18 replies to this topic

[9darlingcalvi]

I was wondering if like the title say a single johnny darter can live in a 1 gallon mini bow?

[Betta132]

No. A 1-gal is too small for any adult fish, everything needs more space than that. Absolute minimum for a Johnny is 5g, and 10g is better. Also, it's very difficult to keep water parameters stable and within decent ranges in such a small volume of water. Try a ghost shrimp or such. 

[9darlingcalvi]

I was thinking one with ghost shrimp, what other northern native critter would work in a second separate tank?

[CCat]

Agreed on the 1-gallon being too small.  Water parameters can go south in a hurry, and there's just no room for a fish of any size to move around.  It's like having to spend your whole life in your kitchen.  A few nice plants with a couple of cherry shrimp might be OK, but I'd still start with at least 5G.  

[9darlingcalvi]

So I was thinking a water scorpion or leech

[Michael Wolfe]

Turtle Leech!  I had one that lived for well over a year in a small aquarium eating snails.

[9darlingcalvi]

Where do you find them and what do they look like?

[Michael Wolfe]

You find them on turtles and kayaks...

 

http://forum.nanfa.o...ation/?hl=leech

[9darlingcalvi]

Cool! Hopefully I can find one, if not do you collect them

[loopsnj64]

In The Raritan River Leeches were under rocks and in sluggish areas with a lot of debris

[9darlingcalvi]

I live in Minnesota...so how would I feed them? What other cool lake things could I put in one? I already have one filled with ghost shrimp

[9darlingcalvi]

I was thinking a dwarf crayfish. Possibly one with tons of hydroids

[Betta132]

Any sort of water bug -beetles, larvae of various types, etc- should work if you have frozen meaty foods or smaller bugs available. Most will fly out at some stage, though, so you'll want a cover. Water scorpions will also work, and they can usually be taught to take dead food. Impale the food on a wire and wiggle it in front of your chosen hunter, and they should grab it.

[9darlingcalvi]

I was thinking that or a predations diving nettle larvae and growing him to a beetle

[9darlingcalvi]

Possibly

[Betta132]

If you have access to diving beetle larvae, go for it. They get impressively large and make for interesting temporary pets. Just be sure you have a good lid, otherwise you'll end up with a large and probably angry beetle loose in your house eventually. 

[9darlingcalvi]

Yeah...that would be bad, I was also thinking a pea puffer or fishing spider

[Betta132]

Pea puffs need at least 3g, absolute bare minimum. And a fishing spider would probably either escape or hide, your best bet is something that's at least mostly aquatic. A big beetle of some sort might be a good choice, but really I'd suggest just going down to your lake and fishing around in the weeds until you find a cool bug. Might get something awesome like a toebiter.

Edited by Betta132, 12 April 2016 - 09:57 PM.

[9darlingcalvi]

Sorry, forgot this was a 1 gallon. Might be heading to the lake this weekend