# US biotopes??



## crw.npt (Apr 2, 2008)

Does anybody here have any US biotope tanks set up?? We are constantly seeing all of these beautiful exotic locales represented, but rarely if ever do we see stuff from within our homestates. I know there are some incredible native species out here and was wondering if anybody sets up just for them. Anyone have any pics??


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

US biotope tanks seem rare, which is too bad. Being from Florida, you have some wonderful examples to work from: cypress swamp, spring-fed river, brackish mangroves, freshwater buttonwood.

One very interesting but not very attractive US biotope I've seen was a simulation of central Texas cave springs. The aquaria were big glass cylinders filled with large limestone rocks. Water was pumped into the bottom and allowed to percolate up through the rocks and overflow the top. These were made to breed Texas cave salamanders in captivity. You could see the little salamanders lurking in the crevices between the rocks.


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## asukawashere (Mar 11, 2009)

I've got a Florida brackish sorta-biotope thing going in a 55g. I stocked it with critters I brought back from my last collecting trip: some sailfin mollies (which have since multiplied into a gazillion or so sailfin mollies), a diamond killifish (Adinia xenica), and some olive nerite snails. The substrate is silicate pool filter sand, which looks similar enough to the sandy substrate found in most of Florida's waters. Added some smooth river rocks (those didn't come from Florida LOL) and, in lieu of mangrove or reed roots, used sycamore roots (again, an availability-based decision... no mangroves 'round here and the ones down south are mostly protected). Planted it with some salt-tolerant plants native to the southern U.S. - vals and dwarf Sagittaria. 

Then I went and ruined the natives-only theme by throwing in a bunch of needle leaf java fern - it wasn't green enough for my tastes otherwise LOL. And JF is a classic plant for a brackish setup...

Also, the tank grows hair algae like nobody's business. Probably because there just aren't enough plants to outcompete said algae. Or I just need to switch to a smaller lighting unit (it's only got one 65W CFL over the whole 55g tank, though...). Either mollies don't actually eat half as much algae as they're rumored to, or mine are broken. They sure seem to enjoy algae wafers, though...

Thinking about getting a pair of Florida flagfish (Jordinella floridae) to put in there. I'd have to buy them as I have no plans to go back to Florida in the near future, but they'd probably take care of my hair algae (and my extra mollies LOL).


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

You should check some of your "local" websites. As a former Michigander, I belong to MIAPG, and someone did a Michigan stream biotope in his tank very nicely!! He had all sorts of darters and small-mouth bass which are VERY (and surprisingly) colorful in a tank almost devoid of plants with the exception of some ludwigia, and some small quanties of moss. Most of the tank was river rock, some boulders, lots of driftwood, and a fast current via Powerhead. It was spectacular.

Asukawashere: pics, please?


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## asukawashere (Mar 11, 2009)

Sunfish (the family Centrachidae, which includes bass) are actually surprisingly good tank fish. We just don't tend to think of them as such because they're so common here. But in other countries, where they don't have them, sunnies are considered exotic aquarium fish. Kind of like how Amazon river natives fry up discus in pans for dinner, yet we pay a hundred bucks to put one in our tank. A well-colored sunfish is every bit as gorgeous a fish as many cichlids, though, and they're very similar in their behavior... I've got two pumpkinseeds I brought back from North Carolina as babies. They're great personality fish, always following me around and coming to the front of the tank to see what people are doing. They're trained to jump out of the water and take food from my hand, too. 

As for pics of my tank, I'll see what I can do. I feel like I should probably yank out a pile of algae and then let the dust settle before I go and photograph the thing... also the seething masses of mollies tend to get in the way of seeing anything...


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

Pumpkinseeds are great fish. I caught a few in a local pond several years ago and they are extremely beautiful. They apparently need cold to trigger spawning in the spring though.

As for plants, there are many aquatic natives to the east coast. Way more then many other countries I've looked in. I think the US in general is rather blessed with a diverse plant community. I haven't made a biotope tank myself but you easily could with the number of species of plants, fish and even snails out there.


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## asukawashere (Mar 11, 2009)

Zapins said:


> I haven't made a biotope tank myself but you easily could with the number of species of plants, fish and even snails out there.


