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New, primarily, Darter Tank


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#1 Guest_Forest Grump_*

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Posted 09 July 2007 - 04:18 PM

My custom built 62 gallon 24 wide by 30 long 20 high glass Darter Tank is up and running for 10 weeks now with inhabitants suppied by Jonah and Paul Sachs. The fish I have are:
Blue spotted sunfish
Golden Topminnow
Flagffin shiner
Red Faced Topminnow
Bluefin Killifish
Pygmy Killifish
Orangethroat Darter
Rainbow Darter
Redline Darter
Gulf Darter
Flagfish

The tank is heavily planted using Eco-complete substrate (nitrosomas enhanced) and rock pepples from Arkansas. I've added many igneous rocks from the mountain top for perching and hiding places including some garnets. I have never showed nitrogen compounds, the plants up taking everything produced. I have 128 watts of compact florescent daylight lighting which the swords like enough to produce many young (plants). I have some Ironwood, locally captured, in the aquarium.

All the fish seem to get along to date with no one harassing the other. I like crystal clear water and use a Rena XP3 for filtration and water movement along with a Maxijet 1200. I place the rocks and direct the water in such a manner as to offer different water flow conditions in the aquarium and each fish can choose the environment he prefers.

I originally blended several freeze dried foods along with flake and fed the resultant mix which everyone loved. Now I can feed just flake and even the darters are delighted. Not only are they delighted but when they see me they come to the front of the aquarium and will swim to the surface and at feeding time aggressively attack the food at all levels of the aquarium. So much for bottom feeders and specialty foods.

I used 4 guppies to originally cycle the tank and I lost one of them along with a single darter soon after shipping out of a total of 37 fish. BTW my water is hard and has a highly buffered pH of 7.6. Temperatures on hot summer days run about 82 to 85 in the tank. If it gets much above 85 I can use our cold tap water for a cool down if I sense any stress.

#2 Guest_arnoldi_*

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Posted 09 July 2007 - 05:03 PM

This thread is useless without pics. :grin:

#3 Guest_keepnatives_*

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Posted 09 July 2007 - 05:52 PM

This thread is useless without pics. :grin:

If you can't read O:) Granted pictures would be nice but there's plenty of info without. I'd be interested in seeing how long the Pygmy killies last before becoming Bluespot sunfish food.

#4 Guest_Ken Johnson_*

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Posted 09 July 2007 - 06:29 PM

How do I contact Jonah and Paul Sachs?

#5 Guest_fundulus_*

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Posted 09 July 2007 - 06:48 PM

That's an interesting mix of fish species. Most of them are Gulf Coast lowlands species, with orangethroats, rainbows and redlines from more northern clearwater streams. As long as you have water movement the northern species will hopefully be OK at your relatively high temperatures. By redfaced top minnow are you referring to Fundulus cingulatus? It's a pretty fish, and surprisingly tough.

#6 Guest_Forest Grump_*

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Posted 09 July 2007 - 11:31 PM

This thread is useless without pics. :grin:



There is a pic, my avatar! There will be more coming too, bigger ones.

#7 Guest_Forest Grump_*

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Posted 09 July 2007 - 11:32 PM

That's an interesting mix of fish species. Most of them are Gulf Coast lowlands species, with orangethroats, rainbows and redlines from more northern clearwater streams. As long as you have water movement the northern species will hopefully be OK at your relatively high temperatures. By redfaced top minnow are you referring to Fundulus cingulatus? It's a pretty fish, and surprisingly tough.


No, its Fundulus rubrifrons, 3 of them.

#8 Guest_Forest Grump_*

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Posted 09 July 2007 - 11:34 PM

How do I contact Jonah and Paul Sachs?


Paul: http://www.aquacultu....com/index.html

Jonah's: http://jonahsaquarium.com/

#9 Guest_scottefontay_*

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Posted 10 July 2007 - 07:00 AM

Grump,

off topic, I know...are your swords propogating by budding? If so how far from the main plant? I've had a pair of amazon swords (don't know what variety) for almost a year now in my tropical 55 gal. While they are thriving and growing large, I have only had one bud off the side of the smaller one that I was able to seperate. I have them planted in Laurite (red schist-like soil, red colored and very lightweight). I have two 4ft 40 watt indoor full spectrum plant bulbs supplying light. maybe I should use more powerful bulbs! I know the tank itself is healthy, when I syhpon (gently) during water changes I save the water, put it into a 10 gal, add a little antifungal med. and crank it up to 80degrees. I've have quite a few of my bosamani rainbows, odessa barbs, and of course zebra dainios hatch out. Lost my last bunch to hydra though :evil: . Once they are free swimming I have just added some nanja grass, turned on a light and let them grow, no food added until they are larger. Its a passive method and fun to watch.

#10 Guest_Forest Grump_*

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Posted 10 July 2007 - 01:16 PM

Grump,

off topic, I know...are your swords propogating by budding? If so how far from the main plant? I've had a pair of amazon swords (don't know what variety) for almost a year now in my tropical 55 gal. While they are thriving and growing large, I have only had one bud off the side of the smaller one that I was able to seperate. I have them planted in Laurite (red schist-like soil, red colored and very lightweight). I have two 4ft 40 watt indoor full spectrum plant bulbs supplying light. maybe I should use more powerful bulbs! I know the tank itself is healthy, when I syhpon (gently) during water changes I save the water, put it into a 10 gal, add a little antifungal med. and crank it up to 80degrees. I've have quite a few of my bosamani rainbows, odessa barbs, and of course zebra dainios hatch out. Lost my last bunch to hydra though :evil: . Once they are free swimming I have just added some nanja grass, turned on a light and let them grow, no food added until they are larger. Its a passive method and fun to watch.


They propagate like strawberry's putting out runners with a daughter plant every 2 to 3 inches from each other in the water not in the substrate. They even develop good root systems this way. I have 2 swords and both are doing this with three to four plants each. I really like the Eco Complete substrate. It is under the 2 inch thick Arkansas pepples and is from one to two inches thick. If you have red algae you are probably low on light. I like the effect of having the daughter plants up near the surface in that it gives some of the killifish a place to hide.




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