View Full Version : Lampreys in the Aquarium?
ChilDawg
08-28-2003, 7:04 PM
Anyone ever kept these?
I know Wippit Guud thinks that they sound boring, but this could be one helluvatank: http://www.pnl.gov/ecology/EP/Lamprey.htm
cdawson
08-28-2003, 10:16 PM
Lampreys feed off of other fish while they are still alive they're very interesting fish. However , they can only be kept in a species tank.
ChilDawg
08-29-2003, 10:10 AM
Aren't there some non-parasitic ones? I could be wrong...
cdawson
08-29-2003, 11:03 AM
I've never heard of any, but I could be mistaken. I've always associated lamprey with blood sucking parasites =)
ChilDawg
08-29-2003, 11:04 AM
I'll have to look to be sure...you're not the only one who has made that association, though...I know that I had at one point!
WolfPup522
08-29-2003, 11:12 AM
Aren't there some non-parasitic ones? I could be wrong...
You peeked my curiosity, so I googled it. Apparently, there are smaller lampreys (brook lampreys) that only get to be around 6-7 inches and are non-parasitic. There may be others also, but I don't have time to research it much deeper right now.
ChilDawg
08-29-2003, 11:18 AM
WolfPup522, I am glad that I piqued your curiosity enough to get you to research this. Thank you for Googling that and answering the question for both myself and cdawson. It could be interesting to see if anyone keeps those particular ones...
WolfPup522
08-29-2003, 11:50 AM
No problem! And thank you for reminding me how to spell piqued! heehee My brain temporarily shut down and I figured you all would know what I meant!:D
ChilDawg
08-29-2003, 12:14 PM
I was trying to figure out the most tactful way to do it, as you seem to be intelligent from what I can tell...:D
Wippit Guud
08-29-2003, 2:23 PM
From what I read (and posted in the other thread), non-parasitic lampreys don't feed at all as adults, they live off stored body fat.
WolfPup522
08-29-2003, 2:30 PM
I was trying to figure out the most tactful way to do it, as you seem to be intelligent from what I can tell
Thanks... for being tactful and the compliment.;)
From what I read (and posted in the other thread), non-parasitic lampreys don't feed at all as adults, they live off stored body fat.
I don't know if I'd ever keep these myself, but I must admit, I'm intrigued, so I'll have to google it more when I have a chance.
ChilDawg
08-29-2003, 3:32 PM
No prob :)
It'll be interesting to see what we can find on this. My weekend's pretty much free as the rest of the school seems to be going home! :D
ziskus
08-29-2003, 7:19 PM
Here is what the Baensch states about these little critters:
The larvae stage lasts up to 6 years.......Larvae are harmless, whereas adults are oftentimes parasites, even attacking conspecies........Entering Lake Ontario in 1890, the sea lamprey migrated through the Welland Canal, appearing about 30 years later in Lake Erie. twentyfive years later it had reached Lake Superior. As a consequence, the fisheries in the lake collapsed (lake trout, burbot, lake whitefish). Only through continued management with specific poisons have the native fish populations been able to recover.
Aquarium maintenance for this ENTIRE family is NOT recommended.
Why do you want to keep this fish?
Source: Baensch Photo Index 1-5, p24, 25
Wippit Guud
08-29-2003, 7:28 PM
And seeing as they can survive for a while on land, you probably want to take the same precautions as an octopus tank... they'll proably get out any way they can
ChilDawg
08-29-2003, 7:46 PM
Good points.
Ziskus: I am just interested in the unusual and keeping it in my tank, if at all possible. I will listen to you and to Baensch, though, and I will assume that it is not possible. :(
ChilDawg
08-29-2003, 7:48 PM
Um...in NH, they have Lamprey Health Care...does anyone really trust doctors who work for such a poorly-named company?
How about Lamprey Dental Associates?
kveeti
08-29-2003, 9:33 PM
Originally posted by ChilDawg
Um...in NH, they have Lamprey Health Care...does anyone really trust doctors who work for such a poorly-named company?
Maybe they're going back to old time medicine where leeches were "used for practically every disease, from various local aches and inflammatory processes to nephritis, laryngitis, eye disorders, brain congestion and even obesity and mental illness."
*QUOTING FROM: http://www.emory.edu/WHSCL/BookMark/NOV97/Leeches.html
Originally posted by ChilDawg
Um...in NH, they have Lamprey Health Care...does anyone really trust doctors who work for such a poorly-named company?
How about Lamprey Dental Associates? Now a legal firm by the name of Lamprey Associates I would believe. Or how about the firm of Dooey, Cheetum and Howe? :D
ChilDawg
08-30-2003, 10:49 AM
I see that you listen to "Car Talk", Steve. :)
cdawson
08-30-2003, 2:19 PM
Originally posted by Matak
Now a legal firm by the name of Lamprey Associates I would believe.
ROTFLMAO!!! That's hilarious, that name really says "you can trust your life in OUR hands! Don't worry we won't take you for all your worth!"
ChilDawg
08-30-2003, 2:37 PM
Lamprey and Associates...We don't suck!!! :)
BigFishDude
08-30-2003, 8:16 PM
http://trfn.clpgh.org/tcwa/graphics/LAMPREY1.jpg
An interesting little guy. That's a brook lamprey by the way
yashinfan
08-30-2003, 8:39 PM
I saw some for sale in Super Pet the other day and my boyfriend freaked out because he didn't think they were even legal! I mean, the things can survive OUT OF WATER!!! That's flipping crazy! *shudders*
ChilDawg
08-30-2003, 10:32 PM
They're for sale? What species are they?
(Not gonna buy now, but just curious as to whether long-term maintenance is even feasible.)
yashinfan
09-01-2003, 11:33 AM
Honestly, I have no idea, but I don't think it was a parasitic one. Next time I go to Super Pet I'll take a closer look, but I remember reading that it grew to be pretty **** long.