Javascript Disabled Detected

You currently have javascript disabled. Several functions may not work. Please re-enable javascript to access full functionality.

Hi there!

Started by Guest_Beeker_* , Dec 08 2011 09:03 PM

Reply to this topic

16 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_Beeker_*

Guests

Posted 08 December 2011 - 09:03 PM

Hi all!

Just a little intro.

I've been a fishkeeper for about 15 years. I started with goldfish which are currently in a 75 gallon tank. The last of my original family just died last week. The "babies" of that original family are still with me at about 13 years old. I understand that that is still only middle-aged for goldfish, but they had a rough beginning before I adopted them. I quickly developed MTS and now have a 20 gallon planted tank that was tropical, but now only has one Clown Pleco and a bunch of snails in it. I also have a 5, 10, and another 20 that were at one time running, but are now closed up and packed away in storage. For the time being, I am limiting myself to 2 tanks... maybe 3... and maybe one more for a betta. See, I have MTS issues.
I found this forum because I am planning on stocking the 20 gal. with native fish. When I started searching the web for the fish I want, I was directed to the NANFA website. I look forward to seeing what fish there are native to our fresh waters and learning about them.
I look forward to meeting everybody and learning from you all.

#2 Guest_Newt_*

Guests

Posted 08 December 2011 - 09:35 PM

Hello and welcome, Beeker!

#3 Guest_EricaWieser_*

Guests

Posted 08 December 2011 - 10:14 PM

Welcome to the forum. I keep Elassoma gilberti, the gulf coast pygmy sunfish. Here's the most recent video of my fish, if you've never seen one before. www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTllAobn8zA They've got interesting personalities, especially for a 1 inch fish.

If I could, I'd get another tank just for dollar sunfish. They're so pretty. http://i194.photobuc...oldWSneegas.jpg
Or maybe Notropis lutipinnis http://www.nanfa.org...nlutipinnis.jpg or Notropis chrosomus http://www.g-hoener....chrosomus_a.jpg

(I know how you feel about multiple tank syndrome XD)

Edited by EricaWieser, 08 December 2011 - 10:14 PM.

#4 Michael Wolfe

Board of Directors

North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage

Posted 09 December 2011 - 08:10 AM

Welcome Beeker. There is certainly a lot to learn about Native fish... that's one of the things that I think is great about this hobby... you get to go out into the water yourself... you have to look up a lot of information yourself... we are fortunate that the Native fish hobby has not yet become a pre-packaged, W@&$^rt, plug-and-play kind of thing.

You will find folks here that will help you, and sources of information that are not available anywhere else. Enjoy.

And do consider joining NANFA... click on the Homepage link above and see what we are all about.

Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin

#5 Guest_Usil_*

Guests

Posted 09 December 2011 - 11:00 AM

Welcome Beeker. Lots of experts here to answer questions and give you aid if you need it.

Usil

#6 Guest_EricaWieser_*

Guests

Posted 09 December 2011 - 11:27 AM

If I could, I'd get another tank just for dollar sunfish. They're so pretty. http://i194.photobuc...oldWSneegas.jpg

Correction: That's a longear. oops

#7 Guest_Aquaman_*

Guests

Posted 10 December 2011 - 10:46 AM

Welcome Beeker

You will find natives have their own unique challenges, but the best thing is that...they generally require no heaters.=)

There are good discussions on here and please feel free to ask questions.
Scott

#8 Guest_Beeker_*

Guests

Posted 10 December 2011 - 06:39 PM

Thank you all for the welcoming posts!

I look forward to familiarizing myself with the members here and the native fish you all love.

To start, EricaWieser, those pictures are wonderful! I didn't know we had such beautiful fish around here! I guess we don't have the colorful ones up in the New England area, but it looks like zones 7 and up (plant hardiness maps) is home to some gorgeous fish! I looked up the Elassoma Gilberti... wow! They are beautiful! Small too, which would probably be good for my 20 gal tank. What size tank do you keep them in and do you keep other fish with them?
The dollar sunfish is also beautiful, but looks like it might be a bit big to put in my 20 and try to add other fish, and my 75 gal is dedicated to my babies... I mean my goldfish. :biggrin:

Does anyone have pictures of their tanks to share and listings of their fish? I'm big on pics!

