research project?

[aznfluteboy]

So I am attempting to study the adaptive ability of sportfish, and a river current is the best way to present the bait/rig consistently.

So my proposal is this:
-converting a normal 40-50 gal tank into a ovalish tank and placing a divider to make it into a oval donut tank
-then strategically placing a couple powerheads to make the current flow round and round

specimen:
largemouth bass
bluegill

my questions:
-What kind of powerheads and how many would be needed to achieve an appropriate amount of current?
-where should the powerheads placed?
-what else do I need?

 

[LyndaB]

In my opinion, you'd need a MUCH larger tank for these fish. We're all about being humane here.

What is this study for?

 

[Mrc8858]

I may be wrong but I'm pretty sure you can look up the water flow rate of local rivers which if your pulling them out of there then match it identically and yes lynda is correct..the blue gill imo would be ok but the bass should be in something like a 125+

 

[aznfluteboy]

they are going to be rather small specimens to cope with the small-er budget, like under 12inches

it's for the Great San Diego Science and Engineering Fair competition and to satisfy my own interest in the adaptability of sportfish because I fish too, and this data can be incredibly useful to the fishing industry as the adaptive abilities are from fishing pressure

and that water flow rates are hard to gauge for local creeks because it varies between area to area (especially the one near me), but if I can find the average flow rate, it might work

 

[BigJim]

I'll put the fact that the tank is too small for the fish aside for the moment.

I think the tank will be too small for you to get any kind of good result for your experiment. Let's say you've got a 14" bass in a 40B. At most the bait will be two feet away from the fish. Bump the tank up to a 55g and you've got a max distance of three feet, but the fish will have to struggle to turn around. Either way it'll still be like dropping the bait on the fish's head.

I also suspect you'd have a hard time getting any kind of natural reaction out of a fish in that small of a tank. It'd be like fishing in a livewell.

 

[andresdeo]

Hey there, have you done some searching of similar experiments in the past or looking to reproduce the natural flow of rivers for fish in captivity? I believe thats the way to go, its great you came up with this idea, but you have to make sure that 1) your experiment is the best it can be 2) that no ethics comitee will argue or disaproove of your methods. Both of these issues are solved by doing proper reasearch before the design of the proyect is drawn up.

 

[Flipmikeskater3]

Don't know anything about creating an artificial current to match a creek.
But years ago I had multiple wild catch blue gills in a 55 gallon they took a bit of adjusting but eventually would come up the glass begging for food and everything, very similar to my south American cichlids.
However I tried a bass and it never got adapted it was super shy, refused to eat and just looked unhappy so I had to let him go back to the lake.
Also with the blue gills I would sometimes go fishing in my aquarium with a lure or worm (with no hook because I didn't want to hurt them) but they would always fall for the lures and fake worms etc. Lol
Good luck on the experiment though sounds neat

 

[aznfluteboy]

well,
1, using a specimen under 12" (preferably 6"-8") I can create reasonable amount of room
2, i will not directly operate the rod and reel, but will priming the rod to set the hook upon tension (from a surprisingly simple design) therefore allow consistent hookset into the lip
3, the experiment will be conducted over a period of 2 weeks, as to not induce too much stress upon each specimen
4, a river setting provides a similar setting to the region it was acquired, in which the specimen preys on falling insects
5, I will make makeshift video cameras to document each experiment to also note any changes to the approach of the bait/food source
6, there will be a remote dropping system (tbd) to drop the bait/lure/food as to prevent any behavior patterns to arise from my presence
7, of course, there will be some form of vegetation as to provide an ambush point for the specimen hence emulating the natural habitat

hope I haven't left anything else, might try a river manifold system

 

[Flipmikeskater3]

Sounds like it should be cool experiment idea keep is posted on how it's going
I actually am just getting involved In a study in my universities marine biology department is conducting about how atrazine (the worlds most commonly used commercial herbicide used on corn sugarcane etc) is leaching into our rivers and causing the fish to reproduce and spawn less and with problems, very sad but hopefully we will be able to do something about it

 

[aznfluteboy]

keep me posted too, ecotoxicology is an extremely important field in this day and age