North American Freshwater

Are you going to get a chiller for this tank? S. fontinalis prefer water temperatures in the 57-60F range, and rarely occur in the wild in water that exceeds 68F for any extended period of time.

Assuming you can keep the water temperature down to 66F (which is on the high-end), as well as keeping the water clean and the fish healthy in such a small tank, you're looking at about 2 cm/month of growth, optimally. A young fish will put on almost 10" of length in just a year if you keep it healthy at that temperature.

Have you considered some native fish that aren't game fish? Something like a darter, or any number of minnows or a small panfish would give you the "native" experience and perhaps be better suited for a 30g tank.

If you decide to go w/ the brookie, I'd try to get a steady flow from one end of the tank to the other via a canister filter setup with powerheads for a unidirectional flow to mimic a stream.
 
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I have great luck growing java fern and java moss in my coolwater tank. It is generally kept at 68F and they grow very well with 2.8 wpg of light and occasional ferts.

Otherwise why not go and collect your own plants. head tot he right habitat and get some for yourself. Try growing thme out first. If you can make them survive then it will be a sure bet you can at least get the climate conditions correct for the tank and possible native fish.

But yes, find out your local laws about keeping game fish. No use going to jail for a bass.
 
It all depends on the size of the fish.

As for trout many trout where I live are very small- 3-4" because their habitat is very small mountain streams.

Trout don't live more than 3-4 years anyway no matter whether they are in a big reservoir or in a headwater spring.
 
I thought trout preferred flowing river, streams? I never caught a trout in any lake or pond in NJ. Also, I too have a dream of a local species tank, but I know the minimum for me would be 500 gallons. Imagine being able to emulate a true environment for these guys and seeing them in natural form, hunting, stalking, lurking. That is what should be your goal with local species, to actually have a front row seat to how these guys live, hunt, breed. IMO the 30gallon, is good for minnows, or fish that dont exceed 5-6 inches. Anything bigger is more like a prison sentence being stuck in there.
 
In Western North Carolina and Eastern TN many folks keep trout in ponds.

Lake Lure near Spindale, NC is full of rainbow trout.
 
well, i said the 30 as an example, i also said i was probbably gonna go bigger, if i go 30, then im gonna put somethign from the bass or sunfish species in there, maybee 2 pumkin seed, and a few small dace for them to feed on. but if i get a trout, then im probbably gonna go with at least 75 - 100 gallons. but thanks for the input.
 
those tanks 75-100g are still to small for trout - unless you can find a species that get to only 3-4 inches - trout depending on the species can get huge and yes some do live in deep ponds - Lake Winnepesaukee in NH has HUGE lake trout people troll for they get enormous they share deep waters with some salmon on that lake - even rainbow or brown trout can get to 5 or 6 lbs i've seen some big ones - my friend used to fish for them he hauled in some nice ones - pls don't keep a bass in a 30 g it's just not right, small mouth can get as large as 7 to 10 lbs and largemouths have been caught as big as 20 plus lbs and well over 23 to 27 inches - the most you would be able to keep is bluegill sunfish - which believe it or not can and will reach up to 1lb or 1 1/2 at full maturity which is really too big for 30 g - 30 g's is not big enough for this - keep nothing bigger than minnows in a tank so small- your only gonna take the fish out of it's natural habitat to confine it to a glass hell by doing this - it can't hunt or be natural in such a small tank
 
i didnt ever say that i was gonna put a SMALL MOUTH or a LARGE MOUTH "bass" in a 30 gallon tank, what i said was, i might put a fish of the bass species in the tank, good ol' bucket mouth, and smallie's, are not part of the bass family, they are actually part of the SUNFISH FAMILLY, as for the trout in a 100 gallon tank. i am an avid fisherman, have been all my life, have caught many many fish, and am aware of the size capabilites of trout, i know that lake trout can grow to 60 punds very quickly in the right conditions, i also know that salmon gor well beyond 20 lbs in the great lakes (thats where i spend most of my time fishing) i also know that a 100 gallon tank is no place fish larger than 10 inches, which is why if i do get a trout, it will be a brook trout/ speckled trout, wich to be fare is part of the CHAR familly. i also know very well, the habitat, and the behavior of the brookies, since they are my #1 targeted species of fish. i am not debating as weather or not a 30 gallon tank would be suitable for small or large mouth bass, or a trout over 4 inches, it is definetly not, but for a pumpkin seed, a 30 is fine, especially if maintained properley.
 
yes i know large and small mouth are actually part of the sunfish family but we refer to them as bass and 99.9% of people will call them bass - so of course this is what I would assume you are talking about - i too fish quite frequently - pumpkin seeds are nicely colored but i've seen some good 6 to 7 inch seeds around here - i wouldn't keep them in a 30g but it's up to you - i just think 30g is way to small - it's just a glass box
 
Wait a minute... in Florida, we catch Large Mouth Bass in the bodies around here. But a lot of the smaller ponds and such get to be pretty darn hot in the summer. I'm talking like the top 3-5 feet of water are at a temperature near 80 degrees.

I've caught brim just using a small hook, then used them for bass bait. But the water never got below 15 feet in the center of the pond.

Are we talking about the same species, or am I just sorely confused?


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Btw, I'd look into southern US aquatic wildlife for the reason of not needing to buy a chiller set for 65 degrees. The spring fed rivers here are at the least 74 degrees year around.
 
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