# Has anyone had experience with sticklebacks?



## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

So..... my brother and I went to the bait shop to get worms. The goal was to get worms.

Well i though hey, why not grab some treats for my two turtles who rarely ever to snack on fish. The fish here looked really healthy for the usual bait shop.

We asked for 2 dozen and ended up with 100 or so. LOL I get them home and had a look through them in my bucket and notice some neat fish. 

I know i am really dumb for doing this.... but i added some of the fish to my ornates tank. I found fish in the pile that wernt the usual minnow and after some googaling i learned that they are sticklebacks. 

I -really- like them.. They seem really smart and stay clear of the ornate unlike the few minnow in there. I cant seem to figure out exactly what type they are.. From what i saw they seem to have 3-4 spines. I think they will be okay but if the ornate does get them will the spine be an issue at that size? About an inch or two.

Has anyone set up a tank of these guys before?


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## Windowlicka (Mar 5, 2008)

Hehe! I recall catching these l'il guys in nets when we were kids back home in England.

Really neat little fish - if you're REALLY lucky, you might have a male/female in there... if you do, then watch for mating - they build crazy little nests (like an arch in the substrate).

Don't know much else - other than remembering my Mum going "eugh", shortly before Dad emptied the bucket back into the stream/river! (granted, there's little of scientific value to you in the last statement!)


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

I remeber reading about those neat nests! I only wish I had the room for them. Everything else has fry in it 

When get set up again i would love to try and find these cute fish again...


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

OKay i lie! I found a tank for them... rofl lord help me.


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## lili (Dec 15, 2007)

Ciddian said:


> OKay i lie! I found a tank for them... rofl lord help me.


Good.


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## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

Do they look like this? http://www.nerc.ac.uk/images/photos/highres/fish-carotenoid.jpg


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

Not exactly... KInda sorta. Longer...Four spines and no red. I think it may be too early to tell if there are any males.


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## Cory_Dad (Apr 18, 2008)

Wow! This brings back memories.

Originally my parents wouldn't allow me to have a fish tank so I made my own out of an empty grape crate lined with plastic and added sand and a number of sticklebacks and some crayfish that I caught in the stream behind our cottage.

I came home from school one day and the crayfish were gone. I found them about 15 feet away, dead, on the tile floor. They had escaped but it was the proverbial "out of the frying pan into the fire" scenario.

Eventually my parents caved in and let me set up a tank which I got from one of my parents' friends.

Thanks for the post.


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## Chris S (Dec 19, 2007)

Only experience I have with stickleback is catching big smallmouth bass.


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

awee cory dad. I did the same.. XD Except i used to keep snails and beetles. Hehehe...


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## Cory_Dad (Apr 18, 2008)

Ciddian said:


> awee cory dad. I did the same.. XD Except i used to keep snails and beetles. Hehehe...


John, Paul, Ringo or George? Err wait..beetles not beatles. Sorry


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Are they any of these species?

http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/regions/central/pub/baitfish-on/page14-34_e.htm

I've seen them before with a nest, but I can't remember where the species was from. But they build a nest like a basket in tall plants. Very nifty.


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

The brook stickleback looks to be it..  Thanks for that link. They have that funny body shape and whenever they get curious or scared those little spikes come up. 

Very cute fish....


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## fishaaron (Apr 13, 2008)

*Stickleback Videos*

You might enjoy these videos.

http://www.arkive.org/species/ARK/fish/Gasterosteus_aculeatus_aculeatus/more_moving_images.html


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## Cory (May 2, 2008)

There are a lot of really neat natives inhabiting the rivers and streams in our region. I've been wanting to get into some of them for some time but it's hard to find them in petstores. Im still looking into laws regarding collection before I do anything, but I've been dying to have some longear sunfish for an age. Shiners, darters and your sticklebacks are some of our more interesting small natives which I'm also after but not sure on which breeds yet.


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

Yea i dont really like taking anything from the lake. Maybe for a temp display for teaching or observing for a limited time... 

I didnt feel so bad since they came in as 'bait' but still... lol

How neat are those vids! What a sweet little fish.


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## MT-ED (Apr 4, 2006)

Four spined Stickleback is from the Atlantic coast of North America. This is a Marine species that in early spring enters freshwater creeks and rivers in large numbers to spawn. If collected during this migration it is hard to keep them from breeding in aquaria.

Described as requiring a constant supply of live foods and best kept by themselves. A group requires a large planted tank as they are very aggressive to one another and in a small tank they'll get beat up too much.

My interpretation of the description in the no longer available Barrons book on North American fish in aquaria.

Martin.


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

Thank you for the help martin. 

I had a rather large one but lost it. I am going to throw a bunch of plants in their bin today


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