Native Aquarium Basics

Hey all, I'm going to go through some of the basics of aquarium maintenance and requirements for keeping native fish. Most of the same rules apply for keeping regular old tropicals, but some fish need some different parameters, so I'll go over some points that may be of interest to keeping these fish in good shape. 

Choosing Fish

The first thing you're going to want to do is decide what kinds of fish you're going to be keeping. You don't have to think about specifics right away, but choosing by group is going to benefit you in determining how the aquarium is set up so that you can have everything in place first before getting your fish in.

Just like with any other aquarium fish setup, you generally want to divide your choices by what layer of water they generally inhabit- topwater, mid-water, or bottom. If you're keeping a community, evening it out amongst the three is a good choice. Species aquariums, where only one species or one kind of fish is kept, can be geared more toward what that kind of fish wants. Here are some general fish hangouts:

Top- Topminnows, killifish, Gar

Middle- Shiners, Dace, Sunfish/Basses, chubs, fathead minnows

Bottom- Catfish, suckers, stonerollers, darters, perches, pickerel (mid/bottom), sculpins

Tank Size/ Dimension

As with most setups, bigger is better. Especially with minnows that like to be kept in groups, and sunfish that are more territorial. Some fish are perfectly fine in small aquaria.

Typically, you want to think about where you're finding your fish. If they're coming from a fast moving stream, you don't want a really tall aquarium where there will be little water movement toward the bottom. On the other hand, fish from a local retention pond that are used to floating casually won't appreciate a 1200 gph power head blowing at their face.

For fish that like ponds, a standard box aquarium is just fine, with no special requirements for flow. For river fish, they'll want that water moving, so longer tanks will do better. Of course, that doesn't mean it's impossible to keep, say, fast current darters in a standard 30g tall, but it's not preferred. Some fish though, may decline over time if the right situation isn't provided.

My personal set up is a 120g, 6' long. The minnows have lots of swimming space, and smaller fish have the room to get away from more aggressive fish. With the bigger space, I'm also able to provide different types of current to different areas of the tank, so slower fish can have some slack areas, and the fastest water can be directed to the front and middle where most of the shiners like to be. 

Filtration

Most of our natives want clean water. Some will be more tolerant than others, but all will prefer a clear, well oxygenated aquarium with regular water changes provided. 

For sunfishes, anything under the gravel is out. They're similar to keeping cichlids, and they like to dig. Stonerollers too, will dig pits in the substrate when they spawn. Under gravel filters use the gravel itself as the filter medium, so uncovering the plate renders the filter useless. 

Most conventional filtration will work. For sunfish and larger fishes that make more waste, strong mechanical filtration with good biological filtration will be desired. The size and type really depends on the aquarium size. Large aquaria almost require a sump of some sort. For smaller aquaria, canister filters and hang on back filters will work just fine.

For fast moving water, you'll want to make sure the intake/ output of the filters are on opposite ends of the aquarium, so the water has a current. For long, large aquaria, extra power heads can be added throughout to make sure that water is really moving and to avoid dead spots where detritus can build up near the intake end. It also provides an opportunity to add more mechanical filtration via the powerhead intake.

In my setup, I have very little filtration. My aquarium is planted, and most of the detritus is allowed to deteriorate on the bottom to provide nutrients for the plants.  Fish waste is essentially fertilizer. What I do have is a DIY internal canister. I built an acrylic tower from pieces of plexiglass, and inside is an 800gph pond pump. The tower is filled with a few dish scrubbers for bio filtration, a layer of white floss for fine mechanical filtration, and topped with standard blue filter padding for larger particles. I also have two powerheads placed along the back of the aquarium to provide added flow. With this setup, I do little to no water changes. Most waste product is used up by the plants. I have a little bio filtration to make up for what the plants don't use. Since it's a low tech (non- CO2) aquarium, any build up of fertilizer can be allowed to dissipate by halting fertilizer dosing for a couple weeks.

Substrate

Once again, think about where you're catching the fish. Rocky? Sandy? Silty? Regular aquarium gravel will work for most fish. 

Some fish absolutely want sand- filter feeding fish like suckers. Suckers, like corydoras catfish and earth-eater cichlids, sift sand through their gills. Without a sandy substrate, they're relegated to eating in ways they're not used to.

