11 replies to this topic

[Gilly13]

Hello all,
I started looking at native fish back in 2015. Fast forward 7 years and I am finally in a position to redo my 36gal bowfront. Walsted method, heavily planted.
Now I was aiming for a community tank and the I wanted fish that are interactive, curious and have personality. Most of my 20 years of fish keeping has been with comets, goldfish and koi, fun interactive curious fish.
Natives are unique underused but many are too large for anything under 50gal.
The Enneacanthus fit the bill for size, and peacefulness in a community tank. I have however had mixed messages on how out going they are. Wild caught would of course be shy.
Does anyone have any info on captive breed that would be juvinials at time of purchase?

After all this long winded post I get to my main dilemma. The blue spotted sun fish has shared its space equally with another fish I have always wanted to try, apistogramma macmasteti. I know apistos are interactive, curious and have great behaviors with spawning and caring for fry. They are also fine in community tanks.

So now that I have the chance to redo a tank I am totally torn between the two.
I also have a 20gal which I dont have space for currently. Ideally I would have 2-3 b.spot in the 20gal and the apistos in the 36gal.

Any thoughts on this back and forth dilemma. Do the macmasteri fit my "wet pet wish" better right now and save the blue spots for the 20gal and get a Ozark sunfish for my 300gal pond next spring?

[Michael Wolfe]

Well you are on a native fish forum, so I am going to tell you that the Blue Spotted are great.  In a heavily planted Walsted they will be perfect.  No, they will not beg at the glass every time you walk into the room, but they will come out for feeding time, easily accept thawed frozen foods and they do interact with each other plenty.

[Gilly13]

Thats why im here lol. I joined back in 2015 I think which is when I started researching natives. I wanted to get a better understanding from people who had owned them. They are not at all common in the hobby.

So they are still interactive and social fish just not necessarily with keepers.
How do orange spot or bantam compare? They were another native on I researched and are supposed to be the most peaceful of the lepomis.
What is a favorite for native schooling fish?
Thanks for the info

[Chasmodes]

Gilly, may I assume that by schooling fish you mean minnows, shiners, darters etc.?  As far as food goes, the pretty much eat anything.  But, in my opinion, feeding them Vibra Bites (or similar food), earthworm flakes, and occasional live blackworms will bring out their colors. 

 

I think that most of the smaller species would be good tankmates, however, and this is not from my experience, but from what I've read about bluespots in the NANFA American Currents articles, that they're shy fish and do much better with less active fish (like the schooling fish mentioned above).   One of the articles mentioned that it would be OK keeping bluespots with madtoms and/or topminnows.

[Gilly13]

Yes those are the type of fish I have been referring too.
I have scraped the idea of apistos.
I have 2 stocking ideas with native fish now.

Option #1
3-4 b.spot
3-4 b.banded
8-10 minnow, shiners etc.
From what i understand the b.banded are bolder then the b.spots.

Option #2
1 Ozark Longear Sunfish
Group of schooling fish?

Would this second option work? I kmow the lepomis very wildly in aggression with the smaller ones being the most amenable. But they do fit more of the interactive characteristics.

I have also been told that most of the LFS schooling fish would work but im not familiar with many of them.
Sailfin mollies or flag were also suggest but i think i would prefer the others mentioned above.

[Gilly13]

So new question for anyone reading this.
Would a single Ozark Longear or Dollar Sun be too large for a 36 gal?
I have refined my stocking options.

Option 1
3 B.Spot Sunfish
6-8 Rainbow Shiners
And
6-8 Redbelly Dace or 6-8 Metalic Shiners

Option 2
1 Ozark Longear or Dollar Sunfish
4 Steelcolor Shiners
4 Redside Dace

I am just worried that a Longear will be too big for a 36gal Walsted. I did read on the care sheets that a single could be kept a min of 39gal.
I just want to get some second opinions make sure whatever i stock has a enough room to be happy and entertained in my tank.
This is one again a full native tank.

[Gilly13]

So i just remembered i had 2 other threads all the way back from 2017. It crazy how long I have been trying to get this tank set up.
I dont even know why i was considering tropicals lol i have been looking at native fish since 2017 and i am going to stick with it.
Responses in my previous threads had suggested Dollar Or longears and had no issues with size of the fish for my tank.
So i think i am going to lean that way as of right now. I have a 20gal tall in my basement that i can hopefully get running again and stick b.spot and rainbow shiners in that.

Edited by Gilly13, 20 October 2022 - 10:28 AM.

[Chasmodes]

Sounds good.  When you get it set up, post some pics!

[Gilly13]

Sounds good.  When you get it set up, post some pics!

I have been trying to post a pic of the tank (its 3 weeks since it was planted) but i dont seem to have access to adding pics to my gallery?

Anyway when it came to Brians attention that i also had a 20gal tall he suggested keeping the 36gal as a community tank and putting the longear in the 20tall by himself.
So the 36gal would have
3 b.spotted sunfish
6-8 rainbow shiners
6-8 redbelly dace

This is mainly because even if i have 4 steelcolor shiners and 4 redside dace in with thr longear while hes young they have a shorter lifespan and my 36gal would down the road become a sunfish only tank.

I really want to have a longear but also really want a community tank lol. So i dont know when i will be able to set up the 20tall but if 20tall is enough space for a longear then i might keep the 36gal as a the community tank?

Either way i am going to be placing the order for the fish soon. I am thinking of placing the order on the 5th week. The weather is starting to take a turn for the cold and unpleasant.

[Michael Wolfe]

I have been trying to post a pic of the tank (its 3 weeks since it was planted) but i dont seem to have access to adding pics to my gallery?
 

If you PM me I should be able to help you get your gallery set up.

[Josh Blaylock]

I have been trying to post a pic of the tank (its 3 weeks since it was planted) but i dont seem to have access to adding pics to my gallery?

Anyway when it came to Brians attention that i also had a 20gal tall he suggested keeping the 36gal as a community tank and putting the longear in the 20tall by himself.
So the 36gal would have
3 b.spotted sunfish
6-8 rainbow shiners
6-8 redbelly dace

This is mainly because even if i have 4 steelcolor shiners and 4 redside dace in with thr longear while hes young they have a shorter lifespan and my 36gal would down the road become a sunfish only tank.

I really want to have a longear but also really want a community tank lol. So i dont know when i will be able to set up the 20tall but if 20tall is enough space for a longear then i might keep the 36gal as a the community tank?

Either way i am going to be placing the order for the fish soon. I am thinking of placing the order on the 5th week. The weather is starting to take a turn for the cold and unpleasant.

 

I kept an Ozark Longear in a community tank for years, never had any problems until recently.... a couple shiny new dace got eaten, that's the only time it was ever aggressive.  But I do think a 36 may be too small for all those fish an a Longear.  Mine was in a 125.

[Gilly13]

[quote name="Josh Blaylock" post="156332"

I kept an Ozark Longear in a community tank for years, never had any problems until recently.... a couple shiny new dace got eaten, that's the only time it was ever aggressive.  But I do think a 36 may be too small for all those fish an a Longear.  Mine was in a 125.[/quote]

Thanks for that info.
I have basically decided to go with the b.spots, rainbows and redbellies.
From my understanding it better to keep the longears single or in groups of 6 or more.
Brian has the Orzark Longears and said i could keep a single in my 20gal tall so i am aiming to get that set up.