Post by baconnlegs on Mar 18, 2015 7:59:38 GMT -5
I'm back in Canada now, so here's that update!
Link for the lazy, if you don't want the details below: imgur.com/a/INNn7
And now, a little more detail...
The park that I was staying in had a drainage channel running through part of it, fed by several underground pipes. These are pretty common in the area. Every once in a while, the local water authority drains excess fresh water through the system, but there's often a few inches-to-a few feet left standing in these grassy channels (like large ditches). The sides are very steep, to prevent alligators from climbing up (seriously). Snakes and anoles are common along the water, which is full of tall, tough grasses and small bushes.
The water was warm (approx 76-80F, depending on depth), tannin-stained, with little-to-no current. The bottom was a mix of sand, silt, and organic debris, mainly leaves from the ficus and umbrella plants that grow everywhere. Depth ranged from 1 inch to about 4 feet (closer to the main pipe).
The water was teeming with fish, all about the same size (1 inch). Lots of breeding behaviour, with the male sailfin mollies flaring and flashing in the sunlight. They were easy to spot, with gold heads and bright teal caudal fins. The smaller fish were easy to catch, but the male sailfins were big and fast. We were out for about 45 minutes before we caught one. There were also a pair of large, beautiful fish in the channel, each between 18-24 inches long, and very lazy. We even poked them with the net, but they seemed unconcerned. I suspect they were chain pickerel (see pics in the link below).
The 2 most common species found were black and white Gambusia holbrooki (Eastern Mosquitofish) www.fishbase.org/summary/4521 and the sailfin Molly. A local has the Mollies for sale here: swampriveraquatics.com/id11.html and the Mosquitofish here: swampriveraquatics.com/id10.html . The site is under construction (sorry!) but check the sidebar - he has some INSANE Endler's available as well!
There was also a single clear-and-black striped fish I pulled in, and I wasn't able to identify it. Any guesses as to what it might be?
I was able to identify a few other things in the channel. There were plenty of emergent and stem plants in the water and growing along rocks. I believe Rotala sp. 'Green' was the most common stem plant (green variety, no red), and mats of (I think) Bacopa caroliniana grew along the shores and on rocks and wood, in the water. I brought home a palm-sized portion, so we'll see how it adapts! I also snagged a mangrove seed pod for my upcoming brackish tank, but I found this at the beach.
As for inverts, there were pond snails, ramshorn snails, and a species (in the pics) that I wasn't able to identify. None were bigger than an inch, there were shaped like Malaysian Trumpet snails, and were a dark olive with brown spots running from top to bottom. There were also plenty of Gammarus shrimp, or scuds. I brought home a few scuds, as well as some snails that were in the plant. I plan to isolate them in a separate tank for now, to see if they survive.
I've tried to keep the colour in the pics as consistent as possible, but the sun kept coming in and out of the clouds. First 2 pics are reference pics of chain pickerel. Here you go! imgur.com/a/INNn7
Link for the lazy, if you don't want the details below: imgur.com/a/INNn7
And now, a little more detail...
The park that I was staying in had a drainage channel running through part of it, fed by several underground pipes. These are pretty common in the area. Every once in a while, the local water authority drains excess fresh water through the system, but there's often a few inches-to-a few feet left standing in these grassy channels (like large ditches). The sides are very steep, to prevent alligators from climbing up (seriously). Snakes and anoles are common along the water, which is full of tall, tough grasses and small bushes.
The water was warm (approx 76-80F, depending on depth), tannin-stained, with little-to-no current. The bottom was a mix of sand, silt, and organic debris, mainly leaves from the ficus and umbrella plants that grow everywhere. Depth ranged from 1 inch to about 4 feet (closer to the main pipe).
The water was teeming with fish, all about the same size (1 inch). Lots of breeding behaviour, with the male sailfin mollies flaring and flashing in the sunlight. They were easy to spot, with gold heads and bright teal caudal fins. The smaller fish were easy to catch, but the male sailfins were big and fast. We were out for about 45 minutes before we caught one. There were also a pair of large, beautiful fish in the channel, each between 18-24 inches long, and very lazy. We even poked them with the net, but they seemed unconcerned. I suspect they were chain pickerel (see pics in the link below).
The 2 most common species found were black and white Gambusia holbrooki (Eastern Mosquitofish) www.fishbase.org/summary/4521 and the sailfin Molly. A local has the Mollies for sale here: swampriveraquatics.com/id11.html and the Mosquitofish here: swampriveraquatics.com/id10.html . The site is under construction (sorry!) but check the sidebar - he has some INSANE Endler's available as well!
There was also a single clear-and-black striped fish I pulled in, and I wasn't able to identify it. Any guesses as to what it might be?
I was able to identify a few other things in the channel. There were plenty of emergent and stem plants in the water and growing along rocks. I believe Rotala sp. 'Green' was the most common stem plant (green variety, no red), and mats of (I think) Bacopa caroliniana grew along the shores and on rocks and wood, in the water. I brought home a palm-sized portion, so we'll see how it adapts! I also snagged a mangrove seed pod for my upcoming brackish tank, but I found this at the beach.
As for inverts, there were pond snails, ramshorn snails, and a species (in the pics) that I wasn't able to identify. None were bigger than an inch, there were shaped like Malaysian Trumpet snails, and were a dark olive with brown spots running from top to bottom. There were also plenty of Gammarus shrimp, or scuds. I brought home a few scuds, as well as some snails that were in the plant. I plan to isolate them in a separate tank for now, to see if they survive.
I've tried to keep the colour in the pics as consistent as possible, but the sun kept coming in and out of the clouds. First 2 pics are reference pics of chain pickerel. Here you go! imgur.com/a/INNn7
wish i was there!