Culture protocols of the Metallic Shiner for ornamental aquaculture

Abstract

AbstractObjectiveWhile North American fishes are often overlooked by the ornamental fish industry, there is growing interest in fishes native to the southeastern USA, a hot spot for fish diversity. The Metallic Shiner Pteronotropis metallicus, a small‐bodied leuciscid native to Florida and Georgia, is sometimes available in the ornamental fish trade through wild collection and limited captive production. This species exhibits a distinctive color pattern straddling the lateral line: a dorsal pink to red line, fading to a black to blue stripe. This group of minnows is largely unknown to ornamental aquaculture and lacks defined culture protocols. Our objective was to develop culture protocols for the Metallic Shiner.MethodsFollowing collection of wild broodstock, we used routine culture methods to experimentally determine substrate preference, egg incubation, egg disinfection, larval feeding, and larval development.ResultMetallic Shiner spawning was more successful on yarn mops compared with other media, with average output of >50 embryos per tank per day. Hatching success was similar for static incubators (24%) and upwelling incubators (20%) and was also similar among egg disinfection treatments (iodine, hydrogen peroxide, and formalin). Larval feeding regimes altered survival, with Otohime A1 exhibiting higher survival (44%) over 14 days posthatch (dph) and better growth than other feeding regimes. During the developmental trial with water temperature at a relatively constant 25°C, length increased from 5 mm notochord length (4 dph) to 8.7 mm standard length (45 dph), with significant milestones occurring at 4 dph (swim bladder inflation), 16 dph (flexion), and 23 dph (hypural plate formation).ConclusionThese data provide basic culture information for the Metallic Shiner while also providing a place of reference to begin investigating culture protocols for related species, including species of conservation concern.