Native tank plans

[alter40]

I have been thinking about doing some sort of native tank in the future and I'm having trouble finding a lot of information on native tanks. This tank will probably be in the 55g range. What species would be good for a tank like this? The ones that I know would be relatively easy to get around here are rock bass which I believe is actually a sunfish and not a bass, yellow perch, and crappie. Does anybody know anything about keeping these particular fish and how they get along together? Also how many would be able to fit in a 55g?

I would imagine I would need to have plenty of rocks in a tank like this and maybe a few plants as well but I'm not sure what types of plants are good for native tanks either.

Also what type of substrate is best for a tank like this? Do I need any powerheads?

I'm just trying to get a general idea of what I would need for a tank like this. I will have to wait till this spring when the lakes unfreeze before I can actually go out and get any fish so I have plenty of time.

 

[TabMorte]

Ohhh just make sure to look into your local laws. I know here it's illegal to catch and keep native species.

 

[ishar]

Well lets see. I kept a pumpkinseed sunfish in the summer and loved him, and I had hornwort and java moss in with him and he didn't bother any of it one bit.

I don't think they will generally touch plants- but I don't know much about the species you are speaking of other than the rock bass. I know when I was a kid fishing for rock bass it was always at a deep part with a lot of rocks (surprise!!) and current (base of a dam outlet). So I would think, though I am not sure, that a powerhead would be appreciated by rockbass but not necessary I wouldn't think.

For decor if it were my tank I would pile up rocks nicely like a cichlid tank (but less doctored, more natural looking) and then put some hardy plants in it like java ferns, anubias, mosses, hornwort, maybe some bacopa and then plant them on the rocks and in the gravel (not sand). I would make it a lower lighted tank for realism too . This is what I might do. On the other hand, as long as it is legal or you don't mind being illegal you might even take some of the plants and rocks from the area you caught the fish from (however with this comes pollutants, disease and foreign species... so maybe a lot of boiling would be needed on rocks and the plants washed thoroughly).

 

[alter40]

The rock bass that I mostly catch are usually in the shallow areas right on the shore hiding in the rocks where the ramps go out to my parents boat dock. They are rather easy to catch and I know I could probably catch some rather small ones which would be good for a home native tank. I will have to look for some plants in the rocks in the areas where I would be catching the fish and maybe find something in there.

I know the rock bass and crappie are both sunfish species. I wish I could find a pumpkin seed but I don't think I have ever caught one around here. Its usually some larger fish and then the ones that I have mentioned.

I don't know if the rock bass will need powerheads or not because I have seen them in calmer water but if the native fish actually prefer to have a powerhead or two in there thats not a problem either.

 

[ishar]

oh ok. Well if you find the rockies in calm spots and I find 'em in turbulent spots then I doubt they mind either way as long as they have lots of plant and rock cover- I DO know they like to hide .

My guess is that hornwort, java ferns, anubias, any plant that is robust and sturdy should be a fine choice. I don't know, but a hunch tells me that they would be fine with any plants- seastarr88 has reported success with a mulitude of plants with her sunfish, so I bet that the rockies would be fine with any plants you want. They'd likely appreciate as much as you can give them for cover.

I would think rockies are ok in groups as that's all I ever notice them in, so I bet with a bunch of rock and plant cover, in a 55G, you could get what, 10-12 3" fish in there an have room for growth and whatnot? I think that'd be amazing!

 

[alter40]

Well I would love to put a lot of plants in a tank like that if that is what they liked. I don't know if I can get 10-12 of them in a tank like that, don't they get rather large? I think a few of them would be amazing looking though.

What is the best way to catch small fish like that? Just hook and a line or is there a better way to do it so I get smaller fish?

 

[sweetpickles7]

Well you can always get a fish trap, or just catch them. I would probably put one powerhead in the tank, give it a natural feel and look. Um im would say to stay away from the crappie and idk to much about rock bass but the pic's that i just looked up they were small. Most native fish get pretty big, keep that in mind. Plants i think are a must, i believe they need higher oxygen levels. I would also wait for seastarr though, although i havent seen sea on lately?

