Javascript Disabled Detected

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

Darters, Sunfish and Topminnows

Started by Guest_winniemagic_* , May 10 2012 02:49 PM

Next

Reply to this topic

22 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_winniemagic_*

Guests

Posted 10 May 2012 - 02:49 PM

Hi everyone thanks for reading my post

I'm new to native fishes. I'm thinking about setting up at 20L. But, I'm about to start dental school. So, I was trying to create a relatively low maintenance tank. I was thinking of creating a planted tank.

I was thinking of going with Fundulus lineolatus to start. Then adding some darters. I like the look of brown darters but i'm not sure how difficult they are to care for. Then eventually working up to some Blackbanded sunfish.

I have no idea what amounts of each fish I should add.

Will native fish do will with MTS or Aquasoil? I'll be in Buffalo, NY. Will I need a heater for these fishes?

As far as plants go, I was thinking myriophyllum pinnatum but beyond that, I have no idea.

Does anyone know of any other products like this but taller? I was thinking of using CFL for lighting on this tank and I was hoping to do a few hanging fixtures. I think it would look nice.

Thanks for all your advice

#2 Guest_EricaWieser_*

Guests

Posted 10 May 2012 - 03:27 PM

Will I need a heater for these fishes?

Nope.

Contrary to what some people will tell you, darters do like plants. My profile picture is currently of a female Etheostoma spectabile (orange throated darter) climbing up into Ceratophyllum demersum to hunt swordtail fry. http://gallery.nanfa...ontail.jpg.html

Myriophyllum pinnatum is a pretty cool plant. I have some in my 55 gallon Special Kitty brand kitty litter tank under four foot long Lithonia shop lights with full spectrum bulbs from Home Depot and it grows very well.

Edited by EricaWieser, 10 May 2012 - 03:33 PM.

#3 Guest_Usil_*

Guests

Posted 10 May 2012 - 03:53 PM

I have all three fish you mention in a 55 gallon and they do well together plus some mtn red belly dace. The sunfish are small varieties: black banded, blue spotted and dollar sunfish. The sunfish are juveniles (1.5 to 2 inches long or smaller) so they are all growing up together. The fish you need to watch when feeding are the darters. They mostly eat from the bottom and if there are enough other fish in the tank you have to make sure that they don't eat all the food before the darters get a chance. Some of my darters now come to the surface and feed but most don't. I feed them last so that the other fish are full. I do this by sucking food up into a thin plastic tube and then depositing it at the bottom of the tank near them. This seems to work.

Usil

#4 Guest_winniemagic_*

Guests

Posted 10 May 2012 - 10:06 PM

Are any of the fish i listed particularly picky eaters?

#5 Guest_Usil_*

Guests

Posted 10 May 2012 - 10:43 PM

As I said, the darters can be an issue to insure they are getting food. Others are fine.

Usil

#6 Guest_EricaWieser_*

Guests

Posted 10 May 2012 - 11:55 PM

Are any of the fish i listed particularly picky eaters?

As I said, the darters can be an issue to insure they are getting food. Others are fine.

Usil

I had good success feeding my darters californian blackworms (which are expensive) and grated frozen unbreaded cocktail shrimp (not expensive). The cocktail shrimp is actually a neat fish food. I had a freezer-safe Ziplock® bag of frozen unbreaded cocktail shrimp. It cost less than $10 and those darters never even came close to eating it all. Then I had a cheese grater. I recommend wearing an oven mitt or a cut-proof glove when you do this, but basically you take the shrimp in your hand and grate it. It's sort of hard to do, so don't get OCD about it and try to grate the whole shrimp. Like I said, there's plenty of shrimp. Then you take your finely grated shrimp pieces and you get a knife and you chop them up even more. I found that after they went through the grater they were still a little bit too large for the darters' mouths (Etheostoma spectabile mouths, that is). So, yes, finely chop them. Then drop a few in near the powerhead. The fish will absolutely freak out and go crazy over them. It was very fun to feed them

Add a little bit at a time and they'll stop eating when they're full. At that point stop adding shrimp, because they're nasty when they rot. You'll want a good healthy cleanup crew. I had hundreds and hundreds of snails and lots of live plants, which worked to keep the tank from smelling.

