Stocking a monster native fish aquarium, looking for suggestions

coyotethug

Gambusia
MFK Member
Sep 3, 2005
551
4
16
46
Michigan
Fellow monster fish keepers, I have been asked to help consult with a new public aquarium exhibit with native Michigan fish. The tank is 14' x 9' x 3.5' with a total volume of 3300 gallons. The idea of the tank is to house native fish which are commonly caught by anglers around the state. The system will have an appropriate chiller and a full commercial filtration system.

I have experience as a public aquarium biologist and have been in the commercial side of this hobby for two decades now, but I am not too ignorant to think I always have all of the answers so I figured this would be the best forum to look for some ideas and bounce ideas off of experienced native fish keepers. This is your chance to have input on a truly monster native aquarium.

My ideas are as follows:

Proposed species

largemouth bass
smallmouth bass
bluegill
warmouth
pumpkinseed
longear sunfish
green sunfish
longnose gar
shortnose gar
spotted gar
bullhead catfish
lake sturgeon (have access to hatchery raised fish and can exchange when they outgrow the system)
bowfin

This list is not all encompassing but the species composition maximizes the diversity of the tank and also allows for fish at all levels of such a deep tank. While species like musky, pike, pickerel, walleye, trout, perch, etc. were all discussed as well we have left them out because of either necessity for cooler water, poor competition with other species, high aggression or predation possibility, etc. Structure will mimic natural structure as much as possible. Rocky and sandy areas with submerged driftwood and possibly some realistic fake native plants.

Thanks for your time and help with this, I will post pictures as soon as the system is up and running.
 

carl_d_c

Exodon
MFK Member
Jun 21, 2014
69
5
23
Mineral Wells, Texas
The trick will be setting it up, and it not be real boring like the ones at Bass Pro Shops, etc...
The fish in those just look like prisoners, it's sad.
 

divemaster99

Dovii
MFK Member
Jan 10, 2014
4,795
385
107
Pittsburgh, PA
Most fish on that list are good candidates, but it wouldn't recommend largemouth bass as they'll eat fish up to the same size as themselves, or die trying.
 

coyotethug

Gambusia
MFK Member
Sep 3, 2005
551
4
16
46
Michigan
I was concerned about the bass over the long term, but figured they would be good until they got to 5 pounds or so as long as we could keep them well fed and their tank mates in their same size range. I had largemouth bass and various sunfish species together in smaller exhibits in the past, in the few hundred gallon range, and the sunfish were aggressive enough to hold their own once settled in.

Would it be better to add the largemouth bass last? Give time for the others to setup territories to defend. I agree that the tanks at Bass Pro and Cabellas are always depressing, fish are never healthy and they just look boring and depressing. I do have a couple of public aquarium biologists who will be maintaining the system and quarantining all fish. I would like to add schools of minnows, smelt, or some other schoaling baitfish to the tank but I know that even in a system this size they won't survive more than a month or so. It means constant resupply, but not out of the question if we can have a constant quarantine process going. Active predation keeps the fish stimulated, and the crowds interested.
 

divemaster99

Dovii
MFK Member
Jan 10, 2014
4,795
385
107
Pittsburgh, PA
I was concerned about the bass over the long term, but figured they would be good until they got to 5 pounds or so as long as we could keep them well fed and their tank mates in their same size range. I had largemouth bass and various sunfish species together in smaller exhibits in the past, in the few hundred gallon range, and the sunfish were aggressive enough to hold their own once settled in.

Would it be better to add the largemouth bass last? Give time for the others to setup territories to defend. I agree that the tanks at Bass Pro and Cabellas are always depressing, fish are never healthy and they just look boring and depressing. I do have a couple of public aquarium biologists who will be maintaining the system and quarantining all fish. I would like to add schools of minnows, smelt, or some other schoaling baitfish to the tank but I know that even in a system this size they won't survive more than a month or so. It means constant resupply, but not out of the question if we can have a constant quarantine process going. Active predation keeps the fish stimulated, and the crowds interested.
If you have to have LMBs then I'd say adding them last would help. SMBs aren't nearly as predatory (not to say they won't occasionally take down a sunfish, but not as often as largemouth) and would make a much better candidate IMO. I don't really see a point in constantly adding small fish that'll just get eaten but a school of smelt may be able to survive for a while if they're big enough.
 

MN_Rebel

Blue Tier VIP
MFK Member
Aug 5, 2008
5,686
126
340
North Pole
My concerns with mixing sunfish with larger predatory fishes, especially bass and bowfins. Largemouth, Smallmouth Bass and Bowfin are very efficient predators for sunfish and some sunfish species may be too small to be kept with these predatory fish. Longear sunfish subspecies in MI are pretty tiny and the green sunfish average size is even smaller than the longear sunfish unless you found a rare freaky giant green sunfish. Perhaps you can add rock bass and crappies instead of green and longear sunfish. Don't be afraid to add some hybrid sunfish, white bass, yellow bass and white perch in the mix. If you don't mind add something that's not native to MI, would be South Florida Brown Bullhead and perhaps larger wild type goldfish and common carps which can be found in MI too.
 

Duckman77

Piranha
MFK Member
May 9, 2005
427
192
76
46
Aurora, IL
Large pumpkinseeds are a nice looking sunfish and should be big enough to avoid being eaten. Freshwater drum might be a good one to add to the mix. A school of large yellow bass would be awesome.

Curious why you ruled out the walleye specifically? I would think a walleye or nice sized sauger would be cool.
 

MN_Rebel

Blue Tier VIP
MFK Member
Aug 5, 2008
5,686
126
340
North Pole
I too want to know why you want to avoid yellow perch. Yellow perch should be fine with all sunfish species, gars and bullheads assuming the yellow perch are enough big. Perhaps that's why most public aquariums have separated aquariums for panfish and larger gamefish.... less predation issues. Drum isn't bad choice and they are smaller on average (super slow growers).
 

I31

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Feb 1, 2007
839
52
61
omni
Been to a Cabelas where a school of sunfish were swimming one way and a 5lb+ lmb was cruising towards them. Just as they were going to pass each other, the lmb inhaled a sunfish continued on with it's tail fin sticking out of the mouth. I'd say leave lmb in, just keep restocking on sunnies.
 

MN_Rebel

Blue Tier VIP
MFK Member
Aug 5, 2008
5,686
126
340
North Pole
Been to a Cabelas where a school of sunfish were swimming one way and a 5lb+ lmb was cruising towards them. Just as they were going to pass each other, the lmb inhaled a sunfish continued on with it's tail fin sticking out of the mouth. I'd say leave lmb in, just keep restocking on sunnies.
Personally I believes that we shouldn't use Cabela and Bass Pro aquariums to compare with. Their husbandry are terrible, lot of health issues, water temperatures are cold as icy and they always replacing fish all times.
 
zoomed.com
hikariusa.com
aqaimports.com
Store