# 36 Gallon Bowfront, Native Fish



## MWBradshaw (Mar 21, 2010)

I just purchased a 36 Gallon Bowfront from a LFS and I'm very excited about it. I had fish when I was a kid and I loved it. I currently have a 20 Gallon Long terrarium which is housing 3 tree frogs, a toad, and a frog tadpole. It's been a lot of fun but now I've decided it's time to follow through and a want I've had ever since I was a young child. As a kid I always wanted two things: a wet/dry terrarium for amphibians and reptiles (CHECK) and a fish tank with native MN fish species. Now I know a lot of people think it's illegal so I've attached the legal statement from the fishing regulations of MN. I plan to catch a couple real small yellow bullhead (non-game species) from a nearby pond and then the rest of what I put in the tank will be bought at a LFS about 20 minutes away. They sell all kinds of native species there !!
*
From Pg. 10 of the 2010 Minnesota Fishing Regulations:*




> Transport of fish for display in a home aquarium is legal under the following conditions:
> – Game fish purchased from an authorized licensee transported with the necessary documents (such as a sales receipt).
> – Anglers 16 or under may transport legally caught largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, rock bass, black crappie, white crappie, bluegill, pumpkinseed, green sunfish, orangespotted sunfish, and black, yellow, and brown bullhead. No more than four of each species may be transported at any one time, and any individual fish can be no longer than 10 inches. At no time may water from infested waters be transported. (See DNR Web site)


Now this is what I currently have for the tank (going to change soon):
*Filter*: Aqueon Power Filter 30
*Heater*: Aqueon Submersible Heater 200w
*Lighting*: Deluxe Full hood with a 17w T8 24" bulb
*Substrate*: MTS (hopefully) capped with Flourite original 

I plan to have a bullhead or two and a couple crawfish to inhabit the bottom layer of my aquarium and then a few bluegill/sunfish, crappies, and maybe a perch. I really want to find some nice driftwood and then add plants and rocks accordingly. The MTS should have enough ferts so I won't have to add any but I am thinking of getting a better bulb or two. Maybe Glo brand?
















This is what I have so far.........Can't wait to get er up and running!

I plan to start getting this project underway soon! I just gotta find some plants/driftwood first. So I'll keep updating.


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## RipariumGuy (Aug 6, 2009)

I have always wanted to do a tank like this! Do you think that the tank is a litte under filtered or over stocked? I cant wait to see how it turns out.
Jake


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## MWBradshaw (Mar 21, 2010)

JakeJ said:


> I have always wanted to do a tank like this! Do you think that the tank is a litte under filtered or over stocked? I cant wait to see how it turns out.
> Jake


I'm not sure, that was one thing I was kind of worried about. I don't know much about filtration. I got a filter recommended for my tank size but do you think I'll need a second filter? I have the room but I just wasn't sure it was necessary for this size and I wasn't going to spend the money without knowing forsure. I planned on having about 4-6 small native fish and maybe 2 crawfish.


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## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

If you are going to do plants, you will need to get a better light. I have the same tank, and the light fixture was just not enough. Coralife sells a 30" dual T5-NO fixture that fits the tank very well. big Al's has them


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## MWBradshaw (Mar 21, 2010)

Noahma said:


> If you are going to do plants, you will need to get a better light. I have the same tank, and the light fixture was just not enough. Coralife sells a 30" dual T5-NO fixture that fits the tank very well. big Al's has them


Thanks for the tip!! I appreciate it, so is it pretty necessary to run dual lights for live plants to do well then?


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## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

moreso the right intensity light. The fixture I have gives just enough to get all low lights, and a pretty good amount of mid light plants to grow well without any algae problems. Anything more intense and I have an algae problem lol.

I replaced the plastic top with a glass top, and then the light fixture. works great


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## MWBradshaw (Mar 21, 2010)

Noahma said:


> moreso the right intensity light. The fixture I have gives just enough to get all low lights, and a pretty good amount of mid light plants to grow well without any algae problems. Anything more intense and I have an algae problem lol.
> 
> I replaced the plastic top with a glass top, and then the light fixture. works great


If I were able to find a 30" fixture would it fit in the place of my other one? Like if I kept the plastic top, atleast while I get this tank going? I ask because you said you have the same aquarium.


