I am setting up a couple aquariums for an Agriculture/Science teacher at my old high school. The first one has to be SW but for the second I'm leaning towards a FW Native Tank.
The FW system I have to start with is a 55 gallon tank with a corner overflow and another 55 gallon tank for a sump (not sectioned off). So I figure the total operating volume will probably be in the 75-80 gallon range. Lighting is a 48" PC Fluorescent fixture with 2 6500K bulbs. The tank will be planted (plant species will depend on fish species) and I'll use real driftwood and/or rock to scape it.
I will be setting up the sump based on the type of setup I end up going with, but it will most likely use a filter sock for mechanical filtration and a couple forms of biological filtration for redundancy.
For the stocking, the first thing that came to mind was some species of Sunfish. However, seeing some smaller fish they wouldn't normally pay attention to up close, could be cool as well. So I'm open to any suggestions you guys have. The only thing is they need to be pretty hardy fish because the teacher is basically a first time fish owner.
P.S. The school is in central IL incasee there is something local you suggest, otherwise I'll try to find somewhere to purchase the needed fish.
Classroom Native Tank
Started by
Guest_Fatman_*
, May 02 2012 12:35 AM
23 replies to this topic
#2
Guest_EricaWieser_*
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Posted 02 May 2012 - 07:07 AM
Illinois has some pretty cool species of darters ( http://www.inhs.uiuc...ish/ilfish.html ). I used to keep orangethroat darters, Etheostoma spectabile, and they were neat to watch. The teacher could feed them for cheap by keeping a tiny cheese grater and unbreaded frozen cocktail shrimp, and then shred up some shrimp to feed to the darters to entertain the kids.
#3
Guest_Uland_*
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Posted 02 May 2012 - 07:21 AM
I would advise a minnow tank. You can feed them with flake alone and super easy to maintain. Could stock with local species (Red Shiner, Southern Redbelly Dace, Redfin Shiner etc). Minnows will remain active all year, and maintain good color for much of the year. You can toss in some darters as well but will need to add frozen foods to the diet. Expect obese minnows if adding darters and feeding frozen foods. If small fish ain't your thing, you could go the sunfish route and feed pellets but activity level would be reduced and you'll probably have all your plants uprooted when they spawn. Are you sure you want to have a first time fish owner maintain a planted tank?
#4
Guest_Fatman_*
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Posted 02 May 2012 - 12:55 PM
One thing I left out is that the room is temperature controlled and kept at 70 during the school year, but is raised to 75 in the summer.
The plants won't be anything fancy if I go the Sunfish route, probably
just some Hornwort and Anacharis. With smaller fish like the minnows and/or darters I would probably add in some rooted plants though. Definitely sure about going with a planted tank. Neither one of us likes the look of fake plants and I'd like them in there for some extra filtration. I'll also be down to check on the tank when possible.
I'll have to present him with the different options and see what he's more interested in. I've always liked some of the smaller natives like the darters pygmy sunfish and killifish, but he may be leaning towards a little bit bigger fish.
The plants won't be anything fancy if I go the Sunfish route, probably
just some Hornwort and Anacharis. With smaller fish like the minnows and/or darters I would probably add in some rooted plants though. Definitely sure about going with a planted tank. Neither one of us likes the look of fake plants and I'd like them in there for some extra filtration. I'll also be down to check on the tank when possible.
I'll have to present him with the different options and see what he's more interested in. I've always liked some of the smaller natives like the darters pygmy sunfish and killifish, but he may be leaning towards a little bit bigger fish.
#5
Guest_EricaWieser_*
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Posted 02 May 2012 - 01:07 PM
I would not recommend pygmy sunfish for a tank for children. They hide too much to be considered entertaining.I've always liked some of the smaller natives like the darters pygmy sunfish and killifish, but he may be leaning towards a little bit bigger fish.
#6
Guest_Fatman_*
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Posted 02 May 2012 - 04:18 PM
No, definitely wasnt going to put Pygmy Sunfish in the tank. Wouldn't consider them to be the hardiest, plus their shyness make them better suited for smaller tanks. Just mentioning that those fish are some of my favorites.
Also, not exactly a children's tank. He has some Freshmen classes but his Juniors and Seniors will be helping out with the maintenance once everything is up and running.
Also, not exactly a children's tank. He has some Freshmen classes but his Juniors and Seniors will be helping out with the maintenance once everything is up and running.
#7
Guest_swampfish_*
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Posted 02 May 2012 - 04:25 PM
I have eight dollar sunfish and one spotted sunfish three to five inches long, and I am looking for a home for them. Although they are not Illinois natives, the dollar sunfish look similar to longears but won't outgrow the tank. They're in a 30 gallon tank that I would like to free up. They came from a former NANFA member that can no longer keep ponds and large tanks.
I live in central Illinois south of Champaign, so I'm sure that we could meet somewhere rather than ship them.
Phil Nixon
Tolono, IL
pnixon@illinois.edu
I live in central Illinois south of Champaign, so I'm sure that we could meet somewhere rather than ship them.
Phil Nixon
Tolono, IL
pnixon@illinois.edu
#12
Guest_Fatman_*
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Posted 04 May 2012 - 01:58 AM
The teacher said the Dollar Sunfish are perfect, thanks Phil! Like idea of the Madtoms as well.
Hopefully everything will go well on the SW side to where this tank can be set up sooner rather than later. Going to start looking for driftwood (collect and buy) that will look good in here, along with some rocks for rock pile caves. Phil do you know if these guys dig up rooted plants like Vals? If so I'll go with mostly hornwort and anacharis as stated before. May try out something like a dwarf lily with some precautions taken to hopefully prevent it from being dug up.