Larger rocks should be provided for rocky stream fish. The minnows will use them as current breaks, and perching fish like darters will use them to hide in or sit on. Since my aquarium is planted, I had removed most of my rocks. When I added darters, I found that they hid all the time, I could hardly ever see them. By adding a couple small rocks to the foreground, the darters were encouraged to come out and now play king of the hill all day long.

There are some things to be avoided. Sharp, jagged rocks can cause damage to fast moving fish or fish with long fins. Rocks also should be figured into the water parameters. If your water is extremely hard, go add all the limestone you want. However, fish from a planty pond won't like that. Rocks with geodes or crystals should be avoided. 

When using sand and gravel, particle size should be paid attention to. If it's too fine, detritus can build up on the surface and not sink down into the substrate to be broken down by aerobic bacteria in the top layers of the sand. Too much fine sand can also cause anaerobic pockets to form. This can cause harmful chemicals such as SO4 to build up, and can rot plant roots and poison fish. 

If the particles are too large, food, poop, leaves, even dead fish can sink down into the cracks and rot, causing ammonia spikes. I personally advise against using pea gravel for this very reason, though some disagree with me.

Plants

Plants can be used very effectively in a native tank, so long as a few considerations are kept.

The first thing is deciding what kind of tank to keep- CO2 or low tech. If low tech, and you plan on using dirt as a substrate, digging fish are out. They'll make an absolute mess.

For digging fish without a dirt substrate, one option is to use something to protect the plant's roots from digging activities. One way to do that is by planting near rocks, or in crevices between rock groupings. Another way is to use fluorescent lighting grating. They come in 2' x 4' sheets at most hardware stores. By planting the roots into the grating, fish can't dig up plants without digging up the whole grating too. This is usually added when first setting up a tank, so may not be feasible for mature systems. 

Current is a factor with some plants. Some plants do not want to be bent over all the time. Some don't mind it. Vallisneria is a good choice for tanks with moderate current. They will lay down in the water and have large roots that will anchor in well. Large plants that can rise above the current are good choices too, like certain types if ovular leaved Amazon swords. Leafy plants work well as a current buffer on the intake side of the aquarium, to keep the water from bouncing back and creating a swirling effect; however when placed near the output they will eventually decline as most do not like to be bent over in the current. 

I would suggest using non-collected plants. Tropical plants, or other plants that are common in aquarium stores, are usually pretty consistent as to what they do and when. Natives though, can react to changes in the water associated with seasonal weather changes. A cold period in an unheated aquarium planted with Cabomba may cause the plant to brown out and lose it's needles as it would in fall in the wild. That makes for a nice mess, and most likely, the death of the plant. If you're trying for breeding fish, plants are probably out altogether since most native fish need their water to be brought down to at or near the 40s to trigger breeding.

I think I've covered most of it, if you have any suggestions, feel free to comment!

X-Men: Apocalypse trailer "I've been called... Yaweh"

It's not too often that a sci-fi movie or book rubs me the wrong way, nor am I the kind of person that gets offended at every little thing. I'm a big fan of reimagining the universe, asking questions about how things would operate given a different set of presuppositions, and so on. But, Marvel and Fox have officially vexed me. I am greatly vexed.

In the leaked trailer for a future installment in Fox's line of Marvel movies, "X-Men: Apocaplypse," the super villain Apocalypse utters the line,

"I have been called many things in many lifetimes- Rah, Krishna, Yahweh."

From a sci-fi standpoint, this line is stated in a fictional, atheistic world with questionable morals and a non-linear temporality. So, from within the movie's own frame of reference, it's forgiveable. However, Marvel and Fox do not exist within Fox's alternate mutant reality, and neither do the movie's viewers. We live in this world, with real beliefs and passions. And with real current events.