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## Morainy (Feb 8, 2010)

Hi MWBradshaw,

I'm setting up a 36 gallon bowfront right now, too. Looks like the same tank. The light that came in the hood is only 20 Watts, regular flourescent. I like to have at least one watt per gallon, so I ordered a Coralife fixture from BigAlsOnline.ca It has 2 18 Watt T5 bulbs in it, one at 6500 K and one at 10,000 K. 

I am wondering the same thing -- is it going to fit on my tank? I will let you know as soon as it arrives. If you send me a PM, I will be able to send you the information when the light arrives next week. Otherwise, I will forget which thread this is, once it has dropped off the opening page!

However, I think that some pet stores (like Petcetera) sell a double strip light fixture that is the same size as the single strip. Is your light strip removable from the hood? (Mine is, it sits on a strip of glass) If so, you might be able to get the double light strip from Petcetera. It costs less than the Coralife fixture. All of these things are much cheaper in the States, too, than in Canada.

I have an Aquaclear 70 running on my tank, but so far no tank inhabitants or plants. The Aquaclear 70 is somewhat noisy. If you find that your filtration is inadequate, you can always add a sponge filter later.

Maybe I should take some pics and start a journal, too. Thanks for the inspiration.


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## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

If you ordered this light http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsU...5/cl0/coralifefwt5aqualightdoublestriplight30

then yes, it will fit on the tank itself. The hood that comes with the tank will have to go though, the glass area for the standard light is not wide enough, and will leave dark spots inside the tank. You can get the versa top (glass) which will let you take use of the full width of the tank. Remember with the T-5 lights, the watt/gal. does not work. The lights are more efficient than the old T-8.


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## MWBradshaw (Mar 21, 2010)

Noahma said:


> If you ordered this light http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsU...5/cl0/coralifefwt5aqualightdoublestriplight30
> 
> then yes, it will fit on the tank itself. The hood that comes with the tank will have to go though, the glass area for the standard light is not wide enough, and will leave dark spots inside the tank. You can get the versa top (glass) which will let you take use of the full width of the tank. Remember with the T-5 lights, the watt/gal. does not work. The lights are more efficient than the old T-8.


The only problem with glass canopies is that we have bowfront aquariums. So wouldn't those standard versa tops not fit?


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## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

MWBradshaw said:


> The only problem with glass canopies is that we have bowfront aquariums. So wouldn't those standard versa tops not fit?


They make one specifically for the bow front tanks. I have one on my 36 gal.
Aqueon part number 29603 and upc code 015905296038

My LFS usually has to order them, but they had a couple of the 36 kits they sell that had one.


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## MWBradshaw (Mar 21, 2010)

Yeah I was able to find some online, thanks! But shipping was like 30 bucks, rip off, so I'm going to see if I can find any locally here in MN.


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## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

MWBradshaw said:


> Yeah I was able to find some online, thanks! But shipping was like 30 bucks, rip off, so I'm going to see if I can find any locally here in MN.


HOLY! I did not realize shipping on something like that would be that high lol the box was pretty small. I bet a LFS can get you one without that much in shipping lol.


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## MWBradshaw (Mar 21, 2010)

Noahma said:


> HOLY! I did not realize shipping on something like that would be that high lol the box was pretty small. I bet a LFS can get you one without that much in shipping lol.


Yeah I plan to go where I got the aquarium from with the part number that you gave me, I double checked it on the Aqueon website! I hope that they can order it for me, otherwise I'll be stuck paying around $60 bucks for an item that's around $30. That just doesn't seem right....


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## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

MWBradshaw said:


> Yeah I plan to go where I got the aquarium from with the part number that you gave me, I double checked it on the Aqueon website! I hope that they can order it for me, otherwise I'll be stuck paying around $60 bucks for an item that's around $30. That just doesn't seem right....


Some LFS around your area should be able to get it. Especially if they carry other Aqueon products.


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## knm<>< (Mar 18, 2010)

MWBradshaw said:


> I plan to have a bullhead or two and a couple crawfish to inhabit the bottom layer of my aquarium and then a few bluegill/sunfish, crappies, and maybe a perch.