Don't forget the other inverts! Snails aside, we have tons of awesome crays, a number of shrimp species, and gazillions of funky water bugs.  And of course the amphibians...


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## HeyPK (Jan 23, 2004)

Mollies and other livebearers don't eat the 'hard' hair algae, the tough ones that have some tensile strength.


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## asukawashere (Mar 11, 2009)

Yeah, I've noticed LOL. Problem with these guys is that they don't really eat_ any_ algae unless it's been pre-processed into wafer or stick form ' For wild-caught fish, they're _entirely _too enthusiastic about man-made foods. But, I suppose that just leaves more food for the nerites... like I said, flagfish are probably my best bet if I want something to eat the algae. Or I can just sit back and glare at it halfheartedly. It does give the baby mollies another surface to pick microbes off of...

EDIT: And here are the pictures I promised - lousy photos, but still photos LOL
The Florida tank:









Closeup on a male molly, courting one of his gals (these things don't _sit still_!) - observe the giant wad of hair algae behind them, and the nerite on the far right









And just for good measure, one of my pumpkinseeds, Slim. Given the Bolbitis, Rotala, and java fern, this is nowhere close to a biotope, but the Bolbitis does really well in a coldwater tank. I'm pretty sure Slim thinks the camera is the eye of a giant predator, because as soon as I snapped this shot, he dove behind a plant and stayed dead still until I put it away... he's usually very gregarious, though.


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## crw.npt (Apr 2, 2008)

Great looking tank Asukawashere! thats exactly what I was looking for, people keeping natives. Don't get me wrong, I love angels and tetras as much as the next guy, but I wanna see more natives. 

I'm going to set up a nice little native biotope as soon as we get our our own place. Thinking Pygmy Sunfish, probably Okefenokees, but not too sure.


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## crw.npt (Apr 2, 2008)

And lets keep this going. I'm sure I'm not the only one who wants to see more native biotopes. And I promise, as soon as mine gets up and running I'll have pics.


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## asukawashere (Mar 11, 2009)

crw.npt said:


> Great looking tank Asukawashere! thats exactly what I was looking for, people keeping natives. Don't get me wrong, I love angels and tetras as much as the next guy, but I wanna see more natives.
> 
> I'm going to set up a nice little native biotope as soon as we get our our own place. Thinking Pygmy Sunfish, probably Okefenokees, but not too sure.


I love pygmy sunnies! But they're so difficult to find - do you have a locality where you can collect them yourself? (And if so, can you put a couple in a box and mail them my way... maybe throw some cool Florida plants in there for good measure?) Also, isn't E. okefenokee the one that's really endangered?


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Nice Asukawashere! Looks very clean and energetic; must be nice to watch!

And a little algae never hurt anything, right? ;-) I would like a better picture of that pumpkinseed, though, if it is possible someday!


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## asukawashere (Mar 11, 2009)

Thanks!  I don't know about _clean_; my tanks are rarely clean LOL, but it's definitely energetic and fun to watch. Best part is when the male mollies extend their sailfins all the way and do silly courtship dances. They look utterly ridiculous, but I guess the girly mollies like it, because we've got a gazillion mini-mollies.

I'll see if I can get Slim to cooperate for another photoshoot sometime. Probably I'll have to bait him with something yummy and get someone else to snap the photo while his attention is elsewhere.

As for the algae... truthfully, I'd rather let it bind up any excess nutrients in the tank into a stringy form that I can grab handfuls of and yank out of the tank. But it's definitely not very attractive.  So if I could get something to eat the algae, it'd probably look a lot better.


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## crw.npt (Apr 2, 2008)

asukawashere said:


> I love pygmy sunnies! But they're so difficult to find - do you have a locality where you can collect them yourself? (And if so, can you put a couple in a box and mail them my way... maybe throw some cool Florida plants in there for good measure?) Also, isn't E. okefenokee the one that's really endangered?


I'm not sure if the Okefenokees are endangered or not. I should look into that! There are a few places online that sell them though. I haven't found any collection spots yet as Ive only been here for about three months, but I'm sure I will.

http://www.zimmermansfish.com/ These guys usually have them, but they don't have them right now.

http://www.aquaculturestore.com/fwverts.html These guys have them now.


