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Intros and Questions

Started by Guest_SnowShrimp_* , Oct 27 2008 03:31 AM

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7 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_SnowShrimp_*

Guests

Posted 27 October 2008 - 03:31 AM

I've been lurking your fine forum here for a couple of days and decided it's time to introduce myself.

Hi! I'm Matt. I'm in Grand Forks, ND; within a five minute walk of the confluence of the Red and Red Lake Rivers.

About 5 years ago I kept a sucker and some little minnows that I brought home from the bait tank at work, but I had no idea at the time their was a native fish hobby. I thought I was being a little odd actually. Unfortunately I was terribly inexperienced and didn't realize how disease ridden that bait tank was. The poor guys didn't last long. Since then I've kept a few goldfish in a 20g tank but the idea of keeping a local fish has always stuck in the back of my mind. I stumbled/googled across this website after wondering if bullheads can be successfully kept in a home aquarium, and was delightedly surprised to find this little nest knowledge and knowledgeable folks. The forum search convinced me that it is not only possible, but actually an ideal fish for my first serious foray into native species. I've always had a thing for bottom dwellers, they're apparently hardy enough to tolerate my somewhat ham fisted yet loving care, and, if my childhood memories serve me well, catching them is almost as easy as politely requesting that they hop into your bucket. Hope I'm not being to long winded here :shock:

So, I've settled on a single bullhead (black seem to be the most common here, but I'll take what I catch) in a tank somewhere in the neighborhood of 100g, taking care to insure sufficient turning space for the lil' water kitty. I want to make sure I do everything right so I'm making myself wait until next spring to collect my fish. That'll give me plenty of time to get together the necessary info and equipment and get a nice little home set up for him.

Now, those questions I mentioned;
What would be the ideal substrate? I don't intend to plant, but I would like it to look as natural as possible. No pink gravel for me.
Will my city tap water (treated for chlorine) work, or do I need to use water from the same creek the fish is from?

I didn't see these questions answered anywhere else, but if they have been I apologize and would appreciate a pointing in the right direction. I hope ya'll won't mind me picking at your brains over the course of winter. Of course any and all tips, tricks, and experiences that you folks that have already kept bullheads might want to throw my way will be hugely appreciated.

And yes, I believe a NANFA membership will be in order.

Thanks all
~Mathieu

#2 Guest_dmarkley_*

Guests

Posted 27 October 2008 - 06:42 AM

I've been lurking your fine forum here for a couple of days and decided it's time to introduce myself.

Hi! I'm Matt. I'm in Grand Forks, ND; within a five minute walk of the confluence of the Red and Red Lake Rivers.

About 5 years ago I kept a sucker and some little minnows that I brought home from the bait tank at work, but I had no idea at the time their was a native fish hobby. I thought I was being a little odd actually. Unfortunately I was terribly inexperienced and didn't realize how disease ridden that bait tank was. The poor guys didn't last long. Since then I've kept a few goldfish in a 20g tank but the idea of keeping a local fish has always stuck in the back of my mind. I stumbled/googled across this website after wondering if bullheads can be successfully kept in a home aquarium, and was delightedly surprised to find this little nest knowledge and knowledgeable folks. The forum search convinced me that it is not only possible, but actually an ideal fish for my first serious foray into native species. I've always had a thing for bottom dwellers, they're apparently hardy enough to tolerate my somewhat ham fisted yet loving care, and, if my childhood memories serve me well, catching them is almost as easy as politely requesting that they hop into your bucket. Hope I'm not being to long winded here

So, I've settled on a single bullhead (black seem to be the most common here, but I'll take what I catch) in a tank somewhere in the neighborhood of 100g, taking care to insure sufficient turning space for the lil' water kitty. I want to make sure I do everything right so I'm making myself wait until next spring to collect my fish. That'll give me plenty of time to get together the necessary info and equipment and get a nice little home set up for him.

Now, those questions I mentioned;
What would be the ideal substrate? I don't intend to plant, but I would like it to look as natural as possible. No pink gravel for me.
Will my city tap water (treated for chlorine) work, or do I need to use water from the same creek the fish is from?

