Javascript Disabled Detected

You currently have javascript disabled. Several functions may not work. Please re-enable javascript to access full functionality.

Ideas For Setting Up A New Tank...

Started by Guest_andyavram_* , Oct 28 2007 03:59 PM

Please log in to reply

10 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_andyavram_*

Guests

Posted 28 October 2007 - 03:59 PM

I am considering setting up an either 40 or 75 gallon stream tank for native Ohio fishes but I have some questions (and lots of time as this wouldn't be stocked until spring).

First I want to keep it Ohio themed, but would like alot of current and a few plants. What plants are native to Ohio and can stand the current? Vallisneria?

Second, aside from darters what smaller minnows keep their color throughout the year? Obviously the Red-bellied Daces are outstanding but are typical looking without the red. It seems like unless you get the tank cold in the winter it is basically a tank of grayish-brown fish with black stripes (not that that is a bad thing).

How many fish in the 2-4" range would you recommend in a 40 breeder or 75 gallon, especailly interested in darter densities.

I am sure more questions will crop up, but that is all I can think of for now.

Andy

Back to top

#2 Guest_uniseine_*

Guests

Posted 28 October 2007 - 04:40 PM

I wouldn't write off all the Ohio natives that fast. Sometime redbelly daces will keep their color for extended periods in tanks. So do some darters and shiners.

I have a full color Tippecanoe darter in my 20 gallon long right now.

Possible factors: Keep the photo period above 12 hours of good light per day. Keep feeding good food. Have good current in the tank (I have seen Mountain Redbelly Dace color-up 1 day after adding a powerhead.) Keep the water clean. Keep the temperature similar to the temp during early spawning season.

Back to top

#3 Guest_tglassburner_*

Guests

Posted 28 October 2007 - 07:23 PM

I am considering setting up an either 40 or 75 gallon stream tank for native Ohio fishes but I have some questions (and lots of time as this wouldn't be stocked until spring).

First I want to keep it Ohio themed, but would like alot of current and a few plants. What plants are native to Ohio and can stand the current? Vallisneria?

Second, aside from darters what smaller minnows keep their color throughout the year? Obviously the Red-bellied Daces are outstanding but are typical looking without the red. It seems like unless you get the tank cold in the winter it is basically a tank of grayish-brown fish with black stripes (not that that is a bad thing).

How many fish in the 2-4" range would you recommend in a 40 breeder or 75 gallon, especailly interested in darter densities.

I am sure more questions will crop up, but that is all I can think of for now.

Andy

Most of the fish I collect around this are have their color all year, and keep it in an aquarium, some take a while to adjust.
Blacknosed Dace, Greenside Darters, Rainbow Darters, Redside Dace, Emerald Shiners all stay colored up in my tanks, they stay ~65 - 72 year round.
Most others I have/had seem to keep their color. If you wanted to get out soon and get some darters, I know places that have some very colorful darters all year.(ask Edbihary) Name the date and time, and we'll get you some fish.

Tom

Back to top

#4 Guest_farmertodd_*

Guests

Posted 28 October 2007 - 07:51 PM

Hi Andy, I think we met before at Harpersfield. Good to see you here.

Perhaps the easiest way for me to make my suggestion is to give you the link to an article I had in AC awhile back.

http://www.farmertod...e_fish_tank.pdf

I also have a lot of pictures and movies here:

http://www.farmertodd.com/aquaria.asp

Scroll down a bit.

Hope you find this useful.

Todd

Back to top

#5 Guest_andyavram_*

Guests

Posted 30 October 2007 - 11:02 AM

Well, I tried to reply before to this but I may have send a PM to Todd instead. Sorry about that if I did.
Either way, we did meet at Harpersfield, on the one and only field trip that happened (or I was invited to) when I was a member. Luckily I also have that article of AC on the ultimate tank.

Anyways, it is good to know that some of the fish keep their colors all year. As far as Minnows go, what are some of those?

