Here's an old article I wrote a few years ago.
I don't have this tank anymore so no pictures,lol.
I am going to post a Tutorial on setting up a Self Sustaining Tank in the new future.
Alrighty, I am now going into some detail on how to set up one of my favourite aquariums.
The stream tanks are beautiful set ups.
You have it all in one.Musical water flowing at either a fast current or a lazy pace.
Maybe a waterfall...or two....or three.....terrestrial plants,aquatic plants..
These are the specs I recommend.
A tank that is longer than it is tall.*duh on my part,lol*
A very good ideal (in my opinion) size is....six inches tall x twelve inches wide x twenty four inches long, *or longer*.
This way you will have a good surface area as well as plenty of room to make your caves "if you plan on keeping darters/cats,etc.*
*A pump that will deliver a good flow of water sideways. (I am using an old fountain pump,it works great)
*A filter.(I use a whisper fall filter)
*Normally a heater is not necessary. *check with the requirements of your fish*
*For the one I am making here,do NOT use an undergravel filter.
*Sand and small pebbles.
Say we are going to use a Spotted Sunfish with a handful of FlagFin Shiners caught at the local creek. .
I look around at where I caught them.
Shiners are under a root in the strong current and the Sunfish is hiding in the more quiet waters.
Great, now I know I need fast current with a more quiet area in the tank.
I set the water pump on the end of the tank,lengthwise not the back.
It has small suction cups on the end so I adhere it to the tank,two inches above the sand,gravel.*still fully submersed*
You don't want sand clogging the pump.
Rocks are piled to hide the hardware,one flat rock is used under to *buffer* the sand, keeping it outta the pump.
There are many ways to keep your pump free of sand,this is just one way i apply.
Make sure the rocks cant collapse and crush your fish.*duh* This is especially true of darters, they *walk* on and prod things making unstable piles a death waiting to happen.
The filter.
It is preferred that you put the filter on the SAME end as the pump.
You want a nice water flow like a creek/stream.
Rock piles.
It is recommended to you glue rocks together when making caves,walls.Just use a sealant that wont harm your fish.
This can be a lot of fun, you get to make awesome houses for your babies!....*make sure fish cant get stuck in areas of the piles.*
Logs Roots and Trees.
Trees?
We'll get back to this a bit later.
If there is a root at the creek that is NOT attached to a tree pick it up and bring it home,lol.
(if you are catching your fish that is,I don't recommend this with fish you just spent $100.00 on,lol.)
Make sure there are no nasties on your wood!
You can boil these bad boys,or use a bleach solution. Four parts water to one part bleach.(I don't like using bleach, but a lot of people do it.)
Make your tank as natural as possible, remember the fish have to live in it, not you.
Sand and Pebbles.
Ahh the joy of sand substrate.
Here in sunny Florida we have a lot of creeks with white sand bottoms.
This makes for a pristine looking tank,and it is easier to clean than you would think..
Apply a good layer of fine sand,you know, enough that it makes a difference and you cant see the tanks bottom.
Now.......this is fun,lol.....
Where the water flows (this can be a little tricky sometimes) put larger gravel and stones...it not only adds beauty but keeps the
flow of water from disbursing your sand! It will prolly appear like a trail of gravel layed on top of your finer substrate. .
Very nice.
Plants.
Aquatic plants can be tricky,as not all can grow in fast moving waters.
Never fear! Algae can be used.
OH MY GOD ALGAE?! You screech.
Yes! Allow it to grow on some rocks, the sides of the tank that you wont be looking through...that green stuff not only adds beauty,but it feeds some fish as well!
It also makes some shier fish feel more comfortable.
Look around,search the internet.There are numerous plants out there for your stream tanks.
If you're feeling energetic, allow some space for land in your tank.
This can be done by building a rock wall, (my favourite) or log walls (also very nice).
Land Ho!
Using rocks build an area (sort of in the middle)...make sure your soil (I use garden soil) doesnt pollute the water.
"Glue" the rocks together making a (flower pot type thing) add your soil and plants....Voila! Beauty..
