I have put an L shaped 1100 gallon aquarium in my office in southern Ontario. We have collected a lot of river rock and a couple of 6 foot pieces of drift wood. We are going to stock with natives.
Any suggestions?
I will post a couple pix soon.
Thanks, Blake.
24 Foot Aquarium in Office
Started by
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, Jun 12 2007 10:00 PM
24 replies to this topic
#2
Guest_Zephead4747_*
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Posted 12 June 2007 - 10:06 PM
1. sunfish/perch/pickerel/bullhead/rockbass/chub
2.darter/minnow
3.bass
go with choice 1. Only thing to worry about is the pickerel getting bullied.
2.darter/minnow
3.bass
go with choice 1. Only thing to worry about is the pickerel getting bullied.
#3
Guest_chad55_*
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Posted 13 June 2007 - 12:39 AM
If this is the tank I am thinking about its pretty thin. Like not wider than a couple feet. I think it would be really really cool to do like a community with a ton of live plants and driftwood for fish to hide and breed. Then what I would do is fill it to the brim with really nice sunfish. Like 50 sunfish of all different speices. Personally I would leave out bluegill and greens though just for the simple fact that they can be aggressive. Then I would fill it with some nice looking minnows like those redbelly dace that Matt has 
.
Chad
.Chad
#4
Guest_Blake_*
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Posted 13 June 2007 - 08:39 AM
Here is a pic before the walls were up and a pic after the walls went up from inside my office.
The tank is 3 feet wide. It would be hard to maintain a lot of live plants.
Hey Zep, wouldn't the pickerel get large and eat everything in the tank? What type of pickerel were you thinking?
The tank is 3 feet wide. It would be hard to maintain a lot of live plants.
Hey Zep, wouldn't the pickerel get large and eat everything in the tank? What type of pickerel were you thinking?
#5
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Posted 13 June 2007 - 08:48 AM
I would probably put warmouth, shadow bass, Northern longear sunfish, redbreast sunfish, and maybe even some brown bullheads, but that's just me.
Zephead was probably thinking grass pickerel. They could probably live with some of the larger sunfish, like warmouth, bluegill, and redbreast sunfish. If you wanted to breed your fish, it would be a little difficult because the pickerel would probably eat the fry.
BTW that's a nice tank.
Zephead was probably thinking grass pickerel. They could probably live with some of the larger sunfish, like warmouth, bluegill, and redbreast sunfish. If you wanted to breed your fish, it would be a little difficult because the pickerel would probably eat the fry.
BTW that's a nice tank.
#6
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Posted 13 June 2007 - 10:32 AM
Smallmouth bass and Northern Pike since you live in Ontario.
#7
Guest_chad55_*
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Posted 13 June 2007 - 11:47 AM
Northerns get too big and you guys don't realise how big of fish pickerel can eat. I think you would be better off with a seperate tank of pickerel if you really want them because they are deffinatly not very good community fish. Personally I would go with all sunfish and minnows and the like. No bullheads because they eat even more and bigger things than pickerel.
Chad
Chad
#8
Guest_Blake_*
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Posted 13 June 2007 - 01:44 PM
Pike and pickerel would eat everything else.
I'm thinking sunfish, black and white crappie, rock bass or small mouth bass maybe a small gar.
A school of something big enough not to be eaten would be good too.
I'm thinking sunfish, black and white crappie, rock bass or small mouth bass maybe a small gar.
A school of something big enough not to be eaten would be good too.
#9
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Posted 13 June 2007 - 07:20 PM
I was thinking a grass pickerel. (can be bought from vendors, I know they aren't native to ontario)
If there aren't too many fish in the tank and the are all more passive lepomis then I would think it would work. Otherwise an all sunfish tank would probably do the best. I wouldn't leave out greens or bluegill though. They are the most common sunfish in most of North America and are attractive in their own right.
I think a darter tank with some smaller sunfish species like bluespotted/ospots/ dollars would be cool. I wouldn't think the sunfish would eat the darters. I actually plan on trying this for a 2nd tank when I finish collecting for my first.