Right now there are wars going on in other countries over beliefs. Real wars. People are dying over the names of various gods. So I have to ask- Marvel, Fox- Why did you not throw Alah's name in there? Instead of using the name of a god who's name is being used in a great war that is causing very real deaths, you chose to use the sacred, personal, name of the God of the two groups of people most likely not to do anything about it. Jews won't even say or spell this name because it's so sacred. Christians use it, but generally only in certain contexts, preferring the simple English "God." Why not Allah? For that matter, why not some name no one will care about? Bahamut? Satan? Ba'al? Zeus? I could keep going of course. The fact is, you've done a very cowardly thing. You've tried to do something provocative by suggesting the (invisible, timeless) God of (at least) two major world religions is a mere mortal mutant (and an evil one at that), but you did it by choosing a God who will bring you the least amount of kickback from his followers (same thing could be said of Krishna). 

In all- Marvel, Fox- You've chosen poorly. 

I suggest, from the voice of a fan, you make some changes before the actual movie comes out.

Getting Too Big For Our Theological Britches... aka, "I'm just some dude"

I have a lot of passion about being a layperson. I like being a layperson. I like spending a ton of my time studying and passing that on to other laypeople. I feel personally called by God to teach laypeople how to be studious, lead studious lives, and to do it as a layperson. I feel I have the spiritual gift of teaching. I, however, have limits.

One of the problems with the social media/blogosphere thing is that everyone has a voice. Anyone can say almost anything they want about any subject and have an audience, a group of followers who will listen to them. It seems like in a lot of cases, the more radical you are, the more people listen. What this has done is created a whole generation of people that view themselves as if they are peers with people who are not in the same class of understanding as they themselves are. I'm seeing this more and more. It's one thing to ask a question of someone of higher standing, or to disagree and have a back and forth with the person. It's quite another thing to either engage in formal debates with them or to comment on the level of their scholasticism. Things like Twitter and personal blogs have allowed us laypeople to elevate ourselves to that of people that have had their Ph.d.'s for as long as we've been alive, work in full-time teaching ministries, know the original languages, and read more books on more subjects in the past year than we have in the last five. We are just not on their level, and need to recognize that.

Laypeople, even teachers, have things to say. Good things. They have input, they have insight, they have experience. They are valuable, no matter how much or how little they study. I, as someone who studies a lot, have no right to argue with the meaning of a certain Greek term with someone who has their Ph.d. in New Testament Greek. I can disagree, and have my reasons for doing so, but for someone who has been through the rigors of seminary, worked on dissertations, taught, etc., they deserve my respect in their specific area of study. I've listened to people with their doctorates talk, and sometimes I really think that I could school them in a debate on some particular subject. I can think of specific people who are widely regarded in their position that I know I could trounce in a debate. Do I have that right? No. Let someone else more qualified do it.

I'm just a dude. I'm just some guy. Even if I wasn't just some guy, if I ran a website, or had a podcast (which has been tossed around), or written a book, or had a foundation or whatever, I still wouldn't have that right. Why? Because I'm just a dude. I don't have a degree. I'm not in an elected position. I do not have a people that I exercise authority over. I'm just a dude.

Recently, Matthew Vines made this comment:

Michael Brown is not a leading biblical scholar. I'm not sure I've ever seen his work referenced in any of the academic literature on this subject. He also, like James White, uses such over-the-top rhetoric in his opposition that I imagine he mostly succeeds at persuading people to become more affirming, not less affirming.

The hubris involved in statements like this is unreal. The same could be said about his Google talk in regards to why he won't debate James White. The honest, humble fact is, Matthew, you don't have the right to do so. You're not degreed. You don't know original languages. You have not demonstrated a thorough understanding of Systematic Theology. You're just a dude. You're a dude with a voice. A dude with things to say. You've done a great job of repeating other people's arguments- but I've never seen you actually defend them from any sort of scholarly standpoint. You're just a dude. Why don't you just say it? Why make comments about Michael Brown's level of scholasticism that you're not in the position to make? Instead of setting down the baton, or passing it to people who are on the scholastic level to deal with people like James White and Michael Brown, you've decided to make comments about why you shouldn't have to. There is a big difference there. There is a level of disrespect that is amazing for a 25 year old to have towards men who, if you regard them as Christians, have been amazingly outspoken in areas that you would probably agree with them on, for as long as you've been alive. Men who have done amazing work in evangelism and apologetics against people that would disagree with you about your faith. Yet you disregard them.

No person in our position has the right to make comments about someone who has done the legwork worthy of respect on a scholastic level. You can disagree. You can have reasons for disagreement. You have a voice. You have an opinion. You have experience. You are also a layperson. There are limits on us that we must respect.