 

[ishar]

I used a fly fishing rod and hook to catch my sunfish- a worm and hook would work just fine though. I agree about the plants being a must though, and a air stone should help with O2 levels I would think. I don't know how large rockbass get, but I figured that if you caught that many at a small size then you can just release them once they all get to big, release one or two and keep the rest type deal.

 

[alter40]

That would be cool to do. I wasn't sure if I should release them once I had them in a tank but if its ok then I would just add small ones when I do catch them then. I would probably get a powerhead for it and a bubble wall or something. Would flourite be a good substrate for a tank like that or would I be better off just going with larger cheap normal gravel?

 

[ishar]

well it would be expensive, but it won't make any difference to the fish as far as I can tell- the colour and texture/hardness likely match where they are from. It all depends on if you want to spend the money to make you plants flourish. That would be the only thing to consider I believe.

 

[alter40]

Ohh I didn't think flourite cost too much. I will probably just go with some either black or brown gravel then from walmart if I go the cheap route.

 

[brian1973]

I know one bag of flourite bought here locally cost 24 bucks, i mixed it into cheap gravel to save costs in my 20gal.

I have to urge you to only take into captivity what you can maintain or are willing to eat later, I know alot of states have outlawed releasing native wildlife if kept in captivity by private individuals. Not to mention the diseases that could be passed into an eco system inadvertantly.

On catching them I have had luck catching small bait fish and sunfish 1inchers using a casting net or minnow seine, if there are small tributaries coming of the lake/pond you are getting the fish from go there and look for the deeper holes and drag it with a minnow seine. If using a rod and reel go with a small ice fishing pole or ultra light outfit with a small hook and piece of worm.

 

[alter40]

My plan was using about a 4ft ultra light pole with a small hook and a piece of worm. I might have to try the method of using nets to catch them.

I'm looking into the legality of all of doing something like this but so far from what I have read as long as I have a valid fishing license. I really want to be able to have small tank around 5 or 10 gallons to attempt to breed minnows in for this tank as well but I may just end up buying them from the bait shop.

 

[sweetpickles7]

I would also go against releasing a fish, especially if you catch them when they havent even come close to maturing yet. The reason being that they might lose the skills that they would need to survive in the wild. I also did some research for you and found out that they rarely exceed 10 inches. As for substrate, i would put what ever type of substrate that you will be catching the fish from. Like if its sand with a few pebbles, go buy some play sand and maybe a 10gal bag of pebbles and put that in there.

 

[alter40]

I think that the lake is mostly rocky and muddy. Not the clearest water out there. I would probably have some decent sized rocks in there and a sandy gravel mix for the substrate.

 

[ishar]

I have been told that if you mix sand and gravel together you will get compaction. This makes absolute sense too- in making concrete you do just this to get as few air pockets as possible. So I would advise against that. Unless you put th gravel on top of the sand with a fine mesh between them to keep them separate.... but I am not sure that you benefit you at all...

 

[alter40]

Lol well so much for that idea. Maybe I will just do like a fine grained gravel or something.

 

[d3sc3n7]

Ya know, I'm not so sure that Pennsylvania natives will appreciate being stuck in a fish tank like that. I agree, its probably breaking the law to capture these "natives" and stick them in a fish tank.

 

[alter40]

Its not like I'm catching an 18" walleye and putting it in the tank. These are more like 2-3 inch long sunfish that many others have kept before. I have also heard that perch do well in a native home aquarium as well. These are fish that get to be the size of like plecos, oscars, or other large tropical fish like that. Its no different then somebody capturing tropicals in the wild and sending them over here for others to put in aquariums. I just need to meet the needs for these fish like you do for tropical or marine fish.

From what I have read on the PA websites it is legal as long as I'm not catching them to breed them and release them into the wild. That requires special permits.

Sunfish, perch, crappies, catfish, rock bass, suckers, carp, white bass, and other fish not listed in the rest of their regulations are in season year round and have no minimum size requirements. So I can try to catch them as small as possible and then raise them in my tank from the time they are young.

I think a native tank would be very interesting to have a great learning experience for me. Native fish are often thought of as bland looking fish but they can be very beautiful fish.

 

[d3sc3n7]

Ok, well you missed what I was getting at by a mile...but *thumbsups

No, really though...I think it will be a great setup, and your 2nd tank that is differs from your "standard" tank.