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75g Pumpkinseed Oasis

Started by Guest_powerguy85_* , Nov 03 2014 08:17 PM

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49 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_powerguy85_*

Guests

Posted 03 November 2014 - 08:17 PM

Hey guys,

I'm new here, but I thought you might be interested in my new project. I picked up a 75 gallon Marineland corner flow aquarium and set up a wet/dry filter. My original plan was to to a planted tropical tank, walstadt style. However, I got turned on to natives and I never looked back. Now I have a hard scape in place and want to collect some local plants and/or order what I'm looking for.

I'm planning on keeping 5 pumpkinseeds in here. I hope they like it as much as I do. Let me know what you think. I'm hoping to get a lot of advice and mentoring from you NANFA veterans. Anyway, here's the tank so far:

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#2 Guest_gzeiger_*

Guests

Posted 03 November 2014 - 08:32 PM

It looks really good as it is. You're going to have a hard time growing plants in that sand, unless you put them in pots (alternately mosses or some tropicals like Java fern would be nice growing on the driftwood). It looks great without plants though. I might just put a nice moss on the wood and call it done.

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#3 Michael Wolfe

Board of Directors

North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage

Posted 03 November 2014 - 08:36 PM

Looks very nice for your p-seeds. But you know you could go full Walsted with natives. I have a little 25 gallon bow front that is pretty much Walsted with a few Enneacanthus

Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin

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#4 Guest_powerguy85_*

Guests

Posted 03 November 2014 - 08:59 PM

I might do that in my smaller tank with some smaller fish. I just didn't want the pumpkinseeds to dig up the dirt.

Does anyone know of a native moss other than fisidens? I would love to tie some on the driftwood. Other tan that, I was probably going to do some vals in the corner where the overflow is and possibly some frog bit.

Another idea I had was to try some riparium plants, which would also be a first for me.

Edited by powerguy85, 03 November 2014 - 09:00 PM.

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#5 Guest_Skipjack_*

Guests

Posted 04 November 2014 - 12:06 AM

~~KITTY LITTER from Walmart. That's what you need.~~

Edited by the Moderator: Sorry Powerguy, old joke from the days of forum past.

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#6 littlen

NANFA Member

Washington, D.C.

Posted 04 November 2014 - 10:20 AM

I see what you did there, Matt!

Powerguy, what part of Nova are you in?

Nick L.

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#7 Sean Phillips

NANFA Member

Allegheny River Drainage, Southwest PA

Posted 04 November 2014 - 11:03 AM

Cool setup, can't wait to see how it turns out!

Sean Phillips - Pine Creek Watershed - Allegheny River Drainage

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#8 Guest_powerguy85_*

Guests

Posted 04 November 2014 - 11:47 AM

I see what you did there, Matt!

Powerguy, what part of Nova are you in?

Fort Belvoir

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#9 Guest_powerguy85_*

Guests

Posted 04 November 2014 - 08:28 PM

Today I went down to a creek near my house with my ultralight rod and a little brown worm jig. I figured I would see what was in there. After fishing for about an hour and exploring a section of the creek about 200 yards long, I caught about 20 sunfish, saw many too small to hook, and also saw a couple bass and a snakehead. The majority of what I caught was red breasted sunfish. Actually, they all were except one green. I'm thinking this is where I'll get my fish. Pumpkinseed would be nice, but I didn't see any and I'd rather not buy them. So, I think I'll go back there this weekend and try to catch a few smaller fish for the tank.

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#10 mattknepley

NANFA Member

Smack-dab between the Savannah and the Saluda.

Posted 05 November 2014 - 06:27 AM

Today I went down to a creek near my house with my ultralight rod and a little brown worm jig. I figured I would see what was in there. After fishing for about an hour and exploring a section of the creek about 200 yards long, I caught about 20 sunfish, saw many too small to hook, and also saw a couple bass and a snakehead. The majority of what I caught was red breasted sunfish. Actually, they all were except one green. I'm thinking this is where I'll get my fish. Pumpkinseed would be nice, but I didn't see any and I'd rather not buy them. So, I think I'll go back there this weekend and try to catch a few smaller fish for the tank.

Too small to hook? Just wait'll Ben hears that!

In case you haven't found him yet, Ben is our resident microfishing guru. He uses hooks so small he needs a microscope to tie them on. Don't give up on those tiny guys yet...

Matt Knepley
"No thanks, a third of a gopher would merely arouse my appetite..."

