Pond Boss Forums Thread Like Summary - Inland Silver sided shiner

Has anyone had experience with these in a pond environment ? Little info on Google. (ISS ) ? Have access to 1000's cast netting .

Silversides Inland and Brook
Here is more information about Inland and Brook silversides that are both commonly present in OK waters Web information indicates bass eat a lot of silversides probably because as a surface dweller they are vulnerable to predation from bass that frequently feed on surface foods. See the links for some helpful information about how to recognize the difference between these two very similar looking species.

Inland silverside
http://txstate.fishesoftexas.org/menidia%20beryllina.htm
Spawning occurs in shallow water areas with abundant vegetation (Hildebrand 1922). Spawning occurs during both day and night (Middaugh et al. 1986). In some populations, spawning occurs mostly in midmorning (Hubbs 1976).
Inland silversides, Menidia beryllina, have distinct spawning behavior throughout their range, with individuals in the northern range exhibiting a unimodal spawning season between May and July and those in the southern range displaying either a bimodal spawning season, often spawning in the spring and again in the early fall. Inland silversides are dependent on water temperature for spawning, with both the initiation and cessation of spawning occurring within similar temperature ranges throughout their geographical range. Spawning is initiated when water temperatures are between 13.5 and 17.0 °C (56.3 and 62.6 °F) and spawning ends when water temperature rises to 27.0 to 32.4 °C (80.6 to 90.3 °F). Many populations, especially those in Texas and Florida, are r-strategists, producing high numbers of offspring, but displaying little if any parental care. Along with a lack of parental care, this strategy also includes rapid sexual maturation and reproduction at a young age. Growth rates in female individuals have been observed to be far greater than those of males with juvenile females growing between 0.31mm/day – 0.34mm/day and juvenile males growing between 0.20mm/day – 0.27mm/day.[6]

http://txstate.fishesoftexas.org/labidesthes%20sicculus.htm
https://www.nativefishlab.net/library/textpdf/14870.pdf
Brook silverside
https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/factsheet.aspx?SpeciesID=318
Brook Silverside is an annual species that mature at age 1 and usually die before reaching 18 months (Marsden et al. 2000). They spawn in spring and early summer in and around vegetation, esp. Scirpus and Potamogeton when water temperatures reach 20ºC and spawning climaxes at 22.4ºC (Cahn 1927). Females produce 400 to 700 eggs, which are orange and attached by a ~2.0 cm long adhesive filament – hatching in 8-9 days (Becker 1983). Two to three distinctive long filaments attach eggs to vegetation or other substrata (Fogle 1959; Rasmussen 1980). Non-obligatory plant spawners depositing eggs on submerged plants or, if not available, items such as logs, gravel, and rocks. Eggs are unguarded and every vulnerable to being eaten. Juveniles exhibit extremely rapid growth with 70-80% of total length achieved within the first year prior to winter (Scott and Crossman 1973; Becker 1983). Lifespans rarely exceed 2 years as individuals die after spawning.

Re: The salt bath during transport. How much salt will be used? (i.e. what % will the salt water be?)

Salt in the water for transport is completely different than using a salt dip to kill external parasites. You cannot transport them in water salty enough to kill external parasites, it would kill the fish for that length of time. You dip them in a 3% salt solution until they lose equilibrium, then remove them immediately and place in fresh water.

The salt "dip" duration could be as short as 30 seconds or a few minutes, but once they start to turn on their sides, remove them immediately and place in fresh water.

I would not use ANY of the water that they were in from the original BOW to put in the pond. Here's what I'd do if it was my pond.

Transport them in 1/2% salt solution using the water from the BOW.

Net them out and place in a tank of 3% salt solution that is the same temp as the transport water.

Once they lose equilibrium, dip net them out and place them in a 2nd tank that has your pond water in it, at the same temp as the transport water temp.

Once they recover, then use pond water to bring the water temp in the 2nd tank to pond temp, not changing temp more than 5 degrees in an hour. Make sure that there is plenty of O2 in the water. If you see them piping at the surface, you have to have a way to introduce O2 quickly. OR, move them to a 3rd tank with the same water temp.

I'd even go as far as having an aquarium water test kit and use it to monitor ammonia in the water that the fish are in if you are hauling a goodly number of fish - i.e. more than 1/4 pound per gallon of water. If you use O2, you might be able to go to 1/2 pound per gallon depending on water temp.

Are you sure the silverside is the inland silverside and not the brook silverside? I have seen at least one pond where the brook silversides have spawned. Give it a try and please report back to us. I think you will see successful recruitment if the habitat is right for their spawning. Young have to survive to maturity for final success.
https://www.nps.gov/amis/learn/nature/silversides.htm

I bet Silver Shiners are much more affordable the Golden Shiners!

I asked some questions on Pond Boss in the past about adding several of the local species of small forage fish from my creek into my ponds. A few of our experts responded and said that some "creek species" do fine in ponds and some do not thrive at all. I think silver shiners may be a big lake/big river species.

However, I believe the biggest consensus was that for lesser known species, you just have to try them in YOUR pond. I don't expect they could cause any problems but I have zero expertise.

I think a few people have tried the somewhat similar emerald shiners in their ponds? I believe emeralds like to school up near the surface in the open water portions of the pond. If you don't have any shad in the ponds, maybe they could go into that niche?

I can't remember, do you have some HSB stocked in your ponds? The HSB when they are smaller might really like the silver shiners in a pond and show some rapid initial growth.

(All of the above commentary is mere speculation on my part. Hopefully some of the experts can give you some real advice!)

P.S. Do you have any forage or grow out ponds? Maybe you could throw a few hundred in there now, and see how they reproduce going forward. If they do well, then maybe move a few thousand into your fishing ponds?