Edited by Beeker, 10 December 2011 - 06:39 PM.

#9 Guest_EricaWieser_*

Guests

Posted 10 December 2011 - 07:03 PM

I looked up the Elassoma Gilberti... wow! They are beautiful! Small too, which would probably be good for my 20 gal tank. What size tank do you keep them in and do you keep other fish with them?

When I first got them I put them in a 10 gallon tank, which was plenty of space for them. But I'm kind of weird, so I gave them a whole 55 gallon tank all to themselves. I like that setup because it's enough space for a good half dozen to dozen males to all be colored up and hold territories at the same time, so the tank is full of fish that look like this: http://gallery.nanfa...ageViewsIndex=1

You requested tank pictures, so here's a current one of the Elassoma gilberti 55 gallon that I took a few days ago: http://gallery.nanfa...er/008.JPG.html
And here's the very very long topic that I update every now and then to share how keeping them is going: http://forum.nanfa.o...ssoma-gilberti/
They can be a very interesting and active fish. Yes, they would work well, in any of your tanks.

#10 Guest_frogwhacker_*

Guests

Posted 10 December 2011 - 09:20 PM

Does anyone have pictures of their tanks to share and listings of their fish? I'm big on pics!

Here's some links to a few discussions here where I remember tank pictures. I think you'll also find the fish listed somewhere in the discussions with most of them. I like pictures too, but I seem to be really bad at not taking enough of them of my tanks. Hope this helps... Welcome to the forum.

http://forum.nanfa.o...ook-at-results/
http://forum.nanfa.o...um/page__st__60
http://forum.nanfa.o...anted-aquarium/
http://forum.nanfa.o...n-sunfish-tank/

There are plenty of other great pictures too. These are just a few from recent discussions that I remember off the top of my head. The more you look around here on the forum, you'll be surprised at where tank pictures pop up. We usually try to stay on track, but sometimes we get side tracked and some really great native fish discussion and pictures spring out of it, so it's sometimes fun to just look around at random and see what's there.
Best wishes for your fishes.
Steve.

#11 Guest_Beeker_*

Guests

Posted 10 December 2011 - 09:55 PM

Wow, thank you!

Those are great pics and interesting threads!

I also found the gallery of the members' photo albums.
Those are really great too.

I was thinking of getting some Elassoma Gilberti and also some pygmy killifish. Where can I get them?

I was also planning on changing my substrate from the Flourite to sand. Is there anything I have to do to make sure my plants get the proper nutrients? Sand isn't enough, right? Don't I have to put some peat moss or something under the sand?

#12 Guest_frogwhacker_*

Guests

Posted 10 December 2011 - 10:11 PM

I was also planning on changing my substrate from the Flourite to sand. Is there anything I have to do to make sure my plants get the proper nutrients? Sand isn't enough, right? Don't I have to put some peat moss or something under the sand?

I like using top soil under the sand for my substrate. I just dig it from the woods in my back yard, but so long as you know there's been nothing contaminating the soil, about anywhere will do.

Here's a link to a discussion about using sand as a substrate.... http://forum.nanfa.o...as-a-substrate/

Here's another link. This one is to an article by our own Todd Crail about using sand as substrate. It may take a little time to download, but it's well worth the wait.
http://farmertodd.co...e_fish_tank.pdf

Hope this helps.

Steve.

Edited by frogwhacker, 10 December 2011 - 10:15 PM.

#13 Guest_nativeplanter_*

Guests

Posted 12 December 2011 - 01:43 PM

... it looks like zones 7 and up (plant hardiness maps) is home to some gorgeous fish!

Beeker, I like you already. Anyone who thinks of geography in terms of plant zones is on my wavelenghth!

I found NANFA in 2003 when I was looking to see if there were more appropriate (i.e. native) fish that could be kept in my native plant tanks. Lo-and-behold, there was a club!

There are a variety of opinions on substrates and methods of keeping planted tanks, but I'm of the low-maintenance, low-cost tribe. I like to use soil under a cap of gravel (or sand for very delicate species), with no added CO2 or fertilizer dosing. Things I will do, though, is add organic carbon (such as leaves) to the substrate and sometimes plant tabs under heavy feeders in older setups. If you search the forum, you'll find a lot of opinions and reports of people's experiences. Welcome, and enjoy!

