NoVA Biotope

[dSerk]

Has anyone done a local/regional biotope tank? Maybe even a Chesapeake Bay brackish tank? Huntley Meadow's visitor center used to (havent' been in ages) have a really cool one.

[pmk00001]

I haven't but almost all of my fish have been caught in NoVa. Maybe in a year or so once I move and can get some more tanks, some sort of local biotope is high on my list of things I want to do.

[magsdez]

I'm thinking of doing a local theme tank in the spring. Just haven't gotten set quite yet with it.

[PaulS]

The Baltimore Aquarium has a few nice local biotope displays.

[Sonny Disposition]

Hi Bridget. For a local Biotope tank, I'd suggest a 20 gallon long stream tank with a rocky, gravel bottom, and perhaps a cave or two. Depending on where you could collect either some native minnows--rosy side dace are really colorful--and a couple of others, like black nose dace, or one of the local shiner species. Long nose dace are cool, too. (You usually find them under rocks in the riffles.) Other choices for the stream biotope are tesselated or fantail darters, or mottled or Potomac sculpins. Darters and sculpins don't have swim bladders, and so hop along the bottom. I'd keep them separate from the minnows, as the minnows tend to grab the food first. Don't keep sculpins with darters, as sculpins will try to eat the darters, and will either be successful, or choke on them.

Simulate the strong current with an oversize hang on filter, or a strong powerhead.

[magsdez]

Thanks for the suggestions Bob. I have been wondering about the types of local fish I could use. I also need to research local plant life too.

Thank you!

[Sonny Disposition]

Bridget, just google the fish names I listed. Better yet, type them into the search button at the NANFA Web site, www.nanfa.org.

Another option would be giant Val and bluespotted sunfish or striped killifish.

If you don't mind adding a teaspoon or so of salt to the water, you could do a Val tank with a sand bottom, and keep either mummichog or sheepshead topminnows. The topminnows are a little on the nasty side, though. Like cichlids, only with small mouths. Mummichog are availabe in the bait shops along Route 50 in MD' sheepsheads, you'd need to collect yourself (as you would the others.)