I am not the biggest fish fanatic out there, but I am the kind of person who kept two different aquariums in his bedroom, growing up. I recently dragged my 45 gallon pentagonal (kind of like a bowfront) tank out of storage and set it up with local species. The plants I've identified so far are:

Eleocharis sp. (not doing entirely well, with new growth but dying, algae-coated older strands)
Elodea canadensis
Lemna minor
Nitella sp. (probably dying -- not much of the plant was healthy when I collected it)
Vaccinium macrocarpon
Vallisneria sp.

Also included are three different bryophytes and four angiosperms which remain unknown. My lighting is two 24" freshwater T5's (6000K and "650nm").

The only fish I've been able to find in the closest streams are ninespines (I think) and elvers. Even the homemade minnow traps I bait with sourdough and nori turn up with either amphipods and no fish, or sticklebacks and no amphipods. I'm going to try to check out some less-close-by rivers and see if I can't find some minnows there. I'd love if some of the fish I keep would graze on algae.

So far, it looks like I might do a species tank of sticklebacks. I've heard that Culaea include some algae in their diet, so I hope that either these are my local fish, or that Pungitius do a little bit of the same. Otherwise, I might have to rely on invertebrates that the sticklebacks won't eat.

This isn't my first foray into the keeping of native critters. I also have about a dozen species of ant that I keep in setups that are way simpler and more space efficient than aquariums.

Edited by Batspiderfish, 31 May 2013 - 02:51 AM.

Nice to see another new englander here. Those Sticklebacks make your location sound coastal.

Aye! This is true. I hail from Portland. It's kind of embarrassing that I haven't gotten a good enough look at the sticklebacks to tell whether they are the primarily marine Gasterosteus/Apeltes or the freshwater Pungitius (Culaea would be locally introduced if it is present.)

Edited by Batspiderfish, 01 June 2013 - 01:25 AM.

Welcome! The sticklebacks sound interesting. Have you ever seen this setup?

http://showcase.aqua...009/show30.html

Haha! It's nice to see that this beautiful and well-crafted biotope has the same or similar kinds of plants as my tank does (here is a photograph by the way)..



There are so many stunning aquaria on this forum that I'm a little underwhelmed by my own, but I try to keep in mind that this tank is only 25 days or so into its existence. All of these plants except the cranberry, the Eleocharis, and some of the mosses were collected in environments where I found sticklebacks. The Eleocharis has had a little bit of trouble adjusting, being at the bottom of a somewhat tall tank, but I think it is making a comeback. Elodea, on the other hand, seems to have acclimated almost immediately, some stems already tripled in length.

The tank is starting to be hit by blue green algae. Should I trust in the plants to gradually out-compete bacteria, or should I go for the antibiotics? I started CO2 fertilization after I saw the stuff begin to spread, though I can't imagine how this change doesn't also benefit the alga.



I've stocked the tank with seven Pungitius fry. Even though they don't seem to like the dried Tubifex I offer them (they spit the stuff out when they've worked up enough interest to bite it) they seem to be doing relatively well with their constant browsing.

I know one pond which has little colonies of live Tubifex. Does anybody think these will work better when the fish grow larger?

There a numerous invertebrates in the tank that I've only begun to ID. Water cyclops and amphipods were present in the earlier days of the tank, but these have disappeared (one likely by predation of Pungitius, the other from water changes). I believe I've identified Valvata and Physidae snails, with at least one other kind awaiting my attention.

Edited by Batspiderfish, 08 June 2013 - 02:07 AM.

I really like this tank! Great use of vertical space and very natural-looking.

I wouldn't worry about the cyano. I'm a fan of non-chemcial intervention when at all possible. The cyano will probably go away on its own after the plants take hold and begin to out-compete it, especially in a new-ish setup. Some of your inverts may also consume it.

The blue-green algae mats are finally disappearing. In lieu of antibiotics, I spot-treated problematic patches with peroxide to keep my plants safe. Phyto-algae are now colonizing the walls of the tank. Am I correct to assume that competition over phosphorus is what eventually drives the bacteria away?

My Elodea experienced a bit of a die-back after tremendous growth, with melting stems but green "buds". I unfortunately have not put together the proper testing equipment to address this.

The sticklebacks are growing quickly and have become territorial (although seemingly less so as of the past few days). Larger specimens (presumably females) seem to keep a relatively complex color pattern (as seen in the picture above) while the slightly smaller fish are more of a solid grey. The youngest specimens are light in coloration, like the substrate.

Edited by Batspiderfish, 19 June 2013 - 10:47 PM.