Newbie Here - Need Help

I have never owned an aquarium and everything I know, I have learned in the past week online. I am lucky to have about 300 feet of the Chickamauga Creek on my property and I am trying to make an aquarium or aquariumS to mimic life in the creek. I started with a 10 gallon setup and I have 2 crawfish, 2 sculpins, and another bottom dweller which I have not identified yet. My filter and airstone have really cleaned up the water nicely in 24 hours. I used "live rocks" from the creek, so there are plenty of organisms and snails crawling around. How and what do I feed the bottom-dwellers? The fish and crawfish are only 1-2" long, I didn't want anything too big to start with.

Also do you think a minnow trap or crawfish trap would catch some good tank fish by leaving it overnite or maybe a couple days? I tried a minnow seine, but the current is a little too strong, I am going to add ALOT of weights to the bottom to try to get it to work correctly.

Hi Phil,

Well you'll be delighted to know there is a NANFA member that happens to live just down (South) Chickmauga Creek a few miles from you. I've also collected fish there quite a few times. Do you live above the old mill dam just into Georgia or below it? Your crayfish will eat just about anything, including live fish once they are larger. Most of of us feed our fish frozen foods like bloodworms, brine shrimp, daphnia, etc. They can be purchased at any pet store. Some of us also use live foods like blackworms. Some fish will eventually take processed foods. Your sculpins will also eat anything they can fit in their gigantic mouths, including darters. If you're collecting by yoursel a trap is handy, especially since you have creekfront property. You can also try a dipnet and sweep it under roots and banks or kick downstream into it in faster water while flipping bigger rocks out of the way. A seine over 4-6' wide can be pretty tricky solo. Your unknown fish could be quite a few things, and that could potentially differ by your location in the watershed, so that's why I asked using the dam as a reference point.

My sorry to tell you Phil, but you have been bitten by the fish bug, it will soon take over your mind. Drive down to the nearest fish store and buy yourself the biggest tank your friends are willing to help you carry.

Hi Phil,

Well you'll be delighted to know there is a NANFA member that happens to live just down (South) Chickmauga Creek a few miles from you. I've also collected fish there quite a few times. Do you live above the old mill dam just into Georgia or below it? Your crayfish will eat just about anything, including live fish once they are larger. Most of of us feed our fish frozen foods like bloodworms, brine shrimp, daphnia, etc. They can be purchased at any pet store. Some of us also use live foods like blackworms. Some fish will eventually take processed foods. Your sculpins will also eat anything they can fit in their gigantic mouths, including darters. If you're collecting by yoursel a trap is handy, especially since you have creekfront property. You can also try a dipnet and sweep it under roots and banks or kick downstream into it in faster water while flipping bigger rocks out of the way. A seine over 4-6' wide can be pretty tricky solo. Your unknown fish could be quite a few things, and that could potentially differ by your location in the watershed, so that's why I asked using the dam as a reference point.

As the crow flies, I am about 5 miles south of the Old Mill Dam. It may be 10 miles of creek, I don't know for sure. The few fish I have caught, I caught in some 2-3" deep pools near fast moving water. I could catch 30 crayfish per hour if I wanted, they are EVERYWHERE. I have a feeling they are why fish are so scarce where I have been looking. I tried a 10 foot seine with a friend but the current was too strong and my net needs alot more weights, the fish could get by under my net. I have tried some dip nets, but my technique must need work because I can't seem to sneak up on and catch anything over 1" long. I would like to have a few 2-3" fish. I have 5 gal, 10 gal, and 20 gal empty tanks that I would like to fill later on.

About the feeding: I have been putting freeze dried bloodworms and goldfish flakes in the water (that's all I have) and the flakes seem to drift down and dissapear later but they might be settling under the rocks (do you think my fish eat those?). The blood worms don't appear to sink very often and end up sticking to the sides of the tank. My fish never leave the bottom and rarely even come out from under the rocks. I would like to actually see them eating for peace of mind, any ideas on food delivery?

Also a question about the water - I have been using water from the creek and mixing it about 50% with spring water from about 3 miles up the road. The creek water is quite muddy looking and the spring water is crystal clear, I just have to let it warm before putting it in the tank, it is very COLD year round. The fish seem to be hardy and like the water fine. I have a good current going in the 10 gal tank. Does this water method sound OK?

My sorry to tell you Phil, but you have been bitten by the fish bug, it will soon take over your mind. Drive down to the nearest fish store and buy yourself the biggest tank your friends are willing to help you carry.

Another lucky thing for me: my office is next door to a fish store (saltwater only unfortunately) but I am good friends with the owner - he has given me one tank already for free that had a tiny crack right at the top edge, so I hope to get more freebies from him. He is an expert plumber and aquarium setup guy, so I may need him down the road whenever I decide to go big. Right now I just want to learn some basics and raise some fish to get started. The act of catching the fish, ID-ing them, and keeping them alive and well is the fun for me - NOT buying some tropical fish from another country. All my fish will be from 300 yards out my back door!

Try your seine moving cross current to the bank or even downstream. If your weights won't stay on the bottom try leaning it back a little more or just sew on some more egg sinkers. Just keep on trying a variety of habitats. The people that live at the dam are fairly nice and I remeber getting about 15-20 species there. There isn't too much for a few miles upstream. Hopefully Casper sees this soon and chimes in since he lives about 15 minutes or less from you. I would just go with tap water (well I presume?) and if you like using the spring water keep on using it. S. Chick Creek is rarely clear, even in the heat of summer at low flows. With the sediment and nutrients that make inputs there is always some turbidity. As for your food, go to the frozen stuff, it sinks. Flakes for benthic fish are pretty useless.

Try your seine moving cross current to the bank or even downstream. If your weights won't stay on the bottom try leaning it back a little more or just sew on some more egg sinkers. Just keep on trying a variety of habitats. The people that live at the dam are fairly nice and I remeber getting about 15-20 species there. There isn't too much for a few miles upstream. Hopefully Casper sees this soon and chimes in since he lives about 15 minutes or less from you. I would just go with tap water (well I presume?) and if you like using the spring water keep on using it. S. Chick Creek is rarely clear, even in the heat of summer at low flows. With the sediment and nutrients that make inputs there is always some turbidity. As for your food, go to the frozen stuff, it sinks. Flakes for benthic fish are pretty useless.

OK Thanks for the advice. My kids are "helping" me today so wish me luck. I will try some sinking foods too.

They also like the frozen food better. My darters will pick at the freeze dried bloodworms if they get hungry enough. Frozen bloodworms are a big hit, I haven't had a native fish yet that didn't love them.

Sculpins are another matter. They pretty much demand live food. If it isn't moving, they aren't interested. Watch the sculpins carefully, they will eat any fish small enough to fit into their rather large mouths. I kept a couple of banded sculpins, but they were short on personality and long on appetite for other fish.

I started out as a boy keeping darters from the creek on my farm. Got back into it last year, and I'm now prowling the creeks in the Cumberland watershed in KY, and finding all sorts of interesting things. It gets addicting. I can't see a stream now without wanting to sweep a net or flip over a few rocks to see what's in there.