(01-19-2015 03:58 PM)Eli Wrote: [ -> ]What's the volume of your tank?
I'm eyeing an 80gal set-up but am anxious to commit...due to prolonged, on-going commitment that is required. I don't think a tank is something that should be done half-assed so it would make prolonged getaways a challenge. Having to look for a tank sitter and making sure there is a backup power supply for oxygen in case of a power outage. Still, keeping some native panfish, stonecats, hogsuckers, shiners, and maybe even a grass pickerel would be beyond cool.
I could of course go with koi which are among the easiest species to keep, but they're not as cool as natives.
It's a 5gal. Looks bigger but it really is only 5gal.
Yeah, I'm realizing that once there is an aquarium, like any pets, it becomes really, really difficult for prolonged getaways. At least with tropicals, you can use automatic feeders. With natives, it may take a while to train them to take prepared food.
The other thing with natives is that they are dirty...very high bioload especially if you feed them live or frozen foods. It's best if you set up a planted tank to soak up all the nutrients.
Still, in the future, I'd like something like a 20 long.
Once you set up an 80gal, we can get you a small Grassie for the tank
They may top out at 8" so the 80gal could be OK.
The logistics of getting a grass pickerel back to my place ALIVE (and of getting it back to where it came from ALIVE should it not settle into tank life) are too challenging, and potentially heartbreaking should it die.
Baby pumkingseeds, baby crappie, a stonecat or a bullhead, some larger golden shiners, and maybe a hogsucker or whitesucker. That's my idea for a native tank. Maybe even a wild baby carp if I can catch one small enough.
As for the "dirtiness"...that's part of the expense. I'd be putting in a wicked filtration system (mucho $$) and also something to create some underwater current to simulate a riverine environment. Not only would it look cool, but the current would somewhat stunt the fishes' growth making them less likely to become territorial and produce less waste overall.
If you only keep stonecat and not bullhead, you could potentially have a big logperch in there too...as long as the crappie doesn't get too big
Log perch would be awesome as well...and readily available.
I get excited just thinking about this project, not even really knowing if it will ever come to fruition.
hmmm... logperch and stonecats are on my list for next year..... Stonecats are rare but possible from what I read, logperch should be possible if I can find them somewhere.
Stonecats - think fishing your bait (worm piece) tight to shoreline in just a foot or two of water in populated rivers. Low light.
Logperch are quite aggressive and will hit small spinners.
All the Stonecats I've caught were incidental. They have a habit of hiding under rocks or in between rocks. It's quite hard to get at them. They have all been caught in deeper water and in the middle of the day. I've fished in the evening and night at the same locations but never caught them.
Weird, huh?
I've only caught a handful of them along the way - all were incidental as yours. It may be a case that most of my fishing is low light (morning) as I am not good/happy in the sun or mid day heat.
But I will agree that rocks/rubble and/or submerged logs have always been present.
Also I do recall that most were early in the season (may thru early june), and waters in the river were swollen perhaps pushing them in to shoreline edges to escape the tiring current.
Perhaps not so weird............ just different
Yeah, probably time of year explain the difference in depth. I've only caught them in the summer during low water period. Could explain the deeper area where I find them.