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#11 Guest_powerguy85_*

Guests

Posted 05 November 2014 - 04:54 PM

Oh really? I'd like to see that! I guess I should say they were too small for me to catch with what I was using.

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#12 Guest_powerguy85_*

Guests

Posted 05 November 2014 - 05:00 PM

Tried a different spot today and landed 3 small yellow perch. Not what I was hoping for, but fun none the less. I'll keep trying to find the pumpkins, I don't want to give up that easily. Does anyone know where I can catch a few smallish pumpkinseeds in the northern VA area?

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#13 Guest_powerguy85_*

Guests

Posted 05 November 2014 - 11:18 PM

Here is one of the yellow perch I caught while looking for pumpkinseeds:

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#14 mattknepley

NANFA Member

Smack-dab between the Savannah and the Saluda.

Posted 06 November 2014 - 08:44 AM

Nice! I think yellow perch are some darn pretty fish. I may have exaggerated just a tad on how small some of Ben's hooks are, but not by a lot. Go to the "Collecting and Sampling" section of the Discussion board, and then hit the "microfishing" tab. It's pretty cool the little stuff he (and other microfishers) can nab...

Matt Knepley
"No thanks, a third of a gopher would merely arouse my appetite..."

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#15 Guest_powerguy85_*

Guests

Posted 06 November 2014 - 09:50 AM

I checked it out last night. After looking at all the pictures and reading some stories, I decided I have to try this. I rooted through all my old tackle and found some 2lb test and some #24 hooks that I'm taking with me to the redbreast honey hole. I'd rather stock the tank with 3" or smaller fish than with adults. Who knows, maybe there are some baby pumpkinseeds in there...

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#16 Guest_powerguy85_*

Guests

Posted 06 November 2014 - 04:56 PM

I went on my first microfishing trip today. I thought I had a pack of #24 hooks, turns out it was just the bag with some random hooks in it. I inherited a lot of my gear from my Uncle when he passed. He was into fly fishing. Anyway, I had the 2lb test and some #12s so I rigged up the smallest ultralight I have. It was a fun afternoon on Pohick Creek. Here are the results:

The honey hole is just past the overhanging stump on the left where the water slows down. It's about 6 feet deep and undercuts the bank. There are a couple of stumps with roots out in the water. It reminds me of mangroves.:

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Some mosses growing in the fast part of the stream:

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First fish:

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I didn't take pictures of all of them, but here are a few I could get with my phone (I think some of these are pumpkinseed juveniles):

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Drum Role Please... Pumpkinseed!!! I actually caught quite a few of them, this being the biggest. I was more excited than a kid at Christmas! (Don't judge my knot tying skills...haha!

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#17 Guest_NotCousteau_*

Guests

Posted 06 November 2014 - 05:03 PM

Great pictures and catch! That's a good-looking pumpkinseed. I love that moss, too.

The first two fish look like green sunfish to me.

Edited by NotCousteau, 06 November 2014 - 05:03 PM.

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#18 Guest_powerguy85_*

Guests

Posted 06 November 2014 - 05:13 PM

Not Cousteau, thanks a lot, it was so much fun! The second one is a green for sure. I caught another green about 4 inches long. The first one is a bad picture, I'm not sure. But the last two juvies, I think those are pumpkins. The bass was a surprise because he basically stole the bait from a group of 5 or six little sunfish that were trying to get it. He bum rushed them and took off with it. I saw a bunch of little catfish and a couple of them tried to eat the bait, but i guess the hook was still too big for them. I need to order some smaller hooks.

I brought my dipnet, but not my waders. I thought I might be able to do something with it from the bank, yeah, not so much. Next time I will bring my waders and hit the faster water. Then I can try some of the techniques I read about in the forums.

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#19 Guest_UncleWillie_*

Guests

Posted 07 November 2014 - 08:52 AM

First two fish are Greens, the second two fish are Red Ears, and your last is definitely a pumpkinseed. I've only kept a few fish from hook and line, and they healed up just fine. I was fly fishing with a small (can't remember the size) hook, then I either mash or file off the barb. Caught fish would quickly be freed of the hook and quickly placed into an aerated bucket with a tablespoon or so of salt. Never had any problems with subsequent infections in the tank. Good luck!

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#20 Michael Wolfe

Board of Directors

North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage

Posted 07 November 2014 - 09:56 PM

So powerguy... did you keep any of these fish? Uncle Willie is correct on the IDs and on the healing of fish mouths. I brought a bunch of little pseeds home from a little fishing pond when I lived in ohio, and they ignored their little hook injuries and began to eat whatever I offered in just a few days.

Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin