Working on setting up my second native tank (a 20 tall, 24" x 12" x 16") and I'm making this one a local creek biotope. I've got a pair of green sides in my 30 long with a female green sunfish who will be put it the 20. Along with them I'm going it have a school (5 or 6) of some local species of shiner or dace. So with the stock up to 2 Greenside darters and 5-6 minnows in the 3-4" range what are some other good local species to keep and how many more darters can I have without overstocking. PS the filter is just a sponge filter rated for a 50 gallon. Also I live around Pittsburgh pa so I'm looking for species local to there.
How Many Darters In a 20 Tall
Started by
Sean Phillips
, Jul 01 2014 09:53 PM
8 replies to this topic
#1
Sean Phillips
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- NANFA Member
- Allegheny River Drainage, Southwest PA
Posted 01 July 2014 - 09:53 PM
Sean Phillips - Pine Creek Watershed - Allegheny River Drainage
#2
Guest_Sunfish catcher 321_*
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Posted 01 July 2014 - 10:19 PM
I think one pair or trio more. I like bluebrested darters.
#3
Guest_keepnatives_*
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Posted 01 July 2014 - 10:44 PM
Greenside darters don't compete well at feeding time with many other darters and most minnows, dace and shiners unless ofWorking on setting up my second native tank (a 20 tall, 24" x 12" x 16") and I'm making this one a local creek biotope. I've got a pair of green sides in my 30 long with a female green sunfish who will be put it the 20. Along with them I'm going it have a school (5 or 6) of some local species of shiner or dace. So with the stock up to 2 Greenside darters and 5-6 minnows in the 3-4" range what are some other good local species to keep and how many more darters can I have without overstocking. PS the filter is just a sponge filter rated for a 50 gallon. Also I live around Pittsburgh pa so I'm looking for species local to there.
course snails are on the menu but you would need a large number to keep a couple greensides real healthy. They will eat live black
worms as well. But with most frozen and freeze-dried foods they'll be out hustled by the school of minnows and other darters such as
rainbows or variegates. Bandeds may be more like greensides regarding feeding but are similar colors so you may prefer more variety
color wise. I'd say no more than 3 or 4 more darters. Even then I'd provide a nice arrangement of fist sized rocks for the darters
to scurry about in. DO NOT INCLUDE PLANTS! Darters do not like plants! Only kidding, plants provide many benefits and darters will appreciate any kind of cover to investigate and use as refuge. Plan on some method of getting food down to the greensides and bandeds if you try them. I had a tank with a variety of darters and minnows where I piled fist size rocks sloping up one back corner with a hob power filter pouring over it and a power head within the pile creating lots of current. Food placed in the outflow of the hob
filter would blast into, under and between the rocks where the darters quickly realized was a good place to hang out at feeding time. The black nose dace also figured it out pretty quickly too. I also used a plastic tube and turkey baster to more finely direct some food to the darters. Either way it will be a fun tank.
#4
Sean Phillips
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- NANFA Member
- Allegheny River Drainage, Southwest PA
Posted 02 July 2014 - 09:38 AM
I'm keeping the Greenside pair now and believe me, they have no problem competing for food. They'll come half way up the water column for food and the other night my malle even stole a bloodworm out of my green sunfish's mouth! I think I'll try to get a pair of Rainbows to go with the minnows and my Greensides.
Sean Phillips - Pine Creek Watershed - Allegheny River Drainage
#5
Sean Phillips
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- NANFA Member
- Allegheny River Drainage, Southwest PA
Posted 02 July 2014 - 09:40 AM
I think one pair or trio more. I like bluebrested darters.
I'd love to do a pair of Bluebreasts but it's illegal to keep that species in PA sadly.
Sean Phillips - Pine Creek Watershed - Allegheny River Drainage
#6
Guest_AMcCaleb_*
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Posted 02 July 2014 - 10:13 AM
If competition for food becomes a problem, sinking shrimp pellets work really well with my Iowa darters. It took them a few days to get used to them but once they figured it out then they went after them. I have some pretty greedy shiners and daces as well and shrimp pellets do the trick for me.
#7
Sean Phillips
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- NANFA Member
- Allegheny River Drainage, Southwest PA
Posted 02 July 2014 - 12:35 PM
If competition for food becomes a problem, sinking shrimp pellets work really well with my Iowa darters. It took them a few days to get used to them but once they figured it out then they went after them. I have some pretty greedy shiners and daces as well and shrimp pellets do the trick for me.
I tried shrimp pellets and they wouldn't touch them. I also got some custom foods at my best LFS yesterday including some ground up into a powder earthworms and some spirulina pellets and again they would touch either.
Sean Phillips - Pine Creek Watershed - Allegheny River Drainage
#8
Guest_Skipjack_*
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Posted 02 July 2014 - 06:19 PM
Notice though how difficult it is for a greenside to get up there for food. It may have spent as many calories as it took in. I think they need a helping hand, lots of snails, or little competition.
#9
Sean Phillips
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- NANFA Member
- Allegheny River Drainage, Southwest PA
Posted 03 July 2014 - 11:52 AM
Notice though how difficult it is for a greenside to get up there for food. It may have spent as many calories as it took in. I think they need a helping hand, lots of snails, or little competition.
I'll be sure to target feed them on the bottom then, I don't mind sticking my hand in
Sean Phillips - Pine Creek Watershed - Allegheny River Drainage
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