You aren't stuck with just one land mass, depending on the size of your tank you can have as many as you want!
This also disperses the water and makes for a more natural stream feel.
Add a nice root that sticks outta the water...maybe connecting two land masses.(this looks very nice)
Or one end can rest in the water while the other is on land.(again,also very nice)
Trees
You can add real trees to your set up.
If you make arrangements for the trees.
Most trees will not live inside.
Try ficus,it is a tropical that can be trained *bonsai* to look like an old twisted tree.
I'd pot the ficus so it wont remain wet.This can cause root rot, then death.
Just do your research,the possibilities are endless.
*snatch a few plants for your local canals,creeks,etc.*..make sure it is legal to do so.
Did i miss anything?!
Oh yes, the fish!
Here is a list of stream loving fish.
If you're as lucky as I am, you can catch some of these locally!
* FlagFin Shiners.
These are amazing colourful fish.
I like to liken them to tetras.
Their bodies are a yellow orange with a blue black stripe running centered from nose to tail.
Their fins are lemon yellow,red,orange.
Active swimmers they love staying in the current.
Takes live foods,frozen foods as well as dry foods.
Great fish for a beginner.
Can be caught in NW Florida through out the US in streams,rivers.
Commonly used as bait fish.
Can get up to four inches,or so I've read.
They JUMP so COVER your tank!
They not only jump but get your other fish to jump as well,grrrr..........now I liken them to lemmings!
Make sure they can jump into your filter, they have been known to do that also,LOL.
* Mosquito Fish.
They are EVERYWHERE!
Normally found in places that have warmer climates.
They cant tolerate extreme cold.
These fish are nearly impossible to kill.
The females bear live young. And LOTS of them.
I use them as feeder fish.
Be warned, they can be bad fin nippers sometimes.
largest I know of is a female at three inches.
Spotted Sunfish.
Found anywhere from rivers to ponds.
They are easy to maintain,preferring live foods.
(smaller mosquito fish are a fav of mine)
Will eat flake foods.
They grow from five inches and up.
Gorgeous red orange colour when mature.
Some lack this colour while others shine it.
Johnny Darter.
An amazing little fish that ranges from creamy white to nearly solid black.
They need a current as well as caves to hide in.
Eating LIVE foods.
Make SURE you are NOT collecting an endangered species.
MANY darters are threatened,endangered.
These links are a MUST read if you plan on keeping Darters of any sort.
http://www.fishlinkcentral.com/artic...ative/Darters/
There are so many fish native to North America it isnt funny,lol.
I've posted a few that I keep,as well as a few links with good information.
Native Fish
http://www.nativefish.org/Links/index.html
Things you might need to know
http://www.wistrout.com/disease1.htm
Good reading in the articles section.
http://www.nanfa.org
I hope this article helps anyone interested in creating and maintaining a stream tank.
Any feed back is more than welcome!
Most of that I stated here is my personal opinion.
There are many different views on this subject.
Yup, this is a disclaimer,:P.
Ive made minor changes to this article over the years. I will probably post a revised version sometime in the near future.
-Jocie.
Setting up a Riffle Tank.
Jocie, thanks for an illuminating article. I have caught fish in the creek and brought them home only to have them die. I knew the problem was the lack of flow to the aquarium water. This spring I will try some of your ideas. I hate to bring something home just to kill it. That is not fair to the critter and in the past most died overnight so there was not even time to notice they were not happy and return them from whence they came. A stream tank is just what I was looking for.
You're very welcome Kathy!
I have a recently updated Riffle/Stream Tank article around here somewhere, when I find it I'll try and D-mail it to you. I tend to lose things on my hard drive often, lol.
If you need any additional help with your aquariums feel free to message me- aquascaping and fish keeping are pretty much my crack, LOL. Well those and Bonsai, Wildy Pets and about everything else too. :-/ LOL
Yours,
Jocie.
I understand things lost on hard drive and you were so careful to put it right where you could find it again. LOL
Soon it will be time to go to the creek. I will first work on getting my tank set up. Those creek critters are fussier than my tropical fish.