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## crw.npt (Apr 2, 2008)

According to this article, its the Blackbanded Pygmy that is endangered, not the Okefenokee.

http://research.myfwc.com/engine/download_redirection_process.asp?file=05tate_3836.pdf&objid=49824&dltype=publication

At least here in Florida.


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## Krystal907 (Oct 18, 2011)

Is there any chance to have a west coast biotope? Or even just fish that could be housed in a tank from the westcoast? I feel like the catchable fish are a lot bigger over here and you would need a ginormous tank to hold anything.


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## asukawashere (Mar 11, 2009)

The west coast certainly isn't an area of expertise for me, but there are fish out west that are small enough to keep in a home aquarium (after all, those big ol' lunkers have to have something to eat!) 

Depending on what part of the west you want to emulate, you might want to look into killifish (genus Fundulus), pupfish (Cyprinodon spp.), sculpins (genus Cottus and close relatives), 3-spine sticklebacks (Gasterosteus sp.), and so on. Plant-wise, some native species with a broad range extending to the west coast include hornwort (Ceratophyllum spp.), Ludwigia palustris, Vallisneria americana, Elodea canadensis, and Echinodorus berteroi (among many, many others). A little research and, if possible, a field trip or two, should help you figure out which fish and plants overlap in the wild.

If brackish setups are of interest, there are a couple of goby species, both native and introduced, that can be found along the coast. A couple of the plants mentioned above (i.e. Vallisneria and Ceratophyllum) are tolerant of slightly brackish water, so a planted brackish tank is possible.

The best way to catch aquarium fish is not with a fishing pole, so the size of the gamefish doesn't much matter (though, if you think the Pacific has a monopoly on big trophy fish, you should see some of the things people 'round here haul out of Long Is. Sound). Rather, the best aquarium fish are obtained through baitfishing methods - seines, minnow traps, and even dip nets are the best. What method you use depends on what's available and what the state's baitfishing laws are.


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## Krystal907 (Oct 18, 2011)

Thanks for the info. I did some research on Alaskan fish (home) and came up with sculpins and the 3 spine sticklebacks as well. I'm pretty sure its illegal to catch fish in the wild up there and then put them in a tank, but I think I'd have a hard time finding them in the first place let alone catching them! But plant species is more what I'd be interested in, so I'll have to do some field trips this summer!


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

Why would it be illegal?


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## crw.npt (Apr 2, 2008)

I agree with Zapins. As far as I know it is mostly true game fish that you can't catch and bring home for your tank. But even then you can often times get a permit for that too. The fish that would make good aquarium subjects are usually considered minnows and not regulated, but do check and see. Some species might be endangered in your state and then they would be regulated. Just do your homework before collecting and you will be fine.


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## Krystal907 (Oct 18, 2011)

http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=pets.exotic
That is where I looked and saw the no wild animals as pets thing, but I read on further, and it looks like you can collect fish from the wild, but you need a holding permit.


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## asukawashere (Mar 11, 2009)

The intent of most of those laws is to prevent widescale abuse or harvest of a species - Alaska may be particularly restrictive because it has many unique and endangered species, but generally a state's fish & wildlife service (FWS) doesn't much care if you have a little home aquarium with a couple minnows in it, as long as you don't set them free into local waters. It may be best to just call up the local FWS office and ask them what the laws are on catching baitfish for a home aquarium. It's their job to know, so I'm sure they can clear up any confusion you may have with regard to the law.


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## crw.npt (Apr 2, 2008)

I definitely agree there. The worst they can do is say no. You might have to call a few times and try and talk to the head honcho, but if its something you are interested in doing, its worth doing right, and legally


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## THHNguyen (Dec 2, 2006)

asukawashere said:


> Yeah, I've noticed LOL. Problem with these guys is that they don't really eat_ any_ algae unless it's been pre-processed into wafer or stick form ' For wild-caught fish, they're _entirely _too enthusiastic about man-made foods. But, I suppose that just leaves more food for the nerites... like I said, flagfish are probably my best bet if I want something to eat the algae. Or I can just sit back and glare at it halfheartedly. It does give the baby mollies another surface to pick microbes off of...
> 
> EDIT: And here are the pictures I promised - lousy photos, but still photos LOL
> The Florida tank:
> ...


