[Soil]

Interesting idea!

I am working on a similardesign as well and I think your design looks like it will provide nice filtration

I do think that you should put 2-3 or so stacked boxes in the "filter area", pretty much like a canister filter. The lower box could have bioballs for easy waterflow, and the top box gravel to plant in. The sponge to the far right is great to catch particales trying to get into your pump. You would need some kind of grid in the bottom of the top box, but this way its easy to pick them up and clean if they clog.

If you manage to get a good enough flow your emersed plants are gonna have a blast!

 

[TheRiverRat]

Sweet freebie, a stream tank with some of those hillstream loaches and bamboo shrimp would be real cool lookin.

 

[TheRiverRat]

Just saw you said native fish biotope! Are you planning on putting some darters and minnows in it?

 

[calebkraft]

yep, I want to keep to small things. Darters, minnows,skulpin, as many bugs as I can find, etc.

We have some very beautiful darters and similar type fish here I'm hoping to find. We have niangua darters which can be very beautiful, but they're a bit scarce.

I really wish there were catfish that could stay small enough for this tank (1-2 inches). a "slender madtom"(Notorus Exilis) would be cool, they look like micro catfish and they're actually venemous.

 

[TheRiverRat]

It is amazing how awesome looking some of those darters are. I have caught a few rainbow darters seining on the river in my day. And a madtom would fill that small cat void, make a great bait for smallmouth too! Would be sweet to see some bugs in there to and watch them develop into adults. Ill be watching to see what happens with this tank. I have always wanted to create a stream environment!

 

[devilduck]

What are you going to do with the turtle? What type of turtle is it?

 

[seuadr]

are you suggesting a power head alone or are you going to have a pump feeding it?

 

[calebkraft]

I'm imagining one of those power heads that has an intake I could extend. I haven't done much research yet, but it seems like I've seen them before.

If I kept the intake lower than the power head, it shouldn't stress the impeller motor much.

 

[xaqdaddy]

Noturus are awesome

Used to have a couple. Wish I hadnt gotten rid of them.

 

[calebkraft]

I'm thinking something like one of these

but I can extend that intake across the tank.

 

[seuadr]

I'm imagining one of those power heads that has an intake I could extend. I haven't done much research yet, but it seems like I've seen them before.

If I kept the intake lower than the power head, it shouldn't stress the impeller motor much.

gotcha!

I thought you might be suggesting just an open ended power head and was thinking "how is he going to force it through the media" roud:

 

[calebkraft]

cool local fish

Green sided darter

rainbow darter:

banded sculpin

and slender madtom

I intend to have crawfish as well. I think if I get them in there when they are babies (easy to find here), that they'll do less damage to the plants.

I won't even begin to list the massive amounts of inverts and insects I intend to gather. Lets just say "all of them"

 

[scapegoat]

that rainbow darter is incredible looking.

i need to see what i can find around south east PA

 

[calebkraft]

They are pretty amazing. THey don't look quite that bright all year around, but even when they're less colorful they are pleasing to the eye.

 

[scapegoat]

how do you plan to catch these fish?

 

[calebkraft]

We go wading ALL THE TIME. For many of them you can literally scoop them up if you're fast enough. a handheld net will cover the rest.

 

[Wy Renegade]

I know our local sculpins are very high oxygen demand fish and are found in very fast/cold water. From my research keeping one of them would require a chiller. I'm not sure about the variety you have locally, but it would be worth some research, as they may not do well in warmer waters.

 

[Big O]

Very cool idea

I have 2 Jackson Darter's. Not as colorful but what they lack in color, they make up in personality.

 

[calebkraft]

Sculpin are generally a colder water fish. However, I'm pretty sure I've seen them in the section of the James River I'm going to be mimicking. However, I could have just seen some kind of mottled darter and assumed it was a sculpin. The water definitely gets warm there, we wade/swim there all the time.

If they aren't there, they wont get caught and put in my tank!