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75 gallon stream tank help


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#1 Guest_Yeahson421_*

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Posted 12 October 2011 - 04:57 PM

Hello, I'm soon to be setting up a 75 gallon stream tank. Here are the fish I currently have that I would like to add:
5-6 Rainbow Darters
5 Iowa Darters
1 Johnny Darter
3 Spotfin Shiners
7 Spottail Shiners
1 Central Mudminnow
1 Logperch
5 Northern Longears for growout

Now, here's what I'd like to add to that:
More Rainbow Darters
Least Darters
Blackstripe Topminnows
Mountain Redbelly Dace (I've heard the stay colored up more than Southern Redbelly Dace, is this true?)
Redside Dace
Western Blacknose Dace
Bluntnose Minnow
Orangespotted Sunfish
Central Stoneroller (I will be waiting a few months before I add it so the tank can get established)

Now, I'm not sure abut the numbers of fish I should add or if they are appropriate, but that's what I wanted help with.

P.S. I know what cycling is and how it works. I'll be using used filter media so I can get going right away.

Edited by Yeahson421, 12 October 2011 - 04:57 PM.


#2 Guest_keepnatives_*

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Posted 12 October 2011 - 06:48 PM

Hello, I'm soon to be setting up a 75 gallon stream tank. Here are the fish I currently have that I would like to add:
5-6 Rainbow Darters
5 Iowa Darters
1 Johnny Darter
3 Spotfin Shiners
7 Spottail Shiners
1 Central Mudminnow
1 Logperch
5 Northern Longears for growout

Now, here's what I'd like to add to that:
More Rainbow Darters
Least Darters
Blackstripe Topminnows
Mountain Redbelly Dace (I've heard the stay colored up more than Southern Redbelly Dace, is this true?)
Redside Dace
Western Blacknose Dace
Bluntnose Minnow
Orangespotted Sunfish
Central Stoneroller (I will be waiting a few months before I add it so the tank can get established)

Now, I'm not sure abut the numbers of fish I should add or if they are appropriate, but that's what I wanted help with.

P.S. I know what cycling is and how it works. I'll be using used filter media so I can get going right away.

In my experience Southern Redbelly Dace hold their color longer or are colored up more often but that may depend on the temps in your fish room.

Your smaller darters may be in danger with Orangespot Sunnies dependent on how big they are. Also mudminnows may be a problem with smaller darters as well as competing for food with fast minnows and shiners.
Longears will out grow the smaller darters quickly.

#3 Guest_Yeahson421_*

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Posted 12 October 2011 - 07:02 PM

In my experience Southern Redbelly Dace hold their color longer or are colored up more often but that may depend on the temps in your fish room.

Your smaller darters may be in danger with Orangespot Sunnies dependent on how big they are. Also mudminnows may be a problem with smaller darters as well as competing for food with fast minnows and shiners.
Longears will out grow the smaller darters quickly.

The tanks temp is usually around 74-76 F.

I think I'll leave the small darters in their 20 long and only move the Rainbows, Johnny, Logperch, Longears, and the Shiners. Do you have any recomendations for some other large darters?

#4 Guest_MrCatfish_*

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Posted 12 October 2011 - 08:08 PM

The tanks temp is usually around 74-76 F.

I think I'll leave the small darters in their 20 long and only move the Rainbows, Johnny, Logperch, Longears, and the Shiners. Do you have any recomendations for some other large darters?


Greenside,variegate and blacksided darters are a few larger ones.

#5 Guest_frogwhacker_*

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Posted 12 October 2011 - 11:42 PM

As for stocking numbers, you might try going with the list of the ones you've already got, minus the smaller darters as you've decided, and then gradually start adding the others over a few months time until you get to a point you feel comfortable with. I've actually found watching my fish in a tank that is somewhat "understocked" can be quite enjoyable as it seems to give them more opportunities to roam about and act as natural as can be expected in an aquarium. By adding them over a period of time, it's also interesting to see how the introduction of a new species affects the behavior of the established ones of a completely different species even if they don't see them as food or feel threatened by them. One thing to watch for though is, depending on the age/size of your longears, they may resent the orange spots moving into their territory, but if you're just growing them out in this tank, it sounds like you might have another place to put them anyway if problems should arise. Good luck. I'm looking forward to pictures.

