North eastern biotrope
- Thread starter john88c
- Start date
Well these are some of my picks for a stream setup: Pick one or more larger Centerpiece Fish: Rock Bass, Longear Sunfish, Pickerel, Perch. Pick several school swimming fish: Dace, Shiners, Minnows, etc. Pick a bottom dweller: My top picks: Any Madtom species (Madtoms are one of my favorite types of Native Fish), Northern Hogsucker, White Sucker, Fallfish, Mottled Sculpin (lots of oxygen and cooler temps), Redhorse, other Suckers. Other options are Darters, Chubs, and Stonerollers. You can even do fish like American Eels, Smallmouth, and other predator fish.
For a swamp like setup my stocking suggestions and ideas are: Tadpole Madtom, any Bullhead, Bowfin, any Killifish or Topminnow, Central Mudminnow, Pickerel, Eastern Mudminnow, Bluegill, Green Sunfish, Blue Spotted Sunfish, Crappie, and maybe even Largemouth Bass.
Do not follow this advice... half of these get too big for a 90 or will eat eachother. A 90 gallon is only 18 inches wide. Largemouth bass, bowfin, and chain pickerel (the species around you) get 30+ inches. The eels too. I literally just caught a 28" one in a river by the coast. Bullheads are also very territorial and will eat anything smaller. Crappie also get around 15-20". I know he's talking about his tank but bluespotted sunfish are not native to the northeast, and the Enneacanthus species we have up here is illegal to collect.
What part of PA? I only ask because both halves of the state have different fish (that are native to each respective area). Eastern half has redbreast sunfish, Western half has bluegill. Pumpkinseeds are native to the whole state, in fact the first pumpkinseed described to science was from PA. However, these may push the limits of your tank a bit as they do get about 10-12". I've yet to catch a big pumpkinseed, but here's a redbreast from Maryland (caught essentially right over the border) and a big bluegill for reference.
Western half to my knowledge also has longear. Based on current studies I'm not sure if the native range of longear connects from PA to Maryland or if they're just in western PA and MD respectively. I do support the killi idea, you can get Fundulus diaphanus around there, however I will say if you do go with the sunfish try to get things they can't eat. F. diaphanus gets pretty big, you can catch larger individuals on rod and reel with a small enough hook.
The common shiner (Luxilus cornutus) is also native around there. I like their shape a lot, and size wise they would work well. Spotfin shiners too , but again they're only on the eastern half of the state.
Bluegill and pumpkinseeds may be pushing it a little though... The place I worked at last had a 210 with a group of 8-10" pumpkinseeds and a bluegill, and they made it look small. Bluegill and pumpkinseeds almost always occur in the same place however, and usually calmer water. I've collected in spots where there was like a 3:1 ratio of pumpkinseeds to bluegill, and others where its vice versa. All sunfish nest in colonies, but bluegill are the only species who nest in giant hundred strong honeycomb colonies because they're the only one that doesn't have specializations for feeding (and thus can no longer ward off nest raiders effectively without the protection of dozens of neighbors). Pumpkinseeds capitalize off of this and will sometimes nest within bluegill colonies for convenience.
To play it safe I would either do redbreast or longear sunfish with the shiners, and only do the killifish with the longear as redbreast are very active predators.
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First off, by no means did I say to add all those fish. Those were all suggestions dummy. Secondly, I understand some get to big. I have no idea if OP has any larger tanks. So don’t say bs about my stocking suggestions when I don’t know OP’s other tanks.
Also all fish is suggested were fish in Pennsylvania on INaturalist. Additionally Eels can go in a 90. The eel pit guy Cowturtle who works with these guys said it himself that these fellas are really flexible and can even live a 55 gallon. Say bs about him but he knows best because these are stuff he works with the most as well as Gar and Sturgeon.
Here’s a list of some native in PA:
[URL https://thepetenthusiast.com/fish-in-pennsylvania/[/URL]
Would be cool if you got some stickleback if they’re allowed where you are. I’ve never see any people keep those.
[URL https://thepetenthusiast.com/fish-in-pennsylvania/[/URL]
Would be cool if you got some stickleback if they’re allowed where you are. I’ve never see any people keep those.
A largemouth bass would probably not be able to go in any tank he has long term unless it's a few thousand gallons. "Suggestion" implies viable option, which it is not.
Anyway with the eels, cowturtle says with regard to the 55, "unhappily they would survive no problem", but he did say 3 (with nothing else) would work in a 90... However I'm not sure the OP wants just eels if he is in the market for a stream biotope. Eels and other eel type fish are fun though.
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