 
You do realize that these fish do not stay small and a 36gal will not be adequate to keep them in when they mature, right? Maybe you should look into keeping something smaller in this tank. (not trying to kill your childhood dreams, just give some info to think about)


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## MWBradshaw (Mar 21, 2010)

knm<>< said:


> You do realize that these fish do not stay small and a 36gal will not be adequate to keep them in when they mature, right? Maybe you should look into keeping something smaller in this tank. (not trying to kill your childhood dreams, just give some info to think about)


Yeah, I spend a lot of time fishing, so I know the mature sizes of all of these fish, but these fish are very small when they are juveniles and fry (which is what my LFS sells). I am, however, interested in the rate these fish grow. Once they outgrow my aquarium I have a friend's pond which they will go in. Once these native fish are out, I plan to re-evaluate my tank and start it up again with a lot of species I've seen/read about on here. I figured these native species would be good to start with since I'm new to this and some of them are very hearty.


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## MWBradshaw (Mar 21, 2010)

Noahma said:


> Some LFS around your area should be able to get it. Especially if they carry other Aqueon products.


I went today to the LFS where I purchased my aquarium and asked if they could order the glass top from Aqueon and they said that they couldn't make "special" orders. LAME :icon_mad: The only ones for a 36 bow front I can find online are like $30 which is fine but then shipping is about $30 as well. I do not want to pay $60, if I don't absolutely have to.


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## AquaNorth (Jan 27, 2010)

It's good to see a fellow Minnesotan on here. I used to know a guy who had a large display tank with Mn. native fish. He said it is hard to find compatable species do to there predatory nature. What natives are you planning on? Good luck please post pictures when you introduce them.


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## Aubzilla (Mar 2, 2008)

You could call other semi-local stores to see if they can order. You'd have to drive, but it'd still be less than $30 in shipping.


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## MWBradshaw (Mar 21, 2010)

AquaNorth said:


> It's good to see a fellow Minnesotan on here. I used to know a guy who had a large display tank with Mn. native fish. He said it is hard to find compatable species do to there predatory nature. What natives are you planning on? Good luck please post pictures when you introduce them.


I think your the first person I've seen on here from MN! Well I'm definitely planning on keeping the true predators out (for that reason and also because they are just much too large for an aquarium) but I plan on having a Sunfish or two, a crappie or two, and maybe a perch, and a bullhead to roam the bottoms (a total of 4-5 small juvenile fish). I think I'm gonna scrap the crayfish idea though since I've heard some stories of them eating/attacking fish and destroying plants, instead I might add a freshwater clam or two (still researching).

I purchased another HOB filter yesterday to help with filtration. It's a Rena Smartfilter 20 to go along with my other HOB filter (Aqueon Power Filter 30). 








I have to find a glass top that'll fit a bow front aquarium soon and get a new light fixture, one more suited for a planted aquarium. I have Mineralized Top Soil and Driftwood being delivered to me around the end of this upcoming week. Getting excited but searching for this glass top is kind of frustrating me


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## AquaNorth (Jan 27, 2010)

Sounds like you have a good plan. Are you planning tropical plants or pulling some out of white bear or forest lake. Forest lake pets has some native fish (sunfish crappies) have'nt seen bullheads or perch. I have a planted 75 gallon planted tank will discus,angels,neons,rasboras,and white clouds. I'm hoping to post my tank on here soon. Where have you tried to find the glass top?


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

MWBradshaw said:


> The only ones for a 36 bow front I can find online are like $30 which is fine but then shipping is about $30 as well. I do not want to pay $60, if I don't absolutely have to.


Try Craigslist.org. Or go to a glass shop and see if they can cut something that would work. Or maybe leave it with no top. There are so many other things to spend the money on instead of shipping.


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## MWBradshaw (Mar 21, 2010)

AquaNorth said:


> Sounds like you have a good plan. Are you planning tropical plants or pulling some out of white bear or forest lake. Forest lake pets has some native fish (sunfish crappies) have'nt seen bullheads or perch. I have a planted 75 gallon planted tank will discus,angels,neons,rasboras,and white clouds. I'm hoping to post my tank on here soon. Where have you tried to find the glass top?


Yeah, that's where I planned to get my sunnies/crappies. Just a couple. And I was thinking about getting a few plants from on here from others and I saw a couple awesome swords up at Forest Lake pet. Finding a perch there I was assuming was a stretch, but that's okay, as for the bullhead I have a pond nearby with a ton of them and they aren't a game species so you can take them. I was planning on one or two real small ones. I've just looked a lot online and asked at petsmart (which is where I got my aquarium).


