Help identify strange new fish...

[tonymac]

I was looking on what I believe is a college website about raising and feeding N.A. paddlefish in captivity. "Fry cannot effectively filter-feed until their gill-rakers are completely developed, at about 5 in.(12)cm long, or 5 to 6 weeks old." Up until this time they are fed Daphnia. Daphnia are fresh water water fleas. Daphnia are available frozen but the article suggests using live daphnia. This diet of daphnia is supplemented by "trout/salmon" crumbles and pellets. The larger fish seem to prefer the pellets. This is the site: Polyodontidae

 

[audjie504]

Very informative website... thanks!

 

[audjie504]

Current update:

Went back to the fish store this evening. She seemed horrified when I asked if the fish was from China and said no. I asked if it was from America and she told me to hold on while she called her friend. She said the name of some place of which I'm not familiar so I had her write it down... will get it translated tomorrow.

She also wrote down the name of the fish and I will have that translated as best I can.

When I asked her what she had fed the fish she got me a package of frozen bloodworms from the back. I figure I'll give it a try.

That's it for tonight's excursions.

 

[audjie504]

I got the info translated and we're really no further than before.

The name: translates to "spoon-lipped fish"... ok, makes sense

Place of origin (according to person who sold the fish to the lady): Brazil

*sigh* Just because it's a freshwater fish it's from the Amazon? Sure, vendor. You're not helping me out much here. So who knows really where he got it from. I'm still assuming it's an American paddlefish because the odds that it is a Chinese paddlefish seem slim.

I guess we'll wait and see if he changes much as he grows... hoping that I can keep him alive that long!

Thanks again for everyone's help... we would not have even identified him had you not worked with us =)

 

[tonymac]

Brazil!?! The mystery deepens. Didn't mean to put you on a wild goose chase. If you had posted from any other country on planet Earth I would have said unequivocably it was the N.A. Spoonbill, but you're in China-the home of the other species- so I could'nt be sure. Thanks for sharing with us and all your efforts-you've went above and beyond what is expected of the average aquarist. One more thought-I was looking at a Chinese site discussing a "Paddlefish reserve" that was set up along the Yangtze. It warned of "severe penalties" for removal of Chinese Paddlefish from the river. Meaning if it was collected in the wild it was collected illegally, so any pet shop owner may not be forthcoming about any collection site, assuming it is a chinese one(which it still probably is not). The Chinese name for their species translates to "sword-bill sturgeon" because its not exactly shaped like a spoon. Good luck raising him(or her). I belong to the Missouri Aquarium Society and know some people in the tropical fish import/export, I also know the head aquarist at the St. Louis zoo(who deals with endangered fishes) and get their take on some of this stuff. Thanks again!