# Bowfin profile



## ChilDawg

Bowfin (_Amia calva_)

(Got any pictures? I'd be happy to use them here...)

Name: Bowfin
Other Names: Dogfish, Grinnell, John A. Grindle, Mudfish
Other Names: Lawyer, Cypress Trout, Cottonfish, Blackfish
Other Names: Speckled Cat, Beaverfish, Scaled Ling, Spottail
Scientific Name: Amia calva
Family: Amiidae

Distribution: St. Lawrence River, Lake Champlain drainage of Quebec and Vermont west across southern Ontario to the Mississippi drainage in Minnesota
Length: Over a meter reported, but a more common maximum is around two feet.
Water Temperature: 59 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit (15-20 degrees Celsius)
Diet: They love live foods (especially crustaceans and fishes), but they can be trained to take prepared meaty foods, especially raw fishes and crustaceans.
Water Chemistry: Well-oxygenated water which is moderately to very hard is best, but they may be acclimatized to a variety of conditions.
pH: 6-8
Lifespan: 10 years likely, 30+ reported

*Species Description* Think of a very tall tin can with fins, and you have the general idea of the shape of a bowfin. Their cephalic region looks like a slightly-pointed approximation of the rounded tip of a missile.

Their coloration is mottled olive near their dorsal region and yellow-cream to green nearer to their ventral region. Their fins are mostly dark green (especially their dorsal and caudal fins), but their pectorals are turquoise-green. Black bands appear on the dark green fins.

All of their fins are rounded at the tip. The dorsal is elongated and its peduncle extends throughout most of its eponymous surface. The tip of the dorsal extends posteriorly a little beyond the peduncle of the fin. There are three subtle waves to the edging of that fin. Young specimens have a distinct black spot (ringed by yellow or orange) on their caudal fin; this spot becomes more subtle as the fish ages.

*Species Behaviour* These are gape and suck predators which often swallow water with their prey. Ironically, as their hunting instincts improve with age, the Bowfin's activity level will actually decrease.

These nocturnal fish are exceptional jumpers which will manage their way out of holes in the tank lid; cover them tightly!

They feel the need to rearrange aquarium decor, so all decor should be firmly attached to the surfaces on which it is placed. Vulnerable pieces of aquarium equipment should be either shielded from the Bowfin or securely attached to the tank, or, better yet, both!

Though they are primitive fish and their intelligence is often discounted due to that fact, they can and will come to recognize their keeper as a source of food.

*Natural Conditions* The Bowfin is usually found near vegetation. It is common in swamps, pools and backwaters of lowland streams.

*Natural Range* St. Lawrence River, Lake Champlain drainage of Quebec and Vermont west across southern Ontario to the Mississippi drainage in Minnesota

*Minimum recommended tank size* 120 gallons

*Water Temperature* 59 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit (15-20 degrees Celsius)

*Water Quality* Well-oxygenated water which is moderately to very hard is best, but they may be acclimatized to a variety of conditions. It is best to keep them in water which is within one unit of neutral on the pH scale.

*Sexing* Males have the ornate patterning on their sides and an ocellus on their caudal peduncle, while their female counterparts are much less patterned and have a less-defined ocellus, if at all.

The male's coloration is also differentiable when one considers that Bowfins have turquoise-green coloring on their lips, throat, ventral surface and ventral fins when ready to breed.

*Breeding* Not accomplished in tanks, but has been done in ponds.

Males will create a nest out of vegetation, especially reed-like types. This nest-making behavior, as well as the spawning behavior, will take place at night. Males will switch their coloration and induce one (or more) females to lay up to 30,000 eggs in his nest.

Males will circulate water with their pectoral fins in order to aerate the eggs while protecting the nest from potential egg-predators.

The eggs take 8-10 days to hatch and the young then cement themselves to the nest for ten days while they absorb their yolk sacs. At that point, the male leads them around until they become free-swimming and subsequently split into several roving groups.

The young become solitary by the time they reach 4" and reach 8" by the end of their first year.

*Feeding* They love live foods (especially crustaceans and fishes), but they can be trained to take prepared meaty foods, especially raw fishes and crustaceans.

*Miscellaneous Info* This is the only surviving member of the family Amiidae.

"Jurassic Fishes" by Haruto Karuda (but the article in question, "Raising the Bowfin (_Amia calva_)", was written by Nobuhito Kuroiwa) was of great help in writing this profile, as was "Peterson Field Guides: Freshwater Fishes" by Lawrence M. Page and Brooks M. Burr.

Web sources:
http://www.aquariacentral.com/articles/bowfin.shtml
http://www.aquariacentral.com/species/db.c...;view_records=1
http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSum...eciesname=calva
http://www.aquatic-hobbyist.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=9830

There is a myriad of synonyms -- any attempt at splitting geographic variants into other species has been rebuffed, and all of the synonyms of _A. calva_ represent such failed attempts. They may be found here.


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## snakehead rock

very nice profile... I never knew they were found in the St. Lawrence...Time to go finishing Has anyone ever seen these for sale in Quebec because i haven't.


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## ChilDawg

Thanks, Matty!

I'm not sure where to get these for sale, either...IIRC, one of our sponsors had them at one point, though. I do know that if you can find a fry cloud around the male at the right time of year, you should be able to pick off a couple of fry (but be careful when you do that!) Make sure to check your local fishing laws, though, in case there's a size limit on bowfins.

Also, something interesting that I just found--their caviar is being sold at some of the online caviar depots. Perhaps one of them would know of a farm that might sell you a young 'fin or two?


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## SERRAPYGO

Great info, CD!

I kept a male for about a year. Very much like the redline snakehead in habits.


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## ChilDawg

Thanks, SP!


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## Winkyee

Great info ,

Great Job on this profile.
This is one native I'd like to keep some day.


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## ChilDawg

Thanks, Pete!

I'd love to keep one at some point as well, but unfortunately I can't find room for a 120 at this point.


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