So, I've got a 75 gallon native planted tank that I just pulled a bunch of fish out of recently. It's kind of looking empty right now. It just got pretty crowded and looked more like a hodge podge than I wanted it to. I'm trying to figure out what to do with the stock list. Right now, I have 11 Iowa darters (maybe 12 but I can't count more than 11 at any given time), 6 southern redbelly dace, and 4 spotfin shiners (plus some ramshorn snails and nerite snails that hitched a ride on my plants). I like all the fish I have in there currently. It's got a decent bit of current going through it right now. My filtration is an FX5 so that gives some decent but not overpowering flow. I'm just wondering what would look good in there. I'm thinking either a large school of some specific shiner or two or three larger fish that will get along with the current residents. I'm attaching my latest video of the tank below so you can get an idea of what I'm working with. Any suggestions would be helpful. I live on the IL side of where I-64 runs into IN. https://www.youtube....h?v=dzfAV8aTQ2g
Debating Where To Go With My Stock List
Started by
Guest_AMcCaleb_*
, Dec 11 2013 04:57 PM
16 replies to this topic
#2
Michael Wolfe
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- North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage
Posted 11 December 2013 - 05:24 PM
I thought your video was great (except at the end when you said "purchase"... lets get out there and collect our own!). 
What I see that your tank is missing is maybe 3-5 growing Nocomis... its a bad picture but for size comparison look at this gallery archive pic at full resolution and pan around.
http://gallery.nanfa...ageViewsIndex=1
Nocomis don't eat fish (at least not blueheads in my experience, but you should get a Fishes of book and read up on your local Nocomis). I have five or so in my 75 with a huge school of yellowfins and I like the what the difference in size does to the dynamic of the tank.
I would also recommend maybe a jumprock sucker but I don't think it would do well with your gravel size... they really seem to need a sand bottom to filter feed enough to actually grow.
Another idea just for variety would be a group of Fundulus (again, whatever is local to you that makes sense). They might enjoy taking up residence in that upper right area where the plants are nice and tall and provide the kind of cover they are used to. I say a group, but you might have to settle for a pair... depending on the species some of the males can get kinda nasty to each other.
What I see that your tank is missing is maybe 3-5 growing Nocomis... its a bad picture but for size comparison look at this gallery archive pic at full resolution and pan around.
http://gallery.nanfa...ageViewsIndex=1
Nocomis don't eat fish (at least not blueheads in my experience, but you should get a Fishes of book and read up on your local Nocomis). I have five or so in my 75 with a huge school of yellowfins and I like the what the difference in size does to the dynamic of the tank.
I would also recommend maybe a jumprock sucker but I don't think it would do well with your gravel size... they really seem to need a sand bottom to filter feed enough to actually grow.
Another idea just for variety would be a group of Fundulus (again, whatever is local to you that makes sense). They might enjoy taking up residence in that upper right area where the plants are nice and tall and provide the kind of cover they are used to. I say a group, but you might have to settle for a pair... depending on the species some of the males can get kinda nasty to each other.
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin
#3
Guest_Skipjack_*
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Posted 11 December 2013 - 05:55 PM
Suckermouth minnows are fun. Should be available in your medium sized rivers(just a guess). They take flake, and feed easily, but also have the sucker appearance, and some tendencies.
#4
Guest_AMcCaleb_*
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Posted 11 December 2013 - 06:12 PM
I admit, I bought the southern redbelly dace and the Iowa darters because neither are readily available in my area. They are found in IL just different parts and not where I live. The spotfin shiners I caught microfishing and all of the other fish I had in there before, I caught myself microfishing or dipnetting. I love the look of the bluehead chubs. I don't know if they're where I'm at or not. I've got four creek chubs in with my longear tank. I love them but I watched one of them at 4 inches eat a 2 and 1/2 pleco that I had just put in the tank to clean the glass. As far as collecting now goes. I have between 12-14 inches of snow on the ground with more to come this weekend and I'm not really looking to go out collecting right now. If it were springtime, then I would go for it, but not in this weather. I want color, more than anything. I know rainbow and greenside darters, but I really want color in the mid to upper levels of the tank. I have Peterson's Field Guide to NA Freshwater fish and I'm not really seeing any minnows in my area that have that color I'm looking for. Yellowfin shiners are amazing, of course rainbow shiners are incredible too. I'm not sure where to look for the suckermouths. I guess I've just put the collecting trips on hold for the year since winter has set in.
