Hello everyone! I'm new to native fishkeeping, and haven't yet begun. I have a 30g tank sitting around waiting to be used. I was wondering if it would be large enough to keep some native Kentucky/Southern Indiana fish in? I live in Louisville about 5 minutes from the Ohio River, and have access to lots of little streams and creeks that run from it.
I am planning on having this be a planted stream-themed tank, and was just wondering what some suitable species would be for it. Ideally they would be locally found so that I could collect them myself. Any tips on methods for catching would be appreciated as well.
Thanks,
Conner
Newbie with 30g sitting empty...
Started by
Guest_Conner_*
, Aug 16 2008 05:32 PM
9 replies to this topic
#2
Guest_mander_*
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Posted 16 August 2008 - 07:37 PM
Nope, sorry, won't work, you better send that tank to me, cause you'll never be able to use it. 
Okay, I'll be good. When you say a planted stream theme, do you mean an aquatic stream, or a riparian stream with emergent plants? And when you say stream, I think current, something fast, but you are most likely thinking of a slow moving stream?
Okay, I'll be good. When you say a planted stream theme, do you mean an aquatic stream, or a riparian stream with emergent plants? And when you say stream, I think current, something fast, but you are most likely thinking of a slow moving stream?
#3
Guest_Conner_*
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Posted 16 August 2008 - 10:18 PM
Har har 
Sorry, I shoulda been more specific. I'm thinking slow-moving, fully aquatic stream. Completely submerged plants. Maybe some small rock structures and/or driftwood.
I'm starting pretty much from scratch here. I've got an old emperor HOB filter, but I was thinking of maybe trying a UGF with powerheads to make a slight current.
I'm interested in sunfish, darters, gobies, and minnows to start, but I don't really know much about sizes and tank requirements yet.
Sorry, I shoulda been more specific. I'm thinking slow-moving, fully aquatic stream. Completely submerged plants. Maybe some small rock structures and/or driftwood.
I'm starting pretty much from scratch here. I've got an old emperor HOB filter, but I was thinking of maybe trying a UGF with powerheads to make a slight current.
I'm interested in sunfish, darters, gobies, and minnows to start, but I don't really know much about sizes and tank requirements yet.
#4
Guest_schambers_*
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Posted 16 August 2008 - 10:52 PM
Welcome! Spend some time browsing this site, you'll get lots of ideas. When I plan a tank, I like to pick my favorite, must have fish first, then select tankmates for them.
I have a 30 gallon tank with natives in it. I have some dace, darters, mudminnows, orangespotted sunfish, and some small crayfish. Most of them are from Ohio.
I have a 30 gallon tank with natives in it. I have some dace, darters, mudminnows, orangespotted sunfish, and some small crayfish. Most of them are from Ohio.
Edited by schambers, 16 August 2008 - 10:54 PM.
#5
Guest_JohnO_*
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Posted 19 August 2008 - 09:16 AM
Hey, Louisville, Lexington here, or about 20 miles SW of it.
A 30 gal would work well for darters, and you're in luck there. You live on the doorstep of darter heaven, the Cumberland watershed. All sorts of varieties, many brilliantly colored, are about a two to three hour drive away. Both east and southern to southeast KY have a diverse darter population. That may sound like a long way to drive, but once you've seen what you can find, you'll want to go back and try again.
Personally, I love darters. They're fairly easy to keep, usually pretty even tempered, don't grow to a large size (3" is a typical adult size), and in breeding colors, they're very pretty. Lively little fellows, too, lots of personality. I have five species in a 75 gal tank, and they all seem to get along pretty well.
Locally, you should be able to find rainbows, fantails, and greenside. They seem to be everywhere. On forays into Red River Gorge, I've come up with spectacular examples of variegate and banded darters. So far, every trip down there has yielded a new and colorful species.
It's a good idea to give the tank plenty of water circulation, darters prefer smaller fast moving streams. As they like to perch on rocks, and hide under them (especially fantails), stacking flat creek rock to form a darter housing complex will make them happy. Food? Frozen bloodworms, they love that.
