Aquariums

[Bobby M.]

Last week I was given a, I guess it is about 35 gal, fish tank and it didn't come with a lid. I was just wondering if any of you guys had or know of a place I can pick up just a lid. I don't have the exact dimensions for it at this time but it would be easy to figure out. Also, if any of you keep an aquarium, especially one with native species in it. I would like to hear about what does and doesn't work with a tank like this. I have had the pleasure of maintaining an aquarium here at CofO with all kinds of creek fish and crawdads but I am still knew to this. any help would be greatly appreciated.

[KRflyfisher]

I have kept aquariums for a long time and worked in a pet store for a couple years in college. I think keeping native fish is not only easy but is a great way to better understand and study native baitfish and smaller predators. You can buy fancy hoods to fit your tank at a Petsmart, some Wal-marts, or any of the many petshops in Springfield. I have also had good luck with simple Plexiglas that I can cut to the exact size I need very easily. I just use the stuff at the local hardware store. The great thing about native fish is that you don’t really need a heater in the tank, they do great at room temperature.

As far as species any sunfish does really well. I recommend the longear sunfish, or even better orange spotted sunfish. These are very colorful and look great in the tank with out doing too much damage to tank decorations.

You can feed minnows, blood worms, maggots, basically anything you would use for bait.

I have kept several different species together, but it is best to make sure that the fish have plenty of room and plenty of cover to retreat to or they will get stressed out and succumb to disease easier.

A great site to check out is http://www.nativefish.org/ They have more info than you could imagine.

Best of luck-

KR

[Bobby M.]

Thanks for the info. I have considered the plexiglass lid but my wife is affraid it will make it look too white trash. Ha ha. My tank right now has a few things I was able to catch at a local stream, a few crawdads, two darters, 2 stonerollers, and a couple of yellow fin minnows. I plan on adding some sunfish, and maybe even a largemouth. here at CofO, we always have madtom catfish. these are great fish for the aquarium.

[KRflyfisher]

Actually the Plexiglas can look as good or as White Trash as you make it. I started using it because I had some unusually shaped tanks that I used for making display terrariums for housing poison dart frogs, red eyed tree frogs, and some very tiny day geckos. Using the Plexiglas does two things for you when done right: 1. it holds critters in, a particularly useful feature when housing crawdads for a long period of time because they tend to like to crawl out. And 2. It keeps evaporation (and therefore calcium stained glass) to a minimum. They also let plenty of light through and with the right florescent lighting you can grow aquatic plants pretty easily. It is easier though to buy the tank hood already made. I wish I had pictures to show you of some of the display tanks I have made, they are pretty cool, and if you have time it is worth the effort.

Watch out when adding the sunfish and bass, as soon as possible they will start eating everything in the aquarium they can get in thier mouths! But that is part of the fun too!

KR

[Bobby M.]

the whole idea of adding the bass and sunfish is to watch them eat everything. I can always add more minnows and crawdads. I love to watch these fish attach. Maybe that is why I like to throw topwater for bass so much.

[jjtroutbum]

i'm a planted tropical and marine reef service professional in the St. louis area there are many cons to keeping a native species aquarium but it can be done if you are willing to give a completely wild strain of fish the required ammount of maitence for water quality reasons that it would take to get them to behave naturally. iv seen bass crappie sunfish. kept by amature aquarists before but to the detriment of the fish. bass are a very messy fish for the aquirium. and do not have the many years of breeding like similar fish allready avalible to the hobby ie an oscar people are now going try and comare the fisheries breeding programs and this would be a huge mistake 10s of thousands of gallons compared to about 35 also pofessionals compaired to however well meaning hobyists. Even the huge aquariums that are used a Bass Pro, Conservation Dept mobile learning center were built by and monitered by paid professional biologists. people are going to do what they are going to do but as a person who belives in a cradle to grave principal to all petkeeping meanig if you cant to the best of your knowlege make an animal live longer and better in captivity than it could in the wild it has no bussiness being a pet

[Packman]

Whew....here we go! Wonder if a turtle would be cool?

[Brian K. Shaffer]

WOW! Nice to have you checking out the forum pages jjtroutbum! You can certainly enlighten us all on many levels. This topic will be big.. once a few other guys find it.

best fishes - Brian

[Fish Bork]

Stonerollers are really hard to keep in an aquarium, its hard to get them enough algae to eat. Plus they don't seem to take to the algae wafers or pellets. I've had good luck with smaller sunfish. Once they get big they tend to beat the crap out of each other. Very terriotorial fish. Madtoms do really well and always find something to eat in a native tank. Lids and lights are kind of expensive but just get the measurements and you can always find stuff online and usually for cheaper. Good luck with your tank.

[jOrOb]

I kept a loggerhead for about a year. Pretty boring except for when I would put small minnows in the tank.

35 is pretty small, so I would limit the number of fish. Also, I never had great success keeping crawdads with anything else. They always killed everything.

If you are good at woodworking, build a small wooden frame with a simple hinge lid for your tank that will sit up above your plexiglass. That is fuctional because plexi makes a perfect lid, and it isn't too white trash for your wife.

jOrOb