Pteronotropis

Keeping these Jewels in Aquaria

Looking for information about these beauties? Well, you have come to the right place. You could spend days scouring the internet for any snippet of data you could ever need, or you can just take advantage of the fact that I already have. I've kept a few of these little gems in aquaria, and have even spawned one, the Flagfin Shiner, Pteronotropis signipinnis, and it occurred to me that one big comprehensive website dedicated to these nine wonderful species of the genus Pteronotropis was long overdue, especially now that this group is finally starting to get the attention of the mainstream fishkeeping hobby worldwide. Bear in mind that this website will be a big project, and as such it will take time to develop. Alas, time is the one thing I don't have very much of to spare, but I'll be adding to this site monthly until it becomes one worth visiting time and again.

There are currently nine species recognized within the Genus of Pteronotropis, and they are all quite suitable aquarium subjects for a long list of reasons. Two of them look quite a bit different from the others, and will probably be moved to their own genus someday. The others all look surprisingly similar, but only to the most casual eye. Those all collectively known as "the hypselopterus complex" because P. hypselopterus was the first one of the group to become relly well known. Okay, Here they are:
Bluehead Shiner........P. hubbsi
Bluenose Shiner........P. welaka
Lowland Shiner.........P. stonei
Metallic Shiner........P. metallicus
Apalachee Shiner.......P. grandipinnis
Sailfin Shiner.........P. hypseloterus
Orangetail Shiner......P. merlini.
Flagfin Shiner.........P. signipinnis
Broadstripe Shiner.....P. euryzonus

The first two on the list, the Bluenose and Bluehead, are the ones which are very different from the other seven, and very similar to each other. Together these two cover a very wide distribution area, but they are also considered rather rare, due to the fact that not very many are found in any one place. It's also very difficult to determine just exactly where they are, because the habitats they prefer are very difficult for humans to reach and work within with ease. As such, it's a near certainty that these fish, especially the Bluenose, are much more common than currently given credit for being. Nonetheless, they are protected in much of their ranges. There are some places where they are still available for collecting, however, and those few spots are generally kept secret by those in the know. The stunning beauty of these fish easily rivals or surpasses that of many exotic imports, and those who know and cherish these fish do not want to see them depleted by someone looking to make a fast buck from overcollecting them for the aquarium industry. As such, this website won't be spelling out any such details. Sorry about that, but it's the only way to ensure that the few who have the best chance of learning the spawning secrets of these species will have continued access to them. Overcollection leads to overzealous legislation, you know. So why the big fuss? While the other seven Pteronotropis species are fairly easy to get to spawn in aquaria, welaka and hubbsi are not at all easy. They are cuckoo spawners, facultatively parasitic on the nests of other fish. That means that they like to lay their eggs in the nests of other fish for protection. This causes no small amount of aggravation for those who try to spawn them in tanks. The Bluehead spawns in Warmouth Bass nests, and the Bluenose prefers the Longear Sunfish. To make matters worse, they are avid egg-eaters. On the very few occasions Bluenoses have spawned without host fish nests, they had eaten most of the eggs before anyone even noticed that spawning had occurred. Getting them to spawn in the first place requires an extensive period of conditioning under exacting conditions. There are some very dedicated people working on these problems, and someday soon we hope to be able to mass-produce this fish as easily as any other. One group in Florida is even working to produce them for reintroduction to places in Florida where they have become highly threatened.

But enough of that for now; I'll get back to these fish in great detail later.

It has been a long time since I have been able to update this page due to browser incompatibility issues. I've got it fixed now, though, so soon I'll finally get some bady needed updates posted, including the secret to getting Bluenoses to spawn in aquaria!