Steve.

#6 Guest_Yeahson421_*

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Posted 14 October 2011 - 08:19 PM

Would the Blactripe Topminnows work?

#7 Guest_Yeahson421_*

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Posted 15 October 2011 - 04:13 PM

Also, how many O-spots could I put in there?

#8 Guest_Skipjack_*

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Posted 15 October 2011 - 05:26 PM

Your list looks pretty long and diverse for a comfortable 75. Start small with the minnows, and darters. Get a handle on them, add more if you can handle it, then add juveniles from the larger species on your list. And watch closely, or plan to restock your smaller fish. All should be fine, with the exception of the lepomis, and the mudminnows are a bit iffy.

Edited by Skipjack, 15 October 2011 - 05:28 PM.


#9 Guest_frogwhacker_*

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Posted 15 October 2011 - 05:37 PM

I've not kept black stripe topminnows and I haven't kept orange spots yet, but I am considering them for my 75 gal., but I'll put my 2 cents worth in anyway.(mostly because it's really much cheaper than $0.02) I understand that both species are found more in calm water which, depending on the set up, could change how they would fit into a stream tank. I'm not sure how you're setting yours up, but I can tell you some about my plan for stocking my 75. It should have water in it within a week. I know how I want the flow to go, and I know where I think it will have current and where I think it will be calm, but I'm planning on setting it up and finding out what the water ends up doing or where it goes before I decide for sure what all I'm going to put in it. If the "calm" areas are really as calm as I want them to be, then I'll likely go with my original plan. If not, I may change my stocking plan a bit. Example would be that if the entire tank ends up being a raging torrent then I'll likely leave out the fish that prefer calmer water. This is just an extreme example, but my basic plan is to see what I've got and then fit the fish to the habitat. Hope this helps. This is just my approach, you're set ups may be more predictable than mine, and thus you'd be able to plan better than I do.

Steve.

#10 Guest_Yeahson421_*

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Posted 15 October 2011 - 06:44 PM

If I were to want half of the tank to be high current and the rest pretty slow, what gph would be required?

#11 Guest_EricaWieser_*

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Posted 15 October 2011 - 07:05 PM

If I were to want half of the tank to be high current and the rest pretty slow, what gph would be required?

. . . It's more about the design of flow than about gph. If you give the water a circular path to move in, it'll move faster given the same 'push' than if you were trying to push it into a flat wall. Water is incompressible, so without somewhere to travel to, it's not moving. The same is true with electricity. You can touch a huge charge and it doesn't really matter, unless you're also touching something else that the electricity can flow to through you. That's when it's dangerous. Anyway, my point is, if you design a circuitous path for your water to flow in, you can choose which part is fast and which slow, and you can make the faster part faster while requiring less force.

Water flow designs:
. . . 1. Circular near glass, on outside of tank: http://www.aquariuml...less-tank-2.jpg
. . . 2. From one end of the tank to another, then through PVC tubes: http://www.loaches.c...manifold_02.JPG

. . . The first design might be better than the second because flow through PVC tubes is reduced by friction against the walls. Choose a bigger diameter pipe so that the boundary effects aren't as big a deal.

. . . *nods* That's really the best way to look at it. If you just stuck a powerhead in the tank and didn't care about flow, you might end up with two regions; one highly turbulent region, and one very calm one. If you choose the path for the water to flow through then you can choose where there is unidirectional current and where the water is stagnant. In the first design, the no-flow region is in the middle of the tank. In the second design, the no-flow region is at the surface of the water and anywhere not on the straight line axis from powerhead to foam sponge. You could arrange the second design in the front or back half of the tank and leave the rest of the tank with little or no flow.