Wow! Your Florida biotope is amazing! I've always wanted wild mollies since I heard they're hardier than met store strains. Those always seem to get eaten by birds whenever I put them outside during the summer for mosquito control. Too bad no one ever sells the wild strains...

I think they don't eat your algae because you've got cladophora. Hardly anything eats that stuff other than famished amano shrimp.


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

need more pictures of US biotopes, and less verbage!!


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## asukawashere (Mar 11, 2009)

Thanks for the compliments! It's not clado, though, just well-trained hair algae that has a similar bushiness... if I don't pull handfuls of it out of the tank on a regular basis, it turns into big long strands that strech across the whole tank and get tangled in everything... I'd actually not mind it so much if it was clado; if it was, I could use it to make home-made moss balls.  That's what I do with the clado in one of my 20g long setups, at least...

If you want some mollies for outdoor purposes next spring, shoot me a PM or something, I'm sure I can offer some of the F1s. IME they ship pretty well, didn't lose a single one when I sent them home from Florida - to prevent TSA from having a heart attack, I boxed all specimens and mailed them home where my fishsitter/best friend unpacked them into a QT tank I set up before I left. It also prevented the fish I caught at the beginning of the trip from sitting in buckets/bins/bags for days, since I mailed them in multiple shipments...



DonaldmBoyer said:


> need more pictures of US biotopes, and less verbage!!


Ah, but while the tanks give people ideas, the verbiage gives them information to turn those ideas into reality


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## Mr. Catfish (Sep 27, 2011)

I don't have pics, but if you check out my you tube channel you can see some of my old native tanks and my current native tanks.http://www.youtube.com/user/MisterCatfish?feature=guide


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## crw.npt (Apr 2, 2008)

Very nice Mr. Catfish. I looked at some of your other vids as well. Are you still breeding grass pickerels, and if so what size tank are you keeping the adults in? I always wanted to keep northern pike back home, but they just get so big that housing was a problem.


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## Mr. Catfish (Sep 27, 2011)

Yes,I am still breeding grass pickerel. I had the in a 135 gallon tank,but my female died. So I kept two of the fry( I believe one is male and one female) and have them in a 75. They are around 6 to 7 inches now. So hopefully come Feb. they will spawn.


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## crw.npt (Apr 2, 2008)

I hope so too. That would be great. What's the max size for them? Were they wild caught originally?


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

Mr. Catfish, those are really nice biotopes. What kind of wood are you using? It looked a little like sycamore root.


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## asukawashere (Mar 11, 2009)

Really nice tanks! I love the Elassoma setup especially; they're such cute little critters.  But the river setup looks like a lot of fun, with all the very active fish.

Michael, I suspect that's generic bogwood, not sycamore. Sycamore tends to be a lot more gnarled and twisted...

Also, just for kicks, another sunfish photo:









This is Slim's companion, Tubby. For those who don't have an innate grasp of my sense of irony, Slim is about twice the size of Tubby.  I suspect this is attributable to a.) Tubby probably being a girl, b.) Slim being a pig (though I make sure Tubby gets food), or c.) both of the above. Slim was always bigger, but not by such a large margin...


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

NICE pic, Asuka! Love his face! 

(......gotta get me a macro lens......!!)


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## HeyPK (Jan 23, 2004)

He looks like Newt!


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## Mr. Catfish (Sep 27, 2011)

crw.npt said:


> I hope so too. That would be great. What's the max size for them? Were they wild caught originally?


Their max size is 10 to 12 inches. My first pair were wild caught. The ones I have now are F1.

As for the driftwood ,I don't know what species it is. All I know is that I collected it and it is a hardwood.

Thanks for the compliments everyone. I love NA natives and I can't get enough of them!


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## crw.npt (Apr 2, 2008)

So, I'm going to hi-jack my own thread for a bit and nag Mr. Catfish about his pickerels. As i mentioned earlier, I always wanted to keep pike, but size was an issue. These guys seem to be much more manageable. Do you feed live food exclusively, or can you train them onto pellets or frozen? Whats the minimum tank size you would recommend? Are they easy to get to spawn, or was it kind of a luck of the draw type thing? Sorry for so many questions, but you really have piqued my interest.