Edited by EricaWieser, 10 May 2012 - 11:56 PM.

#7 Guest_Usil_*

Guests

Posted 11 May 2012 - 02:37 AM

I have used small shrimp in the past and frankly, I had forgotten about it. I will have to get another 1/4 pound and try it again. You are right - it lasts for ever and provides good protein. But I will see how the earthworm flakes work out for a week or so first. And keeping a dozen earthworms in the fridge lasts a long time too.

Usil

#8 Michael Wolfe

Board of Directors

North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage

Posted 11 May 2012 - 08:55 AM

Some of the more slackwater darters... browns and swamps and such seem to switch over to earthworm flake pretty easily... and feeding them frozen brine or frozen mysis is not hard... and most darters take to that very quickly.

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

#9 Guest_winniemagic_*

Guests

Posted 11 May 2012 - 09:28 AM

Thanks for all the information. How many of each fish would fit in a 20L? What is the care of Fundulus chrysotus like?

Thank you so much again, the response are so helpful and friendly. This forum is awesome

Edited by winniemagic, 11 May 2012 - 09:29 AM.

#10 Guest_Dustin_*

Guests

Posted 11 May 2012 - 10:53 AM

Chrystotus are very easy to care for. They will eat most anything. You do have to watch out for some aggression though among males.

#11 Guest_winniemagic_*

Guests

Posted 12 May 2012 - 09:31 AM

I'm excited to get this tank up and running

#12 Guest_Usil_*

Guests

Posted 12 May 2012 - 10:03 AM

Make sure to post pictures.

Usil

#13 Guest_NYnativekeeper716_*

Guests

Posted 12 May 2012 - 02:10 PM

Hey I am from Buffalo,NY also and have been keeping natives for awhile. If you ever want to do some collecting or need some info let me know

#14 Guest_winniemagic_*

Guests

Posted 13 May 2012 - 11:02 AM

I defiantly will. What do you keep?

#15 Guest_keepnatives_*

Guests

Posted 13 May 2012 - 03:38 PM

Welcome Winniemagic. The brown darters do quite well in aquariums, don't need big flow like some riffle darters prefer. Be aware that NY state does not allow keeping of fish native to the state. Luckily those you mentioned are not native to NY.

#16 Guest_winniemagic_*

Guests

Posted 13 May 2012 - 05:37 PM

Hurray for accidently doing something right

#17 Guest_schambers_*

Guests

Posted 13 May 2012 - 06:44 PM

You'll want to understock your tank if you think you'll be too busy to ALWAYS do maintenance on time. I usually try to keep way fewer fish than will fit in my tanks because I frequently get busy and don't do maintenance as often as I should. Also, if by MTS you mean malaysian trumpet snails, they are fine with native fish.

#18 Guest_winniemagic_*

Guests

Posted 13 May 2012 - 08:20 PM

Also, if by MTS you mean malaysian trumpet snails, they are fine with native fish.

I was actually referring to mineralizedtopsoil.

I'm not sure how many of each fish would be considered fully stocked.

#19 Guest_Draros_*

Guests

Posted 18 May 2012 - 12:42 AM

I personally feed my darters, Etheostoma spectabile, E. cearuleum, E. blennoides, a snubnose, and a crystal I don't have identified, frozen blood worms. Every darters I've had has eaten them with no trouble. It doesn't take more than a few days for them to adjust to them. The cubes are typically available in most pet food stores. At this point I have every darter in the tank conditioned to swimming up to my hand to eat, at least until the cube starts to dissolve, then they just swim after the pieces that swim off.

#20 Guest_EricaWieser_*

Guests

Posted 18 May 2012 - 06:51 AM

At this point I have every darter in the tank conditioned to swimming up to my hand to eat, at least until the cube starts to dissolve, then they just swim after the pieces that swim off.

Could you start a new topic and post a video? That sounds awesome