Re: [RML] C. bleheri

Gary Lange (gwlange at stlnet.com)
Fri, 7 Mar 1997 06:43:42 -0600

They do tend to be excitable. On two separate occasions I have lost
C. bleri when netting them to either take them to a show or to move
them to another tank. They just stiffen up and look like they've
been dead for hours. I think this is the same thing (?) that has
been observed with wild rainbows and why some people will add "the
handfull of salt" to the bucket. I try not to mess with the
Chilatherina too much and pretty well keep them in one tank. If I
need to move them to another tank I try and acclimate as best as
possible (make the two tank waters as close to the same) and just net
them and dump. Bouncing around in a transfer container just seems to
make them even crazier. If you ever get one that stiffens up on you
try putting it into a solution of almost salt water with lots of air.
It has been suggested to me that a solution of Ringer's is supposed
to work for other fish species that do a similiar thing.

Gary Lange
Rainbowfish Study Group of NA
----------
> From: BLang1234 at aol.com
> To: rainbowfish at pcug.org.au
> Subject: [RML] C. bleheri
> Date: Thursday, March 06, 1997 10:42 PM
>
> Since the list has been frighteningly quiet the last few days, I
thought I'd
> throw out something I've been wondering about for a while. I
maintain
> Chilatherina bleheri and have been amazed at the number of times
I've had to
> pick them up off of the floor. When I feed them they just go
bonkers. A lot
> of the time they will start swimming totally erratically(like
upside down,
> sideways, etc.). Maybe they just bashed their heads on the side of
the
> aquarium while going nuts. All the other rainbows in the tank seem
to behave
> themselves. They just seem to do this at feeding time. Any thoughts
or
> similar observations? A friend who got some eggs from me reports
the same
> behavior. My best guess is that it is just a characteristic of
> Chilatherina's. Several people have mentioned that C. sentaniensis
is a
> rocket with fins. Maybe they just get too excited.
> Brian Lang