hello, im wondering, could i use the plants i buy at the lfs in a "freshwater" tank, such as a tank that i would put north american species of fish like trout, or bass. or would i need to get native plants. has anyone on this board done something of the like? having a tank of this sort, and would be willing to share any experince or knowledge. as of now, i dont have a tank for this, but im planing to get a 30 gallon, or maybee bigger, tank, nad generally decorate it like the natural habbitat of the fish im putting in, ie, driftwood, sand, rocks.
North American Freshwater
- Thread starter Dan the Moose
- Start date
Screw thinking about plants and start thinking more about the fishes basic needs, such as swimmimg room/tank size minimums.
If your planning (like any good fishkeeper) to keep your selected fish until its mature and thereafter (lifespan) and your planning on N.American natives such as Trout or Bass, then you better get the "Bigger" tank.
A heck of alot bigger. Do your homework, research your fish and its needs.
All N. American species of Bass will need a large tank, large as in minimum 75gal IMO, with ideal being 100+gal's with excellent filtration as these are incredibly messy eaters/poopers.
N. American Trout... I do believe there are some "smaller" species, but most can and will (with proper care) get much too large for a 30gal.
I also know that trout are very finicky about water quality/flow, other than that I don't know much about trout...
Do your homework/research.
Not meaning to bust your chops, just saying "Start with the fish and research its basic needs."
Now as to your actual question...
Most plants sold at the LFS are tropical to semi-tropical and med-high light.
The species your considering keeping are coldwater fish.
You'll most likely need to go native. Some LFS's or on-line outlets might be able to order you coldwater native species of plants.
Most plants sold at the LFS are tropical to semi-tropical and med-high light.
The species your considering keeping are coldwater fish.
You'll most likely need to go native. Some LFS's or on-line outlets might be able to order you coldwater native species of plants.
It is important to note the relationship between fish and plants in their native environment. Below is a link to a series of articles from the Freshwater Conservancy site where information about native freshwater tanks can be located.
Informational Series I: Finny Critters Care and Maintenance
The above article is one of several from a search for "plants" on the site. It mentions specific types of plants.
http://search.freefind.com/find.html?id=89151008&pid=r&mode=ALL&query=plants&t=s
The site's URL is actually www.nativefish.org. I checked it out when I was considering a native (Michigan) freshwater tank.
Informational Series I: Finny Critters Care and Maintenance
The above article is one of several from a search for "plants" on the site. It mentions specific types of plants.
http://search.freefind.com/find.html?id=89151008&pid=r&mode=ALL&query=plants&t=s
The site's URL is actually www.nativefish.org. I checked it out when I was considering a native (Michigan) freshwater tank.
Last edited:
Chille has a good point on the issue of size of aquarium for maintaining North Am native fishes, another more major issue is water temp(chiller units for trout) and dissolved O2 content for most of the salmonoids/trout(Oh did I mention they jump high , hard and far good heavy lid is needed). As for the live plant issue some of the aquarium trade plants will work at the temps you need for north am natives, but most dont thrive. stick to anachris/eleodeas,Hornwort, vals,and some of the sag's and some of the native sword plants(be careful of pathogens your natives dont have immunity to). P.Teapoo has a pretty good list in his book. [B]BE CAREFUL THAT YOU DONT VIOLATE LOCAL/FED LAWS related to the keeping of Native Fishes and plants /B]. I kept Native fishes many many years, I lucked out that my next door neighbor was the head fisheries biologist for the region and taught me well, and was resource for the husbandry aspects
Here is a short statement from another article on the site I mentioned above.
"In the Native category watersprite, cabomba, elodea, and giant val, come to mind. In the non Native category several types of swords and Java fern fit the bill."
http://www.nativefish.org/Articles/MisersGuideToFishkeeping.htm
"In the Native category watersprite, cabomba, elodea, and giant val, come to mind. In the non Native category several types of swords and Java fern fit the bill."
http://www.nativefish.org/Articles/MisersGuideToFishkeeping.htm
i know quite a bit aobut north american species fish, i am an AVID fisherman, have been for 18 years (since i was 2) and i know the feeding habbits, grouwht habbits, and tank requirements of the fish. know, when i say bass, i dont mean "smallmouth, or large mouth bass", because truly, neither of those are in the bass familly, and i konw how big they can get. aside form that, i am leaning more towards a (Salvelinus fontinalis ) which is a Brook Trout. a 30 gallon tank would be alright for a brookie for the first few years (up to 10 inches, which i belive is about 2 or 3 years old). but aside from that, thank you for your input.
I have some rainbow trout, a channel catfish, a longear sunfish and a Florida gar currently.
A good 75 gallon or bigger tank is ideal for NA natives like smallmouth bass or yellow perch.
Lots of swimming room with some good cover too.
Wood and rocks make great decorations.
A few clumps of hornwort and anacharis should provide the needed plants and they tolerate the unheated waters bass and trout prefer.
A good 75 gallon or bigger tank is ideal for NA natives like smallmouth bass or yellow perch.
Lots of swimming room with some good cover too.
Wood and rocks make great decorations.
A few clumps of hornwort and anacharis should provide the needed plants and they tolerate the unheated waters bass and trout prefer.
LMOUTHBASS
My hypocrisy goes only so far