possible new bass tank setup

Hello,

I have been keeping saltwater for the past few years but have thought about switching to a bass or other type of native tank.
tank is 120 predrilled. What type of water movement and filters do most people use for bass? I was thinking slow movement and using a wet/dry with an algae scrubber. Is sand a good substrate, barebottom or small pebbles? Use fake plants or real in the tank, or none?

any good places to mailorder 3 or 4 fish or am i going to have to catch them locally?
would love to get rock bass, but think they love colder/faster water?


thanks for any info and suggetions

Hello and welcome JDL!

Centrarchids are pretty adaptable fish, so most any tank setup you try will work as long as your filtration is effective and the water stays oxygenated. Room temp is fine for any centrarchids. Fake or real plants would both be used by the fish, as would driftwood or stone decorations. Substrate is also up to you, though you may see more natural nesting behavior with a substrate of mixed-size gravel. You could keep quite a few rock bass in that tank, or a mixture of rock bass and other mid-sized natives such as sunfish, larger minnows, and bullheads.

Check out the vendor and trading dock sections below for some good places to order fish. Also be sure to check your state regulations on keeping native fish. By the way, if you update your profile to say where you live (state and drainage) it will be easier for us to advise you on regulations and collecting opportunities.

thanks for the info. I have about 2 months to prepare for the new tank setup (will take this long to tear down the sw tank and recycle).

If i go with rock bass (if i can find them) i'll go with a stream tank
hopefully i can find some black sand/gravel and some nice drift wood. That and some fake plants should be nice. For bio filter i can probably hook up some type of wet/dry while mechanical i'll have to come up with something.

now it is time to google some stream tank setups.

would love to get rock bass, but think they love colder/faster water?

I think both rock bass and smallmouth bass might appreciate slightly cooler water and some current, but certainly don't require it. The most reliable place I've seen to catch rock bass was at the fringes of beaver lodges in a still, relatively warm lake.

I've found darker colour substrate brings out the colour of the fish more. But as far as the rest bass can and will adapt to just about anything in the tank and be pretty happy. Good Luck!