U.S. Native Stream Tank with DIY 3D Background & DIY Roots

[Chasmodes]

Thank you tlindsey! Yes, the tank is in the basement of my house. It's quite cool down there. The water temp last night was 62 F.

Thank you BIG-G. I actually treated them with an SG of 1.003 for three weeks. Prior to that, they were treated with salt for about three weeks at a lower SG. I read somewhere that 1.003 was about the max that I could do, and that is what finally did the ich in. It disappeared during the first week of the higher SG. My intention was to treat longer, but the fish were acting really sluggish, the tank clouded up, so I opted for the larger water change. I probably should have added the salt again and waited on the plants, because now I'm reluctant to add the salt. I guess I could set up a QT tank. There are no signs of any spots, and the fish are really lively again. I never treated for flukes though.

I cut back the photoperiod, and that helped. Do you think that the Vallisneria will be OK with the shorter photoperiod? I also stopped feeding flakes. Now, I'm down to one feeding each night of blackworms. My fish gobble them all up, so no leftover food any more.

I think that the plants will really help if they can start growing. I'm a bit worried that they might not like the lower water temp, so I'm considering adding a heater to bump the temp up a few degress. I really don't want to do that though.

How do you feel about having rooted plants hanging down? You may consider pothos vines.
I use them in a few of my tanks and they can really make a difference relatively fast.

Sure, I'd consider that! Kind of like aquaponics techniques, right? Do you have pics posted on this site of your set up?

 

[BIG-G]

Sure, I'd consider that! Kind of like aquaponics techniques, right? Do you have pics posted on this site of your set up?

No I don’t have any photos of my tanks with pothos.
The tanks I have them in are not really display tanks they were setup for breeding and not really too pretty to look at.
I have the roots in the tank the vine just kinda runs back and forth on top.
The tank has a led strip light on it but the vine just gets some natural light from a nearby window.

Check out these threads if you haven’t already.

Cheap plants, less nitrate! POTHOS

Thought I might as well make a DIY thread, I know its been done before but not the way I did it. I don't use a hob or anything for added flow, the plants are simply submerged a few inches in my water and the roots suck up nitrates and the plant grows... Simple. Each plant consumes 5-10ppm per...

www.monsterfishkeepers.com

Plant only filtration (why not popular in the hobby???)

I am on week #6 having not done a WC on the below 10 gallon. Only a 1 gallon top off once a week. I literally only do a WC to replenish mineral content/remove what cannot be measured once a month. The results speak for themselves.. I am not doing this on my larger tanks yet but am working on it...

www.monsterfishkeepers.com

 

[Chasmodes]

Thank you BIG-G! I don't have a window nearby, so I'd probably need to install a light source. I will read up on the two threads a bit more to see what others use in that situation. Ideally, I wouldn't mind trying to grow twisted sedge (Carex torta), since that plant dominates the shoreline gravel bed areas where I collect my fish.

 

[AaronKWolfe]

Here's a video of the new fish in my stream tank, now that they're acclimated. They're all so bold, not afraid of me when I clean the tank. They even try to eat the hairs on my arm when I clean algae off of the glass. In this video, I feed them blackworms using a turkey baster. I fed the minnows and dace flakes first, so they wouldn't pig out on the worms. Some of the fish are starting to color up more as well. I had 24 minutes of video clips at first, so I had to trim off 14 minutes of it to keep it from being too long. It was tough cutting out some of the scenes for me. Heck, I stayed up way too late last night watching these fish as it was. I'm so addicted to this tank. I hope you enjoy this video as much as I did making it.

I have a build thread in the DIY section if you'd like to see how this tank was done.

The species in the tank are as follows:
Darters:
Rainbow Darter (Etheostoma caeruleum)
Fantail Darter (Etheostoma flabellare)
Greenside Darter (Etheostoma blennioides)

Minnows, Shiners and Dace:
Eastern Blacknosed Dace (Rhinichthys atratulus)
Spottail Shiner (Notropis hudsonius))
Silverjaw Minnow (Notropis buccatus)
Longnose Dace (Rhinichthys cataractae)

Where'd you get the fish? I think a small 20 gallon native tank might be nice and was looking at some darters but can't find a source for them

 

[scott2613]

Where'd you get the fish? I think a small 20 gallon native tank might be nice and was looking at some darters but can't find a source for them

A number of sources out there, Aquabid.com often has darters, you can also check the links below.

