Elassoma evergladei is coming

Hey All
I am getting some (E. evergladei) pygmies (4) next week from "Sachs". Before they get here I would like to have things ready and right for them. I had set up a tank 14'x14"x22" approx 18 gal. no substrate, sponge filter, for some juvenile bluefin killies (5, less than 0.5"each in the tank right now). There is only hornwort and water lettuce in the tank, for plant life. But still has a lot of swimming room (70% open).
Should I have a substate?
Should the bluefins go to another tank? They can be moved out to another tank.
Should I increase my plant volume?
I just don't want to get these guys, keep them for two months and see them die off. I want them to grow into a small colony. I don't think its right to get a fish only to have it for a short while. I want (them) to be able to reproduce another generation and increase my stock with out taking from the wild. I have had these before and after summer was over and in the house they would one by one disapear. But they were housed with other more aggressive fish. Well any advise that any of you my have would be appreciated. Even if it was a smaal thing, trick or setting!!!
Randy Baker

When we collect them in this area, it's always in very dense plant growth at the edges of stagnant water. I have about a dozen in my native tank and rarely see them. Thay always seem to be in the densest clumps of bunch plants. They are growing and look good, but are never more than a couple of inches from the plants.

When we collect them in this area, it's always in very dense plant growth at the edges of stagnant water. I have about a dozen in my native tank and rarely see them. Thay always seem to be in the densest clumps of bunch plants. They are growing and look good, but are never more than a couple of inches from the plants.

What kind of substrate do you have in your natives tank? Plants too. Randy

I kept 3 (2 males, 1 female) in a 2.5 gallon tank with a dark natural sand and java moss and it is filtered with a sponge filter/air pump combo. There is very little swimming room as they don't really need it. They spawned for me and the female passed shortly after. So now I have a bunch of juvies and will be moving them to a separate tank until I can sex them. The tank sits on a window sill and gets a couple of hours of direct sunlight. I feed primarily live blackworms with occasional live mosquito larvae. I also poured some rotifers in the tank but not sure if the population sustained itself.

I would do a species only tank with them if I were you. And remember they are annuals in the wild so they don't live for very long. If you are getting juvies, you should be good to go in terms of lifespan. If his are captive bred, they should probably live longer for you.

I kept 3 (2 males, 1 female) in a 2.5 gallon tank with a dark natural sand and java moss and it is filtered with a sponge filter/air pump combo. There is very little swimming room as they don't really need it. They spawned for me and the female passed shortly after. So now I have a bunch of juvies and will be moving them to a separate tank until I can sex them. The tank sits on a window sill and gets a couple of hours of direct sunlight. I feed primarily live blackworms with occasional live mosquito larvae. I also poured some rotifers in the tank but not sure if the population sustained itself.

I would do a species only tank with them if I were you. And remember they are annuals in the wild so they don't live for very long. If you are getting juvies, you should be good to go in terms of lifespan. If his are captive bred, they should probably live longer for you.

OK... I,ve had these guys for 2 months now. I lost one in the 2.5 gallon tank. Moved them (the remaining 4) to a 10gal. 5-6 weeks ago of which they had on trouble aclimating to the 10. They are being fed mosquitoe larve ,they gobble them down like candy. I have them in a window and this is my problem, algea growth on plants. I had just gotten some amano shrimp (3) and thought they could go in with the pygmies, but will they be safe? I was told that these guys will go after shrimps. But I think as long as I keep other foods in there for them I, they should be fine. I have 5 gras shrimp, do grass shrimp eat algea? I also have a columbain rams horn snail will it eat the algea over the plants. I have enjoyed watching these guys eat, they may have two mosquitoes in their mouth at a time and trying to get another. No reproduction activity yet, but one of them gets darker and dominates the others, threating and chasing off from "his" area. He hasn't done his dance.
Do any of you have anything that yours have done, any hints. What do you in the north feed yours in the winter? That is going to be may biggest problem. Take care, Randy Baker