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Starting a Native West Coast Freshwater Biotope

Started by Guest_AquaticEngineer_* , Aug 30 2013 12:44 PM

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18 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_AquaticEngineer_*

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Posted 30 August 2013 - 12:44 PM

I've been doing the native west coast temperate marine fish for several years now and I've always kept the freshwater natives in the back of my head. My brother recently started collecting native freshwater non-game nonprotected fish here in Oregon for his own tanks and it got me thinking again about it.

I've had this Aquabella Wall mounted tank sitting pretty much empty while I toyed around with different ideas for it. Tropical freshwater and saltwater are out of the question because they are just plain boring to me now. I tried it as a temperate marine aquarium for a bit, but cooling it was too much of an effort with a glass tank.

Which brings me to this point

I've went ahead and drained the tank of all the existing saltwater and have it running with fresh to get started. New LED lights are in the mail for it so that I can grow some native aquatic plants. I'd like to do some freshwater species from California through Washington. All non-game fish though, and preferably slow moving water species with a wide temperature range.

I have a few ideas for what I'd like to collect, but I wanted to talk to you all and get suggestions on how I should move forward

Oregon Species I have figured out and have the proper permitting to collect them, but obtaining California freshwater species is where I am lacking.

Here is the tank I will be using for the freshwater system.
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#2 Guest_velvetelvis_*

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Posted 30 August 2013 - 06:06 PM

I think that's a great idea. I'm doing the same thing--except for the opposite coast. I have two 50G systems that are both set up as Florida biotopes: one fresh, one salt.

What kind of FW natives are there in Oregon? I was always under the impression that there weren't very many small, aquarium-friendly native freshwater fishes on the West Coast.

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#3 Guest_Irate Mormon_*

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Posted 30 August 2013 - 11:32 PM

Can you even legally collect natives on the Left Coast?

That's where everything that's legal, shouldn't be; and everything that isn't, should!

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#4 Guest_gzeiger_*

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Posted 03 September 2013 - 08:46 PM

Pretty much no, not freshwater. Some California natives, broadly defined, are commercially available.

I don't know about Oregon, but WA doesn't allow collecting basically out of laziness in writing the regulations, and California seems to have a shoot-on-sight attitude about outdoorsy types who are liable to be hipsters, Texans, or even libertarians.

Sculpin are probably the only "aquarium-friendly" fish we have out this way.

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#5 Guest_AquaticEngineer_*

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Posted 06 September 2013 - 09:33 PM

I think that's a great idea. I'm doing the same thing--except for the opposite coast. I have two 50G systems that are both set up as Florida biotopes: one fresh, one salt.

What kind of FW natives are there in Oregon? I was always under the impression that there weren't very many small, aquarium-friendly native freshwater fishes on the West Coast.

I've just got so bored by all the stuff that is readily available in the aquarium trade, and doing all the marine collecting got me thinking again about when I used to collect freshwater fish as a kid.

Going to be looking for Sculpins, Daces, Chubs, Suckers, and a lot of plant life and invertebrates.

Can you even legally collect natives on the Left Coast?

That's where everything that's legal, shouldn't be; and everything that isn't, should!

Yeah mostly just in Oregon though. Washington is a no go on anything that is not classified, which is everything except sport fish basically.

Pretty much no, not freshwater. Some California natives, broadly defined, are commercially available.

I don't know about Oregon, but WA doesn't allow collecting basically out of laziness in writing the regulations, and California seems to have a shoot-on-sight attitude about outdoorsy types who are liable to be hipsters, Texans, or even libertarians.

Sculpin are probably the only "aquarium-friendly" fish we have out this way.

LOL, yeah people in CA freak out about stuff like that. If only they knew how many millions of pounds of sealife is harvested and sent over seas they wouldn't worry so much about people taking a few for their aquariums.

