33 replies to this topic

[thedood]

Hello and thanks in advance for viewing. I am interested in creating a native aquarium. My first thought has been Cache River Cypress Swamp, however I am also looking at other areas. Two areas that are the the Kaskaskia  and Embarrass rivers.

 

My main interest is planted tanks. So my question is in the rivers I mentioned are there areas that are heavy with submersed plants? If so where are these areas and where can I find a list of plants? If you have suggestions that would be awesome. I am also looking for fish species that favor planted areas. I am interested in collecting as much as I can myself (I have never done this before) within the bounds of ethics and the law but will purchase what I cannot collect. 

 

My tank specs right now to start and learn is a 20H. I need to figure out a stocking list so I can purchase hardware if necessary. I do already have a sponge filter and airpump if that is all I need. I also have a powerhead available. Any equipment recommendations for an recommended species would be appreciated as well.

 

Thanks again for reading and taking the time to reply if you plan on doing so.

Edited by thedood, 10 March 2016 - 01:11 PM.

[Michael Wolfe]

I'm not going to be any help with your local fish, but I want to commend you for not only going native, but going local as well!

 

Knowing your local fish first can be a great way to get into this hobby... and getting out into the habitat is a GREAT idea.

 

I'm sure some other folks from you part of the country will chime in and offer you real help, I will just say way to go!

[thedood]

Thanks Michael (my name is Michael too). Both of those rivers are a stones throw from me. One thing I have learned is there is a lot of really cool stuff in Illinois even with its reputation as being corn fields. Looking through the species of fish in Illinois it is actually quite rich! Now it is simply a matter of figuring out what is where and a trip to the location to gather a water sample so I can duplicate the water conditions (ph, kh, gh, etc). I appreciate the reply and glad to know that others think this is pretty cool as well so thanks! 

[CCat]

I'm useless with specific recommendations, but I also want to commend you for doing a local setup.  I'll take a guess at some equipment recommendations, and wait for the real experts to chime in...

 

Heater: probably won't need one

Powerhead: I think this is a good idea (vs. the air pump) as I think your fish and plants will be happy with some decent flow

Light: Get a good one, but don't leave it on too long -- search plantedtank.net for infinite discussion and recommendations

Substrate: Get something designed to feed the plants -- EcoComplete, FloraMax, etc. look on plantedtank.net for this too

Water test kit: The API liquid test kit is a good one.  Probably worth buying but fine to borrow too, as you learn about water chemistry & the nitrogen/bacteria cycle

 

Also, look into "fishless cycling" if you haven't... so your tank and water are ready before you get your fish.

[Michael Wolfe]

... a trip to the location to gather a water sample so I can duplicate the water conditions (ph, kh, gh, etc). 

 

This is probably easier than you think... I mean, do you know where your tap water comes from?  Probably the same rivers and streams and lakes that are right around you.  Its actually one of the advantages of keeping hyper-local fishes... they already live in your water.

[thedood]

CCat thanks for the info! I'm pretty good to go on basic info. I have 5 tanks now with two of them being planted. One is a 75G with fish and the other is a 10G with cherry shrimp I raise to feed my calvus cichlids who have proven to be rather finicky. Where I go with substrate will depend ultimately what I plan on stocking. Currently I am a huge fan of dirt capped with black diamond blasting sand, I am using it on both of my planted aquariums. I really want this to be as authentic as possible and if that means gravel and no plants I am ok with that as well.

 

Authenticity on whatever I decide is really my main goal. I think the more authentic I make this the better off the fish will be. I am really a huge believer in accepting responsibility for the livestock we keep. I dont buy into the whole they are only fish argument. I accept them into my care and therefore I accept that I need to keep them healthy and stress free as possible.

[thedood]

That could be true in my case Michael. I live in a small town and the village draws the water from a well. I am about 20 miles from the Kaskaskia and a little farther from the Embarrass, I would want to be sure if I know the species I decide to keep are sensitive. Our water is rock hard with a kh of about 11 and a gh of 9 out of the tap. Our ph is around 8 out of the tap.

[CCat]

Sorry, I misread your "have never done this before" comment and thought this was your first rodeo. Never mind all that.  Looks like you're already off to a great start!  Post pics when you have 'em.

[thedood]

CCat no sorry needed! I am new to native fishes. This is my first rodeo in that arena, I should have been clearer about that. When it comes to keeping darters etc I am as green as it gets.

[gzeiger]

Walmart Special Kitty cat litter is still the best substrate - basically soil, but stays put.