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## Mr. Catfish (Sep 27, 2011)

Well I feed mine strictly live foods feeders,minnows,shrimp,crayfish,worms and small frogs. It is possible to get them to take floating pellets,but requires alot of patience. I recommend they be kept in a 75 gallon or larger tank. You could possibly get away with keeping one in a 40 breeder but I recommend the 75. As for breeding, I got lucky. As far as I can find and what the people at NANFA have said. I am the only known person to have had them breed in a aquarium. Other have bred them in ponds outside but not in the aquarium. This past spring was kinda of an accident. So now I am trying to get them to spawn this time.


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## crw.npt (Apr 2, 2008)

Well, congrats on being the first to spawn them in an aquarium! And good luck on getting them to do it again for sure. I am a big fan of keeping fish in the largest tank you can afford and have the space for, and I think that if I were to do something like this a 75 would be the biggest that I would be able to do, perhaps a 90, but I think thats it. Were you breeding your own feeder fish, or was it constant trips to the LFS. And was it tricky to supply them with the variety you were in the winter?? Thanks for your time and all your answers. I really think that I may have to do something like this in the near future.


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## Mr. Catfish (Sep 27, 2011)

During the summer I would catch my own minnow and crayfish from the river and keep them in a stock tank. In the winter they were fed 50 feeders every other week. They didn't eat that much since the water temp was only 50 degrees.And they got 20 ghost shrimp once a month.


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## crw.npt (Apr 2, 2008)

That makes it easier on the wallet then, when they don't eat as much. Not too bad though as far as feedings. I would have thought they would eat more. Thanks again for all your answers and time. I will probably be trying to track down some redfin pickerel in the near future.


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## crw.npt (Apr 2, 2008)

Anyhoo, now we can get back on topic. Lets see some pics of local biotopes. I know they're out there.


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## Klaus07 (Sep 18, 2011)

Wow a native biotope thread. First some information on Elassoma, or pygmy sunfish. They aren't true sunfish, they are actually more closely related to mudminnows than they are to Lepomis. E. okefenokee has recently been split into two species. The second is E. gilberti and is found roughly from the tallahassee to panama city area in Florida and just north into Georgia. Okefenokee is found from roughly Okefenokee in Georgia through the St Johns River area and farther south. If you google Elassoma gilberti you should find the original description as a pdf file. As far as endangered and threatened species, you have to consider both federal and state levels. Last time i looked only Elassoma alabamae is Federally Endangered and Federally protected. The Carolines have two state endangered pygmy sunfishes, boehlkii and Okatie are both state protected in their respective ranges. E. evergladei, okefenokee, gilberti and zonatum can be legally kept and all can be found in Florida. Zonatum, the banded pygmy sunfish, is the most wide ranging and has been found as far north as the cypress swamps of southern Ill and in Cypress Creek in Ky. Zonatum is also the largest of the pygmies and the easiest to feed. All do really well on small live foods and aquatic worms like blackworms and tubifex. They will eat frozen bloodworms and brineshrimp as well. All pygmy sunfish are shy and retiring. In the wild they like to hang out in leaf litter and beneath lily pads as well as dense aquatic vegetation. I once collected E okefenokee near Folkston, Georgia. It seemed every dip from underneath a lilly pad in shallow water had at least one pygmy in the net. You can easily breed pygmies in aquariums as small as a 2.5 gallon. Give them a sand substrate, java moss and a few leaves, some floating plants, clean water and as many live and frozen foods as you can find and the babies should pop up in the tank.

I guess I will stop there. If you live in the midwest and want a smaller sunfish setup try Lepomis humilis, the orangespotted sunfish. Just be careful, most states consider os sunnies to be game fish and you have to catch them with rod and reel.

Klaus


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## Mr. Catfish (Sep 27, 2011)

Here's a 20 long I use to have. It housed black striped top minnows and johnny darters.


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## crw.npt (Apr 2, 2008)

Great info the pygmys Klaus, thank you. It sounds as though you have had some experience with them. And Mr Catfish, another wonderful tank.


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## crw.npt (Apr 2, 2008)

Gonna bump this, cuz I know I'm not the only one who would like to see some more pictures of local biotope tanks. Bring on the inspirational pictures guys and gals, I know they're out there.


