Yet another newbie, in Kentucky

I'm getting back into native fish after, um, a few years off. I was fanatical about collecting and identifying them when I was much younger. So, I've procured a 75 gallon tank with a reef filter (a tank I could only dream of as a boy), and have added a large canister filter to simulate the conditions of the creek on my farm - cold, and highly oxygenated. As I recall, there are at least three varieties of darter in the creek:rainbow, greenthroat, and one I never did identify, plus sculpins, bluegill, and the omnipresent shiners. Got crawfish out the wazoo, they're everywhere. The occasional juvenile snapping turtle. And a mysterious shrimplike critter, very small and dark brown, that migrate up the creek every year in a long, continuous line.

So I'm wondering - how long should I let the tank run before introducing critters? Any preferred order of introduction? Once it is filled, I plan on adding rocks collected from the creek, hopefully to bring along the thin algae. Any other things I should be aware of on a first startup? And should I wait for warmer weather before starting collection? In my youth, I became an expert darter catcher, so we'll see how much of that I remember.

Also... I was idly wondering about setting up a tank to simulate the riffle sections of the creek. Anyone done this? Lots of interesting things going on in those sections.

Welcome to the Nanfa forums, JohnO!

I can't help too much, but I will offer this: You can add a few fish (preferably tougher fish, maybe shiners) to the tank right when you set it up. The creek gravel will have plenty of de-nitrifying bacteria in it, but without an ammonia source they could decline. Monitor the nitrogen levels for a while, and if they're low and stable, start adding more fish. I don't think collecting now should give you any problems; just be sure to let the fish adjust to the tank temperature slowly.

If you want to keep darters and small shiners, you should leave out the bluegill, and probably also the sculpins and the larger minnows and crayfish.

I'd like to see your mysterious shrimp-like creatures! I have no idea what they could be.

Edited by Newt, 07 March 2008 - 11:22 AM.

In Ky the shrimplike creatures are probably Scuds, Gammarus, Amphiopods, all the same.
Letting your tank run will do nothing unless you add waste, or nutrients. You can do this slowly by adding a few hardy fish, and letting them help build up your bacteria, or you could do it the quick, and much more efficient way, a fishless cycle.

http://aquaticpredat...=fishless cycle


This is really the ticket, and it is outlined well here.

JohnO,

Its great to have you aboard and back into natives. I noticed that you are from Versailles. I did an internship at the Audubon Clyde E Buckley Wildlife Sanctuary. You shoud be fairly close to it. If you have not been there, and you like to hike it is a great place to hike. Beautiful preserve. There is a great stream a couple miles from the preserve across from a vacated school. A park with many horse shoe pits are next to the stream across from the school. I will have to look it up and get back to let you know where is is.