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## AquaNorth (Jan 27, 2010)

Will Petsmart order the glass top for you? How about the tanks maker, do they have a website that you can email them or maybe a toll free phone number? They maybe could lead you to other stores in the area that may have the glass top. Also are you a member or have you attended the minnesota aquarium society. They meet at a church in roseville.


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## MWBradshaw (Mar 21, 2010)

AquaNorth said:


> Will Petsmart order the glass top for you? How about the tanks maker, do they have a website that you can email them or maybe a toll free phone number? They maybe could lead you to other stores in the area that may have the glass top. Also are you a member or have you attended the minnesota aquarium society. They meet at a church in roseville.


Petsmart said they "can't make special orders". And they Aqueon website doesn't have a number, just a catalog where you can get the product # and UPC and it gives a search for places that sell Aqueon items. I'm gonna have to call a couple of them. I'm not a member and no I haven't attended, I might have to check that out. Roseville is very close to my house.


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## AquaNorth (Jan 27, 2010)

Keep us posted with updates.


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

don't forget darters and shiners. They can be very pretty.


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## MWBradshaw (Mar 21, 2010)

I should hopefully start assembling in about a week. I currently have a light fixture, timer, driftwood, and MTS being delivered and then the plants should go out on the 5th and that's the last time I'm hoping to receive. I will be putting down the MTS and then capping it with the Flourite substrate I bought, then I'll be adding the driftwood and plants (that gets me thinking that I need to find some rocks to add to the aquarium too........). Then I'll be letting the tank water clear up for a day or two and then hopefully adding a couple of the fish to start the cycling process.


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## MWBradshaw (Mar 21, 2010)

My Driftwood came today and I love it! :bounce: I ordered it from Jake AKA Badcopnofishtank, I ordered two medium stumps packages and I told him I was looking for a few branchy pieces so he suggested a few and I found two that I really liked, can't wait to assemble the aquarium and see how it looks with plants and rocks and substrate around it. I got 4 pieces and I'm not quite sure how I'm going to arrange them or if I'm going to use them all.









This is all 4 pieces put together, I might remove the branch that stands vertical, not quite sure yet.


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## MWBradshaw (Mar 21, 2010)

*New Additions*

So yesterday my purchase from BigAlsonline.com came in. I ordered a new light fixture and a timer. The fixture is a Coralife 30" dual strip T5.
















The timer is a Coralife digital power center.









Here is a picture of the old fixture on the hood.....








....and here's the new fixture.


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## daFrimpster (Mar 7, 2005)

You should check out forum.nanfa.org The north american native fish association. They can give you great info on keeping natives. I got hooked on NA native sa few years back. I only have one tank that isn't North American Native.


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## Kayakindude90 (Feb 6, 2010)

I agree, its a great website. Rainbow darters are absolutly amazing, hard to believe they live around here. I really don't know what the regulations are for keeping natives in minnesota, but if you use a seine net and have a valid fishing license you can keep any of the non endangered fish you catch, like darters, sculpins, shiners, dace, and madtoms. Look in to it, they are smaller and some have more attitude than the larger game fish. I do agree that the large game fish are cool, but in a matter of a year they loose their colors and end up developing certain deformities. (they get a cloudy appearance and, lateral line rot). I was talking with an Aquarist at the shedd and he said he thinks its from the over use of prepared foods. Great start though this is a very interesting thread.


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## MWBradshaw (Mar 21, 2010)

daFrimpster said:


> You should check out forum.nanfa.org The north american native fish association. They can give you great info on keeping natives. I got hooked on NA native sa few years back. I only have one tank that isn't North American Native.


Thanks daFrimpster! I registered on that website with the same name I have on here.