I didn't see these questions answered anywhere else, but if they have been I apologize and would appreciate a pointing in the right direction. I hope ya'll won't mind me picking at your brains over the course of winter. Of course any and all tips, tricks, and experiences that you folks that have already kept bullheads might want to throw my way will be hugely appreciated.

And yes, I believe a NANFA membership will be in order.

Thanks all
~Mathieu

The ideal substrate is gravel/stones/sand right from where you catch your bullhead! Plus, it's free! Otherwise, I am sure your LFS has some natural type gravels you can use. Just don't get large pebbles that food can get trapped underneath.

Your city water will work well as long as you use a dechlorinator. Make sure you use a dechlorinator suitable for your water. Check the water authority to see if they use chlorine or chloramines.

I just caught a small yellow bullhead (about 3 inches) and he's doing fine. Do beware though that these critters will eat anything they can get in their big mouths so choose tankmates carefully.

Dean

#3 Michael Wolfe

Board of Directors

North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage

Posted 27 October 2008 - 10:53 AM

Don't be afraid to try some live plants... bullheads can do some re-arranging but they are not that destructuve to plants... I have had some rather good luck with them just getting used to larger plants as part of the structure...

Since you have the time to read up a little, consider a somewhat deeper substrate and some live plants... Other than that, I agree with the previous poster on substrate and water

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

#4 Guest_Irate Mormon_*

Guests

Posted 27 October 2008 - 11:02 AM

Waiting for BulldeadsRDfish to chime in here...

But yeah, definitely harvest your own substrate, native plants, and decorations (rocks, driftwood, Sobe bottles, tires, etc..).

hehe, I just noticed that typo - I think I'll just leave it alone - too funny!

#5 Guest_MUBOTE_*

Guests

Posted 27 October 2008 - 03:43 PM

They like to hide in things, especially hollow logs. If you can find a big, fat, round log, and drill a hole a really wide tunnel through it, not only does it look good, but he'll have a perfect place to live. You're lucky you live near water.

#6 Guest_fishlvr_*

Guests

Posted 27 October 2008 - 03:58 PM

As far as plants, they don't seem to be as destructive to them when they have sufficient hiding places because they won't try to "dig" into the plants to hide, IME.

#7 Guest_SnowShrimp_*

Guests

Posted 29 October 2008 - 11:39 AM

Thanks for the great advice all. Of course answers tend to lead to more questions.

I took a cruise through the native plants forum and that greatly lessened my fears of planting the tank. If any of you've seen the Red River you'll know that it's practically flowing mud, hence our fantastic farm land. So would it be feasible to scoop up a few buckets of the river mud to put beneath a gravel layer, or would it be to silty and cloud up the water?

Second question: I went over to my lfs to see what they had for tanks. They have a 65 gallon that caught my eye. The dimensions are good for turning space for the bullhead, as it's on the square side of rectangular. Plus it fits my budget and space. Would this be acceptable from a volume stand point for a single bullhead? If so, what kind of filtration would you folks recommend. My experience on that subject is limited to my Whisper 20.

Thanks again for the help.

~Mathieu

#8 Guest_BullHeadsrdfish_*

Guests

Posted 30 October 2008 - 12:28 PM

I am not a big fan of actual "mud" for Bullhead tanks but I have found that IMO they prefer a sand substrate. Just go to a creek with a few 5gal Buckets and get what you need. They can be maintained on gravel and/or mud just In my experience sand works the best, and I usually find them on a soft substrate like sand.
For a single specimen of adult Bullhead I think 100gals is what I would try to shoot for. Not saying they cant be kept in a smaller tank but the larger volume of water and the space, I am sure is beneficial to there health. What are the actual dimensons of the 65gal? Keep in mind an adult Bullhead can reach 18'' if not bigger.
I would use ethier HOB (Hang-On Back) Filters or if you want to spend alittle money a quality canister filter. Bullheads dont like lots of current but it is essential to have adequete filtration when you have a large & messy adult Bullhead. Emperor 400 HOB Filters have served me very well over the years.
Your decorations and plants can also be easily harvested from the creek. Hope all my rambling helps.