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## HeyPK (Jan 23, 2004)

My picture of the monster Sagittaria is almost a biotope picture. The only off note is the Hygrophila at the left, which I used to start up the tank. All the other plants are local, the Sagittaria, the Ludwigia palustris, and the Echinodorus cordifolius.


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## Jsthomas (Nov 3, 2010)

I've always been really interested in doing something like this, but there is such a lack of information on local plants and fish. I'm in central Va, and I've tried to find information locally, but I havent had much luck. Either way I need to wait for this cold weather to go away.


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## crw.npt (Apr 2, 2008)

Nice work Heypk. It looks really nice. And Jsthomas, that's kinda my same situation, only, I don't have to wait for cold weather.


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## Klaus07 (Sep 18, 2011)

Hi Jsthomas, Virginia has a lot of information and there is even a Fishes of Virginia book. I think its the DNR that has a website of almost all the fish found in Virginia, from Mountain Red Belly Dace to Elassoma zonatum! You should google it! There are a lot of people active in native fish husbandry in your state too. Its too bad, but the North American Fishes Association had their national meeting in Virginia in 2011.


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## Klaus07 (Sep 18, 2011)

Look up the virtual aquarium of virginia tech...i think you will be amazed


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## Jsthomas (Nov 3, 2010)

I've been there before, but I'm wondering where to get more specific information on distribution of these species.


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## Klaus07 (Sep 18, 2011)

The book, Fishes of Virginia, has all that. Each species has a distribution map with names of streams etc.


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## Jsthomas (Nov 3, 2010)

That book is 100 bucks everywhere I've looked.


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## Klaus07 (Sep 18, 2011)

I got mine for $10. If you are patient, you can eventually find a deal I saw used ones for $58. I haven't looked at bookfinder.com lately, but i always find the lowest book prices there.


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## Jsthomas (Nov 3, 2010)

I'll have to keep my eye out then, is there one for plants as well? I'm looking on the usda website but its hard to sort by aquatics. I've also looked on the dcr or some other site, but they only list a few pest/controlled plants.


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## Klaus07 (Sep 18, 2011)

you can google for books on the wetland plants of virginia for example and see what turns up. I am not aware of one but that doesnt mean it doesnt exist


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## Jsthomas (Nov 3, 2010)

I found this: http://www.pecva.org/anx/index.cfm/1,370,1498,-1,html

But the link doesnt work so I cant tell if that is what I want.


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## corsair75 (Dec 21, 2011)

This is a Texas Hill Country biotope I set up recently. It's so small at 6 gallons that most of the fish around here won't work. Minnows are about it, but the plants are neat.



















The thread for this tank is here.


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## catherine carney (Mar 12, 2012)

The North American Native Fishes Association (NANFA) has a bunch of people who specialize in natives and who have created some nice biotope tanks. Their website is worth checking out.

I am currently working on a SE shallow river/ditch paludarium in a 29 G with plans to use it for Jordanella floridae, Fundulus chrysotus, and Mollienisia latipinna. 

Once that's done (won't be soon--spring is a busy time on a farm), I plan to use do a midwest riverine biotope for rainbow darters (Etheostoma caerulea), brindled madtom catfish (Notropus species), and southern red belly dace. Probably not a lot of plants in this one given the flowing water and rocky riffles all three of these species inhabit, although I find the dace over muddy bottoms and along the edges of the waterways more than the others....


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## Klaus07 (Sep 18, 2011)

HI Kathy, yes I am still alive  Don't give up on plants in the river tank just yet. There are always plants in the littoral parts of even the fastest flowing streams. You might try doing an open top riparium with some emergent plants in hanging pots along the back. 

Even minnows and darters move in and out of fast flowing water. For instance male rainbow darters go to the swiftest part of the riffle to spawn and hang out there. Females go there to lay eggs. The rest of the time you can find them in or next to littoral plants trying to stay out of the way of all those males. A very common place for Southern Red Belly Dace to hang out is beneath the roots of an overhanging tree. 

In our Midwest Area I have found Cardinal Flowers growing in very wet conditions. Lizards Tail grows along the banks and does really well in tanks. Then on the banks there is the ever present Creeping Jenny, Lyssimachia nummularia. Once when I was collecting in Louisiana, not only did I see incredibly long strands of (30 feet or more) Ludwigia and others, but while i was walking on the bottom i stepped on a very spongy plant. When I reached down and plucked some from the bottom, it turned out to be Riccia. Yes a native themed tank can be great.


