Sand from a lake ok for my bass

[jpatz18]

I keeping a bass in my 65 gallon tank i have a magnum 350 filter. Im using the water from the lake and the sand from the lake then i will be slowly changing the water so that it does not shock the bass. Now my question will all the above work great? I still new at all this, what else should i get to make sure he lives?she small about 5 inches and is eating minnow from the same lake. I also can ge alligator gars for my 85 gallon one. Would it work the same way? Also i see a lot of the overflow tanks and such. Should i invest in one of those what are the benefits from them? Sorry for alll the question but i dont want them to die! I also do not have tap water i have well water with high rust" iron levels" Would the well work. I was also wonder if i had a new well put in (deep so i dont need a pump) and had it as a drip would i need to condition it. I have one of those under the kitchen sink filters. THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP

 

[CHOMPERS]

I think you should hold off on the alligator gar for now and just send them to me. The gar actually need a lot of turn around space (wide tank). What I really want to know about alligator gar is how to get them open

I am assuming that you are from Florida and not Australia since you didn’t mention anything about cisterns. A cistern is a barrel that holds rain water collected from your roof. Speaking in regards to the Florida aquifer, it is a good idea but not the most cost effective. Drilling that far down will cost between $1800 to well over $3000. My neighbor got a quote for a shallow well for $1800 and that was 20 years ago. Also, when I was a kid, we had an artesian well (Merritt Island). It quickly got sulfur in it and stank like Hell. You can do much better with a water softener or a RO system (reverse osmosis). You can get an RO system from the Home Depot for $150 and water softener from $150-$450.

And the sand from the lake is ok to use as long as you shut off your pumps/filters while cleaning. I am using sand in two of my tanks and I keep getting it in my pumps. It is causing accelerated wear and they lock up every now and then. I have a common sump and wet/dry in the works to fix the problem.

Lastly, if you put in an artesian well, assuming that it did not go through a sulfur or iron pocket, you would not have to condition it. Many of the rivers and lakes here are spring fed and are using this same water. If your well driller misses the aquifer (you will know this when he gives you some type of excuse why you need a pump) then the chances are good that you will need to condition the water. The pH levels here vary widely. I sank a shallow well in my back yard (44ft…plastic pipe and I hit a rock) and its water has a pH of less than 6.0 (it was way less than my test kit would go.)

 

[jpatz18]

yes i live in Fl. Melbourne 70 miles from orlando. But anys so my best bet is to use tap water and condtion it to take the clorine out. Shoulld i try and match all the levels as the bass old water or when i do water changes just to keep using the same water i only live 0.25 from the lake and wal mart is half a mile away. the gars i catch are only like 6 inches also there really small but i know it will row and fast.Wow i didnt know it cost that much to drill a well. How hard a large mouth to take care of? this is going to be a fun expierence i can catch them all day! I want 2 for my tank so they are not lonely.will they grow with the take?Because i plan on going up in sizes. So whats the best kind of filtration for the bass? I never knew taking care of fish was fun and watching them grow! I could probably get you a gar, if you wanted...Free of course if you could help me set-up the filteration system like yours. How long do you think it will take you and the cost?

 

[CHOMPERS]

I just made a sump filter for $35, not including the pump (biggest expense was the media). It is running on my 60g system. I also had made a wet/dry filter using an 11 gallon bucket and materials laying around the house. I only had to pay for a pump…if you want to call it that. I got one from Goodwill that came with a bunch of stuff in a tank. I ended up switching with one that I bought for ten dollars from Harbor Freight. That filter kept some native salt water fish alive in a 30g tank.

The best way to get your bass onto tap water is to do it very slowly. At each water change, give him lake water plus a little tap water. Increase the amount of tap water at each water change. The Outdoor World in South Orlando has tarpon (salt water) swimming with bass. They acclimate the tarpon to fresh water over a three month period. Take a water sample of both the lake and your tap water to a fish store and have them test both. If the water samples are similar, you can make it a faster transition.

I never had a largemouth, but I had a small mouth when I was younger. It was quite hardy and was easy to care for. It would eat anything that I would drop into the tank. I ended up returning it to the lake that it came from when I moved from my parent’s house. And yes, they will continue growing regardless of what size tank they are in.