#14 Guest_Beeker_*

Guests

Posted 14 December 2011 - 07:21 PM

Beeker, I like you already. Anyone who thinks of geography in terms of plant zones is on my wavelenghth!

I found NANFA in 2003 when I was looking to see if there were more appropriate (i.e. native) fish that could be kept in my native plant tanks. Lo-and-behold, there was a club!

There are a variety of opinions on substrates and methods of keeping planted tanks, but I'm of the low-maintenance, low-cost tribe. I like to use soil under a cap of gravel (or sand for very delicate species), with no added CO2 or fertilizer dosing. Things I will do, though, is add organic carbon (such as leaves) to the substrate and sometimes plant tabs under heavy feeders in older setups. If you search the forum, you'll find a lot of opinions and reports of people's experiences. Welcome, and enjoy!

"I'm of the low-maintenance, low-cost tribe."

You are totally my wavelength too!

Because I am extremely interested in getting a few of those Elassoma Gilberti, I will need to get some better "hiding plants" then what I have. I currently have a lot of Java Fern (it grows out of control in my tanks) and a couple of Anubias Nana. I also have one bulb left of the Tiger Lotus. I am planning on getting Wisteria. What else do you think?

Also, I love your avatar!

#15 Guest_EricaWieser_*

Guests

Posted 14 December 2011 - 08:58 PM

Because I am extremely interested in getting a few of those Elassoma Gilberti, I will need to get some better "hiding plants" then what I have. I currently have a lot of Java Fern (it grows out of control in my tanks) and a couple of Anubias Nana. ...

Elassoma gilberti love anubias. Here is a picture of a female gulf coast pygmy sunfish on an anubias nana leaf: http://gallery.nanfa...ageViewsIndex=1
They love the deep shadows found on the underside of anubias leaves.

I am planning on getting Wisteria.

I've got Hygrophila difformis (wisteria) in my tank right now. It loves the kitty litter substrate. Here is a video of a male trying to woo a female into the plants:

Elassoma gilberti seem to care more about the density of the plants, not what the leaves are shaped like. Nearly any plant species would do, as long as they can find a spot where they can disappear in the shadows and not be seen. Pick the plants you like, and the pygmy sunfish will find a nook they can call home.

Edited by EricaWieser, 14 December 2011 - 09:07 PM.

#16 Guest_nativeplanter_*

Guests

Posted 15 December 2011 - 01:52 PM

"I'm of the low-maintenance, low-cost tribe."

You are totally my wavelength too!

Because I am extremely interested in getting a few of those Elassoma Gilberti, I will need to get some better "hiding plants" then what I have. I currently have a lot of Java Fern (it grows out of control in my tanks) and a couple of Anubias Nana. I also have one bulb left of the Tiger Lotus. I am planning on getting Wisteria. What else do you think?

Also, I love your avatar!

Erica is right - it's mostly about density. They will like what you already have, and anything else you can pack in there. Also, I think Elassoma tend to like horizontal structure rather than vertical. For example, dense plants with horizontal leaves (either fine or coarse, doesn't matter) more so than a dense patch of tall Vallisnerias.

(The avatar thanks you. He is one of the two that keep us safe from Vikings, low-flying aircraft, rabid trees, and the like.)

#17 Guest_Beeker_*

Guests

Posted 22 December 2011 - 07:58 PM

Thank you both for the plant tips. I'll just have to pack more in. It is pretty skimpy now because I took my main ornament, which had almost all of my Java Fern growing on it, and put it in with my goldfish to try to get some plants in the tank. The adults I used to have would destroy every and any plant I would put in there. Their fry, which are now about 14 years old, are not as vicious with the plants and since the plants are established and grown into the driftwood, they are holding up very well to the abuse.
That gives me more room to play with my 20 gal which the Gilberti will go into. I will definitely get more Anubias and some Wisteria. I would also like to try to find a few more lotus bulbs. That would be a nice touch. I bet the Gilberti would like to rest on those lotus leaves too. They are very soft.