Burbot (Lota lota maculosa)

krichardson

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Hey, OP...are you still lurking around? I just found this thread and was hoping to learn more from it...but it looks like you joined the forum, made three posts, and then disappeared five days later...never to return?
Here ya go!
I don't know about the OP but I keep Burbot if there is interest. I currently have about 700 1 year old juvs.
Wow,seven hundred....could you post some photos of your tank/tanks?
 
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jjohnwm

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Wow, yes, I'd also love to see some pics. That's a favourite species of mine...despite the fact that the local legislators make it impossible for me to have one. :(

I'm assuming you breed them? Or do you go out into the local streams in springtime and catch 700 one at a time? :)
 

Inland Aquatics

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I have a indoor grow out facility ( 3, 7000 gal RAS raceways) and am involved in a aquaculture study have been working with them for about a year. They are surprisingly easy to keep. Where are you that the law regulates aquarium species? The state here (Montana) has no jurisdiction over non-connected (ie: aquarium) waters regardless of size.

Here are a few pics....

IMG_20221003_184014914 (1).jpg

IMG_20221212_092140623.jpg

IMG_20230822_094418885.jpg
 

jjohnwm

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I live in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It is illegal here to remove any species of fish alive from the point where it is captured. You can keep them in a livewell or bucket while fishing at the site; but when you leave you are required to ensure that every fish is dead. :( Lived here for over ten years and just learned this recently; talk about a kick in the head.

On the rare occasions when I buy live minnows for bait, I am issued a certificate that indicates the number of baitfish purchased and the date. I can legally keep and transport those fish in a live state for three days only. Starting in 2017, live minnows or leeches will no longer be legal to possess or use in this province at all. The local leech farmers...yes, that's a thing...are in an uproar.

I agree with the stated intent, which is to prevent the spread of invasive species and non-native pathogens into Manitoba waters...but, in typical Canadian knee-jerk feel-good fashion, the legislation goes beyond merely effective and goes far into the depths of completely ridiculous.

I can barely manage to read posts like this one and many others related to keeping native fishes; it's starting to border on self-abuse for me to look at them...:(
 
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Inland Aquatics

Feeder Fish
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Ya, that is kinda like here. You should look into aquarium/pet trade laws. Unless it is a regulated prohibited species, as long as it is shipped for the aquarium trade, none of the wildlife laws apply, at least here. That is why I am able to raise these even though in the wild they are considered a game species.
 
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krichardson

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ya, you wouldn't want to put them in with anything that is smaller than them. They grow slow but can be voracious.
Interesting looking fish but I'm afraid their requirement for low water temperatures may stand in the way of me ever trying them.
 
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Inland Aquatics

Feeder Fish
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Interesting looking fish but I'm afraid their requirement for low water temperatures may stand in the way of me ever trying them.
Actually, and quite surprisingly they do fine up to about 70F. I thought this would be an issue at first too. I was going to run water chiller lines in the raceways but have never needed to. They remained active and surface feed all the time. Now I am sure they are happier in the winter at cooler temps but they seemed fine through summer. Minor cooling if any would be needed in most locations.
 

latapy10

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Actually, and quite surprisingly they do fine up to about 70F. I thought this would be an issue at first too. I was going to run water chiller lines in the raceways but have never needed to. They remained active and surface feed all the time. Now I am sure they are happier in the winter at cooler temps but they seemed fine through summer. Minor cooling if any would be needed in most locations.
if you don't have an expensive cooler, keeping a burbot in an aquarium makes no sense...
30 degrees of celsius in the house during the summer is too much for a cold water aquarium with burbot.
 

jjohnwm

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if you don't have an expensive cooler, keeping a burbot in an aquarium makes no sense...
30 degrees of celsius in the house during the summer is too much for a cold water aquarium with burbot.
That's probably correct...if your house is kept at 30C, which few are, at least here in North America. Blanket statements like that...make no sense...

I am one of the few folks who don't even have AC in my home; I live a couple hours north of the US/Canada border, but even here we may have 30C+ daytime temperatures for a few weeks each summer. And yet, most folks have AC, despite the fact that it is only used for a relatively brief period each year.

Even when I lived in Ontario, much further south than I do now, there were many years when I simply never used my home's central air conditioning.

I've been monitoring the temps in the basement tank in which my burbot was kept last spring; throughout the summer it has never exceeded 20C (68F) and was usually at least 4 degrees cooler than that. Based upon how the fish acted I don't think it would have experienced any issues, and the post above by I Inland Aquatics seems to confirm that. If necessary, a tank could be placed directly upon the concrete floor in my basement; the floor temp has never once exceeded 60F (under 16F).

It does indeed make no sense to keep a fish if you know you cannot provide the conditions it requires, whether that refers to tank size, temperature, water chemistry, etc...but there's no need to frighten away potential keepers who have the proper conditions available.
 
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