the native tank everyone wants to have!

[fisher12889]

thanx, all those reasons plus of trout they are my number one favorite...second or tide for first place fish overall with lake sturgeon...i am buing a minni fridge tommarow to convert into a chiller so i don't have to spend $100's on a chiller...till i buld the pond as i couldn't chill the pond with a minni fridge...i figured that 3 brookies in a 55gal is fine as the small creek breed strain they are will top out at 10" give or take...my only concern is to get them eatting witch they have shown great steps in already...also these are fish that alot of people want and can't get do to a lack of knowladge for keeping and availibility...i don't know of anyone that has trout in personal stock that isn't a large public aquarium or a cabelas type store...even they have a small amount...

I think the main reason the brookies in small streams stay small is because there are limited amounts of food and space, and also (at least here in Colorado) the small streams tend to be at a high altitude, and therefore they tend to have a shorter growing season. On top of all that, they must expend energy to fight the current, which slows their growth. There are lakes in CO between about 9,500'-12,500' in elevation that can grow brookies to 18"-22", yet the fish living in the inlet and outlet streams may never reach 10". They are the exact same strain, but the environment is much different. I think given the right care, you could expect yours to grow to anywhere between 12"-18".

Brookies can be very predatory at times, and I think a sculpin would have a good chance of getting eaten. I would try to catch some minnows from the same creek to see if they will eat them, or try to catch some aquatic insects. Take a net or seine with small holes, hold it against the bottom, downstream from you while standing in the current and shuffle your feet. This should kick up all sorts of creatures for your fish to eat. You could also try some worms. I have seen trout chase a nice juicy worm across a river, while they may rarely move more than a foot or so across the current for many foods.

 

[fisher12889]

I forgot to add, I think they will be fine in the 55 for awhile, but I would do at least 50% water changes a week, possibly every 3-4 days.

 

[sbuse]

i plan to do freaquent wc not for the water quality issue as i do hydroponics aswell, more so for the temp...they are they same strain yes, but what i was getting at is they wont get as big cause they at the size they are are atleast 1/2 to 3/4 done with their life span as brookies only live 5 yrs average...in that small creek to get the size they are they have a few years under their belt...i also expect them to top out at 10"+- due to the fact that the foods they will be getting will not be the same as a coaster or salty will have access to...the current factor isnt as much of a limiting factor as you may think...ex gatfs and other fast current predators that get big...it is more or less the the food intake and temp(colder the water slower metabolism)...if i were to get the babies and had my pond i would expect them to get to 20"+ as they wouldn't have any limiting factors and they would be eatting prime foods their whole lives instead of part of them...i don't mind if the sculpins or minnows i get are eatten as they will be WC and i would encurage it...as for the seining of the creek it is 1hr away and i don't plan on running up there for a while, but i will get all kinds of insects from around here to give them aswell as minnows...

i love trout and they are my specialty if you will...this challenge is right up my alley and i am ready for it...i will document anything i find of interest to benifit future trout keepers...to make them a more commonly kept native fish as they are more then disurving of a deticated tank space...

 

[Mikeberg]

Wow, I always wanted to have trout too, the chiller has stoped me. How are you converting the frige? Are you just drilling a hole in it and running copper tubing throught it in a coil & then back to the tank?
I have an extra full size frige in the garage I could use.
I would want Brook Trout & Tiger Trout and maybe some others if I made a pond for them.
I will have to check my basement tanks temp. this summer, its cold enough now but I can't remember what its like in the summer even though its still cool down here.

Anyway great fish, I wish you good luck with them.

 

[sbuse]

Wow, I always wanted to have trout too, the chiller has stoped me. How are you converting the frige? Are you just drilling a hole in it and running copper tubing throught it in a coil & then back to the tank?
I have an extra full size frige in the garage I could use.
I would want Brook Trout & Tiger Trout and maybe some others if I made a pond for them.
I will have to check my basement tanks temp. this summer, its cold enough now but I can't remember what its like in the summer even though its still cool down here.

Anyway great fish, I wish you good luck with them.

thanx...fridge convertion is just like you discribed only i will use a mini fridge for this setup...for a pond a chest deep freezer would surfice with the same method...if you were to do browns or bows you wouldn't need a chiller, as they are more adapt to "warmer" water...brookies do best 50-60f...bows and browns could do well in 70-75f and colder...tigers might do well with the bows and browns as they grow fast, eat well and the brown in them could make them "warmer" water tolerable...i know they are a much hardier trout due to the brown in them...

 

[sbuse]

also on the fridge i will do copper inside only...the pass through will be plastic tube or pvc with silicone to seal the cold in...that way i don't have a problem with condensation getting inbetween the panels of the fridge and molding...as copper sweats witch makes it great for cooling the water...

 

[harty]

i have read life span up to 15 years, 7 average. and they would likely have a better chance achieving this in captivity given adequate care. something to consider. awesome specks!!

 

[msn_jrd]

i will document anything i find of interest to benifit future trout keepers...to make them a more commonly kept native fish as they are more then disurving of a deticated tank space...

Please do ill be waiting
When i get my new shop built i plan on building a monster tank in the office just for trout 600 to 800 gal just depends on how it all works out a long shallow tank
i also am going to build in a water fall over rocks to help with the DO some
and am going to modify as dehumidifier or a small ac unit i have both? for the chiller

i was also wanting to play around with this http://www.aqadvisor.com/ but not sure what fish would be some what close to a trout on the list? Any one got any idea?

 

[I31]

you're right, everyone wants to have

 

[Angler]

This is such a beautiful species. Their colors are so awsome. I am always bummed that awsome fish are far away and can be hard to obtain. I always take for granted that this awsome species is all around me.

I don't spend much time in the Native section and was not aware that you can convert a fridge to a chiller. Perhaps this is a project worth taking on one day.

Keep us updated!