#5
Guest_BenCantrell_*
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Posted 11 December 2013 - 06:30 PM
Aaron, any of these I can help you find up by me.
carmine shiner
red shiner
spotfin shiner
red shiner x spotfin shiner hybrid
steelcolor shiner
southern redbelly dace
greenside darter
rainbow darter
orangethroat darter
mud darter
banded darter
carmine shiner
red shiner
spotfin shiner
red shiner x spotfin shiner hybrid
steelcolor shiner
southern redbelly dace
greenside darter
rainbow darter
orangethroat darter
mud darter
banded darter
#6
Guest_AMcCaleb_*
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Posted 11 December 2013 - 07:03 PM
Ben are you still going out and collecting this late in the year?
#7
Guest_BenCantrell_*
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Posted 11 December 2013 - 09:40 PM
Haha, no definitely not. It would have to wait for spring.
#8
Michael Wolfe
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Posted 11 December 2013 - 11:20 PM
Creek Chubs are a different genus from the Blueheads... and yes, Creek chubs do eat fish... and they have big mouths to eat fish bigger than you think, they are not good neighbors.
I'm thinking Blueheads are too far south for you... but you must have river chubs or some other local Nocomis... keep working that Petersons...
I'm thinking Blueheads are too far south for you... but you must have river chubs or some other local Nocomis... keep working that Petersons...
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin
#9
Guest_BenCantrell_*
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Posted 11 December 2013 - 11:36 PM
Yup, river chubs are over in Indiana and hornyheads are all over Illinois.
It would be really cool to recreate a hornyhead chub nest with a big school of colored up carmine shiners. Striped shiners and orangethroat darters would complete the scene, but that would require a fairly large aquarium.
It would be really cool to recreate a hornyhead chub nest with a big school of colored up carmine shiners. Striped shiners and orangethroat darters would complete the scene, but that would require a fairly large aquarium.
#10
Michael Wolfe
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Posted 12 December 2013 - 10:45 AM
He is talking about a 75 and has relatively light stocking now... adding a few striped shiners and a few hornyheads would be a good option
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin
#11
Guest_BenCantrell_*
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Posted 12 December 2013 - 11:32 AM
Yeah, something like this then.
hornyhead chub - 1 or 2
carmine shiner - 20+
striped shiner - 2 or 3
orangethroat darter - a couple
greenside darter - a couple
rainbow darter - a couple
hornyhead chub - 1 or 2
carmine shiner - 20+
striped shiner - 2 or 3
orangethroat darter - a couple
greenside darter - a couple
rainbow darter - a couple
#12
Michael Wolfe
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Posted 12 December 2013 - 11:44 AM
I'm a huge Nocomis fan... nice orange fins and red head spot on that one of yours... that is an aquarium fish if I ever saw one! Also, even with a hook in and his mout extended, see how much smaller that is than a Semotilus?!
And the big Luxilus like chub mounds too... would be interesting to have 2-3 chubs and 3-4 shiners to add to the fish that he has. That would really add some different action and body shape to the environment/habitat.
And the big Luxilus like chub mounds too... would be interesting to have 2-3 chubs and 3-4 shiners to add to the fish that he has. That would really add some different action and body shape to the environment/habitat.
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin
#13
Guest_AMcCaleb_*
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Posted 12 December 2013 - 01:22 PM
The hornyhead chubs and the carmine shiners would be really beat additions. Always interested in more darters as well. We'll have to set something up for next spring Ben.
#14
Guest_Orangespotted_*
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Posted 12 December 2013 - 05:14 PM
Agree with the Carmine Shiners. They school surprisingly well, a shoal in a large tank would be very cool.
#15
Guest_AMcCaleb_*
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Posted 13 December 2013 - 03:54 PM
Ok, I've been thinking about this for a couple days, and I've gotta go with the rainbow shiners. Honestly they're probably one of the most amazing looking aquarium fish in the world. I've been stuck on them since I saw them in the Tennessee Aquarium. I'm probably going to end up ordering a good sized school of those, maybe 15 or so. I really like the idea of the hornyhead chub, or the bluehead chub (probably hornyhead). I'll probably try and snag a couple of those rather than order them. Ben, I may head up your way some time early next spring and try and get a few. I know most of you think I should catch my own, but I just can't get away from how awesome the rainbow shiners look. I'm not the typical person on here though in that I'm into fishkeeping first and fishing second. So, if I can get something that's much more brilliantly colored from somewhere else, that means more to me than catching it on my own. So, I think the tank will look like this when it's all said and done: 15 rainbow shiners, 4-6 spotfin shiners, 6 southern redbelly dace, and 12 Iowa darters. Maybe some more darter species as well. I appreciate the input guys. I really like the nocomis suggestion. I think that's a great idea.
#16
Guest_Dustin_*
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Posted 13 December 2013 - 05:08 PM
Avoid the spotfins. THey will terrorize the rest of the tank. Rainbows with SRBD sounds very nice.
#17
Guest_AMcCaleb_*
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Posted 13 December 2013 - 07:13 PM
The spotfins are already in there. So far, they're not too bad. If that changes I won't have any problem with removing them.
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