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## MWBradshaw (Mar 21, 2010)

*Plants arrived*

Today I got home and to my surprise my plants had arrived!! :biggrin: I ordered them from lotekfish because he was breaking down his tank. I was happy to find that all the plants looked healthy, the java fern had a few spots but that was about it. Here are the plants:








Microsorum pteropus (Java Fern)








Hygrophila difformis (Water Wisteria)








Echinodorus "Red Devil"








Ludwigia repens








Heteranthera zosterifolia (Stargrass)








Cryptocoryne wendtii








Hemianthus micranthemoides (Pearlgrass)








Hydrocotyle verticillata








Marsilea Minuta

I didn't take a picture but there is also a small piece of driftwood with Taxiphyllum barbieri (Java Moss) on it. I am hoping my last package arrives tomorrow, Mineralized Top Soil, and I can begin putting my tank together on my day off :icon_smil. I washed one bag of my Flourite today and will do the second bag tomorrow morning. I also am going to run to a good LFS and purchase some Anubias nana and maybe a nice sword or something. I'll keep updating......


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## MWBradshaw (Mar 21, 2010)

After thinking for a bit on what to do about a background, I decided to nut up and go by a can of flat black spray paint and do the background that way. I taped it up with masking tape and newspaper and had a go at it. I was real nervous I mistaped some parts and would find blotches of black on my tank but I just uncovered it a few minutes ago and I am really happy with the look of it.








Can't wait to set it up! I tested my rocks to make sure they aren't limestone, rinsed both of my bags of Flourite really well, have my plants floating, put my stand in the spot I want it, now I'm just waiting on the bottom layer of MTS to get here so I can start the assembly!!:icon_bigg


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## VadimShevchuk (Sep 19, 2009)

sweet tank! I saw a 125 gallon sunfish tank but that was on aquaticplantcentral.com look around or google it... Cool i dea but i think if i was gonna make it local then i would use local plants.

Nvm found the link.

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...ums-ponds/54472-125-gallon-bluegill-tank.html


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## MWBradshaw (Mar 21, 2010)

VadimShevchuk said:


> sweet tank! I saw a 125 gallon sunfish tank but that was on aquaticplantcentral.com look around or google it... Cool i dea but i think if i was gonna make it local then i would use local plants.


Wow, that tank is awesome! I love the driftwood in it, and I was thinking about collecting some local plants from lakes and streams but I wanted to have this beast set up by now and the lakes weren't completely open when I planned to have this set up. But yeah, down the road I want to get a much bigger tank and have a completely native MN setup. This will be my starter tank.


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## anastasisariel (Oct 4, 2009)

I didn't check but are you going for all North American native plants too? 

P.S. Google Paul Sachs if you would like to get some cool native fish (killies too!).


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## MWBradshaw (Mar 21, 2010)

anastasisariel said:


> I didn't check but are you going for all North American native plants too?
> 
> P.S. Google Paul Sachs if you would like to get some cool native fish (killies too!).


I'm not going for a native plant theme I guess. I just researched some low-light plants and got them and will kind of figure out more about the fauna as I plant them. But I will google that name and see where that takes me


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## anastasisariel (Oct 4, 2009)

Oh ok, I was just asking... Hmm. Now I want to set up a post for North American native plants and see If we can get a good list together.


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## MWBradshaw (Mar 21, 2010)

anastasisariel said:


> Oh ok, I was just asking... Hmm. Now I want to set up a post for North American native plants and see If we can get a good list together.


I'm trying to learn more plant species each day and I would be interested to find out some native plants for use further down the road!


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## Steve180 (Apr 12, 2010)

Are you running the heater in there? It isn't necessary with fish found in your area.


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## MWBradshaw (Mar 21, 2010)

I STILL haven't assembled because I'm waiting for my MTS. It's been shipped twice now and hasn't shown up. The third is in the mail otherwise I'm just saying screw it and just using the Flourite as the substrate. I planned on putting it in the tank just to maybe keep the water temp stable, it is like 40 degrees in the morning right now. Then it warms up to 60-70. Maybe I won't? I guess I just planned on figuring that out as I go by watching the temperature.


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## kwheeler91 (May 26, 2009)

native plants can mean a lot of different plants, depending on if you want plants from only a specific region or are including all of North America.


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## MWBradshaw (Mar 21, 2010)

Yeah, I'm not doing "native". But someone asked because I was planning on having native fish (to MN). So they were wondering if I was also gonna have native plants (to MN).


