Caught some creek dwelling fish.

[ippielb]

So, i have caught two different types of fish from my creek. I would like someone to identify them for me, and i also caught a shrimp looking thing. They look like they're mating, because ones clings to the back of the other one, while the one being clung to swims around. I believe one is a brook stickleback, but i don't know what the other two things are.

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g79/halfsoldier/P1070143.jpg
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g79/halfsoldier/P1070145.jpg
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g79/halfsoldier/P1070146.jpg

In the last picture you can see a larger darker one, the only one i could catch of that kind, i think it's a brook stickleback.

[korith]

What country and which part?:P That could help narrow it down. There are a few sites that list local species and where they are found here in georgia. May want to check to see if there any local fish stock listings in your area.

[ippielb]

Sorry, that would help haha, it's in Saskatchewan Canada, so these little guys must be pretty tough. It freezes pretty hard, there's a natural spring around 1 kilometer up the creek where all the water comes from, it has water there all year, but the creek dries up for a month during the summer, and then starts back up in the fall. There's no shortage to these guys either. Saskatchewan is north of Montana, and North Dakota, if you don't know where it is. I've looked on the goverment fish species, but they're not on it, it's not that big of a list though, PDF is on this page.
http://www.publications.gov.sk.ca/details.cfm?p=11115

[troy]

The shrimp things look like scuds.

[ippielb]

They do, after i google it, they have same traits, i think that's might be what they are. Thanks.

[Northernguy]

Are they in this list?

http://pond.dnr.cornell.edu/nyfish/Cyprinidae/cyprinidae.html
Maybe this one?
http://pond.dnr.cornell.edu/nyfish/Cyprinidae/finescale_dace.html

[ippielb]

I think it's the blacknose shiner
http://pond.dnr.cornell.edu/nyfish/Cyprinidae/blacknose_shiner.html
or the Blackchin Shiner
http://pond.dnr.cornell.edu/nyfish/Cyprinidae/blackchin_shiner.html
Ugh, so many look like it, maybe the Brassy minnow?
http://pond.dnr.cornell.edu/nyfish/Cyprinidae/brassy_minnow.html

Here's pictures of he ones i caught.
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g79/halfsoldier/P1070158.jpg
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g79/halfsoldier/P1070157.jpg
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g79/halfsoldier/P1070155.jpg

[Northernguy]

Its a very good possibility its the blacknose.
I get all kinds of those here too.
Very common.Let me know how they do.I have always had a problem trying to keep them alive for even a few days.

[ippielb]

Algae eaters, and plant eaters, I'm going to go back and get some live plants, i have some very unique looking plants in the creek bed. I'm going to try and drop in a algae wafer and see if they munch on it. There's no reason for them not to. They LOVE alot of cover, i'ven noticed that in the creek, and the sticklebacks, which is the one dark one, really like high currents. Where my output comes out of my home made filter, it sits there and swims up it. Just back and forth. The rest of my tank is calm.

[Cliff]

Just out of curiosity, which creek did you get these out of?


If I remember correctly, you live not too far from where I grew up on my grandfather’s farm.

[ippielb]

It's not a named creek, it's just a natural spring that goes through our pasture, and feeds into the Wascana.

[Northernguy]

They may have migrated for safety.
Are the water levels higher than normal?

[ippielb]

The thing is we've always had them. My dad said that they were in the creek when he was a kid too. There's only a natural spring that keeps water in it. The water levels are lower then normal. This year there is less then normal of these minnows. Usually you can't even see the bottom of a 4 foot culvert because there is just so much of them.

Edit:
If anyone remembers i bought 20 containers of cheap fish food, and i crushed up a few flakes and dropped it in the tank above the blackchin ones, and surprisingly they actually nibbled at it! The stickleback attempted to nibble at a larger piece but it was too big, and the flakes are too hard. I need to soak them in water first to soften them up.

[ippielb]

Well, they look like they like blood worms. I think they're just too big for them to eat. They suck them in their mouth, and chew a little, then spit it out, and then bite it again.

[wolf_eyes]

They look more like brassy minnows to me, judging by the shape of the mouth area. Catching native species is a lot of fun. When I was in school I would go out and catch them, then release them because I didn't have a tank for them (i lived in the dorm and we couldn't have more than 1 tank). If I didn't live in a desert I would probably have a native tank now, haha.

[UncleWillie]

Yes, you have scuds, and sticklebacks. The other ones are Pimphales (the fathead minnows, probably P. promelas).

[ippielb]

I guess we'll never actually know what exact species of minnow these are, we'll just have a good guess. They look exactly like both of these, the Pimphales, and the Brassy minnow. But looks like i'm going to have baby scuds swimming around soon. I put in 3 pairs, and then a single one, and when i put them in the water they separated. But looks like they've settled down, and started breeding again. They wont last 5 minutes in my tank haha. The stickleback isn't eating much, all it does is just bite the food and spit it out. The others gobble up blood worms, and they try to eat the flakes, if the pieces are small enough to be eaten.

[ippielb]

Well, just letting you know i've only had one casualty from natural causes. I've had four die because they got sucked into my filter. Even though i had a strainer around the intake. They like the current, and jumped into it. So, i took my power head from my 25 gallon, and set it up with them, so they can swim against the current.

[korith]

Well, just letting you know i've only had one casualty from natural causes. I've had four die because they got sucked into my filter. Even though i had a strainer around the intake. They like the current, and jumped into it. So, i took my power head from my 25 gallon, and set it up with them, so they can swim against the current.

Maybe wrap some mesh around the intake, or some pantyhose. Could always put a sponge over the intake as well.

[dccruibay5]

there are many fishes in the river near my house which very resemble what you caught in your creek .before i ever caught some but many of them are dead in a short time i don't know why .hou ahout your fish now

[ippielb]

They're still kicking, they really are hardy fish. They are very shy though. I'm sure if i get rid of my piranha's they will most likely come out from the driftwood though. Grown very accustomed to eating the flake food.