A 30 gal would work well for darters, and you're in luck there. You live on the doorstep of darter heaven, the Cumberland watershed. All sorts of varieties, many brilliantly colored, are about a two to three hour drive away. Both east and southern to southeast KY have a diverse darter population. That may sound like a long way to drive, but once you've seen what you can find, you'll want to go back and try again.
Personally, I love darters. They're fairly easy to keep, usually pretty even tempered, don't grow to a large size (3" is a typical adult size), and in breeding colors, they're very pretty. Lively little fellows, too, lots of personality. I have five species in a 75 gal tank, and they all seem to get along pretty well.
Locally, you should be able to find rainbows, fantails, and greenside. They seem to be everywhere. On forays into Red River Gorge, I've come up with spectacular examples of variegate and banded darters. So far, every trip down there has yielded a new and colorful species.
It's a good idea to give the tank plenty of water circulation, darters prefer smaller fast moving streams. As they like to perch on rocks, and hide under them (especially fantails), stacking flat creek rock to form a darter housing complex will make them happy. Food? Frozen bloodworms, they love that.
#6
Guest_Conner_*
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Posted 19 August 2008 - 04:21 PM
Cool! I'm planning on using dual powerheads with undergravel pvc connected to foam prefilters to provide a stream-like environment. I've been looking through everything I can, and I've decided that darters may be my favorite small native already, and I've never even seen one in person!
I'll definitely be collecting locally first, but I may have to make a trip to the Gorge or down by Cumberland for a little more diversity.
I don't really know anything about stocking native tanks. I would assume its similar to tropical tank stocking (as in numbers of fish). What kinds of numbers of fish could I keep if I had darters, smaller minnows, and maybe a madtom? I'm also thinking about invertebrates for the tank as well.
Thanks,
Conner
I'll definitely be collecting locally first, but I may have to make a trip to the Gorge or down by Cumberland for a little more diversity.
I don't really know anything about stocking native tanks. I would assume its similar to tropical tank stocking (as in numbers of fish). What kinds of numbers of fish could I keep if I had darters, smaller minnows, and maybe a madtom? I'm also thinking about invertebrates for the tank as well.
Thanks,
Conner
#7
Guest_Conner_*
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Posted 20 August 2008 - 01:58 AM
Hey JohnO, is October-November an okay time to be/start collecting in N. Kentucky? I'm up in Alaska until probably mid-September, and won't be able to get the aquarium set up immediately upon my return. And if it is ok, do I need to worry much about the fact that the aquarium is going to be substantially warmer than the creek water that I'm going to be taking the fish from? I'll be acclimating very gradually to try to prevent shock, but I just wanted to make sure I didn't need to wait until spring when the weather would be warming up to collect for this tank.
Thanks,
Conner
Thanks,
Conner
#8
Michael Wolfe
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Posted 20 August 2008 - 08:27 AM
Hey JohnO, is October-November an okay time to be/start collecting in N. Kentucky? I'm up in Alaska until probably mid-September, and won't be able to get the aquarium set up immediately upon my return. And if it is ok, do I need to worry much about the fact that the aquarium is going to be substantially warmer than the creek water that I'm going to be taking the fish from? I'll be acclimating very gradually to try to prevent shock, but I just wanted to make sure I didn't need to wait until spring when the weather would be warming up to collect for this tank.
Thanks,
Conner
Yes, fall collecting is just fine...in fact a little farther south (here in GA) it is almost required to collect in spring and fall as the summer is just too hot for transporting fish... would be nicer if your tank was in the basement (if you have one) as far as aclimating them... but they will be fine if you just go slowly to room temp and keep your tank well oxygenated.
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin
#9
Guest_Conner_*
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Posted 20 August 2008 - 12:46 PM
All I have is a dirt crawlspace, and don't feel like crawling on my hands and knees to look at a tank 
That's good to know. Thanks.
That's good to know. Thanks.
#10
Michael Wolfe
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Posted 20 August 2008 - 01:56 PM
All I have is a dirt crawlspace, and don't feel like crawling on my hands and knees to look at a tank
That's good to know. Thanks.
I don't understand, I have certainly crawled through a lot of weeds, mud, rocks, bridges, dams, snakes, etc. to see fish...
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin
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