If there aren't too many fish in the tank and the are all more passive lepomis then I would think it would work. Otherwise an all sunfish tank would probably do the best. I wouldn't leave out greens or bluegill though. They are the most common sunfish in most of North America and are attractive in their own right.
I think a darter tank with some smaller sunfish species like bluespotted/ospots/ dollars would be cool. I wouldn't think the sunfish would eat the darters. I actually plan on trying this for a 2nd tank when I finish collecting for my first.
#10
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Posted 13 June 2007 - 08:14 PM
I'm not so sure about that. Based on the range map in Peterson's Field Guide, as well as NatureServe:I was thinking a grass pickerel. (can be bought from vendors, I know they aren't native to ontario)
http://www.natureser...dIndexes=101857
I would think that grass pickerel do exist in southern Ontario. If only you could figure out where to find one.
Alternately, if you could get one shipped up from the states. The problem is, most people here ship by Priority Mail. It is allowable to ship fish interstate by the USPS, but it is not allowable to ship them internationally. Are there other ways that fish can be shipped to Canada?
#11
Michael Wolfe
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Posted 13 June 2007 - 10:01 PM
Seems that most of the forum will suggest the sunfish route, so I have to put in a vote for the smaller fish. In a tank like the one that you have, you could easily create a river environment that had multiple specific habitats. A Riffle with darters and minnows and chubs would be very interesting, constant movement and variety that a bug sunfish or pickerel just sitting around waiting to eat cannot provide. As large as the tank is you could still put a large pice of driftwood in somewhere to create slack water and put in a few sunfish and maybe a rock bass that would probably not create too much trouble if they were well fed. Then a plant filled area at the opposite end of the tank could have top minnows and maybe a few other minnows that need more cover.
This is the way that I have my 75 set up now (except that I dont really have room for all the environments to be very seperated)... nocomis, notropis, cyprinella, etheostoma, notorus... the variety makes for a very interesting tank, you never know who might show up or who is going to hide for a while.
This is the way that I have my 75 set up now (except that I dont really have room for all the environments to be very seperated)... nocomis, notropis, cyprinella, etheostoma, notorus... the variety makes for a very interesting tank, you never know who might show up or who is going to hide for a while.
1. sunfish/perch/pickerel/bullhead/rockbass/chub
2.darter/minnow
3.bass
go with choice 1. Only thing to worry about is the pickerel getting bullied.
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin
#12
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Posted 17 June 2007 - 08:33 AM
Good advice bad advice. Not to step on toes but a full grown grass pickerel if that is what you are talking about, and not a chain, cannot eat and will not eat a sunfish over three and a half inches long. I would definatly leave out monster fish like large mouth bass. But if you want to devote one tank for a Northern pike that tank would do it as a minimum for that size fish. Even then I think it would out grow it. I travel to Ontario frequently. PM me and we can talk. I do not know what the laws are but they never ask me if I have live fish when I cross the border. I used to live in Ontario and my Wife is from Oshawa. We go there at least two times a year. Will probably be there this summer. So where exactly are you from and where is that office I would love to see that tank set up when I go up there if it is anywhere close to Oshawa. I used to keep pumpkinseed when I lived up there. I use the word in its singular form. I knew nothing of laws and was not into keeping natives then. But they were so pretty when I pulled them from the water I decided to keep one in my twenty long. He was the most fun fish I have ever kept. My children were little then and we would swat houseflies and sometimes when you threw the fly in the tank the fly would just barely hit the water.
Again grass pickerel may get picked on but he will definatly not eat a sunfish over three and a half inches long. Maybe a little longer for a safety margin but that would be such a cool fish to keep with the sunnies. Of course you would be stuck feeding the thing. Live moving objects unless you can get the pickerel whisperer to train him to eat pellets or soft foods.
Pumpkinseed
Northern Long ears
Orange spotted
I have not kept yellow perch so I cannot advise on that one but I think they would look cool.
Some large shinners of a type you like
You have all that stuff up there I think.