For plants, what species can handle alot of current that are native to Ohio. I don't want dense plantings but a few patches would be nice.

Lastly, this would be a spring project.

Andy

Back to top

#6 Guest_tglassburner_*

Guests

Posted 30 October 2007 - 01:37 PM

Well, I tried to reply before to this but I may have send a PM to Todd instead. Sorry about that if I did.
Either way, we did meet at Harpersfield, on the one and only field trip that happened (or I was invited to) when I was a member. Luckily I also have that article of AC on the ultimate tank.

Anyways, it is good to know that some of the fish keep their colors all year. As far as Minnows go, what are some of those?

For plants, what species can handle alot of current that are native to Ohio. I don't want dense plantings but a few patches would be nice.

Lastly, this would be a spring project.

Andy

Not sure what the plants are but they seem to be doing well in my stream tank. I'll try to get some pics of the plant.

Back to top

#7 Guest_mikez_*

Guests

Posted 30 October 2007 - 04:11 PM

I suggest going with the bigger tank. In general, bigger is always better when it comes to aquariums. Several reasons for that but mainly it's easier to maintain good water quality in bigger volume.
Another thing to consider if you plan on a stream tank is that a breeder tank is not a shape that lends itself to creating current.
My advice is make a stream tank from the 75 and a planted pond/swamp tank in the 40 breeder. :grin:

Can't help you with the color issue. Here in New England, if the fish are "grayish-brown fish with black stripes", it means they ARE fully colored up. :roll:

Back to top

#8 Guest_farmertodd_*

Guests

Posted 30 October 2007 - 08:43 PM

Hey Andy. Yeah, sorry about that. That was right about the time life got too danged busy for me and I cut out on schedulding NANFA trips. There's been a lot more activity in the last year, and these guys up in your neck of the woods are pretty stinkin' active. I can assure you Tom was serious when he said he'd go out "tomorrow"

With heavy feeding of high quality foods, I'll have some color to any of the dace species found in Ohio all year round. It's not breeding color, but it's definately better than brown and gray and black. Lythrurus will only fire up when the water temp is above 72. I've never gotten Notropis to fire up in the tank.

I keep dominant male darters in bright colors all the way up into the upper 70's as well.

Val works very well in a high flow tank. Anacharis / elodea and hornwort works very well too. I've had some success with rotala, but only under very high light, and only for short periods. It burns itself out, or something micronutrient limiting, something.

Todd

Back to top

#9 Guest_tglassburner_*

Guests

Posted 30 October 2007 - 09:03 PM

I can assure you Tom was serious when he said he'd go out "tomorrow"

Yep!

I get in some creek at least once a day, even if only for 15 mins. I hit the water at 6:45 this morning.

Back to top

#10 Michael Wolfe

Board of Directors

North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage

Posted 31 October 2007 - 11:59 AM

I'm no Farmer Todd and I would never contradict him, but I gotta put in a plug for Notropis of the Hydrophlox group (rainbows, yellowfins, etc.). Although I will not claim that they go into full glaring breeding colors, I will tell you I almost always have a few yellowfins that are some level of red sometime during the week. They get excited about a change in food (or food at all if I forget to feed them for a day ot two)... they get excitred about water changes, filter cleanings or any other change in current, and sometimes they just get excited (I mean boys will be boys... especially when there are girls around). And whenever they get excited they get red and zip around the tank... sometimes just for a few hours... sometimes for a day or two. So if you want shiners in color... get some Hydrophlox.

I've never gotten Notropis to fire up in the tank.

Todd

Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin

Back to top

#11 Guest_farmertodd_*

Guests

Posted 31 October 2007 - 12:34 PM

I should clarify. His question was regarding Ohio species.

Of course, there's a ton of beautiful cyprinids in the SE that are in color year round in my tanks. In fact, my greenheads just got all fiesty the last two days, not sure what's that's about. Saw a speck of magenta in the rainbows too.

They musta liked the complete under-substrate change-over I did in the 100 gallon. This time I used dirt from my backyard. More on that soon