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## MWBradshaw (Mar 21, 2010)

I finally got my MTS, there was two shipping errors, and finally on the third time the package showed up. I wonder where the other two wound up?  After waiting 3 weeks, I was excited to finally be able to start assembling my tank. I followed the directions for the Mineralized Top Soil. I started by putting a ring of my cap (Flourite) down and then sprinkling the dolomite and muriate of potash on the bottom glass and then adding the top soil/clay mixture. *Sorry for the picture quality, I was a bit rushed and I left my camera at my cabin*.
















I then capped it and threw in some stones and driftwood. I moved some stuff around and got it to where I was satisfied, for the night anyways.








Today, I got home from work and picked up where I left off. I grabbed my plants (which have been floating in my other aquarium for close to 3 weeks :icon_sad: Some were in much worse condition than I initially thought, most of my crypts (wendtii, balansae) were melted really bad. My Echnidorus "Red Devil" was just too big for my tank, it didn't fit which bummed me out. I drained my tank until there was about an inch or two of water in it and began planting. This being my first planted aquarium, I found it much harder than I was anticipating. I didn't have much plan and I found it hard to get the roots to hold into the substrate. I added some more water, fine tuned a couple things, and then filled 'er up. I'm too happy with the end result, I think I expected too much from my first tank.








FTS








Left Side








Right Side

I don't really have a foreground or background. It seems just like an awful lot of mid ground. The things I wanted in my tank: a branchy piece of DW, rocks, "grass" around the DW, Anubias nana tied to the DW, a black background. I don't have any inhabitants yet as I was planning on getting the tank/plants established before I introduce anything. I was very nervous about my plants getting any worse so I'm happy that their roots are in some substrate and under true lighting. I'll take any comments/criticism one has to offer! Thanks. I'll post some better pictures as I take them.


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## stingraysrule (Apr 4, 2010)

Awesome. 
Nice piece of wood in there.


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## AquaNorth (Jan 27, 2010)

I have found that it is a process of additions and subtractions, seeing what grows well and how it fills in. I also have some work to do somethings I like some I don't. Just go with the flow.


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## fischman (Feb 22, 2010)

Aquanorth is right. It is a process of plant, wait, tear out, replace, and wait again. Hehehe. Anyways, I think it looks nice and as the plants grow in it will more natural.


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## MWBradshaw (Mar 21, 2010)

Yeah, that's kind of what I was thinking. I wanted the plant's to bounce back a bit and start growing and then I figured I would research or get some tips on some others and replace the ones that didn't look healthy and maybe move a few plants around.


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## MWBradshaw (Mar 21, 2010)

I found some pond snail eggs attached to the leaf of one of my plants. I removed it, I am kind of hoping that there isn't other eggs in my tank, but I'm sure there probably is........


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## RipariumGuy (Aug 6, 2009)

That looks great! But, out of curiosity, why not make it a biotope? I mean, all those tropical plants with a bluegill?
Jake
EDIT: Whoops, somebody has already asked. Sorry!


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## kwheeler91 (May 26, 2009)

dont worry about the snails, the bluegill will likely devour any straglers. 

as far as the scape goes, i bet you will redo it about 3 times before you start to become satisfied enough to leave it alone, its all part of the process


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## MWBradshaw (Mar 21, 2010)

JakeJ said:


> That looks great! But, out of curiosity, why not make it a biotope? I mean, all those tropical plants with a bluegill?


Yeah, looking back on that (or to possibly use in the future) that would have been cool. But I didn't really do any research and just kind of overlooked that possibility. I know some of these plants are found in the states but yeah, just didn't take the time to research or think about it.


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## MWBradshaw (Mar 21, 2010)

Okay so I have a few comments and questions......

Today I tested my water hardness for the first time and found out my water is hard. 8.2ish, that kind of surprised me. I didn't expect it to be 7.0 but I was hoping it would be near it. I will be housing some heartier fish (natives) so it shouldn't be a problem but when they out grow my tank I planned on having some tropical species. What is there to do - do those pH buffers work? I don't like the idea of having a constant battle with water hardness. The only thing that was in the back of my mind was the rocks. I found the rocks locally, I cleaned them up a bit, scrubbed and boiled em. Then I tested several with the vinegar test to see if they were limestone, and when I put the drops on them, there was definitely no sizzle/fizz. 