In a tank that large I think you could get away with keeping fish together that would not normaly be kept together with the proper set up and lots of cover. They would establish teritories in a large tank like that. The problem is feeding. If another fish will fit into your larger fishes mouth consider him A feeder fish.
I have northern long ears in with blue spotted now but they are young long ears. I am waiting to see what developes. I also have orange spotted in there as well.
Again grass pickerel may get picked on but he will definatly not eat a sunfish over three and a half inches long. Maybe a little longer for a safety margin but that would be such a cool fish to keep with the sunnies. Of course you would be stuck feeding the thing. Live moving objects unless you can get the pickerel whisperer to train him to eat pellets or soft foods.
Pumpkinseed
Northern Long ears
Orange spotted
I have not kept yellow perch so I cannot advise on that one but I think they would look cool.
Some large shinners of a type you like
You have all that stuff up there I think.
In a tank that large I think you could get away with keeping fish together that would not normaly be kept together with the proper set up and lots of cover. They would establish teritories in a large tank like that. The problem is feeding. If another fish will fit into your larger fishes mouth consider him A feeder fish.
I have northern long ears in with blue spotted now but they are young long ears. I am waiting to see what developes. I also have orange spotted in there as well.
#13
Guest_Irate Mormon_*
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Posted 17 June 2007 - 08:57 PM
Keep a tank full of minners.
#14
Guest_chad55_*
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Posted 18 June 2007 - 12:21 AM
My not full grown grass pickerel at 8" ate a 6" irridecent shark....Good advice bad advice. Not to step on toes but a full grown grass pickerel if that is what you are talking about, and not a chain, cannot eat and will not eat a sunfish over three and a half inches long.
Chad
#15
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Posted 18 June 2007 - 12:25 AM
Also you don't have to be a super genius to get pickerel to eat pellets...It just takes a damn long time. Took me like two months.Again grass pickerel may get picked on but he will definatly not eat a sunfish over three and a half inches long. Maybe a little longer for a safety margin but that would be such a cool fish to keep with the sunnies. Of course you would be stuck feeding the thing. Live moving objects unless you can get the pickerel whisperer to train him to eat pellets or soft foods.
Chad
#16
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Posted 18 June 2007 - 12:43 AM
Iridescent sharks are more minnow-shaped: long and slender. They are much more likely to be eaten by a predator fish than a sunfish-shaped fish. Still, you would be surprised what would fit in a pickerel's mouth.My not full grown grass pickerel at 8" ate a 6" irridecent shark....
#17
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Posted 18 June 2007 - 12:24 PM
This is true but this thing was thick and I am pretty sure it was thicker than your average 3" sunfish...
Chad
Chad
#18
Guest_nativecajun_*
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Posted 18 June 2007 - 08:37 PM
This is true but this thing was thick and I am pretty sure it was thicker than your average 3" sunfish...
Chad
Thick has nothing to do with it. It is the shape. Sunfish are disk shaped. Your catfish "shark" is long and more slender. I do not believe a grass pickerel could eat a sunny over three and a half inches. No problem here though I do not have the mortgage bet on it. I just do not see it happening. I will have to do a study I guess. Is a sunfish as wide from top to bottom as it is from front to back. The pickerels mouth would have to be at least three inches wide. I don't think so.
Daniel
#19
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Posted 18 June 2007 - 08:53 PM
Thick has nothing to do with it. It is the shape. Sunfish are disk shaped. Your catfish "shark" is long and more slender. I do not believe a grass pickerel could eat a sunny over three and a half inches. No problem here though I do not have the mortgage bet on it. I just do not see it happening. I will have to do a study I guess. Is a sunfish as wide from top to bottom as it is from front to back. The pickerels mouth would have to be at least three inches wide. I don't think so.
Daniel
I caught two 12" pickerel on Saturday that would eat a 3.5 inch sunfish. I'm not saying you can't keep docile sunfish and pickerel together but a well fed pickerel will keep the number of fish in your tank higher.
#20
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Posted 19 June 2007 - 05:38 PM
Don't grass pickerel usually top out at ~10 inches. They probably wouldn't get to be 12" if fed mostly pelleted food.
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