1 reply to this topic

[williampaulwhite17]

I've got a Fluval Flex 15 gallon cube (like a 16" cube) that I want to do small native fish in.

Right now I've got the filter choked to make it low flow (put a pre filter on the output to slow it).  Have rock piles and flat slate pieces, moderately heavily planted with the plants still establishing. hornwort, hair grasss, java fern, cryptos,  There's some wood in there, and I've got a small but growing hitchiker snail and daphnia population.

I'm really hoping to use something like banded sunfish as a centerpiece; I'd like to have other species in there as well, but I'm nervous about compatibility.  I was wondering about some sort of small darter (I think greensides get too big for the tank) and possibly some of the smaller killifish, like blue fins or least or plains killis.  I'm worried that if it's too small the banded will eat them--concerened about that with least killis--but if it's too big it might eat the banded sunfish.  I'm also a bit unsure about stocking levels here since I don't know as much about the behavior of these guys

I've got some experience with aquariums but my only experience with natives was helping my older get get some rosy reds established in a 29 gallon tank.

Thanks for any help/advice

[UncleWillie]

Sounds like you have a pretty solid plan. I have a single male banded sunfish "centerpiece" with a group of 8 bluefin killifish and it has worked out without issue. Although, I have moved these fish around a lot. When I caught the sunfish, it was about the size of a dime, so it lived in a 5 gallon until it was big enough to go into the 15 gallon with the bluefins.  After about a year in the 15, I moved the banded sunfish and the bluefin killifish into a heavily planted 65 gallon.  I didn't do this because of aggression or anything, but I needed the other tanks for a different project.  The bluefins like the extra space, but the banded sunfish tends to lurk in his pile of driftwood and only venture out during feedings.  So I think the 15 gallon would have still worked long term.

 

Stick with the petite, slow-water fish in your planted cube.  Like you said, least killifish might get eaten. Some of the Fundulus killies might get too big/boisterous. But something like bluefin or rainwater killies should be fine.  I would avoid the greenside darter, but a swamp darter or two could fit the bill.