Hey guys, this will be my first thread outside of introducing myself. Anyways, I am getting a 55 gallon tank (48 x 13 x 20) in a month or two and it will be my first native tank! I know 55 isn't the best footprint for natives but I'm getting it off my friend that has unfortunately given up the hobby. Originally I had planned for my 75 to be native but....long story, I won't bore you guys. So I really, I mean REALLY like the more boisterous sunfish. If possible id like to do a single bluegill, pumpkinseed, or green sunfish, although I'm not really sure whether I can do one, I keep getting conflicting information about it. If I'm not doing that then I'd like to do a stream tank containing shiners, minnows, dace, and darters native to my creeks. Unfortunately living in pennsylvania, every native madtom is endangered as well as many species of minnows and darters, even longear sunfish are endangered sadly and in pa it's illegal to keep endangered or threatened species. Water temperature would be room temp which ranges from 64 in the winter to 80+ in the summer. My tap water pH is 7.6 and I don't like interfering with it. Substrate will be small, loose gravel. Filtration will be 2 or 3 sponge filter rated for 70 gallon tanks. Aeration will be a powerhead. And if you were wondering, yes it is going to be planted, heavily planted with all native plants. So please feel free to suggest native plants since I don't know many. So please feel free to make suggestions for fish, stock lists, plant suggestions,and anything else you want to chime in. After all this is my first native tank!
Ideas for a 55 gallon native tank.
Started by
Sean Phillips
, Mar 15 2014 08:42 PM
42 replies to this topic
#2
Guest_Subrosa_*
Guest_Subrosa_*
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Posted 16 March 2014 - 03:34 AM
You're seeing the glass as half empty! My part of the state has a nice selection of species to choose from, and I don't have all of those beautiful Ohio drainage species that you do, even discounting the protected ones. Heck you might be able to collect your own Orange Spot Sunfish. A male and a couple of females could make the centerpiece of a nice community. Throw in a school of small Shiners and some Darters and enjoy! Or you could certainly keep a single larger Sunfish along with some non-Sunfish tankmates as well. Catfish are nice in their own way, but all a Madtom will likely do is hide all day and eat whatever it can at night. A tank full of active, interactive fish is more interesting to most people, myself included. You have no shortage of available species, and PA has pretty good laws regarding the keeping of natives.
#3
mattknepley
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- NANFA Member
- Smack-dab between the Savannah and the Saluda.
Posted 16 March 2014 - 07:01 AM
There's nothing wrong with a 55 in and of itself. They've got plenty of horizontal space and decent surface area without gobbling up ginormous amounts of your living room, den, bedroom, whatever... And this particular 55 of yours has the best quality of all, FREEEEEEEE! 
Matt Knepley
"No thanks, a third of a gopher would merely arouse my appetite..."
"No thanks, a third of a gopher would merely arouse my appetite..."
#4
Sean Phillips
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- NANFA Member
- Allegheny River Drainage, Southwest PA
Posted 16 March 2014 - 08:04 AM
Wow, people on here are certainly more supportive of a single larger sunny than on other forums (MFK, aquarium advice, etc). Subrosa, you think I could keep something like a pumpkinseed along with other fish? Wouldn't that be overstocked?
About collecting fish, I don't think I would be the best. The most collecting I've ever done was a minnow trap. I'd also love some orange spotteds but I don't know if they are in my creek or not. Oh well, worst comes to worst I can always get them from jonah.
So as a first stock list guys, help me make this good.
Would this work:
1 pumpkinseed
3 creek chubs
(Any more room, if so what fish?)
About collecting fish, I don't think I would be the best. The most collecting I've ever done was a minnow trap. I'd also love some orange spotteds but I don't know if they are in my creek or not. Oh well, worst comes to worst I can always get them from jonah.
So as a first stock list guys, help me make this good.
Would this work:
1 pumpkinseed
3 creek chubs
(Any more room, if so what fish?)
Sean Phillips - Pine Creek Watershed - Allegheny River Drainage
#5
Guest_Subrosa_*
Guest_Subrosa_*
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Posted 16 March 2014 - 08:25 AM
Your stock list looks fine. I'd consider a couple more Chubs, but it's more a matter of taste. A crayfish could make a nice addition as well, as long as it has a fish-proof place to hide like a piece of pvc pipe after shedding. One of the amazing ones is found not far from Pittsburgh. http://iz.carnegiemn...nongalensis It's a burrower by nature but can be kept aquatically.
#6
Sean Phillips
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- NANFA Member
- Allegheny River Drainage, Southwest PA
Posted 16 March 2014 - 08:34 AM
Wow! I can keep more fish than that! I thought I'd be overstocked with that many! Just to clear up any possible confusion, I am talking about creek chubs (6-8" fish). I could do say 5 creek chubs, a pumpkinseed, and a single crayfish.
Edited by Everything Fish, 16 March 2014 - 08:35 AM.
