Trout Tank

[BrookKeeper]

After a lot of searching on other forums, I have finally found a place where there is talk of trout/cold water species keeping here. It seems like all the threads are old and outdated, but perhaps this will be my new home.

Does anyone on here have any experience keeping trout? I have a 125 gallon with a 30 gallon sump and a chiller, with brook trout and a load of minnows.

Anyone want to be my friend?

 

[DIDYSIS]

sure look nice, like the setup, trout sure are good looking fish,

 

[celebrist]

Beautiful fish, I am not allowed to keep natives up here sadly

 

[Anthony Nolet]

How'd you get your trout?

 

[BrookKeeper]

I collected 24 individuals in May 2013 with a backpack electroshocked and dip net for my Master's thesis research. At collection they ranged 99-132 mm. Transported them back to the lab and observed their behavioral interactions in an artificial stream system under different levels of streambed sedimentation. I bought this tank and set it up in November 2014 in order to save as many as possible. Also convinced my department to purchase a 180 gallon setup (with double FX5 units) as a display tank at school. I have 6 brookies at school still, had 4 at home, now sadly down to 2 as of last week. I lost 2 suddenly to egg lock, which I did not realize was a thing of concern until itbwas too late. This is why I have decided to find a forum on which to share my experience, in hopes of helping other prevent this should they keep trout. Seems like I am all alone in the home trout keeping business...

 

[xraycer]

Very cool!
I've always wanted to keep brookies.
So, is there a way to prevent or resolve "egg lock"?

 

[BrookKeeper]

Very cool!
I've always wanted to keep brookies.
So, is there a way to prevent or resolve "egg lock"?

Yes! Express the eggs physically with a gentle belly rub. My biggest girl had some signs of trauma around the anus with a small bulge and a but if pink fleshy/white feathery protrusion, so I consulted a friend who works for VDGIF at a brookies grow out facility. He suggested egg lock and attempting to express the eggs, which I headed straight home to do. When I got there she was belly up already... Post mortum expression revealed that my friend was likely correct. The first fish I lost had shown no signs of trouble, but she was on the rotund side, so she was likely loaded down with eggs also. Her carcass is in my freezer now, I have yet to investigate, but I will post my finding once I bring myself to open up another of my lost friends...

 

[divemaster99]

Great to see someone keeping trout! I've wanted to keep them forever (especially Lakes and Brooks, although I feel only the latter is doable at home without spending a small fortune). Did you have any aggression issues with your fish all together in a 125 gallon?

 

[BrookKeeper]

Interestingly enough, intraspecific aggression was my primary response variable during my research. I looked at changes in aggression within cohorts of three fish under varied conditions of sedimentation, water temperature, and time of day. Turns out that if you give them places to hide, aggression can be well mediated. During my research, the only available habitat to hide in was the interstitial space in the streambed, until the sedimentation cut that off as well. After watching these fish and recording data for a ridiculous number of hours, I was pretty familiar with my fish and able to select compatible individuals and I have provided ample habitat, so I have not had aggression issues at home. Their dominance hierarchy is extreemly rigid, and typically follows a size ranking. In the 180 gallon at school I started with 4 fish, each one the most dominant within their previous cohort of 3. The smallest of the 4 dominant fish had to be removed from the 180 (and came home to my 125, she was "G", the fish that just passed due to egg lock). At home she was once again the too ranking fish, and maintained the optimum feeding location nearly exclusively. It was her surrender of this location in the tank that alerted me to an issue, which I was too slow in resolving...

Meanwhile, "P" is the largest of the 3 remaining dominant fish in the 180 at school, and he is an amazingly beautiful 10"+ male who has effectively consumed every minnow I once had in the tank with him. The other two trout in the 180 are still doing well, although they are significantly smaller than bossman "P". His is a picture of him taken just now.

 

[celebrist]

Gorgeous, what are your long term plans if they keep growing. I wish I could have some of the native fish up here (rainbow, grayling, blackfish, burbot, dolly varden). Nice job and here's hoping no more losses!
Beautiful fish.