Edited by EricaWieser, 15 October 2011 - 07:16 PM.


#12 Guest_Yeahson421_*

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Posted 15 October 2011 - 07:18 PM

I think I'm going to do the second design. I'm having a hard time picking out a pump. I found one on craigslist for cheap, but it's only 170 gph. There's one that goes up to 500 gph on sale for $30 online, too. Would the first one be enough, and if not, would the second one be too much?

#13 Guest_EricaWieser_*

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Posted 15 October 2011 - 07:42 PM

I think I'm going to do the second design. I'm having a hard time picking out a pump. I found one on craigslist for cheap, but it's only 170 gph. There's one that goes up to 500 gph on sale for $30 online, too. Would the first one be enough, and if not, would the second one be too much?

If it's only $30, go with the 500 gph one.

Edited by EricaWieser, 15 October 2011 - 07:46 PM.


#14 Guest_Yeahson421_*

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Posted 15 October 2011 - 07:58 PM

http://www.petco.com...Power-Head.aspx
500 gph: $30
750 gph: $34
1000 gph: $39

Which one would be best?

Edited by Yeahson421, 15 October 2011 - 07:59 PM.


#15 Guest_EricaWieser_*

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Posted 15 October 2011 - 08:17 PM

http://www.petco.com/product/116014/Marineland-Maxi-Jet-Multi-Use-Aquarium-Water-Pump-And-Power-Head.aspx
500 gph: $30
750 gph: $34
1000 gph: $39

Which one would be best?

There's a $9 difference between 500 and 1000 gph? Um, the 1000 one. You can always block flow but you can't make a weaker powerhead more powerful.

#16 Guest_Yeahson421_*

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Posted 15 October 2011 - 08:23 PM

There's a $9 difference between 500 and 1000 gph? Um, the 1000 one. You can always block flow but you can't make a weaker powerhead more powerful.

That's what I was thinking. My only worry was that it would be too powerful.

#17 Guest_racecougar_*

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Posted 01 November 2011 - 12:46 PM

1000 GPH won't be too powerful in a 75 gallon aquarium. You may actually find that you'll need more flow. Also, the Blackstripe Topminnow would do just fine in that setup.

Edited by racecougar, 01 November 2011 - 12:47 PM.


#18 Guest_Kanus_*

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Posted 02 November 2011 - 09:49 AM

I had the Maxijet 1200 circulation pump on my 75gal and it was about right. It was strong enough to have a nice fast riffle zone in the front of the tank and give my Vallisneria an attractive sway in the current, but the vals also slowed the current down pretty well in the back of the tank and allowed for some good slow spots for fish that preferred that.

#19 Guest_Skipjack_*

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Posted 02 November 2011 - 02:45 PM

I had the Maxijet 1200 circulation pump on my 75gal and it was about right. It was strong enough to have a nice fast riffle zone in the front of the tank and give my Vallisneria an attractive sway in the current, but the vals also slowed the current down pretty well in the back of the tank and allowed for some good slow spots for fish that preferred that.

Yep, go with good filtration, and a circulation pump. Add obstructions to create pockets of slow moving water.

#20 Guest_Yeahson421_*

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Posted 25 November 2011 - 06:12 PM

To anyone who's still interested, here's the tank as it sits:
Attached File  Heroscape 009.JPG   120.75KB   4 downloads

The powerhead is buried under the rock pile on the right:
Attached File  Heroscape 010.JPG   181.59KB   2 downloads

So, here's my stocking list, tell me what you think:
10 Rainbow Darters
5 Spotfin Shiners
7 Spottail Shiners
3 Orangespotted Sunfish
5 Blackstripe Topminnows
5 Northern Longears (Growout)
1 Johnny Darter
5 Mountain Redbelly Dace
5 Southern Redbelly Dace
3 Greenside Darter
3 Orangethroat Darter
1 Bluehead Chub

More? Less?




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