.

[Sonny Disposition]

Yeah, they are really neat. My trouble is, I think just about all fish are really neat, and can't decide on any one group. Anyway, I found a home for the swamp darters, with one of our GWAPA members.

[pmk00001]

Wanted to post a picture of the Swamp Darters I got from Bob. Bob, yours is the small one to the left . Thanks again! Great fish.

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[krisw]

Nice looking fish! Thanks for sharing the pic.

[Sonny Disposition]

Thanks, Pat. That's a really nice looking tank, too. Are those bluefin killies?

[pmk00001]

Hey Bob -

Yep Bluefin Killies and some ghost shrimp and dwarf crays, perfect tankmates for the darters.

The darters you gave me actually spawned the first day I put them in the tank but I wasn't ready for it.

[Spine]

Bob,
Thanks for the ID on the darters. I got 12 or so that were mixed in with a ghost shrimp shipment. I figured they were a native fish but I never got around to ID'ing them.

[pmk00001]

A buddy of mine from Thailand who's way into planted tanks is completely envious of my swamp darters One of those grass is always greener on the other side things I guess.

[krisw]

Buddy of yours into plants, and in Thailand, eh? Very interesting. I bet we'd be jealous of some of his plants too.