My suggestions:

1) Recognize and admit your limits. Recognize where you've stepped over the line.

2) Do what they do. Lob a paper at Dr. White. If you don't want to debate him because of his rhetoric,  then push the debate to what he's good at: exegesis. Leave the experiential stuff out of it if you don't like his personal opinions, make it purely about exegetical/theological considerations. But don't marginalize him, because you're not in a position to do so.

3) Apologize to Dr. Brown. If you don't appreciate Dr. White's equating homosexuals with pedophiles, then how much moreso have you offended Dr. Brown with your comments?

Grace and peace to you.

As a footnote, I want to clarify that I am not defending some sort of caste system within the Church. No individual is of more value than another individual. All I'm saying is that certain positions, especially elected ones, demand a certain respect that people on our own level should admit to. 

Our Awesome Illinois Native Fish- For Aquariums!

So I've been keeping natives from around the Chicago area now since it warmed up and I was able to get out into the water. This has been something I've wanted to do for a long time, and now I've got the space to do it. As a teenager, I spent many an afternoon in the creek down the street from my house seining minnows to use for bait. Saw a lot of cool fish, but never put any in an aquarium. Time to get on that.

Spottail Shiner, Notropis hudsonius; Blacknose Shiner, Notropis heterolepis; Emerald Shiner, Notropis atherinoides

Natives are pretty cool fish. Not always the most colorful- sometimes they are- but there is such a variety present that you could keep your curiosity piqued for quite a long time keeping and collecting all the species (like Pokémon...).

Blackstripe Topminnow, Fundulus notatus

Most people think of native fish as gamefish that you would catch on a hook and line. There are so many more fish out there that are much more suitable for aquariums though, caught with nets (or micro fishing if you're a real geek). There are also a lot of different kinds; catfish, midrange minnows, suckers, topwater minnows, darters, and so on. Some, like the rainbow darter or very common orange throated darter give the most colorful cichlids a run for the money. Others are extremely abundant, making it extremely easy to keep a large school of similar fish. No more going to the pet store and being told, "This is a schooling fish, they like to be kept in groups of three or more," and then getting only the bare minimum just to have them terrorize the smallest one. Instead, one sweep of the net could bring home twenty 1.5" long fish. The bonus to this is that fish act differently when they're kept the way they're meant to live, in large groups.

Fathead chub, Pimephales promelas; Golden Shiner, Notemigonus crysoleucas; Central Stoneroller, Campostoma anomalum

There are a few things to watch out for though. One is endangered and threatened species. They exist, and not only are the consequences a good deterrent, but most likely they also aren't the most hardy. All you're doing by capturing them is decreasing the population. Second thing is that you need a fishing license to do this. All state rules and regulations that pertain to catching fish also pertain to netting fish. A third thing is specific to Illinois. Can't transport fish across the border- both ways. There's a disease called VHS that is supposedly going around (perhaps blown out of proportion) that the IDNR is looking to avoid spreading. Another thing is feeding. Most of the shiners and midwater minnows will take flake foods like little hogs, but they're going to need a lot of it, as well as good supplementation. They'll decline if they're not given live or frozen food often. A final issue is keeping fish you're not certain of. That cute little catfish or hog sucker is marked really pretty, but won't work too well when he grows to two feet long. Seeing how its illegal to put fish into waters they didn't come from, as well as returning a potentially diseased fish to its original water a year or two later, this isn't going to be feasible for most.

Johnny Darter, Etheostoma nigrum; Orangethroated Darter, Etheostoma spectabile; Banded Darter, Etheostoma zonale

In all, they're pretty interesting fish, and super easy to come by. Being that they're free (minus the $15 fishing license), there's a good incentive to keeping them in good company to watch them behave as they should.

I'm going to do several posts showing some of the individual species I have, giving an overview as well as some tips on care and requirements.  Stay tuned! (I promise I'll take better pictures next time...)





ill use the big faaaancy camera

What I want to say about Christians being afraid of the homosexual issue...

Yeah, I'm not afraid of the change coming. And this is how I feel toward those already plotting against Christ's church... if I wanted to make light of it. Which I kinda do.