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## catherine carney (Mar 12, 2012)

Hi Klaus (and all)--

Yes, I plan to try to simulate the overhanging edges of a stream when I get to the Ohio natives tank....Branchy driftwood/tree roots will be easy....The big issue will be lighting and size of the native plants you mentioned. Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) is an emergent that will go to 3' if given the chance--and prefers full sun (I am also a gardener)....I'll have to do some wading in my local streams this summer and see what's growing along the banks....Spatterdock keeps coming to mind, as does willowmoss....

Anyone got any suggestions?


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## Klaus07 (Sep 18, 2011)

Yeah, the ones i have seeen here are that large, but there are cultivars that are dwarf. Spadderdock.... not really suited for aquaria unless you have a huge one. You should be able to find Ludwigia palustris. Spring Valley Lake has a lot of aquatic plants. The cowlilies you mentioned above: one can usually find small plantlets. Hornwart, Myriophyllum Elodea, Utricularia vulgaris, Lemna trisulka are all found there. I even know a spot in the Ohio River that has native Valesneria americana.


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## waterbear (Apr 10, 2012)

Bump for more NA biotope setups...


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## catherine carney (Mar 12, 2012)

Hi gang--

One reference that's a must have if you plan to go the native fishes route is Goldstein's American Aquarium Fishes, published by Texas A&M University Press. It's not cheap, but well worth the cost, as it details pretty much every native fish that can be kept in aquariums, collecting regulations (current at time of publishing, check on your own for updates), some info on the biotopes for each species, spawning data (where known), and even a short section on native plants. The edition I have was published in 2000, don't know if there are later editions out there.

You may also want to check out Kuehne and Barbour's The American Darters, published in 1983 by the University Press of Kentucky. Details every darter species in this country with description, range, biotope, conservation status, breeding habits (where known) and so on. Probably out of print, but may be able to find it from vendors specializing in aquarium books. For those who are not familiar with these fish, darters make great aquarium pets--most stay a manageable size (2-4"), eat frozen foods (not too big on flake or pellets) with gusto, become quite tame, and the males often show bright colors (take a look at a picture of the rainbow darter/Etheostoma caerulea if you don't believe me). They do need good water quality and flow throughout the tank, and non-aggressive tank mates, but if you can meet their basic needs they rival anything that the more typical/exotic aquarium fish have to offer.

Hope this helps!


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## crw.npt (Apr 2, 2008)

I want to bump this thread. Gotta be more folks on here with native tanks. i've been lurking on the NANFA forums for a while, but I want more......


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## carolinyens (Jun 5, 2012)

I have a semi native setup. I say that cuz I have a few mosses in the tank that arent native but they are on hold till I get all the pieces for a 20gal shrimp tank up. Right now, I have a crappie in a 55gal with L.palustris that I collected from the pond I caught the crappie, an unknown grass I collected from the same site, then I added hornwort (more for filtration than anything), some fissidens fontanus, L.repens, and a banana plant, with some ramshorn snails. I have been thinking of collecting some snails from a small part of the Tar River when and if it gets hot enough and water gets low enough. They almost look like MTS but its been a few years since I did a river walk and it was in an area that I am sure not many ppl have seen.


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## jennesque (Sep 21, 2011)

Hey.. I'm not really making a biotope at least as of yet, but I'm trying to switch to using at least more local plants in the tank. I'm too scared of gators to really try to locate any plants locally.. not totally sure where to look either. At any rate, I already use cypress knees in my tank, and also have ludwigia. I've got java moss which I may just keep, or maybe I will switch to fissidens. I'm still trying to get everything as far as ferts, lights.. plants in general, stable in my tank. I've got red root floaters but will probably replace that with something actually native.. 

My main question is if there are any small plants that are native to my area, or to the is. By small, I mean something similar to anubias. I've got the ludwigia in the background, java moss attached to rocks in the foreground in one area, and anubias in another area.. not sure if there's anything remotely similar to replace the anubias.

I'm in South Carolina, but if it's just native to anywhere in North America is just fine.


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