On another note, I noticed some algae forming on the underside of my driftwood (doesn't get much light) and it got me to thinking once the algae comes along, what should I do? Is it Excel that most people use? I have an algae brush for the glass but I'm looking for tips on other ways to fight the inevitable fight.

And lastly, those snail eggs I found....well my concern was valid. There must have been some other eggs on some plants because I found my first pond snail.








It was removed from the tank, and is no longer with us. roud:


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## MWBradshaw (Mar 21, 2010)

Anyone with some tips/advice? I'm finding a bit more algae forming on the driftwood. And I found another snail today.


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## VincentK (Dec 16, 2009)

IDK what to do for the algae, but for the snails, you'd better start learning to like them, lol.


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## MWBradshaw (Mar 21, 2010)

Looks like some weird algae. I have some gold/brownish spots growing on my Manzanita and then this. What kind of algae is this?

Also, I want to plant some good background plants, anyone have any suggestions?


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## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

That tank not being supported on the full rim is kinda scary.


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## MWBradshaw (Mar 21, 2010)

Yeah, I thought the same thing. So I put in several thick metal braces in the center of the cabinet. Two people stood on it and it supported 400+ lbs. easily with no movement, sway, or anything. Algae or Background plant info anyone?


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## MWBradshaw (Mar 21, 2010)

I added my first inhabitant yesterday! :biggrin: It's a small yellow perch, I let it acclimate for about an hour, then added it to my tank. For the first night it seemed to just hide out on the bottom near plants and my DW. But today when I got home from work it was swimming around in the open water and seemed pretty lively. I dropped in a couple pieces of night crawler but it wasn't interested. I'm thinking that I'll stop at my LFS and get some bloodworms to see if it'll eat those.


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## Flippy (Apr 19, 2010)

Cool!


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## MWBradshaw (Mar 21, 2010)

I added another perch and the smallest largemouth bass I've ever seen (I know it will outgrow my tank and I am either going to give it to my friend when that happens to put in his pond or his 150 gallon he's starting up). They are slow eaters right now so I went to the LFS and got some small feeder fish, I put in 14 small fish and watched the larger perch, who was the first to go into my tank, chase down and eat 3 of them. I turned the light on later that night to find 1 feeder left. Now yesterday I added two dozen to my tank to make sure each of my three inhabitants ate plenty. There was only a handful left this morning. I have to get them to start eating other things now and use the feeder fish as a treat.








(Larger of the two) Perch and Largemouth Bass









Yellow Perch feeding


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## MWBradshaw (Mar 21, 2010)

All of the feeder fish have been consumed (I put about two dozen in two days ago), I was looking to widen my inhabitants diets today so I tried throwing in a couple freeze dried krill. They float on the surface of the water and move slowly with the flow of the water . Then I watched as one of the krill was tumbling in the outflow of my filter and then I watched the bass rise and nail it. The perch seeing that swam over and began looking up. So I threw two more in right by the filter and in a few minutes both perch had fed as well. That got me excited seeing my fish looking and rising to the surface for food.  Next item on the menu: Nightcrawlers. I plan to cut one up and drop a few pieces in hoping that the fish will consume them before they hit the substrate. My ludwigia repens has been turning two tone (green on the top and red on the bottom) and I'm pretty sure that's because the bottom must not be getting enough light. And the bottom few inches of each stem are losing their leaves but the tops are fine, hmmmm. I don't love the look and will probably replace the plant with a better background plant. I performed a 10-15% water change yesterday and did a little light maintenance. I'm happy with the way things are going thus far. Here's a full tank shot before I added the second perch and the bass.


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## MWBradshaw (Mar 21, 2010)

*Columnaris*

This afternoon I was watching my fish when I realized something was off with the larger of my two perch (the first one I put in). It's mouth had some white growing on it and there was some red surrounding it. The perch was also moving its mouth a lot. I did a little research and I diagnosed it as Columnaris. So I went to my LFS and picked up some API Triple Sulfa. I got my water tested and nothing seemed to be wrong that the tests showed (Nitrates? were low, Nitrite's were 0, pH was where it was a month ago, Ammonia was zero - I believe, the worker said it read normal). When I got home I did a 25% water change and vacuumed most of the substrate. I then added the meds and some aquarium salt - read that its good to use when treating for an infection/parasite because it promotes gill function. I then added a dozen feeder fish, the bass and smaller perch wasted no time consuming two each as the sick perch did not feed . I'm supposed to add another dose of the meds in 24 hours, then wait another 24 hours and do a 25% water change. I'm hoping that it works, has anyone had any Columnaris problems before?

