Striped Bass / Sturgeon Questions

[dawnmarie]

Hi MFK'ers, I am planning a display tank as part of the remodel of my marina Store/Office. I intend to showcase specie native to our area (California Delta). As I am located on the water (literally) I'm thinking a Flow thru setup using river water. Striped Bass(M. Sextalis), White Sturgeon(Acipenser Transmontanus) and Channel Catfish(Ictalurus Punctatus) are on my list for specie to stock. There are certainly many more choices and I'm open to ideas, however, the fishing portion of my business revolves around these. Hopefully no one will take offense at the idea of recreational fishing, but it is a fact of life. My thought is that the better educated the general public is about our fishery the less inclined they would be to support any measures that would destroy it (for example google "peripheral canal").
I am open to suggestions on all phases of this project :size, shape, construction, filtration, stocking choices, care and feeding, Etc.
Thanks in advance for your help and my apologies if you are offended.

 

[MultispeciesTamer]

Hi MFK'ers, I am planning a display tank as part of the remodel of my marina Store/Office. I intend to showcase specie native to our area (California Delta). As I am located on the water (literally) I'm thinking a Flow thru setup using river water. Striped Bass(M. Sextalis), White Sturgeon(Acipenser Transmontanus) and Channel Catfish(Ictalurus Punctatus) are on my list for specie to stock. There are certainly many more choices and I'm open to ideas, however, the fishing portion of my business revolves around these. Hopefully no one will take offense at the idea of recreational fishing, but it is a fact of life. My thought is that the better educated the general public is about our fishery the less inclined they would be to support any measures that would destroy it (for example google "peripheral canal").
I am open to suggestions on all phases of this project :size, shape, construction, filtration, stocking choices, care and feeding, Etc.
Thanks in advance for your help and my apologies if you are offended.

Sounds like a good plan I would love to see pics, bit of advice go as big as you can.

 

[sbuse]

go massive white sturgeon as you should know as you are interested in them and you have one in your avatar get massive i have seen one measured out to 12'....well ariated though you do plan a flow trough a few air stones wouldn't kill anything...don't apologize for ofending someone for fishing, cause if they keep fish in a tank they are just as "bad"...i love to fish and hunt i don't apologize for my actions ever, if someone dosen't like it tough...they don't need to be posting a responce to your question...i personally don't like advice from someone who is not willing to accept the facts of life...imo

 

[jr monster fish]

go massive white sturgeon as you should know as you are interested in them and you have one in your avatar get massive i have seen one measured out to 12'....well ariated though you do plan a flow trough a few air stones wouldn't kill anything...don't apologize for ofending someone for fishing, cause if they keep fish in a tank they are just as "bad"...i love to fish and hunt i don't apologize for my actions ever, if someone dosen't like it tough...they don't need to be posting a responce to your question...i personally don't like advice from someone who is not willing to accept the facts of life...imo

I fish all of the time. Besides if you eat a hamburger at McDonalds its much worse than a few salmon or bass.

 

[kzimmerman]

For your planned stocking, you will need a tank of several thousand gallons. Another option would be to get your stocking, and when they get big enough, eat em and get new ones. You also have to understand that if they are regulated gamefish, you cannot keep them unless they are of legal size.
Something that would be much more manageable is a tank of panfish, such as bluegill and largemouth. You may also want to look into wipers, the hybrid of striped bass and white perch, as these stay much smaller.
In terms of manageability, the stripers are doable, if you are willing to put in the space, time and money. You will need a tank of at least 600 gallons, and at least 4' wide. That's alot of tank, and your floor can't support it unless your slab on grade. You can pier and beam the floor to handle the extra weight, but now your looking at a significant investment in money, or time if you do it yourself. Also, a plywood tank, as noted above, would definitely be the most economical way to do it. Just remember to upgrade the glass thickness some, as your dealing with very large, very powerful fish. I once had a 62" striper tow my 12' sears gamefisher out of the ocean city inlet, against the incoming tide. Very strong.
If you are dead set on doing this, please keep us posted, we love to see big tanks. I might recomend that you do that in the DIY section, you would get more help from members who build their own tanks there.
Welcome to MFK!

 

[jr monster fish]

What river are you on? This looks like it will be really cool when its done.

 

[krichardson]

I fish all of the time. Besides if you eat a hamburger at McDonalds its much worse than a few salmon or bass.

We have a fishing forum here so there should'nt be too many naysayers.

 

[Noto]

Sounds like a fantastic setup! River flowthrough would be great, if feasible. You will need to check with appropriate authorities first; any time you use public waters like that you will have to jump through a lot of hoops. There may also be concerns about the water that your captive fish are swimming in re-entering the river untreated; you may need to treat it or shunt it to sewage.

The sturgeon will be the trickiest fish to keep. They are more sensitive to dissolved oxygen level, temperature, and contaminants than most gamefish are. Striped bass are less sensitive to water quality, but are open-water fish that may stress out when confined. Channel cats are of course nigh-indestructible.

Public aquariums are great sources of info. You can usually find at least one employee happy to chat about how they maintain their big fish. The Monterey Bay Aquarium would be a good place to start.

 

[shadowavenger77]

wow striped bass that would be a heck of a tank

 

[dawnmarie]

For your planned stocking, you will need a tank of several thousand gallons. Another option would be to get your stocking, and when they get big enough, eat em and get new ones. You also have to understand that if they are regulated gamefish, you cannot keep them unless they are of legal size.
Something that would be much more manageable is a tank of panfish, such as bluegill and largemouth. You may also want to look into wipers, the hybrid of striped bass and white perch, as these stay much smaller.
In terms of manageability, the stripers are doable, if you are willing to put in the space, time and money. You will need a tank of at least 600 gallons, and at least 4' wide. That's alot of tank, and your floor can't support it unless your slab on grade. You can pier and beam the floor to handle the extra weight, but now your looking at a significant investment in money, or time if you do it yourself. Also, a plywood tank, as noted above, would definitely be the most economical way to do it. Just remember to upgrade the glass thickness some, as your dealing with very large, very powerful fish. I once had a 62" striper tow my 12' sears gamefisher out of the ocean city inlet, against the incoming tide. Very strong.
If you are dead set on doing this, please keep us posted, we love to see big tanks. I might recomend that you do that in the DIY section, you would get more help from members who build their own tanks there.
Welcome to MFK!

Hi, thanks for your well thought out reply. You are correct in that regulated game fish cannot be in possession. I have found two exceptions for education and for research. By having a fishing resort I am able to qualify for what is referred to as a "Take" permit for educational purposes . These are not easy to come by and virtually impossible for aquaria enthusiasts to aquire.There is considerable reporting requirements and MUCH restriction on aquiring fish. The tank will indeed be slab on grade adjacent to my Store/office. It remains to be seen whether I am able to pull this off, but if I can it would be a cool feature and likely to attract new people to my business. DIY is how I build my business so a tank project is not impossible. I just wish I had been in the boat with you as being towed by a /V\ONSTER is just too much fun.