What about freshwater fish ID?

[SubMariner]

Hi! Sorry for the tardy reply.

Two ISBNs are listed inside the Peterson book:
0-395-35307-6 [cl.] and 0-395-53933-1 [pa.].

The former is shown as $24.95 and the latter as $15.95. The copyright was 1991.

~SubMariner~

 

[Dee]

But I have to admit the posters in the bait and tackle shops that Rush mentioned had more fish examples than Petersons.

 

[Noodlefish]

I actually got certified in freshwater - in Lake Malawi, East Africa. Did NAUI OW2 there back in 1993. The lake has around 380 species of cichlid (Lake Tanganika in nearby Tanzania, has even more!).

Fascinating stuff, and we did the fish identification thing as part of the course... they are plenty of books on the subject because of the amazing speciation. But, surprisingly, the ones we saw all got quickly divided up into "boring little brown ones", "not so boring little brown ones", etc. To make things more confusing, there are lots of mimics too...

But I guess Africa is a little far for you to go for a weekend.

 

[Dee]

Noodlefish once bubbled...
I actually got certified in freshwater - in Lake Malawi, East Africa. Did NAUI OW2 there back in 1993. The lake has around 380 species of cichlid (Lake Tanganika in nearby Tanzania, has even more!).

I love African Cichlids! I never can remember which ones come from which lake region but they are all facinating. I recently switched my big aquarium from salt water back to fresh and the African Cichlids can be just as colorful as saltwater fishes. Their attitudes and behaviors are very interesting, too.

And they are lots cheaper to keep than salt water fish!

 

[shellbird]

Do any of you find the fresh water fish to be more timid and elusive? I think the fish in my lake are freaked out by my noisy bubbles. Any advice? The little Sunfish sure are pretty underwater. I don't seem to have the same problem when I snorkel. Matter of fact they follow me around, but diving, they seem to stay away... ;-0

 

[Dee]

Our bubbles do scare them. When we first started diving in Twin Lakes, we seldom say anything but fish butts as they disappeared into the grass or out of sight. But over time, and as more and more divers started appearing, they slowly got used to us. Of course the crackers we feed them don't hurt!

But feeding can backfire on you if you're diving in a training area. We don't feed on the training platforms because the perch and crappie get a little nippy when they don't see food. New students have enough to deal with without a palm sized pit bull taking plugs out of their ears!

 

[shellbird]

I did try feeding them, they wouldn't have any part of that. I'll keep trying. No divers, motor boats and little activity in this lake so the fish are used to the serenity that I come through and shatter... Maybe they will get used to me. It's just that the dives get a bit boring when there are no fish to see. The lake is kinda scary and dark.... I am hoping if I dive in the spring before any algae returns that the vis will be better as well. Have you known that to be the case or is it just wishful thinking on my part.

 

[Dee]

Sometimes right after a good rain when the water has extra oxygen in it, there will be a short algae bloom. But our lake has lots of natural grass and plants that keep it filtered out, especially around the edges. I tend to stay along the edges, above the thermocline (25ft), play with the fish and take pictures. The middle of the lake is colder, darker and just mud on the bottom.

Have you tried staying in one place? When I first started feeding them, I found a good grassy spot and laid on it real still and quite. Fish are curious, they'll come to see what you are. Breath slow and deep, no fast movements. I use those packages of Capt. wafers with cream cheese. Crush them up in the package and tear/cut a corner off to let some water in. Mush it up and squeeze it out through the hole you cut....like decorating a cake! Cheese Whiz is too greasy and has too many preservatives and our fish don't like it anyway! Sometimes weiners and Vienna Sausage work but not always. The crackers have been the best so far.

 

[shellbird]

seems the limit for seeing fish, any deeper it gets really dark, have to dive on a bright sunny day or forget it.

I literally have about 20 yards to the lake, I'll be out there trying anything and everything. Thanks for the cracker cake decorating technique. I'll try that for sure. Last summer seemed hotter thank normal so I think the effect of that on the lake was evident in the algae, otherwise it is relatively clean. I wish I could find a reference to get into the "anatomy" of the fresh water lake, the ecosystem. Have any suggestions?

 

[cat]

Dee once bubbled...
Sometimes right after a good rain when the water has extra oxygen in it, there will be a short algae bloom. But our lake has lots of natural grass and plants that keep it filtered out, especially around the edges.

The rest makes sense. Rain washes nutrients in from the terrestrial systems and increases deposition of airborne particulate nutrients, so the algae tend to bloom after a rain event. It can also temporarily increase the pO2 in the water but that's not what makes the lake go green!
Shellbird - how complex do you want to go? If you have access to a university or college library, try for Wetzel or Likens (titles should both be "Limnology". PM for more - among my other failings, I'm a limnologist

Algae grows faster in a warm lake, especially a lot of the N-fixing cyanobacteria that tend to show up in summer. If the lake is shallow enough and has a lot of nutirents in it, can get anoxia at the bottom which then tends to cause the release of more nutrients from the sediment (nasty positive feedback cycle - the nutrients then spur further algal growth, which makes the anoxia worse).