Jonah's Aquarium - We sell native fishes - Shipping to the USA - Fish List

Online Fish Store: Aquarium Plants & Decorations | Arizona Aquatic Gardens

AZGardens.com is an online fish store that's one of the leading suppliers in the USA of farm-raised tropical fish, aquarium plants, decorations, and more.

www.azgardens.com

Zimmerman's Fish - North American Native Fish

We strive to provide a wide variety of North American native fishes to private aquarists, public aquariums, and for private pond stocking.

www.zimmermansfish.com

 

[Chasmodes]

Where'd you get the fish? I think a small 20 gallon native tank might be nice and was looking at some darters but can't find a source for them

Aaron, Scott is spot on with the links above. In my case, I collected my own from a stream local to me in Maryland, only about a 1/2 hour from my house. If you're in the US, you may be able to collect, depending on the laws of the state that you live in. Many states allow you to collect, others forbid it. Check your state laws prior to attempting to collect or transport fish. Good luck!

 

[AaronKWolfe]

Aaron, Scott is spot on with the links above. In my case, I collected my own from a stream local to me in Maryland, only about a 1/2 hour from my house. If you're in the US, you may be able to collect, depending on the laws of the state that you live in. Many states allow you to collect, others forbid it. Check your state laws prior to attempting to collect or transport fish. Good luck!

Thanks, In my state you are allowed to collect them, as long as they are within size (unless they are not a game fish, of which darters are not). I have tried microfishing a lot and could only catch minnows, matter a fact I have never seen or even caught darters (in a minnow trap)

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

First time I came across your project. Really spectacular and obviously a skillful labor of love.

Fish in the wild have stronger immune systems and carry all imaginale parasites but their immune system keeps them down. The stress of catching and rehoming into an unnatural environment kicks back their immune system a lot and the parasites and bacteria will raise their ugly head.

IDK f you QT'ed or treated them before adding to tank. I always take extra care to treat all fish that come from the wild at the very least from ALL external parasites and usually from internal too. This procedure is too quite stressful and leads to losses but better in the hospital tank than in your whole system.

 

[Chasmodes]

Thank you, Viktor! I treated the tank with salt and that seemed to work OK. I lost a couple fish early in the process due to an ich outbreak, but the salt beat it back pretty well. The fish seem like they're doing OK, flashing once in a while. I thought about treating them with Prazipro, but, I'm reluctant, since whatever parasite (unseen) that's causing the scratching seems to irritate them slightly, not debilitate them, that their immune systems are keeping things from getting worse. I truly believe that diet plays a key role in keeping these fish healthy, and their immune systems. I feed flakes to the minnows, shiners and dace to fill them up a little bit so that the darters get their fill of the next serving, live blackworms. All of the fish gorge themselves on blackworms. I feed them frozen brine shrimp, and have frozen bloodworms too, but haven't tried them. The blackworms are cheap and last a long time. I also have been keeping up on water changes to keep the water quality as good as I can.

I didn't QT the first batch of fish, just treated the tank. But, since I'm growing live plants now, that might not be the best option. Plus, I don't want to infect the fish that I've already treated. So, I set up a QT tank, cycled and ready for the next collection! I'll treat newcomers with salt at a 1.003 SG, along with Prazipro.

I hope to get out collecting soon. Next on my collection list, a central stoneroller to help with algae control. I'd also to add some satinfin shiners, and, perhaps rosyface shiners. I don't want to add too many fish as I'm pretty much fully stocked.

Thanks, In my state you are allowed to collect them, as long as they are within size (unless they are not a game fish, of which darters are not). I have tried microfishing a lot and could only catch minnows, matter a fact I have never seen or even caught darters (in a minnow trap)

Aaron, if local laws permit, try using a dipnet (like "The Perfect Dipnet" from Jonah's Aquarium, linked above) or a 6' seine. With a dipnet, you can scoop, of course, but a better technique is to face downstream, hold the net in place several feet ahead of you, and shuffle your feet while kicking up rocks to spook fish into your net, letting the current work with you. You can also do this with a 6' seine. Even better, when using the seine, is to have a buddy work with you, one person holds the net while the other shuffles fish into it. I caught all of my fish with these techniques. May I ask what state you live in? Maybe there are resources to tell you what species live in your local creeks, either in books or on the web. NANFA is a great resource.

Microfishing looks like a lot of fun. Lots of guys I know do it, and I may give it a try too. Sooner or later, you'll find some darters that way. It's just a bit more work, I guess.

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

FWIW, I use potassium permanganate baths, at least 3 baths of 15 min each, when I treat wild fish. It is extremely harsh on fish though.

Do you raise your own blackworms?