native dream tank possible?

[geoffish]

Want to set up native tank. Plan is warmouth, pumkinseed, shadow bass, dollar sunfish eastern, longer sunfish. Starting with small fish but they will grow. I'll start with a 55 but will have to upgrade to 150+ eventually? Problem with some of these species is the males and females look different. I want the "pretty" ones. I'm hoping to go heavily planted. Will get dither fish if necessary. For just the fish listed what size tank would I need if they all survive to be adults? I'm aware some of these can get aggressive but I'm willing to try different things. Any beautiful native I should be considering? I'm probably going to get the 55 this weekend and start to get setup. I know nothing about planted tanks other than the Java fern I used to stick in gravel. My biggest fear will be vacuuming waste more than once a week or large water changes weekly as I know some of these guys can eat and are dirty. Is this possible or just a dream?

 

[Duckman77]

That's just about the tank I have now. Your dream is very much possible and not all that difficult. I would recommend the 150 you mentioned for the adult sizes of the fish you listed. I'm not too familiar with shadow bass though.

 

[geoffish]

Awesome. How often do you vacuum and do water changes?

 

[geoffish]

How expensive to feed them? I love giving live food but they probably won't get it every day... will a hang on the back filter work with the 55? Probably won't get a fancy canister till I go over 100..

 

[geoffish]

Do these guys tear out plants? Anybody have a picture of a tank like this?

 

[Duckman77]

I change water every 3-4 weeks. I have 2 emperor 400's and an fx6 on a 125 gallon. I feed primarily raw shrimp every two to three days.

 

[Duckman77]

 

[alecrromine]

i had almost a similar stock list in my 55 for a while. (I just grabbed some at random while my neighbors pond was being stocked.) I had a few pumpkinseed, couple redear sunfish, a carp, and green sunfish, and bluegill. they were all juvenile. I filtered it with two penguin 350s. it worked out well. i fed cichlid pellets, market shrimp, and red wrigglers, amd alabama jumpers. they were cool to watch for a few months before I put them in my neighbors pond. 30% water changes once a week. I never saw them fighting but one fish did die, and I don't know how or why. but they were all small.

 

[geoffish]

Emailed the dnr in my state. I don't even need a permit for any native fish. I just have to buy them legally. I know where to buy the ones I'm looking for. Except shadow bass, haven't found a source for those. Now I'm thinking of adding a grass pickerel. Hell if they only get a foot long they won't be able to eat my pumkinseed or my warmouth. Or will they?

 

[alecrromine]

Emailed the dnr in my state. I don't even need a permit for any native fish. I just have to buy them legally. I know where to buy the ones I'm looking for. Except shadow bass, haven't found a source for those. Now I'm thinking of adding a grass pickerel. Hell if they only get a foot long they won't be able to eat my pumkinseed or my warmouth. Or will they?

what state are you in? I like those laws. is fishing at a pay lake considered legally buying them? if that were the case you could easily find all the native species you could ask for, you may just have to fish a little.