It was pretty shocking once I started looking at the catch records for Oregons commercial fisheries. Like how the shark finning ban covers a bunch of large sharks, but hardly any small sharks. So there was 85,000 lbs of Spiny dog fish harvested last year out of Oregon. Not a lot of people eating them here in the states I imagine.

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#6 Guest_Gavinswildlife_*

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Posted 06 September 2013 - 10:08 PM

Has anyone seen wild justice where they made an arrest for selling pirahnas?

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#7 Guest_AquaticEngineer_*

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Posted 09 September 2013 - 12:29 PM

Heres the info from ODFW's 2013 regulations for the species I'll be collecting:

Nongame Fish
Northern Pikeminnow, Carp, Sucker, Chub, Sculpin, Whitefish, Shad and other Non game Fish

• No limit.

• No length limit

Harvest Method
Angling, Hand, Bow
& Arrow, Crossbow,
Spear, Spear Gun,
Gaff & Snag Hook

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#8 Guest_AquaticEngineer_*

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Posted 09 September 2013 - 12:30 PM

Anyone ever keep Sand Rollers (Percopsis transmontana),http://en.wikipedia....is_transmontana? Thinking this might be a fun one to try and find

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#9 Guest_AquaticEngineer_*

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Posted 09 September 2013 - 09:46 PM

Got it going yesterday and did it as a slice of the creek that runs by my house. Decided to set it up as a half water native vivarium, so it has native mosses and ferns that were found at the same levels along the creek bed that they are placed in my tank on both sides. Then native snails and a few sculpins so far is all.
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#10 Guest_gzeiger_*

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Posted 11 September 2013 - 10:44 PM

Pikeminnows would be awesome, but those are terrible collection methods listed

I hate those laws - "you can keep this as a pet, but you have to inflict a cruel senseless wound in its face first."

Sculpin will be a lot happier if you give them some big rocks so they can hide under the edges. Ideally something flattish you can stick against the back wall so the fish are always hiding on the side toward you.

Edited by gzeiger, 11 September 2013 - 10:46 PM.

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#11 Guest_Gavinswildlife_*

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Posted 12 September 2013 - 01:36 PM

Sculpins act much like a crayfish - Hide under rocks, eat food.

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#12 Guest_AquaticEngineer_*

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Posted 14 September 2013 - 01:03 AM

The sculpins were just sitting right out in the open when we caught them, there was so many that as my brother and I walked the stream we would just release them as we found larger specimens until we had a pair of big ones.

You just gotta be really good with your hands and the vessel for which you intend to carry them home in

My brother told me he has a bunch of native aquatic moss, freshwater sponges, gambusia, and a few small crayfish for me next time I visit him. There are also a couple of introduced killifish species out here that I am hoping to find. There is a meeting of the NW Killifish Club on the 22nd of this month out here so I'm hoping some of them can point me in the right direction

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#13 Guest_Rainbowrunner_*

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Posted 14 September 2013 - 11:36 AM

Has anyone seen wild justice where they made an arrest for selling pirahnas?

Selling pirahna to Florida is a lacey act violation. A federal charge.

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#14 Guest_Gavinswildlife_*

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Posted 18 September 2013 - 07:26 PM

ikduh

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#15 Guest_AquaticEngineer_*

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Posted 20 September 2013 - 01:34 AM

Got the little sculpins taking frozen bloods worms pretty easily. I think I might give that Micro Fishing
a try this weekend and see what I come up with

Edited by AquaticEngineer, 20 September 2013 - 01:36 AM.

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#16 Guest_AquaticEngineer_*

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Posted 22 September 2013 - 08:13 PM

Picture update on the wall mounted tank. Went out and found some chubs, more sculpins, small crayfish, also a male and female rough skinned newt. Got a few more fern species, mosses, and some really cool semi aquatic liverworts that were growing on the rocks at the edge of the stream. Everything acclimated well and the Chubs, sculpins, crayfish, and the newts are all eating frozen bloodworms already!

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