Siren Species ID
- Thread starter Otolith
- Start date
Did you catch him near home? The lesser is all you have in MS, at least under current taxonomy. It is rumored that several new Siren species may be described in the near future.
Are you going to keep him? I have one. I can offer some advice if you like.
Are you going to keep him? I have one. I can offer some advice if you like.
CTU2fan;3805762; said:
Thank you! Appreciate it.
Noto;3806117; said:
Thank you
Yeah I caught him near my house. I'm thinking about keeping him. Are there any fish you can keep them with long term? Whats their substrate and temp preferences?Fish are tricky. Sirens have poor vision and are not particularly quick, but they will eat fish of appropriate size if they can catch them napping. Some fish will nibble the siren's gills; I had trouble with some Seminole killifish that did this. If your tank is large and well-planted, you can probably keep small inoffensive fish such as tetras, guppies, or small minnows in the tank. I often add bluefin killifish and swamp darters from the LFS' shrimp tank to my siren's setup. When he gets moved to his big new tank I intend to try orange-spotted sunfish, pirate perch, and flier with him.
Substrate is not all that important, but I would suggest that either sand or large (size of siren's head or larger) pebbles would be best. They produce quite a bit of suction when feeding and often end up inhaling a rock or two; they usually spit them out, but better safe than sorry.
They seem to be more active in cool (40-50 F) water, but can tolerate quite hot water as well. Room temp is probably a good balance.
Sirens like plants but can be rough on them, so pick sturdy or non-rooted species. Cover the tank and close any gaps. A sponge or screen over the filter intake is a good idea, especially if you have a little guy. Nightcrawlers, sinking pellets, and any standard live or frozen inverts will be eaten.
Substrate is not all that important, but I would suggest that either sand or large (size of siren's head or larger) pebbles would be best. They produce quite a bit of suction when feeding and often end up inhaling a rock or two; they usually spit them out, but better safe than sorry.
They seem to be more active in cool (40-50 F) water, but can tolerate quite hot water as well. Room temp is probably a good balance.
Sirens like plants but can be rough on them, so pick sturdy or non-rooted species. Cover the tank and close any gaps. A sponge or screen over the filter intake is a good idea, especially if you have a little guy. Nightcrawlers, sinking pellets, and any standard live or frozen inverts will be eaten.
I kept my greater siren with a Pbass, Pacu, Oscar, Knife fish, and mata mata turtle with out it getting picked on but the water conditions were wrong and it was not eating so I moved it out to my pond. they need a sandy substrate and cool water.