Future project of mine....Native Biotope tank!

[diablo13]

Hey all, I've been reading allot about biotopes and the like recently, and I think a cool future project would be to make a native Biotope. Anybody know about fish species in Maryland? I live around halfway between DC and the Bay, to be specific. Anybody know about the species around here? If I do try it, it wont be a very large tank, maybe 29 gallons. Thanks!

[fishman12]

Salt or Freshwater?

[diablo13]

Fresh, maybe brackish if I do the bay.

[purplemuffin]

Here's the wikipedia list of species in maryland

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...es_of_Maryland

Endangered species of Maryland(DON'T keep these) are listed starting on page 7
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/...nimal_List.pdf

Fishing regulations for your area
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries...s/regindex.asp


Follow those rules, figure out what fish can be kept safely and in what size enclosure(darters would be fun!) and you can have fun! :D It's a bit more research to keep natives..but honestly it looks like a lot of fun in the long run!

[diablo13]

Thanks PM!!!! I bet the endangered species are the prettiest -_- I saw some really pretty darters when I googled this, so I hope I can find some close to me! Thanks!

[thekoimaiden]

You are in the Bay watershed. The prettiest fish in this part of the country are darters and sunfish. Sunfish will live closer to you, but they will need a larger tank. Darters and some small cyprinids would be more native to the headwater streams, but if you can find out which river you live closest to, you can research the headwater streams of that river. You should be able to fit a few in a 29 gal. If I remember correctly there is a user on TFK who has a very nice native stream biotype in a 55 gal. His tank has a nice powerhead, large rock substrate and just a few bits of driftwood. I wish I could remember who has it.

You may also be interested in this site: The North American Native Fishes Association It's dedicated to people who like to keep North America native.

ETA: I should add that I studied the native fishes of Virginia not Maryland, but they are so close that most species overlap. I actually have a degree in Fisheries Science from a major VA university and maintained a native fish tank for my professors there for about a year.

[diablo13]

Hmm....ones that look interesting are Rainbow Darter and Banded Darter. Pretty.....@-@