220 gallon Florida native tank

[coonass]

Thanks! That makes sense. I figured you used plywood strips around the bottom.

The strips around the bottom are actually pine. I wouldn't trust plywood in that application.

Also did you catch the gar? if yes, line or net? Don't they get aggressive with your sunfish?

I personally collected everything in the tank except for the siren. I caught the gar with a 10 ft cast net. They were so concentrated that I easily got 30+ in one cast and ruined the net cutting them all out. They were collected in a pool around culverts that drain Holey Land WMA into the L5 canal. The water was literally boiling with baby gar, brown haplos, and walking catfish all surface respiring. I got the fish on a Saturday and the following Tuesday everything in the pool was dead.

I haven't had any problems with the gar and sunfish yet. The sunfish are wary of the gar and are a bit too big to be eaten.

How often do you have to do water changes on a thank that size?

I do 25% weekly water changes. I would like to set up a drip water change system in the near future.

 

[coonass]

Wow impressive build and setup! Loving the natural river theme of this tank! Great stock too

Thanks! I was specifically going for an Everglades slough biotope.

 

[PUHUCBLMX2]

Thanks Coonass. I appreciate the quick and detailed response. Your set up good looking, it is also an interesting biotope to observe. Assuming I am not the only one interested, keep us informed as to the "gregarious aspect" of your tank. I am a bit interested to know about the relationship between your shrimp and your sunfish, do they not get harassed?(my cichlids mercilessly pecked the eyes of my most ferocious crayfish,at the same time my blue gill seemed to hold his own against the cichlid).

keep us updated.

 

[coonass]

Had a breakthrough last night. I offered strips of salmon filet to the gar for the first time and they took them without hesitation. I am really surprised at how easy this was! I've been feeding them discretely for the past week so that they know little fish come from me. They must also have been hungry because I noticed scrapes and split tails on some of the small sunfish. My wife was shooting the event with her Canon so I'll have some good pics to post soon.

PUHUCBLMX2, I did loose two shrimp this week. I found one of the large males dead and I watched one of the females die. It just laid on its side and stopped moving. I have never witnessed any aggression towards them from the other fish though.

 

[coonass]

One of the gar taking salmon filet. Feeding these fish just got so much easier!

 

[pcpolo111]

I'm in tampa, but I'll drive a few hours to catch something that cool


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[coonass]

I'm in tampa, but I'll drive a few hours to catch something that cool


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You don't need to go far to find FL gar near Tampa. I bet Green Swamp would be a cool place to collect.

 

[piranhaman00]

Wow thats an awesome tank. Well done!