Javascript Disabled Detected

You currently have javascript disabled. Several functions may not work. Please re-enable javascript to access full functionality.

8 foot long stream tank under construction

Started by Guest_Skipjack_* , Dec 12 2006 09:40 PM

«
Prev

Please log in to reply

77 replies to this topic

#61 Guest_fisgokie_*

Guests

Posted 10 April 2007 - 08:21 PM

man i been looking for this topic.. its totally awesome!!!!

Back to top

#62 Guest_flamingo_*

Guests

Posted 10 April 2007 - 08:49 PM

Must say... amazingness.

Can never have too many darters! I'd love to be DIY capable.. sadly I suck.

The tub filled with bowfin makes me sad too :razz:

Do you have any troubles feeding that many darters, especially in that size tank with the current? I have about 50.. and it takes about 4 feedings a day to ensure everyone is fed nicely. Maybe I just go overboard, but they eat a lot.

Back to top

#63 Guest_Skipjack_*

Guests

Posted 10 April 2007 - 09:06 PM

Must say... amazingness. Can never have too many darters! I'd love to be DIY capable.. sadly I suck.

The tub filled with bowfin makes me sad too

Do you have any troubles feeding that many darters, especially in that size tank with the current? I have about 50.. and it takes about 4 feedings a day to ensure everyone is fed nicely. Maybe I just go overboard, but they eat a lot.

I am not having any problems feeding them. I am feeding this tank heavily daily. Freezedried earthworm meal, freezedried bloodworms, then frozen bloodworms. Remember also that the refugium is as large as the tank itself, and gammarus, and other inverts continously get pumped into the tank.

Back to top

#64 Guest_Kanus_*

Guests

Posted 10 April 2007 - 10:05 PM

I am not having any problems feeding them. I am feeding this tank heavily daily. Freezedried earthworm meal, freezedried bloodworms, then frozen bloodworms. Remember also that the refugium is as large as the tank itself, and gammarus, and other inverts continously get pumped into the tank.

If you wouldn't mind can you post some info about your refugium? What sort of lighting, plants? How do you keep/culture a decent sized invert culture or does it just take care of itself? Pictures? I'm quite interested in refugiums and am planning one for my 75.

Back to top

#65 Guest_Skipjack_*

Guests

Posted 11 April 2007 - 06:29 PM

If you wouldn't mind can you post some info about your refugium? What sort of lighting, plants? How do you keep/culture a decent sized invert culture or does it just take care of itself? Pictures? I'm quite interested in refugiums and am planning one for my 75.

Well the refugium is about 175 gallons. Has 160 watts of flourescent lighting. About 4 inches of detritus in the bottom. About 50 lbs of hornwort, and some duckweed. The primary food source in the refugium is gammarus, which largely feed upon detritus. so there is virtually no maintenance there. The inverts get sucked through the system, and provide a good supplemental live food for the darters in the tank. The plants in the refugium keep nitrates very low.

Back to top

#66 Guest_farmertodd_*

Guests

Posted 11 April 2007 - 09:28 PM

Do you have any troubles feeding that many darters, especially in that size tank with the current? I have about 50.. and it takes about 4 feedings a day to ensure everyone is fed nicely. Maybe I just go overboard, but they eat a lot.

It actually makes feeding some of the tougher to feed darters easier, as they're all feeding in their ecological niches, which includes varying velocity of current. It will also help to resuspend food, thus pulling it back through the "chronology" of niches, so it reinforces where fish are distributed in the tank.

This is to say... Without lateral current like this, the tank is all a single habitat. A couple generalist feeders, or more aggressive feeders will dominate the food.

However, with the lateral current, you get a gradient of habitats, which different species respond to.

Ecologists call this habitat partitioning. It's really quite amazing to see how well it holds up in aquaria, especially with specialists like darters. It's even more amazing to have a "business as usual" scenario, where you can reliably predict where species will occur, then add a new species to the group, and watch things readjust.

I had this happen last summer when I added bluebreast darters. It totally shifted where different species frequently occurred and fed. The bluebreasts wanted the fastest, most rocky area (which they partition themselves into territories), and through their aggression, shoved variegate darter twice their size off into peripheral loose rocks, which pushed out the greensides and logperch, which shifted where the rainbow darter occurred, which... you get the idea. The Iowa darter like to hang out in the vegetation at the quiet end lol.

Fun, fun stuff!

Todd

Back to top

#67 Guest_Zephead4747_*

Guests

Posted 11 April 2007 - 09:48 PM

I'm jealous... that tank is setup excellently and the fish are awesome.

Back to top

#68 Guest_RichardA_*

Guests

Posted 25 October 2007 - 06:09 PM

Very nice setup!

How about some updates on this and maybe some new pics......

Back to top

#69 Guest_iliketoswim_*

Guests

Posted 28 October 2007 - 10:57 PM

would you be able to put trout in there?...small ones

Back to top

#70 Guest_Skipjack_*

Guests

Posted 28 October 2007 - 11:02 PM

I have not taken updated pics, it is close to what you see in the thread at this point. More algae on the glass maybe.

Trout.

No, I do not have a chiller on this tank, and the summer temps would stress or kill trout. I like the Idea, but when the day comes that I decide to keep brook trout, the tank for them will be set up right.

Back to top

#71 Guest_Skipjack_*

Guests

Posted 31 October 2007 - 07:32 PM

Guys, split this topic. Look under here. http://forum.nanfa.o...?showtopic=2976

Back to top

#72 Guest_NateTessler13_*

Guests

Posted 05 November 2007 - 12:40 PM

Matt, link me for the Freeze-dried bulk food that you use. Please?

Back to top

#73 Guest_kzimmerman_*

Guests

Posted 06 March 2009 - 10:10 AM

That is one cool tank! I've been thinking of doing an 8' by 4' by 2' for quite awhile, but was alway's put off by the thickness of the glass. How thick is your glass? Where did you get it? I would like to find a source for half inch glass if I could. Shark tank here I come!

edit: oops! Didn't notice this was a two year old thread! My bad!

Edited by kzimmerman, 06 March 2009 - 10:26 AM.

Back to top

#74 Guest_tnaylorj_*

Guests

Posted 30 July 2009 - 02:33 PM

This is very impressive..... I would never would think that this would work, because isn't wood porous? I feel so confused and like such a noob. Very inspiring, makes me want to build my own gar tank.....

Edited by tnaylorj, 30 July 2009 - 02:33 PM.

Back to top

#75 Guest_Uland_*

Guests

Posted 30 July 2009 - 03:13 PM

He's used woven roving and epoxy to seal the tank.

Has anyone heard from Matt (Skipjack)? I've been unable to contact him for many months.

Back to top

#76 Guest_gzeiger_*

Guests

Posted 30 July 2009 - 04:54 PM

That tank is wonderful! Can anybody explain how he rooted the hornwort? Mine is always... defective.

Back to top

#77 Guest_CATfishTONY_*

Guests

Posted 30 July 2009 - 07:03 PM

He's used woven roving and epoxy to seal the tank.

Has anyone heard from Matt (Skipjack)? I've been unable to contact him for many months.

Me as well.

Back to top

#78 Guest_jblaylock_*

Guests

Posted 01 August 2009 - 09:57 PM

This is very impressive..... I would never would think that this would work, because isn't wood porous? I feel so confused and like such a noob. Very inspiring, makes me want to build my own gar tank.....

The wood is seal with Epoxy. Google 'plywood fishtank' and you'll get your answers. I've been thinking about doing one myself.