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Tadpole Madtom Setup

Started by Guest_NVCichlids_* , Apr 13 2010 04:56 PM

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18 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_NVCichlids_*

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Posted 13 April 2010 - 04:56 PM

I am still messing around with what will be my madtom tank, but I am confused. I have caught a few in my day over open sand near rocks, but from the readings I have been reading, they prefer heavily planted sections.

Right now I have rock caves on the left half of the tank with two driftwood branches, the left side of the tank is a driftwood tangle (3 pieces stuck together to make a "root mass"...

Will this work for them? I currently just have duckweed covering 50% of the top, but was thinking of adding some vals. Do they need this/prefer this or am I just over aquascaping?

And as of now, I have two aquaclear 30's (against each side pane shooting towards the middle, one in the front, one in the back) and will have some HOB's as well for filtration. Is this adequate?

#2 Guest_gzeiger_*

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Posted 13 April 2010 - 09:15 PM

How big a tank are we talking about? That sounds way overboard on filtration to me. I wouldn't have thought of tadpole madtoms as being comfortable with a lot of current.

#3 Guest_stuber2_*

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Posted 13 April 2010 - 09:26 PM

I am still messing around with what will be my madtom tank, but I am confused. I have caught a few in my day over open sand near rocks, but from the readings I have been reading, they prefer heavily planted sections.

Right now I have rock caves on the left half of the tank with two driftwood branches, the left side of the tank is a driftwood tangle (3 pieces stuck together to make a "root mass"...

Will this work for them? I currently just have duckweed covering 50% of the top, but was thinking of adding some vals. Do they need this/prefer this or am I just over aquascaping?

And as of now, I have two aquaclear 30's (against each side pane shooting towards the middle, one in the front, one in the back) and will have some HOB's as well for filtration. Is this adequate?

I have my tadpole madtom in a 20H with two central mudminnows. I have three wendtii plants as well as hornwort and anacharis. For filtration, I use an aquaclear 20 and a small sponge filter. I have numerous rocks, driftwood, and a rock cave for the madtom. He does well in this setup, seems happy, will come out at night, and sometimes during the day. If he comes out during the day, he will play dead. I thought he was dead once, and went to scoop him out, and scared the crap out of him, as well as myself when he took off.

#4 Guest_NVCichlids_*

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Posted 13 April 2010 - 10:00 PM

its a 33 gallon XL (same blue print as a 55, just 12" tall ) I removed the powerheads and am going with a Marineland 400 biowheel instead.

#5 Guest_BTDarters_*

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Posted 14 April 2010 - 02:57 AM

Nate,

I would say that the madtoms would be "happier" if you added some more plants. Just make sure that you've got sufficient lighting (at least 2 watts per gallon), that your substrate is fertilized (using a Flourite mix or similar) and that you either CO2 inject or use an alternative carbon source like Flourish Excel. Your plants and your fish will thank you if you can follow those guidelines.

Brian

#6 Guest_NVCichlids_*

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Posted 14 April 2010 - 02:06 PM

What kind of plants are we talking about? Should it be some anacharis, cabomba, heavy vals ( I have around 1000 plants right now of this...) what should I be looking for?

#7 Guest_BTDarters_*

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Posted 17 April 2010 - 04:12 AM

Just about anything will do. Native or non-native plants, they don't care. Just know that the madtoms are going to like to hide among them. My personal recommendation - if you've already got a lot of Vals, go with that.

Brian

#8 Guest_NVCichlids_*

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Posted 17 April 2010 - 10:33 AM

vals are by far my favorite plant to work with. I will stick with them and allow it to be a grassy forest.

BTW, would Fieryblack shiner's work in this type of setup? (cyprinella pyrrhomelas)?

#9 Guest_Elijah_*

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Posted 06 May 2010 - 11:06 PM

Nate,

I would say that the madtoms would be "happier" if you added some more plants. Just make sure that you've got sufficient lighting (at least 2 watts per gallon), that your substrate is fertilized (using a Flourite mix or similar) and that you either CO2 inject or use an alternative carbon source like Flourish Excel. Your plants and your fish will thank you if you can follow those guidelines.

Brian

I have had problems with Flourish Excel melting my Vals. I would dose lower than reccomended if using it with Vals. Some other plants have this reaction as well, but most like it. I go the Diana Walstad route these days myself -no chemi fertilizers, no filters, just powerheads and great plant growth.
Planted tanks make for healthy happy fish!

#10 Guest_NVCichlids_*

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Posted 07 May 2010 - 08:20 AM

I am using DIY Co2, so everything goes well :-D

#11 Guest_nativeplanter_*

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Posted 07 May 2010 - 11:18 AM

I missed this conversation somehow. I must respectfully disagree with Brian; I have found fluorite, Flourish, and CO2 unnecessary.

#12 Guest_NVCichlids_*

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Posted 08 May 2010 - 09:14 AM

I missed this conversation somehow. I must respectfully disagree with Brian; I have found fluorite, Flourish, and CO2 unnecessary.

The only reason I am using Co2 is because I am trying to learn with it right now. My wife wants a complete planted rainbow tank... so I have been using DIY Co2 in all of my smaller tanks to try and learn what I need to tweek.

One of my 4 species of vals has just melted... which it has not done in other tanks. I will want to get cabomba.

#13 Guest_Thalan_*

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Posted 21 May 2010 - 12:03 AM

My madtom completely ignores the plants in his tank, instead he hides under a 2" pvc pipe cut lengthwise. When that got pulled out temporarily he still ignored the plants and hid inside a fake cat skull.

#14 Guest_NVCichlids_*

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Posted 21 May 2010 - 05:24 PM

I have noticed they all have their personal preferences. One hides in a "replica" bottle, one hides in a knot of wood, one hides in a 6" thick cluster of vals, and the last lays ontop of a piece of anubias right at the waters surface.

I would agree that they do not prefer one specific type of environment either. I have found one in a stream "darter environment" under a rock, and found some on a bank's undercut, some in weeds, some just swimming in branches... I wish I knew of a more specific place to look, but as of now, any place works.

#15 Guest_Irate Mormon_*

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Posted 10 June 2010 - 10:24 PM

My madtom completely ignores the plants in his tank, instead he hides under a 2" pvc pipe cut lengthwise. When that got pulled out temporarily he still ignored the plants and hid inside a fake cat skull.

A FAKE cat skull? If I had only known, I could have gotten you a real one :-)

#16 Guest_jrhodo_*

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Posted 13 June 2010 - 01:49 PM

I've discovered a way to see madtoms during daylight; feed glass worms. I don't know why, but my three only appear when I feed these. They ignore every other frozen and live food, at least while the lights are on.

#17 Guest_BTDarters_*

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Posted 13 June 2010 - 02:29 PM

Hmmm. I've feed glassworms to my fish and nothing ever seemed to like them. Maybe I'll have to get some for my madtoms this winter.

Brian

#18 Guest_NVCichlids_*

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Posted 14 June 2010 - 10:46 AM

I have noticed mine only come out during the day for redworms.

#19 Guest_NVCichlids_*

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Posted 16 June 2010 - 02:24 PM

I may have had some madtom breeding... I found a tiny (like .5" maybe .75" total length) madtom swimming in my tank last night... I now know after yesterday i now have atleast two males and two females with 2 unknown.