Native Species Tank

[Sanitarum]

Hi all,
I have been in the hobby for about 7 years and have had strictly freshwater experience, as it (imo) is more fascinating. I live around Charlotte, NC and am an avid angler. I have kept small brim and bass before, but they where removed due to a sudden leak in my nano cube, which was my main tank.The fish have been successfully living for 2 years, but the craving for native species has yet again struck. I plan to devote a whole other tank to this. My thoughts for this:

-Top Fin 50 gal basic aquarium- $145, $100 with petperks card

-2 Marineland penguin 350 filters(you can never have too much filtration)- $100, $50 w/ petperks

-3 25 lb bags of brown aquarium gravel- $45

-Natrual rocks and driftwood from Lake Wylie, boiled to sanitize- Free

-4 to 6 Top Fin 8 inch plants- $18

-haven't decided on heaters, advice is welcome

All fish will be bought from a farm or caught on Lake Wylie. I plan on housing a Largemouth Bass and Chanel Catfish. Food tips are also appreciated


***I have cleared this with the police and other authorities and have permission to do this***

Thanks,
Will

 

[Sanitarum]

bump

 

[Sanitarum]

no tips

 

[Rynofasho]

Well if ya know how to catch em, you know what they eat. You don't need a heater, as being coldwater fish, they can tolerate temperature swings. You can have on on standby for piece of mind if you'd like, but shouldnt' be necessary. I'd just be sure to have adequate cover. Bass obviously relate to structure, so any bass would probably appreciate some live plants and some driftwood or rocky cover -- maybe even a small break if you can the ability to scape the tank in that fashion.

The cat would also appreciate something in the way of cover, but you better have plans to either rehome it one day or get a bigger tank as channel cats can reach 20lbs. The bass would grow more slowly. Can you get a 75 gallon tank instead, or maybe even a 90 to add some height? There are routinely good deals on Craigslist in my area ( shopping 75s now) so you may be able to find one for cheaper than you think.

 

[Sanitarum]

yea i may be able to get a 75 gal. And would live plants realy be that much better than plastic ones?
also should i use sand substrate instead of the aquarium gravel?

 

[Rynofasho]

I don't think anyone in here will tell you that fake plants are better than live ones. If you do elect to go fake, at least get nice silk ones that aren't tough plastic. If you do want to do real plants, I and others can help you select them.

As far as substrate, it would make sense to do sand in my opinion - with a bottom dweller like a catfish, they will be foraging most of the time, and food tends to slip beneath the gravel and down to the bottom which makes it tougher for them to find - also if they do root around down to the bottom, they will be sticking their faces in the residual mulm that continues to build under gravel. So while you can see the waste more on sand, if you are a routine cleaner, it shouldn't be a problem and would probably be more enjoyable for the cats.

 

[Mikaila31]

Yeah a 50 is way too small for those fish. IMO you would be better off keeping smaller panfish.

 

[Rynofasho]

A 125 gives you the smallest tank option with the largest footprint, so it may be something to look at. They are 6' and typically 1.5' wide, about 20" tall.