Sean Phillips - Pine Creek Watershed - Allegheny River Drainage
#7
Sean Phillips
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- NANFA Member
- Allegheny River Drainage, Southwest PA
Posted 16 March 2014 - 10:20 AM
Or maybe could this work:
1 Pumpkinseed
1 Rock Bass
That would make a pretty cool tank! Add some nice plants, some driftwood, rocks from my creek to make it look authentic and done!
1 Pumpkinseed
1 Rock Bass
That would make a pretty cool tank! Add some nice plants, some driftwood, rocks from my creek to make it look authentic and done!
Sean Phillips - Pine Creek Watershed - Allegheny River Drainage
#9
Sean Phillips
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- NANFA Member
- Allegheny River Drainage, Southwest PA
Posted 16 March 2014 - 11:49 AM
Rock bass aren't Lepomis though. And they hide most of the day in caves and under rocks I thought. Do you mean adding more than one sunfish?
Sean Phillips - Pine Creek Watershed - Allegheny River Drainage
#10
Guest_Erica Lyons_*
Guest_Erica Lyons_*
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Posted 16 March 2014 - 12:13 PM
Maybe your library will inter-library loan this for you.And if you were wondering, yes it is going to be planted, heavily planted with all native plants. So please feel free to suggest native plants since I don't know many.
Aquatic Plants of Pennsylvania: A Complete Reference Guide
by Timothy A Block (Author) , Ann Fowler Rhoads (Author) , Anna Anisko (Illustrator)
http://www.amazon.co...e/dp/0812243064
It lists more than 200 aquatic plants found in Pennsylvania.
Here's a pdf by Penn State College of Agricultural Science. It has some but not all of Pennsylvania's aquatic plants, covering the most common ones.
http://pubs.cas.psu....dfs/agrs110.pdf
#12
Guest_Subrosa_*
Guest_Subrosa_*
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Posted 16 March 2014 - 03:41 PM
I never kept a Rock Bass personally, but I bought a 120 from someone who put a 4" Rock Bass into a community of 6"-8" Oscars and Parrotfish. He put it in one afternoon when he got home from catching it. Next morning he threw it out into the street, because the other fish were either dead or in tatters. Any fish which will stand and fight over territory is a possible problem. The same goes for the Pumpkinseed. If the tank is heavily decorated to prevent long lines of sight it might work, but it's certainly a gamble, particularly at spawning time if either or both fish are male.
#13
Sean Phillips
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- NANFA Member
- Allegheny River Drainage, Southwest PA
Posted 16 March 2014 - 06:56 PM
Guess you are right in that respect. If I'm doing the pumpkinseed (which I would like to) then I'd like to do other fish(es) from my local lake where I catch them. Fish in the lake (I'm listing all and you guys tell me what stock could work) include: LMBs, yellow bullheads, channel cats, carp, rainbow trout, black crappie, creek chubs, bluegills, and minnows of some sort. On the other hand if I did a rock bass I would want to do fish from my creek which include: shiners, darters, all species of trout (mainly rainbows and browns), creek chubs, carp, a few others.
So pretty much the conclusion is for my centerfish I will do either a pumpkinseed OR a rock bass with a small school of creek chubs to go with it.
So pretty much the conclusion is for my centerfish I will do either a pumpkinseed OR a rock bass with a small school of creek chubs to go with it.
Sean Phillips - Pine Creek Watershed - Allegheny River Drainage
#14
Guest_AMcCaleb_*
Guest_AMcCaleb_*
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Posted 17 March 2014 - 11:27 AM
That sounds like a pretty nice setup. It doesn't sound too incredibly difficult to maintain either. If you went the smaller fish route you wouldn't be disappointed though. Darters are fascinating to look at. Schooling shiners are a real sight too. Either way, sounds like a good idea.
#18
Sean Phillips
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- NANFA Member
- Allegheny River Drainage, Southwest PA
Posted 20 March 2014 - 06:10 AM
Yeah I know, after thinking about it if I do do a pumpkinseed or green then it will be he only fish, no chubs.
So I will make a few possible stock lists and everyone, tell me whether YOU think they would work fine (long term)
Options are:
1 pumpkinseed
Or
1 green sunfish
Or
1 rock bass
Or
5 creek chubs
Or
3 yellow perch
Or
2 schools of shiners and some darters
Not asking for a favorite just want to know which ones YOU guys, in your experience or opinions think would work.
Really wish my friend had a 75
So I will make a few possible stock lists and everyone, tell me whether YOU think they would work fine (long term)
Options are:
1 pumpkinseed
Or
1 green sunfish
Or
1 rock bass
Or
5 creek chubs
Or
3 yellow perch
Or
2 schools of shiners and some darters
Not asking for a favorite just want to know which ones YOU guys, in your experience or opinions think would work.
Really wish my friend had a 75
Edited by Everything Fish, 20 March 2014 - 06:12 AM.
Sean Phillips - Pine Creek Watershed - Allegheny River Drainage
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