 

Fish that stay small and appreciate vegetation are more likely to be abundant, and easier to catch, in small creeks and even roadside ditches than in the main branch of a river.

[thedood]

Hey gzeiger thanks for the reply. I'm curious about the kitty litter. I have heard of folks using it but have complained about consistency, some bags the litter falls apart. Have you ever experienced that? I thought about using safe-t-sorb and pre-charging it for a few weeks.

 

I appreciate the info about the ditches and creeks. I'm putting together a build plan that I will share and in that plan I am going to put some search targets. I will definitely hit google maps and look for some smaller tributaries to the rivers to search.

[gzeiger]

Ditches are also often the best places to collect plants, both for abundance and ease of collection and for the fact that it's already such a compromised habitat that you don't need to feel bad about taking something. Do be careful of collecting plants from ephemeral waters. Submerged grasses are generally the best clue that the plants you're looking at may not really be aquatic. Some of these will last for weeks under water, but eventually they will die messily in your tank.

 

I have never had problems with the cat litter falling apart, but it is made locally from whatever clay soil is available so there is regional variation in it both in consistency and nutrient content. It is dusty. Not unusual for it to take several days and many rinsings of a sponge filter to clear the water in a new tank. It is excellent for growing plants though.

[thedood]

Again thanks gzeiger. I'm going to take your advice and look around some of the ditches, The biggest caveat I see here are a lot of what we call creeks are farm field runoff ditches and will probably have a high percentage of ag chemicals.

 

I'm going to pick up a bag of that special kitty cat litter and soak it in a bucket and see how it goes, I will keep an eye on parameters like ph, gh, and kh and see how much it absorbs minerals.

 

I'm going to post my build plan soon, I hope you take a look and voice your opinions on it. I found a pdf from U of I that lists the aquatic plants of Illinois and am researching them and compiling a list of possibilities that I can then narrow down to what I will use based on the area I wish to recreate. The pdf is 154 pages so it is taking me a while. I appreciate your responses, thanks! 

[Michael Wolfe]

I thought about using safe-t-sorb and pre-charging it for a few weeks.

 

I can give a positive report on my experiences with safe-t-sorb... I got huge bags at Tractor Supply very inexpensively.  It did take a lot of rinsing.  I put like a whole bag in a wheel barrel and rinsed with water and dumped the water out maybe 4 or 5 times before using it... and it still clouded,up but then cleared overnight.  When I didnt rinse it in another tank, it did take a week or so to clear with almost daily cleaning of the sponge filter... and to be honest, it still kicks up more "dust" than I like when someone is startled of hits the bottom for some reason. But I like it very much.

[thedood]

 

I can give a positive report on my experiences with safe-t-sorb... I got huge bags at Tractor Supply very inexpensively.  It did take a lot of rinsing.  I put like a whole bag in a wheel barrel and rinsed with water and dumped the water out maybe 4 or 5 times before using it... and it still clouded,up but then cleared overnight.  When I didnt rinse it in another tank, it did take a week or so to clear with almost daily cleaning of the sponge filter... and to be honest, it still kicks up more "dust" than I like when someone is startled of hits the bottom for some reason. But I like it very much.

Did you notice any absorption of minerals? I really like the look of STS, very natural looking. How did your plants do as far as rooting in it? Did you have to anchor with something?

[Michael Wolfe]

To be honest, I am not monitoring minerals, so I can't really speak to that.

 

I capped it with sand which did not always stay put (thanks to the powerheads and the fish) and added a few pebbles around the base of the plants to help hold them in place.  Then everything grows very nicely.

[thedood]

Thanks MIchael. I appreciate the info.

 

I am attaching a preliminary build list. If you take the time to read the document please feel free to make suggestions. As a noob to pretty much all of these species of fish I admit to having much to learn. I tend to be picky and like to provide as solid as a habitat as possible with no conflicting species and an environment that is comfortable and stress free to the animals in my care.

Attached Files

•  20G_nanf.pdf   69.29KB   97 downloads

[Evan P]

I think a tank with Red Shiners, Black stripe Top minnows, and Mud Darters sounds great. I think those are the species you listed that would do best in the proposed tank.

[thedood]

Thanks for replying Yeahson421. From my reading on darters I think that the tank is to short for riffle fish so going with pool fish or sand fish will be better. Do you think mixing all three species will work? How many would you stock of each? I'm not opposed to a species specific tank either, as a matter of fact that might be nice if I can get them to breed.

[Michael Wolfe]

Agree with you both, this will work... you will have to make sure that the darter gets enough food down past the hungry mouths above... especially in a tall tank.  But the fish will do fine together.