This afternoon I accomplished my goal of broadening my inhabitants diets by feeding them nightcrawlers. I cut one crawler up into 4 pieces and dropped them into my tank individually. The largemouth got the first two and the smaller perch got the next two. That's when I noticed the larger perch was ill.


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## globali (May 29, 2010)

Like the wood,
Best of luck.


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## MWBradshaw (Mar 21, 2010)

The morning after I treated my tank for Columnaris, I found the affected Perch to be dead :/ but the others seem to be healthy and happy. I have now added a small bluegill. And they've been eating a variety of foods: feeder fish, night crawlers, dried krill, and some fish fry I found in a pond. They hit the shrimp pellets I bought but then they spit them out which is kind of frustrating!


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## Capsaicin_MFK (Nov 15, 2009)

I actually considered doing something like this to my 55g. Haven't gotten around to DNR regulations about taking plants from nearby lakes. I'm assuming they wouldn't care if I thinned out the population of weeds, but better to be safe and ask them.

After catching countless numbers of Bluegills and other "panfish" I really am considering making a tank like this. What temperature do you keep the tank at?


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## MWBradshaw (Mar 21, 2010)

Capsaicin_MFK said:


> I actually considered doing something like this to my 55g. Haven't gotten around to DNR regulations about taking plants from nearby lakes. I'm assuming they wouldn't care if I thinned out the population of weeds, but better to be safe and ask them.
> 
> After catching countless numbers of Bluegills and other "panfish" I really am considering making a tank like this. What temperature do you keep the tank at?


 Growing up catching all these different fish, I gotta tell you, I'm loving being able to watch them in my tank. Although I do want to plant my tank more heavily for more cover and hiding spots (even though when I walk into the room they all come to the glass looking for food). Now all I want is a smaller bullhead to roam and clean up the bottom and all the food that hasn't been consumed. I have a 200w heater in my aquarium right now, and it's set for 74 I believe, mid 70's. It comes on a few times a day to keep the water temperature stable. The fish have done well during the transition, getting them to feed was the hardest thing I've encountered so far and that wasn't too bad. They fed easily on minnows first and then I was able to get them to rise to the surface and feed. Having multiple fish helped, once they see another fish rise and hit something on the surface, the others follow suit. It's pretty cool. If you have any questions about anything, lemme know. I'm far from an expert but it's sometimes helpful to hear of someone else's experiences.


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## SlicedUpBeef (Aug 23, 2010)

Hi, new to these forums but i'm sure i'll fit in 

I notice your set up is doing good, I have the same kit and now I'm in the same situation you had earlier. Deciding what lighting to go with.

I've done some research and I was positive about getting the T-5 by coralife but I live in Canada and shipping isn't cheap.

Anyone try these out? 

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2754543#prodTab1

They LOOK as if they fit on the stock hood. This is 2 watts less than the coralife but seems good cause I have a low tech set up


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## 12yearoldfisherman (Apr 1, 2011)

I know this post was last year but im gonna get a cheap filtered 36 gallon tank and plan to put a largemouth bass or 2 in it (im gonna try to get baby ones) and i want to know like everything about owning them. Is it alright to go get them out of a lake? How should i clean such a big tank? What they eat? What fish, crayfish, cleaning snails, shrimp etc. do they do well with, and just everything u know about owning them. Thnks  !!! I REALLY hope u reaply. I really want bass just 4 fun


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## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

12yearoldfisherman said:


> I know this post was last year but im gonna get a cheap filtered 36 gallon tank and plan to put a largemouth bass or 2 in it (im gonna try to get baby ones) and i want to know like everything about owning them. Is it alright to go get them out of a lake? How should i clean such a big tank? What they eat? What fish, crayfish, cleaning snails, shrimp etc. do they do well with, and just everything u know about owning them. Thnks  !!! I REALLY hope u reaply. I really want bass just 4 fun


a 36 gal tank is WAY!!! to small for a bass of any kind, they can reach upwards of 24" in length. you would want to shoot for something in the hundreds of gallons to keep them.


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