Also, do these guys do better on sand or gravel. Personally I tend to like sand, but I've got extra of both so either way I've got it covered.
Hopefully everything will go well on the SW side to where this tank can be set up sooner rather than later. Going to start looking for driftwood (collect and buy) that will look good in here, along with some rocks for rock pile caves. Phil do you know if these guys dig up rooted plants like Vals? If so I'll go with mostly hornwort and anacharis as stated before. May try out something like a dwarf lily with some precautions taken to hopefully prevent it from being dug up.
Also, do these guys do better on sand or gravel. Personally I tend to like sand, but I've got extra of both so either way I've got it covered.
#13
Guest_wargreen_*
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Posted 04 May 2012 - 03:15 PM
Make sure you soak your driftwood, i used to use a salt water solution of dechlorinated water and seasalt and soak it in the sun for 3 days before resoaking in dechlorinated water for a day to kill all the bugs and leach out of the wood bad chemicals; I also like using a substrate made up of kitty litter on the bottom and small gravel on the top (you can grow plants in it and they can make nests out of it).
#15
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Posted 04 May 2012 - 03:34 PM
I've heard the same, but I'm not too worried. I've had a lot of luck keeping South American Cichlids together and with other fish. I always try to provide more hiding spots than really needed, along with using plants as a visual barrier.Dollar sunfish are very nice looking, but ive heard (never kept them myself) that they have the temperment of a cichlid.
Had thought about the clay kitty litter, but I've already got so much gravel and sand laying around it doesn't make sense to buy it. I've also got some Flourite for the plants.
#16
Guest_swampfish_*
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Posted 04 May 2012 - 05:11 PM
The dollar sunfish are fine with well-planted tanks. Their tank contains two planting trays, each about two inches deep. One is 11"X11", the other is cut from a plastic shoebox. I have a variety of about eight Echinodorus and Cryptocoryne planted in them planted in potting soil covered with aquarium gravel. I am a follower of Diana Walstad's "The Planted Aquarium" for the last eight or ten years. None of those plants were disturbed. Wargreen's method of using kitty litter instead of potting soil also works well, as does laterite instead of potting soil. The kitty litter may turn into clay slime; the laterite doesn't from what I've heard.
I also had a couple of plants in rock wool in 2 1/2" plastic pots. Both of these were knocked over and emptied. I assume that is was due primarily to bumping and tail action by the fish. Until just recently, there was also a 7-8" longear sunfish in the tank that was probably responsible. Plants planted in the substrate should be fine, including Vallisneria. I grow Vallisneria in a different tank. Although not as well-rooted as Amazon swordplants and other Echinodorus, or Cryptocornes, they should do fine.
A tank of sunfish is like an armed camp. You should have at least three and preferably more of about the same size. There will be a dominant fish that will chase all of the others. With two fish, the dominant one will hassle the other fish until it dies. With three or more fish, the hassles are kept to a minimum because the dominant fish worries too much about being attacked by the third fish while chasing the second. When the longear died, it took less than two days for one of the dollar sunfish to become dominant. Driftwood, rocks, plants or other structure is needed so that the fish can't see each other most of the time. I use plants (Najas) hanging in the water to disrupt the fishs' line of sight.
In many ways, having sunfish is very much like having a tank of green terrors, Jack Dempseys, or one of the other more belligerant cichlids.
I also had a couple of plants in rock wool in 2 1/2" plastic pots. Both of these were knocked over and emptied. I assume that is was due primarily to bumping and tail action by the fish. Until just recently, there was also a 7-8" longear sunfish in the tank that was probably responsible. Plants planted in the substrate should be fine, including Vallisneria. I grow Vallisneria in a different tank. Although not as well-rooted as Amazon swordplants and other Echinodorus, or Cryptocornes, they should do fine.
A tank of sunfish is like an armed camp. You should have at least three and preferably more of about the same size. There will be a dominant fish that will chase all of the others. With two fish, the dominant one will hassle the other fish until it dies. With three or more fish, the hassles are kept to a minimum because the dominant fish worries too much about being attacked by the third fish while chasing the second. When the longear died, it took less than two days for one of the dollar sunfish to become dominant. Driftwood, rocks, plants or other structure is needed so that the fish can't see each other most of the time. I use plants (Najas) hanging in the water to disrupt the fishs' line of sight.
In many ways, having sunfish is very much like having a tank of green terrors, Jack Dempseys, or one of the other more belligerant cichlids.
#18
Guest_EricaWieser_*
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Posted 04 May 2012 - 07:01 PM
+1I also like using a substrate made up of kitty litter on the bottom and small gravel on the top (you can grow plants in it and they can make nests out of it).
To clarify it's pure clay kitty litter we're all using.
Cleveland Ohio kitty litter: http://gallery.nanfa...ageViewsIndex=1
Winston Salem North Carolina kitty litter: http://gallery.nanfa..._04_03.jpg.html
http://www.thekrib.c...rate-jamie.html
Capped with gravel it acts just like soil.
Edited by EricaWieser, 04 May 2012 - 07:12 PM.
#19
Guest_Fatman_*
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Posted 04 May 2012 - 11:51 PM
Now that I know that they won't destroy them the tank will be well planted. Think I will go with a layer of laterite capped off with gravel. I've actually had a couple heavily planted tropical tanks using the Walstad method. They looked unbelievably beautiful and even had a lily flower indoors and swords creating new plants weekly.
I'd love to have the Tadpole Madtoms in here as well, but how many should I do with that many sunfish (9). If needed I could always grow them out until the are big enough to go with the sunfish.
I'd love to have the Tadpole Madtoms in here as well, but how many should I do with that many sunfish (9). If needed I could always grow them out until the are big enough to go with the sunfish.
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